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June 27 2004
The Millennium: Grace Baptist Church/Michael Phillips
In regard to the end times and last things.
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Most of the doctrines, however, are not necessary for salvation and should be studied with an open mind and not break the fellowship all believers have in Christ.
James Montgomery Boice states that in I John the Church is commanded to love one another five times. This is also taught in 1 Thessalonians 4: 9. Boice (1986: 645). It is a love of not only profession but also 'deeds and action'. Boice (1986: 645).
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PREMILLINNIALISM
(Premillennialism)
The best-known view is Premillennialism.
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Premillinialism was the dominant view of the Early Church, before St. Augustine (b. 354).
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Keep this in mind: Premillinnialism teaches that the coming of Christ is before the Millennium. That's where the prefix, pre, refers to.
Premillennialism (I use a different spelling of millennialism than from the sermon notes) in modern times is often connected to dispensational theology, but is not restricted to that type of theological approach or system.
Its acceptance by the early church should be considered, seriously. But I agree with the sermon that it does not make it certainly biblical.
POSTMILLINNIALISM
(Postmillennialism)
The second major view is postmillennialism. It teaches that Jesus Christ will return after the Millennium. It foresees a long Golden Age before the Lord comes again. Most Postmils allow for a short tribulation just before the Second Coming, but to their way of thinking, this is a brief interlude, and that the era before the Lord returns will be full of grace and truth.
Most of the Puritans believed this, and it was championed by their number one genius, Jonathan Edwards.
Postmillennialism is often confused with the Social Gospel.
So, what's Postmillennialism? It is the belief that Jesus Christ will return after a long and happy age on earth (excluding the short tribulation at the very end).
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Biblically, theologically and philosophically, I have never found this view, that promotes quote 'a long and happy age on earth' and like, prior to the Second Coming of Christ, likely true or significantly convincing.
With all due respect to Jonathan Edwards, that was a significant help to me with my formation of compatibilism with my MPhil and PhD, theses work.
But, I should not dismiss the view completely. I remain prayerfully open-minded.
I do find that Revelation 20-22 does appear to promote a new heaven and new earth, after the Second Coming and the Second Death (judgement of those outside of Jesus Christ). Seems to me that biblically, prior to these events, the fallen realm still prevails.
AMILLENNIALISM
(Amillennialism)
The third major view is the one I accept. It suffers from the negative and misleading name, amillennialism. The prefix, a, means not. Amils are often accused of not believing in the Millennium, but we very much believe in it! I do, at least! With all my heart, I want to confess my belief in the thousand year reign of Christ on earth!
Yes, but this is not a plain literal thousand years, via this sermon teaching.
With the amillennial view relying significantly on figurative literal language (not plain literal and not mythological), there would be plenty of room for debate between what is biblically, amillennial and what is the new creation, and the Pastor alluded to this issue, in his own words, in this sermon.
Amillennialism breaks with the other views on two main issues: When the Millennium begins. What the Millennium looks like.
Pre and Post Millennialism teach that the Millennium begins in the future. The Pre's all believe it is still future to us; the Postl's are less sure about it. Some think it is still in our future, while others say we're already in it.
Amillennialism teaches that the Millennium began with the First Coming of Christ, and in particular, with His Enthronement at God's Right Hand and with the outpouring of the Spirit ten days later.
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More on this last paragraph shortly: Amillennialism teaches that the Millennium began with the First Coming of Christ, and in particular, with His Enthronement at God's Right Hand and with the outpouring of the Spirit ten days later.
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The key passage in understanding the Millennium is Revelation 20:1-10.
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What does the chapter say about the Millennium? It says three main things: First of all, the Millennium begins with the binding of Satan, vv.1-3, Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years are finished.
But after these things he must be released for a little while. Satan is put in jail for the Millennium. This has led many fine people to say the Millennium must be future because today the devil is running free!
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At the resurrection of Jesus Christ and then his enthronement at the right hand of God and Pentecost, the amillennial theology is that at the same time Satan's power was significantly limited and he is now not 'free'. This would be very much debatable.
Is the world more or less evil, post resurrection and Pentecost etcetera? These types of propositions were dealt with inconclusively in my MPhil/PhD questionnaires and surveys.
This view creates somewhat speculative theology, via the use of, by its definition, figurative literal language in regard to the millennium. I find this difficult to accept dogmatically, although the amillennial approach is reasonable, overall. I do not dismiss it.
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(Revelation 20)
And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them. And the devil who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
The devil's release-it seems to me-is still future. For the nations are still being saved and the Church is still safe in most parts of the world. But, at the end, Satan will regain his freedom, turn the whole world against the Gospel, persecute Church with renewed vigor, and be destroyed by God!
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Does this defeat of Satan here in Revelation 20: 1-10 connect to the defeat of the lawless one in Second Thessalonians?
Revelation 20: 9 states that And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them.
2 Thessalonians 2: 8 states that Then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His [a]coming;
2 Thessalonians 2: 7-8
New American Standard Bible
2 Thessalonians 2:7-8 New American Standard Bible (NASB) 7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way. 8 Then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His [a]coming; Footnotes: 2 Thessalonians 2:8 Or presence
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I take it that as Pastor Phillips sees the defeat of Satan as in the future, he does hold to futurist aspects within this eschatology as well as some preterist views which I noted from previous sermons.
Some scholars regard everything after Revelation 4:1 as taking place in the future. But, Mounce sees this as problematic as the book still needs to be relevant for the first-century reader. Mounce (1990: 42). Mounce reasons that no single approach is sufficient.
BOICE, JAMES, MONTGOMERY (1986) Foundations of the Christian Faith, Downers Grove, IVP Press.
MOUNCE, ROBERT H. (1990) The Book of Revelation, Grand Rapids, William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.
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