Topic Video: What Is Historic Premillennialism?

Join us for part one of our topic video series Views on the Millennium. In today's video we'll be answering the question 'What Is Historic Premillennialism?'

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Historic Premillennialism is one of two premillennial systems. In older writings, it’s often called “chiliasm,” from the Greek word “chilioi,” meaning “thousand.”

The term “millennium” literally refers to a period of one thousand years. But when we speak of the Millennium, we have in mind the eschatological period of Christ’s reign mentioned in Revelation 20:2-7. This is the only place in Scripture where this period is said to be a thousand years long. But many interpreters believe the millennium is also mentioned in other passages — especially in Old Testament predictions of a long period of prosperity for Israel.

The term “premillennialism” itself refers to the belief that Jesus will return before the millennium begins. And the term “historic” denotes that this view has been held throughout church history, unlike the more modern “dispensational premillennialism.”

Historic premillennialism teaches that the church will go through the great tribulation just prior to Jesus’ return. When Jesus arrives, he’ll gather the believers that are still alive, bind Satan from influencing this world, and begin his physical, earthly millennial reign. And — this last point is critical — one of the key distinctions of premillennialism is that it looks for Christ to reign physically on earth during the millennium.

Some premillennial interpreters believe the millennium will be exactly one thousand years long, but most allow that “one thousand” might metaphorically indicate a long time of unspecified length. Similarly, historic premillennialism isn’t entirely unified on the details of the “gathering” or “rapture” of believers.

In 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, Paul described the rapture this way:
The Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.

The word “rapture” comes from the Latin version of these verses, which uses the verb “rapio,” where the English has “caught up.” So, the “rapture” is the event in which believers are caught up or gathered to Christ in the clouds.

Historic premillennialism teaches that those believers that remain alive when Jesus returns will be gathered to him in the air. Then they’ll immediately return to earth with him as part of his victorious military parade and live on earth during his millennial reign. However, some historic premillennialists think the rapture will also include resurrected believers. But others argue that the resurrection of believers won’t take place until the final judgment at the end of the millennium. In any case, during the millennium, believers and unbelievers alike will enjoy earthly blessings, peace and prosperity.

This millennial period won’t be the final state of the new heavens and new earth; although, some historic premillennialists believe the final state will begin during the millennium. But they all agree that the millennium will be far more glorious than our current age.

At the end of the millennium, historic premillennialists say that Satan’s rebellion will take place. This will be followed by the resurrection of everyone that hasn’t been previously resurrected. Then the final judgment will come. At that point, God’s eternal reign over the new heavens and new earth will be fully realized.

“I hold to a premillennial interpretation of Revelation 20, at bottom, because it is the most straightforward reading of the passage… I think it’s natural to see that at the end of Revelation 19, the beast and the false prophet are thrown into the lake of fire and then Satan is not– the dragon is not thrown into the lake of fire, he’s bound for a thousand years. And then before the thousand years there’s a resurrection of believers and they reign with Christ for a thousand years. And then, at the end of the thousand years, Satan is released, and then he’s captured, and only then is he thrown into the lake of fire where the beast and the false prophet already were.”

– Dr. James M. Hamilton