Eschatological Model

Assignment Outline

1. Introduction
2. Millennial Models
2.1 Postmillennialism
2.2 Amillennialism
2.3 Historical Premillennialism
2.4 Premillennial Dispensationalism
3. Drivers behind the models
3.1 Relationship between the Old and New Testaments - Prophecy
3.2 Structure of Revelation
4. Conclusion Bibliography

1. Introduction

The subject of Eschatology is vast with many differing views. The main preoccupation of Eschatological debates over the years has been around the ‘millennium’. This paper is going to describe the traditional millennial views of Postmillennialism, Amillennialism, Premillennialism and Dispensational Premillennialism as they are most broadly understood. In fact we will see that there is really only two views, the more symbolic view of a millennial age before Christ’s return and the more literal one thousand year reign after Christ’s return.

There are many variations on each of these but the objective here is to just give a general idea of what they look like. After they have been outlined we will look at what the drivers behind these models are that makes people come to these
conclusions?

2. Millennial Models

As an introduction to the various models it is most important in understanding and evaluating them that you just don’t see the differences in respect of the time and the manner in which the millennium will be set up. It is equally, if not more important, to understand the differences in terms of the nature of the kingdom and the manner in which Christ will exercise control.

2.1 Postmillennialism

This model is by far the most positive of all the models in its outlook. In broad strokes this view sees the kingdom of God currently being extended in the world through the preaching of the gospel resulting in the lives of individuals being transformed. So many people will accept the gospel that eventually the whole world will be ‘Christianised’. The return of Christ will come after a long time when the peace of God reigns over the whole earth, this period is known as the millennium. This period is concluded by the second coming of Christ and is immediately followed by the general resurrection, the judgment of all mankind and beginning of the eternal states of heaven and hell (Boettner 1980:117).

This golden age occurs now in the Church Age and Christianity prospers through the forces of the gospel and the work of the Holy Spirit, not by sudden and external cataclysmic events from outside of the world. This prosperity goes beyond just spiritual transformation of individuals but results in the transformation of all aspects of life including politics, economics, social and cultural. This does not mean everyone will be a Christian but the influence of Christianity will be so great and dominating that sin and evil will be reduced to insignificant proportions. The world will gradually become a better place as the Gospel message spreads (Boettner 1980: 117-118).

Let us summarise the Postmillennial model (Erikson 2000:1213-1215)(Diagram Appendix 1) • The Millennium is not a literal thousand years but symbolic of an extended period of time that is before the return of Christ, not after • It does not include the whole of the Church age (ie: directly after the death and resurrection of Christ) but begins gradually over time • This gradual influence increases as the Gospel message is preached to the whole world • The millennium will become a period of prosperity and in increasing measure until the return of Christ • Christ’s reign in this period is not a physical presence on earth but a spiritual reign in the hearts of people who are still alive on earth (Amillenial difference) • The influence of this reign is to physically affect all spheres of life including politics, economics, social and cultural • Christian principles for living will become the accepted standards for public and private life • The Kingdom of God is a present reality and not a future heavenly realm • The Gospel is so successful and the kingdom of God so established Christ’s return is seen as him taking hold of this Kingdom and not establishing it • This period is concluded with the return of Christ which ushers in the resurrection of all, the final judgment and the beginning of the eternal states heaven and hell • Postmillennialism sees the gospel positively in that nothing can stand against it and all will submit

2.2 Amillennialism

This model is very similar to Postmillennialism and is often linked with it.
The reason being is that they both view the millennium as figurative and that this period is before the return of Christ. However in explaining this they do have some significant differences. As a general characteristic it is also positive, in relation to Premillennialism and Dispensationalism, but not as positive as Postmillennialism. It stops short of seeing the whole world ‘Christianised’ and allows for the presence of sin and evil in greater degree while still holding to the positive aspect of the victory that was attained in Christ’s death and resurrection. Pohlmann summarises it as follows in relation to Postmillennialism “The a-millennial position is more sceptical of the continued and global success of the Gospel Christianizing the world population”
(2008:228).

Hoekema describes the underlying belief of the Amillennial model in two phrases “inaugurated eschatology” and “future eschatology” (1980:177). It is inaugurated in that certain aspects of eschatology have already begun; Christ has come and begun the Church Age. The use of this word is strategic in that it leaves open the door for the future fulfilment of eschatological events such as Christ’s return and consummation of his Kingdom. Postmillennial thinking would lean towards ‘realised eschatology’ in that the kingdom is basically established and that Christ’s return is to just take charge of it.

In broad strokes the Amillennial model sees that the Kingdom of God has begun in the death and resurrection of Christ, the ultimate victory has already been achieved. This means we are currently in the ‘millennium’; more accurately a ‘kingdom reign’ that is not a literal reign with a political and physical Jesus on his throne in Jerusalem. Hoekema describes it as follows “They (amillennialists) understand the Kingdom of God to be the reign of God dynamically active in human history through Jesus Christ” (1980:178). It is really a Christ centered model whereby people are redeemed from sin, demonic powers and all the evil of the world which ends in a new heaven and earth. All this is found in the person and work of Jesus Christ in the past, present and future.

So in terms of millennial models this position is saying the millennium begun with the first coming of Christ and will end just before his return when Satan is released for a short period of time. So we now live in the benefits of the millennium for Satan is bound. Satan is still active though but he cannot stop the gospel message spreading to all the nations of the world. The church of God cannot be destroyed by him; he is powerless in this sense, which is very encouraging. This period of time ends when Christ returns and ushers in the final state (Hoekema 1980:181).

Let us summarise the Amillennial model (Benyon 2010:169): (Diagram Appendix 1) • The Millennium is not a literal thousand years but symbolic of an extended period of time that is before the return of Christ, not after (it is not a separate period of time) • It includes the whole of the Church age, which starts directly after the death and resurrection of Christ • It does not start gradually but at an actual point in time as described above • Christ’s reign in this period is not a physical presence on earth but a spiritual reign in the hearts of people but also importantly with reference to Rev 20 a ruling with Christ in heaven in that Christians have taken part in the first resurrection (some might say this reign is the church on earth but there is no future earthly reign of Christ except in the new heavens and new earth) • Satan is already bound but this does not result in a complete ‘Christianising’ of the world but the Church and the Gospel cannot be destroyed or stopped in its spread to the nations

Hoekema (180:181-186) • The Kingdom of God (millennium) is a present reality inaugurated by Jesus Christ and will be consummated by him on his return • Before Christ’s return certain signs will be seen. Such as preaching the gospel to all the nations, apostasy, the great tribulation, many Jews coming to faith and the coming of the Antichrist • These signs are not just relegated to a short period of time before Christ’s return but indicative of the whole Church Age which reaches a crescendo shortly before his return • Christ’s return is a single event at which time all believers and non-believers will be resurrected (no thousand year gap between the two parties), living believers will be glorified, believers who have been raised from the dead with those still alive will be ‘raptured’ (caught up) in the clouds with Jesus, the final Judgment occours for all people (one occurrence),final state is ushered in • Those who have accepted Christ get to live in the new heavens and new earth, which importantly to note is physical and not spiritual a common misunderstanding of Amillennialism, there is a physical reign and it is for eternity.
2.3 Premillennialism

We now move to the traditional opposition camp in the millennial debate. The position that the millennium occours after the return of Christ. It must be noted that there are a few variations to this position but we will seek to give the broadest view possible. In reading George Eldon Ladd in his explanation of Premillennialism (Ladd 1980:17-40) I must agree with Pohlmann (2008:2260) that for most of the time it seems he takes an Amillennial position as Ladd himself mentions “’This sounds like amillennialism’” (1980: 27). The only significant difference is his interpretation of Revelation 20 and its connection to the preceding chapters. Ladd would even agree to a present reign of Christ which is not visible but will be manifest physically in an earthly reign upon Christ’s return (1980 39).

However Ladd does mention briefly an aspect of Premillennialism that is significantly different to the previous models presented. It is the significance of Israel in the millennium. Ladd, surprisingly to me, contends that all Israel will be saved, meaning literal Israel.

While the New Testament clearly affirms the salvation of literal Israel, it does not give any details about the day of salvation...Israel’s salvation must occur in the same terms as Gentile salvation, by faith in Jesus as their crucified Messiah (Ladd 1980:28).

Whether he means every Jew is not certain but Erickson points out that in Premillennialism there is a special place for Israel which is spiritual in nature and is within the church. This means that a large number of Jews will come to faith during the millennium (2000:1218).

Ladd succinctly summarises Premillennialism buy saying it “...is the doctrine stating that after the Second Coming of Christ, he will reign for a thousand years over the earth before the final consummation of God’s redemptive purpose in the new heavens and new earth of the Age to come” (1980: 17).

Let us breakdown it down step by step (Erickson 2000:1215-1218)(Diagram Appendix 1) • The Millennium is a literal thousand years that begins at the return of Christ • Jesus Christ will reign physically on earth with the saints in this period (this position varies however amongst premillennials as to the nature of this reign with some saying Christ may leave the saints to rule on their own and return in a thousand years) • The reign and the period are however both still literal and physical • This millennial period is inaugurated suddenly and cataclysmically changing world events from a time of great tribulation to a time of peace and renewal • The nature of this period will be totally different to the preceding age in that worldwide peace will be the norm; even nature itself will be set free from the curse of the fall. Everything will live in harmony • This change is not gradual; the reign of Christ is complete from beginning to end

Ladd continues the model as follows (1980: 17-18): • At Christ’s return Satan is bound for the first time and incarcerated in the ‘bottomless pit’ (Rev 20:1) • All the saints are bodily raised to life to reign with Christ for a thousand years (first resurrection) • After a thousand years Satan is released and raises up the unregenerate to oppose God which results in the final battle where Satan is fully and finally defeated • After this the second bodily resurrection occours of those who had not been raised before the millennium and are judged • Once this final judgement has happened everything is ready for the eternal state • The new heaven and new earth are begun

2.4 Premillennial Dispensationalism

Dispensationalism is the cousin of Premillennialism in that they hold the same views about the millennium (position). However it takes a stronger view on the nature and role of Israel in the plans of God and in particular in the millennium itself. There are various strains of Dispensationalism, Classic and Progressive, but for simplicity sake we will focus more on the Classic model for it will give the best understanding and distinctives from the other models.

Erickson puts his finger on the central focus of the model by stating. “Dispensationalists hold to a continuing unconditional covenant of God with national Israel, so that when God has completed his dealings with the church, he will return to his relations with national Israel” (2000:1218). So the first major tenet concerns the relationship between Israel, the church and God. Out of this understanding comes the second tenet which is concerned then with how God returns to dealing with Israel. These dealings begin in the Tribulation at the end of this age and into the millennium where Israel is again exalted as God’s chosen people.

Dispensationalism sees a complete metaphysical separation between Israel and the Church. In affect claiming there are two peoples of God with Israel being God’s national people and the Church being his heavenly spiritual people (Grenz 1992: 95). In affect the model is rejecting the claim that the Church is the New Israel, there are two distinct groups. God has two programmes running and with the rejection of God by Israel he started a second programme with the Gentiles. When this is finished he will return to his people Israel. The implication is that God’s dealings with Israel are literal and physical in that the land of Israel must be restored to them and the whole system of worship reinstituted by rebuilding the temple and sacrificial system. So Christ is returning to restore things to the way it was before he came the first time. When this happens his people will accept him as Messiah. “At that time the nation will accept its true messiah, an event that will signal the fullness of the Kingdom age, the glorious era of peace and righteousness known as the millennium” (Grenz 1992:97).

How God will return to focus on Israel begins in the Tribulation. Dispensationalism would say that the Tribulation and the Millennium do not really concern God’s purposes for the Church; the main focus at this point in time is Israel. God’s divine purposes for Israel begin again seven years before the millennium begins whereby in pouring out his wrath on the earth he will prepare the Jews to receive their messiah, Jesus, at his return. On Jesus return the focus on Israel will intensify into the millennium where the primary purpose is to see God finally fulfil and complete the Old Testament promise he made to Israel. The Church will play a very minor role in this, Israel is the focus. The result of this process is to see Jesus reigning again physically from Jerusalem ushering in a period of peace and prosperity with Israel becoming the major nation in the world (Grenz 1992:98-99).

The Church will be silently raptured before the Tribulation and as a result will not be party to the sufferings in this period. God removes them from his current programme of bringing the Jews back to him. The Church will return with Jesus and usher in the new millennium in which God’s plans for Israel will be accomplished. Other characteristics of the Tribulation would be the coming of the antichrist which marks its beginning. The antichrist will rule over the entire earth in this period and under this terrible suffering and persecution of world governance the Jews will be prepared to turn back to God. The Tribulation climaxes in the Battle of Armageddon when Jesus Christ returns to defeat all his enemies and in so doing Israel acknowledges him as the Messiah. Satan is then bound and the millennium begins. After a thousand years Satan is released again and he raises an army which is destroyed by God and the final judgement takes place with the beginning of the eternal state (Grenz 1992:99).

Chronological summary of Model: (Diagram Appendix 1) • We are in the Church Age and God will in time return to his programme of dealing with Israel • The change of ages happens when the Church is secretly raptured into heaven and the Tribulation follows (rapture may also be mid or post tribulation) • The antichrist appears and controls the earth bringing great suffering which will begin to turn the Jews back to towards God • This period ends at the Battle of Armageddon where Christ returns with his Church and defeats Satan • At this point Israel accept Jesus as Messiah, Satan is bound and Jesus institutes the millennium (the first resurrection occurs for the Saints) • This is a period where Jesus physically rules from Jerusalem on David’s throne, the temple is rebuilt and the sacrificial system is instituted again. • Israel becomes the major world power and their governance is a period of peace and renewal • After a thousand years Satan is released and finally defeated which results in the second resurrection of all people to the final judgement • The eternal state then follows with the new heaven and new earth

3. Drivers behind the models

Well meaning men and woman of God differ greatly in their opinions of the millennium while looking at the same scriptures. The question is how is this possible? The underlying reason for these differences is the hermeneutical approach one has to scripture. The two main schools here are the literal approach, in particular around prophecy and the book of Revelation versus the more ‘spiritualised’ or figurative approach. This unpacks itself into how you view prophecy, the relationship between the Old and New Testaments and finally the structure of the book of Revelation.

The divergence begins when you have to explain the fulfilment of Old Testament promises made to Israel. When Israel was brought back from exile into the land were all the promises fulfilled? The temple was rebuilt but not all the land was occupied so a physical portion of the promise was not fulfilled. Even in the Exodus not all the promises were met. So herein lies the issue. If you have a more literal hermeneutic you will say there are unfulfilled physical promises regarding the land which must still be met. So the only way for this to happen is for God to re-establish in the future the physical land of Israel as promised with the temple and the whole system of worship as God had originally planned. This lends itself to Dispensationalism and Premillennialism.

However you may take the more figurative hermeneutic that says in Jesus he has fulfilled the Old Testament promises of God. The Kingdom of God has come in Christ creating a new spiritual Israel made up of Jews and Gentiles. There are a new people and the land is now the whole world going to all the nations. So there is no future expectation of a land for Jesus has fulfilled the promise to Abraham and Gods people inhabit the earth. There is a new covenant that replaces the old and it functions in a spiritual way and not a physical way.

3.1 Relationship between the Old and New Testaments - Prophecy

A broad distinction can be made here between the two schools with regard the relation between the two testaments. Dispensationalism and to a lesser degree Premillennialism interpret scripture literally and in so doing they would place a huge emphasis on the literal interpretation of Old Testament prophecy. Ladd in this case is an exception to the norm and sounds like an Amillennialist when criticising this approach with particular reference to Dispensationalism by saying it “... forms its eschatology by a literal interpretation of the Old Testament and then fits the New Testament into it” (1980:27).

In contrast the more figurative approach forms its eschatology from the New Testament. It acknowledges that some Old Testament prophecies have been fulfilled in non literal ways and seeks to reinterpret the Old Testament in the light of the Christ event (Ladd 1980:21). Added to this it also acknowledges that the New Testament applies Old Testament prophecies to the Church. “...even us, whom he has called, not only from the Jews but also from the Gentiles?” (Rom 9:24) (Unless otherwise indicated, all the scripture quotations are from the New International Version). To emphasis his point Paul quotes two passages from Hosea (1:10; 2:24) to show that the future people of God, the Church, will be made up of Jews and Gentiles (Ladd 1980:24). Pohlmann emphasises this approach by saying “We have to interpret the Old Testament through the New Testament because it’s the New Testament that has selected from the Old Testament what is relevant for our future!” (2008:233). Where you place your emphasis will influence how your millennial view will look.

In light of this you can see how people diverge on prophecy. The more literal view says that certain promise have not yet been fulfilled literally so it must be in the future. It makes prophecy more predictive in nature. While the figurative view sees prophecy as more revelatory and unfolding, it may be realised but continues to be realsied through other future events as well.

3.2 Structure of Revelation

The previous views explained will impact how you view the structure of the book of Revelation and as a result your exegesis of Revelation 20 which will form your understanding of the millennium. A literal view will result in a sequential understanding of the structure of Revelation. The promises have not yet been fulfilled therefore the events as explained in Revelation are all in the future and describe what will physically happen at or around the time of Christ’s return. This means that Revelation 20 follows on from Christ’s return in chapter 19 which leaves the conclusion that the millennium in chapter 20 comes after the return of Christ.

The more figurative and unfolding view will see the book of Revelation as a series of scenes explaining the events that take place in the history of the church. So the book is about recapitulation where history is unfolded and then returned to the beginning and explained again with more things being added. The traditional segmenting of Revelation is into seven parts which run in parallel known as progressive parallelism (Hoekema 1980: 156-157). So Revelation 20 is not sequential to chapter 19 but a further recapitulation of the whole of history. It takes us back to Revelation 1:18 and starts there and emphasises to us the eternal destinies of the righteous and the wicked. That God will vindicate the righteous, with particular mention of the martyred (Pohlmann 2008:231). If this is the case then chapter 20 is the end of time concluding in the second coming of Christ followed by the final judgement and the eternal state.

4. Conclusion

In light of all that has been written I would state that the safest and most accurate way to define a millennial model is to look to Jesus Christ. He has to be the turning point in history, the person around whom everything hinges. God had always planned in terms of salvation that Jesus would come and fulfil everything that he had promised. This clearly puts me in the Amillennial camp.

Bibliography

Benyon, G 2010. Last Things First Living in the Light of the Future. Nottingham: Intervarsity-Press.

Boettner, L 1980. Postmillennialism. in Clouse, R (ed). The Meaning of the Millennium Four Views. Downer Groves: Intervarsity Press.

Erickson, M 2000. Christian Theology. Grand Rapids: Baker Books.

Grenz, S 1992. The Millennial Maze Sorting Out Evangelical Options. Downer Groves: Intervarsity Press.

Hoekema, A 1980. Amillennialism. in Clouse, R (ed). The Meaning of the Millennium Four Views. Downer Groves: Intervarsity Press.

Hoyt, H 1980.Dispensational Premillennialism. in Clouse, R (ed). The Meaning of the Millennium Four Views. Downer Groves: Intervarsity Press.

Ladd, GE et al 1980.Historic Premillennialism. in Clouse, R (ed). The Meaning of the Millennium Four Views. Downer Groves: Intervarsity Press.

Pohlmann, M 2008. From Above For Below. n.p: Hebron Press.

Appendix 1

Postmillennialism

[pic]

Amillennialism

[pic]

Historic Premillennialism

[pic]

Dispensational Premillennialism

[pic]