The ConsummationOverview and Historic PremillennialismC.S. Noren, 2017

This Class Outline

Review Biblical Interpretation How to Evaluate End Times Views

Overview of the different major views

View 1: Historic Premillennialism

Biblical Interpretation

Understand the overall pattern of biblical revelation. Christ is the goal. Progressive Revelation. Salvation is grace through faith in OT

and NT. The New Testament interprets the

Old. Clearer passages guide the less

clear.

Evaluating End Times Views Does it fit the overall biblical interpretive

guidelines? Does it return to the shadows? Does it focus on Christ, or is the focus

on other things? Watch out for hidden assumptions

(including assumptions on phrases and words).

Does it try to escape suffering? Understand biblical genres.

10 Eschatology Principles1. The Church is part of the

messianic kingdom of Christ.

2. Modern Israel is not part of the messianic kingdom of Christ.

3. Modern Israel is biblically not a precursor to the mass conversion of the Jewish people.

4. The land in the Bible is a type encompasses the entire universe for God’s redeemed people.

5. Return of Israel to the land refers to the restoration of all things in the resurrection of believers in the return of Christ.

6. No reestablished priesthood or sacrificial system will provide a proper supplement to the current established priesthood of Christ and his final sacrifice.

10 Eschatology Principles7. It is illegitimate to

have worship practices that put Jewish and Gentile believers in different categories.

8. The present and future messianic kingdoms will have Jews and Gentiles in equal standing.

9. The future messianic kingdom will not have a distinctive Jewish aspect that will distinguish Jewish believers from Gentile believers.

10. The future messianic kingdom will embrace the whole created realm and not have a special region designated as the promised land.

End Times Views

Historic Premillennialism. Dispensational Premillennialism. Postmillennialism. Amillennialism. Full Preterism. Partial Preterism. Historical. Idealism. Eclectic Idealism.

Definitions

Second Coming of Christ – The future return of Christ to earth.

Rapture – An event where believers who have died and will be raised and believers who are still alive on earth shall be caught up in the clouds to meet Christ in the air. (Derived from the Middle French rapture, which comes from the Medieval Latin rapture (seizure/kidnapping), which comes from the Latin raptus (a carrying off).

Definitions

Secret Rapture – This is when the rapture is not seen by non-believers, except only as the effect of believers disappear from the remaining non-believers.

Chris

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MillenniumDispensational Premillennialism

Second Coming

Final JudgmentTrib

Rapture

MillenniumHistoric Premillennialism

Second Coming

Final JudgmentTrib

MillenniumPostmillennialism

Second ComingFinal

JudgmentTrib

MillenniumAmillennialism

Second Coming

Final JudgmentTrib

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Full Preterism

Second Coming (70AD)

MillenniumHistoricism

Second Coming

Final JudgmentTrib

Partial Preterism

Judgment ComingOther views, such as Postmillennialism

Timeline of Views

HistoricPremillennialis

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Amillennialism

Postmillennialism

Amillennialism

Historicism

HistoricPremillennialis

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Dispensational Premillennialis

m

Historic Premillennialism Then I saw an angel coming down from

heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain. And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be released for a little while. (Revelation 20:1-3 ESV)

Historic Premillennialism

Also known as chiliasm. Papia, Justin Martyr, Irenaeus,

Tertullian, Methodius, and Lactantius. Revelation 20 speaks of a millennium

(1000 years) after Christ’s return. One second coming (no prior

rapture). No particular emphasis on the ethnic

nation of Israel as God’s chosen people.

Historic Premillennialism

Second Coming of Christ: First resurrection of the saints. Satan bound Start of Christ’s 1000 year rule on earth.

Historic Premillennialism

End of the Millennium: Satan loosed. Final great rebellion. Rebellion crushed. Second resurrection (of the wicked for

judgment). Final Judgment. Satan and his followers cast into the lake

of fire.

Strengths of Historic Premillennialism Millennium appears to fit in a natural

reading of Revelation. Does not fall back to the shadows. Fits within the Reformed Confessions.

Consistency with Principles# Fit? Eschatology Principle1 Yes The Church is part of the messianic kingdom of Christ.2 Yes Modern Israel is not part of the messianic kingdom of

Christ.3 Yes Modern Israel is biblically not a precursor to the mass

conversion of the Jewish people.4 Yes The land in the Bible is a type encompasses the entire

universe for God’s redeemed people.5 Yes Return of Israel to the land refers to the restoration of all

things in the resurrection of believers in the return of Christ.

6 Yes No reestablished priesthood or sacrificial system will provide a proper supplement to the current established priesthood of Christ and his final sacrifice.

Consistency with Principles# Fit? Eschatology Principle7 Yes It is illegitimate to have worship practices that put Jewish

and Gentile believers in different categories.8 Yes The present and future messianic kingdoms will have

Jews and Gentiles in equal standing.9 Yes The future messianic kingdom will not have a distinctive

Jewish aspect that will distinguish Jewish believers from Gentile believers.

10 Yes The future messianic kingdom will embrace the whole created realm and not have a special region designated as the promised land.

Weaknesses

Death is not completely conquered on Christ’s return because there is at least the massive rebellion at the end of the millennium. This contradicts 1 Corinthians 15:22-27;

50-56 Sin remains in the world.

This contradicts Romans 8:18-23. This contradicts 2 Peter 3:8-13.

1 Corinthians 15:22-26; 50-56 (ESV)

For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. …I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Romans 8:18-23 (ESV)For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.

2 Peter 3:8-13 (ESV)But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.

Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.

Weaknesses

Final judgment occurs at the end of the millennium, not at Christ’s second coming. Contradicts 2 Peter 3:8-13. Contradicts Matthew 25:31-46. Contradicts 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10

Matthew 25:31-46 (ESV)“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’

Matthew 25:31-46 (Concl)

“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

2 Thessalonians 1:5-10 (ESV)

This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering—since indeed God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you, and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might, when he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed.

What about the Millennium?

Revelation uses highly figurative language.

Revelation employs literary patterns of repeating (recapitulating) views of the period from Christ’s first coming to his second.

The millennial placement after Christ’s second coming is not necessary taught in Revelation.

Use clearer teaching passages to illuminate the Revelation passage on the millennium.

Summary

There are many contending end-times views.

Many views are named based on how they deal with the millennium.

Historic Premillennialism (Chiliasm) seems to be the first popular view.

It was supplanted by Amillennialism during the time of Augustine of Hippo.

Historic Premillennialism had a recent reprise.

Summary

Historic Premillennialism is compatible with Reformed confessions.

It seems to follow a natural reading of Revelation.

Historic Premillennialism is difficult to reconcile with many biblical passages.

Revelation leaves room for other views on the millennium.

Credits

On weaknesses of Historic Premillennialism:

https://eschatologystuff.wordpress.com/2007/03/13/problems-with-premillennialism-by-sam-storms/