Versus Postmillennialism
Postmillennialism, an eschatological position or framework, seems to be making a comeback. When I say that, I still think a relatively small minority of professing Christians are postmillennial. The events of the twentieth century, namely two world wars, killed postmillennialism with most people. However, partly because of renewed popularity of Calvinism and reformed theology, many more are arguing for postmillennialism again. This eschatological position has its same major problems, but more treat it favorably right now than I’ve ever seen.
The rise of postmillennialism dovetails also with the promotion of Christian nationalism. The idea of Christian nationalism parallels with postmillennialism. In most ways, postmillennialism has become an American thing. Christian patriots back their fervent patriotism with an eschatological position and argument. Postmillennialism isn’t true, but it’s attractive in numbers of ways because of its optimism.
To believe in postmillennialism, advocates commonly caricature and trash premillennialism. They also take extremes of premillennialism, the wackiest among premillennialists, as representative of the whole. One particular attack is upon the pessimism of premillennialism. The language of pessimism is that “we lose down here.” Another one is that “everything’s got to get worse before it’s going to get better.”
Pessimism Is Wrongful Premillennialism
Premillennialists apparently can embrace the downfall and destruction of a present age. I believe that pessimism is not a biblical attitude. Premillennialists should reject pessimism. I don’t believe pessimism is the natural consequence of a literal approach to scripture. As I see it, the pessimism is a human construct that rises from an extreme form of separation. It’s what some might characterize as a “holy huddle, waiting for the rapture.”
The optimism of premillennialism should come from a joyous literal, grammatical-historical interpretation of scripture. Premillennialists look forward to the kingdom of Jesus Christ, but Jesus is King to true Christians right now. Jesus has not rescinded the cultural mandate in Genesis 1:26-31. True belief and practice of scripture applies all of scripture to all of the world. Believers should say something about everything to which the Bible applies, which is to everything.
Professing true believers, premillennial ones, very often and incoherently have reduced Christian living to delivering people quickly before Jesus comes back. Time is so short that they don’t have time for much of what scripture teaches. Instead, they should obey all of the Great Commission, that is, teaching believers to obey all the commands of Jesus Christ. Premillennial believers should represent the future kingdom in the age in which we live. That’s true conversion.
Pessimistic Postmillennialism
As a bit of an aside, postmillennialism is also pessimistic. It might think that the church will bring a future state with Jesus in charge. In so doing, however, it crushes Israel. Israel, also elect of and by God, becomes a pessimistic casualty of postmillennialism.
Why would someone think of a cheery future for elect church with a pessimistic view of elect Israel? Postmillennialists are pessimistic about what God really said in the Bible. They can’t take it literally. Instead they formulate it to their fictional version of the future, spiritualizing a gigantic chunk of scripture. I wouldn’t call that optimistic.
A primary basis for believing a positive view of my future, both near and far, is that God keeps His promises. He has done and will do that with Israel. The two go together. This results in a short term observation that God preserves Israel, a right, optimistic way to see the world. The Iranian drone or missile attack this year saw 99 percent failure. That could create some pessimism for postmillennialists, who bank on the replacement of Israel.
Right View of Imminence
A belief of dispensational premillennialists is imminence. Imminence means that we don’t know when Christ will return. Christ could come back in the next hour or in the next millennia. Believers can derive hope in dark times from imminence. That is realistic. However, premillennialists don’t know. The purification that comes from the accurate, rightful belief in imminence should attach itself to obedience to everything that the Bible says.
I’m very okay with a Christian nation. Churches can’t jump to that. Several steps come in between, but biblical Christians should have something to say about how true Christianity will shape a nation.
For instance, patriarchy is not a postmillennial position. That’s a biblical position. Premillennialists should not be silent on such things as the patriarchy just because they don’t think they have time to do it. That isn’t true belief in imminency. Premillennialists too should support all the biblical beliefs that could transform a nation, just like they will transform the world when Jesus reigns over it.
I call for dispensational premillennialists, who teach the true biblical eschatology, to embrace and promote optimism. That doesn’t mean we believe in the world system. The answer isn’t there, of course. However, dispensational premillennial churches should teach everything that the Bible teaches about everything. That is Christianity. Enjoy that. Help people in every area of life!
Kent wrote:
“I’m very okay with a Christian nation. Churches can’t jump to that. Several steps come in between, but biblical Christians should have something to say about how true Christianity will shape a nation.”
You OK with a Christian nation, but not OK with the body of Christ being organized as “a HOLY nation” (1 Peter 2:9), a royal priesthood that is governed as the “Israel of God” (Galatians 6:16) based on the church being as one body, having one mind?
Your premise has a flavor of a “mixed multitude” of God’s people and the world running a nation. That only brings confusion.
Mine is at least a biblical attempt to work together as the scriptures tells us to think and do as elders, “to feed the church of God” (Acts 20:28, 1 Corinthians 10:32, 15:9) based on the gifts given to it in Ephesians 4, 1 Corinthians 12.
At least attempting to orchestrate a biblical church would give rise to righteous laws and moving a nation closer to a operating as a “Christian nation” based on the Fear of God.
What we have today is a nation turned into hell because of professing churches that have no standing in any government typology (city to federal). We are laughed and scorned at rather than being taken seriously. We are afraid to stand because we are all too separated to be any good in “fighting the good fight of faith” as a holy nation under God. It is a reason why many today are not getting saved, but rather turning over to anything but the God of the scriptures.
Tom
I don’t agree with enough things here that I’d rather not take the time to comment.
Brother Kent,
I am going to put “words in your mouth” to show you the balanced view of the scriptures:
I really do not want to understand Gods mind for his church, the one body of Christ as taught in the scriptures and therefore have no scriptural basis for actually believing in a “Christian nation” unless I understand by wisdom how to work together and to order the church as one body in Christ.
You have a one-sided “local church mentality” and are unbalanced in viewing “the church” as found in:
1> 1 Corinthians 12:12 where God gives it the gifts, even such as administration (v5), operations (v6) and governments (plural- v28).
2> As the scriptures teach, Paul brought together “the church” (Acts 20) as one body in order to teach the elders to feed it.
3> As in Acts 15, where the church came together to make sure what is sound doctrine to be taught in the church all around the world.
4> As in 1 Corinthians 1:10-13 where the house of Chloe has contentions concerning other assemblies causing division. I am of…
5> As the scriptures teach in Ephesians 3:8-10 that the eternal purpose is “the fellowship of the mystery” which is Jesus Christ and where the body of Christ ” Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,” (Ephesians 3:15)
6> It is to that body, not individual churches are given the gifts of Ephesians 4 to show that there is one body, one Spirit, etc. (Ephesians 4:4-6)
7> The obvious reason for this is given that in Christ, “the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth” (v16) in order that we as brethren “all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ” (v13). It says a perfect man, that is understood to be “For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones (5:30)
8> That there may be an equality among the brethren (2 Corinthians 8:14) where the church decided by its administration and “chosen of the churches” (v19-20) to ordain a brother who went throughout many of the local churches to collect provisions for the churches in Judea.
So, I have given you the “other side” of the church as one body. There is no such thing as the independence of the local church. That is not a biblical concept, but rather invented by the “tradition of men”.
Tom
Tom,
I’m not writing on the nature of the church in this piece at all. That’s my biggest beef with your taking this post to write on that subject. It can be hard to wait for me to write on something, just like David Thompson has to wait for me ever to write on the pre/post tribulation position on the rapture. I can’t stop and comment on any subject in the world on any and every post, especially with everything else I write. I’ve written on this subject, however, not probably an in depth single piece defending the local only position for the church. I may or may not deal with what you’ve written, because I foresee a long, long conversation. I may though, because I think you present some interesting arguments.
Well since you gave me a shout out.
1. I have tried to at least somewhat stay with the purposes of your posts in my comments of late.
2. I appreciated the purpose of this post. It challenged my thinking. I think physically we should expect persecution and toward the end of days we can expect the falling away spoken of by Christ and Paul, yet from a spiritual perspective there is great rejoicing in our current salvation and the knowledge of the fact that Christ will win the victory one day. Thanks for the encouragement.
3. Just because I couldn’t resist. I disagree that Christ could come back in the next hour, but I guess you already know that.
Brother David,
This is why it is impossible to pin down the rapture of the church. What you seem to miss is “another rapture” of the tribulation saints. You will have to study the 10 virgins (Matthew 25) and match the typology to see that “the bridegroom came and 5 went with him” to take part in the marriage of the church (end of tribulation). This topology matches the rapture of the church in either Revelation 4:1 (a door was opened- 7 year pre-tribulation) or Revelation 11:12 (Come up hither- 3.5 year pre-tribulation). I can teach either one, therefore I personally am not convinced which will God choose! What is very clear is the church is separate from Israel.
Once again, just like Kent and the church, you have an unbalanced view of the church as a dispensation that is separated from the dispensation of events that have yet to be fulfilled for Israel.
When you read Ezekiel 37-48, Daniel 7-12 (Gentile rule until 2nd advent), Isaiah 40, 58-62, Jeremiah and the minor prophets, Matthew 24, Romans 9-11 and the book of Revelation, it is clear as the nose on your face that God must rapture the church in order to prepare Israel for his 2nd advent. The Abrahamic, Mosaic and Davidic covenants have not been fulfilled.
Though the particulars and order of events as found in the book of Revelation is at times difficult to nail down, what is not difficult is the “bride of Christ” and the “marriage supper of the Lamb” which has nothing to do with the promises given to Israel that must be fulfilled.
That is so obvious in reading the book of Romans 9-11. The two (church, Israel) can exist simultaneously (3 1/2 vs 7 year tribulation) for a period of time, but the church must be raptured apart from Israel in order for God to fulfill many prophecies (about 500!) that have yet to be fulfilled. These are promised to Israel first in judgement (time of Jacobs trouble) for their obstinance as the physical “nation” (kingdom of heaven) that is to be represent world power through the Lord Jesus Christ as their King (reign in righteousness with a rod of iron- Revelation 19:15) and David as their Prince (Ezekiel 37:25).
Also, all the OT laws will be reinstituted with a priesthood and temple (Ezekiel 40-48) as well as the “constitution of the kingdom” (Matthew 5-7) for all nations, giving way for them to come to Jerusalem every year to bring gifts (Like they did to Solomon) and be judged for their faithfulness (Matthew 25:31-46).
Much more can be said, but if your eschatology is messed up concerning the church verses Israel, you will fall into the trap of “supporting Israel” (God will never overthrow the Gentile nations until just prior to his 2nd advent) rather than supporting the church in its current endeavor to preach the gospel to the world.
Tom
One more thing. The idea that we still need to practice the whole Great Commission is a good thought. Some things take time. I’m preaching through Ecclesiastes which doesn’t come across as a super necessary book in the scheme of the soon return of Christ (of course it is but the perception might be there are more important things to spend time teaching). I’ve even felt a pull to leave it to do something more “important,” but faithfully teaching God’s Word takes time and is time well spent. We don’t know when the Lord will return so we are to be using the talents He has given us in the meantime to increase His kingdom. Good thoughts that I think I’ll use on Sunday.
Good point, Bro Thompson. I agree. It takes awhile to preach through Ecclesiastes.
Thank you for writing, I agree. There is a kind of pessimistic fatalism that some premillennials hold. I’m always sad when I observe that kind of attitude, particularly because Christians triumph in Christ (2 Cor. 2:14), are to rejoice evermore (1 Thess. 5:16), and are to think on pure, lovely, just, and virtuous things (Phil. 4:8). The pessimistic premillennial thinks and talks a lot about the ugliness of the world and its problems. A Christian is to be simple in understanding evil but wise in understanding good (Rom. 16:19).
In the Parable of the Talents recorded by Luke, the servants are to occupy until the Lord returns, going about His business, and working to increase His wealth. This requires energy, motivation, discipline, and work on part of the servants. These elements when they come together are personally rewarding for the servants both in the short term, work produces happiness and optimism when done correctly, and in the long term, the servants are rewarded for their obedience. Those unhappy and fearful, were also pessimistic, at least in their behavior, and manifested their absence from the Lord’s kingdom, when he returned and judged them according to their works (Luke 19:12-27). I’m not suggesting that pessimism always equals no conversion, just that I think you can see a kind of pessimism in the servant who hid His Lord’s talent, and so for pessimistic Christians, it maybe worthwhile to think about.
These were my thoughts as I read your post.
Benjamin, right on. I appreciate your adding all those verses to this evaluation I made.