Category Archives: Millennium

DISPENSATIONALISM’S EXALTATION OF RACE

Dispensationalism, Millennium March 18, 2022 Comments: 5

Races of worldPMW 2022-022 by Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr.

Dispensationalism is the bull in the china shop of biblical eschatology. The door needs to be opened and the bull released from the minds of earnest Christians. This will require an expose into the non-biblical nature of dispensationalism. I am continuing a series on the distortions of theology in the system.

A distinctive feature of dispensationalism is that the Millennial kingdom will be fundamentally Jewish in character, even to the point of rebuilding the temple, setting up David’s tabernacle, re-instituting the Jewish sacrificial system, and exalting the Jews: “This is the point: once Israel is restored to the place of blessing and the tabernacle of David is rebuilt, then will follow the third phase in the plan of God. That period will be the time of the millennium, when the nations will indeed by converted and ruled over by Christ” (House and Ice, Dominion Theology, 169; cp. Pentecost, Things to Come, ch. 30). Continue reading →

THE MILLENNIUM EXAGGERATED (2)

Interpretation, Millennium, Theology October 19, 2021 Comments: 5

MisdirectionPMW 2021-079 by Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr.

This is the second and concluding study on the exaggerated role of the millennium in eschatological studies. It is important for you to read the preceding article before jumping into this one. I am arguing that John’s half-chapter is given too much place in prophetic discussions. This has led many Christians to misunderstand the function of the millennium in Revelation, as well as its length.

Properly understood, the thousand-year time frame in Revelation 20 represents a long and glorious era and is not limited to a literal 365,000 days. Continue reading →

THE EXAGGERATED MILLENNIUM (1)

Interpretation, Millennium, Theology October 15, 2021 Comments: 2

Millennium exaggeratedPMW 2021-076 by Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr.

I am beginning a two-part series on the millennium. I will be highlighting how its significance in eschatological discussions is exaggerated. I am calling for balance on this issue.

Revelation 20:1–6 present us with a time frame that plays a far greater role in the eschatological debate than it warrants. Oddly, Stanley J. Grenz asserts of “evangelical postmillennialists” that “as a millenarian viewpoint, of course, it builds its primary case from a futurist interpretation of John’s vision.” This is simply not so. Continue reading →

LONG REIGN IN SHORT BOOK?

Millennium, Resurrection, Revelation September 21, 2021 Comments: 6

Close farPMW 2021-069 by Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr.

Although the vast majority of Revelation focuses on events that will occur “soon” (Rev 1:1, 3), the Revelation 20 section on the thousand years begins, but is not completed, in the first century. It projects itself into the distant future, allowing a glimpse of the end result of the events beginning in the apostolic era. Continue reading →

PRIMER ON POSTMILLENNIALISM (3)

Millennium, Optimism September 3, 2021 Leave a comment

isaiah-preachingPMT 2021-063 Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr.

This is the third in a series of studies on the “millennium” from Rev. 20 and how postmillennialists understand it, especially over against amillennialists.

Prophecy and the Postmillennial Hope

The Old Testament is, of course, full of eschatological pronouncements. Israel was blessed with many writing prophets who have left us a record of their inspired insights into the future. I could profitably survey a number of the Messianic Psalms.

For instance, I could highlight Psalm 2, taking special note of the promise: “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). Did Jesus ask for the nations from the father? Yes, he did as we see in his Great Commission: “And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. ‘Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit’” (Matt 28:18–29). Continue reading →

PRIMER ON POSTMILLENNIALISM (1)

Definitions, Millennium August 27, 2021 1 Comment

rainbowPMW-2021-061 Kenneth L. Gentry,

Postmillennialism and amillennialism are closely related. In fact, they are both “post” millennial in that they believe the current age (the Church Age, if you will) is the “millennium,” and that Christ will return “post” (after) the millennium.

Both Post- and Amillennialists note that the “thousand year” reign of Christ occurs in only one passage in Scripture, Revelation 20:1–6. We further observe that it appears in the most symbolic book in all of Scripture. In Revelation we see a seven-headed beast, fire-breathing horses, locusts with the faces of men and the teeth of lions, a woman standing on the moon, and many more symbolic features. Consequently, we prefer that eschatological discussion begin elsewhere in more didactic portions of Scripture, and that it be controlled by passages other than the apocalyptically-charged, highly-wrought symbolic images in Revelation Continue reading →

THE MILLENNIAL REIGN AND ITS END

Millennium February 2, 2021 Comments: 3

PMW 2021-010 by Milton S. Terry (Biblical Apocalyptics)

Gentry note: In this article I continue presenting some helpful postmillennial material from Milton S. Terry (1840–1914) as presented in his book, Biblical Apocalyptics. Below I will be directly citing his material, except that I will break it into smaller paragraphs (as I noted was necessary in my last article).

So here is a direct citation of Biblical Apocalyptics, pp. 453–54:

The five scenes of the millennial period thus far presented form a closely connected series and are to be thought of, not as chronologically successive, but rather as simultaneous and supplementary in their logical relations. Thus, the moving forth of the great Conqueror (19:11–16) results in the great slaughter of the numerous enemies of God (19:17,18); this involves at the same time the destruction of the beast and the false prophet (19:19–21) and the binding of Satan (20:1–3). These are different aspects of a world-wide conquest, for the Messianic King of Old Testament prophecy is to “have dominion from sea to sea and from the river unto the ends of the earth” (Psalm 72:8). Continue reading →