PMW 2021-031 by Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr.
I became a postmillennialist after becoming dismayed with dispensationalism, while studying at Grace Theological seminary. But I did not leap from dispensational despair to postmillennial progress in a single bound. Nor was my move faster than a speeding bullet. Nor did I deem it necessary to wear a red cape to do this. (I’ll see how many of you watched Superman on TV in the 1950s.)
Eschatological journey
I was converted in a dispensational ministry: my dispensationalist uncle’s church in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Then I enrolled in Tennessee Temple College, a fundamentalist Baptist operated school, where I secured a B.A. in Biblical Studies. Now armed-and-dangerous with dispensational proof-texts, I set sail to Grace Theological Seminary in Winona Lake, Indiana. There I was being trained in a higher level, more scholarly version of dispensationalism.
But something did not click for me. I began seeing problems with the system, and longed for something less complicated, more clear, and more biblical. In the GTS library I stumbled upon O. T. Allis’s Prophecy and the Church. And that did it. I raptured out of dispensationalism. And never looked back (except to pick up my hat — it was snowing that day).
Rather than jumping into postmillennialism, by default I stopped off at amillennialism for about a year while in seminary. This was the final few months of my enrollment at Grace Theological Seminary and the first few of my classes at Reformed Theological Seminary in Jackson, Mississippi.
I have often called amillennialism the “parking lot” of eschatology. It is a comfortable place to get away from the eschatological debate and the heavy traffic it generates when you have “no particular place to go” (pardon me, Chuck Berry). As an amill you are not in a fast lane going north or going south. You are just sitting there conserving energy (and dreaming that one day you too may be Dutch).
Postmillennialism Made Easy (by Ken Gentry)
Basic introduction to postmillennialism. Presents the essence of the postmillennial argument and answers the leading objections. And all in a succinct, introductory fashion.
See more study materials at: www.KennethGentry.com
Yet while at Reformed Seminary, I took a class called “Eschatology and History” which was taught by Dr. Greg L. Bahnsen. He was not Dr. Bahnsen then though. He was Joe Cleveland. Just kidding. He was in process of getting his doctorate, so he did not have his Ph.D. yet. He was simply “Mr. Bahnsen.” (But his doctorate did not bestow enormous intelligence on him. He already had it, which allowed him to take all of his Ph.D. exit exams in just one week!)
Through the first few weeks of the class I resisted him. I “kicked against the goads,” you might say. But Bahnsen could be very persuasive, bringing pretty big goads against you. He was armed with a great command of the Bible and theology, as well as keen skills in logical persuasion. (And he would often throw in a little rhetoric, just for fun.) Before the semester was out: I had overhauled the ole Gentrymobile, exited the amill parking lot, and entered into the postmillennial fast lane to the future. And the rest, as they say, is aluminum foil. (Well, not many people say, that. Most will say “the rest is history,” but I like to mix things up a bit.)
Bahnsen persuaded me with his double-barreled, whole-Bible approach to eschatology. He did not load mainly from the Old Testament, nor mainly from the New Testament. He was interested in showing what the whole Bible has to say about eschatology. And the whole Bible, he argued, is postmillennial in its orientation and character.
Leading verses
Now the question arises: What verses were most influential in persuading me? Just to pick two passages from each testament, I would say in the Old Testament Psalm 72 and Isaiah 2 greatly impacted my thinking. Then in the New Testament the Kingdom Parables (Matt 13//) and the great commission (Matt 28:18-20) did the trick.
The Truth about Postmillennialism
By Ken Gentry
A group Bible study guide for explaining the optimistic prophetic hope for this world to be accomplished before Christ’s Second Coming. Establishes the postmillennial system in both the Old and New Testaments. Touches on key eschatological issues, such as creation, covenant, interpretive methodolgy, the great tribulation, the Book of Revelation, the Jewish Temple, and more. It presents and answers the leading objections to postmillennialism.Twelve chapters are ideal for one quarter of Sunday School.
See more study materials at: www.KennethGentry.com
In Psalm 72 we learn of Christ’s ruling “from the River to the ends of the earth” (Psa 72:8). And we learn that this will occur before the consummational conflagration (2 Pet 3:10-12) that produces the new heavens and new earth, because he will reign “till the moon is no more” (Psa 72:7).
In Isaiah 2 we see that God’s righteousness and peace will come with the exaltation of his kingdom “in the last days” (Isa 2:2). That is, during the last days we will witness “many peoples” streaming into the kingdom of God where they will taught God’s ways (Isa 2:2-3). Then eventually this will issue forth in worldwide peace (Isa 2:4).
This is the foundation to the New Testament hope, which Jesus promoted — and taught his disciples. In the Kingdom Parables we see that the kingdom will grow incrementally to world dominance (Matt 13:31–33).
The Old Testament hope is also the spark that leads Jesus to give his great commission. In that commissioning Jesus calls his small flock to “disciple the nations” so that they might be baptized and learn to observe all things he teaches us (Matt 28:18–20).
These are not the only verses that lead to the postmillennial hope. In fact, it was hard to reduce my “favorite” postmillennial passages to just two Old Testament and two New Testament passages. My book He Shall Have Dominion: A Postmillennial Eschatology has over 600 pages and deals with hundreds of verses.
Interested request
But now, I wonder: What verses were most influential in leading you to postmillennialism? I would love to hear from you.
Postmillennial Worldview 
My journey into dispensationalism was similar to yours, but apart from the college and seminary experiences. My journey out of dispensationalism began similarly, but my final escape came through a young brother in Christ who introduced me to preterism and furnished me with CDs on preterist and postmillenialist teachings by DeMar and Bahnsen. I am still investigating postmillenialism, but I can see through your writings and a few others that it is the most biblically sound eschatology.
My postmill journey began with “For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?” (1 John 5:4–5 ESV) I was preaching through First John and came to this text with questions about what the apostle had meant, and especially in relation to Satan’s role in the world. Thus, I looked up Bahnsen’s work, especially the last chapter in his book Victory in Jesus, and having ordered and read it, I began to see a more hopeful eschatology that honored both literal promises of the Old Testament, and made sense of the New. Thus, my journey began.
My journey started with Rev 1:1, “Things which must [a] shortly take place.” Who in their right mind can possibly interpret “SHORTLY,” at hand, quickly, etc., to mean 2k years later?
Secondly, Rev. 1:9 supports the “soon” to take place event, “I, John, your brother and partner in the tribulation and the kingdom….”
These verse(s) are so clear, you truly need HELP to misunderstand them!
good article. The verses that lead me to believe postmil view is matt 13 like yourself- Matt 13 truly blew my mind when I understood it! it was amazing! Also Psalm 110:1 and also the abundance of verses in the old testament that speak of the gentiles all over the world worshiping the LORD, Malachi 1:11 is my favorite one ‘For from the rising of the sun to its setting my name will be great among the nations, and in every place incense will be offered to my name, and a pure offering. For my name will be great among the nations, says the Lord of hosts.’
There are many things hat changed my mind eve including seeing Matt 24 as a past event.
It all started to click when I thought about revelation as being written to seven actual churches. And Mat 24, Jesus prophesying the temple destruction. “This generation” is hard to get around.
Hello Mr. Gentry,
I was wondering if you would consider reading (with hope of posting) an article I’ve spent some time writing. I think it’s important, interesting, and fills a gap in many people’s understanding of what is happening in scripture- centered around us being seated with Christ. I would love to send it to you. If this is possible please let me know how. Thanks!
Anthony Rich
Send it to me and I will look it over. Thanks. KennethGentry@cs.com
My favorite is the parable of the talents. The servant who buried his talent and did nothing was punished and was called “wicked”. Because Christ cannot sin and because He has been given His Kingdom, Christ cannot just “bury” His kingdom and not grow it. That would be sinful. So even though I don’t know how certain passages work out or what they mean, I am always reminded that “Christ just letting everything get worse until the rapture” can’t be true.
I was raised in a Baptist church in Ontario, Canada – my father was pastor and a pre-mil guy who had started in Dispensationalism and still held some of their views. Left Behind was big during my formative years in high school and I can remember thinking – ‘this just doesn’t make sense to me’ – didn’t seem to square with so much scripture I had memorized and been taught in Sunday school. Only later did I start reading Van Til after listening to Bahnsen’s athiest debates (Gordon Stein in particular) and finding the references to him. That opened the door for me to the a more Reformed faith (I am still Baptist mind you :)) and as I studied it I found out that the simple truth I always believed: that Christ wins in space and time! had a name ‘Post-millenialism’. I read your book He Shall Have Dominion and that was the clincher for me. Thanks so much for your work it is such a blessing!
Love it, Reading through before the fall of Jerusalem
Another great article, Dr. gentry. I am a recent former amillennialist who is having his heart warmed by the blessed hope of the Gospel expounded by postmillennialism. I thank the Lord for his life and writings that are blessing me a lot in this saga of studies. I continue counting on your distance discipleship 🙂 .
The most impactful verses have been these:
Old Testament: Abrahamic Covenant (Genesis 12, 15 and 17); Psalms 2; 22 (and Daniel 2 and Daniel 7 etc. heheheheh)
New Testament: All of Christology; Great Commission and Kingdom Parables.
Another great article, Dr. gentry. I am a recent former millennialist who is having his heart warmed by the blessed hope of the Gospel expounded by postmillennialism. I thank the Lord for his life and writings that are blessing me a lot in this saga of studies. I continue counting on your distance discipleship 🙂 .
The most impactful versions have been these:
Old Testament: Abrahamic Covenant (Genesis 12, 15 and 17); Psalms 2; 22 (and Daniel 2 and Daniel 7 etc. heheheheh)
New Testament: All of Christology; Great Commission and Kingdom Parables.
PS: I am a private Baptist (Alliancer who subscribes to the Baptist Confession of Faith 1689).
Like many Christians, I was taught there is a future rapture of the church followed by a 7 year tribulation. I never questioned it. A couple years later after re-reading revelation I realized the church wasn’t raptured and the saints were persecuted. After reading the “rapture proof texts” it was very clear the pre-trib rapture isn’t biblical. From there I started understanding opposing views on revelation, Matthew 24, the millennium, as well as Israel and the church. Postmillennial eschatology seemed pretty strong. My only stumbling block right now is Zech 12-14.