Imminency & Postmillennialism

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unlearnedlearner

Puritan Board Freshman
All,

There are various OT prophecies that convince me of postmillennialism, including the millennium and Rev. 19, etc. Yet, within that, it appears that the early church expected an imminent return of Christ, hence negating a postmill outlook while endorsing a more amil approach. I am not speaking of the typical preterist verses, but verses more along the lines of 1 Co. 15 and 1 Thess. 4 - "we shall not all sleep..."

Thoughts?

j.r.
 
I guess I would see a distinction between Paul and the early church thinking it could be any moment and their view necessitating an "any moment" scenario, which is why my question centers on postmil outlook & these verses. If the early church's outlook could be "any moment", doesn't this negate a postmil outlook?

Does that make sense?

j.r.
 
I guess I would see a distinction between Paul and the early church thinking it could be any moment and their view necessitating an "any moment" scenario, which is why my question centers on postmil outlook & these verses. If the early church's outlook could be "any moment", doesn't this negate a postmil outlook?

Does that make sense?

j.r.


That's why I'm A-mill!:D
 
The escatalogical hope I see in the Scripture is not the future Christianization of the nations but the coming of Christ...

"11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, 12 training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, 13 waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ" (Titus 2:11-13)

I know some make this AD 70 but I reject that interpretation as 'stretched'.

I know some Post folks who hold to both the potentially imminent return of Christ while maintaining a Postmil view. For these folks, this is an inconsistency they are willing to live with.


All,

There are various OT prophecies that convince me of postmillennialism, including the millennium and Rev. 19, etc. Yet, within that, it appears that the early church expected an imminent return of Christ, hence negating a postmill outlook while endorsing a more amil approach. I am not speaking of the typical preterist verses, but verses more along the lines of 1 Co. 15 and 1 Thess. 4 - "we shall not all sleep..."

Thoughts?

j.r.
 
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As I have learned the hard way in dealing with Dispensationalists, not everyone understands the word 'imminant' in the same way. It means, literally, 'hanging over' or 'threatening'. It does not mean 'at any moment'. The NT writers definitely taught that Christ's return was 'hanging over' or 'threatening'. I don't see anywhere where they teach that it could happen 'at any moment'. Jesus Himself taught His disciples to watch for Jerusalem to be compassed by armies and that didn't happen until around AD 66. :2cents:
 
we shouldn't be reading Paul's Epistles concerning the 2nd coming in isolation from the other BiBlical texts which are much more clearer.

Matthew 24, Mark 13, Luke 22 and the Book of Revelations are the most definitive and clear texts of Prophecy that we have, and we have to use these clear texts to interpret the not so clear.

Based on the aboveforementioned text, the great moment of the New Testament for the first Christians was the Destruction of Jerusalem and the Reigning and ruling with Christ by the Saints. It is clear that the destruction of Jerusalem occurred in A.D 70, and the Neronic persecution of Christians began around A.D64 under Nero, after the burning of Rome and it was these two factors that caused the Church to rapidly multiply and blossom.

In the Book of Revelation, immediately following the Tribulation (the Neronic persecution), the millennium is mentioned. Common sense tells us that eventhough the millennium does not necessarily have to following the tribulation, the blossoming of the Church is in itself the millennium and it is Millenial. The blossoming of the Church is therefore not at odds with any imminent return because we develop our own subjective criteria for, "The Christianization of the Nations". It is God who will know the limit and the peak of the spreading of the Gospel and His election of His people, and in His own time He will bring History to the close. The Second Coming from God's perspective follows the millennium (blossoming of the Church and the in gathering of all the elect), but from our perspective it will be imminent since God has not revealed the time and the hour of its end.
 
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