I’ve been really digging into Eschatology lately ever since Pastor Bruce mentioned he would be talking about it at the beginning of the New Year. Eschatology is scary for most people; apocalyptic literature is scary and confusing and hard to interpret. The goal of this article is to explain that glorious time we all look forward to - the Millennium! 

Admittedly, I have a sinking suspicion that I will be the odd man out in terms of my views among my church family as we unpack this at Wyanett Evangelical Free Church. I anticipate a lot of Pre-millennial dispensationalism, as is the default setting for most Evangelicals… not much love for the Amillennial views I lean into.   

But wouldn’t you know, and not to over spiritualize (I'm still a Reformed Calvinist after all 🧐), watching my little dude Rylan play with his toys this morning got me thinking about the four different systems of eschatology (bear with me here, I promise this connection makes sense). 

So there he was, completely absorbed in his own little world, first playing with his Sonic characters, then grabbing his Godzilla collection. He divides his playtime into distinct "chapters" similar to God's story unfolding through different ages or aeons or dispensations.

My four-year-old , the tiny Theologian, gave a sweeping and loud sermon without even knowing it. 

First, there was the "Sonic epoch" where Sonic fought Shadow while Tails zoomed around in his plane. Then came the "Godzilla Dispensation" complete with adorable roars and lots of “Daddy look Godzillas's charging up to fight King Ghidorah.”

A brief "Nintendo age" followed as he grabbed the Switch and ate lunch, and then, in what I can only describe as a crossover event of biblical proportions, Sonic and Godzilla joined forces before the great "cleanup covenant" was enacted.

This simple afternoon of play became a whole sermon on how God works out His divine plan through different periods or dispensations in history. 

Just as RyGuy naturally understood that each of his toys deserved its own special time and rules as he played with them in that way, God has worked through distinct periods in human history, each with its own particular way that He relates to and tests mankind.

Think about it from the innocence and purity of Eden (before the fall) to the law at Sinai… from the church age to the coming kingdom… God's story unfolds in these chapters, each one revealing more of His character and moving us closer to His ultimate purpose. 

And yes, I did just compare my son's playtime to God's sovereign plan… told ya it would make sense!

The Four Views: Where Do We Stick the Millennium and the Rapture?

Dispensational Pre-millennialism: The Two Distinct People of God

Dispensational Pre-millenialists are the most common nowadays. Even non-believers might know this system and its timeline, thanks to Left Behind and probably 2/3rds of the action films on Pure Flix. In this system, God is working through two distinct programs: Israel with its covenants and promises and, in parenthesis, is the Church with its covenants and promises. 

There's a pre-tribulation rapture of the Church, a literal seven-year tribulation period,

Israel's national restoration, including temple worship and sacrifices, Christ's physical thousand-year reign, then Armageddon and the final judgment and new creation. It's distinctive is the separation of Israel from the church and the pre-trib rapture. It's similar to the next view…

Historic Pre-millennialism: The United People of God

John Piper (one of my heroes), Justin Martyr, Papias, and many other early church fathers held this view. This is similar to Dispensational Pre-millennialism, but presents a more unified narrative of God's people. Unlike its dispensational cousin, it sees the church not as a parenthesis, but as grafted into God's ongoing story with Israel. It's timeline is very similar to above with a seven year tribulation, a literal millennium following Christ's return, followed by Armageddon and the New Heavens and New Earth. Its main distinctives are the Post-tribulation rapture and that the Church and Israel are one people of God. This view would be the one I would hold if it weren't for the following view…

Amillennialism: The Already-Not-Yet Kingdom

Alright yah’ll don't grab the torches and pitchforks yet but I am an Amillennialist…and I'm in good company with Augustine, Luther, JI Packer, Voddie Baucham, and Sam Storms. Even though it's not as popular as Pre-millennialism, it does remain the dominant view in many Orthodox and Messianic denominations. 

So what do I believe? The simplest way I can say it is the Millennium as a present reality, inaugurated at Christ's first coming, and even though we are in the Millennium, we will not see it fully realized until the Second Advent of Christ. Just like how my kidlets are growing, but not fully grown, the kingdom is here, but not in its fullness.

So how does that work in terms of timeline? I believe that the Millennium started when Satan was bound at the cross. This inaugerated the Kingdom of Heaven and the Kingdom of God in heaven and on earth.

There is a seperation of the spiritual from the earthly where right now Christ and the saints are ruling from thrones in Heaven. That's the first resurrection, an intermediary state where we are absent from the body, but with the Lord, ruling and reigning during this Millennium, seated in the heavenly. 

MEANWHILE, we are in the Millennium on earth in that where John writes that the devil is chained and unable to deceive the NATIONS, that happened at Calvary, which is why we are told to go out into all the world and make disciples of all NATIONS. So he is chained, but that binding is qualified to his ability to keep the gospel away from the NATIONS. He is still seeking to kill and destroy, still lying and deceiving, but he is restrained in his ability to keep us from spreading the kingdom of God. 

So what about the Tribulation, the Rapture, Armageddon, the New Heavens and the New Earth? The Tribulation leading to Armageddon is a future event which will culminate in Christ’s return, where we will meet in the air with Christ and those in Heaven that fell asleep before, and we will return with Christ; truly an apantesis where we meet Him and return home with Him. The armies of the enemy and the earth will be consumed by a fire from heaven and when our feet meet the ground, it will be on a new heaven and new earth in our glorified bodies. 

Post-millennialism: The Optimistic Vision

Post-mills, like the great John Edwards, see the Millennium as the church's gradual triumph before Christ's return. Think of it like teaching Kairi to ride her bike, or Rylan to use the potty…progress comes through persistent effort and faithful dedication… and a ton of laundry.

It takes the Amill position but makes it more political and kingdom based. They believe Christ's return will be hastened by their efforts in creating the kingdom literally on this earth, with the new creation and new heaven being more of ethereal or symbolic, rather than a literal new creation. They believe the great tribulation was the reign of Nero and we are now in the Golden Age. 

So what does it all mean????

You know what strikes me most? Just as my four-year-old can enjoy his toys without getting caught up in the "right" way to play with them, perhaps we could learn something about holding our eschatological views with humility. Whether you're Dispensational like many of our church family are, or Amillennial like those of us in the Reformed camp, the core truth remains…Christ wins in the end.

The beauty of it all is that, just like Rylan's playtime, each view helps us understand different aspects of God's whole story. And while I have my own convictions (which Tiff has patiently listened to me discuss way too much and way too often for her liking), I'm reminded that our ultimate hope isn't in having the perfect end-times timeline, but in the perfect Savior who holds all time in His hands.

Now, if you'll excuse me, Rylan is insisting I read the loading screen on “Chase McCaid” (His name for Lego City Undercover)... again… oooo Legos… building the kingdom… different blocks for different eschatologies…oops there I go over spiritualizing again… These are the moments that matter yah’ll… theological reflections and toy battles, all part of this beautiful journey of faith and dudeliness.

In HIS grace,

Manuel