WHAT ERA ARE

WE LIVING
IN?
A review of the two millennial view points

DM Arendse

TABLE OF
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION .............................................................................. 3
CRITICAL ASSESMENT .................................................................... 3
PRE-MILLENIALISM/DESPENSATIONALIST ......................................... 4
A-MILENNIAL/POST-MILLENIAL ........................................................ 6
THE MAJOR DIFFERENCES ............................................................... 9
CONCLUSION ................................................................................ 11
BIBLIOGRAPHY ............................................................................ 12

INTRODUCTION
When Jesus is coming, in what way He will return and what era are we be living in
with reference to the prophecies found in Revelation and Daniel? These are just
some of the question which have driven eschatological studies for centuries. From
the moment Jesus was taken up into Heaven, Christians and His followers have
been looking to His return. Generations have come and gone, and the world has
gone through countless changes, we as a human race have seen two devastating
world wars, we have seen empires come and go, and we have seen the very limits
of our discovery taken beyond what could ever have been imagined. Yet here we
still stand, as Jesus followers, longing and waiting, looking anxiously upward,
waiting faithfully for the return of our Lord and Savior.
It is this very dynamic that has driven people over the many years to attempt to
better understand what is being said in Revelation. What Paul meant in his
writings, and as it is hoped, these studies can help further our understanding of
what it means to be a Christian in the era we now live in.
Before one can begin to discuss the era that we find ourselves in, or the context of
the different Millennial views with relation to the Eschatological study, we need to
be certain of or understandings of such viewpoints.

CRITICAL ASSESMENT
So what are these different models? Over the course of church history there have
been three that have stood the test of time. All three are sound interpretations of

the end time prophecies. While each takes on a differing stand when it comes to
certain aspects of the prophecies, in whole each can be accepted as accurate.
When exploring Christian writings, it is imperative that the reader at all times is
conscious of who the author is and why they have written what they have written.
Thankfully the process has been done for us, and we can be confident in the
theories and models we have before us. They are accepted throughout theological
and eschatological studies as sound and solid theories.
The models that will be looked at in this paper are the four most commonly
accepted ones. These four are grouped into two differing camps and it will be into
these two camps that the debate will be discussed over.

PRE-MILLENIALISM/DESPENSATIONALIST
Pre-Millennialism is an eschatological doctrine that is identifiable by the following
key points.
-

Committed to an Earthly reign of Jesus Christ.

His rule will be approximately 1000 years; some believe it to be more.

Christ will be physically present on Earth during this reign.

This view maintains that this is still to come.

This is a solid understanding of the prophecies found in Revelation and as such

has found prominence in many Christian circles over the past years. It is
understood to have been the dominant view during the early church era.

Christians of the first three centuries had a strong expectation of an early return
of Christ. (Millard 1998:1215)
We need to understand these aspects as this is what separates this doctrine from
the others. What is important to note here is that there are people who hold onto
this thinking only, while others have taken this doctrine one step further. Their
doctrine is known as the Dispensationalist movement.
This way of thinking holds onto the above key aspects as well as these additions.
-

Most hold to a pre-tribulation view on the tribulation.

The Nation of Israel is distinct from the Christian Church.

God has not yet fulfilled His promise to the Nation of Israel. These are the
promises made to Abraham in the Abrahamic Covenant. The promise of land,
which in the future would be fulfilled as a result of a millennial kingdom and
Third Temple where Christ would rule the world from Jerusalem for a thousand
years.
-

See Jewish people as true people of God.

Jesus will return with His church and will rule for a thousand years.

His rule will be theocratic as opposed too soteriological as most premillennists hold to.

John Nelson Derby is considered to be the father of the Dispensationalist

movement. His teachings have penetrated Christian circles throughout the world
and in particular the United States. Where there are an estimated 8 million

Dispensationalist Christians. (Blaising. 1993:253, Jefferson. 1996:322, Erikckson.

1998:1215)

Each of these views hold strong to the idea that Jesus will return, in a physical
bodily form, and that He will reign over the world for a period of at least one
thousand years. Whether this reign will be before or after the tribulation, where He
will reign from, and what His reign will look like after the thousand-year period is
debatable within this camp. However most that hold to this view hold to the
understanding that Jesus return will be a triumphant glorious return that will signal
the beginning of a long and glorious reign over the world.

A-MILENNIAL/POST-MILLENIAL
A-millennialism and Post-millennialism take a different view to that of the PreMillennial and Dispensationalist camps. The differences will be discussed at a later
stage. First we must identify the key aspects of these two viewpoints.
A-Millennialism holds onto the following key aspects:
-

Jesus reign over the Earth will not be a literal thousand-year long one.

This rule over the world is interpreted as a more symbolic number and that this
era has already begun. Some extreme views hold that this era ended in AD 70.

However mainstream A-Millennialists believe that they are living in the era of
Christs rule.
-

His reign is a spiritual one. He is seated at the right hand of the Father and
is currently reigning over the world.

His reign began at Pentecost.

It is understood that Peter, in using the prophecies of Joel, was speaking the
millennium into being.
-

At the end of the church age Christ will return in final judgement.

After the judgement He will establish a physical permanent reign over the
new earth and new heavens.

Satan has been bound, and was bound when Jesus defeated him at the
resurrection.

A-millennialism is sometimes associated with Idealism as both teach a symbolic

interpretation of many of the prophecies of the Bible and especially the Book of
Revelation. However, many A-millennialists do believe in the literal fulfilment of
Biblical prophecies; they simply disagree with Millennialists about how or when
these prophecies will be fulfilled.

While differing greatly in many aspects of their agreement on Biblical prophecies.

Post-Millennialism is often placed in the same camp as A-Millennialism as it holds
onto some key points.

The key aspects to Post-Millennialism are as follows:

-

Rests on the understanding that the preaching of the Gospel will be so

successful that the world will be converted.

The reign of Christ, the locus of which is human hearts, will be complete
and universal.

Once the Gospel has fully taken affect Christ will return.

Peace will be prevalent throughout the world as a result of the workings of

the Gospel.

Most see the thousand-year reign as a figurative number rather than a literal
one.

Post-millennialism holds that Jesus Christ establishes His kingdom on Earth

through His preaching and redemptive work in the first century and that He equips
His followers with the Gospel, empowers them by the Spirit, and charges them with
the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19) to disciple all nations.
Post-Millennialism expects that eventually the vast majority of all those living will
be saved by the Gospel. This will gradually produce a time in history prior to
Christ's return in which faith, righteousness, peace, and prosperity will prevail in
the affairs of men and of nations. After an extensive era of such conditions Jesus
Christ will return visibly and physically in a glorious entry, to end history with the
general resurrection and the final judgment.
(Bahnsen. 1999:210, Benyon. 2010:127, Erickson 1998:1213, Whalen. 2000:87)

THE MAJOR DIFFERENCES

Having thoroughly looked into each aspect of the two differing camps of doctrine
the question remains as to how each reconcile with the other. In reality those that
hold steadfastly to any of the views of eschatological are very rarely swayed in
their understandings or beliefs. While an even greater number of people blindly
follow a doctrine based on what they have heard or which one is the popular view
of the time. This is because of a lack of personal understanding into the different
views of the eschatological prophecies.
Be that as it may what is it that sets each of these ideals apart?
It would seem that at the core of the argument is the understanding of in what form
the rule of Jesus reign will be. On the one side there are those that hold to the
understanding that Jesus reign will be a physical one, and is yet to come. While
on the other side there are those that believe that Jesus reign has already begun
and is a spiritual one which will result eventually in a physical one.
What is key to note here is that none discount the return nor the manner in which
His return will be, but rather what is happening and will happen in the lead up to
His return.
While it is near impossible to accurately decipher the meanings and images found
in Revelation it is important to note that these are interpretative aspects, the core
and important aspect is that Jesus will return, and He will reign.

At any given time in history one of these views has held a greater deal of
acceptance that the other.
While each of these views hold onto many truths each seems to have adopted an
aspect or two that this author feels can and should be rejected. For instance,
Dispensationalist seems sound until one takes into account the elevation of Jewish
people, or Post-Millennialism has many sound aspects to it until one accepts that
only once the Gospel has truly been spread to all the nations that Christ will return
as this places the timing and precursors to His return on humanity. In PreMillennialism most are acceptable however it seems to suggest, intentionally or
not, that Jesus is absent during the era we currently live in. He is removed and
while He is with us, He is disconnected. While lastly A-Millennialism holds many
aspects that I agree with I tend to reject this idea as it seems like a fanciful fantasy
that does not resonate with reality. If Satan has been bound and has not yet been
released why do we live in what is commonly known as a fallen world over run with
sin?
How does one reconcile these differences I am not sure, but they are simply
observations to add to the debate?
While it is not the intention of this assignment to put the authors ideas forward it is
important to note where the disagreements lie.

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CONCLUSION
It would therefore seem that there is no one completely accurate and correct model
or camp from which a Christian can place all his understanding and hope.
However, it is important to note that within each view there are overwhelming truths
and it is these truths that all need to understand and embrace. Whether you agree
with or not the views held are irrelevant in the sense that within them are held the
understandings of millions into the end times and the glorious return of Christ
Jesus. How He will reign now, or what it will look like then are irrelevant aspects to
a futile attempt to understand the glory of God. What is important is that He will
return, He will reign, and it will be glorious. Whether or not Jesus is a part of what
is happening now, or whether or not it will be a literal thousand-year era that starts
then or has already begun is debatable and up to a personal understanding of the
role Christ plays in your life at this present time.
He will return, He will reign.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

Bahnsen, Greg. 1999. Victory in Jesus: The Bright Hope of Postmillennialism.

Covenant Media Press: Texarkana
Benyon, Graham. 2010. Last Things First. InterVarsity Press: USA
Blaising, Craig. 1993. Progressive Dispensationalism. Wheaton, IL: BridgePoint.
Calvin, John. 1982. Institutes of the Christian Religion, 2. Eerdmans: Grand Rapids
Erickson, Millard J. 1998. Christian Theology: Second Edition. Baker Academic:
Grand Rapids, MI.
Erickson, Millard. 1998. Christian Theology. Baker Books: USA
Jefferson, David John. 1996. The Victory of Christ's Kingdom. Canon Press: UK
Rushdoony, John. 1994. Systematic Theology, Vol. 2. Ross House Books:
Vallecito
Whalen, Robert K. 2000.

Premillennialism and Amillenialism in The

Encyclopedia of Millennialism and Millennial Movements. Routledge: New York

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