This is a good article that refutes Amillennialism. If you read the whole article that was quoted in part here and still do not understand the issues or still want to believe in Amillennialism you might read my own article on Amillennialism. It gives many more arguments and details. The facts are that believing Amillennialism requires inconsistent hermeneutics and inconsistent Eschatology.
Inconsistent Eschatology: Examining Amillennialism
Many read the Bible with two competing views mixing pre, post, and amillennial scholarship through the use of randomly bought commentaries. This “grab bag” of interpretations is sloppily promoted through prophetic guess sessions linked with every current event to hit the papers. Chafer answers this current trend with these pointed words:
Lastly, the Scriptures present but one system of truth. Men may not comprehend it, and of those who disagree respecting interpretation one or both sides of the controversy may be wrong; but both cannot be right. The Word of God does not lend itself as support to postmillennial, amillennial, and premillennial schemes of interpretation at the same time. It is for the student to weigh these claims and to be convinced of which one is Biblical.[5]
Answering the claim that prophecy should be avoided because it is “divisive,” Chafer goes on to say that he believes the premillennial position to be irrefutable and points out that there are no more problems in Eschatology than in Soteriology.[6] Disagreements as divisive as the raging debate between Calvinism and Arminianism do not hinder the great creedal statements made by the reformers but disunity over even the slightest aspect of Eschatology has been seized on as a reason to neglect prophecy.[7]
Prophetic Hermeneutics
It is of great significance that some amillennialists have admitted that if they took prophetic Scripture at face value they would have to be premillennialists.[15] Being that God has spoken to us through the medium of language, it is not unreasonable to think that He would not write something for us that we could not understand. The allegorical method of interpretation used by the amillennialist for prophecy misses the main point of allegory and symbolism; to make a picture clearer. Interpreting the promise in Isaiah 11:6-9 that ferocious animals will be tame as referring to the spiritual transformation of Saul, changed from a “vicious wolf-like persecutor to a lamblike follower of Christ,” is plain wrong.[16] The rules for interpretation are not arbitrary because they are the rules we use everyday in order to understand one another. To say “I ran for a mile,” would imply, in normal everyday speech that I actually ran for a literal mile. It is the normal meaning of my words that are being interpreted. The Bible is a human book, and God is a God of order who makes sense. It would be false to say that I meant that I ran for spiritual miles. Likewise, if I were to say that I ran like the wind it would be false to think that I was invisible and I went across the water. But rather that I, being a person, ran as fast as I could. In this case, depending on the context that I am not crazy, it would seem I am literally using an idiom. Whenever we read or hear anything we presume the literal meaning, which includes figures of speech, until the nature of the communication gives us reason to presume otherwise. This is the way the Bible is to be interpreted. To do otherwise gives one no safeguard to the imaginations of man and leaves God without the same authority we give ourselves, the ability to define our own terms when we communicate.
It is sad that many teachers within the Church misinterpret Scriptures to make the Scriptures fit to their dumb ideas. Here is a good article written by Ken Ham on interpreting Scriptures http://www.answersingenesis.org/creation/v24/i3/eisegesis.asp and another article by Russell Grigg http://www.answersingenesis.org/creation/v16/i1/genesis.asp
Not only Bible prophecy is being misinterpreted but the foundation of the Bible itself which is Genesis is also being misinterpreted.
I will have to say that the Devil knows how to get heretical teachings within the church and make it sound like truth.
Good links Justin,
Ken Ham in that article explains correct and incorrect scripture interpretation at a level that should allow anyone to understand.
Don:
I have been a hard-line dispensationalist for more than 35 years. The typical dispensational teaching on the millennium has always troubled me. I did a recent intense study on the subject and have concluded that dispensationals have this all wrong. It is inconsistent hermeneutic on the part of dispensationals which ought to be the subject here. Is it consistent with Scripture to re-instate animal sacrifices during a millennial reign of Christ? Is it consistent with Scripture that those in both a mortal and immortal state will be on the Earth at the same time? The Mid-Acts dispensationals refuse to accept this and will say that the Body of Christ, the Church, is in Heaven during the millennial reign. Would Christ allow this Earth to reach near perfection only to unleash Satan in the end? I recently read a commentary in a Bible published by a well known evangelist who commented that there would be mortals and immortals on the Earth in the New Jerusalem. That is where I am going with this. I believe that dispensationals have confused the millennial reign with the New Jerusalem. Israel won’t need a thousand years to believe that Christ is the Messiah. They’ve not believed it for two thousand years so a thousand more won’t change that. When He comes in person to unleash His wrath on the unbelieving world they’ll know who He is! Peter said that this Earth and all of its corruption will be burned up. I believe him. When Paul said that the man of sin would make his appearance in the temple during the great tribulation I believe him. There will be a temple built in Jerusalem for the false messiah. The Jews sadly will accept this one. When the real one returns there won’t be a thousand year option. And, we know that the New Jerusalem, which will be permanent, not a temporary kingdom, and it will not need a temple for Christ will provide the light. This new Jerusalem will be continually filled with the Glory of God! This is all in the Book!
Christ died that ALL might be reconciled back to God Almighty. The veil was torn and the wall was removed. Paul said that a new man was created, the believing Israelite remnant and the believing Gentiles became that new man, the Body of Christ. Why would you want to destroy what Christ accomplished? God is dealing with Israel now. They were blinded and are still blinded. God does not need the help of the dispensationals, especially those like John Hagee who tell the Jews that if they observe the Torah then they can keep on rejecting Christ. I believe that dispensationals need to take another look at their literal translation approach as I don’t think it is literal at all but it amounts to taking license to add to the Scriptures. Dispensationals, including myself, have been reading more into the Scriptures than what is literally there! It’s time to be honest about this. Differences in eschatology are not heretical, unless we’re speaking of the eschatology of a cult like the LDS or Jehovah’s Witnesses. Let’s stop calling each other heretics and take a second look at what we’ve been teaching. I just couldn’t go on in good conscience and accept the dispy teaching on the millennium. Thanks for allowing me to post.
I really do get tired of having to repeat the same arguments over and over. Did you read my article on amillennial theology
It is not inconsistent with scripture to reinstate animal sacrifices during the millennial reign of Christ if you know why. It has nothing to do with forgiveness of sin. We have the communion service to remind us of what Christ did. Jews will have animal sacrifices to remind them of what Jesus did. You will have to rip out Ezekiel chapters 40 through 48 out of the Bible to say that the Bible does not teach that animal sacrifices will occur after the return of Christ.
You infer that it is not consistent with scripture that mortals and Immortals will be on earth at the same time in the millennium. But mortals and immortals are on earth at the same time even today. Ever hear of angels? I do not think immortals will actually dwell on the earth. Their home will be in the Holy City and I believe it will be in orbit above Jerusalem during the millennial reign. I think immortals will ascend and descend on Jacob’s ladder to oversee works on earth much like the angels do today.
Obviously Christ will allow this earth to reach perfection because He said all enemies must be defeated. You have to deny much of the details of the Old Testament to claim that there is not a restoration of the earth. If you knew anything about dispensations you should also know why there has to be this last dispensation. In all dispensations or methods that God uses to reach man, many men choose not to believe. Even under perfect conditions like in the Garden the man of flesh will still rebel. Man must be born of the Spirit.
Also keep in mind that Jesus is not on the earth when this final rebellion takes place. After the thousand year reign Jesus goes to be with the Father in the Holy City. It is only then that Satan is unchained to deceive the rebels on earth. Its not all about man either. Satan is eternally judged because of inciting this rebellion. So much of this is about judgment of the angels and about God revealing Himself to the Angels through man. Don’t assume you know everything in God’s plan. What you know for sure is that in this dispensations God has grace on the gentiles and those that believe were grafted into the promise. So be thankful but don’t assume because you were grafted in that you know God’s plan for the natural branches or the universe.
Israel will believe that Jesus is the Messiah when He appears the second time. Scripture makes that abundantly clear. All will know the truth in the Millennium. God has a purpose for the Jews in the millennium. They will have to fulfill what they did not complete because they rejecting their Messiah. In other words, God’s plan for the Jews did not change just because the Messiah was delayed two thousand years, it just gave a age of unmerited grace to the Gentiles but soon God will give unmerited grace to the Jews. God cannot lie. The New covenant was given to the Jews without conditions they will live under that New Covenant on earth in the millennium. They must restore the earth to like it was before the fall for God’s greater purpose.
Have you ever considered that the near perfect conditions on the earth for the thousand years is so that about 100 billion new souls will be born on earth. Perhaps in this dispensation God is establishing a kingdom of Priests to administrate during the millennial reign of his anointed Christ? We are but a tithe of the earth. The greater soul harvest is in the millennium. I think there will be ten times more people born during the millennium then were born in all prior dispensations put together.
New Jerusalem, the Holy City is permanent but it is never on this earth. It is almost 1500 miles in width, length and height. The City will orbit the earth at least until after the millennium. Now you might get some idea of what man fears in Revelation and why they hide in the holes in the ground from the face of the Lamb when they see New Jerusalem coming down in orbit around the earth. A body that size in orbit will have enormous physical stresses on the earth not to mention the spiritual paradigm shift caused by seeing the Holy City. The prophecies make much more sense if one is able to use a little inductive reasoning. All my details do not need to be correct to know that God is going to shake this world to the core when Jesus comes.
There is not a Temple in the Holy City but there is a temple in the Millennium on earth. Again Ezekiel 40 through 48 makes that perfectly clear.
Christ died for all. But not all accept Him and are saved. In the millennium under perfect conditions this also will be true. I am not destroying what Christ accomplished but you are attempting to deny what scriptures says He will accomplish.
John Hagee has taught some heresy. What does that have to do with dispensationalists that are not teaching heresy? There are people in Covenant Theology teaching damnable heresies so should I blame all in Covenant Theology?
Dispensationalists are not perfect for sure. We read our own conjuncture into scripture at times but is that worse than making common sense prophecies allegory so that they make no common sense at all? No scripture is of private interpretation it should be taken in a literal sense and not defined by prejudiced theology that then interprets all scripture to fit that theology. All writers in the world expect people to understand what they say. God’s writers are certainly no different. All writers somehow make it clear to the reader when a literary tool is used otherwise no one would have a clue what they are talking about. It is the same with the writers of the Bible. All prophecy in the Bible will literally and physically be fulfilled when it is talking about events on the earth. If it is talking about the spiritual body the passage also makes that clear. All prophecy about Jesus in His first advent was fulfilled in a literal sense just as the prophets said.
Don:
I get tired of the same old comments, too. I am not a preterist! A preterist believes that God has already finished with Israel. I think you are pigeon-holing me because I don’t agree with your view of the millennium. I don’t think you read what I said but started filtering it immediately because you assumed something about me. “Amillennial” is a misnomer anyway. It has wrongly been equated with preterism in a misleading way much the same as premillennial is assumed to agree with all points of dispensationalism. We’ve created so many “isms” and sub-sets of those “isms” in Christianity that hardly anyone can agree on anything today. I’m not ecumenical, but I know that God is not the author of confusion. Men’s created doctrines are the root of the confusion.
Think about something: Those who reject the pre-trib rapture scenario often accuse pre-tribbers of believing in two returns of Christ. Actually, following their logic it could be said that pre-tribbers believe in three returns of Christ. The Millennial reign is definitely one return and it is for 1,000 years! Christ’s return with the New Jerusalem is a second return, and it is for eternity! We know from what Peter said that this Earth is going to be burned-up. Christ would have to take the inhabitants away before the Earth is destroyed by fire, right? He’ll have to come back again, after the Great White Throne Judgment to set up another kingdom. There’s no need to write another book about this as God the Holy Spirit has already informed us what is going to happen in the Bible. Most of the dispensational system of Bible study is very good. Covenant Theology pales in comparison, and that’s what is most often thrown-out against the dispensational teachings about how God has dealt with mankind in various ways throughout history. But I believe that one has to speculate on the meaning of Revelation 20:1-6 to teach a literal millennial reign. Speculation is just speculation and should be stated as such. It is not doctrine. Go to and direct others to Paul’s epistles to read doctrine for the New Testament church.
David,
I do not understand from what I said that your would think that I would think that you became a preterist. Preterists are a very small percentage of Christians but amillennial vews and Covenant Theology is the view of the vast majority that identify with Christianity. So I am not pigeon-holing you. Preterism did not even come into my mind in my reply to you. Amillennialism is not wrongly equated with preterism with most, it is the view of most main line Churches and they also reject preterism.
I really have read what you said and I have addressed your arguments.
Sure man created many isms but most of them came about by serious study of the scriptures. Our job is to weight their theology in the light of the Word and determine the truth from the false. God wants us to study the Word and listen to sound teachers so we can get understanding. Those that get into allegorical interpretations when the clear common meaning is so obvious do so through the lens of their preconceived theology.
There is only one physical return of Christ in Revelation to the world and all dispensationalists believe that. The Rapture is the Lord taking out the vessels containing the Holy Spirit before judgment, it is not the physical return of the Lord to the earth. It comes about by a shout of an Archangel. The vessels of mercy are told to come up to the Holy City so that we will not be objects of God’s wrath. It is not the second coming of Jesus in Revelation.
The coming of the Holy City is also not another return to the earth by Jesus. The coming of the Holy City down toward earth happens during the time of the tribulation. Everything in Revelation is not in sequence. John was taken by an angel to be shown the city of the Bride. The passage does not say that this occurs after the thousand year reign. After the final rebellion God sends fire on the earth and all things on earth are burned up. Then there is judgment and a new heaven and earth. That is what Peter was referring to in his double reverence prophecy.
There will be no kingdom on earth that Jesus will have to set up after the White Throne judgment. At that time Jesus will dwell in the Holy City not on earth and the creation will be restored to perfection. All things given to Jesus will be submitted to the Father. All that is not of God will be cast into the Lake of Fire. So all in the new creation will have full knowledge of Father God. Those that live in it will not need a government or a theocracy to instruct them they will be immortal in need of nothing and they will walk and talk with God face to face. The work of Jesus on the earth will have been accomplished.
So no. There are not three comings of Jesus in dispensationalism. There is but one.
I do think the believing inhabitants are taken away before fire destroys the rebels that come against the Holy City or their would be no one on earth to rebel against. After this event all are taken to be judged at the Great White throne but there is not enough details to say how that all takes place. There certainly is no physical return of Jesus to the earth at that time.
I think Revelation 20:1-6 is very clear if you take what is said literally and I see no good reason to believe else wise.
Hi Don!
I’m a Futuristic Premil and i’m trying to get a handle on just how Amils can justify spiritualizing and allegorizing Scripture. I understand this started with Origen but for the first three hundred years, the Church was premil. So, someone comes along and says “hey, let’s spiritualize things”.
Is that as good as it gets? Wow!
Yeah, because they could not see, or did not want to see a literal fulfillment to Israel. It was better for them to just supersede Israel with the Church and make the whole Bible spiritual applications for the Church rather than believe in any restoration of an Israel that no longer existed in the land. Almost 1700 years later not much has changed in most of Christianity even through there now is a Israel that can literally fulfill all prophecy.
It seems Major denominations and cults can never admit they had any theology wrong. After hundreds of years Catholics still cling to the infallibility of their man-made nonsense and that is true of most Protestant denominations as well. If people studied the Bible instead of denominational positions on the Bible we would have many more premillennial believers and less heresy.
Hey Don,
You said ‘You will have to rip out Ezekiel chapters 40 through 48 out of the Bible to say that the Bible does not teach that animal sacrifices will occur after the return of Christ.’ But you are saying this from your presupposition that this is not yet fulfilled! Christ fulfilled ALL of the OT, and if you disagree then you are calling Christ a liar based on his words claiming that he did fulfill it all. *Look up the word fulfilled when you can. Last I check it doesn’t mean partial.
It is sad to see you embittered anger within defending your view. I too used to share your exact view until I humbled myself and truly answered the issues of the dispensational doctrine by going back to the plain scripture, and simply reading for what it says WITHOUT my presuppositions. – Without inferring that animal sacrifices will become a type of ‘communion’ for the Jews for example… I found ZERO scripture for this, among other dispensational hermeneutical non-sense.
I used to claim to be literal too, but the Dispy explanations and interpretations are anything but. I say be literal where scripture is literal, and be symbolic where scripture is symbolic (prophecy).
Sorry any for typos, I am on my iPhone.
-Aaron
Until you can do that you will continue to make flawed arguments like the one I started with at the top of this comment.
Aaron where in the Bible does it say that all the OT was already fulfilled by Christ??? You must read an ultra modern replacement theology version because it sure is not in mine. More likely you’re just reading what you want to believe into the scriptures. That concept does not even make sense because God would be contradicting Himself if that were true.
Christ totally fulfilled the scriptures that spoke about His incarnation on earth. He also fulfilled the requirements of the Law for sin. Christ did fulfill many things in the OT but exactly what He fulfilled is also given in the passage speaking of it. All said by the OT prophets certainly have not all been fulfilled yet. For example, I have yet to see Jesus come in power and glory with all His whole angels and saints in this neck of the woods. Yet, every word of the OT prophets must be fulfilled.
Even apart from that non argument, show me how the details of Ezekiel chapters 40 through 48 were ever fulfilled in Christ? All that detail in those chapters is not just there to confuse you, it is not there because Ezekiel liked to talk a lot. it is instructions for those that live in the promised land in the promised earthly Millennial Kingdom. The same kingdom that Revelation says six time that will reign on earth for one thousand years. The description given in 40-48 is so descriptive to the earth that it is clear that it is talking about events on earth and not some spiritual allegorical fulfilment.
You would not have had to give up anything if you just believed that God keeps His covenants and He will fulfill the promises given to Israel when they accept their Messiah. Just because the Bride of Christ entered the New Covenant before Israel because of Israel’s unbelief does not nullify the New Covenant promise given to physical Israel and Judah without preconditions (Jer 31:31). Read Hosanna it is about Israel and its restoration in the end.
I guess you think Ezekiel 40-48 was just written to confuse the Church because it certainly makes no sense if you spiritualize these physical promises. Everything is not about those grafted into the commonwealth of Israel by grace, the physical earth promises to Israel must be fulfilled or God does not keep His covenants.
The context in scripture makes it clear when scripture is literal and when scripture is symbolic. That is not defined or discerned by just saying that all future prophecy is symbolic. To say all future prophecy is symbolic is a bastardization of God’s word. Why even believe the literal promises to the Church will be fulfilled if you think prophecy is symbolic? None of the fulfillments by Christ in his incarnation were symbolic they were quite literal.
I think the following article SHOULD cure up your confusion especially on the covenant land problems and the kingdom restoration and millennial temple which is what Ezekiel 40-48 is describing.
http://www.thepropheticyears.com/comments/amillennial.HTM
@ David Warren:
“There’s no need to write another book about this as God the Holy Spirit has already informed us what is going to happen in the Bible”.
This comment, or variations thereof have been used by many believers (especially those of charismatic persuasion) in what can only be described as an arrogant belief in the superiority of their relationship with the Holy Spirit. Some spirit or other has tickled their fancy and therefore everyone who disagrees with their fancy must be wrong.
Such shallow comments get up my nose even if they are not intended to sound as they do. They also suggest a casual read will get us there, and to dismiss the millennial reign of Christ as speculation is just such a nonsense.
Why have we been exhorted to STUDY to show ourselves approved; to RIGHTLY DIVIDE the word of God etc.????.
I have a sister who thinks she will be taught by the Holy Spirit alone and she now denies the Deity of Christ.
Sorry Arron your comment was removed. The comment section of my blog is not a place nor is it equipped to debate major theologies like Covenant verses Dispensational theology. Read my comment policy.
Any reference to ripping Ezekiel chapters 40-48 out of the Bible by me was obviously meant to those who believe Bible prophecy is meant to be taken literally. If someone in Covenant Theology allegorizes whatever they want to the Church you or any other author can write just about any novel you want about the meaning of Ezekiel Chapter 40-48.
Good article Don,
As far as Aaron’s statements go. Jesus fulfilled the Passover too, why do we still celebrated it today? (I think we should be if not)
The animal sacrifices in the literal millennium will be a reminder of past fulfillment. This is a really simple concept. Maybe that is why it is confusing to an amillennialist.
I am battling the spread amillennialism in my church and I see your articles are very helpful.
Rich, sadly you have zero verses to backup the idea of animal sacrifices being reintroduced as a ‘reminder’. Either Jesus was the FINAL sacrifice, or he wasn’t. I am not sure how you are combating amillenialism when you clearly don’t have a correct understanding of what it is. If you did, you wouldn’t be so quick to defend a new doctrine within the church that is less than 200 years old. Are you so convinced that all of church history before your belief system was wrong!?
I won’t be surprised if Don censors this post as well….
Aaron,
To say there are zero versus to back up animal sacrifices in the millennium is to ignore 8 chapters of Ezekiel chapters 40-48. They talk about the millennial reign that include animal sacrifices. Who said Jesus was the final sacrifice? Show me that from scripture. Jesus was God’s sacrifice once and for all for all sin. That does not nullify the Jewish sacrificial system. Do you think that Paul and James and Peter did not go into the Temple and fulfill the Jewish customs? Of course they did but they were not doing it because the blood of animals can take away sin. It never could and it won’t in the millennial reign.
To say premillennial theology is 200 years old is a lie. It was in existence before amillennial theology was even made up. Before 1000 AD many in Christendom were post millennial but when Jesus did not come in the thousand years they just made it a undisclosed period of time and that is still where much of the Church is today.
I will censor anyone that comes here to just argue and refuses to read the arguments that were already presented so that he can just repeat them in the same post later. Read my commenting policy!
“If people studied the Bible instead of denominational positions on the Bible we would have many more premillennial believers and less heresy.”
For the sake of today’s modern day church, truer words have never been spoken.
Aaron,
Have you ever heard of the Passover? Animal sacrifice is not involved in Passover? To say that animal sacrifices cannot be done as a reminder is clear ignorance of scripture. ALL sacrifices are done as a reminder either predictive or remembering. Remember that Yeshua is the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. Animal sacrifice does not take away sin only Yeshua’s, and in that sense only he is the final sacrifice.
Having zero verses to back up your amillennial views does not seem to stop you from the obfuscation of scripture (or “ripping out” whole chapters) that are needed to support your claims. Amillennialism is a self imposed spiritual blindness that results in not being ready for the Lord’s soon return.
Also, I think people should consider that the priests of the Temple and the people visiting the Temple will still have to eat in the millennial reign. Animal sacrifices also had that practical purpose.
Aaron wants you to know that he is being censored by me. That is true.
After all that I have said to Arron here, he still thinks he can rehash amillennial arguments as if I am going to post them and then take the time to write all the arguments against his ammillenial theology in the comments section of a blog post.
Arron can read the link to my article on amillennial theology in the post above. It gives many arguments. Or he can read my prior comments. Arron can also go to http://www.pre-trib.org were every argument against dispensational premillenial futurism has already been adequately explained and addressed by experts. They can be read by anyone with a open mind. There is no point in recreating the wheel here.
Arron also thinks that my censoring him here is infringing on his free speach.
For the umpteen time I am telling Arron that he needs to read my commenting policy. Free speech is not a right on blogs with defined posting rules. I have rules for good reason. In Arron’s case, this post is not going to be a soapbox for ammillennial apologetics any more than it is going to be a soapbox for any other aberrant theology.
There are many people like Arron that want to allegorize and spiritualize Bible prophecy when the author or the Bible does not define that the events are anything other than common language meant to be taken literally. Assigning new meanings to common sense plain descriptions is schizophrenic because anyone can then read into it just about any spiritual or allegorical meaning that they want, and they do!
The only reason Arron got posted again recently was because the millennial sacrifices were brought up. I think the answers for why the sacrifices take place in the millennium (that he does not even believe in) have already been presented and none of the arguments say that Jesus did not pay for all sin as Arron erroneously implies that any future animal sacrifice would mean.
At its basic level, amillennialism, postmillennialism, and Covenant theology impugn the integrity and honor of God. Although promoters of those theological views would deny it, their advocacy of special meanings and allegorical novelty implies that God does not mean what He says in the same way He said it.
For further review on this aspect of Covenant Theology:
http://davestheology.wordpress.com/2012/04/18/dispensational-eschatology-covenant-replacement-eschatology-the-veracity-of-god-gnosticism-and-language-games/