Eschatology: The doctrine of Premillennialism

B. J. Clarke

Introduction

There are at least 21 brands of premillennialism – there are exceptions in every doctrine.

One of the most important ideas in this, is that every prophecy has to be interpreted
literally. This has some resonance in Max King’s AD 70 doctrine which claims that every
prophecy is figurative. The truth is in the middle: there are rules for interpreting prophecy.

Dispensational Premillennialism – Christ meant to establish the kingdom but the sudden
rejection of the Jews gave space for the “church age”. This is against the doctrine that the
prophets preached. This is even blasphemous.

Some premillennialists say that the church is not prophesied in Scriptures of the OT. Only
the kingdom – distinct separation between the two.

Dispensational Premillennialism time line:

The seven dispensations of “Bible history”. In the church of Christ, we have been taught
the three dispensations (patriarch, Mosaic, Christian).

These are the basic thesis.

- They start with the nation of Israel; to which they give more glory than Jesus Christ
- The personal ministry of Christ who came to establish the kingdom of Israel but
because of the Jews’ rejection this is postponed –
- Church age as an alternative.
- Rapture – resurrection of the saints; saints go to paradise with Christ;
- Tribulation on the earth for 3.5 or 7 years.
o Three views on when the rapture takes place: pre-tribulation; mid-
tribulation; post-tribulation.
o The most popular is the pre-tribulation
o The wicked on the earth will learn the prophecies and preach to others about
them.
 - Christ returns, the battle of Armageddon; Jews return home; Satan bound; Kingdom
established – 1000 years. Some place a resurrection at the beginning of this,
- Eternity – heaven or hell.

Usual eschatological views:

Post tribulational premillennial – tribulation/ second coming – millennium/ last judgement.

Dispensational premil – 2nd coming – rapture / 7-year tribulation / Millennium/ Eternity.

Postmillennial – Millennium before second coming.

A-millennialism – The church dispensation is the symbolic millennial.

Definitions

Postmillennialism: Christ will return after the millennium. This mill is a 1000-year
peaceable reign on earth.

Premillennialism: The second coming starts the 1000-year reign on earth.

Historic (classic) premillennialism:

- There will be an earthy reign of Christ following his second coming.

- Perfect and peaceful reign
- Two resurrections separated by the millennium
- The first resurrection – all saints are rewarded: a form of the rapture.
- The second resurrection- the wicked are judged.

Dispensational:

- All above plus:

- Church and Israel are separated from one another – Israel is the subject of God’s
prophecies. 7 dispensations.
- Gap and postponement theory.
- Strict literal interpretation of Scripture
- Great emphasis on the Rapture and the tribulation.
- God’s purpose in dealing with man is to glorify himself not to save man.
There are many problems in the premillennialist conception:

- Many different resurrections.

- More than one “second” coming of Christ. Heb. 9:27-28. The coming of Christ is
the second one which coincides with the judgement.
- The secrete rapture goes against 1 Thess. 4:13-18. This was not a secret.
- They make a division in Revelation between the part of the church age (1-3) and the
end times (4-22).

Summary:

- We are in the church age: UNEXPECTED.

- At his first coming Jesus came to establish his kingdom.
- The world will become increasingly more wicked.
- World will move toward a One World government led by the antichrist.
- Christ will then snatch his church from the earth.

What PreMill. Teaches:

- Levitical priesthood and sacrifices are restored.

- Circumcision will be restored and essential for communion with God.
- Sabbath observance will be restored.
- The roman Empire will come back into power.
- The “new covenant” of Jer. 31 is yet future.
- Christ’s Lordship is yet future – He is not now ruling.

Biblical view:

- Dan. 2:40-44; Mark 1:14-15; Mark 9:1 – Christ came to establish the kingdom and
with the full intention to die on the cross.
- Acts 1-2 – The kingdom of God coming with power.
- Last days: Heb. 1:1-2; Kingdom: Col. 1:13; church: 1 Tim. 3:15; Matt. 16:16-19.
- Judgement.
- 1 Cor. 15 – then the end comes, not a 1000yr reign.
John McArthur – we need a hermeneutic centered on Israel. They think that what we do is
to replace Israel with the church. This is more a fulfillment theology: Israel is fulfilled in
the church – the way through which the Messiah came. This is God’s plan – Eph. 2.

Disp. PreMill. – Christ’s original intent was to establish an earthly kingdom – postponed
because of the rejection and opposition. The Cross was a plan B – establish the church age.

The church age ends at the rapture – resurrection of the saints.

7 years of great tribulation – Three views on when the rapture takes place: pre-tribulation;
mid-tribulation; post-tribulation.

After the tribulation – the Millennium, and after this – the judgement day.

There are multiple resurrections in this system.

Israel selected – the unexpected cross – Israel rejected and church age – second coming –
1,000 years, Israel accepted.

The postponement of the kingdom of God.

It was after the rejection of Matthew 12:23-24 that the Lord made a prophecy of the church
in Matt. 16. The church is manifestly an interruption of God’s program for Israel.

Walvoord: The present age is a parenthesis or a time not predicted in the OT – not fulfilling
or advancing the program of events predicted in the OT.

Does the OT reference the church? Walvoord: no; Lindsey: no evidence of this. Rom. 1:2,
notwithstanding.

Acts 26:22 – the preaching of Paul comes from the prophets.

Eph. 5:22-23 – the importance ascribed to the church.

Eph. 3:9-11: The church is an eternal purpose; 20-21: the glory to God is given only in the
church.

God’s plan to establish his kingdom

2 Samuel 7:12-13: 12 And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers,
I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish
his kingdom. 13 He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his
kingdom for ever.

- This cannot be Solomon since his kingdom did not last forever.
- IT has to be a descendant from David.

Isa. 2:2ff: The Lord’s house established in the last days. And this Lord’s house is extended
for all nations.

Established on Jerusalem – The house of the God of Jacob for all nations.

Luke 1:31-33 – the promise about Jesus reference the receiving the throne of his father
David – house of Jacob; a kingdom that has no end. The house of Jacob is his kingdom.

Matt. 16:18-19 – Build the church – the keys of the KINGDOM – It cannot be something
different appearing in the same passage. – 1 Tim. 3:15 – The house of God parallels the
church.

Mark 9:1 – Luke 24:49 – the promise starts to be fulfilled with the commandment of
staying up in Jerusalem. The kingdom came or Jesus is a liar. The power, is given in
Jerusalem.

Acts 1:8 – Acts 2:1, 4: the promise of power is identified with the coming of the HS. In 2:1,
4 we see it fulfilled.

Isa. 2:3 – Acts 2:5: The right city, happening the right things.

Isa. 2:2 – Acts 2:16-17: The right time: the “last days”. Joel 2. The coming of the Christian
age.

2 Sam. 7:12-13 – Acts 2:29: One of the central parts of Peter’s sermon was the reference to
the passing of David as a reference that the promise being fulfilled on Jesus (v. 30ff). Peter
goes out of his way to make this event a fulfillment of the promise.
In the next verses – Peter proofs that the resurrection of Jesus gave him an exalted state and
received the promise from the Father of the HS. This exaltation has given him the status of
Lord and Anointed (KING).

Because of this, the converts are added to the church: the house of God, the promised
kingdom in 2 Sam. 7. When all prophecies are placed side by side, it is clear that the
kingdom came as the church as it always was promised.

2 Sam. 7; Isa. 2; Joel 2; Luke 1:31-33; Acts 2.

The four kingdoms of Daniel 2

- Babylon
- Medo-Persia
- Greece
- Rome

Dan. 2:44: And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which
shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break
in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.

Rome has to be the power in place when the kingdom was established – for the PreMill this
has to be re done: the Roman Empire has to be in power again.

The Kingdom was established in the days of the true Roman Empire.

“The days of those kings”: Mat. 3:2; Mat. 4:17; 10:7; Mk. 1:15; Lk. 10:9 – the Kingdom of
God is at hand – very near, imminent.

Were Jesus and John mistaken or were the OT prophets wrong?

Church and kingdom

Reference the same institution – sometimes the kingdom is not identified with the church.
But…

Christ is the Head of the church and the King of the kingdom: Eph. 1:22; Co. 1:18; Acts
17:7; Rev. 1:5, 6, 9; 17:14. – In the present Jesus is King; in the present there is a kingdom.
The Law of the church and kingdom are the Word of God. Lk. 8:4-8; 11; 2 Tim. 3:16;

Members are subjects of the kingdom Col. 1:13

One becomes a member and a subject in the same way: 1 Pet. 1:22, 23; John 3:3-5.

The kingdom has a territory: all the world. Matt. 28:18-20.

1 Cor. 15:22-27. The resurrection and the coming of Christ are followed the END. Not a
tribulation or a Millennium.

Christ’s rejection:

John 6:15 – Millennialists claim: HE came to become an earthly king and to establish and
earthly kingdom and throne.

Christ refuses because that was not his purpose. John 18:36.

The death of Christ was planned:

Zech. 12:10 – matter of OT prophecy.

Heb. 10:5-6 – he came for the purpose of Dying.

Matt. 12:40 – He knew He came to die.

John 12:27 – The reason for which He came. Acts 20:28 – His blood purchases his church,
that is the kingdom. Rev. 1:5 – His blood made us kings and priests.

Col. 1:12-14 – no kingdom – no light; no saints; no blood; no redemption.

Historical development

- John Nelson Darby

An Anglo-Irish Bible teacher. He was an influential figure among the original Plymouth
Brethren and the founder of the Exclusive Brethren. Considered the father of modern
Dispensationalism and Futurism. He produced translations of the Bible in German
"Elberfelder Bibel", French "Pau" Bible, Dutch New Testament, and English (finished
posthumously) based on the Hebrew and Greek texts called The Holy Scriptures: A New
Translation from the Original Languages by J. N. Darby. It has furthermore been translated
into other languages in whole or part.

*There is an identification almost every time between Calvinism and dispensationalism.

- James H. Brookes: father of American dispensationalism.

- C. I. Scofield
- Lewis Sperry Chafer: first president of DTS. Deeply influenced by Scofield.
Continual chain of influence. One of the founders of modern dispensationalism. He
rejected “covenant theology”.
- John Walvoord