Category Archives: Great Commission

ROBERT LETHAM ON POSTMILLENNIALISM

Great Commission, Preterism, Theologians March 13, 2026 Leave a comment

PMW 2026-019 by Robert Letham

Gentry note:

Robert Letham is Professor of Systematic and Historical Theology at the Union School of Theology. He is also Adjunct Professor of Systematic Theology at Westminster Theological Seminary. He is a Reformed, conservative, orthodox postmillennial preterist (he has strong words condemning hyper-preterism as heresy, p. 848). This blog article quotes material from Letham’s excellent Systematic Theology, pp. 835–838. I highly recommend this fine work.

Now for Letham’s argument:

The Church and the Progress of the Gospel

Paul on events preceding the parousia (2 Thess. 2:1ff.). Paul warns his readers against letters claiming that the day of the Lord, the parousia, is at hand. Some in the church, thinking Christ was about to return, had stopped working in order to prepare for his appearance (2 Thess. 2:1ff.; 3:6ff.). This, Paul says, is unacceptable behavior based on an untenable hypothesis.

Continue reading →

POSTMILLENNIALISM IN CREATION & FALL (1)

Creation, Great Commission, Optimism February 20, 2026 Leave a comment

PMW 2026:013 by Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr.

As postmillennialists, we should have a strong interest in the creation account in Genesis 1–2. The sovereign God who created all things in the space of six days is the sovereign God who will lead his kingdom to victory in history.

Not only so, but we should note the important linkage of the creation account to the immediately following fall and redemption account in Genesis 3. When these two theologically foundational accounts are read together, we begin seeing very early in Scripture a clear anticipation of the postmillennial hope. Let me explain. Continue reading →

MATT. 16:27-28: AD 70 AND FINAL JUDGMENT (2)

AD 70, Daniel, Great Commission, Preterism, Second Coming November 4, 2025 Comments: 2

PMW 2025-087 by Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr.

In my preceding article I began a brief study of Matthew 16:27 and 28. I am providing evidence that Jesus speaks of the “coming of the Son of Man” as applying to his Second Coming at the Final Judgment to end history. Upon declaring this, he adds a note about his near-term coming, which demonstrates his authority at the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple in AD 70. This article will conclude the argument by providing my fourth point, following upon the preceding three.

So now we must note not only the wording of the passage, but its flow, setting, and purpose.

In v. 28 Jesus inserts the “truly I say to you” formula (v. 28), which he often uses. He always uses this formula as a bold underscoring of something he has said. So? How does it function here? This will explain his rationale in the setting of his current instruction. Continue reading →

DOMINION COMMANDED

Great Commission, Optimism August 15, 2025 Comments: 11

PMW 2025-067 by Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr.
The postmillennial hope is not just a hope. It is a command given to use by Christ himself. We must exercise our hope in promoting his kingdom on earth.

The postmillennial view is the only one of the four major evangelical eschatologies that builds its case on the very charter for Christianity, the Great Commission (Mt 28:18–20). David Brown wrote over a century ago:

“The disciples were commissioned to evangelize the world before Christ’s second coming; not merely to preach the Gospel, ‘for a witness,’ to a world that would not receive it till he came again . . . but to accomplish, instrumentally, the actual ‘discipleship of all nations,’ to baptize them when gathered in, and to train them up as professed Christians in the knowledge and obedience of the truth, for glory – all before his second coming. In the doing of this, He promises to be with them – not merely to stand by them while preaching a rejected Gospel, and to note their fidelity, but clearly to prosper the work of their hands unto the actual evangelization of the world at large, before his coming.”
Continue reading →

THE NATIONS AND THE GREAT COMMISSION

Culture, Evangelism, Great Commission November 12, 2024 Comments: 2

PMW 2024-087 by Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr.

Introduction

I have had several interested readers send me a question regarding the Great Commission. One reader sent the following question:

I’ve been wondering this: is the Great Commission telling us to baptize nations themselves or baptize individual people? What is “them?” KJV says “teach all nations, baptizing them…” implying to me that we are meant to disciple the nations, not people in them (although that would be part of it, but my point is that it’s not complete). Therefore, if that’s true then I think that would imply we need to “Christianize” the world. I know postmillenialism implies that. Thank you!

I hope I have saved the relevant portions of his extended question. And I believe I have. So now, to work! Continue reading →

JESUS REJECTED TURNS TO THE GENTILES

Great Commission, Israel June 25, 2024 Comments: 2

PMW 2024-050 by Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr.Jesus commissions

I am now at the conclusion of Matthew’s Gospel. Though I did not survey the entire Gospel, I showed it’s beginning and ending provided the rationale for the destruction of the temple and the judgment of Israel. And in the process of Israel’s rejecting their Messiah, we have seen evidence for the inclusion of the Gentiles. This last point comes to full expression in the last words of the Gospel.

Matthew 27

In Matthew 27:1 “all the chief priests” discuss with the “elders of the people” how to kill Jesus. In verses 11–12 Jesus appears before the Roman procurator Pilate where the chief priests and elders accuse him. In verses 15–21 when Pilate tries to release Jesus, the chief priests resist him: “but the chief priests and the elders persuaded the multitudes to ask for Barabbas, and to put Jesus to death” (v. 20). When Pilate attempts again to release him, “they kept shouting all the more, saying, ‘Let Him be crucified’” (v. 22). Continue reading →

THE GREAT OMISSION

Great Commission September 26, 2023 Leave a comment

PMW 2023-075 by Benjamin SherrillEmpty mailbox

Idahoan Pastor Toby J. Sumpter recently tweeted what he deems is the newly edited version of the Great Commission for modern evangelicals:

“A moderate amount of power has been given to Me — mostly in Heaven and a little on earth, therefore try your best to make disciples, maybe a few from every nation? — baptize them and teach them only your favorite parts of the New Testament.”

The quote makes some chuckle, but to a large part of the evangelical world it is a sad, but true reality: Welcome to the great omission! In 2018 Barna Group [1], a Christian research organization, released the results of a study conducted on pastors, churchgoers, and U.S. adults which demonstrated that 51% of those surveyed did not know what the Great Commission was! If 51% of the surveyors had never even heard of the Great Commission (this included pastors mind you), I wonder out of those who have heard of the Great Commission, how many actually understand and are actively obeying this great command? Continue reading →