Premillennialism

Paul N. Benware, Understanding End Times Prophesy, Moody Publishers, Chigago, pg 92, "Premillennialism teaches that the second coming of Christ to the earth takes place before (pre) the millennial reign."

Central thesis: Christ’s return to earth will commence the millennium.

There are two types of premilennialism:

Covenant Premillennialism. Aka Historic Premillennialism.
1. This view is non-dispensational.
2. The millennium is established after the return of the Lord Jesus to earth as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
3. Some believe 1000 means the number of years, and others that it means a long time.
4. Key reference: Rev 20.1-6.
5. Benware, pg 93, "Unlike dispensational premillennialism, this form of premillennialism does not go to Old Testament Scripture to support the idea of a millennial kingdom.
6. "George Ladd was a covenant premillennialist who did not accept a millennial kingdom in which Israel has a predominant place because he (like other covenant theologians) applied Old Testament prophecies to the church. In this, covenant premillennialism is similar to the position of amillennialism. Ladd says, 'Dispensationalism forms its eschatology by a literal interpretation of the Old Testament and then fits the New Testament into it. A nondispensational eschatology forms its theology from the explicit teaching of the New Testament. It confesses that it cannot be sure how the Old Testament prophecies are to be fulfilled.'" Ref. George E. Ladd, "Historical Premillennialism," in The Meaning of the Millennium: Four Views, ed. R. Clouse (Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity, 1977), pg. 27.
7. Benware, pg. 93-94, "Covenant ("historic") premillennialism does not make a sharp distinction between the church and Israel, and it regularly spiritualizes the Old Testament. On these major points it is much like amillennialism and significantly differs from dispensational premillennialism. Because of this approach, covenant premillennialism generally believes that the church will remain on the earth during the period of the tribulation, not being raptured out of the world until after this seven-year period of trouble."
Dispensational Premillennialism.
1. Fundamentals of the viewpoint:
  1. Return of Christ before His kingdom is established.
    1. This eliminates any possibility that the present rule of Christ is the millennium.
    2. Christ's millennial rule will be implemented by His visible, physical return to planet earth.
    3. The millennium will not be implemented gradually but abruptly and quickly upon Christ's return to earth.
  2. Two resurrections.
    1. The two resurrections are separated by 1000 years; Rev 20.4-5
      1. First (first of the two being discussed) resurrection (vs 4b) occurs at the beginning of the Millennium, and is of believers; who have been in heaven and now appear on earth "resurrected"; physically present in their eternal bodies.
      2. Second resurrection (vs 5a), is of unbelievers and occurs at the end of the Millennium; making lost souls available for the Great White Throne judgment and subsequent eternal physical existence in the Lake of Fire.
  3. An actual kingdom on earth.
    1. Jesus Christ will rule earth from Jerusalem.
    2. Earth will have the Edenic curse removed or greatly lessened (people still age and die, just slower than before).
    3. All Jesus' spiritual enemies, satan and demons, will be absent from earth.
    4. His reign will be characterized by worldwide peace and righteousness; though as the population of unbelievers gradually increases the sense of rebellion will increase; culminating in the rebellious people, leaders, and nations allying with Satan in a final attempt to overthrow Christ's rule (Psalm 2).
  4. Christ's kingdom established after all human kingdoms end.
    1. Daniel's chronology (Dan 2 & 7) describes four human kingdoms (Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome), with the fourth having two phases.
      1. The second phase of the fourth kingdom is the Antichrist's empire in the Tribulation.
      2. At Christ's coming He will completely destroy the Antichrist's empire, annihilating all vestiges of human kingdoms.
      3. Christ will then establish His earthly kingdom on an earth devoid of any human kingdom. There is no coexistence of Christ's earthly kingdom and any human kingdom.
        
        There is no gradual, peaceful takeover of the world by the Kingdom of God. The takeover is sudden, violent, destructive, and thorough.
        
        This point does not allow for the millennial kingdom to have been established at Christ's first coming for two reasons:
        
        No coexistence of Christ's kingdom and human kingdoms,.
        
        The suddenness of the establishment of the Millennial kingdom.
    2. The church did not completely and violently bring human kingdoms to an end.
  5. Fulfillment of the Abrahamic Covenant.
    1. The millennial kingdom, with Israel occupying all promised real estate, globally preeminent, and the center and seat of Christ's government, literally fulfills the details of the Abrahamic Covenant.
    2. Benware, "Premillennialism thus gives a much greater place to the nation of Israel than the other major millennial views.
  6. A literal hermeneutic.
    1. The literal interpretation of both Old and New Testament prophetic passages allows only a premillennial viewpoint. Amillennial writers agree.
      1. Oswald Allis in his Prophecy and the Church (Phillipsburg, N.J.: Presbyterian and Reformed, 1978), pg. 238, states, "The Old Testament prophecies if literally interpreted cannot be regarded as having been fulfilled or capable of fulfillment in this present age."
      2. Floyd Hamilton, in The Basis of the Millennial Faith (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1942), pg. 38, wrote, "We must frankly admit that a literal interpretation of the Old Testament prophecies gives us just such a picture of an earthly reign of the Messiah as the premillennialist pictures."
2. Answers to objections.
  1. Objection: Only Rev 20 supports an earthly millennium of 1000 years. If this were a true and important future event there would be more in the Scriptures than this one reference.
    1. Answer: There are numerous Scriptural references to a king from David's line ruling a much improved earth from Israel. Benware, "The volume of material on the millennial kingdom is great... Without Revelation 20, premillennialism would still be a clear, well-developed theology, lacking only the information on the length of the kingdom of Messiah."
  2. Objection: A literal interpretation is too rigid.
    1. Answer:
      1. Literal interpretation is not insensitive to the indicators in normal language, informed by the proper historical context, of symbols and figures of speech.
      2. Using the Bible as God intended, as a knowable, stable baseline of truth, requires a consistent hermeneutic not subject to any interpreter's preference. Acts 17.11 sets the precedent that all teaching, even that of the Apostle Paul, is subject to Scriptural meaning which can be discerned by normal believers, and not limited to priests or "experts" as suggested by ancient Gnosticism. If interpretations were allowed to be fluid, the Bereans' evaluation of what Paul said in light of the Scriptures they had would make no sense; because Paul could have asserted a "private" interpretation based on his apostolic authority. God inspired Peter to document His prohibition against such "private" interpretations; 2 Pet 1.20-21.
      3. Scripture nowhere justifies an inconsistent hermeneutic allowing one area of theology to be spiritualized. Benware, "Those passages that deal with the covenants and the millennial kingdom ought to be approached in the same way as passages dealing with the deity of Christ or the inspiration of Scripture. That is not 'hyperliteralism.' The same hermeneutical principles that govern other areas of theology must also govern the area of eschatology."
  3. The viewpoint (dispensational premillennialism) is not theologically necessary. The establishment of an eternal kingdom on the earth after all the judgments have taken place makes a prior one thousand year reign of Christ on the earth unnecessary.
    1. Answer:
      1. A literal interpretation of the Abrahamic Covenant makes the millennial kingdom, on an improved earth as described, necessary to fulfill all its details. Key points are Israel's global predominance, Israel's possession of all the land promised, and the descriptions of the land and environment significantly more hospitable than is possible in this current earth.
      2. Elements of the Palestinian, Davidic, and New covenants also need the millennium, as described in Scripture, to fulfill them.
  4. Jesus' kingdom is not of this world. (Jn 18.36) A kingdom on this world conflicts with Jesus' statement; and the dispensational premillennialist's description of a sudden violent imposition of Christ's kingdom conflicts with His descriptions of how His kingdom would gradually grow (mustard seed) and influence/"infect" all aspects of life on earth (leaven).
    1. Answer:
      1. There is a difference between being "of this world" and "in the world." Jesus drew this distinction in John 17.11-16 where He prayed for His disciples who were "in" the world (verse 11) but not "of" the world (verse 14).
      2. In saying His kingdom is not "of" the world Jesus said it is not of the same nature as the kingdoms of the world; but is a distinctly different with such attributes as perfect peace, truth, and righteousness. Benware, "But that is not a denial of Christ's kingdom being present on this earth. As Jesus spoke to Pontius Pilate, He was simply telling the Roman official that, since His kingdom was different, it would not be established in the ways familiar to him; that is, through insurrections or the military victories of disciplined armies."
      3. Revelation 19 describes the sudden, violent overthrow of the world's kingdoms at Christ's return, but He accomplishes it Himself without involving the armies of Heaven or any earthly force.
  5. Israel displaces the Church. The dispensational premillennial position assigns too prominent a place to the nation of Israel; virtually displacing the Church as the primary object of God's working.
    1. Answer:
      1. In premillennialism the church, the bride of Christ, is married to Him immediately before His second coming; thus giving the Church a prominent place (Rev 19.7-9).
      2. Redeemed national Israel (Rom 11.25-26) also has a prominent place in Scripture.
      3. Because the church was not known by the Old Testament prophets, they do not mention the relationship of redeemed Israel to the church of Jesus Christ during the millennial period.