Postmillennialism can be dangerous to your spiritual health
I’m convinced. Postmillennialism is a dangerous doctrine. Yes, it is a theology that was and is taught by respected theologians. But wrong is wrong, and this is dangerous. And those who teach it put unlearned believers at risk in these last days. In fact, it is so dangerous, that it can and does encourage Christians to ignore Bible prophecy. It happens all too often.
“That’s a world where the crazies live,” they often conclude. Postmillennialism places a shroud of confusion over Bible prophecy. Scholars who teach this ‘theory’ hide behind a facade of ‘allegory.’
They say so much of Bible prophecy consists of confusing signs and visions. Many scholars say “It’s hard to understand” for the uneducated. In saying so, they warn the non-scholars to let the ‘experts’ interpret the scriptures for them. That should cause loud sirens to go off in the minds of wise Christians.
Experts are often wrong
Don’t listen to those who tell you that Bible prophecy isn’t important. Because it is. It’s not a collection of confusing events and dates from the past. The greatest prophecies of the Bible are about to unfold in the near future. I don’t give dates or even suggest time frames. Jesus said to look for signs, not dates. But, right now, we need to be laser-focused on what is happening. The doctrines of dead scholars are of little use to us. Especially if we don’t know how to search the scriptures on our own.
Study your Bible. And more so now than ever. If you hear people teach that Bible prophecy is too confusing, avoid those people. Begin the hard work of Bible study. Dig into the scriptures and compare passages, books, themes, and topics. Put aside the YouTube scholars also. By now, especially now, we should realize that ‘experts’ are often wrong.
The world has entered a troubling time. We need to know how to respond as we see things spiral in the wrong direction. As God’s representatives, we must be clear-minded about the days in which we live. This is no time for ‘Polly-Annas’ who think everything is going to be just fine. Christians need accurate information regarding prophetic passages. At the end of this post, I include a detailed presentation of what the postmillennialists teach regarding the last days.
A Call to Persevere: Hebrews 10
24 And let us consider how to spur one another on to love and good deeds.
25 Let us not neglect meeting together, as some have made a habit, but let us encourage one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
26 If we deliberately go on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no further sacrifice for sins remains
Here is just one example of the dangerous doctrine
The convinced postmillennialist regards the distressing conditions of the twentieth century as merely a temporary fluctuation in the growth of the kingdom. They indicate that we are not as near the second coming as we had thought.
Postmillennialism: A dangerous choice
This teaching places Bible prophecy on a par with trivial issues. Such as the following.
Does the Bible teach that women are allowed to teach men? Many people claim it’s a trivial issue and so they avoid the topic. Or it gets too heated, so let’s skip it.
What about the length of a man’s hair? That is certainly a trivial issue. And so it is rightly considered as such.
We could talk about eating lobster, snails, or bacon. I know. Now I’m hitting where it hurts. But these are issues that Christians have debated in the past. Christians shouldn’t argue about eating bacon. Just wrap bacon around everything you eat and don’t worry about the consequences. 🙂
I contend that an accurate understanding of Bible prophecy is essential. It’s hard to argue that it’s not. But still, it often happens. If Christians ignore the strong warnings of scripture, they will find themselves unprepared for future events. The most difficult time the world has ever seen is in the future, not the past.
Am I biased? Yes. But still, I believe Postmillennialism is a dangerous view to hold. And more so for those who haven’t learned how to study the scriptures on their own.
What do you think?
https://thewritelife.tech/2017/09/14/john-f-walvoord-worlds-foremost-interpreter-biblical-prophecy/
The following copy is taken from the book “Introducing Christian Doctrine” by Millard J. Erickson.
Note: To Mr. Erickson and his publishers, I apologize for publishing such a large portion of the extensive volume. I do so because understanding the times in which we live is critically important.
A different view of the Millennium: Postmillennialism
Erickson: ‘Introducing Christian Doctrine’
Postmillennialism rests on the belief that the preaching of the gospel will be so successful that the world will be converted. The reign of Christ, the location of which is human hearts, will be complete and universal. The petition, “thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” will be actualized. Peace will prevail and evil will be virtually banished. Then, when the gospel has fully taken effect, Christ will return. Basically, then, postmillennialism is an optimistic view.
Postmillennialism, therefore, was most popular during periods in which the church appeared to be succeeding in its task of winning the world. Though propounded in the fourth century by Tyconius, and adopted by Augustine it came to particular popularity in the latter part of the nineteenth century. Bear in mind that this was a period of great effectiveness in worldwide missions as well as a time of concern about and progress in social conditions. Consequently, it seemed reasonable to assume that the world would soon be reached for Christ.
As we have suggested, the major tenet of postmillennialism is the successful spread of the gospel. This idea is based upon several passages of Scripture. In the Old Testament, Psalms 47, 72, and 100, Isaiah 45:22-25, and Hosea 2:23, for example, make it clear that all nations will come to know God. In addition, Jesus said on several occasions that the gospel would be preached universally prior to his second coming.
Erickson continues…
Inasmuch as the Great Commission is to be carried out in his authority (Matt. 28:18-20), it is bound to succeed. Often the idea of the spread of the gospel includes a transforming effect upon social conditions which follows from the conversion of large numbers of hearers.
In some cases, the belief in the spread of the kingdom has taken on a somewhat more secularized form, so that social transformation rather than individual conversions is considered the sign of the kingdom. Emphasizing social transformation, liberals, insofar as they held a millennial view, were generally postmillennialist, but by no means were all postmillennialists liberal.
Many of them envisioned an unprecedented number of conversions, with the human race becoming a collection of regenerated individuals.
In postmillennial thought, the kingdom of God is viewed as a present reality, here and now, rather than a future heavenly realm. Jesus’ parables in Matthew 13 give us an idea of the nature of this kingdom. It is like leaven, spreading gradually but surely throughout the whole. Its growth will be extensive (it will spread throughout the entire world) and intensive (it will become dominant).
Its growth will be so gradual that the onset of the millennium may be scarcely noticed by some. The progress may not be uniform, indeed, the coming of the kingdom may well proceed by a series of crises. Postmillennialists are able to accept what appear to be setbacks since they believe in the ultimate triumph of the gospel.
Erickson continues…
In the postmillennial view, the millennium will be an extended period, but not necessarily a literal one thousand years. Indeed, the postmillennial view of the millennium is frequently based less upon Revelation 20, where the thousand-year period and the two resurrections are mentioned, than upon other passages of Scripture. The very gradualness of the coming of the kingdom makes the length of the millennium difficult to calculate.
The point is that the millennium will be a prolonged period of time during which Christ, even though physically absent, will reign over the earth. One essential feature which distinguishes postmillennialism from the other millennial views is that it expects conditions to become better, rather than worse, prior to Christ’s return. Thus it is a basically optimistic view. Consequently, it has fared rather poorly in the twentieth century.
The convinced postmillennialist regards the distressing conditions of the twentieth century as merely a temporary fluctuation in the growth of the kingdom. They indicate that we are not as near the second coming as we had thought. This argument, however, has not proved persuasive to large numbers of theologians, pastors, and laypersons.
The following post provides a summary of the four major views of Bible prophecy.
https://thewritelife.tech/2018/11/01/eschatology-101-four-different-views-of-the-end-of-the-world/
White Stone Watcher
Hello readers,
I’ve served as a children and youth pastor for over three decades. It was a great honor and pleasure to serve the Lord in that way. It’s been my prayer, that many of them will learn of Jesus’ love and decide to commit their lives to follow Him.
I wrote the fiction story, ‘White Stone Watcher’ for them and their parents. In the story, we see a young man, and his best friend, Amanda. They face the normal challenges that today’s kids face at school. But with one huge difference.
Their challenge is twelve feet tall to be exact with an enormous set of six wings. Just like the prophet Isaiah saw in the throne room of God. He’s a Watcher, an angelic being who is still invisible to Amanda. The messenger from God is about to lead both of them on a spiritual journey. They find they can’t escape the unseen war that rages all around them. They will become key players that God will use in the battle between the Sons of Darkness and the Children of Light.
I invite you to pray about a youth that might enjoy and benefit from this story. As the world grows darker, our youth must become aware that the Lord is calling them to join the Children of Light in the fight for what is righteous. We’re all involved, whether we realize it or not. If they won’t go to church, maybe they’ll read a book about someone just like them facing challenges at school.
God is calling them.
Praying for the youth, and a great awakening.
Pastor Doug
Let me know what you think.