The Second Coming of Christ
Three Main Views
Rev William MacLean
The Rev. William MacLean (1907-85) became minister of the Ness
congregation in 1948, of the Gisborne congregation in New Zealand in 1962,
and of the Grafton congregation in Australia in 1973. In 1976 he returned
to pastor the Ness congregation again, and remained there until his death.
The following article is his preface to the Westminster Standard booklet, The
Millennium, by Jonathan Edwards, which is available from Palmerston Villa,
4 Millburn Road, Inverness, IV2 3PS, or from the F.P. Bookroom, 133 Woodlands
Road, Glasgow, G3 6LE.
THERE are three main views regarding the Second Coming of Christ relative
to the Millennium: the A-millenarian, the Pre-millenarian and the Post-millenarian.
I. The A-millenarians, while believing that Christ will not come
again until the Day of Judgement, deny the doctrine of an earthly millennium.
While both Pre-millenarians and Post-millenarians hold that the Millennium
will be on earth, A-millenarians hold that the thousand year period is symbolic
of the completeness of the rest of God’s saints in their intermediate state – from
the time of their souls entering heaven until the Resurrection of the Great
Day, when soul and body shall be re-united. The Millennium of the A-millenarians
is not on earth but in heaven. The A-millenarian view is as the name indicates,
purely negative, a theory of gloom and pessimism as far as the future of the
Cause of Christ in this world is concerned. The usual A-millenarian interpretation
of Revelation 20:2 is that the "binding" of Satan took place at the
first advent of Christ, and that it was accomplished when He triumphed over
him at the cross. The Scripture cited to prove this is Matthew 12:29, "How
can one enter into the house of the strong man, and spoil his goods except
he first bind the strong man? and then he will spoil his house." "The
statement that he is to be bound and cast into the abyss," writes Loraine
Boettner in his excellent book The Millennium, "so that he can
no longer deceive the nations, teaches that this restraint is to be placed
on him during the course of this present world, that is during the Gospel age
while the nations still are in existence. It cannot relate to the intermediate
state, as some say, nor to the eternal state, as others say, for in neither
of those cases will the nations have any meaning. Furthermore, the angel who
was to bind Satan was seen ‘coming down out of heaven’ to the earth, (Rev.
20.1). The A-millenarian interpretation that the binding of Satan took place
at the first advent of Christ seems rather far-fetched and unconvincing. It
is open to the objection that if that is the meaning of the ‘binding’ of Satan,
then the ‘loosing’ spoken of in Revelation 20:3, 7, which is the opposite of
binding, must mean the reversing of the work of Christ, that is the annulment
of the atonement, or at least a time when it becomes ineffective. But that
is impossible even for a little time. We prefer to take Matthew 12:29 as a
simple statement of the superiority of Christ over the Devil, and the casting
out of the demon recorded in the same context as a proof of the Deity of Christ".
The A-millenarian view was set forth most clearly by a German theologian,
Kliefoth (1874). He held that Revelation 20 follows chronologically after Revelation
19. But not finding what he believed to be a Scriptural support for a millennium
on earth, he concluded that the reign of the saints with Christ could only
relate to the intermediate state. A-millenarianism has been most fully developed
by the Dutch theologians, Drs. Abraham Kuyper, Herman Bavinck and others. It
is the official view of the conservative Missouri Synod Lutheran Church, which
has a membership of more than 2,000,000 and sponsors a world-wide "Lutheran
Hour" radio programme. It is also the view of the equally conservative
Christian Reformed Church, likewise sponsoring an extensive radio programme
known as the "Back To God Hour," and by the Orthodox Presbyterian
Church.
II. Pre-millenarianism holds that Christ is to return to this world
to resurrect the righteous dead (according to its interpretation of the first
resurrection mentioned in Revelation 20), to set up His seat of government
in Jerusalem, and to usher in the Millennium, which is represented as a time
of great prosperity and blessedness during which the Jews will enjoy special
pre-eminence and honour above the Gentile Christians. After the thousand years
have elapsed the remainder of the dead shall rise; this, the Pre-millenarians
teach, is the second resurrection mentioned in Revelation 20. Christ will then
judge the world.
That the "first resurrection" cannot be understood in a literal
sense as the Pre-millenarians hold is evident from what the Lord Jesus Christ
says on four different occasions: that at the last day He will raise up those
who believe in Him (John 6:39, 40, 44, 56). "Clearly," as Dr. Boettner
observes, "there can be no other days after the last day." (The
Millennium, p. 169).
Dispensationalism, which is also Pre-millenarian, differs in certain respects
from the generally accepted Pre-millenarian position and is a fairly modern
system of Bible interpretation represented by the writings of J. N. Darby and
the Scofield Reference Bible. Despite its apparent Scriptural plausibility,
Dispensationalism is a subtle perversion and subversion of the doctrines of
free and sovereign grace. In Dispensationalism, Satan appears as an angel of
light in a distinctly evangelical garb. Philip Mauro says: "Dispensationalism
may be fascinating as a work of art, but as a revelation it rests upon a foundation
of sand. The entire system of dispensational teaching is modernistic in the
strictest sense: it is modernism, moreover of a very pernicious sort, such
that it must have a Bible of its own (i.e., the Scofield Reference Bible) for
the propaganda of its peculiar doctrines since they are not in the Word of
God."
When George MulIer, of Bristol, came up against the dispensationalist
doctrines of the Brethren Movement he severed all connection with it. "The
time came," he said, "when I had either to part from my Bible or
part from John Darby. I chose to keep my precious Bible and part from John
Darby."
In connection with the Scofield Bible – the Bible of Dispensationalism – it
has been rightly said: "It is a matter of great concern to many Christians
that a book should exist, and be offered for sale, wherein corrupt words of
mortal man are printed and set forth as positive statements in the midst of
the Holy Word of God Almighty. Is not this an affront before God Himself? ‘Let
God be true and every man a liar’ (Rom. 3:4)."
It is to be noted, however, that while Dispensationalism is Pre-millenarian,
all Pre-millenarians are not Dispensationalists, and many of them refute and
reject the tenets of Dispensationalism. Dispensationalism only includes those
Pre-millenarians who follow the erroneous teachings of Darby and Scofield.
III. The Post-millenarians view (so called because it asserts that
the Second Coming of Christ is after the Millennium and at the great Day of
Judgment), is that the Millennium shall be ushered in through the outpouring
of the Holy Spirit, blessing the everlasting gospel of the grace of God in
all lands. In the words of the theologian, Dr. Charles Hodge, this has been "the
common Church doctrine". Bound up with the Millennium is the fulfilment
of the prophecies regarding the destruction of the Antichrist, of Mohammedanism
or the false prophet, and of all false religious systems; and the ingathering
of the Jews. The conversion of the Jews as Dr. C. Hodge observes will be national.
As their casting away was national, although a remnant was saved, so their
conversion shall be, although some may remain obdurate. The "first resurrection" of
Revelation 20 is understood not literally but in a spiritual sense.
Note: The Post-millennium view (extracted from Jonathan Edwards
writings) is given in the next article.
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