This is the first week of at least a 2-week post. The overall topic is the doctrine concerning the millennium. This week we are going to talk about the history and briefly define the main three teachings around the millennium. The plan as of this minute is next week, we are going to discuss how each of these views influence our overall worldview.
The millennium means “a thousand years” and these thousand years are at the end times of the current earth. The three major millennial views are amillennialism, postmillennialism, and premillennialism. None of these views dispute that Jesus Christ is ruling or will rule over His kingdom. While we may not all agree whether there is a millennium or when it will happen, it should not cause us to break fellowship with other believers that holds a different view.
If you are interested in reading a very good book on the topic I would suggest, Three Views on the Millennium and Beyond. The book is written by Dr. Craig A. Blaising, Dr. Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr., and Dr. Robert B. Strimple. Each of the scholars staunchly represents their view of the millennium and writes an essay supporting that particular view. The other two then writes a rebuttal to that scholar’s essay. Dr. Darrell L. Bock serves as the editor who brings this work together and presents a summarizing essay.
All three teachings can be traced to the early church, even though the names are modern by which some are called. For example, the term amillennialism cannot be found before the 1930’s.[1] The teaching of amillennialism can be traced to the second half of the A.D. 300s with the teachings of Tyconius who greatly influenced St. Augustine and his writings on amillennialism.
Postmillennial proponents trace the earliest hint of this belief to Origen (a.d. 185–254). This hint was by no means developed into a teaching by Origen, but he “expected that Christianity, by continual growth, would gain the dominion over the world.”[2] However, it was not until the late 1700s and early 1800s that postmillennialism gained popularity and became “the major millennial view.”[3]
Premillennialism had the earliest recorded church teaching by Irenaeus’ (A.D. 130-202). [4] Irenaeus is, “widely regarded as the first great theologian of the Christian church.” [5] Irenaeus “was a disciple of Polycarp, who in turn was a disciple of the apostle John.”[6] “None of the major creeds of the church include premillennialism in their statements.”[7]
Now that we have looked at the history, let’s look briefly at defining each of the three views. The prefix a- mean “not” or “without,” meaning without a millennium. Amillennialist believe that the millennium written about in Revelation 20 is a figure of speech and there is no specific and actual millennium to come. They believe that the church age that we currently live in is the millennium. They believe that the resurrection of believers, the resurrection of unbelievers, judgment, the new heaven and new earth all happen immediately after Christ’s return.[8]
The postmillennialist believes that Jesus will return at the end of the millennium. They believe that the time between Christ’s first coming and His second coming is the millennium. In this view, “Christ rules in the hearts of believers as the church brings in the kingdom by the triumph of the gospel in this world. (Spiritual reign).”[9] In other words society will continually progress until the whole world is Christian. After every living person in the world accepts Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, Christ will return for the general resurrection and judgment of all people and then eternity.[10]
The premillennialist believes is the literal interpretation of Scripture. They believe that Christ’s second coming will be before the millennium at which time the church will be raptured. Jesus will reign on the earth for one-thousand years. At the end of the millennium Satan will be released to deceive the nations. After this is the resurrection of the unbelievers and the final judgment. Once all this is completed the new heaven and new earth come down.[11]
There is much more I could write, but the post is longer than I wanted it. I will discuss why I cannot find the support regarding amillennialism or postmillennialism next week, but I will share why I am a premillennialist. First, it holds to the literal and grammatical interpretation of Scripture. Second, Irenaeus upon who’s teaching it is based is less than fifty years after the death of the Apostle John. Given that Irenaeus was a disciple of Polycarp, a direct disciple of the Apostle John, the chance for corruption in the teaching is the most minimal.
In Christ,
Don
[1] Robert B. Strimple, “Amillennialism,” in Three Views on the Millennium and Beyond, ed. Stan N. Gundry and Darrell L. Block, Zondervan Counterpoints Series (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1999), 83.
[2] Kenneth L. Gentry Jr., “Postmillennialism,” in Three Views on the Millennium and Beyond, ed. Stan N. Gundry and Darrell L. Block, Zondervan Counterpoints Series (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1999), 15.
[3] Mark Hitchcock, The Complete Book of Bible Prophecy (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 1999), 32.
[4] Gentry Jr., “Postmillennialism,” in Three Views on the Millennium and Beyond, 15.
[5] Moisés Silva and Merrill Chapin Tenney, The Zondervan Encyclopedia of the Bible, H-L (Grand Rapids, MI: The Zondervan Corporation, 2009), 348.
[6] Kim Riddlebarger, A Case for Amillennialism: Understanding the End Times, Expanded Edition. (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2013), 37.
[7] Gentry Jr., “Postmillennialism,” in Three Views on the Millennium and Beyond, 15.
[8] Wayne A. Grudem, Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine (Leicester, England; Grand Rapids, MI: Inter-Varsity Press; Zondervan Pub. House, 2004), 1109-1110.
[9] Hitchcock, The Complete Book of Bible Prophecy, 34.
[10] Hitchcock, The Complete Book of Bible Prophecy, 34.
[11] Riddlebarger, A Case for Amillennialism: Understanding the End Times, , 33-43.