3. Christian Perspectives The End Times
Ratio Christi at Texas A&M
Zachary Lawson & Caroline Turpen

4. Amillennialism v Premillennialism
Roadmap
Background
Amillennialism v Premillennialism
Discussion

5. Background

6. Addressed throughout the Old and New Testaments
Eschatology
The study of last things
Addressed throughout the Old and New Testaments
Primarily focused on Book of Revelation
Background

7. Written by John 69-96 A.D.* Genre Book of Revelation
Patmos, to the 7 Churches
69-96 A.D.*
Genre
Epistle
Prophecy
Apocalypse
Book of Revelation

8. Interpretative Approaches
Preterist - Mostly about the past; fulfilled in 70 A.D.
Historicist - Charts entire Church History until Christ’s return
Futurist - Everything past chapter 3 is set in the future
Futurist - Everything past chapter 3 is set in the future
Idealist - No historical referents; symbol of God’s fight with evil
Iterist - Covers the entire interadvent period
Iterist - Covers the entire interadvent period

9. Interpretative Charts
Source: Hebrews-Revelation by Michael Kruger, Reformed Theological Seminary 2015

10. Revelation 20 The Millennium
Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he threw him into the abyss, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he would not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were completed; after these things he must be released for a short time…
Revelation 20

11. Millennial Views Premillennial - Christ returns before the millennium
Postmillennial - Christ returns after the millennium
Amillennial - The millennium is the interadvent period
Amillennial - The millennium is the interadvent period

12. Millennial Charts
Source: Hebrews-Revelation by Michael Kruger, Reformed Theological Seminary 2015

13. Amill vs Premill

14. Premillennialism

15. What Is Premillennialism?
Basic Contentions
1. The Millennial Kingdom has not happened yet.
2. The Millennium will begin after Jesus’s second coming
3. It will last for a literal one thousand year period

16. Biblical Support for Premillennialism
Matthew 25:31-34
Zechariah 14:4-9
Matt (NASB)
But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
Zech (NASB)
In that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which is in front of Jerusalem on the east; and the Mount of Olives will be split in its middle from east to west by a very large valley, so that half of the mountain will move toward the north and the other half toward the south. You will flee by the valley of My mountains, for the valley of the mountains will reach to Azel; yes, you will flee just as you fled before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the Lord, my God, will come, and all the holy ones with Him! In that day there will be no light; the luminaries will dwindle. For it will be a unique day which is known to the Lord, neither day nor night, but it will come about that at evening time there will be light. And in that day living waters will flow out of Jerusalem, half of them toward the eastern sea and the other half toward the western sea; it will be in summer as well as in winter. And the Lord will be king over all the earth; in that day the Lord will be the only one, and His name the only one.

17. Amillennialism

18. Amillenialism in 30 Seconds
Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm.”
John 18:36

19. The Iterist Approach
Revelation deals with issues contemporary with John and future
Symbols have multiple historical referents
Recapitulation / Progressive Parallelism
Two divisions in the book (1-11 and 12-22)
Specific time periods are identical (42 months, 1260 days, etc)
Seven seals, Trumpets, and bowls match up
Daniel, Ezekiel, and other Apocalyptic literature exhibit parallelism
one could view this as a combo of the other interpretations without the weaknesses, however, it doesn’t mean it’s the latest view
chapter 8-11 has duration of 42 months and ch is same length
intuitive - Chapter 19, everyone is dead but another battle starts up shortly, how many times can the stars fall from the sky?

20. Interpreting Revelation 20
Non-sequential relationship between Ch 19 and Ch 20
Recapitulation in Revelation lends itself to thinking this is a “restart” section
19:17-21 and 20:8-10 use same language from battle in Ezekiel 38-39
Millennium begins during Church Age with binding of the satan*
“key to the abyss” is same terminology used in each recapitulation
Millennium is marked by reign of saints in heavenly realm (20:4- 6)
“I saw the souls” really undercuts the idea of an earthly reign
“Son of man, set your face against Gog, of the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal; prophesy against him (38:1)…You and your troops and the many nations with you will go up, advancing like a storm; you will be like a cloud covering the land (38:9)…I will give you as food to all kinds of carrion birds and to the wild animals (39:4)…I will send fire on Magog (39:6)”

21. Binding of the Satan
High view of the atonement - a whole lot changed at the cross
Revelation 12:9 - victory of Christ over the satan
When - at Christ’s first coming
Matt 12:29 - “the kingdom of God has come upon you” - ekbalo
Luke 10:17 - “I saw the satan fall from Heaven”
Mark’s depiction of Christ’s temptation - “the kingdom of God is here”
John 12:31
The satan can no longer deceive the nations
Compare the situation today to the spiritual darkness of the Old Testament
Decrease in activity in the world
Millennium begins during Church Age with binding of the satan
“key to the abyss” is same terminology used in each recapitulation

22. Summary
Genre indicates that Revelation is not to be taken strictly literally nor chronologically
The millennium appears to be marked by the reign of the saints and Christ in the heavenly realms, not on earth.
When is the satan bound? It appears during Christ’s earthly ministry

23. Amillennialism Critique

24. Problems with Amillennialism
Should these verses be allegorized?
Is the satan bound?
If so, why all the evil in the world?
Is God done with the Jews?

25. Premillennialism Critique

26. Problems with Premillennialism
The second coming of Christ + final judgement seems to come together as a unit. There does not seem to be warrant to divide it with a 1,000 year block
The genre of Revelation (especially numeric symbolism) does not seem to bear the weight of a literal 1,000 year period
The genre seems hard pressed to support a “history in advance” view.

27. Discussion