Millennial Views

Question #1: Will there be an earthy reign of Christ (a millennial reign)? (

)

• Amillennialism- There will be no earthly reign of Christ.
• Premillennialism- The return of Christ will inaugurate the millennium.
• Postmillennialism- The second coming of Christ will conclude the millennium.

Question #2: Will Christ remove the Church from the world before or after the great tribulation?

• Pre-tribulationism- Christ will remove the Church from the world before the great tribulation. (
  1 Thessalonians 4:16

  16 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. (ESV)

  )

• Post-tribulationism- Christ will return only after the great tribulation.

• Postmillennialism

  “Postmillennialism rests on the belief that the preaching of the gospel will be so successful that the world will be converted. The reign of Christ, the locus of which is human hearts, will be complete and universal. The petition, ‘Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven,’ will be actualized. Peace will prevail and evil will be virtually banished. Then, when the gospel has fully taken effect, Christ will return. Basically, then, postmillennialism is an optimistic view.”
  –Millard Erickson, Christian Theology, 1206

  First taught by an African Donatist named Tyconius in the 4th century.
  Picked up by Augustine and then became the Christian view through the Middle Ages.
  Augustine: We are in the millennium and have been since Christ’s coming (

  Mark 3:27

  27 But no one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man. Then indeed he may plunder his house. (ESV)

  ). At the end of the millennium, Satan will be loosed for a short time before his final demise.
  In the Middle Ages, they thought the end would come at 1000. Since it did not, it became interpreted as all of Church History.
  Key concept- The Gospel of the Kingdom will be spread around the world.

  Psalm 47

  47:1 Clap your hands, all peoples!
  Shout to God with loud songs of joy!
  2 For the Lord, the Most High, is to be feared,
  a great king over all the earth.
  3 He subdued peoples under us,
  and nations under our feet.
  4 He chose our heritage for us,
  the pride of Jacob whom he loves. Selah

  5 God has gone up with a shout,
  the Lord with the sound of a trumpet.
  6 Sing praises to God, sing praises!
  Sing praises to our King, sing praises!
  7 For God is the King of all the earth;
  sing praises with a psalm!

  8 God reigns over the nations;
  God sits on his holy throne.
  9 The princes of the peoples gather
  as the people of the God of Abraham.
  For the shields of the earth belong to God;
  he is highly exalted! (ESV)

  ,

  Psalm 72

  72:1 Give the king your justice, O God,
  and your righteousness to the royal son!
  2 May he judge your people with righteousness,
  and your poor with justice!
  3 Let the mountains bear prosperity for the people,
  and the hills, in righteousness!
  4 May he defend the cause of the poor of the people,
  give deliverance to the children of the needy,
  and crush the oppressor!

  5 May they fear you while the sun endures,
  and as long as the moon, throughout all generations!
  6 May he be like rain that falls on the mown grass,
  like showers that water the earth!
  7 In his days may the righteous flourish,
  and peace abound, till the moon be no more!

  8 May he have dominion from sea to sea,
  and from the River to the ends of the earth!
  9 May desert tribes bow down before him,
  and his enemies lick the dust!
  10 May the kings of Tarshish and of the coastlands
  render him tribute;
  may the kings of Sheba and Seba
  bring gifts!
  11 May all kings fall down before him,
  all nations serve him!

  12 For he delivers the needy when he calls,
  the poor and him who has no helper.
  13 He has pity on the weak and the needy,
  and saves the lives of the needy.
  14 From oppression and violence he redeems their life,
  and precious is their blood in his sight.

  15 Long may he live;
  may gold of Sheba be given to him!
  May prayer be made for him continually,
  and blessings invoked for him all the day!
  16 May there be abundance of grain in the land;
  on the tops of the mountains may it wave;
  may its fruit be like Lebanon;
  and may people blossom in the cities
  like the grass of the field!
  17 May his name endure forever,
  his fame continue as long as the sun!
  May people be blessed in him,
  all nations call him blessed!

  18 Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
  who alone does wondrous things.
  19 Blessed be his glorious name forever;
  may the whole earth be filled with his glory!
  
  Amen and Amen!

  20 The prayers of David, the son of Jesse, are ended. (ESV)

  ,

  Psalm 100

  100:1 Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!
  2 Serve the Lord with gladness!
  Come into his presence with singing!

  3 Know that the Lord, he is God!
  It is he who made us, and we are his;
  we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

  4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
  and his courts with praise!
  Give thanks to him; bless his name!

  5 For the Lord is good;
  his steadfast love endures forever,
  and his faithfulness to all generations. (ESV)

  ;

  Isaiah 45:22-25

  22 “Turn to me and be saved,
  all the ends of the earth!
  For I am God, and there is no other.
  23 By myself I have sworn;
  from my mouth has gone out in righteousness
  a word that shall not return:
  ‘To me every knee shall bow,
  every tongue shall swear allegiance.’

  24 “Only in the Lord, it shall be said of me,
  are righteousness and strength;
  to him shall come and be ashamed
  all who were incensed against him.
  25 In the Lord all the offspring of Israel
  shall be justified and shall glory.” (ESV)

  ;

  Hosea 2:23

  23 and I will sow her for myself in the land.
  And I will have mercy on No Mercy,
  and I will say to Not My People, ‘You are my people’;
  and he shall say, ‘You are my God.’” (ESV)

  ;

  Matthew 24:14

  14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. (ESV)

  ;

  Matthew 28:18-20

  18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (ESV)

  .
  It will work like leaven throughout the entire world. With the spread of the gospel, social structures and all of society will be transformed.

• Premillennialism

  “Premillennialism is committed to the concept of an earthly reign by Jesus Christ of approximately one thousand years (or at least a substantial period of time). Unlike postmillennialism, premillennialism sees Christ as physically present during this time; it believes that he will return personally and bodily to commence the millennium. This being the case, the millennium must be seen as still in the future.”
  –Millard Erickson, Christian Theology, 1209

  First presented in the first three centuries of the Church. Throughout this period, there was a firm expectation of the imminent return of Christ.
  First proponents: Justin Martyr and Irenaeus.
  Regained popularity in the middle of the 19th century, but it was changed and adapted by the Dispensationalist. Now, Classical Premillennialism and Dispensational Premillennialism.
  Key idea: Millennium will be a sharp contrast to the previous world system. This time and world system is marked by evil and turmoil. The millennium will be a time of peace and harmony (

  Romans 8:19-23

  19 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. 23 And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. (ESV)

  ;

  Isaiah 11:6-7

  6 The wolf shall dwell with the lamb,
  and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat,
  and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together;
  and a little child shall lead them.
  7 The cow and the bear shall graze;
  their young shall lie down together;
  and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. (ESV)

  ;

  Isaiah 65:25

  25 The wolf and the lamb shall graze together;
  the lion shall eat straw like the ox,
  and dust shall be the serpent’s food.
  They shall not hurt or destroy
  in all my holy mountain,”
  
  says the Lord. (ESV)

  ). The end of this age will be marked by great persecution and chaos before the millennium arrives.
  Primary Biblical support:

  Revelation 20:4-6

  4 Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. 5 The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years. (ESV)

  . Term used for resurrection is the same for both resurrections. Therefore, they are both the same.

• Amillennialism

  “Literally, Amillennialism is the idea that there will be no millennium, no earthly reign of Christ. The great final judgment will immediately follow the second coming and issue directly in the final states of the righteous and the wicked.”
  –Millard Erickson, Christian Theology, 1212

  Found throughout church history and Augustine is argued as a supporter. In many ways, it is similar to postmillennialism, so it has the same history. Popular with the Reformational leaders, Jonathan Edwards, and many Puritans.
  Key idea: The book of Revelation is highly symbolic and each of the seven sections of the book deal with time between Christ’s first and second coming. As apocalyptic literature, Revelation is symbolic, and it is dangerous and wrong to try to read it literally.

  Revelation 20

  20:1 Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain. 2 And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, 3 and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be released for a little while.

  4 Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. 5 The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years.

  7 And when the thousand years are ended, Satan will be released from his prison 8 and will come out to deceive the nations that are at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them for battle; their number is like the sand of the sea. 9 And they marched up over the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, but fire came down from heaven and consumed them, 10 and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

  11 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. 13 And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. 14 Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. 15 And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. (ESV)

  is not the end, but a special perspective on the end times.
  The main exegetical issue problem is that the two resurrections in

  Revelation 20

  20:1 Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain. 2 And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, 3 and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be released for a little while.

  4 Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. 5 The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years.

  7 And when the thousand years are ended, Satan will be released from his prison 8 and will come out to deceive the nations that are at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them for battle; their number is like the sand of the sea. 9 And they marched up over the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, but fire came down from heaven and consumed them, 10 and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

  11 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. 13 And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. 14 Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. 15 And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. (ESV)

  . Main argument is that they are two types of resurrection- one spiritual and one physical.