What the Bible says about the future: disentangling the tricky issues

AMILLENNIALISM

For amillennialists, what are the main differences between this age and the age to come? Check out this chart , which shows the main features in the form of a diagram, and the "Two-Age Model" which just gives a list of key passages talking about "this age" and "the age to come".

Is Revelation 20 a big problem to amillennialists? Sam Storms says: no - amillennialism explains the passage better than any other theory. You won't have time (tonight) to look at much of what he says, but can you pick out one or two points he makes?

What's the Greek word used in Revelation 20 for "a thousand years"? Use BibleHub to find it, then click on the number above it - 5507[e] - to read a full definition of what it means. Can you see why many people (including amillennialists) feel the "thousand years" isn't a literal period of time?

PREMILLENNIALISM

What are the great "dispensations" where God has had a different kind of relationship deal with humans? And: what are the main differences between historic premillennialism and dispensational  premillennialism? One helpful set of diagrams is the "Millennial Views Chart" by Mark Vander Pol, which you'll find here.

Why do many (not all)  premillennialists vote for right wing candidates? Why are premillennialists often more energetic in sharing their faith than other Christians? Read the "premillennialism" section of this BBC page and you should find out.

There's one word in 1 Thessalonians 4:17 which means "meeting" (BibleHub will tell you which it is). But this word had a special meaning in society at the time when the New Testament was written. What sort of event did it describe? Generation Word will tell you. Why does the picture behind this word make historic premillennialism seem more plausible?

POSTMILLENNIALISM

For postmillennialists: when does the millennium start? And what happens between the millennium and the return of Jesus? Can you find a verse in Revelation 20 which explains why they believe this event will happen before Jesus comes back?

To answer the last of these questions, look at Revelation 20. For the others, the "Millennial Views" chart by Mark Vander Pol will give you the answers (on the "Postmillennialism" page - page 3 of 4).

OTHER INFORMATION

Who is Antichrist and what will he do? ThoughtCo puts all the biblical evidence together. (Or you could try GotQuestions if you prefer.)

What is the Great Tribulation? How long will it last? Why is the second half different from the first? Find out from BibleStudy.org.

One more helpful resource: a chart comparing what the different kinds of "millennialist" views have to say about different things. It's by Nate Wilson.

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