PMW 2023-011 by Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr.
In this article I will briefly summarize the case for postmillennialism from the Old Testament.
Scripture opens with the creation account, which teaches that man, the world, and the universe were created by God, not by random, impersonal, evolutionary forces. Within this opening narrative we discover God’s purpose for history. He creates man in his own image (Gen 1:26) as a material-spiritual being (Gen 2:7) and places him in the world to bring honor and glory to his Creator. He is called to exercise godly dominion throughout the world (Gen 1:26–30), beginning in Eden (Gen 2:15).
Consequently, the Christian should be predisposed to the historical victory postmillennialism expects. The Lord creates man and history for his glory; therefore, man and history will bring glory to him. Two powerful declarations in the New Testament emphasize this truth:
“For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen.” (Rom 11:36)
“You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and by Your will they exist and were created.” (Rev 4:11)
This optimistic prospect becomes evident in God’s response to man’s fall into sin. The first promise of the gospel immediately after Adam’s fall promises that the seed of the woman will crush the head of the serpent (Gen 3:15). This hope weaves its golden cord throughout Scripture all the way through to Revelation 22.
The biblical record certainly expects struggle in history due to man’s fall, as we see in Genesis 3:15. But it is a struggle that leads to victory, rather than to deadlock, defeat, or despair. The Seed of the Woman (Christ) will conquer the Seed of the Serpent (Satan) — in time and on earth. This is a recurring truth in the biblical record; it defines biblical eschatology.
House Divided: The Break-up of Dispensational Theology
By Greg Bahnsen and Ken Gentry
This book presents and defends Christian Reconstruction theology, particularly theonomic ethics and postmillennial eschatology. It does to by responding to dispensationalism’s social and exegetical theology.
For more educational materials: www. KennethGentry.com
We may trace the victory theme through the outworking of the God’s sovereign covenant. His administration of universal affairs is covenantal, unfolding in Scripture through a series of unified, successive, and judicially-related covenants. Hence, Paul speaks of “the covenants [plural] of the promise [singular]” (Eph 2:12).
The core redemptive covenant that impacts all of later Scripture is God’s covenant with Abraham. In the Abrahamic Covenant God promises the spread of salvation to “all the families of the earth” (Gen 12:1–3). It is mentioned frequently in the New Testament. Paul even declares of it: “The promise to Abraham or to his descendants that he would be heir of the world was not through the Law, but through the righteousness of faith” (Rom 4:13). And he expressly states that all believers in Christ — whether Jews or Gentile — are the seed of Abraham: “if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise” (Gal 3:29; cp. Rom 4:12, 16; Gal 3:6–9, 14).
After God’s covenant with Abraham is established and Israel enters her Promised Land, we discover that the later Old Testament revelation continues the victory theme. The Psalms are particularly filled with eschatological hope. For instance, Psalm 2, a key Psalm alluded to frequently in the New Testament, has God promising the Messiah: “Ask of me, and I will surely give the nations as Your inheritance, / And the very ends of the earth as Your possession” (Psa 2:8).
Psalm 22:27 anticipates a time when “all the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord, / And all the families of the nations will worship before You.” Psalm 66:4 reflects this hope, promising that “all the earth will worship You, / And will sing praises to You; / They will sing praises to Your name.” Psalm 72:8 utters this hope: “May he also rule from sea to sea, / And from the River to the ends of the earth.”
Then as we move on to the writing prophets we find the same hope-filled anticipation. Perhaps one of the clearest prophecies appears in Isaiah 2:2–3: “In the last days, / The mountain of the house of the Lord / Will be established as the chief of the mountains, / And will be raised above the hills; / And all the nations will stream to it.” This will ultimately lead nations to hammer “their swords into plowshare, and their spears into pruning hooks” so that “nation will not lift up sword against nation” (Isa 2:4). But, of course, there are many more such prophecies.
In the Days of These Kings: The Book of Daniel in Preterist Perspective
by Jay Rogers
This orthodox preterist analysis of Daniel is not a book, but a library. Extremely helpful for the postmillennial orthodox preterist.
For more study materials, go to: KennethGentry.com/
Postmillennial Worldview 
I’m in the process of reading, He Shall Have Dominion. It’s been a great affirmation, and helps me have the words to explain to others why I am postmil. Thank you for all your work!
Hi Ken, could you tell me where this radical preterism that believes in universal salvation came from? To insist that John 12:32 teaches the salvation of all men is to violate the context of that chapter, which focuses on the inclusion of both Jews and Gentiles as the meaning of “all men.” I was reading from a book titled “A More Christlike God” by Brad Jresak. Could you tell me about this author? i believe he is off with the fairies.
It is rooted in: (1) the (ill)logic of their system; and (2) supports their radical re-orientation of historic Christian orthodoxy. They are excited they are starting a new movement. Unfortunately, it is headed by theologically and exegetically unskilled men.
13 Behold, is it not from the Lord of hosts
that peoples labor merely for fire,
and nations weary themselves for nothing?
14 For the earth will be filled
with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord
as the waters cover the sea.
Habakuk 2:13 and 14
For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
2 Corinthians 4:6
Those two passages alone should be enough to convince people of postmiilenialism, it did convince me back in 2006. You shouldn’t hyper spiritualize these passages like the amill folks do and shouldn’t put these passages off for when Christ returns like the premill folks do.. Just my 2 cents.