A Brief Defense of a Premillennial Second Coming of Christ to Earth

Introduction

            “One of the most marked features of Premillennialism in all its forms is the emphasis which it places on the literal interpretation of Scripture. It is the insistent claim of its advocates that only when interpreted literally is the Bible interpreted truly…”[1]Oswald T. Allis is an avid supporter of Amillennialism who makes the previous statement in his writing “Prophecy and the Church”, which is a piece dedicated to speaking against Dispensational Premillennialism, or so it seems. The text contains teachings of Amillennialism in the form of open critiques of Dispensational Premillennialism. However, if understood correctly, the quote which begins this paper is one that is accurate in every word (clarification is always appropriate, which is accomplished later). Proper hermeneutics are to be the foundation for an accurate understanding of the topic at hand – the second coming of Jesus Christ to earth.

The variety of hermeneutics that have been applied throughout history has resulted in a variety of beliefs in all areas of theology. A properly defined hermeneutic, the literal grammatical-historical hermeneutic, will result in a dispensational premillennial eschatology which is the conviction of this writer. All other views of eschatology are results of improper principles for interpretation, making hermeneutics the root problem of the Church’s lack of agreeance today. This difference in hermeneutic will be carefully examined as two views of Jesus’ second coming to earth is reviewed – Dispensational Premillennialism and Amillennialism. Each view will be provided through careful examination of Scripture – the authority by which convictions should be held. The first will be defended, and the latter will be briefly explained and critiqued. It is the goal of this writer to provide correction to those who don’t hold to a Dispensational Premillennialist view, encourage all, and provide a valid and true argument for the correct view presented.

The Teaching of Dispensational Premillennialism

            Dispensational Premillennialism is the belief of many well-known and well-respected theologians such as the late John Nelson Darby, the late Charles Ryrie, and Tommy Ice. These theologians have a shared hermeneutic which places an emphasis on a normal reading of Scripture recognizing grammar in the original language, historical context and, of course, the Scriptural context of any given passage. The principles of interpretation lead to, what is claimed to be, the most complex understanding of the end-times.[2]While it may be complex, it is important to know it and know it well. Every aspect of eschatology has present day implications.

Beginning to End – An Overview

            While this paper is to focus on the second coming of Jesus Christ to earth (a specific event within the overall timeline), it is important to understand an overview of events (due to the nature of the topic in question). Whenever a Christian dies, their soul is brought immediately into the presence of Jesus Christ and separated from their physical body[3].  The very meaning of death is to separate. In the case of the physical death, the soul separates from the body. At this point, the soul goes immediately into the presence of the Lord and the immaterial never loses conscience. A pagan has a very similar experience with the separation of soul and body, but the destination is drastically different. They are eternally separated from Jesus (at least until the great white throne judgment). This separation of soul and body for believers will continue until the rapture.[4]  This rapture will be whenever Jesus comes secretly to the clouds and calls up His people to Him, first the dead in Christ then the living. This will happen just before the tribulation occurs.[5]

Immediately following the rapture of the church, a literal seven-year tribulation will begin.[6]This tribulation is a time when God’s wrath will be poured out on all those remaining on the earth.[7]This wrath will be concluded with the physical return of Christ to judge the earth.[8]At the end of the tribulation, the Old Testament saints and all those who were saved during the tribulation will be raised and the living will be judged.[9]This tribulation is the fulfillment found in Daniel 9 (70th week).

After the tribulation, Christ will return[10]and stay on the earth and rule for a thousand years on the physical throne of David in Jerusalem.[11]During this time, Satan will be bound and no longer roaming the earth.[12]The millennium is the time when the promises to Israel will be fulfilled literally.[13]The millennial reign will be a time of peace and perfection on earth. Christ will be ruling, and heaven will meet earth.[14]Christ will release Satan at the end of this literal thousand-year reign.[15]Satan will deceive the nations of the earth to rise up against Christ but will be devoured by fire from heaven[16]and cast into the lake of fire. Following this, Christ will judge at the Great White Throne judgment. Those who are found guilty will be judged and suffer eternal punishment away from God[17]as stated previously. Those who are found in Christ will then enter the eternal state where they will share in glory of God.[18]Amen.

The Event of the Second Coming of Jesus Christ

            The two main passages which give great detail of the second coming of Christ are Revelation 19:11-21 (although it is always recommended to at least look at the whole chapter for context) and Zechariah 14:1-11.[19]These are the two passages that will be looked at in detail in order to come to an accurate understanding of the second coming of Jesus to earth.

Revelation 19

            Revelation 19 begins with the phrase, “After these things…” Many scholars will argue that Revelation is not told in chronological order. While that argument can be used well in other areas of Revelation, this chapter is not one of them. This phrase is clearly places Revelation 19 after the events found in chapter 18, at the very least. Revelation 17-18 is a pronouncement of judgement and the final destruction on the harlot which represents “the great city, which reigns over the kings of the earth.” This city is a literal place. While Babylon often can represent sinful man, it seems that the storms and earthquakes that are going to happen would require it to be a physical place. This pronouncement of judgment sets up chapter 19, which will begin with praises for the fall of Babylon.

            John records a three-fold praise of God. Each praise has its own unique reason. The first hallelujah is found in 19:1b-2 which is a praise resulting from the judgment of God on Babylon, the great city. God will have avenged the death of His bondservants and judged the great harlot. Next, the judgment and destruction of the great harlot is everlasting, “Her smoke rises up forever and ever.”[20]The third, and final praise of this section results in the reality that YHWH reigns. God reigns supreme over all – a great reason for worship.

            After this three-fold praise, John records the reality of the marriage of the lamb. According to verse 7, this marriage is between His bride, which at this point, are those who have joined Him in heaven during this seven years and Jesus Himself – the Church.

            After this marriage supper, John records the hope of all Christians – the second coming of Jesus Christ to earth. Before the event itself is dug into, it is important to remember the way of interpretation. Just like Babylon is seen as a real place, the false prophet seen as a real person, and the beast seen as a real physical being, the rest of the events found in Revelation should be read in a normal, historical-grammatical way. Read this way, Revelation 19 seems to be easy to interpret.

The heavens will open up and Jesus will ride to earth on a white horse.[21]Verse 11 tells us the purpose of His riding to earth – to judge and wage war. For those who question whether Jesus is the one riding this horse, verse 12-13 give ample evidence toward Jesus being the rider. Verse 12 describes Jesus as having eyes of flames which matches the description of Jesus in Revelation 1:14. The name no one knows, found in verse 12, matches the description of Jesus in Revelation 2:17. The riders robe will be dipped in blood which is obviously pointing to the atoning Christ Jesus. And if all of that doesn’t convince, the riders name is called the Word of God which points directly to John 1. So, Jesus will be riding on a white horse to earth with the intent of judging and waging war.

            Jesus won’t be riding alone, but with His armies who are robed in white whom will also be riding on white horses.[22]This army is pointing to all of those who were given white robes, clean and righteous, at the marriage supper. These individuals include all Christians (those raptured and resurrected at the rapture – the Church).

            According to Revelation 19:15, Jesus will come armed, striking down the nations (which are wicked on the earth – those who survived the tribulation) and rule them with a rod of iron. He will bring judgment and rule the earth.

            This judgment and rule will be a physical judgment and rule. Revelation 19:17-18 shows an angel calling all birds to gather so they can eat the flesh of those who are going to die in the war that will soon ensue. There will be physical death with flesh being destroyed by Jesus Christ and His armies.

            As the war ends, the beast and false prophet are both thrown, alive, into the Lake of Fire. The rest of the army is slain with the sword. It is important to note, the dragon (Satan) is still alive, as can be seen in Revelation 20.

Zechariah 14

            Details of the second coming of Jesus Christ to earth can also be seen in Zechariah 14. Verses 1-5a speak of the events before the actual second coming. Verse 5b, “Then the Lord, my God, will come, and all the holy ones with Him”, reiterates how the second coming will happen. Jesus is going to return and the saints who were raptured will join Him in His triumphal return! Starting in verse 9, Zechariah points to the physical reign that Jesus will have during the millennial kingdom.

Post-Tribulation and Premillennial

            As referenced in Revelation 19, the second coming of Christ will end the tribulation and will occur before the thousand-year reign of Christ on earth. Matthew 24 seems to have a large role in defining this (while other passages do this also). Matthew 24:15-28 is speaking of the seven-year tribulation which will occur directly after the rapture and resurrection of the New Testament saints.

            Verse 15 speaks starts out giving a time stamp for when the great tribulation will begin. This great tribulation starts half way through the tribulation and is considered the last 3.5 years. So, while this specific passage isn’t speaking of the tribulation as a whole, the context shows the great tribulation as the last half of the tribulation which allows for this argument to still be post-tribulation. “Therefore when you see the ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION…for then there will be a great tribulation” (Matt. 24:15, 21). Matthew continues in verse 29 to explain the glorious return which is “…immediately after the tribulation of those days…” According to Matthew, “they will see the SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY with power and great glory.”[23]This is not talking about the rapture, which means a post-tribulation rapture can’t be supported with this text. Many texts such as 1 Thessalonians 5:9 support the idea that Christians will not endure the wrath of the tribulation. This text is clearly talking about the second coming of Jesus to earth.

            As Matthew continues in his writing, he recounts Jesus words, “Then the kingdom of heaven…”[24]“Then” shows that whatever comes next is chronological. As seen, this goes from the tribulation, to the second coming of Christ to earth, to the establishment of the millennial kingdom. Matthew continues to compare the kingdom of heaven to the ten virgins. This is a comparison to the modern day (of Jesus’ time) marriage ritual. This is speaking of whenever the bridegroom would escort his bride back to his house. Jesus is escorting His bride into His millennial kingdom. In Matthew 25:31, Jesus continues to state that “…when the Son of Man comes in His glory…He will sit on His glorious throne.” There isn’t any reason to spiritualize this throne. This is a physical throne within the physical kingdom that He just began.

Amillennialism Examined

The “king” of the amillennial view is the Roman Catholic Church. This statement alone should be enough to raise numerous red flags. The Roman Catholic Church places tradition and creeds at the same level of authority as Scripture itself. In fact, the Catechism of the Catholic Church states, “Both Scripture and Tradition must be accepted and honored with equal sentiments of devotion and reverence.”[25]It also states, “For both of them [Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scriptures], flowing out from the same divine well-spring, come together in some fashion to form one thing and move towards the same goal.”[26]This is the hermeneutic that is used to derive the Amillennial conclusion.

Brief Teaching of the Amillennial Second Coming of Christ to Earth

From the Roman Catholic View

            In essence, the Amillennial teaching is that, as the name gives away, there will not be a literal millennial reign. Jesus is already reigning through the church. The tribulation that is seen throughout Scripture is simply one last push by the evil powers which the church will endure. At the end of this last revolt, Jesus will come with His saints for judgment. At the end of this judgment, the eternal state will begin.[27]It’s really a simple teaching, but lacks the proper hermeneutic and understanding of many texts.

From the Liberation Theology View

            Another prominent leader in amillennial teaching is the Liberation Theology camp. The individuals in this camp are very much against any view which shows any king of “golden age” on this earth whether before or after the second coming of Jesus. Elmer G. Homrighausen gives a great example of this in his book, “One World at a Time”:

But their [Millennialist] abnormal interest in the other world, their reading of eschatology in mathematical terms of time, their otherworldliness and consequent passivity as regards this world, is wrong. But Christians need to be saved, too, from that modern dynamic materialism which romantically sentimentalizes this world into the ultimate. This identifies the time world with the eternal world. This paganism is a hybrid attempt on the part of man to make the creature into the creator. In Christian circles it makes the Kingdom of God a blueprint for a world order. We admire this vehement realism, but we absolutely reject its presumptions that this world is a self-contained and a divine heaven. We live on earth! One world at a time.[28]

It is quite obvious the passion against any kind of millennial kingdom on earth. The teaching of the amillennialist leads straight from earth, to the second coming of Jesus, to the eternal state. There isn’t a kingdom on earth but only in heaven.

            The hermeneutical approach of the Liberation theologian, Homrighausen in particular, becomes quite clear throughout this paragraph. They disregard time stamps (such as the thousand years found in Rev. 20) and allegorize much. It is also important to add the misunderstanding of the views of the millennialist. A passivity toward the world today from a premillennialist, if present, is not due to a proper understanding of eschatology, but a selfish spirit that doesn’t care for their neighbor.

 

Conclusion

            As stated at the beginning of the paper, as well as the beginning of the Amillennial portion of the paper, hermeneutics is key to an agreeance upon any doctrine of Scripture. As shown, a premillennial view is significantly different from an amillennial view because the hermeneutics used are significantly different. The source of authority is even different. Because of this, the views will always differ drastically. It is this writers hope that hermeneutics would be examined and all authority would be given to Scripture and the use of a normal historical-grammatical hermeneutic would be employed upon Scripture to properly understand all doctrines. It would be good if Oswald T. Allis’ quote given at the beginning of this paper applied to every Bible scholar, not just the current premillennialist.

 

 

 

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Allis, Oswald T. “Prophecy and the Church: An Examination of the Claim of Dispensationalists That the Christian Church Is a Mystery Parenthesis Which Interrupts the Fulfilment to Israel of the Kingdom Prophecies of the Old Testament”. Phillipsburg, NJ: Presbyterian and Reformed Pub. Co, 1978.

Mathison, Keith, “The Millennial Maze” https://www.ligonier.org/learn/articles/millennial-maze/Accessed December 9, 2018.

Neuner, Josef, Jacques Dupuis, eds, The Christian Faith: Doctrinal Documents of the Catholic Church, 5^thed. New York: Alba House, 1992

Reinhold Niebuhr, “Beyond Tragedy”, as reprinted in Contemporary Religious Thought, Thomas S. Kepler, editor.

Ryrie, Charles C., “Basic Theology: A Popular Systematic Guide to Understanding Biblical Truth.” Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 1999.

 

[1]          Oswald T. Allis, Prophecy and the Church, (Phillipsburg, NJ: Presbyterian and Reformed Pub. Co, 1978.),1.

[2]          Keith Mathison, “The Millennial Maze” https://www.ligonier.org/learn/articles/millennial-maze/Accessed December 9, 2018.

[3]Luke 23:43; Phil. 1:23; 2 Cor. 5:8; Rev. 6:9–11

[4]1 Thess. 4:13–17

[5]1 Thess. 4:16; Titus 2:13; John 14:1–3; 1 Cor. 3:11–15

[6]1 Thess. 4:13–18; John 14:1–3

[7]Dan. 9:27; Rev. 16

[8]2 Thess. 2:7–12; Matt. 24:27–31

[9]Dan. 12:2–3; Rev. 20:4–6

[10]Rev. 19:11-16; Zech. 14:1-11

[11]Matt. 25:31; Luke 1:31–33; Acts 1:10–11; 2:29–30; Rev. 20:1–7

[12]Dan. 7:17; Rev. 20:1–7

[13]Isa. 65:17–25; Ez. 37:21–28; Zech. 8:1–17

[14]Isaiah 11; 65:17–25; Ezekiel 36:33–38

[15]Rev. 20:1–7

[16]Rev. 20:1–9

[17]Matt. 25:41

[18]2 Pet. 3:10; Eph. 5:5; Rev. 20:15

[19]        Charles C. Ryrie, “Basic Theology: A Popular Systematic Guide to Understanding Biblical Truth” (Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 1999), 539.

[20]Rev. 19:3 quoting Isa. 34:10

[21]Rev. 19:11

[22]Rev. 19:14

[23]Matt. 24:29

[24]Matt. 25:1

[25]        Josef Neuner, Jacques Dupuis, eds, The Christian Faith: Doctrinal Documents of the Catholic Church, 5^thed. (New York: Alba House, 1992), 31.

[26]ibid

[27]Catechism of the Catholic Church, p. 192-195

[28]Reinhold Niebuhr, Beyond Tragedy, as reprinted in Contemporary Religious Thought, Thomas S. Kepler, editor, p. 373.

[29]Catechism of the Catholic Church, p. 190