Welcome to another edition of The Teaching Lady. If this is your first time, I hope you will find our page helpful. If you are returning, thank you for coming back. Did you know there are three different millennial views – amillennial, premillennial, and postmillennial? Today, we will look at the definitions of each one.
When looking at end times events, millennial views play a part. You may have heard these terms before but didn’t quite understand their meaning. In addition, you may be around people who express their particular views regarding millennialism. So, without further delay, let’s jump in and define each view.
Millennial = 1,000 years
Disclaimer: The following definitions are taken from the Bible Dictionary based on the NIV translation by J.D. Douglas and Merrill Tenney.
All three millennial views include the second coming of Christ and believe the saved will spend eternity with God.
premillennialism
“Teaches that the kingdom of God has to do primarily with redemption. The kingdom was offered to Israel, but when it was rejected, its blessings were given to “a people who will produce its fruit.” (Matthew 21:43), the church (which is a “holy nation,” 1 Peter 2:9).
The kingdom now works in the world through the church, bringing to all who will receive it the blessings of God’s rule. The return of Christ is necessary for the final defeat of the enemies of God’s kingdom and will involve two stages: (1) the Millennium, or thousand-year period, when the glory of Christ’s reign will be manifested in history and human society, and (2) the age to come with its new heavens and new earth (2 Peter 3:12-13; Rev 21:1).
Israel, which is still a “holy people” (Rom 11:16), is yet to be saved and brought into the blessings of the kingdom, but that will occur in terms of New Testament redemption rather than Old Testament economy.
This view accepts the basic premise that the Old Testament prophecies are to be interpreted in terms of New Testament teaching.”
The following definition is from a book titled Smart Guide To The Bible Series by Daymond Duck and Larry Richards.
“This was the first belief to appear, historically speaking. Premillennial suggests Christ will return before the thousand-year reign. Premillennialists believe that in the distant future, after the kingdom is purged of sin, Jesus will turn it over to the Father, and it will be merged with his kingdom. This is the view many conservative Protestants.”
amillennialism
“Amillennialism “is a modification of classical premillennialism, accepting its basic definition and structure of the kingdom but omitting the millennial (1,000 yrs) stage. The kingdom is God’s redemptive rule in Christ working in the world through the church. It will come to its consumption with the second coming of Christ to inaugurate the age to come.
Most amillennialists deny that Israel has any future but see the church as the new Israel, which has experienced the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies in spiritual terms.”
The following definition is from a book titled Smart Guide To The Bible Series by Daymond Duck and Larry Richards.
“Putting an “a” in front of millennial means no “millennium” or “No thousand years.” Those who embrace amillennialism believe all the prophecies about Israel refer to the church, that the kingdom is the church, that the Millenium is the Church Age, and the New Earth is heaven. They believe Satan was bound at the first coming of Jesus. They believe we are in the Millenium (Church Age) now, and Jesus is ruling over the earth through the church. For them, the Rapture is the Second Coming. This is the view of most Catholics and liberal Protestants.”
Believers are walking around today who believe the church has replaced Israel as God’s chosen people. It is known as replacement theology, which I will address in another blog. However, I do not believe that is true.
postmillennialism
“Sees the kingdom as the reign of God in Christ through the church, destined to conquer all the world and to establish God’s reign in all human society through the triumphant preaching of the gospel. Only after this “Millennium” or “Golden Age” will Christ return for the final judgment and the resurrection of the dead to inaugurate the age to come.”
The following definition is from a book titled Smart Guide To The Bible Series by Daymond Duck and Larry Richards.
“This view did not surface until the seventeenth century. This belief ignores or explains away most prophecies. Postmillennialism suggests that the world is constantly getting better, that the whole world will eventually be Christianized, and that Christ will not come back until it is. It means Christ will return after the Millennium after the world is Christianized.
Instead of Christ coming to establish his kingdom, postmillennialists believe the church is building that kingdom. This belief almost died out in the mid-twentieth century, but is making a comeback under the names of Dominion Now, Dominion Theology, and Reconstructionism.”
People who hold the postmillennial view in a nutshell hold to the thinking that Jesus will come back once this world has been made right and everyone is good. I don’t know if you have noticed, but this world doesn’t seem to be on track for getting better, but worse as each month passes.
Summary
There you have it – three different views held by believers all over the world. Most people define themselves as one of the three – amillennial, premillennial, or postmillennial.
As mentioned previously, if you are in the premillennial camp, you believe the rapture happens first. The rapture is when Jesus comes for his church, and then the seven years of tribulation starts, and the antichrist is revealed.
Some believers do not believe in the rapture.
Next time we’re together, we will look at the rapture, more specifically the definition and verses from the Bible that point to the church’s rapture.
In the meantime, I would be remiss if I didn’t share the gospel with you.
The Apostle Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 15:3-4, “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures”
Blessings!
The Teaching Lady
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End Times Events – 70 Weeks In Daniel Part 1
End Times Events – 70 Weeks In Daniel Part 2
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