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Author
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Topic: Amillennialism
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Carol Swenson
Admin
Member # 6929
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posted
Michael ![[Smile]](smile.gif)
We can't "know" the future in the same way that we know the past or know the present. But I believe in the promises of God, and I agree with the article I posted above
quote:
Also, the fact that fulfilled prophecy was fulfilled literally is the best reason of all for assuming that unfulfilled prophecy will also be literally fulfilled. The prophecies concerning Christ's first coming were all fulfilled literally. Therefore, prophecies concerning Christ's second coming should also be expected to be fulfilled literally.
The Old Testament has many prophecies concerning the Messiah. Half of them were ignored because the people during Jesus' first advent wanted to believe that He would be a warrior King who would liberate them from the Romans. When He came, they didn't recognize Him; they murdered Him.
It isn't right to say the past was literal but the future is not literal as the amillennialists do. There is a lot of information to support the premillennial view, some of it posted under the "reign of Christ" topic.
Posts: 6787 | From: Colorado | Registered: Dec 2007
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Michael Z
Advanced Member
Member # 8389
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posted
Don't you find it kind of hard to know for sure, the exact events that will occur at the end times?
I am in a Calvary Chapel church, where the official position is pre-trib with Jesus returning after the Tribulation, yet I find some scripture to dispute it. Yet my pastor makes a lot of good points. I certainly would not leave my church because of this, nor do I think my pastor is engaged in false teaching. And frankly I don't know enough to even start to think I am any kind of Bible authority compared to my pastor. So I do not think it is a critical issue. But maybe it is - feel free to correct me on this if so.
Not trying to be critical of what you posted. Just wondering if any Bible teachers can be sure. For sure sure that is. And I am very sad to see people leave churches or have heated disputes over it. OK to discuss and read Scripture related though, in a friendly manner.
Christ died for our sins, is the Way the Truth, and the Life. We must be Born Again. And He IS coming again!
Posts: 46 | Registered: Nov 2010
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Carol Swenson
Admin
Member # 6929
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posted
Amillennialism is the name given to the belief that there will not be a literal 1000-year reign of Christ. The people who hold to this belief are called amillennialists. The prefix “a-” in amillennialism means “no” or “not.” Hence, “amillennialism” means “no millennium.” This differs from the most widely accepted view called premillennialism (the view that Christ’s second coming will occur prior to His millennial kingdom and that the millennial kingdom is a literal 1000-year reign) and from the less-widely accepted view called postmillennialism (the belief that Christ will return after Christians, not Christ Himself, have established the kingdom on this earth).
However, in fairness to amillennialists, they do not believe that there is no millennium at all. They just do not believe in a literal millennium—a literal 1000-year reign of Christ on earth. Instead, they believe that Christ is now sitting on the throne of David and that this present church age is the kingdom over which Christ reigns. There is no doubt that Christ is now sitting on a throne, but this does not mean that it is what the Bible refers to as the throne of David. There is no doubt that Christ now rules, for He is God. Yet this does not mean He is ruling over the millennial kingdom.
In order for God to keep His promises to Israel and His covenant with David (2 Samuel 7:8-16, 23:5; Psalm 89:3-4), there must be a literal, physical kingdom on this earth. To doubt this is to call into question God’s desire and/or ability to keep His promises, and this opens up a host of other theological problems. For example, if God would renege on His promises to Israel after proclaiming those promises to be “everlasting,” how could we be sure of anything He promises, including the promises of salvation to believers in the Lord Jesus? The only solution is to take Him at His word and understand that His promises will be literally fulfilled.
Clear biblical indications that the kingdom will be a literal, earthly kingdom are:
1) Christ's feet will actually touch the Mount of Olives prior to the establishment of His kingdom (Zechariah 14:4, 9);
2) During the kingdom, the Messiah will execute justice and judgment on the earth (Jeremiah 23:5-8);
3) The kingdom is described as being under heaven (Daniel 7:13-14, 27);
4) The prophets foretold of dramatic earthly changes during the kingdom (Acts 3:21; Isaiah 35:1-2, 11:6-9, 29:18, 65:20-22; Ezekiel 47:1-12; Amos 9:11-15); and
5) The chronological order of events in Revelation indicates the existence of an earthly kingdom prior to the conclusion of world history (Revelation 20).
The amillennial view comes from using one method of interpretation for unfulfilled prophecy and another method for non-prophetic Scripture and fulfilled prophecy. Non-prophetic Scripture and fulfilled prophecy are interpreted literally or normally. But, according to the amillennialist, unfulfilled prophecy is to be interpreted spiritually, or non-literally. Those who hold to amillennialism believe that a “spiritual” reading of unfulfilled prophecy is the normal reading of the texts. This is called using a dual hermeneutic. (Hermeneutics is the study of the principles of interpretation.) The amillennialist assumes that most, or all, unfulfilled prophecy is written in symbolic, figurative, spiritual language. Therefore, the amillennialist will assign different meanings to those parts of Scripture instead of the normal, contextual meanings of those words.
The problem with interpreting unfulfilled prophecy in this manner is that this allows for a wide range of meanings. Unless you interpret Scripture in the normal sense, there will not be one meaning. Yet God, the ultimate author of all of Scripture, did have one specific meaning in mind when He inspired the human authors to write. Though there may be many life applications in a passage of Scripture, there is only one meaning, and that meaning is what God intended it to mean. Also, the fact that fulfilled prophecy was fulfilled literally is the best reason of all for assuming that unfulfilled prophecy will also be literally fulfilled. The prophecies concerning Christ's first coming were all fulfilled literally. Therefore, prophecies concerning Christ's second coming should also be expected to be fulfilled literally. For these reasons, an allegorical interpretation of unfulfilled prophecy should be rejected and a literal or normal interpretation of unfulfilled prophecy should be adopted. Amillennialism fails in that it uses inconsistent hermeneutics, namely, interpreting unfulfilled prophecy differently from fulfilled prophecy.
http://www.gotquestions.org/amillennialism.html
Posts: 6787 | From: Colorado | Registered: Dec 2007
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