GRPL Ping
Judging by all the religious threads I’ve read here over the years, with all the animosity and all the different views, I’d say few of the teachings are really that clear...otherwise, it seems, there would be more agreement.
The Bible clearly teaches a premillennial return of Christ.
a) Revelation plainly states that Christ’s thousand year reign begins after the devil is bound for a thousand years. Some claim this could be poetic language, not to be taken literally, but that is nonsense. To paraphrase A.W. Tozer, if your sweetheart wrote you a love letter filled with literal statements and poetic metaphors, it would be easy to tell which are which, and the same is true of the Book of Revelation.
b) It is prepostrous to think that THIS is the millennial reign of peace and holiness described in the OT and NT prophecies. Can anyone honestly say they believe the devil is currently bound and exercising no influence over the world? If THIS is the 1,000 year reign of Christ, I’m afraid it was highly overrated.
c) Far too many OT prophecies could only be fulfilled with a premillennial return of Christ.
Post-millennialism is pure nonsense. Amillennialism is slightly less ridiculous, but still clearly wrong.
This is not to be confused with the timing of the rapture, in relation to the return of Christ, which I believe is uncertain, quite possibly intentionally so, on God’s part.
Amillenialism. It neither denies nor ignores any part of the Scriptures, nor does it pit certain verses against others.
Actually, the Bible doesn’t “clearly teach against” Dispensational Premillennialism. LOL Although, I know many Bible students who are convinced it does. Boy are they gonna be surprised!
I’m sure we’ll all find out eventually. Until then, I don’t see the need to get into arguements over it.
We should spend less time worrying over when God will do what and more time concerned what God will do with us.
The game the Amillennialists play is to point out the errors of Dispensationalism, and then present their doctrine as the only alternative. Never mentioning there is another view that is not Dispensational - Historic Premillennialism. They want prospective converts to be kept in the dark about it.
Historic Premillennialism, by the way, is Post-trib, and believes the church is to play the central role in the tribulation and the millennial.
Historic Premillennialism is “historic” because it represents the view of such early post-Apostolic church fathers as Justin Martyr, Ireneaus, Tertullian, Hypollutus, Lactanius, etc. Dispensationalism, on the other hand, is a modern invention, early 19th century Britain.