Postmillenarianism

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Postmillenarianism or postmillennialism is a direction within Christian eschatology ; H. the doctrine of the last things. It is based on an interpretation of the 20th chapter of the Revelation of John , according to which Jesus Christ will only return to earth after ( Latin post- ) the millennium , the 1000-year kingdom. His return is the beginning of a golden age .

Scheme of the post- millennial view of the millennium

Postmillenarianism, however, denotes several similar views about the end times. Prepared by Jonathan Edwards , this optimistic view prevailed particularly in the first half of the 19th century in the revival movements of Charles Finney . Postmillenarianism is in clear contrast to premillenarianism and a little less to amillenarianism . Postmillenarianism is relatively rare compared to premillenarianism and amillenarianism, which are well anchored in the Protestant , Orthodox and Catholic churches as well as in theological circles.

Key ideas

While some post-millennialists literally believe in a millennium lasting 1000 years, others see the thousand years as a more symbolic expression for a very long age (similar to amillenarianism). Those who do not take “Millennium” literally are commonly believed to have begun. This goes hand in hand with a less obvious and dramatic conception of the nature of the Millennium compared to the premillennialists, and with a less pronounced expectation of the return of Christ.

It is also part of the postmillenarian doctrine that the satanic powers will gradually be defeated by the expanding kingdom of God . This takes place in the course of history and leads to the second coming of Christ ( Parousia ). This belief that good will gradually triumph over evil led in the English-speaking world to self-designation as "optimillennialists" in contrast to the "pessimillennialists" ("pessimillennialists"), by which the premillennialists and amillennialists are meant .

Many post-millennialists hold that many of the end-time biblical prophecies have already been fulfilled, which is a form of preterism . However, several prominent post-millennialists have failed to adopt preterism with regard to the Book of Revelation, including BB Warfield , Francis Nigel Lee, and Rousa's John Rushdoony.

Types

Differences in scope

Post-millennialists disagree on the extent of the gospel victory. The majority do not believe in apostasy and, like BB Warfield, believe that the apostasy relates to the rejection of the Christian faith by the Jewish people - be it in the 1st century or possibly until the return of Christ at the end of the Millennium. This postmillenarian view essentially fits well with the thinking of the amillenarian and premillenarian schools of thought.

A minority of post-millennial scholars who do not want to know anything about the idea of ​​apostasy in the end, however - ignited by the missionary command - consider the overcoming of the gospel to be comprehensive and absolute, so that no unsaved individuals remain after the spirit is completely over all flesh poured out. This minority, led by BB Warfield and supported by HAW Meyer's exegetical work, began to make up ground and even induced some post-millennialists like Loraine Boettner and RJ Rushdoony, who previously belonged to the majority camp, to rethink.

What is attractive about the position of the minority is - apart from their move to take biblical key passages (Jn 12.32, Rom 11.25-26, Heb 10:13, Isa 2: 4 and 9: 7, etc.) literally - from Boettner has been described as follows after his change of opinion: In contrast to Warfield's version, postmillenarianism in its majority form lacks the keystone. Indeed, Warfield associated his views with an unusual understanding of Matthew 5:18. He proceeded from Meyer's interpretation of the verse, which presupposes a worldwide victory of the gospel in order for the supposed prophecy in that verse to be realized, which leads inexorably to a literal fulfillment of the third request of the Our Father : "Thy will be done, as in Heaven on earth too. "

Johannes Calvin's account of this part of the Lord's Prayer almost coincides with the post-millennial minority position, but Calvin, and later Charles Spurgeon, were remarkably inconsistent on eschatological issues. Spurgeon gave a sermon on Psalm 72, where he explicitly defended the type of absolute postmillenarianism as represented today by the minority camp. But on other occasions he defended premillenarianism. In addition, given the nature of his views, Warfield despised the designations with reference to the Millennium. He preferred the term “eschatological universalism” as the trademark of postmillenarianism as it was associated with his thinking.

Warfield and his disciples did not attempt to support his cosmic eschatology with the help of Revelation 20 because they saw this chapter (in the wake of Kliefoth, Duesterdieck, and Milligan) as a description of the intermediate state and the contrast between the struggling and the triumphant churches. With this approach they moved away from Augustine's approach, which they emphasized justified with an expected progress in taking seriously the parallel passages to the Revelation of John with regard to Satan's “short release” (cf. Rev 6:11 and 12:12).

Differences in meaning

Post-millennialists have different views on the triumph of the gospel. "Awakening" postmillenarianism is a sub-form of this teaching. It is advocated by the Puritans and by those who teach that the Millennium will not come about thanks to Christians transforming society from the top down (ie through the institutional path), but from the bottom up, ie from the bottom up changing hearts and minds of people.

On the other hand, the " reconstructionist postmillenarism " ("Christian Reconstructionism") states that Christians should do it in parallel to preaching the gospel at the grassroots level and in parallel with an explicitly Christian education, including legislative and political institutions in accordance with biblical or if necessary to change theonomic ethics . Revivalists deny that the same legal and political rules that applied to the theocracy of ancient Israel apply directly to modern societies that are no longer governed by Israel's prophets , priests and kings .

In the United States , the best known and organized forms of postmillenarianism are based on "Christian Reconstructionism". They hold on to a post-millennialism, as it was developed by Gary North , Kenneth Gentry and Greg Bahnsen .

See also

Portal: Christianity  - Overview of Wikipedia content on Christianity

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Martin Riesebrodt: Protestant Fundamentalism in the USA. Religious rights in the age of electronic media , in: Information from the Evangelical Central Office for Weltanschauungsfragen (EZW), No. 102, Stuttgart 1987, p. 10. (PDF file, 143 kB)
  2. ^ HAW Meyer: Commentary on the New Testament , Alpha Publications: Winona Lake, 1979, English original edition: T&T Clark, 1883, Vol. 5, pp. 447f. to Romans 11: 25f .; Vol. 3, p. 376 to Joh 12,32
  3. ^ Rousas John Rushdoony: Systematic Theology , Vol. 2, Ross House Books: Vallecito 1994, p. 880.
  4. ^ Loraine Boettner: The Millennium , Phillipsburg 1957/1984. According to Boettner's assertion, the intention of the 1984 revision was to reassess Warfield's view in a benevolent sense.
  5. ^ Benjamin Breckenridge Warfield: Biblical Doctrines , Oxford University Press: New York 1929, pp. 297f.
  6. ↑ John Calvin: Institutes of the Christian Religion , 2: 190, Eerdmans: Grand Rapids: 1981
  7. ^ Benjamin Breckenridge Warfield: The Power of God Unto Salvation , Presbyterian Board of Publication: Philadelphia 1902, pp. 88-95.
  8. ^ Oswald T. Allis: Prophecy and the Church , Grand Rapids 1945, p. 5; In this matter, Allis builds on both Duesterdieck (1859) and Kliefoth (1874).
  9. ^ William Milligan: The Revelation of St. John , New York 1887
  10. ^ Oswald T. Allis: Prophecy and the Church , Grand Rapids 1945, p. 5 and p. 287f .; Allis notes that this first step "did not succeed in displacing the Augustinian view that has been so vigorously attacked."

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