COMPARISON OF ESCHATOLOGICAL
POSITIONS
VIEW DISPENSATIONALISM
HERMENEUTICS 1. Bible is divided into
dispensations or time
periods in which God
acts in different ways
with man, including the
way in which He saves
them.
2. Interpret the New
Testament by the Old
Testament.
HISTORY Began around 1830 with the
Brethren Movement and Darby.
Today this is probably the most
widely taught and widely
believed view of Eschatology.
RESURECTION At least 4 resurrections.
1. At the rapture (1st Thess.
4:16)
2. Tribulation Saints at the
beginning of the
millennium (Rev. 20:4)
3. Other saints after the
millennium (1st Cor.
15:23)
4. Resurrection of the
wicked (Rev. 20:11)
JUDGMENT Three Judgments
1. First of raptured
believers (1st Cor. 3:13)
2. The nations (Matt.
19:28)
3. The wicked (Rev. 20:15)
ISRAEL & THE God has two redemptive plans,
CHURCH one for the nation of Israel and
one for the church. Israel’s
rejection of Christ brought about
a temporary suspension of the
kingdom, but this will resume
after the rapture when all Israel
will be saved.
RAPTURE The rapture takes place before the
revealing of Anti-Christ and the
tribulation begins.
PREMILLENNIALISM
1. Natural reading of the
book of Revelation.
2. The context determines
whether or not the
passage is to be taken
literal or figurative.
3. Interpret the Old
Testament by the New
Testament.
Iraenus (140 – 203 AD) and
Justin Martyr (100 – 165 AD)
both held the view that there
would be a visible kingdom of
God on earth after Christ’s return.
This view was largely abandoned
by 400 AD and not picked up
again until the 16th century by the
Anabaptists.
2 Resurrections – first of saints
before the millennium, then of
everyone else after the
millennium (Revelation 20)
One judgment at the end
(Rev. 22:12; Matt. 16:27, 25:31;
Jude 14; 2nd Thess. 1:7)
God has two redemptive plans,
one for the nation of Israel and
one for the church. Israel’s
rejection of Christ brought about
a temporary suspension of the
kingdom, but this will resume
after the rapture when all Israel
will be saved.
The rapture takes place before the
millennium.
See Resurrection above.
See Resurrection above.
VIEW AMILLENNIALISM
HERMENEUTICS 1. Context determines
whether to be read literal
or figurative.
2. Parallelism or Pretorist
interpretation of
Revelation.
3. Interpret the Old
Testament by the New
Testament.
HISTORY Position held by the majority of
Christians until the late 1940’s. It
must be noted that
Amillennialism is for the most
part the same as
Postmillennialism, and comes
from Postmillennialism, with the
difference being between the
character and length of the
millennial age.
Amillennialsts see the
millennium as figurative and as
occupying the times between the
1st and 2nd Advents.
RESURRECTION 1 Resurrection of all the dead as
per John 5:28; Acts 24:15
JUDGMENT One judgment at the end
(Rev. 22:12; Matt. 16:27, 25:31;
Jude 14; 2nd Thess. 1:7)
ISRAEL & THE O.T. Israel is the nation, N.T.
CHURCH Israel is the church (Romans 2:4
and Gal. 3). Throughout history
God has saved all men, be they
Israeli or Gentile in one way – by
grace through faith, (Eph. 2:8-9;
Heb. 11).
RAPTURE The rapture takes place after
Anti-Christ is revealed and
directly before Christ returns.
POSTMILLENNIALISM
1. Revelation seen as
mostly figurative or as
fulfilled prophecy (ie in
70 AD with the
destruction of
Jerusalem).
2. Context determines
interpretation.
3. Old Testament
interpreted by the New.
Position held by the majority of
Christians until the late 1940’s. It
must be noted that
Amillennialism is for the most
part the same as
postmillennialism with the
difference being between the
character and length of the
millennial age.
Postmillennialists see the
millennium as commencing at
some point during the present age
and as a period where the
kingdom of God triumphs over
the kingdom of the world in a
more physical sense.
1 Resurrection of all the dead as
per John 5:28; Acts 24:15
One judgment at the end
(Rev. 22:12; Matt. 16:27, 25:31;
Jude 14; 2nd Thess. 1:7)
O.T. Israel is the nation, N.T.
Israel is the church (Romans 2:4
and Gal. 3). Throughout history
God has saved all men, be they
Israeli or Gentile in one way – by
grace through faith, (Eph. 2:8-9;
Heb. 11).
The rapture takes place after Anti-
Christ is revealed and directly
before Christ returns.