At church this past year we finished going through a series titled "40 Days of Hope for Hamilton - Thy Kingdom Come, Thy Will Be Done on Earth as it is in Heaven"
There was a special two night course that Lane and Mike organized on "end times" and they referred to this discussion titled "An Evening of Eschatology". For me it was a great introduction to the following 3 views:
Premillennialism (represented by Jim Hamilton): The return of Christ happens before (pre-) the thousand-year reign of Christ, which is a reign of the risen Christ on the earth.
Photo below of "Dispensational Premillennialism":
Photo below of "Historic Premillennialism":
Amillennialism (represented by Sam Storms): The return of Christ happens after the thousand-year reign, a reign that occurs in heaven, in the intermediate state, and not upon the earth. Those who have died in faith and entered into the presence of Christ share his rule and reign during the current church age in which we now live.
Postmillennialism (represented by Doug Wilson): The return of Christ happens after (post-) the thousand-year reign, which corresponds to the Christian age, and the reign of Christ from heaven leads the church to triumph by and through the gospel to such an extent that the Great Commission will be successfully fulfilled, and the Christian faith will pervade all the cultures of all the nations of men. All Christ's enemies will be subdued in this way, with the exception of death, which he will destroy by his coming.
The question that kept arising was what does "this age" refer to and what's "the age to come" (Matt 12:32, Mark 10:30, Eph 1:21).
Post millennials would generally say that in 30-70 AD there was an overlap and "the age to come" started in 70A. Premillennials would generally say that the "Millennial Kingdom" is part of this age and then there is "the age to come"
One of the panelists said this:
"Jesus dies not so we might live. Jesus died so we might die. Jesus lives so that we might live!"
Note that Isaiah 65 says that people die in new heavens and new earth (this is a problem text for Post Mill people)
Sam Storms believes Satan is currently bound from deceiving the nations but he can tempt and persecute.
Post Millennial (Doug Wilson) agrees.
Sam Storms - doesn't like the "amill" title but that's what he believes. He believes the "thousand year reign" is real and in heaven right now. Those are the saints in Rev 20:4-6 reigning. Sam Storms is post-millennial in that Christ returns after the thousand year reign, but he thinks the thousand year reign is in heaven right now.
Sam Storms (amill) agrees with Jim Hamilton (premill) that there will be intense suffering in the end, which Post Millennials can't explain.
Another big question that is debated is "When does physical death die?"
Sam Storms says that it dies at the second coming of Jesus (see 1 Cor 15:50-58 and Romans 8 where the curse is lifted from earth simultaneously with when curse is lifted from man).
Storms says the second coming of Christ is the resurrection of good and evil, and also the final judgement of good and evil. The second coming terminates all possibility of being saved.
Other passages to consider:
Rev 12:7-12, 13-17. (Jim Hamilton believes this is the cosmic destruction of Satan whereas Sam Storms thinks this is different symbolism and 2 aspects of Christ's victory).
Rev 12-13 Satan makes war on the church
2 Cor 4:4
1 Peter 5
1 John 5:19
Rev 20:1-3
Rev 6 and 20, 2:11 Sam Storms believes this is physical martyrs come to life in intermediate state and 2nd death has no authority over them.
Other important notes:
- time references in Revelation include 42 months, 1000 yrs, etc (note Nero literally reigned 42 months).
- the Post Millennial view requires that Revelation was written before 70 AD which is debated.
The biggest problems for each position are:
for Amill = meaning of anostraphis in Rev 20:6
for Premill = getting natural bodies and unbelievers into Millennial kingdom
for Post Mill = harmonizing 1 Thessalonians 4:13 and 2 Thessalonians.
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