: Amillennial

Amillennial

Specific Distinctions:
Christ's return ends history
No secret Rapture, no future 7 year Tribulation and no literal 1000 year reign of Christ on earth
Satan is currently prohibited from exerting all his powers of temptation or from deceiving the nations
See much of prophecy fulfilled with the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD
The promises made to national Israel, David and Abraham in the OT are fulfilled in Christ and through the Church during this age
Promote Progressive Parallelism or Recapitulation - Book of Revelation is not sequential but is divided into sections repeating the same ground but from different perspectives (i.e., events in Revelation 20:1-15 do not follow events in Revelation 19:1-21 but start a new 'retelling' of events in the New Testament era)
Historic Amillennialists believe the Millennium is now - entire period from Christ's exaltation until shortly before His 2nd coming
Some modern Amillennialists see the Millennium finding fulfillment by the saints currently in heaven

Background:
Origen (185-253AD) and Augustine (354-430AD) are cited as early proponents of Amillennialism
Augustine abandoned Pre-Millennialism believing the idea of an earthly Millennial reign was crass and carnal; believers should focus on heaven instead
Amillennialism was the dominant eschatological thought from the 4th up to the late 17th century
Nearly all the Reformers were a mix of Amillennial and Historicist in their eschatology

Works:
Augustine, the father of Amillennialism, wrote The City of God
William Hendriksen, More Than Conquerors: An Interpretation of the Book of Revelation (1939)
William E. Cox, Amillennialism Today (1966)
Anthony A. Hoekema, The Bible and the Future (1994)
Kim Riddlebarger, A Case For Amillennialism: Understanding the End Times (2003)

Thological Persuation:
Most are Replacement Theology adherents teaching the Church is the fulfillment of national Israel (which was an OT type)
Many prefer the term 'Expansion Theology' holding that Gentiles are now brought into the company of the elect along with the Jews
Most are Calvinists adhering to Reformed/Covenant Theology (sans Catholic, Greek Orthodox)
Ultimate purpose of istory is the redemption of the Elect
Adam lived under Covenant of Works - keywords: "do this and live"
We live under Covenant of Grace - keywords: "whoever believes"
Law/Grace fused together reading the New Testament into the Old Testament
The believer's rule of life is to strive to keep the 'moral law' Moses gave on Mt. Sinai
Moral and Civil elements of the Mosaic Law are carried over into the New Covenant
Employ a double hermeneutic (historical-grammatical method for many passages but also the allegorical and spiritualizing method)
Practice Infant Baptism

Churches:
Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, Lutherans, Presbyterians, Church of Christ, Southern and Reformed Baptists Seminaries:
Reformed , Knox and Westminster Theological Seminaries

Past Notables:
Origen (185-253AD), Augustine of Hippo (354-430AD), John Calvin, Martin Luther, Abraham Kuyper, Louis Berkhof
Oswald Allis, Albertus Pieters, William Hendriksen, Gerret C. Berkouwer, Anthony A. Hoekema, William E. Cox

Current Notables:
Kim Riddlebarger, David J. Engelsma, Jay E. Adams, Michael Horton, J.I. Packer
R.C. Sproul appears to lean to the A-Mil camp but admittedly likes tenets of Pre and Post -Mil as well lennialism, circa 1995)
Hank Hannegraaf wrote 'The Apocalypse Code' coining phrase "Exegetical Eschatology" (Partial Preterist, A-Mil leanings)

Web Sites:
Protestant Reformed Churches of America (www.prca.org), CRTA (www.reformed.org)
Grace Online Library (www.graceonlinelibrary.org). Monergism – 'one work of God‘ (www.monergism.com)

Quote:
"Reformed Amillennialism teaches the church, that is, us who believe and our children, to expect increasing lawlessnessin the world, apostasy from the truth in the churches, the establishment of the kingdom of Antichrist over the entire world, andgreat tribulation for all those who fear God and keep His commandments. To such a world, thus fully developed in sin, will Christ return." (Professor David J. Engelsma, A Defense of (Reformed) Amillennialism, circa 1995)