SESSION 4 Part 2 - POSTMILLENNIALISM

POSTMILLENNIALISM:

  Building A Better World

                                                                                                                                 

Session Outline

1.    Postmillennialism

a)    The transforming power of the gospel

2.    Millennium

a)    Jesus will reign spiritually through the power of the gospel

b)    Physical return of Jesus occurs after the millennium

3.    Tribulation

a)    Tribulation before the millennium, Matthew 13:31-33

b)    Jonathon Edwards (1730): Tribulation was the 1,260 years since the Pope                     rose to power (to end in 1866 with the dawn of the millennium)

c)    Contemporary Postmillennialists:

                                  i.    Preterism 

                                ii.    Nero, 666, Revelation 13:16-18

                               iii.    Destruction of the temple, AD 70; Revelation 11:1-2; Mark 13:1-2, 24-27

4.    Proclaim the gospel and expect it to bring about a millennial kingdom

Key Terms

Destruction of the Temple – After Emperor Nero committed suicide in AD 68, his general Vespasin claimed the throne and charged his son Titus to quell a Jewish rebellion in Jerusalem.  Hundreds of thousands of Jewish persons were killed and enslaved during. This conflict.  Titus’ soldiers looted and destroyed the temple in Jerusalem, as depicted in the Arch of Titus.  Some postmillennialists see the Jewish-Roman War and the destruction of the temple in AD 70 as the fulfillment of Jesus’ words in Matthew 24.

Gematria – A system of assigning numerical values to letters, words, or phrases.

John Calvin (1509-1564) – French author and pastor during the Protestant Reformation.

Johathon Edwards (1703-1758) – Theologian and pastor in New England during the Great Awakening modern mission movement.

Nero - Ruled the Roman Empire, AD 54-68.  After a fire in Rome, a rumor circulated that Nero had started the fire.  According to ancient historian Tacitus, “To get rid of this report, Nero accused and inflicted exquisite tortures on a class hated for their abominations, the ones called Christians.” 

Postmillennialism – Jesus will return to earth after (“post-“) a millennium when the overwhelming majority of people throughout the world embrace the gospel.  Jesus will not be physically present on earth during the millennial kingdom.

Preterism – (From Latin praeteritus, “past”) View of New Testament prophecy that understands most events described in apocalyptic texts as predictions that were fulfilled in the first century.  Some postmillennialists are also preterists.

William Carey (1761-1834) – English Baptist pastor and missionary to India; known as the “father of the modern mission movement.”

Waiting on the World to Change

At its best, postmillennialism is a perspective on the end times that highlights the power of the gospel.  The postmillennial position emphasizes the capacity of the gospel to transform not only individuals, but also entire communities, cultures—even the world.  According to postmillennialists, there will come a time when worldwide acceptance of the gospel ushers in the millennial kingdom.  Jesus will not be physically present on the earth during the millennium.  Instead, Jesus will reign spiritually through the power and proclamation of the gospel.

Nearly everyone throughout the world will trust in Jesus during this time.  At some point after the vast majority of Gentiles turn to Jesus, the Jewish people in particular will recognize Jesus as their long-awaited Messiah (Romans 11:13-25).  Entire countries and civilizations will change as citizens and leaders alike embrace the good news of Jesus.  Satan will be restrained, war will give way to peace, and the saints of God will rule the nations (Revelation 20:2-6).

The first resurrection in Revelation 20:5 is not a physical restoration from the dead, according to postmillennialists; it is the spiritual regeneration that occurs in the life of every follower of Jesus (Ephesians 2:6).

Jesus himself declared that the kingdom was like a seed growing into a tree and like yeast permeating dough (Matthew 13:31-33).  What this suggests to postmillennialists is that the millennial kingdom will emerge slowly and then expand to fill the entire world.  At the end of this glorious time period, God will allow Satan to deceive the nations for a very brief time (Revelation 20:7-9).  In that moment when the Satan-inspired armies of the earth have arrayed themselves against the reign of God, Jesus will return to earth to defeat Satan once and for all (Revelation 20:10-15).  Some postmillennialists understand this glorious time period still to be in the future.  Others, similar to amillennialists, take the millennium to be a present reality.  These postmillennialists place the dawning of the millennial kingdom in the first century AD—perhaps around AD 30 at the ascension of Jesus, or in AD 70 with the destruction of the Jewish temple.  This perspective expects a continual expansion of the gospel throughout this time period, until the spiritual reign of Jesus through the gospel fills the entire earth.

Both in Amillennialism and in Postmillennialism, the millennial kingdom is a spiritual reign instead of a physical reign.  Also in both perspectives, Jesus returns at the end of the millennium rather than at the beginning.  Even with these similarities, however, Amillennialism and postmillennialism are far from identical!

·         According to amillennialists, the millennial kingdom and the great tribulation occur at the same time.  Postmillennialists believe that the millennium takes place after the great tribulation.

·         What’s more, according to most amillennialists, Jesus is reining spiritually with the saints in heaven whereas postmillennialists believe that Jesus will reign spiritually through the gospel on earth.

Where Did Postmillennialism Come from Anyway?

Hints of postmillennialism can be found in a few writings from ancient and medieval times.  The forms of postmillennialism that are familiar today, however, can be traced back to the biblical studies of eighteenth-century English theologian Daniel Whitby.  As he read Scripture, Whitby became convinced that a time would come when the entire world would turn to Jesus, the Jews would return to the Holy Land, and Muslim nations would be defeated.  All of this would mark the beginning of a thousand years of peace, righteousness, and happiness.  Jesus would not, however, return physically until this time came to a close.

Around the time that a series of revivals broke out in the American colonies, Whitby’s postmillennial views caught the attention of a pastor named Jonathon Edwards.  These revivals would become known among later generations as the Great Awakening.  He understood these revivals in the Great Awakening as God’s preparation of his people for the millennial kingdom.  Edwards eagerly anticipated the millennium as “an event unspeakably happy and glorious…It is represented as a time of vast increase of knowledge and understanding…a time wherein religion and true Christianity shall in every respect be uppermost…a time wherein vital piety shall take possession of thrones and palaces, and those that are in most exalted stations shall be eminent in holiness… a time of wonderful union… wherein the nations shall beat their swords into ploughshares… and God will cause, wars to cease to the ends of the earth (Isaiah 2:32-33) …a time wherein all heresies and false doctrines shall be exploded, and the church of God shall not be rent with a variety of jarring opinions… a time wherein the whole earth shall be united as one holy city, one heavenly family.”

From a postmillennialists perspective, the outlook for the future is bright!  As the gospel penetrates the world, every civilzation and culture will grow in goodness.  Once the millennial kingdom is underway, wars will fade into a distant memory; diseases will be destroyed; and, all humanity will live long and prosper.

(To be continued)