Hermeneutics in Eschatology P5 Amillennialism

Definition:

Amillennialism [also termed Nunc-millennialism or inaugurated millennialism]

The amillennialist believes that the Kingdom of God was inaugurated at Christ's resurrection (hence the term "inaugurated millennialism") at which point he gained victory over both Satan and the Curse. Christ is even now reigning (hence the term "nunc-millennialism" — nunc means "now") at the right hand of the Father over His church. After this present age has ended, Christ will return and immediately usher the church into their eternal state after judging the wicked. The term "amillennialism" is actually a misnomer for it implies that Revelation 20:1-6 is ignored; in fact, the amillennialist's hermeneutic interprets it (and in fact, much of apocalyptic literature) non-literally.

Features and Distinctions:

• The favored method of interpretation is a redemptive-historical approach.
  
  
• Israel and the church: The church is the eschatological fulfillment of Israel.
  
  
• Kingdom of God: a spiritual reality that all Christians partake in and that is seen presently by faith, but will be grasped by sight at the consummation.
  
  
• The Rapture: The saints, living and dead, shall meet the Lord in the clouds and immediately proceed to judge the nations with Christ and then follow Him into their eternal state.
  
  
• The Millennium: inaugurated with Christ's resurrection. In an "already/not yet" sense, Christ already reigns over all creation and is already victorious over Satan.
  
  
• The Role of Satan: Satan’s influence has been diminished because he has been bound by Christ. Satan himself is not presently exerting influence over the world.
  
  
• Miscellaneous:
  • Higher degrees of interpreting prophecy in light of Christ's advent, death, resurrection, and glorification.
  • Relies heavily on a two-age theology.
    
    
• Major proponents: Augustine of Hippo, Martin Luther, John Calvin, Louis Berkhof, C. S. Lewis, R. C. Sproul.
  
  

Synopsis:

Eschatology is the study of the eschaton; the eschaton is equated with "last things." While other views focus on the final days of humankind on the earth, amillennialism sees "the last things" as having been initiated at Christ's resurrection and so, being applicable from the earliest days of the Christian church (Acts 2:16-21; 1 Corinthians 10:11; Hebrews 1:1-2; and 1 Peter 1:20).

The amillennialist perspective sees the whole of God's redemptive revelation as twofold - promise and fulfillment. 

The amillennial perspective emphasizes that the coming of the Kingdom of God is a two-part event. 

The first portion dawned at Christ's first advent (John the Baptist proclaimed at this time, "The kingdom of heaven is at hand" — Matthew 3:2).

At the cross, Christ won the final victory over death and Satan. And then He ascended to reign upon the throne of David forever (Luke 1:32-33; Acts 2:30-31). 

Now because we "look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal" (2 Corinthians 4:18) — because of this, the amillennialist sees the final things already accomplished, though not yet seen by sight, but by faith (2 Corinthians 5:7).

An important note is the amilleniallist's view of the church in this world: a role of suffering. The Christian will be hated by all, just as was Christ (Matthew 10:22), for a servant is not greater than his master.

Seeing this as the church's role on earth — to suffer as did Christ — the amillenialist can hold no hope for an earthly exaltation and longs for the fulfillment of the second stage of the coming of the Kingdom. 

This second stage of the amillennial perspective is the final consummation of all the heavenly promises. The Christian will no longer see by faith alone, but by sight. All the shadowy things will pass away and our eternal reign with Christ will begin. 

The amillennialist, expecting no earthly glory for the church, places all his hope on this heavenly glory.

Key Passages: John 5:28–29; Romans 8:17–23; 2 Peter 3:3–14; 2 Thessalonians 1:5–10

Key Terms:

1) Redemptive-Historical:  The redemptive-historical method studies God’s Word as the history of redemption as found in the unfolding and progressive revelation of God’s mighty acts for and in his people, in Jesus Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit. They argued that Old Testament narratives are not primarily to be moral examples, but as revelations of the coming Messiah. It, first of all, tells the account of God’s redemptive work and grapples with it in its historical setting. “Where does the narrative fit in the big picture?” The redemptive-historical approach also attempts to deal with the literary character of the passage. For example, Psalm 105 is a song of praise to a covenant-keeping God. When it is studied it should be studied as a song, not primarily as a synopsis of Israelite history, even though in a sense that is what it is.

2) Consummation: The eschatological fulfillment of God's covenants with His earthly creation.

3) Two-age Theology: The branch of theological study focusing particularly upon the already / not yet eschatology presented in Scripture (e.g., the fact that we are already raised up with Christ and seated in the heavens (Eph. 2:6), but still await bodily resurrection (1 Cor. 15:50); or that we are already glorified (Rom. 8:30), but glorification is the last stage of our salvation and still awaiting consummation).

Bibliography:

• Hoekema, Anthony. The Bible and the Future. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1994. (ISBN: 0802808514)
• Hendrikson, William. More Than Conquerors: An Interpretation of the Book of Revelation. Grand Rapids: Baker Books-, 1939. (ISBN: 0801057922)
• Beale, G.K. The Book of Revelation: A Commentary on the Greek Text. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1999. (ISBN: 0-8028-2174-X)
• Strimple, Robert B. "Amillennialism." Three Views of the Millennium and Beyond. Ed. Darrell L. Bock. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House,1999. (ISBN 0-310-20143-8)

• Vos, Geerhardus. The Pauline Eschatology. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1953.
• Vos, Geerhardus. Biblical Theology. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1953.
• Ridderbos, Herman. The Coming of the Kingdom. Philadelphia: Presbyterian &Reformed Publishing Company, 1962. (ISBN: 0-87552-408-7)

Hermeneutics in Eschatology P4 - Postmillennialism

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Disclaimer: 

Remember my intention is not to promote one view over another, these posts are intended to prepare you for the discussion and to help you form your own position. 

Definition:

Postmillennialism believes that the millennium is an era (not a literal thousand years) during which Christ will reign over the earth, not from a literal and earthly throne, but through the gradual increase of the Gospel and its power to change lives. 

After this gradual Christianization of the world, Christ will return and immediately usher the church into their final eternal state after judging the wicked. 

It is called postmillennialism because, according to this position, Christ will return after the millennium.

Distinctions:

• The favored method of Biblical interpretation is the covenant-historical.
  
  
• Its position on Israel and the church would be that the church is the fulfillment of Israel.
  
  
• The Kingdom of God represents a spiritual entity experienced on earth through the Christianizing affect of the Gospel.
  
  
• The Millennium is a Golden Age of Christianity that takes place prior to Christ's second advent during which Christ will virtually rule over the whole earth through an unprecedented spread of the Gospel; the vast majority of people will be Christian.
  
  
• There is no definitive position on the role of Satan within postmillennial thought.
  Some postmillennial theologians argue that Satan was bound by Jesus (similar to amillennialism), while others would argue it remains a future event (in agreement with premillennialism).
  
  
• Key Passages: Psalm 2; Isaiah 2:2–4; Matthew 13; 28; John 12.
  
  
• Miscellaneous:
  • Higher degrees of interpreting First Century events in the light of prophecy; preterism often goes hand-in-hand with postmillennialism.
  • Of the several versions of postmillennial eschatology, the reconstructionists seem to be gaining the most popularity in the world today.
    
    
• Major proponents: Jonathan Edwards, B. B. Warfield, Greg Bahnsen, Loraine Boettner, Kenneth L. Gentry Jr., David Chilton, and Gary North.

Synopsis:

You have very likely never met a committed proponent of postmillennialism. That was not always the case. Early in American history, postmillennialism was, in some sense, an American eschatology. Now it’s a theological peculiarity to hear someone speak of postmillennial ideas. In part, that’s because postmillennialism is a difficult system to quantify.

There are several different versions of postmillennialism, but one of the views gaining the most popularity is that of the theonomists. Generally speaking, the postmillennial theonomist viewpoint holds to a partial-preterist interpretation of Revelation and the various judgment prophecies in the Gospels, believing that the majority of those prophecies were fulfilled in 70 A.D. at the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem.

Postmillennialists see the millennial kingdom as the fulfillment of God's promise to Abraham that he would become "a great nation" and that "all peoples on earth would be blessed" through him (Genesis 12:2-3). This holy reign will come about via gradual conversion (rather than premillennialism's cataclysmic Christological advent) through the spread of the Gospel — this incremental progress is drawn from many pictures found throughout Scripture. (Deuteronomy 7:22 and Ezekiel 47:1-12)

Postmillennial optimism is also nurtured through many of the prophetic Psalms. 

The Psalms often speak of all nations fearing Him, salvation being known among all nations, the ends of the earth fearing Him. 

(Psalm 2:1-12; Psalm 22:27; Psalm 67:2, Psalm 67:7; Psalm 102:15; Psalm 110:1). 

Another passage that well feeds this earthly optimism is Isaiah 2:2-3 in which the nations will stream to the righteousness of God.

Key Terms:

Covenant-Historical: Covenant theology is an approach to biblical interpretation that appreciates the importance of the covenants for understanding the divine-human relationship and the unfolding of redemptive history in Scripture. Blending insights from systematic and biblical theology, covenant theology explains the economic Trinity, communion with God, the person and work of Christ, the sacraments, justification by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone, the role of obedience in the Christian life, the believer’s assurance of salvation, the unity and progress of redemptive history, and more, in light of the Bible’s teaching on the divine covenants.

Reconstructionist: Reconstruction, by definition, looks backward, seeking to reconstruct what is believed to have been lost.  Christian reconstructionists advocate for a theocratic government and libertarian economic principles. They maintain a distinction of spheres of authority between self, family, church, and state. 

Theonomists: Theonomy, from theos (god) and nomos (law), is a hypothetical Christian form of government in which society is ruled by divine law. Theonomists hold that divine law, particularly the judicial laws of the Old Testament, should be observed by modern societies.

Partial-Preterist: Partial preterism (often referred to as orthodox preterism or classical preterism) may hold that most eschatological prophecies, such as the destruction of Jerusalem, the Antichrist, the Great Tribulation, and the advent of the Day of the Lord as a "judgment-coming" of Christ, were fulfilled either in AD 70 or during the persecution of Christians under Emperor Nero.

Bibliography:

• Murray, Iain H. Puritan Hope. The Banner of Truth Trust, 1996. (ISBN: 085151247X)
• Kik, J. Marcellus. Eschatology of Victory. Nutley: Presbyterian &Reformed Publishing, 1974. (ISBN: 0875523137)
• Gentry Jr., Kenneth L. He Shall Have Dominion: An Eschatology of Victory. Institute for Christian Economics, 1992 (ISBN 0930464621)
• Boettner, Loraine. Millennium. Presbyterian Reformed Publishing Company, 1992. (ISBN: 0875521134)
• Mathison, Keith A. Postmillennialism: An Eschatology of Hope. Presbyterian &Reformed Publishing Company, 1999 (ISBN: 0875523897)
• Gentry Jr., Kenneth L. "Postmillennialism." Three Views of the Millennium and Beyond. Ed. Darrell L. Bock. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House,1999. (ISBN 0-310-20143-8)

Hermeneutics in Eschatology P3 - Historical premillennialists

Disclaimer: 

Remember my intention is not to promote one view over another, these posts are intended to prepare you for the discussion and to help you form your own position. 

Definition:

Historical premillennialists place the return of Christ just before the millennium and just after a time of great apostasy and tribulation. 

After the millennium, Satan will be loosed and Gog and Magog will rise against the kingdom of God; this will be immediately followed by the final judgment. 

While similar in some respects to the dispensational variety (in that they hold to Christ's return being previous the establishment of a thousand-year earthly reign), historical premillennialism differs in significant ways (notably in their method of interpreting Scripture).

Features and Distinctions:

• The favored method of interpretation is historical-grammatical. Premillennialism places a heavier emphasis on rigidly literal interpretations of key passages than either amillennialism or postmillennialism does.
  
  
• Israel and the church: Historic premillennialism proposes that the Church is the spiritual fulfillment of Israel in a manner that is very similar to amillennialism and postmillennialism.
  
  
• Kingdom of God: present through the Spirit since Pentecost - to be experienced by sight during the millennium after Christ's return.
  
  
• The Rapture: The saints, living and dead, shall meet the Lord in the clouds immediately preceding the millennial reign.
  
  
• The Millennium: Christ will return to institute a thousand-year reign on earth. The Millennium will see the re-establishment of temple worship and sacrifice as a remembrance of Christ's sacrifice.
  
  
• The Role of Satan: Satan is currently at work in the world, influencing affairs and deceiving the nations. At the return of Christ, Satan will be bound for the duration of the millennial age.
  
  
• Key Passages: This position shares many of the same key passages as amillennialism and postmillennialism. The distinction between the systems has to do with interpretations. 
  
  
• Major proponents: Irenaeus, Wayne Grudem, Robert Gundry, Eldon Ladd, Walter Martin, John Warwick Montgomery, and Theodore Zahn. 

Synopsis:

The historical premillennialist's view interprets some prophecy in Scripture as having literal fulfillment while others demand a semi-symbolic fulfillment. As a case in point, the seal judgments (Revelation 6) are viewed as having fulfillment in the forces in history (rather than in future powers) by which God works out his redemptive and judicial purposes leading up to the end.

Rather than the belief of an imminent return of Christ, it is held that a number of historical events (e.g., the rise of the Beast and the False Prophet) must take place before Christ's Second Coming. This Second Coming will be accompanied by the resurrection and rapture of the saints (1 Thessalonians 4:15-18); this will inaugurate the millennial reign of Christ. 

The Jewish nation, while being perfectly able to join the church in the belief of true faith in Christ, has no distinct redemptive plan as they would in the dispensational perspective. The duration of the millennial kingdom (Revelation 20:1-6) is unsure: literal or metaphorical.

Key Terms:

The historical-grammatical method is a modern Christian hermeneutical method that strives to discover the biblical author's original intended meaning in the text.

Bibliography:

• Ladd, George Eldon. A Commentary on the Revelation. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1972. (ISBN:0802816843)
• Ladd, George Eldon. The Last Things: An Eschatology for Laymen. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company,1982.
• Ladd, George Eldon. The Gospel of the Kingdom. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1959. (ISBN: 0802812805)
• Culver, Robert Duncan. Histories &Prophecies of Daniel. Winona Lake, Indiana: BHM Books, 1980. (ISBN: 0-88469-131-4)
• Campbell, Donald K. and Townsend, Jeffrey L. A Case for Premillennialism: A New Consensus. Chicago: The Moody Press, 1992.

Hermeneutics in Eschatology pt 2

Dispensational Premillennialism

Disclaimer: 

Remember my intention is not to promote one view over another, these posts are intended to prepare you for the discussion and to help you form your own position. 

Definition: 

Dispensational premillennialists hold that Christ will come BEFORE a seven-year period of intense trials and tribulation where the cup of God's wrath is poured out upon the earth, to take His church (living and dead) into heaven. 

After this period of fulfillment of divine wrath, Christ returns to rule from a holy city (i.e., the New Jerusalem) over the earthly nations for one thousand years. 

After the thousand years, Satan, who was bound by chains in the bottomless pit during Christ's earthly reign, will be set loose once again to deceive the nations, gather an army, and start a literal war with the Lord. This final battle called Armageddon will end in both the judgment of the wicked and Satan and the entrance into the eternal state of glory by the righteous. 

This view is called premillennialism because it places the return of Christ before the millennium and it is called dispensational because it is founded in the doctrines of dispensationalism. 

A dispensation is a way of ordering things—an administration, a system, or management. In theology, a dispensation is the divine administration of a period of time; each dispensation is a divinely appointed age. Dispensationalism is a theological system that recognizes these ages ordained by God to order the affairs of the world. 

Dispensationalists understand the Bible to be organized into seven dispensations: Innocence (Genesis 1:1—3:7), Conscience (Genesis 3:8—8:22), Human Government (Genesis 9:1—11:32), Promise (Genesis 12:1—Exodus 19:25), Law (Exodus 20:1—Acts 2:4), Grace (Acts 2:4—Revelation 20:3), and the Millennial Kingdom (Revelation 20:4–6). These dispensations are not paths to salvation, but manners in which God relates to man.

Distinctions:

• The favored method of interpretation is a strict literal.
  
  
• Key passages are interpreted through this dispensational framework.
  
  
• Israel and the church: views church and Israel as two distinct identities with two individual redemptive plans.
  
  
• The rapture of the Church: The church is raptured before a seven-year tribulation (the seventieth week of Daniel - Daniel 9:24-27). 
  
  
• The tribulation period contains the reign of the AntiChrist. 
  
  
• Millennium Understanding: Christ will return at the end of the great tribulation to institute a thousand-year rule from a holy city (the New Jerusalem). Those who come to believe in Christ during the seventieth week of Daniel (including the 144,000 Jews) and survive will go on to populate the earth during this time. Those who were raptured or raised previous to the tribulation period will reign with Christ over the millennial population.
  
  
• Major proponents: John Walvoord, Charles Ryrie, Louis Sperry Chafer, J. Dwight Pentecost, Norman Geisler, Charles Stanley, Hal Lindsey, John MacArthur, Chuck Smith, and Chuck Missler.

Synopsis:

A strictly literal hermeneutic is foundational to the dispensational premillennialist viewpoint. Interpreting Scripture in this manner will in fact demand such perspectives unique to dispensationalism as:

• an earthly kingdom of God from which Christ will reign
• a future redemptive plan for national Israel
• a seven-year period of great tribulation
• the rejection of prophetic idiom

Dispensational premillennialism holds that a seven-year tribulation (foreseen in Daniel 9:27) will precede a thousand-year period (Revelation 20:1-6) during which time, Christ will reign on the throne of David (Luke 1:32).

Prior to the time of great tribulation, all the dead saints will rise from their graves and all the living members of the church shall be caught up with them to meet Christ in the clouds (1 Corinthians 15:51-52; 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17); this is known as "the rapture." 

During this time of tribulation, there will be three-and-a-half years of world peace under an AntiChrist figure (Daniel 7:8; Revelation 13:1-8) who will establish a one-world-church (Revelation 17:1-15), followed by three-and-a-half years of greater suffering (Revelation 6-18).

At the end of the seven years, Christ will return (Matthew 24:27-31; Revelation 19:11-21), judge the world (Ezekiel 20:33-38; Matthew 25:31; Jude 1:14-15), bind Satan for one thousand years (Revelation 20:1-3), and raise the Old Testament and tribulation saints from the dead (Daniel 12:2; Revelation 20:4).

At this time, the millennial reign will begin and Christ will reign politically over the earth at this time from His capital in Jerusalem (Isaiah 2:3). Throughout His reign, there will be no war (Isaiah 2:4) and even the natures of animals will dwell in harmony (Isaiah 11:6-9). At the end of this era of peace, Satan will be released and instigate a colossal (but futile) rebellion against God (Revelation 20:7-9). After this fated battle, Satan and the wicked are cast into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:10), while the righteous proceed into their eternal state in the realm of the new heaven and the new earth (Revelation 21:1).

The Role of Satan: 

Very much like historic premillennialism, dispensationalism argues that Satan is actively at work to resist the Church and to undermine God’s people. He will be bound for the duration of the millennium and only released for a final confrontation following his 1,000-year captivity.

Bibliography:

• Pentecost, J. Dwight. Things to Come. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1978. (ISBN 0310308909)
• Ryrie, Charles. The Basis for Premillennial Faith. New York: The Loizeaux Brothers, 1953. (ISBN 0872137414)
• Walvoord, John. Every Prophecy of the Bible. Colorado Springs: Chariot Victor Publishing, 1999. (ISBN 1-56476-758-2)
• Walvoord, John. The Revelation of Jesus Christ. Chicago: Moody Press, 1966. (ISBN 0-8024-7310-5)
• Blaising, Craig A. "Premillennialism." Three Views of the Millennium and Beyond. Ed. Darrell L. Bock. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House,1999. (ISBN 0-310-20143-8)

New Testament Endtimes Prophecy Chart

 

• Persecution - Matthew 24:9; Revelation 6:9; 13:7-10; 14:13; 17:6,14; 18:24

• Rapture - 1 Corinthians 15:50-53; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; 2 Thessalonians 2:1

• BEMA Judgment - 1 Corinthians 3:10-15; 9:27; 2 Corinthians 5:10; 1 Thessalonians 2:19,20

• Kings of the East - Revelation 9:13-19; 17:12.

• The Beast, or Antichrist - 2 Thessalonians 2:3-12; Revelation 13:1-18; 17:7-18; 19:19,20

• Abomination of Desolation - Matthew 24:15; 2 Thessalonians 2:4; Revelation 13:15

• Jewish Revival - Revelation 7:4-8; 14:1-5

• Regathering of Israel - Luke 21:24

• All Nations Gathered - Revelation 14:20; 16:16; 19:19

• Earthquake - Revelation 6:12; 11:19; 16:21

• Hailstones - Revelation 8:7; 11:19; 16:18

• People Destroyed By Fire - Revelation 8:7-11; 16:8,9; 18:8

• Corpses - Revelation 14:20; 19:17,18

• 7 Years or 3.5 Years - Revelation 11:2,3; 12:6,14; 13:5

• Famine - Matthew 24:7; Luke 21:11; Revelation 6:5-8; 18:8

• Pestilence - Luke 21:11; Revelation 6:6-8; 16:1-11; 18:8

• Signs in the Sky - Matthew 24:29; Luke 21:11, 25; Revelation 6:12,13; 8:12

• Second Advent - Matthew 24:7; Revelation 19:11-18

• Apostasy - Matthew 24:10, 23-26; Revelation 17:1-18; 18:2

• Remnant Saved - Matthew 24:16, 20; Revelation 7:4-8; 12:6,13,14; 14:1-5

Old Testament Endtimes Prophecy Chart

• Confusion in Last Battle - Ezekiel 38:21; Zechariah 12:4; 14:13

• 7 Years or 3.5 Years - Daniel 7:25; 9:27; 12:7

• Corpses - Isaiah 34:3; Ezekiel 39:11-20; Joel 2:20

• Men Killed By Fire - Isaiah 13:8,12; 24:6; 33:14; 34:9; 51:6; 65:15,16; Ezekiel 38:22; 39:6; Zechariah 14:12; Malachi 4:1

• Hailstones - Ezekiel 38:22

• Earthquakes - Isaiah 24:18-20; Ezekiel 38:19,20; Joel 2:10(?); 3:16; Amos 9:5; Zechariah 14:4

• Regathering of Israel - Ezekiel 37

• All Nations Gathered to War - Isaiah 13:4; 66:18; Zechariah 12:1-4; 14:2

• Jewish Revival - Ezekiel 37:9-14; Zechariah 12:10-14; 13:1-9

• Abomination of Desolation - Daniel 9:27; 12:11

• Second Advent - Ezekiel 39:21; Daniel 2:44; 7:13,14; Zechariah 14:4; Malachi 2:1-3

• The Beast, or Antichrist - Isaiah 14:12-15; Daniel 7:8, 24; 8:19, 26; 9:26, 27; 11:36ff; Zechariah 11:15-17

• 10 Nations - Daniel 2:42,44; 7:24

• Kings of East - Daniel 11:44

• Kings of South - Ezekiel 38:5; Daniel 11:40

• Kings of North - Ezekiel 38:15ff; 39:2; Daniel 11:40; Joel 2:20

• Signs in Sky - Isaiah 13:10; 24:23; Joel 2:10,30; 3:15; Zechariah 14:6,7

• Remnant Saved - Joel 2:12, 17; 3:32; Amos 9:8; Zechariah 13:8,9; 14:2,5

Hermeneutics in Eschatology pt 1

 Greetings and salutations! 

I have determined to revive this old blog page with the purpose of outlining a series of eschatological arguments, laying them out in a way for folks to see and decide for themselves which they believe based on Scripture is the correct approach.

In this post, I want to lay out two basic rules and then outline the base process I am going to take in these posts. 

Rule 1) Be Polite, in that you demonstrate humility,  I don't care how committed you are to one view or another these are things that have been debated by theologians far smarter than you or I for centuries and I don't expect anyone to change their views based on a single blog post or sermon. 

Rule 2) Be Open, if you are not willing to listen and consider positions other than your own then you are not demonstrating the humility or the maturity you think you are. It is okay to hold different views especially when we are dealing with issues that have yet to unfold and NO ONE actually knows 100% for sure that they are right and everyone else is wrong. 

Okay, with these rules in mind let's talk process. 

I have no idea how many posts this will take to work all the way through, but I am committed to being thorough and will do my best to not favor one view over another as I outline each of them. If I miss something please feel free to send me an email. As of this post, my plan is to have a post a week until we reach the end of the conversation, each post giving a brief, but accurate account of the main tenets of the four main existing viewpoints as well as some of the reasons — both Scriptural and interpretive — behind each view. 

These four main eschatological systems that I plan to look at (in no particular order) are as follows:

1) Dispensational Premillennialism
2) Historic Premillennialism
3) Postmillennialism
4) Amillennialism

Please realize that though these views differ significantly on the topic at hand, the Christians who disagree on these matters agree with each other on probably ninety percent of the rest of the Christian life, this is why I posted my two basic rules first so that we can attempt a bit of civility in the discussion. I will also define any words that I use each week that are of importance at the bottom of the post so that hopefully I don't lose you. 

The Millennium in Question

The first question I want to look at is what is the millennium in question. Each of these four main views revolves around what your definition of the millennium is so having a base understanding of that is important. 

When Christians discuss their millennial views, they are speaking of their interpretation of the much-debated passage in Revelation 20:1-10 — NASB.

"Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he threw him into the abyss, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he would not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were completed; after these things he must be released for a short time.

"Then I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was given to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark on their forehead and on their hand; and they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were completed. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years.

"When the thousand years are completed, Satan will be released from his prison, and will come out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together for the war; the number of them is like the sand of the seashore. And they came up on the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, and fire came down from heaven and devoured them. And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever." (NASB)

Okay so let's break this down. When we look at the question of what is the millennium there are different understandings that will determine your position. 

Many Christians will look at this and want to proclaim that they are "pan-millennial" that it will all pan out in the end. This is dangerous and while I was in this camp for a long time, it is unhealthy. 

That said, there literally is a multitude of interpretations, and regardless of your final interpretation of the thousand years from Revelation 20, it all depends more upon certain factors related to your hermeneutic rather than the strict text of the ten highly debated verses. 

You see, there are several ways in which Christians choose to come to Scripture some right, most wrong, and depending on which of these methods is used, your understanding of eschatological issues — and a host of others as well — will change. 

And since you interpret Scripture primarily through the filter of your understanding of other passages in the Word, your millennial view does have an effect (whether great or small) on the way in which you live your life.

The most important thing you can do here is to ensure that you are working off the right hermeneutic working to view the scriptures exegetically versus eisegetically. 

Okay, I think this is where I will end this post and will pick up later this week/next week with Dispensational Pre-millennialism.

May God bless you and keep you! 

Pastor Jonathan

Definitions: 

Eschatology: the part of theology concerned with death, judgment, and the final destiny of the soul and of humankind.

Hermeneutic: concerning interpretation, especially of the Bible or literary texts. Your Hermeneutic is the lens through which you interpret God's Word. 

Exegtically: related to exegesis which is the Science which consists in establishing, according to the standards of scientific criticism, the meaning of a text, in particular. of the Bible.  Exegesis is legitimate interpretation that "reads out of" the text what the original author or authors meant to convey.

Eisegetically: related to Eisegesis which is the process of interpreting the text in such a way as to introduce one's own presuppositions, agendas, or biases. It is commonly referred to as reading into the text. It is often done to "prove" a pre-held point of concern, and to provide confirmation bias corresponding with the pre-held interpretation and any agendas supported by it. Eisegesis is best understood when contrasted with exegesis.