Millennium
Preparers / partiers
y
2
k
Bible prophecy
Overly Confident Interpretations
False Alarms
Jesus:
Shocking
“But about that day or hour
no one knows,
neither the angels in heaven,
nor the Son,
but only the Father.
Beware, keep alert; for
you do not know
when the time will come”
(Mark 13:32-33; NIV).
Not for you to know
Jesus:
“It is not for you to know
the times or periods
that the Father has set
by his own authority . . .
You will be my witnesses.”
(Acts 1:6-8; NRSV)
.
Hal Lindsey
Left
Behind?
Newsweek cover
Do not believe it
Jesus:
If anyone tells you
that they know how to
interpret the signs of
the end,
do not believe it!
(Matt. 24:26-27)
Eschatological Calculus
 2000?
 Calendars
2
Peter 3:8-15
The Second Coming
 The
Manual position of the
Church of the Nazarene
 Ecumenical Christian creeds
 Apostles’
 Nicene
Jesus will come again.
H. Orton Wiley, Christian Theology
Fact vs. Order of Events
Modesty
Controversial
Dr. Wiley:
The details are
“not vital to
Christian
experience,”
but merely matters
of “peculiar
fascination
for the
curious minded”
(3: 245).
Why talk about the
Second Coming?

Inadequate
attention has
been given to
the practical
implications of
our hope.

Many sincere
Christians are
confused by
overly confident,
mistaken
interpretations of
the Second
Coming.
A Wesleyan
Eschatology
faithful to
Scripture
 Tradition
Reason
 Experience


Quadrilateral
Four Views:
Historic Premillennialism
Postmillennialism
Amillennialism
Dispensational Premillenialism
Millennium
Dispensationalism
Origin: 1830s
Margaret Macdonald (14)
 Edward Irving (Catholic Apostolic Church)

rapture
Early Popularizers:
J. N. Darby (Plymouth Brethren)
 C. I. Scofield (Reference Bible)
 D. L. Moody (Evangelist)

Dispensationalism
Biblical?
1
1
Thessalonians 4:16-17
harpazô = rapture ?
Corinthians 15:51-52
 Matt 24:40-41; Lk 17:41 ?
rapture
Millennium
Revelation 20
Satan bound
(vv. 1-3)
Antichrist in
Rev 12
Revelation 12
Millennium
Revelation 20
Satan bound
(vv. 1-3)
1000 years
Millennium
Revelation 20
Satan bound
(vv. 1-3)
Satan finally defeated
(vv. 7-10)
Millennium
Revelation 20
Satan bound
(vv. 1-3)
Christ reigns
(vv. 4-6)
for 1,000 years with beheaded martyrs
Satan finally defeated
(vv. 7-10)
New Jerusalem
New Jerusalem on
earth
1,500
miles
x
1,500
miles
x
1,500
miles
30
Oops!
31