Understanding Eschatology and the Different Doctrinal
Models
Agape Faith Care Group, Kledang Community Chapel | March
2018
These are study notes that were prepared for use by our Care Group at the church I am attending now. They deal specifically with the myriad models that concern Eschatology. Seeing that these models can be very confusing to many, I thought it would be useful for summarise them in a more orderly manner so that it is easier to see what their distinctions are, where their supporters find 'support' in the Bible and also where Scripture challenges their validity as well.
There is nowhere in the Bible that asserts the superiority and unquestioned authority of one model over the rest. We just don't know what the Lord has in store although we can use Scripture to find some form of assurance or certainty but always be careful that ultimately, God has not said anything about the time when everything will come to an end, let alone which of these many models actually work. And so in the end, we must practise the courtesy of 'Agree to Disagree' about fellow Christians and treat it as a spiritually healthy exercise and not much more than that. In a nutshell, the biggest question when it comes to the End Times - as unpredictable as it is - is whether or not we are all prepared for it because we just don't know when it will come.
Feel free to make these notes available for your church or your care/cell group but kindly provide attribution. Thanks.
1. Four founding concepts
The Millennium concept
An important interval lasting 1,000 years in which Christ
rules over the Earth.
Those faithful to Christ will reign with Him in deference to
those who worship the Antichrist.
Holiness prevails in a period of great happiness and human
perfection.
Golden era, time of
universal peace.
The Tribulation concept
A future 7-year period of time when God will finish His
discipline of Israel and finalises His judgement of the unbelieving world.
When the Antichrist rules the Earth.
The Church, comprising those who trusted in Christ to save
them will not be punished nor will be present during the Tribulation.
Historicists call this
period “persecution of the saints” (Dan 7, Rev 13)
The Armageddon concept
Massive mother of all wars, the war to end all wars.
Last battle between good and evil involving “the kings of the
Earth and the whole world” on “the great day of the Almighty.”
Name mentioned once in Scripture (Rev 16:16).
Most people will die.
Although the name points to “the mountain of Megiddo,” the
various climactic battles will be fought throughout the world (Jer 25:32-34,
Ezek 39:17-20).
God will pour out His wrath over mankind and Earth.
Series of violent events
as prophesied by Dan 9, Mt 24, Rev 4-19.
The Rapture concept
A miraculous event filled with intense joy when Christ
descends to Earth (Second Coming).
Long dead born-again Christians will resurrect and rise to
meet Christ in the sky and then be transported to heaven.
Living born-again Christians will also rise to meet Him,
leaving every material thing behind.
Unbelievers will be left
behind (assuming Rapture precedes Tribulation; otherwise, there should be no
one else remaining).
What three aspects of Eschatology most Christians agree on
There is a coming time of Great Tribulation unlike anything
the world has ever seen or experience.
Following a period of Tribulation, Christ will return and
establish His kingdom on Earth.
There will be Rapture,
catching believers from mortality and into immortality (Jn 14:1-3, 1 Cor
15:51-52 and 1 Thess 4:16-17).
The BIG eschatological questions
for all Christians is the timing of the Rapture
When will it occur?
Will it be before, during
or after the Tribulation not to mention,
Christ’s Second Coming?
2. Eschatological prophecy theories
The theories described here are not exhaustive but those that
are included here are the leading ones:
Historic Premillennialism
General Model: Antichrist
> 7-year Tribulation > Rapture > Second Coming > Millennium >
Final Judgement
In brief: Teaches that the present
age was the fore-vision of OT prophecies while Dispensationalism teaches that
the Church is hardly, if at all, mentioned by the OT prophets.
The doctrine is called
“Historic” because it was broadly adopted by Early Church Fathers and anything
that deviated from this was considered heretic. Those in the majority who
endorsed this view included Irenaeus, Polycarp, Justin Martyr, Tertullian,
Hippolytus and Papias and others, reading very much like the who’s who in
Christian patriarchy. All of them were convinced that there would be a visible
kingdom of God upon the Earth after the return of Christ. Therefore when
ancient Rome adopted Christianity as the official religion during the
fourth-century AD, certainly many things changed including the embracing of
Historic Premillennialism while the Roman Catholic Church eventually adopted
Amillennialism as its own prevailing doctrine.
Supporters impress us that
the present age of grace was predicted in the OT but Dispensationalism asserts
the opposite, claiming that the present age was unforeseen in the OT and
therefore is a “great parenthesis” in history introduced because the Jews had
rejected the kingdom.
Although Historic
Premillennialism identifies a Millennium that comes after Christ’s Second
Coming, it appears unconcerned as to how the other epochs of history are
classified or defined. While Dispensationalism highlights seven dispensations
(see Dispensational Premillennialism), Historic Premillennialism says that the
present age is the sixth of these (dispensations) and that the Millennium is
actually the last to come, that is following Christ’s Second Coming.
Historic Premillennialism
continues to be an approach to eschatology that has support at least within
certain Protestant circles. In other words, it is not passé stuff.
Like Dispensationalism,
Historic Premillennialism also teaches that the Tribulation precedes the 1,000
years of millennial peace when all believers will live under the authority of
Christ. After that, the Final Judgement will come when Satan will meet his
fate. In all of this both premillennial approaches are similar; it’s just in
the placement of the Rapture that they differ. Historic Premillennialism places
the Rapture after the 7-year Tribulation but in the case of Dispensationalism,
it is the other way around.
Dispensational Premillennialism
Other name: Dispensationalism
Based on two distinctives.
Firstly, a consistently literal interpretation of Scripture particularly
prophecies (eg. “a thousand years” as in Rev 20 is literally a thousand years).
Secondly, a view of the uniqueness of Israel as separate from the Church in
God’s agenda (as in the OT promises made to Israel eg for land, many
descendants, blessings etc. have not been transferred to the Church) and
therefore, will be fulfilled in the millennium (Rom 9-11, Dan 9:24).
Classic dispensationalism
identifies seven dispensations
including Innocence (Gen 1:1-3:7), Conscience (Gen 3:8-8:22), Human Government
(Gen 9:1-11:32), Promise (Gen 12:1-Ex 19:25), Law (Ex 20:1-Acts 2:4), Grace
(Acts 2:4-Rev 20:3) and the Millennial Kingdom (Rev 20:4-6). These
dispensations are not paths to salvation per se but God’s manner of relating to
man. Each dispensation includes a recognisable pattern of how God worked with
people living in the dispensation.
Dispensationalism is the cornerstone of the premillennial
interpretation of Christ’s second coming. It is also a pretribulational interpretation of rapture (see below).
Dispensation Premillennialism: Pretribulation Rapture
General Model: Antichrist
> Rapture > 7-year Tribulation > Second Coming > Millennium >
Final Judgement
Other name: Pre-trib
In brief: Rapture will occur before
Tribulation begins
The Church will meet
Christ in the air before the Antichrist appears and the Tribulation starts,
meaning that believers will not experience any of the Tribulation effects. This
means that the Rapture and Christ’s Second Coming (to set up His kingdom) are
separated by at least seven years.
Fairly consistent with
Scripture view:
The Church is not
appointed to wrath (1 Thess 1:9-10, 5:9).
Believers will not be
overtaken by the Day of the Lord (1 Thess 5:1-9).
The church in Philadelphia
was promised to be kept apart from “the hour of trial that is going to come
upon the whole world” (Rev 3:10). This point is important because the ‘promise’
is not preservation through the trial but deliverance from the hour (meaning
the Tribulation).
The word ‘church’ appears
19 times through the first three chapters of Rev but not used again until
chapter 22 – very significant because this is when we have a lengthy
description of the Tribulation. Also the fact that the word ‘church’ is not
used in the Bible whenever Tribulation is mentioned.
The only eschatological
theory that maintains a distinction between Israel and the Church and the only
way to lends support to God’s separate plans for each of them. Dan 9:24 talks
of the seventy ‘sevens’ decreed upon the prophet’s people (Jews) and the holy
city (Jerusalem) where it is made plain that the seventieth week (Tribulation)
is a time of purging and restoration for Israel and Jerusalem and NOT for the
Church.
Supporters look to Jn
21:22-23 for the early Church’s view that Christ’s Second Coming is imminent, meaning that He could return
at any moment. This is consistent with the rumour that Jesus would return
within John’s lifetime. This sense of urgency fleshes out the key tenet of
pretribulationism that is Imminence, a view that is not compatible with the
other two Rapture theories (post-trib and mid-trib).
Supporters point to
pretribulationism as keeping with God’s character and His desire to deliver the
righteous from judgement such as the case with Noah being saved from the flood
and/or Lot being reprieved from Sodom or even Rahab who was brought safely out
of Jericho (2 Pt 2:6-9).
Problem: The main difficulties with
pretribulation are contained in the Olivet Prophecy of Jesus. In Mt 24, Mk 13,
and Lk 21, Jesus describes the terrible destruction and loss of life of the
tribulation period. The disaster is believed to be so intense that no human
(Christian or non-Christian alike) would remain alive, except that God shortens
the duration of the disaster for the sake of the believers. Jesus then
continues by describing His return towards earth immediately after the terrible
devastation.
Problem: Pretribulationism has the habit of splitting
Christ’s return into two “phases,” which is Rapture and Second Coming. Yet the Bible does not clearly distinguish between these two
phases.
Problem: Rev 13:7, 20:9 testifies
to the fact that there will obviously be saints in the Tribulation although
supporters respond to this by making a distinction between saints of the OT and
those of the Tribulation from the Church of the NT. As such living believers
will rise at the point of Rapture before the Tribulation but then there will also
be those who are expected to come to Christ during
the Tribulation.
Problem: Some detractors point to
Jn 6:40 as a disproof of pretribulationism: “My Father’s will is that everyone
who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life and I will
raise them up at the last day” (my
emphasis). It’s the part that says, “at the last day” that attests to Jesus’
promise that appears different to the Pretribulation model where believers are
raised at the point of Rapture, which is at least seven years before Christ’s
Second Coming. The issue at hand here is the way the word “day” is interpreted.
With eschatology, the term “the last day” is more likely to cover the entire time from the Rapture to the
Second Coming and not as 24-hour frame that we take for granted today. The term
is also often used in evangelical circles to mark the end of the Church age and
thus, “the last day” of this dispensation.
Problem: The Bible does not provide
any explicit timeline for such future events and it does not teach the reader
that one view is preferable to another and therefore, we have a diversity of
opinions about the End Times and how related prophecies may or may not
harmonise with one another.
Dispensational Premillennialism: Posttribulation Rapture
General Model: Antichrist
> 7-year Tribulation > Rapture-Second Coming > Millennium > Final
Judgement
Other name: Post-trib
In brief: Rapture will occur at or
near the end of the Tribulation
Once the Church meets
Christ in the air, they will return to Earth to usher in the beginning of
Christ’s Kingdom (Millennium). In other words, the Rapture and Christ’s Second
Coming are concurrent events.
This view also suggests
that the Church will endure and not escape the entire seven-year Tribulation.
Those will embrace this view include Roman Catholics, Greek Orthodox and even
many Protestant denominations.
Supporters point to Jesus
saying in His extended discourse on the End Times that He will return after a
“Great Tribulation” (Mt 24:21, 29). As well, they look to Rev 19-20 – replete
with various prophecies – mentioning only one such coming of the Lord that is, after the Tribulation.
Also Rev 13:7 and 20:9
lend support to the fact that there will be saints caught up in the
Tribulation. Even more so, Rev 20:5 calls the resurrection of the dead “the
first resurrection” after the
Tribulation, meaning that the other
resurrection that is associated with the Rapture (1 Thess 4:16) cannot take
place until this one does.
Supporters point to world
history where God’s people have long experienced (and still do) times of
intense persecution and trial spanning centuries. Because of this, they refer
to the “Great Tribulation” as something not only unsurprising but something
that will be the ultimate of trials that are to come during the End Time.
Supporters also make a
distinction between what is “Satan’s wrath” – or man’s wrath – as opposed to
what is “God’s wrath” (Rev). Satan’s wrath is directed against the saints while
God’s wrath allows for a means of sanctification for His faithful while He
pours out His anger and fury at the Antichrist and his godless worshippers. In
so doing, He protects His people from the punishment that defines the
Tribulation.
Problem: The main problem with this
theory is that there are many Bible passages stating that Christ’s return will
be at a time that cannot be predicted. But the Tribulation period starts with
the arrival of the Antichrist and an interval of peace. Precisely 42 months
later, a sudden shift occurs, a peace treaty is broken, and devastation begins.
These would be well-defined dates that would allow an accurate prediction of the
end of the Tribulation. There are other weaknesses to this theory.
Problem: Perhaps the most fundamental flaw of posttribulationism is
that it goes against the grain of Scriptural teaching where it is said that
those who are in Christ are not under condemnation and therefore, will not
experience the wrath of God (Rom 8:1). Although it must be said that some
judgements will and some won’t: Some
judgements during the Tribulation are specifically aimed at the unsaved and the
unbelievers. Some judgements including earthquakes, falling stars, famines etc will affect both the believers and the
unbelievers. So if believers endure the
Tribulation, we can technically say that they will, too, experience the wrath
of God but that will contradict Rom 8:1.
Problem: As mentioned in the
previous section under Pretribulationism Rapture, the absence of the word
‘Church’ in verses related to the Tribulation unsettles any support for
Posttribulation and that includes particularly Rev 4-21 where we have the
lengthiest, densest and most descriptive passages of the Tribulation in all of
the Bible.
Problem: The Bible does not provide
any explicit timeline for such future events and it does not teach the reader
that one view is preferable to another and therefore, we have a diversity of
opinions about the End Times and how related prophecies may or may not
harmonise with one another.
Dispensational Premillennialism: Midtribulation Rapture
General Model: Antichrist
> 7-year Tribulation (first 42 mths)/Rapture (from mid-point to 84th mth)
> Second Coming > Millennium > Final Judgement
Other name: Mid-trib
In brief: Rapture will occur at
precisely the mid-point of the Tribulation
The Rapture happens
half-way through the seven-year tribulation -- that is: 42 months into the
Tribulation. Up to that time, the Antichrist brings peace to the world. After
42 months, events take a sudden turn for the worse.
Rapture occurs right in
the midst of the Tribulation when the seventh trumpet will sound (Rev 11:15) in
which case, the Church will meet Christ in the air and then the bowl judgements
will be poured upon the Earth (Rev 15-16) in a time called the Great
Tribulation. This means that the Rapture and Christ’s Second Coming (to set up
His kingdom) are separated by a period of three-and-a-half years.
The Church undergoes the first 42 months in pure Tribulation but
then is spared the worst for the remaining 42 months to complete the full seven
years.
Midtribulationists point
to the chronology in 2 Thess 2:1-3 to support their view: 1. Apostasy 2.
Revelation of the Antichrist 3. The Day of Christ. The belief that the
Antichrist will not be decisively revealed until “the abomination that causes
desolation” (Mt 24:15) occurs, which is at the mid-point of the Tribulation (Dan 9:27).
The further belief that
Dan 7:25 says the Antichrist will have power over the saints for
three-and-a-half years, assuming therefore that this period correlates with the
first half of the Tribulation and that the saints refer to the Church.
They also believe that
references to “the day of Christ” point to the Rapture itself. Therefore the
Church will not be caught up to heaven until
the Antichrist is revealed first.
The belief that the
trumpet referred to in 1 Cor 15:52 is same as that in Rev 11:15. Since Rev 11
points to the final of a series of trumpets, logic therefore suggests that “the
last trumpet” pertains to that of 1 Cor 15.
Problem: Logic failure because the
trumpet at Rapture is “the trumpet call of God” (1 Thess 4:16) but the one in
Rev 11 is a harbinger of judgement > very different since the former is a
call of grace to God’s elect while the latter is a pronouncement of doom on the
wicked.
Problem: The seventh trumpet in Rev is chronologically NOT the “last trumpet” – Mt 24:31 tells
us there is an even later trumpet at the commencement of Christ’s kingdom.
Problem: 1 Thess 5:9 affirms that the Church has not been appointed “to
suffer wrath but to receive salvation,” meaning that believers should not
experience the Tribulation.
Problem: The belief that “wrath” applies only to the second-half of the
Tribulation (as in the bowl judgements) is unreasonably limiting and
unwarranted because God’s wrath should also be underscored by the terrible
judgements defined by the seals and trumpets eg. famine, poisoned rivers,
darkened moon, bloodshed, earthquakes, torment.
Problem: By positioning the Rapture before the Great Tribulation, the
chronology in Rev becomes confused because the term ‘Great Tribulation’ is only
mentioned once in Rev 7:14, that is, before the opening of the seventh seal.
Furthermore, Rev 6:17 talks of “the great day of wrath,” which is during the
events of the sixth seal. Both these events – whether or not they talk of the
same thing – come too early for the mid-trib Rapture, which is apparently timed
according to the seventh trumpet.
Problem: The Bible does not provide
any explicit timeline for such future events and it does not teach the reader
that one view is preferable to another and therefore, we have a diversity of
opinions about the End Times and how related prophecies may or may not
harmonise with one another.
Dispensational Premillennialism: Pre-wrath Rapture
General Model: Antichrist
> 7-year Tribulation (most parts)/Rapture (end part) > Second Coming >
Millennium > Final Judgement
Note: This is a new theory by Marvin
Rosenthal (formerly of Friends of Israel)
In brief: The church must experience
most of the Tribulation, and then be raptured towards the end of the
Tribulation period. It is the belief that the Church is caught up to heaven
before the “great day of… wrath” (Rev 6:17).
Supporters believe that
believers will endure most of the Tribulation period except the “time of God’s wrath,” which they say is just before the
end of it (Mt 24:21). This essentially refers to two things: Firstly, “most of
the Tribulation period” is in reference to how the Church will have to weather
through Satan’s fury and man’s persecution (Antichrist). Secondly, “just before
the end of it” refers to being spared God’s wrath when He pours out His final
judgement on the world because by then, the Church will be caught up to heaven
in the Rapture.
Supporters view Rev 7-16
as evidence that the trumpet and bowl judgements both signify the wrath of God
for which the church is exempt from (1 Thess 5:9). In so saying, they view the
first six seal judgements in Rev 6 as the “wrath of Satan” or “the wrath of the
Antichrist.” They subscribe to this view because there is no direct mention of
God’s wrath that is, until after the
sixth seal is broken (Rev 6:17). Therefore accordingly, the Church will endure
the torments of the first six seals. In drawing comparisons between Rev 6 and
Mt 24, supporters identify the first seal judgements with how Jesus described
the End Times (Mt 24:4-7). In verse 8, He calls these events “the beginning of
birth pains” and then in verses 29-30, “the sign of the Son of Man” will appear
in the sky, which is when the Rapture will begin.
Problem: Supporters assume that
the “elect” mentioned in Mt 24:22,31 are the saints in the Church age but in
truth, they may actually be individuals who are to be saved in the midst of the seven-year
Tribulation. The proof of this point can be seen in Mt 24:20 when Jesus tells
those who flee the Antichrist’s persecution to pray that they do not do so “on
the Sabbath.” This point is interesting because Jesus’ words here cannot
possibly be directed to the Church since it is not held under the Mosaic Law
and therefore does not keep the Sabbath. In other words, Jesus’ advice here is
not for the believers (saints).
Problem:
Support for the first seal judgements being evident of the pre-wrath
Rapture is flawed. While the supporters claim that these judgements are not
indicative of God’s wrath, the Bible indicates under no uncertain terms that it
is Jesus (the Lamb) – instead of anyone else who is unworthy to do so (Rev
5:3-4) – who opens the seals (Rev 5:5, 6:1). In other words, if Jesus is the
One who opens the first seal, then it would be obvious that these are not man’s
or Satan’s judgements but God’s. Therefore when Jesus opens the first seal,
that is the time that Tribulation takes place and that is also the point in time when the wrath of God will be fully felt by
the sinful world.
Problem: The Bible does not provide
any explicit timeline for such future events and it does not teach the reader
that one view is preferable to another and therefore, we have a diversity of
opinions about the End Times and how related prophecies may or may not
harmonise with one another.
Dispensational Premillennialism: Partial Rapture
General Model: Antichrist
> Rapture of the faithful > 7-year Tribulation/Rapture of born-again (end
part) > Rapture of born-again > Second Coming > Millennium > Final
Judgement
In brief: The faithful born-again
believers are raptured just before the Tribulation. Newly born again believers
are raptured during or at the end of the Tribulation. In other words, the
belief is that only the long-faithful will be taken up in the Rapture, leaving
the faithless as well as those who accept Christ at that point to go through
the Tribulation.
Problem: Nowhere in Scripture is
such a concept supported since many passages that describe the Rapture (1 Cor
15:50-57, 1 Thess 4:13-18) unequivocally apply it to all believers whether they are spiritually mature or immature,
faithful or even disobedient. Furthermore, Rom 8:1 and 1 Thess 5:9 attest to a
God who does not pour out His wrath
on to Christians, meaning that every believer is taken up to heaven in the
Rapture. In other words, there is no such
thing as Partial Rapture.
Problem: While many supporters look
to Jesus’ Parable of the Ten Virgins (Mt 25:1-13) as some form of ‘evidence’ of
Partial Rapture, the five virgins whose lamps did not have any oil aren’t
indicative of believers who are being left behind. Instead, they describe unbelievers who remain unraised in the
Rapture. Ample proof of that is in verse 12 when Jesus says to those who are
left behind, “Truly I say to you, I do not know you.” In other words, those who
know Jesus are the ones who believe in Him. The crux of the Parable is the oil
in the lamp, which is symbolic of the Holy Spirit that is found in the heart
(lamp). What it means is that those with the indwelling Holy Spirit will
partake in the Rapture because they are the true Christians. On the other hand
those who profess faith in Christ but there is no indwelling of His Spirit will
be left behind.
Amillennialism
General Model: Church
Age (non-Millennium) > Second Coming > Rapture > Final Judgement
Other names:
Non-millennialism, Nunc-millennialism, Realised Millennialism
In brief: There is no belief either in
the physical realm concept of Millennialism nor the acceptance that the
Millennium will last 1,000 years. In other words, supporters subscribe to
non-literalism.
The term ‘Amillennialism’
refer to those who subscribe to the theory called Amillennialists. The prefix
‘a’ has a negating effect, meaning ‘no’ or ‘not.’ Therefore Amillennialism’
refers to ‘no millennium’ whatsoever.
The fundamental schism
here is that Amillennialism is completely divergent from the most widely
accepted view, which is Premillennialism where Christ’s Second Coming will take
place before His millennial kingdom
that is replete with its 1,000-year reign. Similarly so, it is likewise opposed
to the lesser-accepted theory called Postmillennialism where Christ is said to
return after the believers – and not Christ Himself – sets up the kingdom on
Earth.
Having said all that, in
all fairness, Amillennialists do not necessarily debunk the idea of the
millennium. They just do not believe it has to be 1,000 years in length. In
fact, Amillennialists believe Millennium began at Pentecost (c30AD) and
therefore, we’re in the midst of it; a
period called the Church Age.
Both good and bad will
coexist during this Millennium period.
Church Age will end at
Christ’s Second Coming followed by Rapture before shortly returning to Earth
when the Day of Judgement will occur.
Amillennialists believe
that the events described by the Olivet Discourse (Mt 24, Mk 13, Lk 21)
including most of Revelation have all taken place or that they are merely
symbolic and therefore not to be taken seriously.
Amillennialists do not
accept that the Antichrist is a real person but is only regarded figuratively.
Still embraced by Anglican
Communion, Disciples of Christ, Lutheran, Orthodox, Reformed, Roman Catholicism
and some Baptists.
Problem: Supporters accept that
there is a millennium (except it is not 1,000 years in length) in which Christ
is already now sitting on the throne of David and that this present Church age
is the kingdom over which He reigns. But that is merely stating the obvious
since Christ does sit on a throne now. And as for ruling, Christ rules now
since He is, after all, God. But none of these obvious facts necessarily
suggest that He is now ruling over the millennial kingdom. It also doesn’t mean
that it is what Scripture refers to as the throne of David.
Problem: For God for deliver on
His promises to Israel and then to match His covenant with David (2 Sam 7:8-16,
23:5, Ps 89:3-4), Israel must exist
in literal physical form. It must be something very tangible and not
conceptual. To cast doubt on this is to question God’s desire or ability to
fulfil His promises. Not only that, it will definitely open a whole can of
worms over other theological problems.
Problem: And if God were to renege
on such promises to Israel especially after making proclamations that they are
“everlasting,” how can we then trust Him with the other of His promises
principally, the Salvation to all believers in Christ Jesus? We must take God
at His word literally. We must understand and
accept that His promises will be literally fulfilled.
Problem: Amillennialists will not
like the fact that Scripture evidence is clearly not on their side. Here are
five instances: Firstly and perhaps surprising to some, Christ’s
feet will actually touch the Mount of
Olives before He goes forth and establishes His kingdom (Zech 14:4, 9). In
other words there is a REAL kingdom coming, a literal and earthly one.
Secondly, during the kingdom rule, Christ will despatch justice and judgement
on the Earth (Jer 23:5-8). Again, here’s proof of a physical kingdom. Thirdly, the
kingdom is said to be under heaven (Dan 7:13-14, 27). The Bible won’t say this
unless it is something real enough. Fourthly, the prophets concurred that there
would be dramatic earthly changes during the kingdom (Acts 3:21, Isa 35:1-2,
11:6-9, 29:18, 65:20-22, Ezek 47:1-12, Amos 9:11-15). It is evident that the
phrase “during the kingdom” means the kingdom does physically exist. And lastly,
the chronology of events in Revelation attests to the actual existence of an
earthly kingdom just before the end of world history (Rev 20), a kingdom that
man will witness with their own eyes.
Problem: To understand this
(problem), we need to know something about the methods of interpretation
deployed by Amillennialists. It appears that different types of prophecies
require the use of different methods. For example, non-prophetic Scripture and
fulfilled prophecies use one while unfulfilled prophecies use another.
Non-prophetic Scripture and fulfilled prophecies are literally (or normally) interpreted
but those that are unfulfilled require spiritual interpretation.
In theology, we call this
Dual Hermeneutics (Hermeneutics simply mean the study of the principles of
interpretation). With unfulfilled prophecies, the assumption is that most if
not all unfulfilled prophecies are written using some form of symbolic,
figurative or spiritual language, which means that Amillennialists tend to
assign different meanings to those passages in Scripture rather than normal,
contextual meaning of those words.
The problem with this is
that you can end up having a plethora of meanings. Unless the passages are
interpreted in the normal sense, it is not possible to have a singular
undisputed and coherent meaning. And yet God being the divine author of all
Scripture, have specific meanings in mind when He inspired the writers in the
first place. However what we ended up with in this case are allegorical
interpretations (of unfulfilled prophecies) that must be rejected. Instead we
should veer towards a literal (normal) interpretation.
The fact remains that if
fulfilled prophecies are fulfilled literally,
it makes good sense to be consistent and apply literal interpretation to
unfulfilled ones also. After all, at some point in the future, the unfulfilled
will be fulfilled. If we look at Christ’s First Coming, the prophecies relating
to that were all fulfilled literally. That being the case, therefore prophecies
surrounding Christ’s Second Coming should also be fulfilled literally.
Without any shadow of doubt, Amillennialism is
incapable of explaining eschatology effectively due to its inconsistent
deployment of hermeneutics, namely its dual approach that fails to interpret
the different prophecies uniformly.
Postmillennialism
General Model: Revival
> Millennium > Second Coming > Resurrection of the Dead > Final
Judgement
Other names: Christian
Reconstruction, Kingdom Now Theology, Dominion Theology
In brief: Determines that Christ’s
Second Coming will occur only after the
Millennium.
The Millennium is taken not
only to refer to an alleged golden era of Christian prosperity and dominance
(Rev 20) but also that it is the Christians – and not Christ Himself – who will
establish the kingdom on Earth.
This is based on the idea
that the world is gradually moving towards ‘social perfection’ where we witness
massive religious revival, spiritual reawakening and purification and also the
global conversion to Christianity including Jews. In ‘Christianising’ the whole
world, supporters believe that the world will only get better and better. This
sense of optimism is in direct loggerheads with the Premillennialists whose
eschatological views tend to be dimmer and more depressing. It is only after
the world is ‘Christianised’ that Christ will then make His grand entry.
In contrast to
Premillennialism, the Rapture and Tribulation are ignored.
Followers of
Postmillennialism look to converting America and all other nations to a
theocracy not unlike Iran where all personal freedoms are forfeited.
Embraced by the Chalcedon
Foundation and those involved in the Christian Reconstruction movement.
Supporters believe that
Christ will return after a period of time but there is no evidence that this is
literally 1,000 years in duration. They do not hold on to unfulfilled
prophecies as something that must be interpreted normally or literally. For
example, they refer to Rev 20:4-6 as something that should not be literally
implied. Instead they view the “1,000 year” description as simply meaning, “a
long period of time” and nothing more specific.
Problem: The optimistic view of a
‘Christianised’ world prior to Christ’s Second Coming is not found anywhere in
Scripture. This view is actually in direct distortion to what is presented in
Revelation where the consensus is that the world will become a terrible place
in the future. In fact, the common understanding is that the world will get
worse before it gets better. Even the apostle Paul says that the last days will
be “terrible times” (2 Tim 3:1-7).
Problem: Like the Amillennialists,
Postmillennialists also subscribe to the use of non-literal interpretation for
unfulfilled prophecies, which means they will also apply their own meanings to
words. This liberal approach strips the prophecies of their normal – often
straightforward – meaning and instead, replace them with anything that they
wish it to mean. For that matter, their interpretation might even vary
depending on how they feel from one day to another. In other words, all
objectivity over the meaning of the interpretation is lost and in its place, a
very subjective – hence inconsistent – approach to communication that God did
not intend them to be.
Like Amillennialism,
Postmillennialism’s failure to literally interpret unfulfilled prophecy cannot
be taken seriously when throughout Scripture, there are hundreds of examples
that proves how fallible this approach is. Here are just two that clearly and
indisputable underline the prophetic messages surround Christ in the OT that
have been fulfilled literally:
Firstly, the virgin birth of Christ as foretold in Isa 7:14, Mt 1:23. And
secondly, Christ’s death at the cross for our sins as foretold in Isa 53:4-9, 1
Pt 2:24.
Remember, the fulfilled
prophecies were once upon a time unfulfilled. The prophets interpreted them in
a literal way and they proved to be correct. The same will occur with the as-yet unfulfilled prophecies.
Preterism
General Model: No real
model
Other names: Full
(or Consistent or Hyper) Preterism or Partial Preterism
In brief: Believes that events
prophesied in the NT are now part of history. In other words, everything has happened.
For example, Armageddon in
the Book of Revelation has already taken place around 60-70AD when the Second Temple
was destroyed alongside Jerusalem and that the Tribulation, Armageddon and
Rapture all took place in the first-century.
In fact, the Law was
fulfilled at that same time and God’s covenant with Israel has already
concluded and done. The “new heavens and new earth” as mentioned in Rev 21:1 is
allegedly a description of the new world under the New Covenant. The idea is
that just as believers are made a “new creation” (2 Cor 5:17), so the world
under the New Covenant will hence be the “new earth.” All of this lends itself
dangerously to the concept of Replacement
Theology, which teaches that (a) the Church has replaced Israel in God’s
plan, (b) the Jews are no longer God’s people and that (c) God has no specific
future plans for the nation of Israel. All of these, of course, dovetail nicely
into Islam’s agenda.
To substantiate their
stand, Preterists use Jesus’ Olivet Discourse in which He describes some of the
End Time events, saying, “Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not
pass away until all these things have happened” (Mt 24:34). The message is
taken by Preterists to mean that everything Jesus speaks of in Mt 24 has
already taken place. That “generation” He speaks of is gone along with the
destruction of the Second Temple and Jerusalem, which then is a convenient way
for Preterists to claim it as “Judgement Day.”
Supporters believe that
Jesus’ meaning of ‘end of the world’ is not physical. What Jesus said was the
old Jewish worldview would be replaced by a new concept called the Kingdom of
God.
Preterists assert the same
interpretation viewpoint as the Amillennialists and Postmillennialists in that
unfulfilled prophecies cannot be taken literally. In particular, they regard
Revelation as a symbolic impression of the first-century conflicts and not as a
description of a more futuristic End Time event. In other words, whatever
prophecies that supposedly define the End Times have already fleshed themselves
out. They are history, not something in the future.
Hence Preterists also
apply their denial of futurism to all other unfulfilled eschatological
prophecies including Christ’s Second Coming, the Tribulation, the Rapture, the
Resurrection of the Dead and the Final Judgement not to mention Armageddon
described above. As for the Final Judgement, Preterists believe that we are all
in the process of seeing this fulfilled as we speak.
Preterists believe that
Jesus’ return to Earth cannot be a physical event but a ‘spiritual’ one.
Problem: Preterists are wrong in
that God’s covenant with Israel is everlasting (Jer 31:33-36). Isaiah also
added that there will be a time in the future when Israel will be fully
restored and redeemed (Isa 11:12).
Problem: The apostle Paul warned
us not to teach falsely. He was referring to allegations from the likes of
Hymenaeus and Philetus “that the resurrection has already taken place,” which
he says will “destroy the faith of some” (2 Tim 2:17-18).
Problem: Taking what is said in Mt
24:34 vis a vis Jesus’ Olivet Discourse, the Lord was describing some of the
End Time events. He said, “Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not
pass away until all these things have happened.” Although the Preterists use
this to press home their advantage, it is incorrect. Instead, the “generation”
Jesus speaks of is one that should be alive to see the beginning of the events
that Mt 24 described.
Problem: Although all things
revolving around eschatology can be complex and even contentious, some things are
not debatable. It is beyond argument that Scripture’s use of apocalyptic
imagery can lead to a multitude of interpretations and hence even some debate
among believers, Preterism is undeniably flawed because of its denial of
Christ’s Second Coming being a physical event let alone one that has yet to
occur. Making it a ‘spiritual’ rather than a real event is to reject a very
important piece of biblical truth and to say that it has already come to pass
is simply unacceptable.
Problem: The same can also be said
about how Preterists consistently downplay the horrific nature of the
Tribulation – almost as if to trivialise it – by suggesting that it is nothing
more than the fall of Jerusalem. Again, to suggest that it is merely a point in
history is to belittle what God has already said will happen but has not. And
in all of this, Preterism is dangerous, reckless and irresponsible.
No Millennialism
General Model: No real
model
In brief: There is no millennialism
whatsoever at all
In other words, subscribers
to this view do not believe there is a period called Millennium. Unlike the
Amillennialists who at least accept its existence but debate whether or not it
is as long as 1,000 years, these supporters simply discount it altogether.
Supporters believes that the
prophecies in the Books of Daniel and Revelation hold no meaningful value other
than just a bunch of visions, hallucinations, nightmares etc.
They also believe that the
Book of Revelation in particular is historically purposed to undergird the resolve
of the believers who were persecuted by the Romans during the Early Church days.
In other words, they were written simply to encourage Christians but in
essence, none of it was real.
Supporters believe too that
Book of Daniel was actually written in second-century BC and therefore, like
Revelation, was only useful as a historical record. It is, in other words, not
prophecy as such.
Problem: To even suggest that there
is no Millennium is already unacceptable. It runs totally against the very
grain of biblical truth. It all stops there.
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