Dr Paul Allen

As believers, we know it will end. And we know some of the how it will end—at least who wins in the end. We’ve done our best to mine the prophetic texts in Scripture to gain more and more detail that can be quantified and systematized to tell us how the world might end. It’s comforting to know the details of something coming, even if it’s ultimately beyond your control. To know what’s ahead gives us some sense of security. So, for 2,000 years, Christians have tried to piece together what the Bible says about the end. A wide swath of orthodox interpretations is possible. This post explains the four broad eschatological (end times) categories: amillennialism, postmillennialism, historic premillennialism, and dispensationalism. Each of these views proposes a different take on three key aspects of the end of the world: the millennium, the binding of Satan, and the relationship between Israel and the church. Amillennialism Amillennialism’s name is a clear giveaway to its defini...

Image via Wikipedia “ For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea” ( Hab. 2:14 ).    -  Habakkuk 2:14 Space prevents us from doing full justice to the various millennial views. For example, some teach a mid-tribulation or post-tribulation rapture even within dispensationalism.  Moreover, the popular dispensationalism we see on television and in popular fictional writings  is different than the “progressive dispensationalism” taught by many dispensational institutions.  Progressive dispensationalism shies away from the more speculative aspects of dispensational eschatology and is increasingly recognizing the underlying unity of the diverse, biblical covenants . Image via Wikipedia Amillennialism  is the most widely held millennial view in the Reformed church today. Its adherents understand the one-thousand years of Revelation 20 to represent the entire span between Christ’s firs...