I agree Tim...but I'm a bit confused...when people talke of pre-trib/post-trib/mid-trib and pre-millenial/post, etc.....do each refer to the Rapture vs the actual Glorious Return/Second Coming of our Lord repsectively?
EDIT: I was raised Roman Catholic, have been a Baptist since 1994ish....but this is the first church that I've been a member of that has actually preached this type of thing from the pulpit. My pastor preaches in an expository manner, ie one BOOK at a time, all verses. We just started the Book of the Revelation.
God Bless.
Opening Remarks
I can certainly understand your concern and confusion over the varioius eschatological (end times) positions. As a premillennial dispensationalist, I am going to do my level best to be as fair and broad as I possibly can be to those brethren who may differ with me.
How is it that conservative Bible believing Christians can have such divergent views on the end times? If the Scriptures are crystal clear on this issue, as they are on so many other doctrines, why the incongruities?
Ultimately, there are some undeniable, core, essential beliefs that all born again Christians must espouse. Namely, we believe in the real, personal, bodily, glorious, immanent return of the Lord Jesus Christ to rule and reign over His creation. Some evangelicals like to tag on the obvious, "...in victory over sin, death, hell and Satan", but you don't have to. It's assumed.
The Stuff You Need To Believe
Real return: Jesus spoke of His return as a literal event [Matthew 24:27]. Theologians like John Shelby Spong, who take Jesus’ words with great poetic license, are violating every principle of sound biblical hermeneutics. Jesus is really coming back. He wasn’t kidding. He wasn’t speaking metaphorically.
Personal return: Jesus Himself will come. He will not return through the agency of an angel or other representative [John 14:3].
Bodily return: Jesus departed this earth in His resurrection body, and He will return in that same body [Acts 1:11]. Those who claim Christ’s return will be merely spiritual are sadly mistaken.
Glorious return: While Jesus came to suffer and die in His first advent, He will come to reign supreme at His return [Revelation 19:11-18].
Immanent return: No man knows the day or the hour of the Lord’s return [Matthew 24:36]. Nevertheless, there remains no requisite prophesy yet unfulfilled that would hold back that day. Everything that needs to happen in history to make ready the day of Christ’s return has already taken place. Thus Jesus could return at any time. He may come in a thousand years, or He may come before you finish reading this line. His return is therefore said to be immanent [Matthew 24:44].
The Four Primary Schools Of End Times Thinking
The following positions are described succinctly and (to my discredit) deficiently. Nevertheless, I will attempt to sketch an overview of each viewpoint, beginning with the most literal hermeneutic approach, and ending with the most figurative. Please keep in mind that each of these eschatological positions falls within the sphere of biblical orthodoxy, and each espouses the above essentials. Thus the differences between these positions are not related to salvific doctrine, but secondary issues of less eternal significance. Christians must unite on the essentials, but are free to debate and disagree over the secondary stuff. Each of the following positions has its weaknesses.
Dispensational Premillennialism: This position generally holds that Christ will appear in the sky at the first resurrection/rapture and retrieve from the earth all who truly belong to Him, both living and dead. Following this event, the world will experience a period of severe judgment usually referred to as the Tribulation. This Tribulation period is typically believed to be seven years in duration, though some dispensationalists have proposed other possible spans. Christ returns to the earth at the end of the Tribulation and defeats the forces of Satan at the battle of Armageddon, locking the devil into a prison pit and launching the Millennium – a one thousand year reign of Christ upon this earth. Following the Millennium, Satan is released for a brief time to engage in one final battle, usually called the Battle Of Gog And Magog. After his defeat, Satan is thrown into the lake of fire, the second resurrection (of the wicked) takes place, and final judgment occurs. Thereafter, this earth is done away with and replaced by a new earth, along with a new heaven. And so begins eternity future.
Hermeneutic weakness: Dispensationalists have a very difficult time proving from Scripture that the rapture and return stand at opposite ends of the Tribulation.
NOTE: Some dispensationalists believe the rapture does not take place until the middle of the Tribulation, though this position is uncommon.
Historical Premillennialism: This position generally holds that Christ will return at the end of the Tribulation. Thus, the first resurrection/rapture, and the return of Christ at Armageddon, and final judgment, are believed to be immediately successive events. The Millennium, and much of the Book of Revelation, are seen as metaphorical reflections of church history. Hence the term “historical” premillennialism.
Hermeneutic weakness: The return of the Lord Jesus Christ is immanent and utterly unpredictable. According to this view, however, one need only observe the rise of the Antichrist at the outset of the Tribulation, begin a seven year countdown, and presto – there’s Jesus.
Amillennialism: This position is broad and complex with a vast variety of opinion evident among its proponents. While acknowledging the actuality of Christ’s return as stipulated in the previous section, amillennialists generally view all eschatologically oriented passages figuratively, seeing in them a reflection of various universal truths. These truths often center on the age old struggle between good and evil, and the various trials and tribulations faced by the church over the centuries. As a rule, amillennialists believe we are now living in the Millennium – a non-specific time period of grace leading up to the return of Christ. There is no literal Tribulation. There is no literal Antichrist. And in a manner similar to historical premillennialism, the resurrection of the dead is conjoined; no distinction is made between the first resurrection of the saved, and the second resurrection of the damned.
Hermeneutic weakness: If one abandons a literal reading of Scripture in these matters, one is left asking the question, “What, then, do these passages truly mean?” The extraordinary level of disagreement among amillennial thinkers is evidence that they have yet to settle that issue. Indeed, a less-than-literal reading of Scripture always makes it difficult to present an airtight case.
Postmillennialism: This positon generally holds that the world will continue to get better and better – continue to grow in righteousness and God consciousness – continue to come more and more under the influence of Christians – until at last Christ returns. Postmillennialism is, without a doubt, the most “positive” of the eschatological camps. Like amillennialism, this approach holds that we are now living in the Millennium and that Christ will return at the end of this age. Thus the prefix “post”. In most other respects, postmillennialism is nearly identical to amillennialism.
Hermeneutic weakness: Aside from the generic problems that always plague a figurative hermeneutic process, postmillennialism has difficulty explained why the Bible seems to predict a steady deterioration leading up to the end. Thus, postmillennialists often find it challenging to reconcile their theology with the realities of life on earth in the 21st century.
Closing Thoughts
As a conservative evangelical, I recognize the worth and thoughtfulness that has gone into each of the above eschatologies. As theologians, we are often called on to answer very specific questions that God has not chosen to reveal with total clarity in His Word. We do our best to prayerfully discern these truths from Scriptural clues, but we are keenly aware that our efforts are imperfect and always incomplete. I would encourage you to wholeheartedly adopt the essential doctrine of Christ’s return as spelled out at the top of our discussion. As to which eschatological school you should affiliate with, there’s no rush to make a decision. If your Pastor is premil/pretrib, then glean from him a deep and thorough understanding of that position. Don’t be afraid to seek the counsel of those who might hold a different eschatological view. And remember, if in the end you find yourself hopelessly frustrated and confused by the whole silly thing, there remains one final, legitimate eschatology for you to consider.
Panmillennialism: It’ll all pan out in the end.
EDIT: A Note On "Preterism"
Preterism: Recently, a friend asked me if I might amend this post with a note on "Preterism", a sub-doctrine of some eschatologies. Preterism, sometimes called "Partial Preterism", is often a component of Historical Premillennial, Amillennial and Postmillennial eschatologies. In a nut shell, Preterists believe that many of the events considered to be yet future by Dispensationalists, have in fact already taken place in history. Specifically, Preterists identify such things as the Tribulation, the Antichrist, and the Day of the Lord, as having been fullfilled when Roman General Titus conquered Jerusalem in 70AD. I did not specify Preterism in my above post, since it is not, in fact, a separate eschatology unto itself.
Heremeutic Weakness: Preterism assumes that most of the prophesies contained in the Book of Revelation were fulfilled -- literally or figuratively -- at the fall of Jerusalem in 70AD. However, the vast weight of conservative historical scholarship suggests the Apostle John penned Revelation around 95AD. If the Preterist assumes 95AD as the date of authorship, then the verasity of Revelation is called into question since many of its presumably predictive elements would have already taken place. On the other hand, it is exceedingly difficult for the Preterist to make a case for Revalation having been written before 70AD.
Pantelism: This view, sadly called "Full Preterism" by some, considers all biblical prophesies to have been fulfilled by 70AD, including a non-literal, non-physical return of Christ. Pantelism is a sub-doctrine of Universalism and is purely heretical.
EDIT: A Note On "Israel"
The Significance Of Israel: Dispensationalists see a clear dichotomy between God's earthly people (Israel), and God's heavenly people (the church). Consequently, most dispensational thinkers believe the nation of Israel will play a significant and unique role in end times events, and the millennial kingdom. Historical Premillennialists, Amillennialists, and Postmillennialists view the church (all saved persons everywhere) as a covenantal continuation of Old Testament Israel, such that -- for all intents and purposes -- Israel is the church.
