6 min read eschatology

End Times: Introduction

End Times: Introduction

Big Idea: Understanding the different Christian views on eschatology, particularly the four main interpretations of the millennium, is essential.

Millennial Madness

Eschatology is the study of the end times. Despite the overwhelming biblical data on the subject, there are various errors that Christians have made:

1. IGNORING THE SUBJECT – Question: How many sermons have you heard in your lifetime? How much have you heard about the subject of the end times? If the Bible speaks of it, we should study it.

  • One out of every 30 verses in the Bible mentions the subject of Christ’s return or the end of time.
  • Over 1,800 references appear in the Old Testament, and seventeen Old Testament books give prominence to this theme.
  • Of the 260 chapters of the New Testament, there are more than 300 references to the Lord’s return.
  • Twenty-three of the twenty-seven New Testament books refer to this great event. Three of the four remaining books are single-chapter letters addressed to individuals on specific topics, while the fourth, Galatians, focuses on Christ's coming.
  • For every prophecy on the first coming of Christ, there are eight on Christ’s Second Coming.

2. EMPHASIZING THE WRONG THINGS ABOUT END-TIMES – Without a doubt, eschatology is central to all of Scripture. The themes of the Kingdom of God, the Day of the Lord, and the renewal of the universe are very important. Some people focus on the wrong aspects of the end-times, turning their interpretations into tests for fellowship, creating complex doctrines from uncertain views, and making these interpretations central to understanding the Bible.

3. IGNORANCE OF OTHER VIEWPOINTS – Some don’t even know that there are other views on the end times!

What We Agree On

All positions agree on the following:

  • The personal, visible return of Jesus Christ.
  • The resurrection of believers and unbelievers to judgment.
  • Believers will stand before Christ's judgment seat to account for their service and receive rewards.
  • That God will create a new heaven and a new earth.
  • That the wicked will enter into conscious, eternal punishment, suffering beyond any experience of misery found in this world.
  • That believers are to be watchful and prepared, anticipating Christ’s coming.

The Meaning of the Millennium

The word millennium means “one thousand years” (from Lat. millennium). The term comes from Revelation 20:2-7:

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.
Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years.
And when the thousand years are ended, Satan will be released from his prison...

Five Major Questions to Tackle

  1. Is the teaching on the millennium intended literally or symbolically?
  2. To what do the resurrections of Revelation 20:4-6 refer – spiritual or physical resurrections?
  3. Is the millennium in the future or present?
  4. Is there any basis for an optimistic future on Earth?
  5. Will the church escape the great tribulation?

Four Major Views

  1. Amillennialism (or Realized millennialism) is the belief that the millennium is happening now, and that the current church age will persist until Christ returns.
  2. Postmillennialism is the view that Christ will return after the millennium.
  3. Dispensational (pretribulational) premillennialism is the view that Christ will return before the millennium and before the great tribulation.
  4. Classic posttribulational premillennialism is the belief that Christ will return after the great tribulation and before the millennium.

The Goals of This Class

  1. That you will understand the four views.
  2. That you will make an intelligent decision as to which view you hold.

Amillennialism (Realized millennialism)

Amillennialism is the simplest of the four views, teaching that there is no future millennium. The millennium is taking place now. It is the view historically held by Clement, Origen, Augustine, and the Reformers. (The Reformers believed that the Beast of Revelation is the papacy.)

amillenialism

What Amillennialism Teaches

  • The “thousand years” of Revelation 20 is to be taken symbolically. We can’t know the exact duration of the millennium. (Postmillennialists agree with this statement.)
  • Christ's millennium reign is not a physical presence on earth but a spiritual one, as stated in Matthew 28:18: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” This reign is now.
  • During the millennium, Satan's influence is diminished, allowing the gospel to be preached worldwide (Revelation 20:3). That time is now.
  • Those who are said to be reigning with Christ for the thousand years (Revelation 20:6) are Christians who have died and are already reigning with Christ.
  • The current church age will last until Christ returns, leading to the resurrection of both believers and unbelievers, followed by judgment and the creation of a new heaven and earth. This will lead to the eternal state.
  • Revelation does not teach only about the last period in history. It covers and elaborates the entire history of the church.

Arguments for Amillennialism

  1. Only one passage (Revelation 20:1-6) appears to teach a future earthly millennial reign of Christ, and that passage is obscure. It is unwise to base a major doctrine of Scripture on one passage of uncertain interpretation.
  2. Neither Jesus nor Paul taught about the millennium. The millennium is not mentioned in the Bible outside of Revelation.
  3. Scripture teaches there is only one resurrection for both believers and unbelievers, as noted in John 5:28-29, Acts 24:15, and Daniel 12:2. (The premillennial view requires two separate resurrections, separated by a thousand years.)
  4. A number of Scriptures teach that Satan is presently being restrained – Matthew 12:28-29; Luke 10:18; John 12:31; 2 Thessalonians 2:7; Hebrews 2:14; Colossians 2:15; Revelation 12
  5. Revelation is a symbolic book. The “thousand years” of Revelation 20 signifies the idea of perfection or completeness, representing the completeness of Christ’s victory over Satan, and the perfect joy of the redeemed in heaven.
  6. Scripture suggests that key events like the resurrection of believers and unbelievers, final judgment, the creation of a new heaven and earth, and the eternal state will occur simultaneously (Matthew 24-25; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17; 2 Peter 3:10).

Responses to Amillennialism

  1. The Bible only needs to mention something once for it to be true and for us to believe it, even if only one passage refers to a future earthly millennium.
  2. Some other passages appear to teach about a time that sounds like the millennium (Psalm 72:8-14; Isaiah 11:2-9; 65:20; Zechariah 14:6-21; 1 Corinthians 15:24; Revelation 2:27; 12:5; 19:15).
  3. Revelation 20:4-6 clearly teaches that there are two resurrections, not just one. It teaches a first resurrection, and then that the rest of the dead will come to life at the end of a thousand years. These resurrections both appear to be physical resurrections. The passages that amillennialists use to support the idea of one resurrection do not rule out the possibility of two resurrections. In fact, John 5:28-29 hints at the idea of two resurrections.
  4. The imagery of throwing Satan into a sealed pit (Revelation 20:2-3) implies more than just binding him as described elsewhere. Satan still obviously has influence on the earth. He “prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8; see also Acts 5:3; 1 Corinthians 10:20; 2 Corinthians 4:4; Ephesians 6:12; 1 John 4:3; 5:19).
  5. Revelation is symbolic, but there's not enough evidence to say that the "thousand years" in Revelation 20 is also symbolic.
  6. Revelation 20 appears to teach that not all major events will take place at once. There will be two resurrections and two judgments.

Download the entire series in a PDF:

Millennium
Millennium.pdf
1 MB
download-circle
Darryl Dash

Darryl Dash

I'm a grateful husband, father, oupa, and pastor of Grace Fellowship Church East Toronto. I love learning, writing, and encouraging. I'm on a lifelong quest to become a humble, gracious old man.
Toronto, Canada