Millennial Eschatology Explained (Pre-Mil, A-Mil, Post-Mil)

Revelation 20 and the Millennial Reign of Christ

In Revelation chapter 20, we read about the millennial reign of Jesus Christ. There are four main positions out there regarding the millennium, amillennialism, postmillennialism, and premillennialism, which is broke up into two categories, premillennial dispensationalism and historic premillennialism.

So, before we take a look at these positions, I want to stress that Christians should not divide over these secondary issues. It's not that they are not important, but Christians should not divide over them.

And there are many variations of these positions. So, in this brief study, this is meant to be only general in nature. So, let's start out with the amillennial position, sometimes called amill. The amill position teaches that there is no kingdom.

The A in front of it negates it. So, amill means no kingdom. The 1 ,000 year kingdom, they say, is not literal. Rather, it is symbolic for the church. All the Old Testament prophecies, they say, referring to the kingdom, are fulfilled in the church.

And they also claim and teach that the church is Israel. This view says that we are living in the kingdom right now, and that it began when Jesus came preaching the kingdom of God is at hand. The amillennial position still awaits a full and final consummation in the future, but the church, they say, is the kingdom.

The kingdom includes both Jews and Gentiles, and even leaves the door open to a future dealing with ethnic Israel by God, but not as a separate program where God has one plan of redemption for the Jews and then another plan for the Gentiles.

And it's also understood that in the amill position, the church will have an ongoing positive influence on culture and will bring blessings and improve the human race. Amill theologians say that it is the supreme mission of the church to bear witness to the invisible reign of Christ.

It is the church's task to make the invisible kingdom visible. The amill position looks for a future apostasy where towards the end of time, the church will become corrupt. This time of apostasy will result in great suffering where a person known as the Antichrist takes power to persecute the saints.

This time is known as the great tribulation where God's people endure suffering right up until the return of Jesus. At Christ's return, he will judge evil and renovate his creation to usher in the new heavens and the new earth.

This all happens over an indefinite period of time. So again, they believe the thousand years, the reference to the thousand years in Revelation 20, is not to be taken literally. Now let's look at the postmillennial position.

Postmillennialism and the Church's Cultural Influence

Postmill teaches that Jesus comes at the end of the kingdom age, which has not yet begun. So he comes at the end to take possession of the kingdom, which the church will establish. The Christian church, they say, becomes greater and greater in influence.

And in the end, the majority of people will likely be saved. This view is optimistic in that instead of a coming apostasy, the church will essentially convert the nations, fulfilling the Great Commission.

This position teaches that the church is Israel, just like the aumil position. After the 1 ,000-year kingdom age, Christ returns visibly, bodily, and gloriously to end history with a general resurrection and the final judgment, after which the eternal order is ushered in.

Postmillennialism was widespread before the 20th century, which of course saw two world wars, as well as a significant falling away from the Christian faith. And now postmillennialism, it is the minority view.

Premillennial Dispensationalism and the Two-Stage Return of Jesus

Next up is premillennial dispensationalism. This position arose late in church history, although proponents claim they are simply reclaiming the view of the early church, which was lost, they say, right up until the 19th century.

This view teaches that Jesus returns twice. First, in the clouds, in a secret pre-tribulational rapture to take the church to heaven. Then again, seven years later, where he comes to the earth to set up his kingdom.

Premill, of course, refers, pre means before, so Jesus comes before the 1 ,000-year kingdom on the earth. It says that we are currently living in the church age, which represents parentheses between the old covenant and the future millennial kingdom.

So they say the kingdom is completely future, and the kingdom ethic is exemplified in the Sermon on the Mount. Premill dispensationalism teaches two completely different programs of redemption, one for Israel and one for the church.

They say the church is not Israel, two completely different plans of redemption. They say there will be a future kingdom for Israel, where Jesus reigns from Jerusalem, with a rebuilt temple and the reinstitution of animal sacrifices.

This position says that the kingdom is a Jewish time, and the church should not be looking forward to it because the promises to the church are heavenly, while the promises to Israel are earthly. Jesus will reign for a thousand years while Satan is bound.

At the end of the 1 ,000 years, Satan is loosed to lead one final rebellion, which is the heavens and the earth will pass away. The great white throne judgment happens, followed by a new heaven and a new earth.

This position is similar to historic premill, which we will take a look at now. The final position we're looking at is historic premillennialism, and like the dispensational view, it believes that Jesus returns before the kingdom and establishes his earthly reign for 1 ,000 years.

Historic Premillennialism and the Future Kingdom

This view does not hold to a pre-tribulational rapture, nor does it believe that God has two different plans of redemption, one for the Jews and one for the church. This position teaches that the New Testament church was the initial phase of the kingdom, but right now the kingdom is more spiritual.

The fullness of the kingdom is not ushered in until Christ returns to the earth. This view, as do all the others except the post-trib position, believes there will be a final falling away of faith, a time of apostasy where the church is filled with corruption and unbelief.

This time leads to the great tribulation. Christ returns at the end of the tribulation to defeat the armies of Antichrist, resurrect the dead, and establish his kingdom on earth. This view takes Revelation chapters 19 through 21 literally, and again is very similar to the dispensational view, except for its views on the pre-trib rapture and the restoration of Israel along with the sacrificial system as a separate plan of redemption for the church.

It does not hold to those positions. I hope you enjoyed this video. I would encourage you to leave your comments in the section below. God bless you, and have a great day.