INTRODUCTION: Almost everyone in the religious world believes in premillenialism. It is the belief that Christ will return to Jerusalem. Is there "strength in numbers"? Is it true just because everyone else believes it?

BODY

I. WHAT IS PREMILLENIALISM?

A. A working definition

1. Premillenialism is that system of religious belief that holds that Christ didn't set up a kingdom when he was on earth because the Jews rejected it but will one day return to set up an earthly kingdom in which Christ will reign on the earth for a thousand years.

2. At the conclusion of the thousand year reign on earth Christ will judge the world in righteousness and usher in the heavenly abode.

3. Premillenialists use Revelation 20:1-7 as a proof text.

B. There are three different millennial views.

1. Premillenialism-just defined.
Premillinialists are further divided into dispensationalists, pre-tribulationists, mid-trib, and post-trib premillinialists.

2. Postmillenialism- teaches that the second coming will take place after, not before the thousand year reign.

3. Amillenialism-teaches that there the millennium is not literal at all but is a figurative representation of the battle of the forces of evil with that of good.

C. A glossary of some important premillenial terms. (According to Premillenialists)

1. Church age- the age we live in. Precedes the thousand year reign.

2. Kingdom age-the thousand year reign of Christ in which the kingdom will be established on earth.

3. Armageddon-the place in Israel which Premillenialists believe will be the site for the climatic battle between the forces of the Antichrist and the Lord.

4. Rapture- the secret return of the Lord to take his people away from the earth before the rise of the Antichrist and the Tribulation.

5. The Tribulation-the seven year period that Premillenialists believe will take place after the rapture of the saints. During this time will come the rise of the Antichrist, the miraculous conversion of large numbers of the Jews and the battle of Armageddon.

6. The Antichrist- the man who is supposed to come to power during the Tribulation period who will be more wicked than any other leader who has ever lived.

7. The Advent-refers to two second comings that Premillenialists believe will take place, one for the righteous before the "Tribulation", and one to establish the millennial kingdom. However, some premils believe that the righteous will live through the Tribulation.

8. The resurrection-refers to two different resurrections. One will be of the righteous dead before the millennium and one will be of the wicked dead after the millennium.

II. SOME PRINCIPLES THAT ARE ALL HELD BY PREMILLENIALISTS. (IN GENERAL).

A. Christ's mission was a failure.

1. Premillenialists believe that Christ came to set up an earthly kingdom on the earth and was rejected by the Jews.

2. The Cross, in the light of the premillenialist view concerning the failure of Christ's mission, must be viewed as just an afterthought in the mind of God.

B. The Church and the Kingdom are not the same.

1. The Kingdom was not received by the Jews, therefore God substituted the church.

2. To the Premillenialists, the church was a parenthesis, something was established in lieu of the Kingdom.

3. This places the church in an inferior position.

C. The Kingdom has yet to be established.

1. The Kingdom will not be established on the earth until Christ returns to earth for the millennium.

D. Premillenialists believe that God still has an exalted role for the Jewish people.

1. They are still a "special people" to God.

2. In conjunction with this belief the premillenialist believes that God still will reestablish his political rule over the land of Palestine and the return of the Jews is a sign of the coming end.

3. This is why so much of America's foreign policy has tilted in favor of Israel. Every American president since has believed in premillinialism to one extent or another. 

E. There will be discernible signs to alert mankind to the coming end time.

1. Many point to Matthew chapter 24 as a guide to the signs of the end time.

2. They talk about wars, earthquakes and other natural disasters, and any natural phenomenon as signs of the end.

F. The Advent (Second Coming) will be secret, silent, and selective.

1. Secret because it will happen without anyone knowing it until it is over.

2. Silent because it will be noiseless.

3. Selective because it will leave the world to continue it's course.

a. The Second Coming, to premillennialists, will not be the end of the world, but the beginning of the final phase of earth's history.

III. A BRIEF REFUTATION OF THE CARDINAL PRINCIPLES OF PREMILLENNIALISM.

A. Instead of being a failure, Christ did exactly what he was commissioned to do.

1. His plan was not to set up an earthly kingdom, but to die for the sins of the world.

a. 1 Timothy 1:15- "This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief."

b. 1 John 4:14- "And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world."

c. Matthew 20:28- ""just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.""

d. I Corinthians 15:3-"Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures."

e. Acts 2:23- ""Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death;"

2. Christ actually refused to be an earthly King and denied that he was such.

a. John 6:15- "Therefore when Jesus perceived that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king, He departed again to the mountain by Himself alone."

b. John 18:33-37

3. Jesus finished the work he was sent to do-die for the sins of mankind.

a. John 6:38- ""For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me."

b. John 17:4- ""I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do."

c. John 19:30- "So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, "It is finished!" And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit."

4. We learn from the Scriptures that God planned and purposed for Jesus to die on the cross for our sins and it was never Christ's intention to become an earthly king.

B. The New Testament teaches that the Church and the Kingdom are just different terms to describe the same body.

1. Matthew 16:18,19 teaches that Jesus is speaking of the same body.

2. See also Acts 2:38 (for Peter's use of the keys of the Kingdom) and Acts 2:47

C. The New Testament teaches that the Kingdom is in existence today.

1. The kingdom was to come into existence in the days of Christ's apostles.

a. Mark 9:1- "And He said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you that there are some standing here who will not taste death till they see the kingdom of God present with power.""

b. Acts 2:1-4 the power came on Pentecost.

2. After Acts chapter 2 the New Testament speaks of the Kingdom as being in the present tense.

a. Colossians 1:13,14- those in the Kingdom received the forgiveness of sins.

b. See Acts 2:38,47

3. See also Daniel 2:44 and Hebrews 12:28

4. Revelation 1:9- "I, John, both your brother and companion in the tribulation and kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was on the island that is called Patmos for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ."

D. The New Testament teaches that God's special people are Christians.

1. There is no longer any distinction between Jew and Gentile.

a. Ephesians 2:11-16

b. Galatians 3:27,28

2. Galatians 3:29- "And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise."

3. The premillennialists make a big deal about the establishment of the nation of Israel but the Bible tells us that all the land promises made to the children were fulfilled in the Old Testament.

a. Genesis 15:18- "On the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying: "To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the River Euphrates;"

b. Joshua 21:43-45- "So the LORD gave to Israel all the land of which He had sworn to give to their fathers, and they took possession of it and dwelt in it. {44} The LORD gave them rest all around, according to
all that He had sworn to their fathers. And not a man of all their enemies stood against them; the LORD delivered all their enemies into their hand. {45} Not a word failed of any good thing which the LORD had spoken to the house of Israel. All came to pass."

E. The New Testament teaches that there will be no signs to warn us of the return of Christ.

1. History is replete with date setters.

a. William Miler and Ellen G. White

1. 1843, 1844

b. Charles Russell and the Jehovah's Witnesses

1. 1914, 1975

c. Hal Lindsey

1. Used 1948 as the beginning of the forty year generation of Mark 9:1. Rapture should have happened in 1988 at the latest.

2. But, no one can set the time.

a. Matthew 24:36- ""But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only."

b. Jesus warned us of the unexpected nature of his coming.
 

1. Matthew 25:13- ""Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming."

2. Events will be going on as normal.
 

a. Matthew 24:42-44- ""Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. {43} "But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. {44} "Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect." 

b. 2 Peter 3:10- "But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up."

F. The Lord's return will be far different from the rapture that Premillennialists talk about.

1. There will be only one return, not two.

a. The Lord will resurrect all the dead, both good and wicked, when he returns.

1. John 5:28,29

b. The righteous dead will go to live with the Lord forever at the time of the first coming, not at a later date.

1. 1 Thessalonians 4:17- "Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord."

2. This explodes the Seven Year Tribulation myth.

c. There is only second one coming spoken of as the time when Christ will come to reward the right and take vengeance on the wicked. 

1. II Thessalonians 1:7-10

2. There will be no "Quiet" rapture.

a. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

b. Notice to word: shout, voice , trump.

c. II Peter 3:10-"...the heavens shall pass away with a great noise."

3. It will be a coming visible to all.

a. Both the dead and living will be judged "at his appearing"

1. 2 Timothy 4:1- "I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom:"

b. Revelation 1:7- "Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen."

CONCLUSION: Premillinialism is a doctrine that belittles the church and makes the cross a failure. Jesus died on the cross to purchase the church (Acts 20:28). Be baptized into Christ and be added to the church of Christ.
 

Copyright 1999 by Grady Scott may be reproducted for non-commercial purposes at no cost to others.