An Overview of Premillennialism

Through the centuries Revelation has become a haven for false teaching of every kind. Nearly anything imaginable has been derived from this wonderful book, including authority for instruments of music (harps in heaven, 5:8) and the number of the saved (144,000, of course). Yet no system of false doctrine has ever been more deeply indebted to the book of Revelation than premillennialism.

Have you seen those bumper stickers that say ""In case of RAPTURE this car will be unmanned?"" That is premillennialism. Ever hear talk that the Mid-East will explode in a war called Armageddon? That is premillennialism too. Seen Tim LaHaye's incredibly popular books in the ""Left Behind"" series? Premillennialism strikes again. What is premillennialism all about? What should you know about it? How can we show it to be false and contradictory to the Bible? Let's get some answers to these important questions.

Premillennialism is a way of interpreting the Bible, especially biblical prophecy, that became popular in the 1830's. Names you might hear or recognize that are associated with premillennialism include Darby, Ryrie, Walvoord and Scofield (of Scofield Reference Bible fame). All of these men believed that Jesus had attempted to establish a literal kingdom reigning here upon this earth, that He was rejected and crucified, and so must return and establish that literal kingdom at some point in the future. The term ""premillennialism"" roughly means ""before the thousand years"" because premillennialists believe we are living before the (coming) thousand year reign of Jesus Christ here on earth. Naturally, Revelation, with its dark signs and symbols, became a haven for such speculation. Persecution, false teaching, days of troubles and a thousand year reign are all to be found in this difficult book. Announcing that they had found the key to unlocking biblical prophecy premillennialists peddled their doctrines and ideas everywhere. In the last century interest in premillennialism came and went, but in the early 1970's premillennialism enjoyed quite a revival. Hal Lindsey's book, The Late Great Planet Earth, made a difficult system of Bible interpretation accessible to the common man and premillennialism took off again.

Let's get a brief summary of pre-millenialism's teachings (notice the chart). Premillennialism teaches that we are now in the church age. The church is nothing more than a stop-gap measure the Lord established when Jesus was crucified, rather than accepted as king. Someday the Lord will return and get it right! The church age will be marked with increasing sin, wickedness and rejection of righteousness. World events, as interpreted through a hodge-podge of Daniel, Ezekiel, Matthew 24 and Revelation, will move toward a one-world government and one, charismatic leader who will mesmerize the world. Just as things appear to be getting worse and worse for Christians God will suddenly and mysteriously snatch or rapture all true Christians off the planet. The rapture marks the end of the church age. With all believers gone the world will descend into terrible tribulation and destruction. This period of time, lasting by most counts, seven years will be marked with appalling violence and wickedness. Premillenialists believe the bowl and trumpet judgments of Revelation describe these times. This time is divided into periods of three and one half years, with some premillennialists even believing that the rapture won't come until the middle of the tribulation. At the end of the seven years the world will be just about ready to tear itself apart in a huge war (Armageddon) that will destroy all mankind in a nuclear conflagration. At the last moment Jesus will return from heaven, stop the war, and establish His literal kingdom, reigning and ruling from Jerusalem for one thousand years. At the end of that time there will be the resurrection of the unsaved, judgment and eternity will begin. Clearly, such a brief synopsis of a huge system of interpretation has to leave out some details but that is the gist of premillennialism. Now, what is wrong with it?

First, premillennialism teaches that the kingdom is yet future, but the Bible plainly states the kingdom is now presently in existence. Paul tells us that Jesus ""has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love"" (Col. 1:13). In Mark 9:1 Jesus promises some of the apostles then living that they would see the kingdom of God come with power. In the very first Gospel sermon Peter urges the audience to understand that Jesus is both Lord (King) and Christ (Messiah) (Acts 2:36). The kingdom has been established and Jesus is now ruling over it! Further, the very idea of God failing is simply astounding. If Jesus had wanted to establish an earthly kingdom He would have! God does not fail! Jesus had opportunity to be such a king (see John 6:15) but plainly announced ""My kingdom is not of this world"" (John 18:36). Let none misunderstand: the fundamental tenet of premillennialism is that the kingdom is still to come. The Bible affirms that Jesus established His kingdom, and rules it right now.

Secondly, premillennialism teaches that all Christians will be raptured. This necessarily leads then to the idea of two resurrections. There will be a resurrection of dead Christians at the rapture, and then the resurrection of unbelievers at the end of the millennial reign. Again, we find premillennialism contradicting scripture. Jesus says ""Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth; those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation"" (John 5:28-29). Jesus knows nothing of two resurrections, separated by over a thousand years of time. The very term ""rapture"" is nowhere found in scripture. Appealing to Paul's talk of the coming of the Lord in Thessalonians won't help. It is clear in that context that Paul is discussing the end of everything, not some coming before everything gets going! There is no rapture taught in scripture.

Thirdly, premillennialism teaches that God still owes Israel something. Much is made, for example, of the promise to Abraham that his descendants would inhabit Canaan. Yet the Bible plainly states that the land promises were fulfilled: ""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 . . . Not a word failed of any good thing which the Lord had spoken to the house of Israel. All came to pass"" (Joshua 21:43, 45). If it be argued that Israel then lost that land it must be remembered that God's promises to them concerning that land were always conditional (see Deut. 28-32). If Israel was not faithful to Jehovah He was not obligated to preserve them on that land. Further, the entire dispensation of physical Israel and her laws were only to prepare the world for Jesus' coming and His spiritual kingdom (see Gal. 3:24ff). In short, God owes the present day Jew, faithless to Him and rejecting His Son as Messiah, absolutely nothing!

Fourthly, premillennialism brutalizes God's word. Read any premillennial material or examine any of their colorful charts and you will find that passages from all over the Bible are cut and pasted together to weave their false doctrine. Regardless of original context, whether this interpretation would make any sense to the original readers, or what the stated time frames of the verses are the premillennialist meshes them all together to derive his peculiar doctrine. Travesties with biblical numbers are common, as literal times (such as Israel's wandering in the wilderness in for forty years) are plugged into non-literal figurative passages to obtain dates and times for Christ's return. Revelation's original message of comfort and hope to persecuted first century Christians is obliterated, all so that today's interpretation of scripture can match the headlines on CNN. Rightly did Peter warn us that some would ""twist to their own destruction"" God's precious word (2 Peter 3:16).

In the early 1990's premillennialists found their doctrine on the front page of every newspaper. Saddam Hussein looked like a promising antichrist and the Gulf War would surely plunge the world into chaos. The Soviet Union would attack from the north, just as Lindsey and Company had been saying for years. It didn't happen. Hussein was reduced to the status of a third-rate tyrant, world war three didn't break out, and the Soviet Union dissolved into a weak and powerless group of unhappy little nations. So premillennialism has fallen onto hard times. They lack tribulation, a terrible world leader to be afraid of, and a superpower nation to play the bad guy in their drama of human devising. Yet all along those who knew the scriptures understood that premillennialism was false and could never be true. If world events spin back around into the premillennialists corner let us be steadfast in teaching the truth: the kingdom is here now and everyone needs to be a part of it.