There are basically two views of the Millennium. One viewpoint believes that Jesus will return bodily before the Millennium (Premillennial) or He will return after the Millennium (Postmillennial). Those two basic overarching viewpoints can then be divided according to the following four views:
| Dispensational Pre- millennialism |
Historical Pre- millennialism |
Post- millennialism |
Amillennialism |
| The Kingdom: Jesus’ kingdom was rejected by the Jews at His first coming so He postponed establishing His kingdom until His second coming. It will be a Israeli domination of the world, with the complete salvation of a future generation of Jews, with a physical presence of Jesus in Jerusalem and jointly ruled by resurrected, glorified saints. |
The Kingdom is present since Pentecost through the Spirit but will not be physically realized until the Second Coming of Christ. |
The Kingdom of God is a spiritual entity experienced on earth through the Christianizing affect of the Gospel. |
The Kingdom of God is a spiritual reality that all Christians partake in and that is seen presently on earth by faith, is literally seen in heaven by the glorified believers, and will be completed at the Second Coming of Christ and consummation. |
| The Church and Israel are two distinct identities with two individual redemptive plans. |
The Church is the fulfillment of Israel. Physical Israel has no distinctive redemptive plan. |
The Church is the fulfillment of Israel (similar to HP). |
The Church is the eschatological fulfillment of Israel, the visible manifestation today of the kingdom foretold by OT prophecy (along with John the Baptist and Jesus). |
| The Great Tribulation: stems from a futurist view of Revelation; a seven-year period (the 70th week of Dan 9:25-27) containing the reign of the Anti-Christ just prior to the millennium; restoration of Jews to Israel, conversion of the remnant of Israel, temple rebuilt, priesthood, sacrifices restored. | The Tribulation: stems from a futurist view of Revelation; is a time of apostasy and suffering just before the millennium, ended by the battle of Armageddon and destruction of the Anti-Christ; many Jews converted at this time. |
The Tribulation: stems from either a preterist, historicist, or idealist view of Revelation. |
The Tribulation: stems from either a preterist or idealist view of Revelation. |
| The Rapture: the church (living and dead) is secretly raptured to meet the Lord in the air either at the beginning (pre-trib) or middle of the seven years of tribulation (mid-trib); tribulation saints and O.T. dead will be raised at the end of the tribulation to reign in the Millennium. | The Rapture: living and dead saints to meet the Lord in the clouds during His second coming immediately preceding the Millennium. |
The Rapture: living and dead saints to meet the Lord in the air during His second coming at the end of the Millennium. |
The Rapture: living and dead saints to meet the Lord in the air during the His second coming at the end of the Millennium. |
| The Millennium: Christ will return at the end of the tribulation to institute a 1000 year rule from a holy city (the New Jerusalem); those who come to believe in Christ during the tribulation (including the 144,000 Jews) and survive will go on to populate the earth during this time; those who were raptured or raised previous to the tribulation period will reign with Christ over the millennial population. | The Millennium: Christ institutes a 1000 year reign on earth; there will be a re-establishment of the Temple and sacrifices will be offered as a remembrance of Christ’s sacrifice. |
The Millennium is an era (not a literal 1000 years) during which Christ will reign over the earth, not from an earthly throne, but through the gradual increase of the Gospel and its power to change lives; this period will be realized by a gradual Christianization of the nations.
Some believe at some point there will possibly be a large scale repentance among ethnic Jews and an actual 1000 years of a Christianized world will be enjoyed. During this 1000 years the kingdom of God triumphs over the kingdoms of this present world. There will be universal preaching and acceptance of the Gospel, and a complete and total victory of the kingdom of God, over the forces of Satan and unbelief. |
The Millennium: similar to the Postmil view except the Amil view does not believe that there will be a visible Christianization of the nations necessarily. The visible manifestation of the Millennium will only be seen in and through the Church.
Amil insists that the Abrahamic Covenant is fulfilled in Christ and thus the Body of Christ, the Church, during this age. (Gal 3:16) Amil sees the millennial age as occupying the entire period of time between the first and second coming Christ and is one of both the triumph of the spiritual kingdom of God and the corresponding rise of evil in opposition. The “1000″ number is a reference to the “fullness of this kingdom period.” The kingdom is in an “already/not yet” sense = Christ already reigns over all and is already victorious over Satan, but that spiritual reality is gradually being realized as the Great Commission is fulfilled. When Christ returns all things will be fulfilled. During the Millennium Satan is “bound” in his authority to “deceive the nations” (Rev 20:3) except for a short season (Rev 20:7-8) just prior to the Second Coming of Christ. |
| The End: Satan, bound during Christ’s earthly reign, will be loosed to deceive the nations, gather an army of the deceived, and take up to battle against the Lord; the battle will end in the judgment of the wicked and Satan, followed by entrance into the eternal state of glory by the righteous. |
The End: Satan loosed, the battle of Gog and Magog, Satan defeated; the wicked dead are raised, the great white throne judgement, followed by the eternal state. |
The End: Postmil is an optimistic eschatology of the victory grace of God in subduing evil in the world. During this period Satan will be effectually bound by the triumph of grace.
At the end of the millennial period, Satan will be released the period of great tribulation and the apostasy described in Revelation 20 occurs, culminating in Gog and Magog and the Battle of Armageddon. Christ then returns in judgment (the “great throne judgment”), the resurrection occurs, and there is the creation of a new heaven and earth. |
The End: In most forms of amillennialism, immediately before the return of Christ, Satan is unbound, there is a great apostasy, and a time of unprecedented satanically inspired evil. (Rev 20:7-8) This last satanic gasp and subsequent rebellious activity is destroyed by our Lord at his return.
At the end of the millennial age, Christ returns in judgment of all men. The general resurrection occurs, final judgment takes place for all men and women, and a new Heaven and Earth are established. |
| Observations: 1. This view is highly popular today, mostly due to Hal Lindsey (The Late, Great Planet Earth) and Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins (Left Behind series). 2. It is of recent origin, its distinctive elements first taught by John Nelson Darby (1830 A.D.) 3. It views the church as either an after-thought or an unrevealed mystery in the OT. 4. It teaches a number of resurrections; at least two for the righteous and one for the wicked 5. It claims that Rev 20:4 speaks of a physical resurrection claiming that there cannot be a spiritual resurrection in Rev 20:4 but a physical one in Rev 20:5. But they inconsistently affirm a physical death in Rev 20:5 and a spiritual death in Rev 20:6. |
Observations: 1. Not to be confused with DP. 2. Called “historical” because elements of this view were first espoused by Justin Martyr (165 A.D.) 3. It teaches two separate resurrections; the righteous are raised before the millennium, the wicked afterwards. |
Observations: 1. This view was very popular prior to the world wars of the twentieth century. 2. This view is consistent with Reformed theology. 3. It teaches just one resurrection, the righteous and wicked at the same time. 4. Its interpretation of OT prophecy and the book of Revelation is not strictly literal but literary — letting the context determine. |
Observations: 1. “Amillennialism” suggests a lack of belief in the millennium but that is far from the truth. The prefix “a” can mean “in” rather than the commoner “none“. Since this view believes the millennium of Rev 20 is now the expanding kingdom of God’s Israel through the church, this view is perhaps better termed Nunc-Millennialism; Inaugurated Millennialism; Ironic Postmillennialism; or Realized Millennialism. 2. It teaches just one resurrection, the righteous and wicked at the second coming of Christ. 3. Its interpretation of OT prophecy and the book of Revelation may be literal or symbolic, depending on the context. 4. Views of the resurrections and deaths in Rev 20:4-6 are consistent. Sees the parallel of a spiritual (v.4) and physical (v.5) resurrection and spiritual (v.5) and physical (v.6) death. |
| Proponents: John Walvoord, Charles Ryrie, Louis Sperry Chafer, J. Dwight Pentecost, Norman Geisler, Charles Stanley, Chuck Smith, Chuck Missler, R. H. Boll |
Proponents: George Eldon Ladd, Walter Martin, John Warwick Montgomery, Theodore Zahn, Barton W. Stone, Moses E. Lard, David Lipscomb, James A. Harding, T. W. Brents. |
Proponents: Loraine Boettner, Rousas J. Rushdoony, Greg L. Bahnsen, Kenneth L. Gentry Jr., David Chilton, Gary North, Alexander Campbell, Tolbert Fanning, J. W. McGarvey, Robert Milligan, E. G. Sewell |
Proponents: Anthony Hoekema, William Hendrikson, Gregory K. Beale, Robert B. Strimple, Kim Riddlebarger, Dennis Johnson, Jay Adams, Sam Storms, Vern Poythress, Geerhardos Vos, Sam Waldron, Richard Pratt Jr., Meredith Kline, David Engelsma, |
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Jason Robertson is a husband and a father and a pastor. He is dedicated to leading and equipping his the Church with God’s word and biblical theology for life ministry, using a combination of pastoral, church planting and evangelism experience. He holds a Master of Divinity from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. He is experienced in church planting, evangelism, missions, and the training of pastors and Bible teachers.
Jason has been preaching the gospel since 1985, serving the first ten years of ministry as a Southern Baptist itinerant evangelist out of Milldale Baptist Church in Zachary, LA which ordained him in 1993. He has preached in hundreds of churches in over 30 States and 4 countries. He planted churches in Siberia, Russia in the summers of 1993 and 1994. He founded Murrieta Valley Church in California, which he planted in cooperation with the SBC NAMB in 2001. He also teaches ministry students at California Baptist University.
You can hear his sermons and read his manuscripts on sermonaudio.com. Just follow the link to "sermons" at the top of this page.
Excellent chart, brother. I’m printing this one out.
I find myself more “historic premillennial” than dispy. As I’ve been reading these posts, I’ve come to realize I was probably never dispy, though I read mostly dispy works on the subject til I got to Southern.
I wonder if most guys who have seriously thought this issue through are like me in that they may find themselves more consistently in one column while taking on aspects of the others. For example, I find myself agreeing with a post/amil view of the rapture rather than a premil view. I’m also not sure I agree with the whole “2 separate resurrections” thing, but oh well, you get my point.
Thanks for the wonderful series.
Thanks for the great overview! Very helpful.
great work. these charts are really helpful in providing an overview of this in house discussion.
Jason,
We were going through Daniel in a Sunday school class that I teach, and at chapter 9, I thought it would be prudent to stop and do a little teaching on CT and Dispensationalism. This week, I’m teaching on the four millenial views. Do you mind if I swipe this helpful outline? I’ll give you props.
Yes, feel free to use anything posted on Fide-O. And now and then check back for updates to previous posts.
Yes, Stephen, but just be sure your view has an overall consistency. I find myself in the historic premil camp, but I have a hard time believing that that the sacrificial system will be re-instituted, memorially or otherwise. I think the prophecies of that re-institution were fulfilled typologically in the once-for-all sacrifice of Christ. Is this inconsistent?
Thank you for this post. It helps to see the different views in a side-by-side format that is understandable.
I tend to fall in the historic premillenial group, but I don’t like having to perfectly fit into any one camp. I don’t think this has anything to do with being non-conformist. Is there any penalty for not being consistent with any one view?
Thanks again for the effort you put into this.