A SUMMARY OF POST-MILLENNIALISM

The Series Introduction and Orthodox Views of Eschatology

So, we have started our series on eschatology. This is week number three, and we've been talking about the study of the end times or the study of last things. And so week one, we really highlighted three orthodox perspectives that have kind of emerged out of church history.

And then last week, we talked about one of those views called pre-millennialism, meaning that Jesus Christ comes back before his future literal thousand-year reign. And so this evening, we're going to be talking about post-millennialism, saying that the thousand years is kind of a symbolic time frame that we're living now, and then Jesus comes afterwards.

And then next week, we'll be getting into all millennialism, which is very similar to what we'll be discussing about tonight, but is different in many respects. So these are three historic orthodox perspectives on eschatology, where they unite around the essentials of eschatology, things that we have to hold with a closed fist, things like Jesus will come back in the future to rule in reign, to set up his kingdom on earth.

So that's number one. The second coming is future, and that will literally happen. And so he will restore all things. He will bring heaven to earth, and he will restore this sin-cursed world. That's another essential part of our blessed hope that's been promised to us in the gospel.

And so as believers, we will also be resurrected with glorified bodies fit to rule and reign with Christ for eternity. And as Jesus judges the living and the dead, that means those that died in their sin, they also will be resurrected to eternal judgment.

So those are things that are essential, that we hold onto as we begin to study the book of Daniel, the Olivet Discourse, and the book of Revelation. And then you have another category of non-essentials, that these three orthodox perspectives can disagree with in love.

And I love how some people will be like, man, there's just no way that can be right. But we can say those things as long as it's meant in good fun and love, and we understand that we're really not trying to put down another view that's trying to make sense of hard to understand concepts.

And so a couple of those non-essential things are, how does God's promises to Israel actually work out? Well, there's different methodologies of that, and we can continue to sharpen one another. And so you've heard me talk about the millennium, right?

So all three orthodox perspectives are kind of based around a particular understanding of Revelation 20. If you were here a couple of weeks ago, we read the opening 10 verses where we read Jesus will reign for a thousand years, for a thousand years, a thousand years.

So that's the millennium, okay? All of these views understand Revelation 20 a little bit differently, and this is a non-essential thing. We know that there is a rule and reign of Christ, but how that actually plays out, that's up for discussion, okay?

And so as we begin to talk about post-millennialism, I want us to lock arms together on the essentials,.

Okay?

And so as we do that, I'll be trying to compare and contrast post-millennialism with what we talked about last week, pre-millennialism, okay? So if you were here last week, we somehow made it through the entire book of Revelation.

Were you all as surprised as I was that we were able to do that? Whew, I was sweating bullets up here. So we're gonna do something very similar. We're not going to tiptoe through Revelation, but the Gospel of Matthew.

So if you would, turn with me in your copy of God's Word to Matthew chapter four, okay? And so post-millennialism, I want to kind of give you a working framework, and you may say, Jeremiah, ain't no way.

And that's fine. I just want to inform you of this particular type of eschatology. Post-millennialism says Christ is ruling and reigning right now. This is the kingdom of God. It is expanding. That means as the Gospel goes forth in power by the preaching, fueled by the Holy Spirit, also what goes with the Gospel is God's law, okay?

Now when we say God's law, we're talking about those things that we read in the Old Testament. And the reason why we're talking so much about God's law is because Jesus is the king. A king has a particular rule.

And so post-millennialism sees the whole world gradually getting better and becoming Christianized. So Pastor Nathan, you had that first slide. And so to kind of just paint a picture, like I said, you have evangelization.

Society will gradually get better, okay? And you may think, whoa, I thought things were supposed to get worse. Well, that's within the pre-millennial framework, that there's a bunch of evil and sin in the world and it'll continue to grow and grow and grow until Jesus returns at the very end, okay?

And so post-millennialism says, actually, Jesus, when he first came, he brought his kingdom with him. And he gave marching orders, and that will go out in success, okay? And all the nations will be evangelized and won over by the gospel and will submit to King Jesus, okay?

So this is just a picture that I want you to have in your mind. But let's look at Matthew 4, starting in verse 17. Now pay attention to verse 23, please. And when Jesus went out or throughout all of Galilee, he did these three things.

He went out teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people, okay? So I wanted you to kind of see verse 17 talks about the kingdom of God is at hand.

In Jesus's earthly ministry, he did three major things that were leading up to the cross. He was teaching, he was proclaiming the gospel, and he was doing many miraculous signs of healing, casting out demons, and so forth.

And so post-millennialism, starting in verse 17, would say, Jesus is calling for repentance because the kingdom of God is here. When it says at hand, you can think, okay, here's my hand. It's here. It's right now.

And Jesus is saying, the kingdom is now on earth. I am the king, and the whole world, all the nations will be one. So that's kind of this mindset. And so verse 23, I believe, is fulfilling, or at least beginning the fulfillment of many Old Testament passages.

So Jesus is teaching. He's discipling the 12 apostles, essentially, and they will continue to teach the world to observe all that Christ has commanded. And we see another reference to the kingdom. He was proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, the good news that Jesus is king, and he's a conquering king, and he will not fail.

And so then you have, he also healed people of their diseases, every affliction among the people. The reason why this is so important is because this was prophesied to happen. So if you would like, feel free to turn with me in your Bible to Isaiah chapter 42, but keep your bookmark in Matthew because we're going to be going back to there and then basically tiptoeing all throughout that gospel.

Isaiah 42 talks about the Lord's servant, okay? And as we read a portion of this, I want you to think about the term that we've mentioned a couple weeks ago, theonomy, okay? This is the study of God's law.

And you have to understand, all Christians are theonomists to a certain degree or another because we believe that God's law is important here and now. It's teaching us many things. At the very least, it teaches us our need for a savior.

But a post-millennialist sees God's law as important for making the world become more Christianized over time, right? The gospel will be preached, right? We see this, we have this term, theonomy. This is the idea that the governments will be influenced by God's law.

The whole world will be Christianized through the preaching of the gospel, but it's also through families becoming more and more like Christ, being Christianized. And we might see glimpses of that through homeschooling, right?

It starts at the home, and then it hits the society, and then it hits the government, okay? So it's the idea that justice will be brought out through the entire world, and the mandate was given by King Jesus.

So, Isaiah 42, listen for the word justice, okay? Behold, my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights. I have put my spirit upon him, and he will bring forth justice to the nations.

Okay, so this is Yahweh, this is God the Father, saying that I will put my spirit on my chosen servant. So, this is obviously talking about Jesus, and this would have been the time of John the Baptist, where the Holy Spirit descended on Jesus like a dove.

And so here's the interesting phrase, though. He will bring forth justice to the nations. He will not cry aloud or lift up his voice or make it heard in the streets. A bruised reed he will not break, and faintly burning wick he will not quench.

He will faithfully bring forth justice. He will not grow faint or be discouraged till he has established justice in the earth, and the coastlands wait for his law. Okay, so the idea is this will be important with the proclamation of the gospel for the whole world getting better and better and better in terms of becoming more and more like Christ.

And so if you skip down to verse 7, it mentions kind of what he will also do, this chosen servant who we know as Jesus. He is going to open the eyes of the blind. He is going to be a light for the nations.

So, this is the paradigm of things getting better. Christ is ruling and reigning. He will bring all the nations to obedience by his law and his gospel. Now, you may say, okay, well, what are some more passages that kind of speak to this paradigm?

Postmillennialism would say one of the most important verses to wrap your mind around is Psalm 110, verse 1. Now, this is a, all God's word is profitable and important, but this verse is quoted the most in the New Testament, okay?

So, Psalm 110, verse 1, a Psalm of David says this. The Lord says to my Lord, sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool.

Okay?

So, postmillennialism says, okay, Jesus ascended to the right hand of the Father, okay? And he is ruling and reigning as king, and he will stay there until all of the kingdoms, all the nations are put under his feet.

And so, this is kind of the proof text, if you will, that things have to get better. I mean, the nations have to be subdued by God's law, and then Christ will return, okay? And so, the next verse, Psalm 110, verse 2, says, the Lord sends forth from Zion your mighty scepter.

Rule in the midst of your enemies. Okay, now, it's interesting, because this verse is quoted so many times in the New Testament, verse number 1 here. It's quoted in Ephesians, Ephesians chapter 1, and Pastor Nathan, we just started a new sermon series in Ephesians, so I can't wait to hear Pastor Nathan's take on this verse.

But the postmillennialist says, okay, the church is going to be so crucial in the evangelization of the world and bringing God's law to subdue the nations, okay? Now, I understand logistically that this would mean that the church is equipping the saints with the gospel and God's law to infiltrate the world, that salty infiltration, if you will, as we get more into the Sermon on the Mount here in a little bit.

And so, the church is gonna be vital in carrying this out. And then, Paul also quotes this verse in 1 Corinthians 15. Now, this is like the postmillennialist saying, hey, this right here, don't overlook this, 1 Corinthians 15, 25 through 27, because not only will all the nations be put under his feet, but then Christ will return and conquer the last enemy, which is death, okay?

So, this is, once again, kind of the framework that we're working with. And so, postmillennialism would say, well, it actually goes much further back than that. If you go to the book of Genesis, you had Jacob blessing his sons, right?

Right at his deathbed. And so, we're all familiar with the tribe of Judah, right? Jesus comes from the tribe of Judah. Listen to this prophecy. Judah, your brothers shall praise you, and your hands shall be on the neck of your enemies.

Your father's sons shall bow down before you. Judah is a lion's club. From the prey, my son, you have gone up. He stooped down, and he crouched as a lion, as a lioness. Who dares arouse him? And pay careful attention to this.

The scepter shall not depart from Judah, meaning his rule, his power, him being a king of kings, nor the ruler's staff from his feet until tribute comes to him, and to him shall the obedience of the peoples, or all the nations, okay?

So, it seems to carry this promise that there will be a rule that will never depart from the coming Messiah, the king of kings and the Lord of lords, and he will, and post-millennium says he won't fail.

This will actually end in success. And so, the last passage that I want to set us up with this mindset as we go into Matthew's gospel is what is said in Daniel chapter seven, verses 13 and 14, okay? This is the famous passage talking about the coming son of man.

Daniel says, and I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven, there came one like a son of man, and he came to the ancient of days and was presented before him, and to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, and all the peoples of the nations and languages should serve him.

And his dominion is an everlasting dominion which shall not pass away, and his kingdom is one that shall not be destroyed, okay? So, post-millennialism says, this is the great commission where Jesus said, all authority on heaven and earth has been given to me, and I'm giving you marching orders to disciple the nations, and guess what?

You won't fail, okay? Now, we just think, whoa, this is so different, right? So, I want to continue to show you more how they build their argument, and it's this idea that Messiah is a victorious king, right?

He actually conquers the nations, and the one who has control over the nations and has deceived them, Satan, okay? So, with that in mind, turn back with me to the Gospel of Matthew. So, we're talking about the kingdom of heaven, the kingdom of God, these are synonymous terms, right?

And so, look earlier in the context with me to verse eight, okay? Now, in this context, Jesus is being tempted by Satan, and so the last temptation here is very interesting. Verse eight says, again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed Jesus all the kingdoms of the world and their glory, and he said to them, all these I give you if you fall down and worship me.

Now, that's pretty foolish, right? Jesus said, be gone, Satan, for it is written, you shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve, and Satan's like, all right, I'm out, right? But it's interesting what he said.

He just said, yeah, you've come to fulfill this divine plan, right? You're going to subdue and conquer the nations, and yes, there's prophecy that you have to suffer, die, and be resurrected and ascend on high, but hey, let's just take the shortcut.

You can go ahead and have all the nations, and so post-Meletism says, see, Satan is ruling the nations now. You've got the kingdom of darkness, and then you have the kingdom of light in Christ, who is king of kings and Lord of lords, okay?

So, now let's tiptoe through the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew chapter five. So, the first beatitude mentions the kingdom of heaven here. So, we see this common theme all throughout Matthew's gospel.

Jesus says, blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven, okay? And so, the idea is post-Meletists say, hey, we're going to inherit the earth. This is our promise for us, those that are citizens of the kingdom, not the world, and that's why in verse five we read, blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth, okay?

And then the last beatitude mentions the kingdom of heaven again. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. And then, kind of the next passage talks about being salt and light, okay?

So, we're talking about the umbrella of post-Millennialism, and you've got to think, in their mind too, is yes, the gospel's going forth. We're called to be citizens, discipling the nations with these marching orders, but we're also going to bring forth God's law, okay?

And so, that's why in verse 17, it's so important in the post-Millennial paradigm. Jesus says, do not think that I've come to abolish the law or the prophets. I did not come to abolish them, but to fulfill them.

For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. And so, this infiltration in the world will be one of salt and light.

We see the light of the gospel, but also that saltiness of the law of God reforming society, okay? And so, Pastor Nathan, if you would, put that second slide back up here again. So, what's important for the evangelization over the world is this is kind of built on tribulation, okay?

And so, we're going to get into the Olivet Discourse that talks about wars and rumors of war and massive trial that's going on the earth. And that should also have the book of Revelation in mind, too.

The post-Millennial says, oh, yeah, that's really referring to the first century, the generation that was around when Jesus was actually saying these things. But things will gradually get better as we live in this Millennial reign, okay?

So, turn with me to Matthew 6, verse 33. We see another allusion to the kingdom here. Jesus is saying, seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. So, the idea is don't be like the pagan nations that is ultimately ran by the wicked one, but look to the kingdom of God.

Be faithful to what he has called us to do, and let that bring peace to your heart, and not be anxious. So, now turn with me to Matthew chapter 12, because something that I've really wanted to point out is, you've got all the kingdoms of the world, and in this framework, they are being deceived by the wicked one, by Satan.

And so, that kind of comes from this passage. I want to look at it. Matthew chapter 12, starting in verse 22. A lot of things that I want you to pay attention to. So, then a demon-possessed man, who was blind and mute, and was brought to him and healed him so that the man spoke and saw.

And all the people were amazed and said, Can this be the son of David? Obviously, talking about Jesus doing miraculous signs here. But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, Only by Beelzebub, the prince of demons, can this man cast out demons.

And so, Jesus, knowing their thoughts, he said to them, Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand. And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself.

How then will his kingdom stand? So, I just want to take a brief pause. This is kind of what we've been laying the foundation for, saying all these kingdoms, even the Pharisees are aware, Man, Jesus is only able to do these miraculous signs by Satan, who has a kingdom in of himself, all the kingdoms of the world.

And Jesus is just saying, that logically doesn't even make sense. If I wasn't doing these things by the work of the Spirit, and I was doing these things by the work of the devil, then this kingdom can't ultimately work with itself if it's at odds with one another.

So, he's just saying, number one, that doesn't work logically. And so, look with me at verse 27. He said, If I cast out demons by Beelzebub, how do your sons cast them out? Therefore, they will be your judges.

And verse 28 is very key in post-millennialism. But, if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. I just want to pause here, because within, we'll say pre-millennialism, what we talked about last time, the idea is the kingdom is really more future, where Jesus comes to set up his thousand-year reign, something future.

This is where post-millennialism says, no, the kingdom is here. Jesus casted out demons. The kingdom of God is among us. So, there's this phrase that we have to understand, and we actually won't go super deep into it, but it's called the already and not yet.

Every eschatology has to say, well, there's things fulfilled here and now, or even have in the past, and then it hasn't reached its total climax yet. That's something still, future, when Christ returns bodily.

He's going to restore all things, and he's going to judge the living and the dead. We're going to have our resurrected bodies. But this is where post-millennialism says the kingdom of God, the kingdom of heaven, it was there when Jesus came in his first advent.

He is the king that brought forth his kingdom. And this would be one of those verses to say, it's unmistakable that it began in his first coming. So, verse 29, please make special note of this. Jesus says, or how can someone enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods until he first binds the strong man?

Then, indeed, he may plunder the house. You may be like, what is he talking about here? Well, context is talking about the kingdom of darkness, Satan and his rule. That was the accusation leveled against Jesus.

You do these things by Satan. He's like, logically, that doesn't even make sense. But let me tell you what actually is going on. The strong man, Satan, right? What is his house? Well, it would be the whole world.

It would be the nations of the world. 1 John 5, 19, I believe it is, kind of lends support to this, that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one. And Jesus says, I'm stronger than the strong man, right?

I have bound the strong man because the kingdom is here. And we're going to see that crushing blow at the resurrection is actually, in many ways, against the work of the devil. And he says, when I bind the strong man, then I'm here to plunder his house.

What does that mean? I'm here to save souls, baby. And the postmill says, and it's going to expand, and it's going to be more than the sands of the seashore. And actually, that would be back to the vision that was given to Abraham, that his offspring would be as innumerable as the stars in the sky and the sands of the seashore, okay?

And I actually love that principle. That is something that we should all rest in, that God cannot fail. Whatever he intends to accomplish, he will do that to the fullest.

Amen?

Okay, so one last thing here. Let's keep reading through verse 32. So verse 30 says, Whoever is not with me, Jesus says, is against me. And whoever does not gather with me scatters. Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven, people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven.

And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. And here's what I want you to make special note of, either in this age or in the age to come, okay?

If you want to ask me later about the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, we can get into that. But I want you to understand, Matthew is making a contextual point here about this age and the age to come. Now, I've really looked into postmillennialism.

Not everybody agrees, right? And so as you study eschatology and you look at commentaries and scholars, not everyone's in agreement. But a lot said, okay, this age more than likely is referring to the Jewish age, this covenantal age that God has with Israel, okay?

And the age to come is this millennial age that we are currently living in, okay? And so, because that will actually come out later in the Gospel of Matthew. So I want you to make special note of that.

If you would, turn with me to Matthew 13, okay? I want us to consider two parables that kind of illustrate this kingdom growth. And remember, postmillennialism says the world is going to be Christianized.

The Gospel goes forth and God's law aids in that. So look at verse 31. Jesus put another parable before them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of a mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field.

Jesus said, It is the smallest of all seeds. But when it has grown, it is larger than all the garden plants. It becomes a tree, so the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches. And so Jesus is saying the kingdom of God is like a little seed, okay?

So we got a little seed and you put it in soil. And then it just blossoms into this big, huge tree. And he's saying that's what the kingdom growth is going to look like. And so postmillennialism would say, think about this.

Jesus, the king of kings, at his first coming, he was one man, right? The God man. And he had 12 disciples. Then Judas, you know, fell away ultimately. And so you have this Gospel message with 11 men.

And then they go into the world and now look at it today, right? Think about where it all started and look at the kingdom growth that we see to this day. That kind of goes hand in hand with what Jesus is saying in this parable.

And then the very next parable, very short, but kind of illustrates the same point. Verse 33, he told them another parable. The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour till it was all leaven.

So you got unleavened bread that's kind of just flat and hard, right? But leavened bread, you have just a little bit of yeast and it rises, it grows. And so Jesus's point is this is what the kingdom is going to look like.

The whole world will be transformed in the process. So that being said, now let's skip over to Matthew chapter 24. We're taking a big, big step. Now, this chapter is one not with just a little controversy, but a lot of controversy.

Now think about all the three orthodox views of the millennial reign of Christ. Kind of goes back to Revelation 20, right? Talking about the thousand years, the thousand years. And you got these three views that kind of look at it a little bit differently.

Now the three synoptic gospels, Matthew, Mark, and Luke, they all have what's called the Olivet Discourse here. And so the gospel of John does not have an Olivet Discourse per se. I really like this take on it.

But John wrote Revelation. If John did have an Olivet Discourse, it would be the entire book of Revelation. So what I'm getting at is how you understand the Olivet Discourse, Jesus talking about the abomination of desolation, which is a quotation from Daniel.

He talks about the great tribulation. However you understand the Olivet Discourse, that will necessarily affect how you interpret the book of Revelation. Does that make sense? And so I want to just talk through a few key concepts here.

Because a lot of the debate comes down to understanding what Jesus is getting at. So let's look at the opening verses of the Olivet Discourse. Jesus left the temple and was going away when his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple.

But he answered them, You see all this, do you not? Truly I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down. Jesus said, On the Mount of Olives. And the disciples came to him privately saying, Tell us, when will these things be?

And what will be the sign of your coming in the end of the age? So they're asking about, tell us more about the destruction of the temple. And then tell us about the end of the age. Tell us about the coming of the Son of Man.

Tell us about your return. So can you see how this strongly relates to the book of Revelation? Because this is telling us a lot about the apocalypsis, the apocalypse, the revealing of Jesus Christ. And so we're just going to touch on a few things.

But Jesus then goes into talking about how there's going to be wars and rumors of wars and trials. Trials that are going to just stack on top of one another. And then verse 21, he even mentions the great tribulation.

And this is in the context of the abomination of desolation. And you're like, what does that mean?

Well, there's a lot of debate.

But basically what I'm saying is the Olivet Discourse necessarily reaches to the book of Daniel here. And so I want to tell you something very interesting. The whole debate is coming down to say how much of the Olivet Discourse was fulfilled at 70 A .D. in that first generation.

And then how much of it is still in the future and still yet to come. Remember, the premillennial view says basically all of what Jesus is saying here, that's talking about the future. And then we went through the book of Revelation chronologically.

We kind of showed how they would attempt to do that. Now, postmillennialism is going to take what's called a partial preterist view. Preterist comes from the Latin word praetor. It just means past things that were fulfilled in the past.

And I want to remind Christians there's a healthy aspect of both holding on to things that are still yet future and things that have already been fulfilled in the past. For all Christians, we believe that Jesus came in the past at his first advent and fulfilled many prophecies.

And then what's that blessed hope? One of those essential things that we hold on to. Well, there are still many things yet to come. Christ's second coming's future is going to restore the world and we're going to receive resurrected bodies.

But I want to show you why the postmillennial view sees the Olivet Discourse as primarily in the past and not primarily in the future. Now, all of these tribulations are happening to this generation. Now, verse 21 says, so then there will be great tribulation.

And so premillennialism says, okay, this is going to be seven years. You're going to have the first three and a half years and the second three and a half years and then you've got it all mapped out. Postmillennialism says, well, that's not really the intent.

It just means it's a great time of suffering. Think about the persecution that everyone acknowledges that happened in the first century. That was great tribulation. And Christians will still be persecuted throughout history.