It's the End of the World As We Know It - Millennial Views Part 2

With this post we will conclude the general overciew of the four views of the Millennium. Greater discussion will follow this post on the very popular Dispensational (Left Behind) view.

POSTMILLENIALISM
1.The Church Age is the Kingdom prophesied by the OT prophets. The “people of God” are expanded from ethnic Israel to the Church

2. Christ established His kingdom at His first advent

3. The binding of Satan has a specific purpose and accomplishes the above goal

4. The nature of the Kingdom is primarily “redemptive” rather than political

5. The power of the Gospel is transforming in nature and through it people, societies and nations are redeemed and changed

6. The “kingdom prophecies” are seen as literal

7. The Kingdom expands gradually over time leading to a time in history where the world is converted

8. Christ returns “after” His enemies are made His footstool to resurrect, judge and establish the eternal order

Early Church Adherents Include: Eusubius, Athanasius, Augustine

Modern Church Adherents Include: Bahnsen, Boettner, DeMar, Edwards, Henry, Hodge, Kik, Machen, Gentry, Murray, North, Owens, Sproul, Warfield * Calvin and Luther CLASSICAL

PREMILLENNIALISM
1. The NT Church is the initial phase of Christ’s Kingdom

2. The NT Church will win occasional victories, but will fall victim to a Great Apostasy

3. The Church will pass through a yet future Great Tribulation (Post-Tribulational)

4. Premillennialist are, by definition, futurists.

5. Christ returns at the end of the tribulation to Resurrect/Judge the elect and set up an earthly kingdom – The First Resurrection

6. Christ binds Satan at this Second Coming

7. Satan is loosed after 1000 years and is ultimately defeated by fire from Heaven

8. The Second Resurrection where the damned will be judged

9. The eternal order – New heavens and new earth

Early Church Adherents Include – Papias, Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, Tertullian

Modern Church Adherents Include: Erdman, Spurgeon, RA Torry, George Eldon Ladd

DISPENSATIONAL PREMILLENNIALISM
1. Christ offered the Davidic Kingdom at His first advent, which was rejected and postponed to some future time

2. The Church was wholly unforeseen and unknown to the OT prophets

3. God has two distinctive eternal plans – one for the Church and one for ethnic Israel

4. The “Prophetic Clock” stopped ticking at Christ’s first advent

5. The Church will fail in history and need to be “raptured” so that the promises made to Israel may be fulfilled

6. Christ returns (partially) to “rapture” the Church before the Great Seven Year Tribulation

7. During the Great Tribulation Jews will be converted and the Church will have a feast in heaven

8. The temple will be rebuilt – during or previous to the tribulation – and OT Jewish ordinances will be reinstated

9. Christ returns after the Tribulation to kill the Beast and False Prophet and set up a distinctly Jewish government in Jerusalem – Animal sacrifices (that were stopped during the tribulation by the Anti-Christ) will be reinstituted

10. After 1000 years, Satan is loosed and leads a rebellion against Christ. God intervenes and destroys Satan and throws him into the fiery pit. The eternal order is established.

Early Church Adherents: NONE

Modern Church Adherents: LS Chafer, Darby, Scofield, Chuck Smith, Lindsey, Hagee, LaHaye, Missler, Ryrie, Ice, Pentecost, Walvoord