Wednesday, December 11, 2013

The Millennial Maze - Part 1

HistoricPremillennialism

Historic premillennialism teaches that at the end of the present age, there will be the great tribulation followed by the second coming of Christ.  At Christ's coming, the Antichrist will be judged, the righteous will be resurrected, Satan will be bound, and Christ will establish His reign on earth, which will last for a thousand years and be a time of unprecedented blessing for the church.  At the end of the millennium, Satan will be released and he will instigate a rebellion, which will be quickly crushed. The unrighteous will at this point be raised for judgment, after which the eternal state will begin.

Historic premillennialism has had its proponents in the church from at least the second century AD onward.  It was taught, for example, by Irenaeus (140-203) and Justin Martyr (100-165), and may have been taught in the late first century by Papias (80-155).  Some within the Reformed tradition, such as James Montgomery Boice, have taught this view.  The most notable proponent of historic premillennialism in the twentieth century was George Eldon Ladd, whose commentary on the book of Revelation argues strongly for this position.
  (Dr. Keith A. Mathison, Rformation Bible College, Tabletalk, Dec. 2013)

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