Three of the end-time views concerning the second coming and millennial reign of Jesus Christ are the Amillennial, the Postmillennial, and the Premillennial views. The Amillennial view, according to Dr. Elmer Towns, in his book Theology For Today, maintains that Christ will not really set up a literal, earthly kingdom, but instead that many of the Old Testament promises about such a kingdom actually "were fulfilled in a non-literal way, either in the present church age or in the experience of the church in heaven [1]." By contrast, each of the other two views, also according to Dr. Towns, teaches that Christ will set up a literal, earthly kingdom.
Through the years, the Amillennial view has drawn criticism from its opponents, particularly from those who have sometimes claimed that amillenarians are liberal and that their views are tied too closely to the Roman Catholic church. Mr. William E. Cox, in his book Amillennialism Today, responds to these criticisms by saying that amillenarians have gotten a bad rap from many such critics and Bible scholars [2]. He admits that his particular group of eschalogical believers does not believe in a literal, one thousand year, earthly reign of Jesus Christ. However, he counters that statement by suggesting that that belief, in and of itself, does not mean that all amillenarians are either liberal or too closely aligned to the Roman Catholic church.
In his opinion, many premillenarians and postmillenarians have had and still have views which agree with the doctrines of the Roman Catholic church. Yet, these groups have not been negatively linked to Catholicism. He points out that many Church fathers, such as Origen and Augustine, spoke during their day against a literal, millennial reign. He also says that "many of the church's outstanding evangelists, theologians, and commentators have believed amillennial doctrine [3]." Thus, his point about unfair criticism from those who are opposed to the amillennial view may have been well taken. Proponents of a particular view should not be verbally assaulted or abused just because their opinions and beliefs differ from someone else's.
As was just noted, Mr. Cox states that the Amillennial belief does not endorse a literal, one thousand year, earthly reign of Jesus Christ. In his book, he qualifies that remark by adding that amillenarians do recognize a type of biblical millennium. They just do not view Christ's one thousand year reign in quite the same way as that of the premillenarians and postmillenarians. Each of these latter two millennial views picture a literal reign of Christ on this earth, a reign in which the Lord will actually rule from the throne of His earthly kingdom. Each of these latter two views, however, while agreeing about the literal, earthly kingdom, still differ with respect to each other concerning the time period of the Lord's reign.
The Postmillennial view teaches that the world, since the time of our Lord, through the spreading of the Gospel and the work of the Church, has gotten better and better and that at some point the millennial kingdom will commence. Many scholars, including Mr. Millard J. Erickson in his book, Christian Theoogy, refer to this point of view as one which is strongly optimistic, mainly because these postmillenial believers are convinced that the world will either get better and better or already is getting better and better [4]. From the postmillennial perspective, once the millennial kingdom has begun and has acquired a measure of universal acceptance, probably toward its end, then Christ will actually return to the earth and sit upon the throne of His literal kingdom [5]. With this view, the intent appears to be on having everything which pertains to the kingdom already in place before Christ returns. Therefore, the focus seems to be more on the works of the Holy Spirit and the Church. The third point of view listed above, which is the Premillennial view, presents the belief that Christ will physically return to the earth prior to the one thousand year Millennium and then set up a literal, earthly kingdom and reign. Because the Lord's kingdom, according to this view, will be set up after He returns, the focus with this belief is entirely on Christ.
To arrive at their individual opinions, each of the three beliefs has begun with the Book of Revelation and taken on the difficult task of interpreting a very complicated portion of Scriptures. For their respective cases, the premillenarians and postmillenarians have interpreted Revelation 20:1-6 to be talking about a literal event, an event which will actually take place in some form, at some time on earth. At the same time, amillenarians have interpreted this same passage figuratively, which is why they have concluded that the millennial reign is a symbolic rather than an actual activity. In addition to this specific difference concerning Christ's literal reign, these three camps also have not reached agreement on the exact time and place of this reign. The amillenarians, for example, recognize the possibility of two different places for the Millennium, while the other two end-time beliefs each have arrived at their own times and places, respectively. As was inferred above, premillenarians believe that the time of the Millennium is future, after the second coming of Jesus, and that the place will be on earth. Postmillenarians, on the other hand, think that the time is now, meaning that we are probably in the Millennium right now, trying to make everything better and better until it will be just right for Christ's return. Again, the place of the Millennium for this group is also on earth.
Among the amillenarians, however, one group, according to Mr. Cox, believes that "the millennium refers to the intermediate state and is therefore enjoyed only by departed saints [6]." This view suggests that Christ's millennial reign is happening now and that it is happening in heaven. The other group defines the Millennium as the time period spanned by the first and second comings of Christ, which also is now. However, this latter group believes that the place or location of the Millennium is primarily on earth, in the hearts of the saints, rather than being exclusively in heaven among the departed saints. Obviously, if either of these two groups is correct, then the Millennium has already begun and also gone well over one thousand years [7]. But this extended timeframe is not a problem for the Amillennial view because this group does not believe that the term "millennium", which is used to refer to the one thousand years, is a literal value.
From a careful examination of each of the three above, popular Millennium views, one can narrow down the selection to the most logical view by asking and answering two questions. The first question asks if the Millennium is currently underway? Both the Amillennial and Postmillennial views would answer "yes", while the Premillennial view would respond "no". The second question asks if Jesus' earthly reign is literal. If it is, then one would be leaning towards either the Premillennial or Postmillennial beliefs. If the answer is that His earthly reign is not real, but figurative, then the view being preferred will probably be the Amillennial. Or it could be a fourth view! Another view which rejects a literal, earthly reign by Christ, called the non-literal or spiritualized view, is described by Dr. J. Dwight Pentecost in his book, Things To Come - A Study In Biblical Eschatology. This latter view, which has not been considered or discussed by this paper until now, does not accept the bodily, physical return of Christ [8]. Hence, this view also does not support the literal, earthly reign. Therefore, given these two questions and the above four Millennium views, the following truth table can be constructed (see Table 1).
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Table 1. Truth table for selecting the proper Millennium view.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ END-TIME Views | Are we presently | Will Jesus | in the Millennium | literally reign on | period? | earth? --------------------------------|-------------------------------|----------------------------------------- Postmillennium | Yes | Yes Amillennium | Yes | No Premillennium | No | Yes Non-literal | No | No
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One of the questions not asked in the above table concerns whether or not Satan is currently bound. This question has been left out because it is automatically answered by the first question which refers to the time of the millennium. Each of the three views considered by this paper teaches that Satan will essentially be bound by the Lord during the millennium. Another question which has not been asked pertains to whether or not Christ's return to earth will be in a single event or in multiple events. Dr. Pentecost says that the postmillennial belief teaches that Christ will return in a series of events, whereas the other two views describe His second advent as being a single event [9]. This question has not been included because it does not represent a major or critical distinction among these views. A final question which has not been put into the above truth table, but will be mentioned later for the Premillennial view, concerns each view's handling of the two resurrections which are alluded to in Revelation 20. According to Mr. Erickson, the premillenarians believe in two literal resurrections, one before and one after the literal, one thousand year, earthly reign of Christ [10]. The other two views, also according to him, believe that the first resurrection is spiritual, specifically taking place during the new birth of the believer, and that the second is a more general, bodily or physical resurrection.
My opinion is that the Premillennial view is correct. Consequently, in defending that position, the remainder of this paper will be dedicated to explaining the four reasons why I have rejected the other two views, both the Postmillennial and Amillennial views, and have, at the same time, embraced the Premillennial belief. First, the Postmillennial view does not seem to match reality. Based on the course definition of truth, which is that something is true if it is consistent with itself and also if it corresponds to reality, then the Postmillennial view, in my opinion, does not appear to be true, and it must be rejected. Second, the Amillennial view seems to have confused the nation of Israel with the New Testament Church, thus causing the proponents of that belief to incorrectly use a figurative approach for interpreting some key portions of Scriptures. Failing to interpret Scriptures literally is reason enough, as we shall suggest, for rejecting this view. Third, because the Premillennial view is consistent with at least two of the Kingdom parables which Jesus taught and, fourth, because a literal interpretation of Scriptures seems most appropriate for deciding this issue, the Premillennial view is the view which makes the most sense and should be accepted.
My first reason for accepting the Premillennial View is that I cannot accept the Postmillennial view. As has already been stated in this paper, the postmillenarians believe that we are currently living in the Millennium. Their belief is that things on earth, as a result of the preaching of the Gospel and also of the works of the Holy Spirit and the Church, are getting better and better and that Jesus will ultimately return to the earth at the end, or near the end, of the Millennium to sit on the throne of His earthly kingdom. The objection with this view is that things are not getting better in this world. They are not getting better in the United States, and they are not even getting better within the Church. To carry this thought a step further, Dr. Pentecost writes the following:
Postmillennialism is no longer an issue in theology. World War II brought about the demise of this system. . . . Postmillennialism finds no defenders or advocates in the present chiliastic discussions within the theological world [11]. Consequently, many people have turned from postmillennialism because it has become apparent in this century that we are not living in what they have described as their Millennium. After World War I, according to Mr. Marvin Rosenthal, in The Pre-Wrath Rapture Of The Church, many postmillenarians were especially optimistic because they thought that Christ's return was at hand, but with the inception of World War II, their hopes were dashed [12]. The truth table presented above asked the question about whether or not we are presently living in the Millennium. A "no" answer to the postmillenarian says that this view is not correct, unless of course, their Millennium is still many, many years away from now.
My second reason for accepting the Premillennial view is that I cannot accept the figurative approach that is sometimes used for interpreting Scriptures, the same approach which has been used in this instance by the amillenarians. Mr. Cox says that "the amillenarian approach to each verse of the Bible is 'literal where possible [13].'" However, based on some of their interpretations, this does not seem to be the case in their looking at the Millennium. First of all, they have not accepted a literal, one thousand year time period for Christ's millennial reign, simply because we are nearing the two thousand year mark since Christ's first advent. Secondly, they have not accepted a literal millennial reign, simply because they are trying to apply Bible end-time prophesies about the nation of Israel to the New Testament Church. Dr. Towns indicates in his book that the amillenarians are confused about the biblical differences between Israel and the church [14]. So then, which side is correct? Which method of interpretation really is the most appropriate?
The answers to these two questions lead to my third reason for accepting the Premillennial view. Two of the Kingdom parables taught by Jesus in Matthew 13 seem to support premillennialism. At the same time, they also seem to reject the other two. In Matthew 13:1-9, Jesus shares the parable of the sower and the various kinds of seeds and describes how each type of soil had a different reception to the seed which was being planted. Dr. John Walvoord, in his book, The Prophesy Knowledge Handbook, says that this parable does not support either the Postmillennial or the Amillennial viewpoints. The author writes that this parable does not describe a world which is getting better and better. Also, it does not cause one to see a present-day fulfillment of the millennial kingdom [15].
The second parable is recorded in Matthew 13:24-30 and shares the account of the wheat and the tares. As Jesus told this story, He emphasized that the tares, for a time, were being allowed to grow among the wheat. At harvest time, though, He cautioned that there would be a great separation and that the tares and the wheat would no longer be together. This parable describes the coming judgment when Christians will go to be with the Lord, and those without Christ will enter eternal torment and suffering. Dr. Walvoord writes,
As in the first parable of the kinds of soil, so here the parable does not support the postmillennial idea that the Gospel will be triumphant and bring in a golden age. Also, it does not support the concept that the present age is the fulfillment of the kingdom promises of Christ [16]. Thus, Dr. Walvoord indicates that this second parable also tends to discredit the Postmillennial and Amillennial views.
Last of all, Dr. Walvoord provides my final reason for accepting the Premillennial view. His opinion is based on the fact that a literal interpretation of prophecies in the past is reason enough to apply a literal interpretation for those still in the future. He writes, "The fact that so many prophecies have already been literally fulfilled lends support for the expectation that prophecies yet to be fulfilled will have the same literal fulfillment [17]." Dr. Walvoord's observation about past prophecies is logical. If past prophecies were fulfilled literally, then it is very reasonable to literally interpret future prophecies. Will Christ's reign be a literal, earthly reign? There is every reason to think that it will be. Thus, based on a "no" and a "yes" answer, respectively, to the two questions in the above truth table, all of the evidences which have been presented indicate that the Premillennial view is correct and that the other two views should be rejected.
In closing, two final remarks about Christ's millennial reign still need to be presented. First, each of the views discussed in this paper offers an explanation about Satan's being bound for a period and then his being let loose for a final time to wreak havoc on the earth. With the Premillennial view, Satan is described as presently being free to travel throughout the earth and disrupt the lives of others (see I Peter 5:8). But when Christ returns to set up his literal, earthly kingdom, a return to earth which will occur in a single event, then the devil, as is taught in Revelation 20:1-3, will be cast into the bottomless pit and kept there for one thousand years. Those years of his captivity will correspond to the one thousand year, earthly reign of Jesus.
The second remark concerns the two resurrections which are alluded to in Revelation 20:4-6. Premillenarians interpret this passage literally and believe that the dead in Christ will be raised first, first meaning before Christ's earthly reign. Revelation 20:6 says, "Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years [18]." A literal interpretation of this passage teaches that those who profess Christ as Savior shall one day reign with Him. At the end of the one thousand year Kingdom period, the second resurrection, which is talked about in Revelation 20:11-15, will occur. Then, those who have not trusted Christ as their Savior will be judged at the White Throne Judgment and cast into Hell where they will suffer eternal torment and anguish and separation from God. The final verse in that chapter says, "And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire [19]." Consequently, for the premillenarians in these last days, the chief concern should be to spread the Gospel message of Jesus Christ and to bring others to Him.
1. Elmer L. Towns, Theology For Today (Dubuque, Iowa: Kendall/ Hunt Publishing Company, 1989), p. 695.
2. William E. Cox, Amillennialism Today (Phillipsburg, New Jersey: Presbyterian And Reformed Publishing Company, 1966), p. 1-6.
3. Ibid, p. 136.
4. Millard J. Erickson, Christian Theology (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker House, 1983), pp. 1206-1209.
5. Marvin Rosenthal, The Pre-Wrath Rapture Of The Church (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1990), pp. 50-52.
6. Cox, p. 4.
7. Ibid, p. 4.
8. J. Dwight Pentecost, Things To Come - A Study In Biblical Eschatology (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1964), pp. 370-394.
9. Ibid, p. 386.
10. Erickson, p. 1214.
11. Pentecost, pp. 386-387.
12. Rosenthal, p. 50.
13. Cox, p. 137.
14. Towns, pp. 703-705.
15. John F. Walvoord, The Prophesy Knowledge Handbook (Wheaton, Illinois: Victor Books, 1973), p. 372.
16. Ibid, p. 373.
17. Ibid, p. 17.
18. Holy Bible - The Open Bible Edition (Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1975), p. 1195.
19. Ibid, page 1196.
Cox, William E. Amillennialism Today. Phillipsburg, New Jersey: Presbyterian And Reformed Publishing Company, 1966.
Erickson, Millard J. Christian Theology. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker House, 1983.
Holy Bible - The Open Bible Edition. Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1975.
Pentecost, J. Dwight. Things To Come - A Study In Biblical Eschatology. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1964.
Rosenthal, Marvin. The Pre-Wrath Rapture Of The Church. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1990.
Towns, Elmer L. Theology For Today. Dubuque, Iowa: Kendall/ Hunt Publishing Company, 1989.
Walvoord, John F. The Prophesy Knowledge Handbook. Wheaton, Illinois: Victor Books, 1973.
Index to Selected Essays And Book Reviews
GLA 4 - Salvation - Freely Chosen Or Heavenly Appointed
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