Models of Eschatology

Week 2 focused on Classic Premillennialism

These are the three overheads from week 2: (to make outlines larger- click once to view just the overhead and once more to enlarge it).

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Outline from week 2:

Classic Premillennialism

Christ comes back before the millennial reign.

Sometimes referred to as historical Premillennialism.

 

Premillennialism in Christian eschatology is the belief that Christ will literally reign on the earth for 1,000 years at his second coming.

All Dispensationalists are Premillennial, but not all Premillennialists are Dispensational.

 

Refer to overhead on Premillennialism

 

Physical return of Christ before the millennial reign. It is a literal reign on earth from Jerusalem .

 

 

Refer to overhead “Summary of Classic Premillennialism.”

 

No rapture event in this model as the term is commonly used. That is believers be taken up in the sky to meet Jesus and be removed from earth to escape the tribulation period. Sometimes in this model the Second Coming is referred to as the rapture of the Saints or believers, but it is after the tribulation period and just before the millennial reign.

 

Instead of going thru speculation about an Antichrist or who that person might be viewed at in this model, I’ll save that till we get to the section on Dispensational Premillennialism.

 

The word antichrist is not found in the book of Revelation. It is found in 1^st and 2^nd John and is used in the plural sense, not as in one overarching individual who will lead the forces of evil.

 

Refer to overhead “Classical Premillennialism Overview”

 

This model or view of “end times” was used by early Christians probably just after the turn of the first century. It dominated for several centuries and while it waned for a time became popular again with the Protestant Reformation. Some Christians viewed the Pope as the Antichrist (notes in the very popular Geneva bible referred to the Pope as the Antichrist).

Many Protestants felt the persecution they were suffering at the hands of the Pope and Catholicism was the Great Tribulation and that Christ would soon return.

It waned again around the turn of the century as Postmillennialism became more prominent waxed again after World War I and competes with dispensationalism today as a major model of eschatology.

Most likely added to the list of Prominent Premillennialists could be the name Charles H. Spurgeon, The Prince of Preachers. Although everyone would like to claim him the classic premillennialists probably have the best case. Postmillennialism wasn’t really up and running yet. Spurgeon spoke against dispensationalism and was definitely not in that camp, but more on his comments there later.

 

 

 

 Since Spurgeon (1834 – 1892) will show up several times in our study of different models of eschatology it might be nice to see an image of him.

 

 

 

 

End of Outline

Next week we will focus on Postmillennialism

Thanks for your interest and have a good week!