(Also See Section Dominion Theology) Post-millenniumists believe that the Millennium is a period during which the kingdom of God is extended in the world through the preaching of the gospel and saving work of the Holy Spirit. The church progressively brings righteousness and peace to the world and that the world eventually will be Christianized. Following a brief time of tribulation, Christ will return to earth and establish a new heaven and a new earth for eternity. This view is closely tied in with Latter Rain, Kingdom Now and Joel’s Army theology and has little (if any) Scriptural support. Neither Christ nor His apostles taught, on fair principles of interpretation, that the Millennium must come before His advent. Besides which things are getting worse not better. In the words of the Jeremiah Project… There is no evidence that the church, through the spread of the gospel, is purifying the world. Conversely, all one need do is look around to see that the world is polluting the church in perfect fulfillment of 2 Tim. 3:1-5, which describes the decline of the church in the last days. Scripture makes it clear that the end of the age will not be characterized by world revival. It will be the Antichrist's ultimate hour of power, cut short not by the universal spread of the gospel but by the Day of the Lord judgment. [1]
Besides which, in all of the texts of the NT where the entire sweep of the age between the first and second comings of Christ are both foretold and described, no mention is made of a Golden Age of righteousness. In fact … The Silence Is Deafening
The Olivet Discourse which covers the entire period right up to the second coming, wasn’t Jesus mentioning a few things about the future and leaving out important details. On the contrary it was an exhaustive overview of the future of the planet as well as that of the church, with nothing important or essential left out. In it Jesus not only tells of Jerusalem's capture and the destruction of the temple but warns of wars and commotion among the nations. The days prior to the coming of Christ are described as days in which lawlessness abounds, the Antichrist, or man of sin, makes his appearance and persecutes Christians.. putting many to death, Jesus then goes on to speak of the persecution of cosmic convulsions, unparalleled tribulation and sufferings which terminate only with His advent. In all this, He says not a word to his disciples about any such Golden Age in which the church will be dominant in a world at peace. He offers no hope of a Millennium before His coming.
The Teaching of Jesus.
In the words of William G. Moorehead “The Lord Jesus said nothing about world-wide conversion in His instructions to His disciples touching their mission (Matthew 28:19,20; Mark 16:15; Luke 24:46-48; Acts 1:8). They were to be His witnesses and carry His message to the race, but He does not promise the race will receive their testimony, or that men will generally accept His salvation. On the contrary, He explicitly forewarns them that they shall be hated of all men, that sufferings and persecutions shall be their lot, but if they are faithful to the end their reward will be glorious. But world-wide evangelism does not mean world-wide conversion. The universal offer of salvation does not pledge its universal acceptance. In His instructions and predictions the Lord does not let fall a hint that their world-wide mission will result in world-wide conversion, or that thereby the longed-for Millennium will be ushered in.” [The Pre-millennium View]
Peter...
in his end-times teaching, makes no mention of a Golden Age (2 Peter 3). In fact he encourages believers to ‘look for and hastening the coming of the day of God’. And what is this day of the Lord? Peter describes it as when “the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat”. Not exactly something anyone can be persuaded to gleefully anticipate. Why didn’t Peter tell the believers to also look forward to a Golden Age, prior to the Lord's return, when righteousness will dwell on the earth? No we look forward to The Day of The Lord because after which “according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells”. Why didn’t he mention that we should also look forward to the righteousness that will also dwell on the earth prior to the Lord's return.
Prophecy of the "Man of Sin"
In 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12 we are given an account of a misunderstanding on the part of the people of Thessalonica, who had been led to believe that the day of the Lord had already come, which apparently (and understandably) disturbed them greatly. In correcting this impression Paul assured them that certain events had to precede that day, namely, "the falling away," or apostasy, and the appearing of a powerful adversary, whom he calls the Man of Sin… the Son of Perdition. Neither the apostasy nor the antichrist had appeared as yet, but the "mystery of lawlessness" was already at work at the time, held in check by a restraining force, which, when removed, would immediately be followed by the Man of Sin, who would eventually be defeated by the personal coming of Jesus Christ. We are certainly given absolutely no indication that there will be a long period of peace followed by the apostasy and the appearance of the Son of Perdition. [See The Antichrist] Specific Teaching…The Parables
Parable of the Wheat and Tares (Matthew 13:24-30,36-43). In this parable our Lord compared The Kingdom of heaven to a man who sowed good seed in his field, but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, which became evident only when the wheat sprouted. The servants of the landowner then asked the owner whether they should go in and gather up the tares, to which the owner replied that they should not since they could uproot the wheat as well. His further instructions were to allow both to grow together until the harvest, at which time the reapers would gather up the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them up; and gather the wheat into the barn. The harvest is the consummation and culmination of the age. The expulsion of the tares is left for angels' hands when God sends them to "gather out of his kingdom all things that cause stumbling, and them that do iniquity, and cast them into the furnace of fire. In other words the words "Let both grow together until the harvest" holds true until the end of the age, conditions that make a millennium of universal righteousness and knowledge of the Lord impossible. So apparently the world is filled with both wheat and tares which are growing together and will only be separated at the end of the age.. when Jesus returns and gathers the wheat into His barn. [Also See That Earth Shaking Seventh Trumpet] But what about the church…
Parable of the Pounds (Luke 19:11-27).
On His last journey to Jerusalem, Jesus told this parable to possibly correct the misunderstanding of the expectant crowd that Kingdom of God was immediately to appear, and to reveal certain vital features. He said that "A certain nobleman went into a far country, to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return." However the nobleman, anticipating a long journey, made his servants responsible for His interests in His absence. He called ten of them together and entrusted them with one Mina each, instructing them to 'Do business with this until I come back”. Some wisely made the best use of the money he had entrusted to them and were rewarded, others were not at all diligent and had even their one Mina taken away from them. The analogy is not difficult to grasp.. The nobleman is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself; the far country is heaven and the kingdom He goes to receive is the Messianic kingdom. Since the parable speaks only of the servants of the Nobleman, it can not be referring to the world at large but the church. The story spans the whole period between Jesus’ ascension and advent. It tells of Christ's going away, it describes the conduct of His servants (Christians) during His absence; it foretells His return and the reckoning that is to follow. Note the words, "And it came to pass, when he was come back again, having received the kingdom." It is in heaven He receives the investiture of the kingdom (Revelation 5) before returning to earth administer it. However when He returns to earth He finds that His servants have not all been faithful and wisely invested what was entrusted to them. [Also See The Bema or Judgment Seat of Christ and Rewards in Heaven]
Other As It Was In The Days Of Noah
The Lord Jesus specifically taught that "As the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be" (Matt. 24:37). What were the conditions in Noah's days? “And just as it happened in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: they were eating, they were drinking, they were marrying, they were being given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. "It was the same as happened in the days of Lot: they were eating, they were drinking, they were buying, they were selling, they were planting, they were building; but on the day that Lot went out from Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. "It will be just the same on the day that the Son of Man is revealed”.”
These words hardly present the picture of our Lord returning to a world which has been won by the Gospel. On the contrary Our Lord very plainly intimated that He did not expect to return to a world where Christianity had universally triumphed: "When the Son of Man cometh, shall He find faith on the earth?' (Luke 18:8)! However Genesis also tells us “the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all that they chose. And Jehovah said, My spirit shall not strive with man for ever, for that he also is flesh: yet shall his days be a hundred and twenty years. The Nephilim were in the earth in those days, and also after that, when the sons of God came unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them: the same were the mighty men that were of old, the men of renown. [Genesis 6:1-4].
Our Lord linked these two epochs together and said that one is the parallel of the other. If we are living in the days immediately preceding the return of Jesus Christ we shall find similar conditions to the days of Noah, therefore to know what to expect one must focus on the questions.. Who were these sons of God? What kind of beings did these strange things? [See Section The Days Of Noah]
The Evidence From Daniel 2 In summary, the colossal image king Nebuchadnezzar saw in a dream had a head of gold, breast and arms of silver, belly and thighs of bronze, legs of iron with feet of iron mixed with clay. This composite statue was then reduced to powder by a huge stone, and the powder was blown away by the wind. Where the image had stood, the rock grew to the size of a mountain and filled the earth. Daniel interpreted the dream as being four great kingdoms or empires would, in succession, dominate history. The statue's golden head represented King Nebuchadnezzar (Babylon), which would be followed by three more kingdoms that would each arise in turn and rule for a while. The fourth kingdom (the Roman Empire) does not end at the legs of the statue, but trickles down to the feet and toes. The ten toes have a symbolism (details), however in the final scene, the entire statue is reduced to dust by a rock that becomes a mountain and fills the earth. A rock that represents God’s everlasting kingdom that will fill the earth. However note that the text says that the stone that struck the statue crushed the iron, clay, bronze, silver and the gold at the same time, with the resulting residue (chaff) carried away by the wind without leaving a trace (Daniel 2:35). These kingdoms are not merely put out of commission for a while but brought to a final end. While it is certainly true that the first coming of Christ resulted in a victory over sin and death, the kingdom of hell was not, at this time, totally annihilated "without leaving a trace". The statement that "the rock struck the statue and became a great mountain and filled the whole earth" (Daniel 2:35) will be fulfilled only when Christ returns a second time when the kingdom of this world become the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ" [Revelation 11:15]. However, and this is the key issue, these worldly kingdoms will exist right up to the Second Coming of Jesus. [For Details See A Dragon and Two Beasts]
Implications of Paul’s Expectations In 1 Thessalonians 4:17 Paul’s use of the word “we” indicated that he believed that he and others of his time would survive till the Lord's coming: "Then we that are alive, that are left, shall together with them be caught up in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air" (compare 1 Corinthians 15:51,52).
Apparently the apostle did not know that centuries would elapse between his own day and Christ's advent, expecting instead Christ’s return to take place in his lifetime. The inference is perfectly legitimate that Paul and his fellow-disciples did not anticipate that a thousand years should intervene between them and the coming.
Two Thrones Post-millennialists teach that Christ is reigning as King to-day and that He will continue to reign thus, unseen, until He has subdued and won all His enemies. But the first part of this assertion is altogether lacking in scriptural authority. Nowhere in the New Testament are we told that Christ has already begun His Kingly reign, and nowhere in the Epistles is He denominated the "King of the Church." It is true that Christ is now seated upon a "throne," but not upon His own Throne. Christ is seated on the Throne of His Father, but His own Throne and the Father's Throne are clearly distinguished in Scripture – To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with Me in My Throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with My Father in His Throne" (Rev. 3:21).
It is not until after He has vacated His Father's Throne and returns to this earth that He will occupy His own throne as is clear from Matt. 25:31 "When the Son of Man shall come in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then shall He sit upon the Throne of His glory." [An Examination of Post-millennialism. Arthur Pink]
Politics and Kingdom Building Post-millennialists argue that believers ought to take active part in politics, since the Golden Age theory implies that we must strain to build a Christian society and civilization on earth. However it is to be noted that The New Testament knows no righteousness apart from the Cross and places no value upon a reformation which is divorced from regeneration…. Additionally the fact that there is absolutely no mention of Jesus taking part in the politics of Palestine in His day, should give us pause for thought. "For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God" (Romans 10:3).
In fact the NT suggests the opposite, saying [Emphasis Added] “Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, …” [2 Pet 3:11-12] instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, [Titus 2:12-13]
so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world, [Philippians 2:15]
The Dangers of Post Millenniumism If you really believe in a long period of peace and prosperity that precedes the return of Christ I suggest you seriously re-think your views. The dangers in believing that the millennium will precede the coming of Christ lies in the fact that, although it is true that there is going to be a time of relative prosperity and peace on this earth before Jesus returns, it will not be righteous Godly kingdom, but one established by the antichrist. In the words of Prof. H. Hanko… “How nice it would be if we did not have to worry about persecution, about the terrible tribulation of the Antichrist's kingdom. How nice it would be if we could rather look forward to our faith pervading all the world. The song of postmillennialism is a lullaby. It is a sweet siren song that gradually sings the child of God to sleep. It is a song which is so beautiful, so entrancing, that he forgets all about this calling to watch for the coming of the Lord. And so when a very beautiful and glorious kingdom comes to this world, he will say: Ah, our dreams are realized, our hopes are fulfilled, our longings are satisfied; the kingdom of our Christ has come. But, lo and behold, it is the kingdom, not of Christ, but of Antichrist. Do you respond to this by saying , "Never fear. I will be able to tell the difference. I can never possibly confuse the two. I know how Christ's kingdom is different from that of Antichrist"? If your say this, then all I can do is warn you that the deception is very real and very much a possibility. The Lord was deeply concerned about this very thing when He told us, "Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders, insomuch, that if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. Behold, I have told you before" (Matthew 24:23-25). The hope of the believer, and for this I am profoundly grateful, is not on any kingdom in this sorry world, but is fastened with eagerness, with longing and with great optimism, on the everlasting kingdom of righteousness which shall be realized only in the new heavens and in the new earth where sin shall be no more. [2]
To which I can add a postscript.. Many of the popular “Christian” doctrines advocated today are nothing more than the cultic propositions of Eastern mysticism and ancient paganism. These include concepts of psychic healing, self-realization, emotional experiences, rules of success, breathing techniques, positive confession, name it and claim it, environmental theology, the ecumenical movement, visualization, hypnosis by clergy, mind manipulation, and so on. Like frogs being slowly brought up to the boil, Christians have gradually been acclimatized into accepting ideas and practices that any self respecting Berean, unimpressed by “new revelation” would have run a mile from. The gradual but sure infiltration of the government and the church means that there is nothing to hinder the return of pure unmitigated evil. While this turmoil comes to a head and the dark minions dig their tentacles further and further into human flesh, our church continues to trot off to their various conferences, watch TBN, read yet another leadership book, indulge in emerging dialogue, and argue about who Cain married… all the while waiting for a Rapture that isn’t going to happen in time to save them. Actually.. on consideration the situation is worse.. far worse. The church that should have been a bulwark against evil has, thanks to apostate leadership and a Biblically illiterate population, latched on to the coat tails of the world and come up with ‘Christianized’ versions of venturing into areas strictly forbidden in Scripture. With contemplative prayer, meditation, labyrinths, yoga etc. [Details] We have endorsed the invitations and are along for the ride... And what a ride it’s going to be… a Church expecting revival and/or a church sponsored millennium and the return of Christ will soon find itself face to face with the antichrist instead. [See Christians and The Antichrist] Endnotes [1] http://www.jeremiahproject.com/prophecy/rapture5.html [2]The Illusory Hope of Postmillennialism. by Prof. H. Hanko.
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