You Can Understand the End Times: The Four Main Views

The study of the end times is called eschatology, and there are four main eschatological views.  Actually there are really only two main views:  Pre-millennialism and post-millennialism.  But within pre-millennialism there are two views:  historic pre-millennialism and dispensationalism.  And within post-millennialism there are two main views:  Post-millennialism and amillenialism.

You will notice that each of these positions has the word "millennium" in it, which means 1,000.  This comes from Revelation 20, which is the only chapter in the Bible which refers to the millennium, or the 1,000 year reign of Christ.  The four views differ on whether Christ will return before the 1,000 years, or after.

In general, pre-millennialists believe in a literal 1,000 years, while post-millennialists believe in a figurative 1,000 years (i.e. a long period of time).  All pre-millennialists believe that Christ will return, reign for a literal one-thousand years on the earth, and then carry out the final judgment and create the new heavens and earth.  All post-millennialists believe that the millennium began with the resurrection and that Christ is presently reigning in heaven and through the hearts of His followers, and that His bodily return will occur after the millennium, which is the present age.

Historic pre-millennialists believe that Christ will return, reign on the earth for a literal one-thousand years, and then carry out the final judgment and create a new heavens and earth.

Dispensationalists believe that God has two separate peoples with two different plans -- the nation of Israel, and the church.  Because Israel rejected Christ, God postponed His plan for Israel and has been focusing on redeeming the Gentiles.  When the church-age is complete, Christ will secretly rapture the church from the earth.  Then God will pick up where He left off with Israel.  There will be a seven-year period of tribulation during which national Israel will turn to Christ.  Then Christ will return and reign on the earth for a literal one thousand years.  Finally He will carry out the judgment and create the new heavens and earth.

Post-millennialists believe that the millennium figurative for a long period of time, and that it began with Christ's resurrection.  Gradually the kingdom of God will advance and grow until the vast majority of the earth and its institutions will become Christianized.  The conditions of the earth will get better and better, with things like war and poverty becoming virtually non-existent.  Then Christ will return, carry out the final judgment, and create the new heavens and earth.

Amillennialists believe that the millennium is now, with Christ reigning both in heaven and in and through the lives of His followers.  It began with the resurrection.  The millennium is not a literal one thousand years, but is figurative for an extended period of time.  During the millennium, both good and evil will co-exist and continue to grow side by side.  At the end of the millennium Christ will return, carry out the final judgment, and create the new heavens and earth.  Of the four main views, I believe that amillennialism is the most Biblical.