Understanding The Bible |
BY THE AUTHOR
Dr. Clarence E. Mason, Jr.
Philadelphia College of Bible
1970
Edited by Dr. Clarence E. Mason, Jr.
SECTION I
INTRODUCTION
Premillennialism designates that teaching which maintains
that Christ's second advent precedes, and is the basic factor in,
the establishment of the predicted glorious 1000 year kingdom of
righteousness and peace upon the earth. During that time Christ,
with His saints, will exercise His kingly authority over the earth
from Jerusalem (cp. Isa. 11:1-9; Jer. 23:5-6; Micah 3:8-4:5; Rev.
19:11-20:10). This view is based upon the literal, grammatical,
historical method of interpretation of Scripture, which is the normal
method of interpretation.
The word Premillennialism is derived from the Latin words (mille,
thousand; annus, year) meaning a thousand years, to which the prefix
pre- (from Latin, meaning before) and the suffix -ism (from Greek,
denoting a_ doctrine) have been added. Therefore, the word designates
the belief that Christ's second coming will precede the millennium
or the 1000 years mentioned in Rev. 20:1-6. (In the early Church
this view was called Chiliasm, based on the Greek word for thousand.)
Of course, the kingdom to be established by Christ will be an everlasting
kingdom, for the millennium is just the first phase of that eternal
kingdom. The word premillennial merely pinpoints the time of the
predicted second coming of Christ to the earth as related to the
establishment of that kingdom.
Postmillennialism is the teaching that Christ's second coming will
be after (post-) the millennium has been established through the
preaching of the gospel or through human ability, or after that
kingdom has run its course of a thousand years. The keynote of postmillennialism
is progress. According to post millenarians, the millennium is not
ushered in by a cataclysmic coming of Christ, but through human
endeavor, which includes but is not limited to the preaching of
the gospel. This view is not widely held today.
Postmillennialism is based upon a figurative method of interpretation
which is called spiritualization.
Amillennialism is a theological position which denies that
Christ will reign personally upon the earth for a thousand years
following His second coming. It views the present period between
the two advents as the millennium and holds that Christ is now fulfilling
His kingly office as He rules from heaven over the saints on earth.
The binding of Satan (Rev. 20:1-3) is taken to mean that Christ
through His work on the cross has broken the power of Satan over
man. Amillennialists are not optimistic about man's ability to convert
the world through the gospel. They believe that a period of tribulation
will precede the second coming and that following His coming there
will be a general resurrection and a general judgment which will
conclude time and introduce the eternal state.
Amillennialism would be better described as non-millennialism. (The
a at the beginning of the word is a Greek way of making it negative.)
The position is also based upon a figurative method of interpretation.
"Before the times of the ages" (ages of time) | "during the times of ages" (ages of time) | "NOW" in this present time |
"Saved. . .called... given in Christ" 2 Tim. 1:9 | "NOW made manifest by appearing of JX" 2 Tim. 1:10 | |
"eternal life... promised" Titus 1:2 | "in due time manifested. .. His word" Titus 1:3 | |
"kept secret in times of the ages" Rom. 16:25 | by "my gospel.. .NOW made manifest" Rom. 16:25-26 "NOW revealed" | |
"in
other generations not made known..." Eph. 3:3-11
(vv.3-5) "from the ages hid in God" Eph. 3:9 |
"As
it is NOW revealed" Eph. 3:5 "NOW... might be known" Eph. 3:10 |
|
"hid in generations and ages" Col. 1:26 | "NOW made manifest' Col. 1:26 |
This is not the case. Actually the only conditional covenant
(the Mosaic) has no cut-off point brought about by human failure,
for human failure took place even before Moses brought down
the tables of stone from the mount, nor to mention (lie continual
declension and ultimate apostasy of the northern and southern
kingdoms. Calvary was God's appointed time for the cut-off of
the Mosaic Covenant. Israelitish failure did not and could not
bring the covenant to an end. God disclosed that the covenant
was to be in force "until the Seed should come ... when
the fullness of the time was come" (Gal. 3:19; 4:4).
Thus, again it is emphasized that the distinction between the
conditional and unconditional covenant is the method of its
institution by God, rather than the content of the covenant
itself or its implementation in human experience.
"Mason's Notes"
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