Historic premillennialism
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Historic premillennialism is one of the two premillennial systems of Christian eschatology, with the other being dispensational premillennialism.[1] It differs from dispensational premillennialism in that it only has one view of the rapture, and does not require a literal seven-year tribulation (though some adherents do believe in a seven-year tribulation). Historic premillennialists hold to a posttribulational rapture, meaning the church is raised to meet Christ in the air after the trials experienced during the Great Tribulation.[2] Historic premillennialism does not require that apocalyptic prophecies be interpreted literally.[3][4] The doctrine is called "historic" because many early church fathers appear to have held it, including Irenaeus, Justin Martyr, and Papias.[5] Posttribulational premillennialism is the Christian eschatological view that the second coming of Jesus Christ will occur prior to a thousand-year reign of the saints but subsequent to the Great Apostasy (and to any tribulation).
Comparison
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Premillennialism is a view alternative to both postmillennialism, which teaches that the Second Coming of Jesus will occur after a thousand-year period of righteousness, and to amillennialism, which teaches that the thousand-year period is not meant to be taken literally but is the current church/messianic age. The two major species of premillennialism are historic and dispensational premillennialism, the latter of which is associated with pretribulational and midtribulational views. See the summary of Christian eschatological differences.
A major difference between historic and dispensational premillennialism is the view of the church in relation to Israel. Historic premillennialists do not see so sharp a distinction between Israel and the church as the dispensationalists do, but instead view believers of all ages as part of one group, now revealed as the body of Christ. Thus, historic premillennialists see no issue with the church going through the Great Tribulation, and their system does not require a separate pretribulational rapture of some believers as the dispensational system does.
History
[edit | edit source]Premillennialism was supported by in the early church by Papias,[6] Irenaeus, Justin Martyr,[5] Tertullian,[7] Pseudo-Barnabas,[8] Methodius, Lactantius,[9] Commodianus,[10] Theophilus,[11] Melito,[12] Hippolytus of Rome, Victorinus of Pettau,[13][14] Nepos, Julius Africanus, Commodianus, Tatian[15] and Montanus.[16] However, the premillennial views of Montanus probably affected the later rejection of premillennialism in the Church, as Montanism was seen as a heresy.[15]
Proponents of historic premillennialism include Baptists, Presbyterians, the Christian and Missionary Alliance, and several Evangelical groups. Individual proponents of historic premillennialism include: John Gill,[17] Robert Shank, Charles Spurgeon, Mike Bickle,[17][18] Benjamin Wills Newton (a contemporary and fierce theological rival of the father of dispensationalism, John Nelson Darby), George Eldon Ladd,[19] Albert Mohler,[20] Clarence Bass, John Piper,[21] Francis Schaeffer, D. A. Carson,[22][23][24] Gordon Clark,[17] Bryan Chapell,[25] and Carl F. H. Henry.[26]
See also
[edit | edit source]References
[edit | edit source]- ^ Reverend Doctor Stephen Call "Overview of Eschatology"(2019)
- ^ Reverend Doctor Stephen Call "Premillennialism"(2021)
- ^ Reverend Doctor Stephen Call "Historic Premillennialism" (2019)
- ^ Moody Handbook of Theology
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- ^ ”Among the Apostolic Fathers Barnabas is the first and the only one who expressly teaches a pre-millennial reign of Christ on earth. He considers the Mosaic history of the creation a type of six ages of labor for the world, each lasting a thousand years, and of a millennium of rest, since with God ‘one day is as a thousand years.’ Millennial Sabbath on earth will be followed by an eight and eternal day in a new world, of which the Lord’s Day (called by Barnabas ‘the eighth day’) is the type" (access The Epistle of Barnabas here). Philip Schaff, History of the Christian Church, Vol. 2 (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, n.d.) 382.
- ^ Insruct. adv. Gentium Deos, 43, 44.
- ^ According to the Encyclopedia of the Early Church “Commodian (mid 3rd c.) takes up the theme of the 7000 years, the last of which is the millennium (Instr. II 35, 8 ff.).” M. Simonetti, “Millenarism,” 560.
- ^ Against Marcion, book 3 chp 25
- ^ Simonetti writes in the Encyclopedia of the Early Church “We know that Melito was also a millenarian" regarding Jerome's reference to him as a chiliast. M. Simonetti, “Millenarism,” 560.
- ^ Note this is Victorinus of Pettau not Marcus Piav(v)onius Victorinus the Gaelic Emperor
- ^ In his Commentary on Revelation and from the fragment De Fabrica Mundi (Part of a commentary on Genesis). Jerome identifies him as a premillennialist.
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- ^ Charles H. Spurgeon and Eschatology Archived 2007-08-05 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Direction: A Commentary on the Revelation of John
- ^ Al Mohler at Dauphin Way Baptist Church, March 29, 2009
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Further reading
[edit | edit source]- Blomberg, Craig L. & Chung, Sung Wook, eds. A Case for Historic Premillennialism: An Alternative to "Left Behind" Eschatology. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 2009. Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- Mathewson, David & Chung, Sung Wook, Models of Premillennialism. Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock, 2018. Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- Ladd, George. "The Blessed Hope." Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1980. Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).