Dr Paul Allen

By Mitch Chase Revelation 20:1–6 contain the Bible’s teaching on a period of “a thousand years,” and these verses comprise one of the most disputed passages in the whole Bible.  You may have thought through the four main millennial views (dispensational premillennialism, historic premillennialism, amillennialism, and postmillennialism) and have reached a conventional conclusion.  Or maybe you’re undecided. No matter what view you hold (firmly or loosely), here are 20 questions that would be good to think through: What is the relationship of Revelation 20:1-6 to Revelation 19? Should the “thousand years” in Revelation 20:1–6 be interpreted literally or symbolically? Is there a relationship between Revelation 12 and Revelation 20:1-6? Can the “first resurrection” in Revelation 20:5 and 20:6 refer to anything other than a bodily resurrection? Though the terminology of a millennial reign occurs only in Revelation 20, is the millennial reign taught conceptually in any previous New ...

As a citizen of this country, I was shocked and profoundly disturbed by the  murder of two police officers and an innocent civilian  by the Trains in Wieambilla in December 2022. This was a heinous crime that should be condemned in the strongest possible terms. As a Christian theologian, I was also startled to hear the Queensland Police describe this crime as  “a religiously-motivated terrorist attack”  on the basis that Nathaniel, Gareth, and Stacey Train subscribed to “a broad Christian fundamentalist belief system, known as premillennialism.” Listening to last week’s  press conference conducted by Deputy Police Commissioner Tracy Linford , it was hard to resist the impression that she was struggling to understand the belief system she had been tasked with explaining. For instance, she stated that “premillennialism” is the belief: "that Christ will return to the earth for a thousand days and provide peace and prosperity, but it will be preceded by … a period ...

Theologians refer to the thousand-year period in Revelation 20 as the millennium. Here are the three basic positions on the millennium: Premillennialism: The millennium is the long period (perhaps a literal 1,000 years) when King Jesus will rule on earth. Jesus will return before the millennium (hence premillennialism). Amillennialism (or inaugurated or realized millennialism): The millennium began when Jesus rose from the dead and will conclude when he returns to earth. Believers who die during this period reign with King Jesus in heaven. When Jesus died and rose again, he decisively defeated Satan and “bound him” (Rev 20:2–3; cf. Matt 12:28–29; John 12:31–32). At the end of this age, Satan will furiously attempt to attack God’s people one last time (Rev 20:7–10). Postmillennialism: The millennium is a Christian golden age on earth. The reign of Christ from heaven will lead the church to triumph through the gospel with the result that Christianity will pervade the cultur...

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...

English: An etching by Jan Luyken illustrating Matthew 24:41 in the Bowyer Bible, Bolton, England. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Premillennialism is the belief that Jesus will physically return to earth before the future 1,000 year kingdom. The tribulation is final seven-year period of wrath inflicted on the planet before the kingdom begins. Meanwhile, the term  rapture  refers to the event that occurs before Jesus establishes his kingdom in a literal and physical sense, when he will descend from the heaven, and Christians who are still alive will be caught up together with Jesus in the clouds. At the rapture, will meet him in the air and then we will always be with the Lord. There are essentially three possibilities about when this rapture will happen in relationship to the tribulation. Either the rapture will happen before the tribulation (the pre-trib view), during the tribulation (the mid-trib/pre-wrath view), or after the tribulation (the post-trib view).   ...

One of the key disagreements between amillennialism and premillennialism is whether the thousand years of Revelation 20:1-6 is present or future. According to the amillennial interpretation, this thousand-year period consists of the present age which extends from the first coming of Christ to His second coming. In contrast, premillennialism teaches that the thousand years of Revelation 20 is future and will take place immediately after the second coming. In his book End Times Made Simple, Samuel Waldron argues for the amillennial view. In doing so, he spends three chapters on Revelation 20, starting with a discussion of various hermeneutical issues which he believes “must take center stage and precede the detailed study of the passage” (p. 85). According to Waldron, understanding and applying these hermeneutical principles is crucial to an accurate interpretation of this controversial chapter. The first hermeneutical principle cited by Waldron involves the historical context of R...

Kingdom Come: The Amillennial Alternative by Sam Storms - Described by Kevin De Young as "the standard bearer for Amillennialism for years to come.” Kingdom Come offers an alternative and a biblical rationale to the widely held view of Premillennialism : that Christ ’s return will be followed by 1,000 years before the final judgement . This book reveals that this is not the only option for Christians . This is a substantial work which will challenge and encourage. Storms explain the belief that the 1,000 years mentioned in the book of Revelation is symbolic, with the emphasis being the King and his Kingdom. So that even those who remain unconvinced will need to reckon with the powerful case made for Amillennialism by reading this work. Questioning Premillennialism Upon graduating from The University of Oklahoma in 1973, I began my studies at Dallas Theological Seminary. My professors were a Who's Who of dispensational premillennialism: John Walvoord (then president of DTS...