Premillennialism
Premillennialism
Premillennialism is a system of beliefs concerning the second coming of Christ happening before a millennium (1000 years) in which Christ will supposedly reign on earth.
There is not one premillennial theory, but many. So, when we say that premillennialists teach a certain thing, you must understand this as a generalisation. There may be some premillennialists who teach otherwise on certain minor points. However, premillennialists all share certain basic ideas...
Premillennialism works on the theory that when Christ was crucified, God’s intention for his kingdom had to be postponed; so God stopped the clock of prophecy and introduced an unforseen "parenthesis" which he filled by establishing Christianity and the church as a stop-gap.
This transfers the fulfillment of most Old Testament prophecy from thje first coming of Christ to his second coming. Instead of fulfilling prophecy in his death, resurrection, ascension, and accession, Jesus failed. He has waited, and so has the world, for a gap of 2000 years. In the very near future, he will try again.
Premillennialism therefore points Bible prophecy to events which they believe are about to happen. They believe in a seven year period in which an Antichrist will rule the world and create much tribulation including a battle of Armageddon. Christians will escape this tribulation by being caught up into heaven for a short time. Then they will return with Christ, the saints and angels, to rule the world for a thousand years (the millennium). Christ bind Satan in prison and will reign from Jerusalem. The world will be transformed. Christ will restablish the law of Moses including a rebuilt temple. At the end of the millennium, Satan will be released; he will deceive the nations and there will be another war, the battle of Gog and Magog. He will be defeated and destroyed.
This complicated premillennial timetable is put together by selecting, and misinterpreting, certain portions of only about 30 chapters of the Bible.
| 2Sm 7 | Eze 36-39 |
| Dan 7-12 | Isa 40 |
| Zec 12-14 | Mtt 24-25 |
| Jhn 5 | 1Ths 4 |
| 2Ths 2 | 2Pe 3 |
| Rev 11-20 |
Premillennial timetable in detail