Excursus: The Millennium
The doctrine of the "Millennium" has proven to be one of the most controversial and divisive topics in Christian theology. Dr. Brighton does not exaggerate in the least when he contends:
"No other portion of Revelation has caused more confusion and consternation than the first six verses of chapter 20, which describe what has come to be known as the millennium. One could receive the impression from the amount of interest caused by these verses that they are the most important and influential in the entire book." (Brighton, p. 533)
This distorted emphasis is most unfortunate in that it detracts from the real message of encouragement and hope which God offers His people in this remarkable book of prophecy.
The term "millennium" is derived from the Latin words "mille" (one thousand) and "annus" (year). The two words are combined to form the compound "millennium" which refers to a period of one thousand years. Historically, millennialism is also known as "chiliasm" from "chilia," the Greek word for one thousand. Millennial opinion can be summarized in four basic categories, although numerous variations exist within each of them. Each utilizes a prefix which signals their perspective on the millennium and the timing of Christ’s return in relation to it. Thus, premillennialists believe that Christ will return before the 1,000 years (Latin - "pre" = before). Postmillennialists believe that Christ will return after the 1,000 years (Latin "post" = after). Those who do not believe that the Bible teaches a literal 1,000 year reign of Christ on earth are known as amillennialists utilizing the Greek negative prefix "a". The four basic categories of millennial opinion in Christian history are: (1) dispensational premillennialism; (2) historic premillennialism; (3) postmillennialism; and, (4) amillennialism. While prominent in the early church, historic premillennialism largely disappeared after the 4th century. In the contemporary church, premillennialism is predominately dispensationalist in its orientation.
1. Dispensational Premillennialism
Dispensational premillenialism enjoys widespread popularity among conservative Protestants and fundamentalists today. It is certainly the best known millennial alternative, extensively promoted by television preachers and evangelists and best selling authors and novelists. Hal Lindsey’s The Late Great Planet Earth and its sequels, along with Tim LaHaye’s best selling novels in the Left Behind series (now both books and movies), have sold hundreds of millions of copies and popularized this view throughout American culture.
Dispensational premillennialism originated early in the 19th century in a splinter group from the Church of England known as the Plymouth Brethren. Its chief advocate was John Nelson Darby (1800-1882). The view was introduced in America and promoted by C.I. Scofield through his widely used Scofield Reference Bible. Darby, and those who follow him, argue that God’s dealings with humanity are divided into seven distinct "dispensations." Scofield defined a dispensation as "a period of time in which man is tested in regard to his obedience to some specific revelation of the will of God." Charles Ryrie offers this more detailed definition:
"A dispensation is God’s distinctive method of governing mankind or a group of men during a period of human history, marked by a crucial event, test, failure, and judgment. From the divine standpoint, it is a stewardship, a rule of life or a responsibility for managing God’s affairs in His house. From the historical standpoint, it is a stage in the progress of revelation." (Charles Ryrie, Dispensationalism Today, p. 32)
Dispensationalists list seven such periods in the history of God’s dealings with humanity: 1. Innocence (Creation -Fall); 2. Conscience (Fall - Flood); 3. Civil Government (Flood - Babel); 4. Promise (Abraham - Sinai); 5. Mosaic Law (Sinai - Pentecost); 6. Grace (Pentecost - Second Coming); 7. Millennium (Second Coming - Final Revolt).
The doctrinal touchstone of dispensationalism premillennialism is an absolute distinction between ethnic Israel and the Christian Church. Dispensationalist Lewis Sperry Chafer writes:
"Throughout the ages God is pursuing two distinct purposes; one related to the earth with earthly people and earthly objectives involved, which is Judaism; while the other is related to heaven with heavenly people and heavenly objectives, which is Christianity." (Chafer, Dispensationalism, p. 107)
Dispensationalists believe that God promised ethnic Israel a glorious earthly kingdom ruled by the Messiah. They further believe that when the Jews of Christ’s time rejected His offer of that kingdom it was postponed until some point in the future. In the meantime, often referred to as a "parenthesis,"the Gentile church was formed. That parenthesis has now endured for 2,000 years! At the end of the church age, the Lord will secretly return to carry out the Rapture. The purpose of the rapture is to remove the Gentile church from earth and thereby enable God’s promised purpose for Israel to resume. The Rapture marks the beginning of a seven year Tribulation Period during which the Antichrist will arise and God’s plan for the salvation of ethnic Israel will be accomplished. The Tribulation Period will conclude with a literal battle of Armageddon, at which time Christ will visibly return to begin His 1,000 year reign in Jerusalem over the earthly kingdom promised to Israel.
19th Century Presbyterian scholar Phillip Mauro said it well when he characterized premillennial dispensationalism as "a humanly contrived system that has been imposed on the Bible and not a scheme of doctrine derived from the Bible." (Engelder, p. 335) Lutheran theologian C.H. Little concurs while emphasizing the historic link between millennialism and the heretical fringes of the church:
"This doctrine has been the rallying point of heretics and fanatics from the earliest period the church down to the present day. It is the characteristic doctrine of the Ebionites and the Montanists of the early church; of the mystics of the Middle Ages; of the Anabaptists of the Reformation era; and of such modern sects as the Adventists. The Russellites and others in our own day...We conclude that the doctrine of the millennium finds no support from Revelation 20 and is also without any Scriptural support. In many respects it stands in actual contradiction to the clear statements of Scripture." (Engelder, p. 494)
Dr. John Stephenson offers an incisive critique of dispensational premillennialism in his recent volume on "Eschatology" in the Confessional Lutheran Dogmatics series. Dr. Stephenson laments the fact that "North American Protestantism stands in large part under the spell of Gospel-destroying dispensationalist error." Stephenson observes that dispensationalism’s confusion extends far beyond the millennium itself to involve virtually every aspect of Bible teaching on the last things:
"Not only does dispensationalism concoct a fictitious sign of our Lord’s coming through its fantasies concerning God’s purposes with respect to ethnic Jews; it also breeds errors under the headings of the parousia, the general resurrection of the dead, the last judgement, and even heaven itself."
He argues that Scripture clearly teaches that God’s people in Christ, both Jew and Gentile, are the New Israel and that once this Biblical truth is recognized dispensationalism collapses: "With this demonstration that the church is Israel, the whole dispensationalist house of cards tumbles to the ground." The manner in which dispensationalists interpret Scripture is backwards, Dr. Stephenson insists:
"At the root of the lurid dispensationalist delight in fantasy - which loves to use figurative apocalyptic sections of the Bible as fodder for something akin to science fiction - lies a breathtaking hermeneutical perversity. Lutherans have followed the Reformer by interpreting obscure passages of Scripture in light of clear texts; dispensationalists do the very opposite, beclouding clear texts by interpreting them in light of eccentric and unprovable expositions of obscure passages. "
He comes to the heart of the matter in his perceptive conclusion that: "A golden age for Christendom to be granted within this worldly time and space is a dream without Scriptural warrant imagined by those in full flight from the theology of the cross." (Stephenson, pp.83-94). Martin Franzmann offers a similar assessment, concluding that " the millennial hope," " the desire to have and enjoy a visible victory before the final victory of the Crucified" in fact constitutes " a subtle and unconscious form of objection to the Crucified...who in His wisdom and power keeps the church hidden under the cross, and He has promised to be with His church, under the cross, "to the close of the age." (Franzmann, p. 133)
The Missouri Synod’s Commission on Theology and Church Relations summarized Lutheran concerns about dispensation premillennialism in eleven points:
"1. Dispensational premillenialism teaches that the Messiah and His kingdom promised in the Old Testament are essentially political in nature. In this respect, it takes a position which resembles the Messianic expectation of first-century Judaism (cf. AC XVII). Christ’s atoning work on the cross is not central in God’s plan according to this view. Rather, He is wrongly perceived as coming to set up a this-worldly kingdom, and when rejected, as postponing it.
2. The view regards the Messianic age as only a future reality. It tends to exchange the "now" for a "not yet," thereby depriving people of the comforting promises of the Gospel in the present. In truth, Christ inaugurated the kingdom of heaven at His first advent, a kingdom which is now ours by faith even while it is yet hidden under the cross until its consummation at Christ’s second advent.
3. Dispensational premillennialism tends to regard the glory of God as the center of theology, rather than the mercy of God revealed, and yet hidden, in the suffering and death of Jesus on the cross for the sins of the world. The visible manifestations of God’s power at the end of history and obedience to the will of God become the primary foci, instead of the grace of God revealed in the cross of Jesus Christ (1 Cor.2:2) - which by faith the Christian regards and accepts as God’s definitive triumph over sin and every evil (in Lutheran theology, the "theology of the cross" as opposed to a "theology of glory").
4. Dispensational premillennialism underestimates, and even ignores the significance of Biblical typology. Al prophecy points to Jesus Christ as the fulfillment. He is the antitype of the Old Testament types. When the reality to which the Old Testament points does come, one cannot revert back to the "shadows," such as the Old Testament temple (Col. 2:16-17; Hebrews 10:1).
5. The compartmentalization of Scripture into distinct dispensations seriously overlooks the Law/Gospel unity of the Old and New Testaments. For example, it makes a radical distinction between the Mosaic "law" period and the church age of "grace." The relationship between the Old and New Testaments is that of promise and fulfillment, not one of distinct dispensations.
6. Ultimately, the eschatology of dispensationalism offers a dangerously false hope. The views of pre-tribulation or mid-tribulation rapture offer the Christian the false hope of exemption from the intensified persecution toward the end. Moreover, they offer a second chance of conversion for those who are left after the rapture. The focus of Scripture’s hope is not on an earthly kingdom lasting 1,000 years but eternity with Christ.
7. The dispensationalist view of a radical break between Israel and the church contradicts the Scriptural teaching that the cross of Christ has eliminated forever the distinction between Jew and Gentile (Gal. 3:28; Eph. 2:11-12; Rom. 2:25-29).
8. The dispensational hermeneutic of consistent literalism is contrary to the Scripturally derived principles of interpretation.
9. Dispensationalism’s multiple resurrections and judgments are contrary to the clear Scriptural teaching on eschatology.
10. The assurance and hope of salvation tend to be grounded on an interpretation of the signs of the times rather than on the sure Word of promise imparted in the means of grace.
11. The sacraments of Holy Baptism and the Lord’s Supper, both of which are important for a Biblical understanding of eschatology, have little place in dispensationalist teaching."
(CTCR, "Eschatology" pp.42-43)2. Historic Premillennialism
Historic premillennialism also teaches that Christ will return prior to a literal 1,000 year reign on earth. However, the theological peculiarities of dispensationalism are absent in this view. Historic premillennialists believe that Christ will return at the end of the tribulation and that the dead in Christ will rise to meet Him in the air and return with Him to earth. Christ will then slay the Antichrist, bind Satan, and inaugurate His millennial kingdom. At some point in this process, a general conversion of the Jews will also occur. Christ and His redeemed, both Jew and Gentile will reign over the unbelieving nations still on earth. Sin and death will still exist, but overall evil will be restrained. The 1,000 years will be a time of unprecedented social, political, and economic justice and great prosperity. At the end of the 1,000 years Satan will be loosed and the nations will rise in one final assault against God’s people. Satan and his followers will be destroyed and the resurrection of the unbelieving dead will take place. At that point, the final judgment will mark the beginning of eternity. This view was advocated by some fathers of the early church, most notably Papias, Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, Tertullian, and Hippolytus. By the third century the orthodox church, largely under the leadership of St. Augustine, had rejected premillennialism as contrary to Scripture. Reflecting this view, the Roman Catholic Church today continues to identify premillennialism in both its historic and dispensational variations as heresy.
3. Postmillennialism
Postmillennialism teaches that Christ will return in judgment after a prolonged period of triumphant Christianity. Postmillennialists do not believe that Christ will reign on earth during this period nor that it will necessarily be exactly 1,000 years in length. The millennium will arrive gradually under the increasing influence of Christianity. Evil will be reduced and overcome as human progress moves ever forward, constantly improving social, economic, and cultural conditions. Peace and prosperity will abound until the entire world progresses to a point where Christian beliefs and values will become the norm for all nations. Developments in education and science will minimize and ultimately eliminate disease, suffering, poverty and war. At the end of this golden age of prosperity and peace, Christ will return and the resurrection and judgment will mark the commencement of eternity. The optimistic view of postmillennialism dominated much of mainline Protestantism at the turn of the 20th century. Human progress seemed unstoppable. A social gospel which sought the elimination of poverty and war had very nearly replaced the Biblical gospel of salvation by grace through faith in Christ. Scripture’s assertion of original sin and human depravity were spurned as antiquated and irrelevant to modern man. Things were better than they had every been and it seemed that there were no limits to what modern enlightened man could accomplish. Then came two world wars, the rise and domination of totalitarian dictatorships over much of the world, and the nuclear standoff of the cold war. In the aftermath of these grim realities postmillennialism has virtually disappeared in the contemporary church. Its optimism now seems hopelessly unrealistic.
4. Amillennialism
Amillennialism rejects the doctrine of a literal 1,000 year earthly reign of Christ. In the amillennialist view, the 1,000 years of Revelation 20 are a numerological symbol (10 x 10 x10) for the entire New Testament era, the interval between Christ’s first and second comings.
Amillennialism is the doctrine of historic Chrstendom. It was affirmed both by Roman Catholicism and the leaders of the Reformation. Martin Luther rejected the "false notion" of an earthly millennium as a basic misunderstanding of the nature of the church and salvation. God does not promise His church a life of ease and glory here on earth. Instead the faithful Christian can expect only hardship and tribulation, for the devil will relentlessly attack the Gospel "with tongue and sword until the end of the world." "Wherever the Gospel is, one must expect all sorts of plagues, for the devil will assault that Gospel with all of his hordes and his lies." Luther lumps together the Jews of Christ’s time, the heretics of the early church, the Turks, and the Anabaptists of his own day, as those who have been beguiled by an illusion of worldly ease and glory. (St,L.VII, pp.1289-1290). The Reformer’s insight penetrates directly to the heart of the matter, as is so often the case. Herein lies millennialism’s basic danger. Millennial dreams direct the hope and expectation of humanity away from the spiritual treasure of the forgiveness of sins toward that which is much more attractive to our sinful human natures, the worldly pleasures of an earthly kingdom.
"When chiliasm actually enters the heart, it diverts the Christian heart and mind from the hidden spiritual glory of the Christian life, which consists in the assurance of the forgiveness of sins and of future heavenly heritage, and puts in place of it the expectation of external and earthly grandeur." (Pieper, III, p. 592)
This malignant pattern can be clearly observed in the crass assertions of dispensationalism. The alleged "secret rapture," after which no believer will be left behind, purports to grant Christians an exemption from the very trials which our Lord urged them to patiently endure, just as He endured the cross for us.
"The fantasy of the earthly church’s being raptured into Christ’s immediate presence while great tribulation rages below has not a little to do with the refusal of the flesh of dispensationalists to accept the fact that Christian existence in the world is a life lived under the cross. Christians are called to suffer in and with and for the world, not to lord it over the world in some airtight provisional heaven whence they may behold the final great tribulation in the manner of popcorn munching couch potatoes watching a horror movie."(Stephenson, p. 90)
The cross is reduced to the status of an afterthought in the complex fantasies of dispensational premillennialism. Christ, the rejected King, dies there only because Israel would not have Him. The good news of forgiveness in His blood is relegated to a distinctly secondary position in the entirety of God’s plan of salvation. Dr. Scofield calls the primary form of the Gospel "the Gospel of the Kingdom." The kingdom he has in mind is the earthly realm which God has prepared for ethnic Israel: "The Gospel of the Kingdom. This is the good news that God proposes to set up on the earth, in fulfillment of the Davidic covenant (2 Samuel 7:16) a kingdom, political, spiritual, Israelitish, universal, over which God’s Son, David heir, shall be King, which shall be, for 1,000 years, the manifestation of the righteousness of God in human affairs." (Scofield, p. 1343) Such delusions are at best a distraction from the precious gospel of salvation. At worst, they threaten to become a replacement for it.