II. Terminology
A. Dispensationalism
1. Dispensationalism is the idea that all history is divided into seven ages or dispensations that supposedly correspond to the seven days of the creation week.
2. The seventh age is alleged to be the millennial reign of Jesus.
B. Premillennialism
1. The term "Millennium" in this context refers to the period of 1000 years that is mentioned in Revelation 20.
2. The term "Premillennialism" refers to the idea that Jesus will return to earth and then reign here on earth for 1000 years.
a) The prefix "pre" refers to the return of Christ occurring just prior to the 1000 year millennial period.
b) “Generally, premillennialists believe that shortly before the second coming the world will be marked by extraordinary tribulation and evil and the appearance of the Anti-Christ. At his coming, Christ will destroy this anti-Christ and believers will be raised from the dead. There will then follow a millennium of peace and order over which Christ will reign with his saints. At the close of this time, Satan will be loosed and the forces of evil will once again be rampant. The wicked will then be raised, and a final judgment will take place in which Satan and all evil ones will be consigned to eternal punishment” (Van A. Harvey, A Handbook of Theological Terms, New York: Macmillan, 1964 p. 151).
3. While premillennialism is a recent departure, millennialism itself has a much longer history.
a) “The idea of a millennial reign proceeded from Judaism, for among the Jews the representation was current, that the Messiah would reign a thousand years on earth, and then bring to a close the present terrestrial System. This calculation was arrived at, by a literal interpretation of Psalm 90:4, ‘A thousand years are in thy sight as one day.’ It was further argued that as the World was created in six days, so it would last six thousand years, the seventh thousand would be a period of repose, a sabbath on Earth to be followed by the destruction of the World” (Augustus Neander, History of Christian Dogmas, London: Bohn, 1858, Vol. I, p. 248).
4. According to premillennialism, the vivid language in Revelation is not figurative language but is rather a literal description of something yet to occur.
a) To be a premillennialist you must literalize the figurative language in Revelation, and you must also ignore or otherwise overcome scores of other verses that contradict premillennialism.
5. This approach claims that nothing in Revelation from chapter 4 until the end of the book has been fulfilled yet, and that when it is fulfilled it will all be fulfilled literally. This approach includes the very popular dispensationalist view that is summarized below:
a) Jesus came to establish a visible rule on earth.
b) The Jews did not accept Christ so the offer to rule was withdrawn.
c) The establishment of the kingdom was postponed until his return.
d) The church was established for the interim period. The church is a parenthesis in history and is not a fulfillment of any Old Testament prophecy.
e) The church age will end with a "rapture" in which all believers will meet Christ in the air. This is the first stage of the second advent.
f) During the next seven years, the antichrist will rule the earth, the Jews will be restored to Palestine, the temple will be rebuilt, and the sacrificial system will be reinstituted. Those saved during this time are called tribulation saints.
g) The antichrist will break a covenant with the Jews after 3.5 years and a terrible persecution will follow.
h) After another 3.5 years Christ will appear, defeat the antichrist, and rule on earth for 1000 years.
6. Some proponents of this view are even more imaginative. Hal Lindsey presented the following scenario of the final seven years before the millennial reign:
a) For 3.5 years Satan will rule the world through a Jewish antichrist in Rome.
b) The Jews will be allowed to rebuild the temple.
c) Many Jews will be converted and a worldwide evangelism program will be undertaken by 144,000 Jewish preachers.
d) After 3.5 years the antichrist will set up his own image in the newly rebuilt Jewish temple.
e) World War III will break out.
f) Egypt will invade Israel.
g) Russia will invade the Middle East and trample both Egypt and Israel.
h) The Roman dictator will invade Israel.
i) Rome will launch a nuclear attack against Russian forces in Israel.
j) 200,000,000 Chinese troops will march on Palestine to battle the Roman army.
k) The battle of Armageddon will begin and lead to worldwide destruction.
l) Jesus will return to reign on earth for 1000 years.
C. Postmillennialism
1. As you might suspect, postmillennialism is the opposite of premillennialism. Where premillennialism says that Christ will return and then reign 1000 years, postmillennialism says that Christ will return after the millennium.
2. In that sense, they are opposites. But as for their consequences, premillennialism is infinitely worse. While premillennialism belittles the church and denies the success of Christ's mission here on earth, postmillennialism is not very different from amillennialism (which we will consider in a moment) except that postmillennialism does teach that there will be a 1000 year of peace on earth preceding the return of Christ.
3. You have all heard of a very famous postmillennialist but you may not realize it. Alexander Campbell was a postmillennialist.
a) In fact, Campbell's monthly publication from 1830 until 1870 was called the Millennial Harbinger.
b) His concept of the millennium was a period of time when the nations of the world would be in submission to the kingdom of Christ. He believed that in time Christianity would be victorious in this world. He believed that two things were necessary before this could come about:
(1) The annihilation of partyism.
(2) The restoration of Christian ordinances.
c) Here is what he wrote in his prospectus for the Millennial Harbinger:
(1) "This work shall be devoted to the destruction of sectarianism, infidelity, and anti-Christian doctrine and practice. It shall have for its object the development and introduction of that political and religious order of society called the millennium, which will be the consummation of that ultimate society proposed in the Christian scripture."
d) That is certainly a worthy goal, but no one believes in postmillennialism today as they once did in the 1800's. Why?
(1) Because of two world wars, because of Hitler and the millions he killed, because of Stalin and the millions he killed, and we could go on and on. In short, postmillennialism died during the half-century of bloodshed and war that followed the 1800's.
D. Amillennialism
1. Amillennialism says that there will be no literal millennial period either before or after the return of Christ.
2. Instead, the 1000 year in Revelation 20 is figurative as is practically everything else in that book. Numbers in particular have symbolic significance in that book as we saw when discussed the meaning of 666 in our earlier lesson on the end times.
3. Revelation 20 opens with Satan being bound for 1000 years and the saints reigning with Christ for 1000 years. What does this mean?
a) The first 19 chapters of Revelation deal exclusively with the conflict between Rome and the Church. Rome has now been completely destroyed. Satan's plan to destroy the Church through Rome has been completely stopped. How is this pictured? By showing Satan bound for 1000 years.
b) What does this picture mean? That with regard to Rome Satan has been completely bound and defeated. The number 10 represents "completeness" and the number 1000 indicates "complete completeness." Satan's defeat with regard to Rome was a complete defeat; hence, he is pictured as being bound for 1000 years. Remember that in apocalyptic language periods of time are often used to depict a state of affairs or a condition.
c) The "1000 years" of this chapter represents a state of affairs and not a period of time. Here it is used to depict Satan's complete binding with regard to Rome. Later, it will be used to depict the Church's complete victory over Rome. Ps. 50:10 says God owns cattle on 1000 hills; that is, his ownership is complete. Deut. 7:9 says God keeps his covenant to 1000 generations; that is, his faithfulness is complete.
d) What about the 1000 year reign with Christ? The "1000 years" simply depicts the perfection and completeness of a status that the martyrs enjoyed even before their death. Recall from Rom. 5:17 that we reign in life through Jesus.
e) Note that even if taken literally, this passage says nothing about the duration of Christ's reign. The saints are said to reign with Christ for 1000 years. Ahaz ruled with his father Jotham for 12 years. Does that tell us how long Jotham reigned?
f) We don't have time here to give a complete picture of the wonderful events in Revelation 20, but here is a summary of what this chapter tells us:
(1) Those who lived or died in service to Christ and opposition to Rome experience a total and complete victory.
(2) Those who lived or died in service to Rome and opposition to Christ experience a total and complete defeat.
(3) Satan will attack the Church in the future but will never be successful even if he able to assemble the entire world on his side.
g) Barnes: "“It is admitted, on all hands, that this doctrine, if contained in the Scriptures at all, is found in this one passage only. It is not pretended that there is, in any other place, a direct affirmation that this will literally occur, nor would the advocates for that opinion undertake to show that it is fairly implied in any other part of the Bible. But it is strange, not to say improbable, that the doctrine of the literal resurrection of, the righteous, a thousand years before the wicked, should be announced in one passage only” (Commentary on Revelation, Grand Rapids: Baker, 1954, pp. 428-429).
E. Rapture
1. The word "rapture" is derived from the Latin word "rapio," which means to seize or to snatch.
2. Although this word is not found in the Bible, premillennialists claim that the idea is found in 1 Thessalonians 4:17 where Paul says that when Jesus returns those saints who are then living will be "caught up" in the clouds to meet him. They also point to Revelation 4:1 where a heavenly voice beckons John to "come up hither."
3. They refer to those verses as proof of a silent, secret return of Christ that will proceed his visible return a few years later to set up his millennial kingdom.
4. As even one of their own (Alexander Reese, a premillennialist) acknowledged, twisting that verse to support that false doctrine is one of the sorriest attempts in the whole history of freak exegesis!
5. As with all false doctrines, its history can be traced to a point of departure from the teachings of Scripture, and as with many false teachings, its history can be traced to a recent departure.
a) The idea seems to have appeared during a Pentecostal movement founded by Edward Irving in the early 1800's.
b) A young lady from Scotland named Margaret Macdonald purportedly had a prophetic vision in which she was told that there was a distinction between the final stage of the Lord's coming in which every eye shall see him and his prior appearance to those who are looking for him.
c) George Murray: "I am not aware that there was any definite teaching that there should be a Secret Rapture of the Church at a secret coming until this was given forth as an 'utterance' in Mr. Irving's church from what was then received as being the voice of the Spirit."
F. Antichrist
1. You hear a lot about "the Antichrist" but the Bible does not speak of a single Antichrist but instead speaks of many antichrists.
a) 1 John 2:18 Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.
b) 1 John 2:22 Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son.
c) 1 John 4:3 And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.
d) 2 John 7 For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.
2. So instead of being just one, there are many. And instead of appearing in the future, there were many in the first century and no doubt in every century after the first century.
3. Who is an antichrist? Let's just let John answer that question: He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son, and every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh.
4. It is interesting that the Antichrist is often associated with Satan, and sometimes identified with him -- and yet Satan certainly would confess that Jesus came in the flesh. In fact, he talked with him! Men may be foolish enough to deny that there is a God and that Jesus is his son, but not Satan. He knows these things....and trembles.
G. Armageddon
1. Armageddon is specifically mentioned only one time in the Bible. (Revelation 16:16)
2. In a context dealing with the pouring out of seven bowls of God's wrath into the earth, John writes that unclean spirits gather the kings of the earth together for war in a place which is called in Hebrew Har-Magedon.
3. Most believe that the term "Har-Magedon" refers to the hill of Megiddo in the plain of Megiddo, which is about 20 miles by 14 miles wide.
4. The history of Megiddo is interesting. It is the earth's most famous battlefield.
a) J. L. Hurlbut said that "more battles have been fought on this plane than on any other in the world."
b) A number of Old Testament conflicts occurred there, including the victories of Deborah and Barak over the Canaanites in Judges 4 and of Gideon over the Midianites in Judges 7. Josiah was killed in battle there in 2 Kings 23.
5. The connection with Deborah is particularly instructive with regard to its use in Revelation.
a) Israel's position in Judges 4-5 seemed hopeless against Sisera and his 900 chariots of iron, but when the battle was joined Judges 4:15 tells us that the Lord routed Sisera and all his chariots and his army.
b) If we replace Israel with the church and Sisera with the Roman Empire, then the connection becomes clear. Armageddon was a code word for hope and victory in the face of seemingly hopeless odds
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