Premillennialism, as a system, is based on a literal or normative
method of biblical interpretation as opposed to Amillennialism which spiritualizes its interpretation
and does not take the Bible literally.
In premillennialism, words mean
what they normally mean in everyday usage, while at the same time it allows for
legitimate figures of speech. The simple thesis of premillennialism is that
Jesus will literally return to the earth before (pre) the Millennium begins and
that He himself will inaugurate and rule over it. In contrast, Amillennialism
sees the kingdom of God, not as a literal kingdom, but present now "in the
hearts of man."
Premillennialists can be divided into two subgroups on
the basis of their basic approach to prophetic texts.
Historicist
premillennialists believe that scriptural prophecy - especially the passages in
Daniel and Revelation give the entire history of the church in symbolic form.
Thus they look into the church's past and present to find prophetic
fulfillment's and to see where they are in God's prophetic timetable.
In contrast to historicist premillennialism, the dispensational theory
of premillennialism, advanced in 1830 by John Nelson Darby has gained
popularity among modern evangelicals, ascribing biblical significance to almost
every new development in current world events. The second coming of Christ, and
subsequent establishment of the millenial kingdom, is to be preceded by a seven
year-long period known as the "Tribulation" - the Earthly activity of the
Antichrist as well as the outpouring of God's wrath on mankind.
Within
the premillennialist camp there are several schools of thought as to what point
Christ takes the Church into heaven.
- Pre-Tribulation Rapture - before the start of the Tribulation
- Mid-Tribulation Rapture - at the mid-point of the Tribulation
- Post-Tribulation Rapture - at the conclusion of the Tribulation
- Pre-Wrath Rapture - the church will go through the great tribulation by Antichrist during the end times, but will be raptured immediately before the 'Day of the Lord' wrath, when Christ cuts short the persecution of Antichrist.
- Partial Rapture - only those who are faithful in the church will be raptured or translated and the rest will either be raptured sometime during the tribulation or at its end.
Premillennialists believe the correct timing of the Rapture is clearly reveled by Christ in His Olivet Discourse, confirmed through Paul in his letter to the Corinthian church and in his Thessalonian epistles, and verified further by John in the book of Revelation.
"Immediately after the distress of those days "'the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.' At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other." - Matthew 24:29-31
After that occurs...
"For the Lord himself shall descend from Heaven
with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and the trump of God: and the
dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive, and remain shall be
caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air; and so
shall we ever be with the Lord." - 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17
Listen, I
tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed -- in a
flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will
sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the
perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with
immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and
the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true:
"Death has been swallowed up in victory." "Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?" - 1 Corinthians 15:51-55
John Nelson
Darby, considered the father of dispensationalism, first proposed the
pre-tribulation rapture in 1827. This view was accepted among many other
Plymouth Brethren in England. Darby and other prominent Brethren were part of
the Brethren Movement which impacted American Christianity, primarily through
their writings. Influences included the Bible Conference Movement, starting in
1878 with the Niagara Bible Conference. These conferences, which were initially
inclusive of historicist and futurist premillennialism, led to an increasing
acceptance of futurist premillennial views and the pre-tribulation rapture
especially among Presbyterian, Baptist and Congregational members. Popular
books also contributed to acceptance of the pre-tribulation rapture, including
William Eugene Blackstone's book Jesus is Coming published in 1878 and which
sold more than 1.3 million copies, and the Scofield Reference Bible, published
in 1909 and 1919 and revised in 1967. [Source:
Wikipedia]
The popularization of a pre-tribulation
rapture has been advanced in recent years by authors such as John Walvoord, J.
Dwight Pentecost, Hal Lindsey, and Tim LaHaye.
