This view of the millennium tries to take a literal approach to this passage. Christ will return as was promised and will set up a physical kingdom in this fallen world. He will rule over all the earth, and it will be a utopia. At the end of it, there is a great battle where Jesus defeats Satan for the last time and then the earth is destroyed and replaced with a new earth and the judgment takes place.
There are several variants to this dealing with when Christ will return. And it is centered around the Great Tribulation. The Pre-Trib folks say He will return before the Great Tribulation. The Mid-Tribs say he will return in the middle, and the Post-Tribs believe it will be at the end. All these believe in a literal seven years of tribulation as has not been seen since the foundation of the world. The Beast and the false prophets arise during this seven years of chaos. Christ’s return is focused on rapturing all believers, living or dead. Then when the Millennium begins, they will reign with him physically as servants in the kingdom.
The premillennial dogma is fairly modern and was not something John’s readers would have found comforting if they understood it the way we do today. That’s because it deals with events that would occur centuries after they were dead and gone.
There are some glimpses of veracity in premillennialism. It at least matches the pattern of the travail and then miraculous rescue of God’s people found throughout history. Its problems arise with trying to figure out a literal interpretation of apocalyptic literature, something John never intended. It’s like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. One always finds something that just doesn’t make sense.
There are several variants to this dealing with when Christ will return. And it is centered around the Great Tribulation. The Pre-Trib folks say He will return before the Great Tribulation. The Mid-Tribs say he will return in the middle, and the Post-Tribs believe it will be at the end. All these believe in a literal seven years of tribulation as has not been seen since the foundation of the world. The Beast and the false prophets arise during this seven years of chaos. Christ’s return is focused on rapturing all believers, living or dead. Then when the Millennium begins, they will reign with him physically as servants in the kingdom.
The premillennial dogma is fairly modern and was not something John’s readers would have found comforting if they understood it the way we do today. That’s because it deals with events that would occur centuries after they were dead and gone.
There are some glimpses of veracity in premillennialism. It at least matches the pattern of the travail and then miraculous rescue of God’s people found throughout history. Its problems arise with trying to figure out a literal interpretation of apocalyptic literature, something John never intended. It’s like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. One always finds something that just doesn’t make sense.
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