The Millennial Rest Or The World As It Will Be

Is there biblical evidence for a thousand-year earthly kingdom (the Millennium) ruled by Christ before the fulfillment of the new heaven and new earth? Revelation chapter 20 seems to suggest so, but few books of the Bible are so difficult to interpret. And a discussion of the Millennium branches out into many other theological questions about the end times (eschatology): Are these the last days? What must happen before Jesus returns? What part does the church play? This Counterpoints volume compares three views of the Millennium: Premillennial: Christ will come again before this kingdom is established. Postmillennial: our present age represents that kingdom and that the church is and must move toward the fulfillment of this kingdom. Amillennial: a future Millennium is not a literal kingdom, and when Christ returns, he will usher in an immediate new heaven and new earth. Robert B. Strimple, Kenneth L. Gentry Jr., and Craig A. Blaising offer their perspectives, giving their exegetical reasoning. Each of them then responds to the views held by their peers in a respectful and informative setting, making it easy for you to compare their beliefs and gain a better understanding of how this aspect of Christianity's great hope--the return of Jesus--is understood by the church. The Counterpoints series presents a comparison and critique of scholarly views on topics important to Christians that are both fair-minded and respectful of the biblical text. Each volume is a one-stop reference that allows readers to evaluate the different positions on a specific issue and form their own, educated opinion.

The Millennial Kingdom is a comprehensive biblical and historical treatment of the doctrine of the millennium written for the pastor, students, scholar, or layperson. The three leading millennial views -- postmillennialism, amillennialism, and premillennialism -- are presented in the context of their history, their theology, and their biblical interpretation. Dr. Walvoord presents postmillennialism first and then discusses amillennialism. However, the subject of premillenialism forms the main body of the work. The author introduces premillennialism with a survey of its historical background in the Old and New Testaments and in the history of the church. Its theological setting and methods of interpretation are discussed. A presentation of the character of the millennium concludes the volume.