Amillennialism: Part III - A Brief Sketch of Amillennial Eschatology by Anthony

Hoekema

A common criticism of amillennial eschatology is that it is too negative, spending its

strength primarily in opposing and refuting eschatological systems with which it does
not agree. Leaving aside the question of whether this criticism is true or false, I would
like at this point to counteract the negativism of some amillennial eschatologies by
sketching briefly some positive affirmations made by amillennialist theologians. In this
way we shall be able to see amillennial eschatology in its totality, rather than just as a
certain interpretation of the millennium of Revelation 20.

This sketch will cover two areas: first, what amillennial eschatology teaches with
regard to inaugurated eschatology, and, second, what it teaches with reference to
future eschatology. By inaugurated eschatology I mean that aspect of eschatology
which is already present now, during the gospel era. The term inaugurated eschatology
is preferred to realized eschatology because, while the former term does full justice to
the fact that the great eschatological incision into history has already been made, it
does not rule out a further development and final consummation of eschatology in the
future. When we speak of “inaugurated eschatology” we are saying that for the New
Testament believer significant eschatological events have already begun to happen
while other eschatological occurrences still lie in the future.

As regards inaugurated eschatology, then, amillennialism affirms the

following:

1. Christ has won the decisive victory over sin, death and Satan. By living a sinless life
and by dying on the cross as the sacrifice of atonement for our sin, Christ defeated sin.
By undergoing death and then victoriously rising from the grave, Christ defeated death.
By resisting the devil’s temptations, by perfectly obeying God, and by his death and
resurrection, Christ delivered a deathblow to Satan and his evil hosts. This victory of
Christ’s was decisive and final. The most important day in history, therefore, is not the
Second Coming of Christ which is still future but the first coming which lies in the past.
Because of the victory of Christ, the ultimate issues of history have already been
decided. It is now only a question of time until that victory is brought to its final
consummation.

2. The kingdom of God is both present and future. Amillennialists do not believe that
the kingdom of God is primarily a Jewish kingdom which involves the literal restoration
of the throne of David. Nor do they believe that because of the unbelief of the Jews of
his day Christ postponed the establishment of the kingdom to the time of his future
earthly millennial reign. Amillennialists believe that the kingdom of God was founded
by Christ at the time of his sojourn on earth, is operative in history now and is destined
to be revealed in its fullness in the life to come. They understand the kingdom of God
to be the reign of God dynamically active in human history through Jesus Christ. Its
purpose is to redeem God’s people from sin and from demonic powers, and finally to
establish the new heavens and the new earth. The kingdom of God means nothing less
than the reign of God in Christ over his entire created universe.
The kingdom of God is therefore both a present reality and a future hope. Jesus clearly
taught that the kingdom was already present during his earthly ministry: “But if I drive
out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you” (Mt.
12:28, NIV). When the Pharisees asked Jesus when the kingdom of God was coming,
he replied, “The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed; nor will they
say, `Lo, here it is!’ or `There!’ for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you”
(Lk. 17:20-21). But Jesus also taught that there was a sense in which the kingdom of
God was still future, both in specific sayings (Mt. 7:21-23; 8:11-12) and in
eschatological parables (such as those of the Marriage Feast, the Tares, the Talents,
the Wise and Foolish Virgins). Paul also makes statements describing the kingdom as
both present (Rom. 14:17; 1 Cor. 4:19-20; Col. 1:13-14) and future (1 Cor. 6:9; Gal.
5:21; Eph. 5:5; 2 Tim. 4:18).

The fact that the kingdom of God is present in one sense and future in another implies
that we who are the subjects of that kingdom live in a kind of tension between the
“already” and the “not yet.” We are already in the kingdom, and yet we look forward to
the full manifestation of that kingdom; we already share its blessings, and yet we await
its total victory. Because the exact time when Christ will return is not known, the
church must live with a sense of urgency, realizing that the end of history may be very
near. At the same time, however, the church must continue to plan and work for a
future on this present earth which may still last a long time.

Meanwhile, the kingdom of God demands of us all total commitment to Christ and his
cause. We must see all of life and all of reality in the light of the goal of the redemption
not just of individuals but of the entire universe. This implies, as Abraham Kuyper, the
renowned Dutch theologian and statesman, once said, that there is not a thumb-
breadth of the universe about which Christ does not say, “It is mine.”

This total commitment further implies a Christian philosophy of history: All of history
must be seen as the working out of God’s eternal purpose. This kingdom vision
includes a Christian philosophy of culture: Art and science, reflecting as they do the
glory of God, are to be pursued for his praise. The vision of the kingdom also includes a
Christian view of vocation: All callings are from God, and all that we do in everyday life
is to be done to God’s praise, whether this be study, teaching, preaching, business,
industry or housework.

A common source of tension among evangelicals today is the question of whether the
church should be primarily concerned with evangelism or social and political action. A
proper kingdom vision, it seems to me, will help us to keep our balance on this
question. Needless to say, evangelism — bringing people into the kingdom of God — is
one of the essential tasks of the church. But since the kingdom of God demands total
commitment, the church must also be vitally concerned about the implementation of
Christian principles in every area of life, including the political and the social.
Evangelism and social concern, therefore, must never be thought of as options
between which Christians may make a choice; both are essential to full-orbed kingdom
obedience.

3. Though the last day is still future, we are in the last days now.

This aspect of eschatology, which is often neglected in evangelical circles, is an

essential part of the New Testament message. When I say, “we are in the last days
now,” I understand the expression “the last days” not merely as referring to the time
just before Christ’s return, but as a description of the entire era between Christ’s first
and second comings. New Testament writers were conscious of the fact that they were
already living in the last days at the time they were speaking or writing. This was
specifically stated by Peter in his sermon on the day of Pentecost when he quoted
Joel’s prophecy about the pouring out of the Spirit upon all flesh in the last days (Acts
2:16-17). He was thus saying in effect, “We are now in the last days predicted by the
prophet Joel.” Paul made the same point when he described believers of his day as
those “upon whom the end of the ages has come” (1 Cor. 10:11). And the Apostle John
told his readers that they were already living in “the last hour” (1 Jn. 2:18). In the light
of these New Testament teachings, we may indeed speak of an inaugurated
eschatology, while remembering that the Bible also speaks of a final consummation of
eschatological events in what John commonly calls “the last day” (Jn. 6:39-40, 44,54;
11:24; 12:48).

The fact that we are living in the last days now implies that we are already tasting the
beginnings of eschatological blessings—that, as Paul says, we already have “the first
fruits of the Spirit” (Rom. 8:23). This means that we who are believers are to see
ourselves not as impotent sinners who are helpless in the face of temptation but as
new creatures in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17), as temples of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 6:19) and
as those who have decisively crucified the flesh (Gal. 5:24), put off the old self and put
on the new (Col. 3:9-10). All this involves having an image of ourselves which is
primarily positive rather than negative. It also involves seeing fellow Christians as
those who are in Christ with us and for whom we should therefore thank God.1

4. As far as the thousand years of Revelation 20 are concerned, we are in the

millennium now. Earlier in the chapter evidence was given for the position that the
thousand years of Revelation 20 extend from the first coming of Christ to just before
his Second Coming, when Satan will be loosed for a short time. The amillennial position
on the thousand years of Revelation 20 implies that Christians who are now living are
enjoying the benefits of this millennium since Satan has been bound for the duration of
this period. As we saw, the fact that Satan is now bound does not mean that he is not
active in the world today but that during this period he cannot deceive the nations —
that is, cannot prevent the spread of the gospel. The binding of Satan during this era,
in other words, makes missions and evangelism possible. This fact should certainly be
a source of encouragement to the church on earth.

Amillennialists also teach that during this same thousand-year period the souls of
believers who have died are now living and reigning with Christ in heaven while they
await the resurrection of the body. Their state is therefore a state of blessedness and
happiness, though their joy will not be complete until their bodies have been raised.
This teaching should certainly bring comfort to those whose dear ones have died in the
Lord.

As regards future eschatology, amillennialism affirms the following:

1. The “signs of the times” have both present and future relevance. Amillennialists
believe that the return of Christ will be preceded by certain signs: for example, the
preaching of the gospel to all the nations, the conversion of the fullness of Israel, the
great apostasy, the great tribulation and the coming of the Antichrist. These signs,
however, must not be thought of as referring exclusively to the time just preceding
Christ’s return. They have been present in some sense from the very beginning of the
Christian era2 and are present now.’3 This means that we must always be ready for
the Lord’s return and that we may never in our thoughts push the return of Christ off
into the far-distant future.

Amillennialists also believe, however, that these “signs of the times” will have a
climactic final fulfillment just before Christ returns. This fulfillment will not take the
form of phenomena which are totally new but will rather be an intensification of signs
which have been present all along.

2. The Second Coming of Christ will be a single event. Amillennialists find no scriptural
basis for the dispensationalist division of the Second Coming into two phases
(sometimes called the parousia and the revelation), with a seven-year period in
between. We understand Christ’s return as being a single event.

3. At the time of Christ’s return, there will be a general resurrection, both of believers
and unbelievers. Amillennialists reject the common premillennial teaching that the
resurrection of believers and that of unbelievers will be separated by a thousand years.
They also reject the view of many dispensationalists that there will be as many as
three or four resurrections (since, in addition to the two resurrections just mentioned,
dispensationalists also teach that there will be a resurrection of tribulation saints and a
resurrection of believers who died during the millennium). We see no scriptural
evidence for such multiple resurrections.4

4. After the resurrection, believers who are then still alive shall suddenly be
transformed and glorified. The basis for this teaching is what Paul says in 1 Corinthians
15:51-52: “Listen, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be
changed—in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will
sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed” (NIV).

5. The “rapture” of all believers now takes place. Believers who have just been raised
from the dead, together with living believers who have just been transformed, are now
caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air (1 Thess. 4:17). That there will be
such a “rapture” the Bible clearly teaches. But I have put the word rapture between
quotation marks in order to distinguish the amillennial conception of the rapture from
the dispensationalist view. Dispensationalists teach that after the rapture the entire
church will be taken up to heaven for a period of seven years while those still on earth
are undergoing the great tribulation.

Amillennialists see no scriptural evidence for such a seven-year period or for a

transference of the church from earth to heaven during that period. Risen and glorified
bodies of believers do not belong in heaven but on the earth. The word translated “to
meet” in 1 Thessalonians 4:17 (apantesis) is a technical term used in the days of the
New Testament to describe a public welcome given by a city to a visiting dignitary.
People would ordinarily leave the city to meet the distinguished visitor and then go
back with him into the city.5 On the basis of the analogy conveyed by this word, all
Paul is saying here is that raised and transformed believers are caught up in the clouds
to meet the descending Lord, implying that after this meeting they will go back with
him to the earth.

6. Now follows the final judgment. Whereas dispensationalists commonly teach that
there will be at least three separate judgments, amillennialists do not agree. The latter
see scriptural evidence for only one Day of Judgment which will occur at the time of
Christ’s return. All men must then appear before the judgment seat of Christ.

The purpose of the final judgment is not primarily to determine the final destiny of men
since by that time that final destiny has already been determined for all men except
those still living at the time of Christ’s return. Rather, the judgment will have a
threefold purpose: First, it will reveal the glorification of God in the final destiny
assigned to each person; second, it will indicate finally and publicly the great antithesis
of history between the people of God and the enemies of God; and third, it will reveal
the degree of reward or the degree of punishment which each shall receive.

7. After the judgment the final state is ushered in. Unbelievers and all those who have
rejected Christ shall spend eternity in hell, whereas believers will enter into everlasting
glory on the new earth. The concept of the new earth is so important for biblical
eschatology that we should give it more than a passing thought. Many Christians think
of themselves as spending eternity in some ethereal heaven while the Bible plainly
teaches us that there will be a new earth. When the book of Revelation tells us that the
holy city, the new Jerusalem, will come down from heaven to the new earth (2 1:2),
that God will now have his dwelling with men (21:3) and that the throne of God and of
the Lamb will be in the new Jerusalem (22:3), it is teaching us in figurative language
that in the life to come heaven and earth will no longer be separated but will have
merged. In the final state, therefore, glorified believers will be both in heaven and on
the new earth, since the two shall then be one.

When one keeps the vision of the new earth clearly in mind, many biblical teachings
begin to form a significant pattern. As we have seen, the resurrection of the body calls
for a new earth. The cosmic significance of the work of Christ implies that the curse
which came upon creation because of man’s sin (Gen. 3:17-19) shall some day be
removed (Rom. 8:19-22); this renewal of creation means that there will indeed be a
new earth. The Bible also contains specific promises about the new earth. We have
already looked at Isaiah’s prediction of the new earth in 65:17 (see 66:22). Jesus
promised that the meek shall inherit the earth (Mt. 5:5). Peter speaks of new heavens
and a new earth in which righteousness shall dwell (2 Pet. 3:13). And the elders and
living creatures whom John sees in the heavenly vision recorded in Revelation 5 sing a
song of praise to the victorious Lamb which includes these words, “You have made
them [those whom you purchased with your blood] to be a kingdom and priests to
serve our God, and they will reign on the earth” (Rev. 5:10, NI V).6

In the light of biblical teaching about the new earth, many Old Testament prophecies
about the land of Canaan and about the future of the people of God fall into place.
From the fourth chapter of the book of Hebrews we learn that Canaan was a type of
the Sabbath-rest of the people of God in the life to come. From Paul’s letter to the
Galatians we learn that all those who are in Christ are included in the seed of Abraham
(Gal. 3:29). When we read Genesis 17:8 (“And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed
after thee, the land of thy sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting
possession; and I will be their God” [ASV]) with this understanding of the New
Testament broadening of these concepts, we see in it a promise of the new earth as
the everlasting possession of all the people of God, not just of the physical descendants
of Abraham. And when, in the light of this New Testament teaching, we now read Amos
9:15 (“And I will plant them upon their land, and they shall no more be plucked up out
of their land which 1 have given them, saith Jehovah thy God” [ASV]), we do not feel
compelled to restrict the meaning of these words to national Israel and the land of
Palestine. We understand them to be a prediction of the eternal dwelling of all God’s
people, Gentiles as well as Jews, on the new earth of which Canaan was a type.
Amillennialists therefore feel no need for positing an earthly millennium to provide for
the fulfillment of prophecies of this sort; they see such prophecies as pointing to the
glorious eternal future which awaits all the people of God.

When premillennialists therefore charge amillennialists with teaching a future kingdom

which is only spiritual and which has nothing to do with the earth, they are not
representing the amillennial view correctly. Amillennialists believe that Old Testament
prophecies which predict that the land of promise shall be the everlasting possession of
the people of God, that the wolf shall dwell with the lamb and that the earth shall be as
full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea, shall be fulfilled not just
for a thousand-year period but for all eternity! This interpretation, we believe, gives us
a richer, wider and more relevant understanding of those prophecies than that which
restricts their meaning to a description of an earthly millennium which shall precede
the final state.

Some Implications of Amillennial Eschatology

What, in conclusion, are some of the implications of amillennial eschatology for our
theological understanding? Let me mention four of them:

1. What binds the Old and New Testaments together is the unity of the covenant of
grace. Amillennialists do not believe that sacred history is to be divided into a
series of distinct and disparate dispensations but see a single covenant of grace
running through all of that history. This covenant of grace is still in effect today
and will culminate in the eternal dwelling together of God and his redeemed
people on the new earth.

2. The kingdom of God is central in human history. That kingdom was predicted
and prepared for in Old Testament times, was established on earth by Jesus
Christ, was extended and expanded both in New Testament times and during the
subsequent history of the church, and will finally be consummated in the life to
come.

3. Jesus Christ is the Lord of history. This means that all of history is under Christ’s
control and will ultimately prove to have been subservient to his purpose. We
must therefore be concerned not just with enjoying the blessings of our salvation
but also with joyfully serving Christ as Lord in every area of our lives.

4. All of history is moving toward a goal: the total redemption of the universe.
History is not meaningless but meaningful. Though we are not always able to
discern the meaning of each historical event, we know what the ultimate
outcome of history will be. We eagerly look forward to the new earth as part of a
 renewed universe in which God’s good creation will realize finally and totally the
purpose for which he called it into existence: the glorification of his name.

All this implies that regarding world history, amillennialists adopt a position of sober or
realistic optimism. Belief in the present rule of Christ, in the presence of God’s kingdom
and in the movement of history toward its goal is accompanied by a realistic
recognition of the presence of sin in this world and of the growing development of the
kingdom of evil. Amillennial eschatology looks for a culmination of apostasy and
tribulation in the final emergence of a personal Antichrist before Christ comes again.
Amillennialists do not expect to see the perfect society realized during this present age.

Yet, since we know that the victory of Christ over evil was decisive and that Christ is
now on the throne, the dominant mood of amillennial eschatology is optimism —
Christian optimism. This means that we view no world crisis as totally beyond help and
no social trend as absolutely irreversible. It means that we live in hope — a hope that
is built on faith and that expresses itself in love.

Amillennial eschatology, therefore, gives us a realistic, yet basically optimistic world-

and-life view. It is an eschatology which is exciting, exhilarating and challenging. It is
an eschatology which gives us an inspiring vision of the lordship of Christ over history
and of the ultimate triumph of his kingdom.

Notes

1. See Anthony A. Hoekema, The Christian Looks at Himself (Grand Rapids,

Michigan: William B. Eerdmans, 1975).
2. Note, for example, how John tells us that the spirit of the Antichrist is already in
the world in his day (1 Jn. 4:3).
3. G. C. Berkouwer, in his recent book, The Return of Christ (Grand Rapids,
Michigan: William B. Eerdmans, 1972), shows how
4. Scripture requires us to think of the “signs of the times” as having relevance
throughout the entire Christian era (pp. 235.59).
Scripture proof for a single general resurrection has been given above in the
exposition of Revelation 20:1-6. For additional evidence against a multiple
resurrection, see L. Berkhof, Systematic Theology (Grand Rapids, Michigan:
William B. Eerdmans, 1941), pp. 724-27.
5. Gerhard Kittel, ed., Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, trans. and ed.
Geoffrey Bromiley (Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans, 1964), I, 380-
81.
6. See the excellent chapter on the new earth in Berkouwer, pp. 211-34.

Author

Anthony A. Hoekema was born in the Netherlands and immigrated to the United States
in 1923. He attended Calvin College (A.B.), the University of Michigan (M.A.), Calvin
Theological seminary (Th.B.) and Princeton Theological seminary (Th.D., 1953). After
serving as minister of several Christian Reformed Churches (1944-56) he became
Associate Professor Bible at Calvin College (1956-58). From 1958 to 1979, when he
retired, he was Professor of Systematic Theology at Calvin Theological Seminary in
Grand Rapids, Michigan. Professor Hoekema spent two sabbatical years in Cambridge,
England (1965-66, 1973-74) and has written The Four Major Cults (1963), What about
Tongue-Speaking? (1966), Holy Spirit Baptism (1972), The Bible and the Future (1979)
and was a contributor to The Meaning of the Millennium from which these are articles
were taken (1977).