The End Times

Come, O Lord"
- 1 Corinthians 16:22

All Christians believe that Jesus Christ will return one day, an event also known as The Second Coming. The Bible teaches that he will come back to the earth at an unknown time to destroy the enemies of God, rid the world of sin, reward followers, and establish peace.

In Revelation 19:11 reads, "I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True." This picturesque return of Christ is the culmination of predetermined events that will lead to the end of the world as it is now known. Because Christians interpret key texts differently, they differ as to what events lead to Christ's second advent.

The three eschatological (eschatos is Greek for "last things") views that have been the most popular in the history of the Church are postmillennialism, amillennialism, and premillennialism. Like the etymologies their names suggest, differences center on the milennial period as recorded in Revelation 20:1-6,

"And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key to the Abyss and holding in his hand a great chain. 2 He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. 3 He threw him into the Abyss, and locked and sealed it over him, to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand years were ended. After that, he must be set free for a short time. 4 I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony for Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or his image and had not received his mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years. 5 (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.) This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy are those who have part in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years" (NIV)


The word millennium is derived from the Latin word "mille" meaning one-thousand. Whether the millennial period as described Revelation should be understood as literal or figurative is at the core interpretative disagreements. Other significant points of disagreement are what events, if any, the Bible teaches will precede the millennial period, what activities will occur within it, and if Jew and Gentile are distinguished at that time.

Postmillennialism
Postmillennialism holds that the Second Coming of Christ will occur after the millennial period. The position argues that the Kingdom of God, which exists in the present-day, will be extended throughout the world by means of the Church's proclamation of the gospel.

Postmillennialism can be graphed in the following way:



Christ Second Coming
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Church Age >>>>>>>>>> The Millennium The Eternal State



Read the complete article on Postmillennialism.



Amillennialism
Amillennialists believe the millennium began with Christ’s first coming and will continue until the Second Coming. Numerically, this is the most dominant eschatological position in the history of Christianity.

Amillennialism can be graphed in the following way:



Christ Second Coming
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Church Age = The Millennium The Eternal State



Read complete article on Amillennialism.



Premillennialism
Premillennialism teaches that the Second Coming of Christ will occur before the millennial period, which they interpret literally as 1,000 years. Within the position, premillennialists are either "historic" or “dispensational." Both are categorized under the heading “premillennialism” because both believe that the Second Coming will occur prior to the millennial period.

Historic premillennialism can be graphed in the following way:



Christ Rapture/Second Coming
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Church Age The Tribulation The Millennium The Eternal State



Dispensational premillennialism can be graphed in the following way:



Christ Rapture Second Coming
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Church Age The Tribulation The Millennium The Eternal State