Pre-Millennialism
It has taken us two weeks to get this last blog post done. We all agreed to save the Premillennial view for last because, I think, we all hold the view that this is the most accurate view of the millennium.
The Premillennial view, according to gotquestions.org, is “the view that Christ’s second coming will occur prior to His millennial kingdom, and that the millennial kingdom is a literal 1000-year reign of Christ on earth.”
Let’s look one last time at the passage from Revelation that talks about the Millennium, so we know what it looks like in context and with refence to this premillennial view. Our passage is Revelation 20:4-6. This is how it reads; “4 And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. 5 But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.”[1]
It doesn’t seem to fit the context or the flow for the reign of Christ to be a separate thousand years that that of Satan’s exile. Therefore, it seems to be clear that the return of Christ will occur prior to the millennium, or, pre-millennial.
Scripture talks about a millennium, so the idea of Amillennialism (there will be no millennium) is inaccurate. Scripture says that we will reign with Christ for the millennium, so the idea of Postmillennialism (Christ will return after the millennium) in inaccurate as well. The only logical conclusion is Premillennialism (Christ will return before the millennium) is the accurate conclusion and interpretation.
I realize that not all people will agree with this conclusion. After all, this debate has been going on for many years, and will likely go on for years to come. I believe in the literal grammatical interpretation of Scripture. What this means is that if Scripture says it, it must be true. This interpretation method is accurate if we are not dealing with parables, or comparisons. The reason that I believe this interpretation method to be most accurate is simple; we cannot change the meaning of Scripture. Every bit of Scripture was written for a purpose. That purpose does not change because we are in a different time period now versus when it was written.
We should always look at Scripture in context, understanding who it was written to, and why it was written. Then, and only then, can we make an application in our lives. Regarding the millennium, this passage says we will reign with Christ a thousand years. The only way this can be true is for Him to return before the millennium. The application is that I must trust and believe this so I can be with Him during this time.
This is where we have a decision to make. If you do not die to yourself and be reborn in Christ, believing that He is the Son of God. Believing that He shed His blood to free you from the penalty of your sins. He died, was buried, and rose on the third day and now sits at the right hand of God making intercession for you, this means He talks to God the Father on your behalf. If you have not done this before you draw your last breath, or He comes back, then there is no way possible to be with Him in the millennium.
I beg you, if you have not yielded to Him, do it before it is too late. I love each one of you, but my love fails in comparison to the love that Christ has for you. Let Him love you. Love Him in return. The discussion over when and if the millennium occurs matters not in the realm of eternity, only that you believe.
In Christ,
James
[1] The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982), Re 20:4–6.