Milleniallism


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Mordorbund,

 

There are three views on millennium held by traditional Christians

 

Premillennialism- the most common view amongst evangelicals, Jesus returns before the millennial reign.

7 year tribulation which Jesus returns either at the start, middle of end of, then the millennial reign (ie 1000 years), after that the final judgment.

 

Postmillennialism - very common in 19th century, where over a 1000 year period things get better and better (ie more Christians., more Christian like society) and then Jesus returns

 

 

Amillenialism -holds that the millennium is symbolic language and there is no literal 1000 year reign on earth. Jesus is reigning now in heaven and one day Jesus will return, there will be the final judgment and there will be a new heaven and new earth.

 

I believe the last one best accounts for the biblical evidence but it has a lot to do with how you read Revelation. ie In my opinion an Apocalypse has to be read as part of that genre and not a book of literal history of events but a book of symbolic retelling in various repeated examples of what the kingdom of God is like. It should be viewed something like a impressionist painting, don't obsess over the placement or meaning of individual dots but stand back and marvel at the whole pictures it creates of Jesus victory over evil

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I wrote my novel, "Wind of Fire", based on Bruce R McConkie's writings, in which he describes what you call premillennialism. A council is called at which time Jesus ushers in the Millennium. It is difficult to reconcile many sources and conflicting prophecies, but I found it interesting to try. It wasn't so important to me to get the doctrine exact as it was to contrast pre and post millennial life. What is it we expect life to be like during the Millennium?

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Mordorbund,

 

There are three views on millennium held by traditional Christians

 

Premillennialism- the most common view amongst evangelicals, Jesus returns before the millennial reign.

7 year tribulation which Jesus returns either at the start, middle of end of, then the millennial reign (ie 1000 years), after that the final judgment.

 

Postmillennialism - very common in 19th century, where over a 1000 year period things get better and better (ie more Christians., more Christian like society) and then Jesus returns

 

 

Amillenialism -holds that the millennium is symbolic language and there is no literal 1000 year reign on earth. Jesus is reigning now in heaven and one day Jesus will return, there will be the final judgment and there will be a new heaven and new earth.

 

I believe the last one best accounts for the biblical evidence but it has a lot to do with how you read Revelation. ie In my opinion an Apocalypse has to be read as part of that genre and not a book of literal history of events but a book of symbolic retelling in various repeated examples of what the kingdom of God is like. It should be viewed something like a impressionist painting, don't obsess over the placement or meaning of individual dots but stand back and marvel at the whole pictures it creates of Jesus victory over evil

 

Thanks for clarifying. I was aware of the pre-trib vs post-trib debate, but knew even less about post-millennial (and nothing of a-millennial) teachings.

 

What then do you view the Millennium language as symbolic of? The casting of the wicked into everlasting burnings? The tranquility and joy of the righteous? The time when all will have their reward so Jesus will finally reign?

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A reasonable concise discussion of amill

 

http://www.religionfacts.com/christianity/beliefs/amillennialism

 

The millennium is now, Jesus is already reigning, he just hasn't extended his rule fully to earth.

There will be a judgment at the 2nd coming, those outside of covenant with Jesus will be excluded from God's presence.

Those in covenant will be in the new heaven and new earth.

 

I also do not believe in a literal pit of fire, as a physical flame roasting people. I don't think God will inflict physical pain on people. He will just remove the grace of His constraint on peoples evil desires and actions. People will burn with unchecked desires and evil actions. They will get what they want but in doing so will create a godless hell. Evil will be unquenched and there will be no check on it from God.

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  • 1 month later...

A reasonable concise discussion of amill

 

http://www.religionfacts.com/christianity/beliefs/amillennialism

 

The millennium is now, Jesus is already reigning, he just hasn't extended his rule fully to earth.

There will be a judgment at the 2nd coming, those outside of covenant with Jesus will be excluded from God's presence.

Those in covenant will be in the new heaven and new earth.

 

I also do not believe in a literal pit of fire, as a physical flame roasting people. I don't think God will inflict physical pain on people. He will just remove the grace of His constraint on peoples evil desires and actions. People will burn with unchecked desires and evil actions. They will get what they want but in doing so will create a godless hell. Evil will be unquenched and there will be no check on it from God.

Yes. Vivid and horrible. Reminds me of the film 28 Days Later(-not called post-apocalyptic for nothing :) )

Also of some of Thomas Hobbes that I've read:

"...the dispositions of men are naturally such, that except they be restrained through fear of some coercive power, every man will distrust and dread each other, and as by natural right he may, so by necessity he will be forced to make use of the strength he hath, towards the preservation of himself." Romans 13.3 and others.

Edited by lonetree
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Regarding 'Postmillenialism', I haven't read the book through in awhile, but Iain H Murray's "The Puritan Hope'(1971) is, right or wrong, a confident statement of postmillenialism and the future of the Christian church.

Edited by lonetree
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  • 2 years later...
On 5/26/2015 at 7:23 AM, AnthonyB said:

Mordorbund,

 

There are three views on millennium held by traditional Christians

 

Premillennialism- the most common view amongst evangelicals, Jesus returns before the millennial reign.

7 year tribulation which Jesus returns either at the start, middle of end of, then the millennial reign (ie 1000 years), after that the final judgment.

 

Postmillennialism - very common in 19th century, where over a 1000 year period things get better and better (ie more Christians., more Christian like society) and then Jesus returns

 

 

Amillenialism -holds that the millennium is symbolic language and there is no literal 1000 year reign on earth. Jesus is reigning now in heaven and one day Jesus will return, there will be the final judgment and there will be a new heaven and new earth.

 

I believe the last one best accounts for the biblical evidence but it has a lot to do with how you read Revelation. ie In my opinion an Apocalypse has to be read as part of that genre and not a book of literal history of events but a book of symbolic retelling in various repeated examples of what the kingdom of God is like. It should be viewed something like a impressionist painting, don't obsess over the placement or meaning of individual dots but stand back and marvel at the whole pictures it creates of Jesus victory over evil

I personally am going through a time of really questioning what Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong taught about the millennium.......

I believe in an outpouring of the Holy Spirit that leads to the building of the Ezekiel chapter 40 - 48 temple.......

I think that Zechariah chapter 14 cannot happen until after this event.......

Near death experiencer and former Atheist Howard Storm Ph. D. was shown details about the Era of Moshiach that sure sound "millennial" to me.....

this seems to help to make the prophecies of the major and minor prophets much more clear.  G-d wants the world to look much like this by the year 

2185:

Howard Storm, My Descent Into Death:

Quote

 

The image of the future that they gave me then, and it was their image, not one that I created, surprised me. My image had previously been sort of like Star Wars, where everything was space age, plastics, and technology.

 

The future that they showed me was almost no technology at all. What everybody, absolutely everybody, in this euphoric future spent most of their time doing was raising children. The chief concern of people was children, and everybody considered children to be the most precious commodity in the world.

 

And when a person became an adult, there was no sense of anxiety, nor hatred, nor competition.

 

There was this enormous sense of trust and mutual respect. If a person, in this view of the future, became disturbed, then the community of people all cared about the disturbed person falling away from the harmony of the group. Spiritually, through prayer and love, the others would elevate the afflicted person.

 

What people did with the rest of their time was that they gardened, with almost no physical effort. They showed me that plants, with prayer, would produce huge fruits and vegetables.

 

People, in unison, could control the climate of the planet through prayer. Everybody would work with mutual trust and the people would call the rain, when needed, and the sun to shine.

 

Animals lived with people, in harmony.

 

 

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