The early church was millennialist. They looked forward to the return of Christ to the earth and the first resurrection of the saints at his return. The saints will rule with Messiah for a 1000 years followed by the second resurrection. People in the second or general resurrection would have 100 years to live by God’s laws followed by the judgement (Rev. 20:1-15). Paul states those alive at Messiah’s return would not precede the dead (1Thes. 4:15-18). Over time the Church became labelled premillennialist but this was never the case of the early church.

Millennnnialist or so called Premillennialist writers included: Apollinaris, Commodianus, Hippolytus, Irenaeus, Justin Martyr, Lactantius, Methodius, Montanus, Nepos, pseudo- Barnabas, Tertullian and Victorinus.

Both Papius of Hieraplois, a disciple of John and Irenaeus claimed to have learned the doctrines of Millennialism from John as part of the Lord’s doctrine. According to Eusebius (His. Eccl., III, 39) Papius believed the resurrection of the dead would be followed by an earthly glorious kingdom of Christ. Irenaeus (Adv. Her. V, 32-22) taught that the saints too would enjoy a superabundance of earthly pleasures during the millennium.

Chiliasm is basically the doctrine of so-called “premillennialism” with various twists.

The most powerful opponent of Millennialism was Origen of Alexandria. The doctrines that emerged from Alexandria attacked the Godhead and literal intent of the Scriptures.

The latter Catholic Church denies the literal intent of Revelation and therefore the Millennium.

Omission of Revelation from the Cannon

The book of Revelation became omitted from the Sacred Scriptures for a short period of time; in part the Mithraic traditions were attempting to superimpose themselves on the church and Revelation was clear in its statements. Both Cyril of Jerusalem (d. 368) and Gregory of Nazianzus (d. 389) omitted the Apocalypse from their catalogues of the New Testament.

The Council of Laodicea (343-381 say 366) omitted it also from the Cannon list.

Athanasius in 367 CE included Revelation in his enumeration and the Councils of Hippo (393) and Carthage (367) declared it Canonical.

Constantine destroys the Faith

Chiliasm was growing more materialistic and Origen of Alexandria raised opposition and focused on allegories and spiritual intent, rather than a physical time frame on earth with Messiah ruling. After Constantine’s conversion, that premise became more apparent and the doctrine of postmillennialism was born.

Heavenly Millennialism

Jerome posed the argument that the Millennium was not earthly but heavenly.

Amillennialism

Teaches Revelation 20 is speaking in symbolic language. It claims there is no actual millennial reign. It fuses the two resurrections into one and has Messiah returning to judge the world.

The Trinity and the Pure Church Doctrine

The new pure church was based on Trinitarian dispensational concept. 1John 5:7 in the Textus Receptus and therefore, King James Version states: “for there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word and Holy Ghost: and these three are one.” This text is a forgery. Since there was no basis for a biblical trinity one was forged.

There are Egyptian, earth mother triads that were incorporated into Roman Christianity. Many were appalled to the depths of depravity the medieval church had sunk. There was a loud outcry for reform. The theological error of the Protestants was that they did not go back prior to Augustine of Hippo to restore church doctrine. Therefore they were plagued with errors of the councils of Nicea, Laodicea, Constantinople and Chalcedon.

The pure church millennialist gradually faded away under persecution. Fringe groups such as the Anabaptists perhaps represent them.

Opposition to the Roman system was found in Europe among the Sabbatati who were Unitarians (See the history in General Distribution of the Churches of God (No. 122) and Role of the Fourth Commandment in the Historical Sabbath-keeping Churches of God (No. 170).) Initially the Waldensians were part of the Sabbatati and were Millennialist Unitarians.

Overzealous Chiliasts

The Fifth Monarchy men of England attempted to establish the kingdom of God on earth, by political and military means during their lifetime.

Emigration

Some of the Baptists were Sabbath-keepers and went to America and took their ideas with them. From this group there arose the Seventh Day Baptist, then the Seventh Day Adventists and Sabbath-keeping Churches of God. The SDA’s adopted a heavenly millennium.

Re-emergence of Truth and Changes in Concepts

In 1703 Daniel Whitby introduced a new type of post millennialism, which held the second advent comes after a thousand years, where the world has increasing peace, righteousness, and whereby the whole world is generally converted to Christianity. Jonathan Edwards and Samuel Hopkins introduced this same idea in America. They believed the binding and losing of Satan was figurative.

Christadelphians believe that Satan does not exist except in the mind; therefore, they have different teachings related to premillennialism.

Whitby and Vitringa argue that the New Jerusalem is blessedness of the earthly church during the millennium. Brown and Faber believe it is a company of saints after the millennium.

Once World War I broke out people were forced to look at the prophecies of the last days, yet most still deny the need for the Holy Spirit and following God’s Laws. (See the paper The Fall of Egypt The Prophecy Pharaoh’s Broken Arms (No. 036).)

Later doctrines

Edward Irving introduced the Secret Rapture. He taught that the great tribulation was to occur between the resurrection of the Righteous and the Rapture of the Saints and the overthrow of Satan, which was followed by the millennial reign of Christ.

There are various versions of the rapture doctrines, but all attempt to avoid the tribulation because people do not want to change their behaviour and live by God’s laws. (See the paper The Place of Safety (No. 194).)

Darby and Irving were teachers of the pre-tribulation rapture that had a significant influence on the fundamentalist pre-millennialism of the present day. Irving’s doctrine of the Secret Rapture appears to have originated from the vision of Miss Margaret McDonald in March 1830 who spoke from a trance of a so-called vision of the Advent of Christ. Darby spread Irving’s doctrines based on Miss McDonald’s utterances, who introduced it into general prophetic interpretation. Some of the Plymouth Brethren were not deceived such as S P Tregelles (who documented his ideas in The Hope of Christ’s Second Coming. Pp.34-37). Darby is termed the father of modern Dispensationalism.

Man Made Religion and Reformation

The traditions of men have obscured and clouded the faith over the centuries.

The teachings of the rapturists vary in relation to Antichrist. The themes are that Antichrist is an atheist or infidel or apostate Jew. The statements are incorrect and may be an attempt to divert the real attention from the tribulation.

In 1534 the Anabaptists set up in Munster, Westphalia the new Kingdom of Zion, which advocated sharing property and (allegedly) women in common, as a prelude to the new kingdom of Christ. There excesses caused the Augsberg (art. 170 and the Helvetian (ch.11) Confessions to disown the doctrines and thus Millennialism found no admission into the Lutheran and Reformed theologies (ibid.)

The Rapture theory is basically escapism. People are unwilling to face the truth and change their behaviour in response to God’s laws.

The Millennium will be established. Christ will reign from Jerusalem for a thousand years. It is part of the plan of God and it will happen. The Bible is literally true and it needs to be approached in that light to understand the plan of God.

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