Notes By Dr. Randy White:

Premillennialism in History

• Seldom has premillennialism received fair treatment among theologians, either in the past or the present. • The complete evidence of history shows that premillennialism was the undisputed worldview among Christians and Jews until the time of Augustine.

Premillennialism in the Old Testament

• The foundational information for premillennialism is found in the Old Testament, and a premillennial doctrine can be built completely in the Old Testament. • “The premillennial interpretation offers the only possible literal fulfillment for the hundreds of verses of prophetic testimony” (pg. 114). • The “two main routes of escape” for amillennarians: • The literal interpretation of Scripture is wrong. The error of premillennialism is making the same mistake that the Jews made. • The Kingdom promises of the Old Testament required faith and obedience. Since Israel failed, the promises will never be fulfilled. • These are mutually exclusive arguments. One assumes the literal interpretation is right, the other assumes it is wrong.

Premillennialism in the New Testament

• The New Testament gives plenty of evidence that the promises of the Kingdom are literal. • Gabriel’s announcement to Mary – Luke 1:32-33 “Did Mary for one moment hold the amillenarian view?” (Pg. 117). • The teaching of Christ, in which He never “denied, corrected, or altered, but…instead confirmed” (pg. 117). • The request of the mother of James and John was not denied on the grounds of a mistaken interpretation. • The apostles were told they would sit on 12 thrones—the night of the betrayal. • Acts 1:6, the apostles wanted to know the timing of the restoration of the Kingdom. • The teachings of Paul: He says, “God forbid!” when asked if God could rescind His promises (Rom. 11:1). • The confirmation by John: John 20 is the “calssic passage” on premillennialism (pg. 118). • The absence of any hint of millennial controversy in the New Testament.

Premillennialism since the New Testament

• 1st Century: each of the “early church fathers” taught premillennialism, and “no less than fifteen advocates of premillennialism” can be verified from 1st century extra-Biblical documents (pg. 119). • 2nd Century: Undisputed, and found in writers like Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, Tertullian, and others. No opposition to premillennialism exists. • 3rd Century: The historic decline began and the allegorizing method of Scripture interpretation began an almost total reign. • From then till now: • Roman Catholicism needs Amillennialism to continue its existence. It will collapse without it. • The Reformation brought the renewal of personal study of Scripture that gave birth to modern premillennialism, but the reformers themselves failed to recognize the amilllennial error.

Modern Premillennialism’s DNA

• Infallibility of Scripture • Fundamentalists: Inerrancy of Scripture • Literal interpretation of Scripture • Evangelism • Belief in an orthodox gospel, opposition to legalism, emphasis on grace. • Independence • Rarely part of ecclesiastical organizations. • An emphasis on informal church services and exegetical preaching • Prophetically oriented Distinctive Premillennial Doctrine • Doctrine of the present age • There are no prospects of a “golden age” before the Second Coming. • There are no commands to improve society. • Evangelism and Bible teaching are the tasks of the Christian today. • Doctrine of Israel • Protestants have held three views: • Calvin: the church is the true Israel. The nation of Israel is set aside permanently. • William Hendriksen / Charles Hodge: Israel’s promises are to Israel, but only the part of Israel that comes into the church. Israel’s promises will be fulfilled in the present age. • Both of the above views: • Cancel some promises as conditional • Spiritualize other promises • Premillennialism: the prophecies to Israel are literal, unconditional, and future. Premillennialism and the Church • Three types millennial ecclesiology: • Covenant theology: • “Conceives the purpose of God as essentially soteriological, or concerned with the salvation of the elect” (pg. 222). • Every stage of God’s work is simply a progression of God’s work to fulfill the “covenant of redemption.” • Israel merges into the church. • Kingdom theology: • The Kingdom includes the work of the church in this age and the millennium in the future. • The emphasis is ”soteriological rather than governmental,” (222), thus the kingdom is internal over external. • When you minimize the governmental character of the kingdom, you end up building a theology of moralism that leads to liberalism (the social gospel). • Dispensational theology: • It sees at least three dispensations: Law, Grace, Kingdom. • Believers of the present age are separated in duty from believers of previous and future ages.