LEARNING CAPSULE: Amillennialism

Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.

Matthew 6:9-11 (NIV)

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AMILLENNISALISM IS A branch of Christian eschatology theology that believes that the millennium is the present reality — that we are in the church age right now–and Satan was bound when Jesus died and rose from the grave. When the millennium ends, Christ will return with the resurrection of the dead, final judgment, and the new heavens and earth.

This belief became popular after Augustine of Hippo wrote City of God in the 5th century. Throughout most of church history, amillennialism has been the dominant eschatological view. Many Reformed churches, Roman Catholics, and Eastern Orthodox churches hold to this view.

CHRISTIAN ESCHATOLOGY 101: Before digging into amillennialism, we highly recommend reading our learning capsule on Christian Eschatology to get a general overview of four common eschatological views.

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	AMILLENNIALISM
Reign of Christ	One thousand year reign is taken figuratively
Role of Satan	Satan is not presently exerting influence in the world as he has been bound by Christ
Rapture timing	During second coming
Church and Israel	No distinction, unified view, the church is spiritual Israel
Apocalyptic prophecies	Mostly symbolic
Key passages	John 5:28–29; Romans 8:17–23; 2 Peter 3:3–14; 2 Thess 1:5–10
Key representatives	Augustine of Hippo, Thomas Aquinas, Martin Luther, John Calvin, Louis Berkhof, Geerhardus Vos, Herman Ridderbos, Anthony Hoekema, Cornelius Venema, Meredith G. Kline, C.S. Lewis, Voddie Baucham, J.I. Packer, Owen Strachan

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READ

READ: Survey of Eschatological Views / Gregory Brown
A succinct introduction to four Christian eschatological views complete with key Biblical passages and some history. Skip to the top of the article to read about amillennialism.

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LISTEN

LISTEN: Eschatology – Amillennialism / The Babbling Pastors Podcast
An introduction to amillennialism with mirth.

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WATCH

WATCH: What is Amillennialism? / thirdmill
A sub-three-minute explanation of amillennialism and what the belief shares with and differs from postmillennialism.

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DIG DEEPER

READ: Jesus Wins / Dayton Hartman
In Jesus Wins, Pastor Dayton Hartman makes his position clear: speculative discussions about the end times rarely offer any value and should never become a point of division. He emphasizes that as long as believers adhere to the foundational doctrines expressed in the Apostles‘ and Nicene Creeds, their specific views on eschatology (the study of the end times) should not fracture the church’s unity.

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