The Return of Christ: A Premillennial Perspective

By David L. Allen and Steve W Lemke

In the study of end times (eschatology), evangelical Christians usually adhere to one of three positions. Premillennialism holds that Christ will return to earth before He reigns over an earthly kingdom for one thousand years. Postmillennialism says the kingdom of God will become realized on this earth through the church's influence, even before Christ's return. Amillennialism suggests the millennium is not a literal thousand-year reign, but that Christ's return will usher in eternity. 

The Return of Christ gathers presentations from the Acts 1:11 Conference where church leaders spoke in support of the premillennial position and pre-tribulation rapture. Regardless of whether or not a reader holds this same position, the text emphasizes the deep importance of eschatology in Christ's teaching ministry and as the focus for our hope. Indeed, without the promise of Christ's return, Christianity has little to offer the unbeliever. 

The book's dozen contributors include Jerry Vines, Ergun Caner, Danny Akin, Paige Patterson, David Allen, Richard Land, Junior Hill, Stanton R. Norman, Craig Blaising, Lamar Cooper, Steven Cox, and Michael Vlach.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BH Publishing Group
• Release date: May 18, 2011
• ISBN: 9781433675812

Book preview

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PREFACE

Frank Cox

Dr. Cox is pastor of the North Metro First Baptist Church in Lawrenceville, Georgia, host church of the Acts 1:11 Conference.

All serious followers of Christ at different times ponder great doctrinal themes, especially the Second Coming of Christ. Every generation since the day Christ ascended into heaven has lived with anticipation of this climactic event—and rightfully so!

The initial believers were no doubt astounded with all they were experiencing. Could you imagine their astonishment and bewilderment? At a distance they watched in stunned silence as their Savior was crucified. In the depths of their sorrow the grief was real, traumatic, and painful. Hard sobs that identified their grief gave way to tears of joy three days later when the news spread like fire . . . He’s alive! The tomb lay bare as God’s greatest miracle was unfolding before their very eyes. The rhythm of their hearts accelerated as they captured in their minds the truth and impact of His resurrection.

For forty days the risen Messiah gave unmistakable proof of His resurrection and spoke to them about the kingdom of God. As they were gathered, the questions flowed, "Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel? (Acts 1:6, NASB). They anticipated that a great earthly kingdom would be restored in their beloved Israel. Christ, however, was in the spiritual realm while they were still walking in the secular realm. Christ gave them a word of caution. It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority" (Acts 1:7, NASB). In other words, He told them not to worry about what is God’s business and God’s alone! They were to stay focused on the soon-to-be church age.

Jesus gave to them and to us our focus, our sacred trust, the Great Commission (Acts 1:8). With the assignment given, Jesus then ascended into heaven. Their attention was fixated as they watched this phenomenon occur.

Remember, Christ wanted them to be soul-winners, not stargazers. Why, because in Acts 1:11 two men in white clothing stood beside them and said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched him go into heaven" (NASB). With this statement the followers of Christ were commissioned and sent. Every generation since then has sought to share Jesus and serve Him with great anticipation of His soon return.

Since the ascension, prophecy has been of tremendous interest to all believers. Those given to the study of the promised return have sought to understand signs of the times and events that the Scriptures teach will lead up to the visible return of our Lord. Do I understand it all clearly? I would be quick to say no! I would be like the old professor whom Adrian Rogers referenced in his book, Unveiling the End Times in Our Times. Pastor Rogers said, A young seminary student asked his wise, old professor what he knew about the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. The professor replied, ‘Not as much as I used to.’ I think we would all agree as to our own understanding or the lack thereof.

In the Acts 1:11 Conference Jerry Vines and his assembled scholars have sought through their assigned messages to help us gain a better understanding of the end times and the soon return of our ascended Lord. This book will prove to be a great asset for those interested in having a solid biblical approach to the subject.

So often when we come to the subject of the end times, we get so caught up in the sensational that we forget about the Scriptures. Under the tutelage of these seasoned scholars, one will reap greater insight through the Scriptures on the rapture and the return of our Savior to receive His bride. With biblical understanding, one will be driven to live each day to serve the Lord with greater anticipation that today may be the very day.

Years ago in his legendary sermon, "Our Ascended Lord, Dr. Vines tells about a special home in Kentucky for children with special mental challenges. The workers gathered the children together and taught them different truths from God’s Word. The one concept the children seemed to grasp more than all others is the teaching that Jesus is coming again for those who love Him and are ready. Those who worked with those special children shared that they could not keep the windows of the home clean. The windows were always stained from little handprints of the children eagerly looking for the return of Jesus for them. Dr. Vines’ challenge to his listeners is as relevant today for those who would read these powerful messages from the Acts 1:11 Conference, We should keep the windows of our heart stained, living in daily anticipation of our Lord’s return."

Hallelujah, Jesus is coming! Our hope and plea should be, Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

EDITORS’ INTRODUCTION

David Allen and Steve Lemke

Dr. Allen is dean of the School of Theology at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary; Dr. Lemke is provost at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary.

The return of Christ has always been a crucial doctrine in the Christian faith. Interest in various doctrines has waxed and waned through the centuries, but eschatology has always been a focus of great interest. Indeed, as the apostle Paul proclaimed, the resurrection of believers at the end of time is the very basis for Christian hope. Without the resurrection of Jesus as the firstfruits of the resurrection of all believers, the Christian faith, Christian proclamation, and Christian service are all in vain (1 Cor 15:12–34).

The Bible’s eschatological literature, with its heavy use of symbolism, is always an interpretive challenge. Through the years, successive generations of believers have found help in interpreting the texts on eschatology. The Scofield Reference Bible has been the Bible of choice for many conservative believers since the early 1900s. Interest in eschatology seemed to explode in the latter half of the twentieth century. The Ryrie Study Bible was utilized by many conservative Christians, but it was the incredible popularity of the eschatological writings of Hal Lindsey that focused the attention of many Christians. His The Late Great Planet Earth (1970) sold over 15 million copies.

As seminary administrators, we do not see the level of interest among our seminary students that we remember as students in the 1970s and 1980s. However, it would be a mistake to overlook the continued interest of many believers in eschatology. The Left Behind series, authored by Jerry Jenkins and Tim LaHaye, has sold over 75 million volumes. From the perspective of the pew, interest in eschatology may be greater than ever.

This possible gap of interest between pulpit and pew leads us to question whether preaching and teaching on end times should not be more prominent in our churches. This concern, in part, led Jerry Vines Ministries to create the Acts 1:11 Conference, focused on biblical eschatology from a premillennial position. This event was cosponsored by a number of conservative Christian institutions that shared this concern: Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary, Luther Rice Seminary, Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, and Truett-McConnell College.

Three basic positions on the end times are held by evangelical Christians based on how they interpret the 1,000-year (millennial) reign of Christ mentioned in Rev 20:1–4: premillennialism, postmillennialism, and amillennialism. Premillennialism holds that Christ will return to earth before He reigns over an earthly kingdom for 1,000 years. Postmillennialism holds that the kingdom of God will become realized on this earth, followed by Christ’s return which will usher in eternity. Sometimes associated with dominion theology or Christian reconstructionism, postmillennialism asserts that the church will increase its influence so dramatically that God’s kingdom will come on earth before Christ’s return. Amillennialism holds that the millennium is not a literal 1,000-year reign on earth, but a lengthy, undefined (in terms of years) period following Jesus’ crucifixion during which Satan is not bound in the sense of incapacitation, but limited so that evangelism can occur on earth. After this period, which is now almost 2,000 years in length, Jesus will return to usher in eternity. Amillennialism is often called realized millennialism to indicate that this is a period under Christ’s reign, but from heaven. Such a designation, however, misuses the term millennialism.    Christians also have various views about the timing of the rapture of believers (1 Thess 4:17) in relation to the great tribulation, millennium, and final judgment. Amillennialists believe there will be a rapture of believers, who will immediately accompany the returning Jesus to earth where final judgment takes place. Pretribulationists believe that evil will increasingly characterize the world until Christ returns to take believers away in the rapture. With believers gone, the world will grow even more evil under the domination of the Antichrist in the great tribulation, at the end of which Christ will return, win the battle of Armageddon, and begin His 1,000-year reign on earth. Many premillennialists, including dispensationalists, believe the rapture will take place before the tribulation. Mid-tribulationists believe that the rapture of believers will take place at the midpoint of the seven-year tribulation, but before the final great tribulation. Posttribulationists believe that believers will go through the tribulation, and will meet Christ in the air on His way to usher in His millennial kingdom.

Another distinction among millennial views is one’s approach to interpreting the book of Revelation. Symbolists see the apocalyptic literature in Revelation as being largely symbolic, not necessarily describing any real historical event. Other Christians, while understanding the symbolic nature of apocalyptic literature, nevertheless understand Revelation to be literally true in depicting events in history. Among those who take this approach are three subgroups. Preterists believe that almost all the events described in the book of Revelation refer to events in the first century as Christians were persecuted by the Roman Empire. Historicists believe that the events described in Revelation are being fulfilled throughout history by various historical leaders from the Roman Caesars to modern leaders such as Adolf Hitler. Futurists believe that most of the events in Revelation after chap. 4 are yet to be fulfilled.

Also, a variety of perspectives are held by dispensational premillennialists. Craig Blaising has noted at least four distinct perspectives within dispensationalism as it has evolved through the years.¹ The first major presentation of dispensationalism emerged from the Niagara Bible Conference, which affirmed the effort of British Brethren leader John Nelson Darby in promoting one true unified and nondenominational church, a strong affirmation of the truth of Scripture, a Christocentric faith, personal piety, and utilization of inductive Bible study.² A second expression of dispensationalism was popularized by C. I. Scofield, who was a participant in later Niagara conferences. His Scofield Reference Bible, which advocated his dispensationalism, was affirmed in a more scholarly way in the systematic theology of L. S. Chafer.³ A third expression of dispensationalism, which Blaising labels "the sine qua non of dispensationalism,"⁴ is that of Charles Ryrie, which was popularized through the Ryrie Study Bible. Among other differences, Ryrie drew a sharper distinction between Israel and the church than had earlier dispensationalists. The contributors to Blaising and Bock’s book proposed a fourth expression called progressive dispensationalism, which somewhat softened the sharp distinction earlier dispensationalists had made between Israel and the church.⁵

Each millennial position has its own hermeneutical presuppositions that it brings to the interpretation of Scripture. The following presuppositions characterize the hermeneutics of most premillennialists:

All Scripture is divinely inspired. The affirmations of the Bible are inerrant and authoritative for the Christian faith. Since each word and sentence in Scripture is God breathed, all the relevant texts must be given due consideration, rather than relying on one passage alone.

All biblical prophecy is true. All the events described in biblical prophecy will come to pass, although their significance may not be discerned by the people at that time.

Scripture is the best means for interpreting Scripture. Therefore all the relevant passages concerning the tribulation and the millennium must be harmonized into a single synoptic picture.

An essential unity exists between the Old and New Testaments. However, the New Testament eschatology accounts provide the more precise and detailed accounts of eschatology. An effort must be made therefore to harmonize the Old Testament and New Testament accounts. Old Testament prophecies will be viewed as having meaning within their own historical context, but these prophecies may have a dual fulfillment or be typologically duplicated in later events. Greater predictive weight is given to passages so understood by New Testament writers.

Apocalyptic biblical language, while employing symbolism and other literary techniques, nevertheless describes real historical events. While we acknowledge the symbolism inherent in apocalyptic literature, and deny a wooden literalism, we nonetheless affirm that apocalyptic passages refer to realities in history, rather than merely presenting allegory, myth, or fable. The language should be understood by its plain-sense meaning and in chronological order unless clear markers indicate otherwise.

Biblical interpreters should put themselves under the authority of Scripture, rather than impose an external agenda or pattern on it. Therefore a millennial view should not become a Procrustean bed that rigidly imposes its interpretive framework on Scripture, but should allow Scripture to speak for itself. All human interpretations must constantly be reexamined in light of Scripture.

Further description and defense of the premillennial position is presented in the articles that follow, especially the articles by Ergun Caner, Danny Akin, Paige Patterson, David Allen, Richard Land, and Craig Blaising. Other eschatological perspectives are outlined in the articles by Ergun Caner, Stanton Norman, and Craig Blaising.

One’s views about the tribulation and the millennium should not, however, be a question of fellowship. Many devout Christian scholars have advocated a variety of positions on these difficult issues. The speakers at the Acts 1:11 Conference and the contributors to this volume all support a premillennial position with a pre-tribulational rapture. Our hope is to present a scholarly version of that perspective for your prayerful consideration. But if you do not find these arguments convincing, we hope that these presentations will help you understand your own position more clearly.

Eschatology is not just a mystical doctrine tacked on at the end of a theology class. Eschatology provides the focus for the Christian hope. Without a clear proclamation of the Christian hope of Christ’s return, Christianity has little to offer unbelievers. If Christ will not return, we are left in our sins and there is no forgiveness. If Christ will not return, there is no hope of the resurrection and eternal life. If Christ will not return, there is no ultimate justice in the world—evil deeds will go unpunished and good deeds will go unrewarded. If Christ will not return, then heaven is a myth. If Christ will not return, then God is not true to His Word. Jesus gave more attention to eschatology in His teaching ministry than almost any other area, and He dedicated one of the longest teaching passages in Scripture (sometimes called the Olivet Discourse or the Eschatological Discourse) to the subject. If Jesus gave that much attention to preaching and teaching on end times, contemporary ministers of the gospel should do as well. We hope this volume is a helpful tool toward that end. Maranatha!

David Allen

Steve W. Lemke

"Each of the four living creatures had six wings;

they were covered with eyes around and inside.

Day and night they never stop, saying:

Holy, holy, holy, Lord God, the Almighty,

who was, who is, and who is coming"

(Rev 4:8, HCSB).

1. C. A. Blaising, Dispensationalism: The Search for Definition, in Dispensationalism, Israel and the Church: The Search for Definition, ed. C. A. Blaising and D. L. Bock (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1992), 13–34.

2. Ibid., 16–20.

3. Ibid., 21–23.

4. Ibid., 23.

5. Ibid., 25–32.

PART ONE

Presentations from the Acts 1:11 Conference

"Men of Galilee,

why do you stand looking up into heaven?

This Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven,

will come in the same way that

you have seen Him going into heaven."

—Acts 1:11 (HCSB)

1

STARGAZERS OR SOUL-WINNERS?

This Same Jesus Shall So Come

Jerry Vines

Dr. Vines is president of Jerry Vines Ministries, sponsor of the Acts 1:11 Conference.

The theme passage of this conference is Acts 1:9–12: And when He [the Lord Jesus] had spoken these things, while they beheld, He was taken up, and a cloud received him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; who also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven. Then returned they unto Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is from Jerusalem a sabbath day’s journey.¹

Since most people live in life’s valleys, it helps for us to climb a mountain every now and then. An old Baptist friend from the mountains in Georgia said that every great event in the Bible happened on a mountain. He was not far from the truth because many great events in the Bible did take place on mountains. Sometimes if I want to know a little theology I climb rugged old Mount Horeb, and I hear God say, I AM that I AM. If I would like to have a little Christology I climb snow-capped Mount Hermon, and I see the deity and humanity of the Lord embraced in transfigured splendor. Sometimes when I want a little soteriology I climb that mountain of Moriah, and there I see Isaac receive resurrection life on the basis of a substitute lamb. And when I need a little eschatology I climb the Mount of Olives, where the Lord Jesus laid out His blueprint in Matthew 24–25 for His return. According to the Bible, the Lord Jesus will come to this Mount of Olives when He returns to the earth. From this mountain the Lord Jesus ascended back to heaven.

THE MOUNT OF OLIVES

On the Mount of Olives, Jesus spoke words of mystery and then went up to Calvary. Later at the top of that mountain He spoke words of majesty, and He went back to glory. While His disciples were standing there, Jesus ascended, back to heaven. The Bible says a cloud received Him, and the verb that is used there really means to receive under. The cloud came under the Lord Jesus, received Him, and carried Him away. Psalm 104:3 says the clouds are His chariot. Charles Haddon Spurgeon said the cloud was Jesus’ royal chariot back to heaven. So we can imagine the angels of God as they brought the cloud, His chariot from above to bear Him to His throne. They spread their triumphant wings and said the glorious work was done. Right before the eyes of the disciples the Lord Jesus ascended back to heaven.

What a day it must have been when Jesus went back to heaven. When Jesus went walking through glory, blood-stained from dark Calvary, I wonder whether angels bowed down and wept at His knee. What happened on the Mount of Olives as the disciples watched the Lord as He ascended? The Bible says two men came and stood with those disciples as He was ascending. Acts 1 does not say these two men were angels, but we know they were for two reasons. One reason is because of their apparel. Acts 1:10 says they were clothed in white apparel. White seems to have been the garments of the angels. When I was a young preacher, it was customary for preachers in the springtime to get out their white suits. I can remember I had the privilege of hearing the great preacher Robert Lee on many occasions, and he would be there in that white suit. He would preach, and I would get carried away. It was a little-known fact that Dr. Lee liked onion sandwiches. On one occasion after I had gone to hear Dr. Lee preach, I got home and said to my wife, Janet, Make me an onion sandwich. She said, Onion sandwich? You don’t like onion sandwiches. I said, I know I don’t, but if I can’t preach like him, at least I can smell like him. So there was Dr. Lee with that white suit. Where the angels live it is springtime all the time, and so they were clothed in white apparel.

The second reason we know they were angels is because of their announcement. They were what I call the good-news angels. They may have been the same angels who were in the tomb was where the Lord had been. One angel was at the head, and one angel at the foot where the body of Jesus had been, imitating their Old Testament cousins, the seraphim who were on the mercy seat. The true mercy seat had now exited, and they said this Jesus whom the disciples had come to seek was not here because he is risen as he said (Matt 28:6).

THE GOOD NEWS ANNOUNCEMENT

Now we have more good news. This is the good news the angels spoke: This same Jesus who is taken up from you into heaven shall so come in like manner as you have seen Him go into heaven. This is the best news this old weary world has ever heard. Jesus is coming again. It is the one ray of hope in this dark world of ours. It is the divine event toward which all history is moving. On this mountain, on the second-advent mountain, the announcement was made that the Lord will return.

If you believe the Bible, you have to believe in the return of the Lord Jesus Christ. A number of years ago I had the privilege of hearing the great black preacher Manuel Scott preach. I have never forgotten his outline. He preached on the Save-Some Strategy of the Church: I became all things to all men, so that I might by all means save some. His outline was (1) you got to evangelize the gospel; (2) you have to efficasize the gospel; and (3) you have to eschatologize the gospel. Sooner or later you have to get around to by and by when the morning comes.

Think about climbing this second-Advent mountain, this Second-Coming mountain.

A PERSON

First, when you climb the second-advent mountain you find yourself looking at a person. These disciples were looking at Jesus. The verbs in Acts 1:9–11 are rather graphic. The first verb (in v. 9 and v. 11) is blepō, which means to see or look with the eyes. Then the next word is atenizō, which means to rivet one’s eyes on something or someone. It was used in medical terminology to describe an unnatural gaze, an unnatural fixed look. They were looking with their eyes. They were stretching their eyes, watching the Lord Jesus Christ. Then comes the verb theaomai (v. 11). The verb is in the aorist tense, which means that these disciples, having seen His ascension physically with their eyes, now understood with their minds and their hearts the significance of the Lord’s return to heaven.

When we climb the Second-Coming mountain, we are looking at a person. The Christian faith is not a philosophy. The Christian faith is a relationship with a person. Jesus is the foundation of one’s faith. He is the focus of faith. He is the sum and substance of Christian belief.

The angels referred to this same Jesus (v. 11). Also Heb 13:8 refers to the same Jesus: Jesus Christ [is] the same yesterday, and today, and forever. When we are looking at the Lord Jesus Christ, we are looking at one who dominates every dimension of time. He is the Jesus of yesterday. He is the past Jesus. Look at Him as the One around whose cradle all the datelines of the nations are bent. Look at Him, the One who came all the way from heaven’s glory down to earth’s misery. Look at Him in His virgin birth, in His virtuous life, in His vicarious death, in His victorious resurrection, and in His visible return. Look at Him, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Jesus of history. This One who commenced history is the same One who controls history. And He is the same One who will return and will consummate history. So we are looking at the Jesus of yesterday.

The fact that Jesus Christ is the same Jesus today means that He still saves people today. Ernest Easley, pastor of the Roswell Street Baptist Church, called me recently to share something with me. One of his deacons had stated in their deacons meeting that his granddaughter was over at his home for morning devotions. One of the things they do is look at some DVDs. He shared that they were looking at a DVD of one of my messages. After the message was over and they had turned it off, their little granddaughter said, Granddaddy, I want to be saved. She was saved just as he was watching a DVD. Jesus is still saving people today! Jesus is still forgiving people today! Jesus Christ is still taking the guilt of sin away from people today! Jesus Christ is still transforming lives today!

How wonderful that Jesus still saves today! And how wonderful that Jesus still sanctifies today! Sitting all around you are people who have marvelous stories of what Jesus has done in their lives. People may be sitting right here who have served prison terms and Jesus has changed their lives. Others may be sitting here whom Jesus saved from alcoholism and drug addiction. Now they are living well-adjusted and productive lives for the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the Jesus of yesterday. He is the Jesus of today. He still saves today. He still sanctifies today.

Also, Jesus satisfies today. One time He said, Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest (Matt 11:28). That is an astonishing thing. A Galilean carpenter who opens up His arms and says to the whole world, You come to Me and I will satisfy the deepest needs of your life.

From my age of nine until this very night Jesus Christ has completely satisfied me. Jesus Christ has met every need of my life. I am satisfied with Jesus. He has done so much for me. But the question comes to me as I think of Calvary, Is my Master satisfied with me? So we are looking at a person when we talk about the return. We are looking at the past Jesus, the Jesus of history. We are looking at the present Jesus, the Jesus of reality. Also, Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, and today, and forever (Heb 13:8) is the perennial Jesus. He is the Jesus of eternity. The One who is historical is also the one who is personal, and He is the One who is eternal. Isaiah 57:15 says He is the high and lofty One who inhabiteth eternity. And Isa 9:6 states that He is the everlasting Father, that is, the Father of eternity. We are looking at the eternal Lord Jesus Christ when we climb this second-advent mountain.

We are not so much dealing with a doctrine as we are dealing with a person. We are talking about a relationship with a person. I have a DVD titled Rescued. I preached that message several years ago after Scott O’Grady was shot down over Bosnia in 1995. You may remember the story. For six days O’Grady eluded the Serbs. He survived on grass and insects, and then there was that tremendous rescue. When O’Grady was rescued, he was flown back to Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland, and there his family awaited his return. When the plane landed, what do you think his family did? Did they run and kiss the nose of the plane? No. They ran and embraced him. We are not just talking about the return of Christ, we are talking about the Christ of the return. We are talking about a person, a real person who lived, who died; He was raised from the dead, He is alive forevermore, and He is coming back one of these days.

A PROMISE

Second, when we climb the second-advent mountain, we find ourselves listening to a promise. The two angels said to these disciples,