premillennialism
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Premillennialism, in Christian eschatology, is the belief that Jesus will physically return to the Earth (the Second Coming) before the Millennium, heralding a literal thousand-year messianic age of peace. Premillennialism is based upon a literal interpretation of Revelation 20 () in the New Testament, which describes Jesus's reign in a period of a thousand years.
~27 min read
Article
23 sectionsContents
- Terminology
- Other views
- History
- Justin Martyr and Irenaeus
- Other ante-Nicene premillennialists
- Ante-Nicene opposition
- Middle Ages and the Reformation
- Augustinian eschatological foundation
- Medieval and Reformation amillennialism
- Modern era
- 17th and 18th centuries
- 19th century to present
- Historic vs. dispensational schools
- Historic school
- Dispensational school
- See also
- References
- Further reading
- Works from an amillennial or postmillennial perspective
- Works from a premillennial perspective
- Works from multiple perspectives or no apparent perspective
- Works on the history of eschatology
- External links
Premillennialism, in Christian eschatology, is the belief that Jesus will physically return to the Earth (the Second Coming) before the Millennium, heralding a literal thousand-year messianic age of peace. Premillennialism is based upon a literal interpretation of Revelation 20 () in the New Testament, which describes Jesus's reign in a period of a thousand years.
Premillennialism is in contrast to amillennialism and postmillennialism beliefs. Amillennialism interprets as pertaining to the present time, and holds that Christ currently reigns in Heaven with the departed saints. This interpretation views the symbolism of Revelation as referring to a spiritual conflict between Heaven and Hell rather than a physical conflict on Earth. Amillennialists do not view the thousand years mentioned in Revelation as a literal thousand years, but see the number "thousand" as symbolic and numerological and see the kingdom of Christ as already present in the church beginning with the Pentecost in the book of Acts. Denominations such as Oriental Orthodoxy, Eastern Orthodoxy, Catholicism, Anglicanism, Calvinism and Lutheranism are generally amillennial. Postmillennialism views the millennial rule as a Golden Age in which Christian ethics prosper through preaching and redemptive work, but occurring before the second coming.