4 Truth Ministry

Four End-Time Views & When They Came into the Church

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By David Sheldon

Last Updated: January 19, 2025

Nature of Eschatology

Eschatology is the study of things concerning the end times: the Tribulation, the return of Christ, the rapture, the Apostasy, the millennium, and such. Numerous texts of Scripture deal with eschatology and were developed throughout the entire writing of the finalized canon.

When Scripture reveals a portion of something at one point and later reveals more about that same thing, we refer to it as “progressive revelation.” This happens repeatedly with eschatological things (prophecies). So we should read and study the initial texts first. Then consider further revelations that enhance the original understanding. Evaluating all of Scripture, not ignoring or cherry-picking anything, will provide much more insight and understanding into end-time prophecies.

That said, obviously there are different views of the end times even among Christians. Actual strong believers in Jesus Christ have varied opinions which is fine because God is gracious to all His own. However, the nearer we get to the end, should we not want to get it correct?!

This article gives a broad overview of each of the four main end-time viewpoints: historic premillennialism, amillennialism, postmillennialism, and dispensational premillennialism. We also discuss how/when each one came into the church. Could this have more significance in correct eschatology than we realize?!

End-Time Millennium

Four Views of the Millennium (and their “founding” dates)

A huge part of eschatology has to do with the millennium – a time when Christ rules over the earth (Messianic Kingdom). The questions have been: Is this a literal thousand-year period or a figurative timeline? And does Christ reign on the earth by His physical presence or reign spiritually from heaven? How one views these things then plays into how one perceives things will unfold upon the earth at the end of the age and who participates.

As stated, there are largely four views of the millennium within Christianity. Here is an overview of each position and when they first appeared on the radar in the church’s history. Revelation 20:1-15 should be the starting and ending point to understanding the millennium. It is typically the interpretation of other related texts where nuances of thought come into play within each category.

Please note that it has taken some time for each category to be formalized or labeled. Bible scholars have not always categorized themselves into a particular position, so we should be careful not to read into someone’s views regarding their eschatology.

1. Historic Premillennialism (≈ 90 – 400 A.D.)

The first and prominent position in the early church was a basic understanding of the millennium which has since been labeled “historic premillennialism.” The early church called it “chiliasm” meaning there would be a literal thousand-year reign of Christ upon the earth after His return. The chiliastic view held that the rapture is at Christ’s Second Coming – when the church meets Him in the air to join Him as he descends to earth as the Deliverer and Conquering King.

Many early church leaders held to the historic premillennialism viewpoint including Papias (who knew the Apostle John), Irenaeus (a disciple of Polycarp, who was a disciple of the Apostle John), Ignatius of Antioch (35-108) (who was also a disciple of the Apostle John), as well as Barnabus, Justin Martyr, Tertullian, Methodius, Lactantius, Clement of Rome, Ignatius of Antioch, Theophilus of Antioch, Tatian of Assyria, Bishop Melito of Sardis, Clemens Alexandrinus, Hippolytus, Victorinus, Cyprian, and Commodians.

When Irenaeus wrote his main work, Against Heresies, in about 180 A.D., he wrote from a historic premillennial viewpoint. He anticipated some would dispute the literal view of the millennium, so he considered that when he wrote. We discuss Irenaeus’ writings here.

Although historic premillennialism was present in the church after 400 A.D., it began to wane at that time. Two perspectives came after historic premillennialism – amillennialism and postmillennialism – which say that the millennium was/is currently taking place on the earth and is not a separate period after Christ’s Second Coming.

2. Amillennialism (≈ 400 A.D. – the present time)

The amillennial view states that Christ’s millennial kingdom is the presence of God in His church upon the earth. So, Christ currently reigns from heaven over the earth. It is not a literal 1,000 years, but “allegorized” to mean a generally long time.

Precursors of amillennialism were circulating as early as the late second century A.D. Although Augustine (354-430 A.D.) initially believed in premillennialism, he eventually embraced and popularized amillennialism.

The culture/history of the time would make this an easy option to consider since Israel, as a nation, had scattered into the world post-70 A.D. It became easier to dismiss the idea of Israel returning as a nation and anticipating their coming Messiah’s reign. Therefore, this theology has come to mean that the church replaces God’s plan and promise to Israel of their Messiah reigning on the throne of David (Psalm 132:11). In other words, the church has become the Davidic Kingdom of Christ (this is popularly termed “replacement theology”).

3. Postmillennialism (≈ 1650 – the present day)

The postmillennial view has its roots basically in the post-Reformation era and flows from the amillennial view with a few important ideas added. It not only sees the kingdom (millennium) as Christ currently reigning in His church, but to various degrees says Christ is enabling His church to establish that reign into the culture. For some, this even means establishing the Judeo-Christian ethic into the laws of the nations. This theological basis is sometimes referred to as “dominionism” or “theonomy” or “reconstructionism.” So the Christian commission is not only to preach the gospel and to be salt and light, it is also “to take dominion.” Some even go so far as to see this mandate in its original form in the Creation Mandate of Genesis 1:28.

4. Dispensational Premillennialism (≈ 1832 – the present day)

Premillennialism lay dormant after 400 A.D. until it was once again embraced in the early 1800’s by J.N. Darby. He systematized it into a different theological format called “dispensational premillennialism.” Darby introduced both a distinction and separation of the church from Israel to such a degree that he saw the church as leaving the earth at the “rapture” – when Christ collects the church to Himself. And he saw this happening at the beginning of The Tribulation. It is then that God will deal specifically with Israel.

So this view, which currently may be the most distinct and widespread, is actually quite new! An overtly “secret rapture” teaching has only existed in the church for about 200 years!

Does History Matter?

Do we realize why the early church’s position was what it was (that of historic premillennialism though not yet labeled as such)? They learned of it from the Apostles – first and secondhand!

The Jewish people expected a literal Messianic kingdom, and they should have, based upon texts like Isaiah 9:6-7 and Isaiah 11:1-6. They knew Christ was a coming King to rule on the Davidic throne upon the earth. They didn’t know when this would happen, that Christ would fulfill this at His Second Coming, not His first. He had to deal with sin at His first coming – for anyone to be a part of that future kingdom (Isaiah 53:4-6). The Apostles then verbally passed these truths – of a literal Messianic Kingdom/millennial reign – on to the early church (along with other end-time details written by John in Revelation 20).

So why do the amill/postmill camps spiritualize/allegorize the Millennium? Is Christ reigning in the Millennium now? Is He somehow reigning through the church as the Davidic Kingdom of Christ? We should look at Scripture’s progressive revelation regarding the person and work of Christ. Genesis 3:15 says Christ will bruise Satan on the head; Matthew 1:21 says Christ will deliver His people from their sin; and Revelation 20:1-3 says He will bind/crush Satan for a thousand years:

“Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand. 2 And he laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; 3 and he threw him into the abyss, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he would not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were completed; after these things he must be released for a short time.”

An angel, sent by God, binds Satan. What does bind mean? The angel uses a great chain to grab a hold of the dragon and put him in that abyss for a thousand years! What can’t Satan do while he is in that abyss? He cannot deceive the nations any longer! When you look out upon the earth now, what do you see? Has the deceptive influence of Satan been removed from our world?

Though there are many otherwise orthodox believers in the amillennial and postmillennial camps, they have mistakenly deviated from the early church fathers in this regard. There is clear evidence in Scripture and from the early church’s witness that the millennial kingdom must be a distinct time after the return of Christ and before the eternal state. The church has not somehow replaced their Messiah as reigning on the earth. Christ will literally reign on the earthly throne of David for one thousand years! (See Psalm 132:11)

Furthermore, we must ask ourselves if the church is a special entity separated from God’s promises to Israel. Will the church be divided from God’s dealings with Israel to such an extent that Jesus has two “Second Comings” (one at the beginning of the tribulation to rapture the church and then again at the end to establish His kingdom upon the earth)?

In Genesis 12:1-3, God promised to make Abraham into a great nation. God would bless Abraham with physical descendants and land to occupy. This prophecy was brought to light when Israel became a nation again in 1948! The Israelites had been scattered into the nations because of their sin but eventually returned to the land of Israel as promised (Amos 9:11-15; Zechariah 8:4-8; Zechariah 10:8-10). And guess what?! Gentiles (the church) also participate in this promise!

How so? Will they also go to the land of Israel to occupy it? No, this is spiritual participation. The Gentiles have been made fellow heirs with the promises to Abraham! Based upon their coming to Christ (the Seed), the church has been made partakers of the promise and grafted into Israel (Ephesians 2:11-22; Ephesians 3:6; Galatians 3:16; Romans 11:17-18). So the church does not “replace” Israel, but it also is not separated from it!

And lastly, the question – will the church (but not Israel) be removed from the earth before the Tribulation? Both 1 Thessalonians 5:1-5 and 2 Thessalonians 1:6-10 teach that “on THAT day” (the Day of the Lord) the church will be present for Christ’s Second Coming at the end when certain specific things are looked for and happen. In other words, THAT day is the last day in each context, and in that context, the Gentile-believing church is still present!

Our Response

How we view the millennium and eschatology absolutely affects our Christian walk!

A non-literal view of the millennium might translate into a huge weight of doing anything and everything possible to “make the world ready” for Christ’s return. Or, if we just look around, it can leave a feeling of hopelessness.

On the other hand, from the dispensational perspective, if the church is removed from the earth before the seven-year tribulation period, saints may not be prepared for what is to come, possibly overlooking deception within the church, or really suffering for Christ.

Are we distracted from what we really should be concerned about? There is no doubt the teachings of the later views of eschatology are robbing us of significantly important things! These are things that might be critical for us as we observe what is now going on in our world.

So we each need to think through whether we have embraced the various commands – and warnings – of Scripture. The brethren are not to allow the Day of the Lord to overcome them like a thief (1 Thess. 5:1-11) – as it does for those who live in darkness. We are to maintain sober preparation and watchfulness. This might include things like being bold in our faith and maintaining a witness to the truth even amid possible persecutions, or even suffering as many believers around the world already do. If we anticipate hardships and the things described in Revelation, it should tend to make us take the stewardship of our lives more seriously. The seducing of the world that distracts us from being a good soldier for Jesus Christ should be avoided.

For More Information

If you desire to read about early church eschatology, see our articles on Against Heresies by Irenaeus who lived in the second century:

What Did the Early Church Believe About Eschatology? Part 1
What Did the Early Church Believe About Eschatology? Part 2

If you would like to consider the possibility of two prophetic chapters of Ezekiel that might soon be fulfilled in our day, see:

Is The War of Ezekiel 38-39 The Same War As The Battle of Armageddon?
Who are Gog and Magog?

Good News for Israel From Zechariah!

God tells us in Zechariah that a time will come when Israel will be in great distress. He also says there is great hope for the nation. What is He referring to?

What Did the Early Church Believe About Eschatology? (Part 2)

Christians today have various views on eschatology. The early church held ONE main view. What did they think about the rapture, Second Coming, & millennium?

What Did the Early Church Believe About Eschatology? (Part 1)

Christians today have various views on eschatology. The early church held ONE main view. What did they think about the Antichrist, False Prophet, & 666?

Todd Friel on the Israel-Hamas War

Watch this video by Todd Friel of Wretched regarding what Christians should know regarding the Israel-Hamas war.

Who Are Gog and Magog?

Gog and Magog are found in an Old Testament prophecy of a war against Israel in Ezekiel 38-39. The following breakdown gives insight into the meanings of these names.

Is The War of Ezekiel 38-39 The Same War As The Battle of Armageddon?

A look at the wars prophesied about in Ezekiel 38-39 and Revelation 16 & 19.

War On Israel – Ezekiel 38-39

With the tremendous turmoil currently taking place in the world, we should consider an Old Testament prophecy some Bible scholars think is yet to be fulfilled. Ezekiel 38 & 39 speaks of a war against Israel in the last days.

Are You Prepared? The Coming Global System

As we approach the final days as described in Daniel and Revelation, it is important that pastors speak up and sound the warnings of what to expect and look for!

End Time Events: A Brief Overview

The Bible describes many end time events that occur before the Second Coming of Christ. In this article, we discuss two: 1) the Final Apostasy of the church, and 2) a worldwide rebellion of fallen mankind.

The Church’s New Agenda

Have you noticed the stumbling block of the gospel has taken a back seat to other things in many churches? The visible church’s overarching goal has become “to connect.”

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