In eschatology, postmillennialism is an interpretation of chapter 20 of the Book of Revelation which sees Christ's second coming as occurring after (Latin post-) the "Millennium", a Golden Age or era of Christian prosperity and dominance. The term subsumes several similar views of the end times, and it stands in contrast to premillennialism and, to a lesser extent, amillennialism.
Key ideas[]
Although some postmillennialists hold to a literal millennium of 1,000 years, most postmillennialists see the thousand years more as a figurative term for a long period of time (similar in that respect to amillennialism). Among those holding to a non-literal "millennium" it is usually understood to have already begun, which implies a less obvious and less dramatic kind of millennium than that typically envisioned by premillennialists, as well as a more unexpected return of Christ.
Postmillennialism also teaches that the forces of Satan will gradually be defeated by the expansion of the Kingdom of God throughout history up until the second coming of Christ. This belief that good will gradually triumph over evil has led proponents of postmillennialism to label themselves "optimillennialists" in contrast to "pessimillennial" premillennialists and amillennialists.
Many postmillennialists also adopt some form of preterism, which holds that many of the end times prophecies in the Bible have already been fulfilled.
Comparison of millennial views
External links[]
- Historicism Research Foundation a Postmillennial Historicist group
- The Works of Francis Nigel Lee, promoting a postmillennial, historicist eschatology
- "Eschaton" columns by Jack Van Deventer from Credenda/Agenda magazine, promoting a postmillennial eschatology
- "An Exegetical Defense Of Postmillennialism from I Corinthians 15:24-26" A paper presented to the 1999 Evangelical Theological Society by Gregg Strawbridge
- The Beast of Revelation: Identified a DVD presentation and several articles by Kenneth Gentry and others presenting a preterist view of Revelation 13
- "Postmillennialism: Wishful Thinking or Certain Hope?", a lecture given by Kenneth Gentry
- "Confidence About the Earthly Triumph of Christ's Kingdom" by Greg Bahnsen from Journey 3:2 (March-April, 1988)
- "The Prima Facie Acceptability of Postmillennialism" by Greg Bahnsen from The Journal of Christian Reconstruction, Vol. III, No. 2, Winter, 1976-77
- Postmillennialism and Protestantism - writings on postmillennialism and against preterism
- "Millennium and Millenarianism" from the Catholic Encyclopedia
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This page uses content from the English Wikipedia. The original article was at Postmillennialism. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. |