It has been a while since I have been able to post about why I am now an amillennialist—i.e. why I believe that the reign of Christ and saints is taking place now, at the same time as the church age, and is not a future reign. So far I have introduced the topic and then given the first reason for this stance. This brings us to the second reason…
2. The Scripture’s use of two age
terminology (this age and the age-to-come) fits better with an Amillennial
position.
Simply-put, what I am saying here is that the Bible sees the
next period to come, after the one we now live in, to be the new heaven and new
earth that arrives after Christ’s Second Coming. It does not appear to
anticipate a third intervening period or age before the new heaven and earth, a
millennial reign on the earth that is distinct from the new heaven and new
earth.
I say this for the following reasons.
In the New Testament authors speak only of this current age
and the age to come (or similar terminology): Matthew 12:32; Luke 18:30; 20:34-35;
Rom. 8:18; He. 2:5; 6:5. This also includes the “last days” as a label for the
present age vs. the “last day” (always a reference to the future age-to-come):
John 6:39, 40, 44, 54; John 11:24; 12:48.
“The New Testament introduces an important modification into
the scheme of salvation [history] as set forth by the Old Testament. Whereas
the Old foretold one coming of Messiah and with him the definitive
establishment of the kingdom of God, the New informs us that God’s purposes
are, in fact, realized in two successive stages or phases; what the Old Testament
saw as one act of the consummation of redemption, the New Testament sees as two
acts or phases of the one and same consummation. Another way to say it is that
the New Testament presents a scheme of overlapping ages: something new has
begun in Christ, but the ‘present evil age’ (Gal. 1:4) is still with us. In
principle, all things have been created anew with the first advent of the Son
of God and the gift of his Spirit. However, it has not yet arrived in its
consummate fullness and will not arrive until the second coming of Christ.
Therefore, the time between his two comings is one of overlap of old and new
[ages].”[1]
“The New Testament, then, purports that the coming of Jesus
of Nazareth has inaugurated the beginning of the end. By distinguishing between
‘this age’ and ‘the age to come’ (e.g. Mt. 12:32; Eph. 1:21; cf. 4 Ezra 7:50),
it informs us that God has acted in his Son at the ‘end of these days’ (Heb.
1:2) to bring to fulfillment the promises made to the fathers. However, this
Son will come again to bring to consummation that which was inaugurated by his
first coming, to save ‘to the uttermost’ (Heb. 7:25) those who are eagerly
waiting for him (Heb. 9:28).”[2]
Sam Storms, Kingdom Come,
158-60, rightly argues that 2 Peter 3:8-13 argues for a time before Noah, the
time from Noah until the second coming of Christ, and then the heavens and
earth that shall be, the object of our hope. This text seems to argue that the
new heavens and new earth will be fully consummated at the second coming of
Christ without any intervening period. Storms (160) continues: “Finally, the
premillennialist argues that during the millennial age it will be possible for
people to come to saving faith in Christ. But Peter’s argument is that the very
reason why Christ has not yet returned is in order that he might patiently
extend the opportunity for men to repent. This is meaningful only if it is
impossible to repent subsequent to Christ’s return.” The point is that there
does not appear to be an added age between the present age and age-to-come.
In 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10 we discover that it is “at the
time of Christ’s second coming/advent, not 1,000 years later, that the eternal
punishment of the lost occurs.”[3]
So, there does not appear to be a third, i.e. intermediate, age expected.
Perhaps if this were the only argument offered, it would not
be convincing. However, along with all the other arguments that will be
offered, there is a cumulative effect.
[1] Don Garlington, “Reigning
With Christ: Revelation 20:1-6 In Its Salvatioon-Historical Setting,” (accessed
on 9/22/2010 at mountainretreatorg.net/eschatology/reigning.html): 2-3.
[2] Garlington, “Reigning,” 3.
[3] Storms, Kingdom
Come, 163. Storms (164) writes: “When does the eternal destruction of the
unsaved occur? When shall they pay the penalty of eternal destruction away from
the presence of the Lord? Paul’s answer is: ‘When he comes on that day to be
glorified in his saints’ (v. 10…).”
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