Sunday, February 25, 2024

Amillennialism is Postmillenialism

Many introductory works on "eschatology" will inform the novice in that subject that "there are three views on the thousand year reign of Revelation chapter twenty" among bible believers. Then they will enumerate them as Premillennialism, Postmillennialism, and Amillennialism. They will rightly say that Premillennialism says that the second coming of Christ occurs before the thousand year reign ("Millennium") and rightly say that Postmillennialism says the Christ will come after the Millennium. Then they will say to students that "Amillennialism says there is no Millennium"; But not without qualification, for once they have stated that proposition and affirmation, they will then needs say that Amillennialists do not deny that there is a thousand years where Christ and others will reign on earth, but deny that it is literal and pertains to a future not yet come. What they deny is Premillennialism, so that really "Amillennialism" is "A-Premillennialism."  The prefix "a" means "no" or "without" and so Amillennialism literally means "no millennium." But, how can anyone be an Amillennialist in light of what is plainly stated in the text of Revelation chapter twenty? 

What they actually say is that we are in the Millennium now, and that it spans from the time of the birth of the church, or from the time of the resurrection and ascension of Christ, to his second coming, and which is now almost two thousand years. So, how does one thousand years become two thousand years? Well, Amillennialists, without any ground for doing so, say that "thousand years" is not a literal number but symbolic of a long time, whose exact length of time is unknown. Of course, that is quite untenable and would be a wrong way to interpret scripture fairly and honestly. 

They also say that since we are in the thousand year period now, and since Christ and the believers are now ruling, and since Satan is now bound so that he cannot deceive the nations, Christ will come at the end of the Millennium. That being so, they are essentially Postmillennialists. Both agree that the second coming of Christ follows the thousand years of Revelation chapter twenty

I am firmly convinced that the thousand years is literal and that it is future and that it will begin when Christ appears the second time and sets up his kingdom on earth. 

If you need help with getting rid of the Amillennial or Postmillennial spectacles, let us know how we can help you further.

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