The Return of Christ See this 11min video by David Murray overview of the positions: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o1TQxLKsXFI

C. Key questions related to 1,000 yrs in Rev C. Key questions related to 1,000 yrs in Rev. 20: Is the 1,000 yrs literal or symbolic? Is Rev. 20 a restatement of chapt 19, and is chapt 12 and 20 describing the same events? D. Different Millennial Views: 1. Premillennial: Christ returns to earth before (pre) His physical reign on earth for literal 1,000 yrs. Two forms of Premil: Historic Premil; Dispensational Premil. 2. Postmillennial: Christ returns after (post) a 1,000 yr golden age on earth (the millennium) 3. Amillennial: 1,000 years not literal = entire period of time of Christ's spiritual reign from 1st - 2d Coming. Amill is "post"millennial in that in Christ returns after millennium.

Historic Premillennial: 1. Kingdom manifested in Christ’s ministry. 2. Kingdom present (spiritually) and spread by Holy Spirit through the church until end of the age/Christ's return. 3. Just prior to Return, apostasy/Great Tribulation on earth. 4. Christ returns/rules w/resurrected saints for 1000 yrs (1st resurrection). Satan bound/Kingdom visible/many converted. 5. At end of 1000 yrs, Satan released/leads massive rebellion 6. Satan defeated, cast into hell 7. 2d res/Final judgment; creation of new heaven/earth

1. The Kingdom prophesied in OT is manifested in Jesus’ ministry, and inaugurated in His resurrection/ascension. It is spread through the Holy Spirit by His people. 2. There will be a large scale apostasy at the end of time. The anti-Christ will arise, and there will be Great Tribulation. 3. Christ will return, rapture believing saints and raising dead saints. They will be on earth where Christ will reign from Jerusalem for 1,000 years.

Dispensational Premill: 1. "Strict" literal interpretation of prophecy: all promises made to David and Abraham to be fulfilled, not entirely by Christ, but also by ethnic Israel in millennial age. 2. God has 2 redemptive plans, 1 for national Israel, and 1 for Gentiles during "church age." 3. Kingdom offered to Jews at 1st coming of Jesus, but rejected. Kingdom postponed. God turned to Gentiles. 4. Church age not anticipated by OT. It is a "parenthesis." 5. Prior to GT, Christ secretly raptures church (those living and "righteous dead"), removes from earth for 7 yrs. "Pretribulationism distinguishes clearly between Israel and the church and their respective programs."

6. Anti-Christ reigns during GT: 3 ½ yrs peace/3 ½ yrs suffer 7. Christ returns 2d time w/saints after GT. Armageddon/overthrows AC, judges world, binds Satan for 1,000 yrs, raises OT and tribulation saints from dead. 8. Christ reigns on earth in Jerusalem for literal 1,000 years. Those converted during GT, including 144,000 Jews, go into millennium to repopulate earth. Glorified believers rule w/Christ during millennium. OT worship/sacrifices (to commemorate sacrifice of Christ) offered in rebuilt Temple. 9. Satan released at end of 1,000 years/massive rebellion ensues/Satan defeated/Final judgment/creation of new heaven/earth.

Dr. Sam Storms: If you are a premillennialist (of any kind) there are several things with which you must reckon: • You must necessarily believe that physical death will continue to exist beyond the time of Christ's second coming. • You must necessarily believe that the natural creation will continue, beyond the time of Christ's second coming, to be subjected to the curse imposed by the Fall of man. • You must necessarily believe that unbelieving men and women will still have the opportunity to come to saving faith in Christ for at least 1,000 years subsequent to his return.

"In other words, in my study of the second coming of Christ I discovered that, contrary to what premillennialism requires us to believe, death is defeated and swallowed up in victory at the parousia, the natural creation is set free from its bondage to corruption at the parousia, the New Heavens and the New Earth are introduced immediately following the parousia, all opportunity to receive Christ as savior terminates at the parousia, and both the final resurrection and eternal judgment of unbelievers will occur at the time of the parousia."

Postmillennial: 1. Kingdom appears in Jesus’ ministry, spiritually present through Holy Spirit in the church. 2. Great Commission advances/succeeds, ushering in an age of unprecedented peace/prosperity known as the millennium as the world and its institutions is essentially Christianized. 3. The millennium may/may not last literal 1,000 years. At end of millennium Satan released/rebellion breaks out. Christ returns, defeats Satan, final judgment. 4. Kingdom fully realized in new heavens/new earth.

Amillennial 1. “Present/now” or “realized” millennialism. 2. Millennial reign of Christ = entire time from Christ’s resurrection/ascension to 2d coming, where "promises made to national Israel, David and Abraham, in the OT are fulfilled by Christ and the Church." 3. Kingdom present (spiritually) and spread by Holy Spirit through the church. [ALREADY] 4. Satan is bound (influence restrained) during present age due to Christ's cross/res/present reign from heaven. 5. End of millennium Satan unbound, rebellion/apostasy breaks out. 6. Christ returns, defeats Satan, resurrection, final judgment. Kingdom fully realized in creation of new heavens/new earth.

III. Only Amill can account for all of the Scriptural data A. Kingdom present, but not yet (contra Disp. Premil). B. Suffering in this age (contra Postmil “optimism”) C. Proper interpretative framework: 1. OT prophecy fulfilled by Christ/church. Christ is center/focus of Scripture, not ethnic Israel. 2. Typology: OT persons/events/institutions point to and find fulfillment in Christ: Christ is true Israel; Christ is true sacrifice; Christ is true temple. D. Consistent w/NT about what happens at 2d coming "Consider some specific themes in which this already and not yet tension is found. Christians are already in the Kingdom, and yet they await the coming of the Kingdom in its totality (Col. 1:13-14; Rev. 11:15). Already we experience God's presence through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, but we await the complete presence of God (Eph. 1:13-14; Rev. 21:3). Already we worship, but we know that someday there will be perfect worship (Rom. 12:1; Rev. 22:3-5). Already we have fellowship with God and one another, but the perfect fellowship is yet to come (1 John 1:5-7; Rev. 21:1-22:6). Already we experience peace, joy, and love, but these will be perfect some day (Gal. 5:22-23; Rev. 22:3). Already we have experienced a resurrection, but we await a future one (Rom. 6:110; Rev. 20:4-6, 11-15). Already we participate in a special meal with Christ, but we await the wedding supper of the Lamb (1 Cor. 11:23-26; Rev. 19:9)." "That eschatology, revealed in the New Testament writings, proclaimed Jesus Christ's present reign over all things from heaven, where his saints were "with him" (Luke 23:42-43; John 14:2-4; 17:24; Phil. 1:22-23; 2 Cor. 5:6-8). It saw the culmination of that reign not in a future, limited, and provisional kingdom on earth where perfection mingled once again with imperfection, but rather in the full arrival of the perfect (Rom. 8:21; 1 Cor. 13:10) and the replacement of the present heaven and earth with a heaven and earth in which righteousness dwells (2 Pet. 3:13; Rev. 21-22)."

1Thess 4:13-18 (cf Matt 24:30-31; 2 Thess 1:7-8; 1 Cor 15:51-54; Rom 8:19-21) 13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. 14 For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. 15 For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.

1. Everything speaks of 1 public, seen event. 2. Christ’s return marks the end, not the beginning of a millennial reign where evil will still exist at some point. 2 Thes 1:6-9 Q. What does this text imply about the question of the millennium—is there a 1,000 yr delay in judgment when Christ returns, or does judgment occur when the Lord returns? Q. How might this motivate us? 3. Creation of new heavens/earth (Rom. 8:19-21) Mat 24:40 Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Mat 24:41 Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left. Compare to 1 Thes 4, taken is raised and caught up with Christ. Left is those who are left to perish in their sins, all of which will happen at the coming of Christ. Notice, Matt 24:40-41 is given in context of coming of the Lord. In v. 30, it clearly states that the Lord will appear. And the rest of the context is describes a public event witnessed by all.