Eschatology review

There is a helpful post at The Gospel Coalition blog that briefly reviews the major eschatalogical views: dispensational premillenialism, historic premillenialism, amillenialism, and postmillenialism.

The post begins by recognizing the commonalities in the systems which are as follows:

1. Jesus Christ will physically return to earth one day.

2. There will be a bodily resurrection of all people who have ever lived.

3. Satan will be defeated and constrained forever.

4. There will be a final judgment in which believers join Christ for eternity while nonbelievers are separated from God's presence.

The post continues with the major tenets of each system of which I will share the one to which I ascribe:

Historical premillenialism is the belief that Christ will return "before the millennium" in order to resurrect the saints (the "first resurrection"), establish his rule from Jerusalem over the rebellious nations (the battle of Armageddon), and usher in a thousand year period of material peace and prosperity; at the end of this period the nations (still in unresurrected, natural bodies) will rebel and make war against Christ and the resurrected saints (the battle of Gog and Magog), who will be saved by fire from heaven, followed by the second resurrection---now of unbelievers---and the final judgment

The following are features of historic premillennialism:

• The New Testament era Church is the initial phase in Christ's kingdom, as prophesied by the Old Testament prophets.
• The New Testament Church may win occasional victories in history, but ultimately she will fail in her mission, lose influence, and become corrupted as worldwide evil increases toward the end of the Church Age.
• The Church will pass through a future, worldwide, unprecedented time of travail. This era is known as the Great Tribulation, which will punctuate the end of contemporary history.
• Christ will return at the end of the Tribulation to rapture the Church, resurrect deceased saints and conduct the judgment of the righteous in the "twinkling of an eye."
• Christ will then descend to the earth with His glorified saints, fight the battle of Armageddon, bind Satan, and establish a worldwide, political kingdom, which will be personally administered by Him for 1,000 years from Jerusalem.
• At the end of the millennial reign, Satan will be loosed and a massive rebellion against the kingdom and a fierce assault against Christ and His saints will occur.
• God will intervene with fiery judgment to rescue Christ and the saints. The resurrection and the judgment of the wicked will occur and the eternal order will begin. (pgs 199-200)

Well-known proponents include the late theologian George Eldon Ladd, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, and the early church fathers (e.g., Ireneaus, Polycarp, Justin Martyr).

The entire post is well worth reading!