Both amillennialism and premillennialism are eschatological systems of interpreting prophetic and apocalyptic thought. The prediction of near and far-term future events is expressed in written or verbal form to describe forthcoming fulfillment. All the way back to the Edenic garden to the Apostle John’s revelation on the island of Patmos, the biblical reader finds prophecy throughout Scripture. Whether concerning the messianic promise, impending judgment, or eschatological prophecies, many future events were declared with many now fulfilled. As time continues to move forward, all of Creation draws closer to complete fulfillment while reaching toward end-time events.
Centered around Revelation 20:1-6, attempts are made to describe when and where Christ will reign. People who hold to amillennialist views believe that there is no reign of Christ on the Earth after His second coming. Instead, the amillennialist view believes His reign is in Heaven with believers as they pass away and go to be with Him. To the amillennialist, the kingdom reign written about in Revelation 20:1-6 is symbolic and not literal. Whereas this reign written about is in the kingdom of Heaven, and not a kingdom on the Earth as premillennial interpreters believe. The second coming of Christ to Earth is after this period in Heaven. Premillennialists hold to the view that the second coming of Christ occurs before a 1000-year (millennial) reign on Earth.
So, the two systems’ differences appear to rest on where Christ will reign and when. He either reigns in Heaven for 1000 years symbolically or on Earth literally, and the second coming of Christ occurs either after His reign in Heaven or before His reign on Earth. The former is the amillennialist interpretation, and the latter is the premillennialist view. Both systems are categories of how people recognize and conclude what is to occur in the future, as interpreted from Revelation 20:1-6.
Further within the premillennial view of prophecy, there is classic dispensational premillennialism, progressive dispensational millennialism, and historical premillennialism. Each of these bears out distinctions from the other and the entirely separate millennial systems of thought. Dispensational premillennialists believe that the rapture written about in 1 Thessalonians 4:17 will occur before a 7-year great tribulation as prophesied as the 70th week in the book of Daniel. Once the tribulation is concluded, the second coming of Christ occurs, and He begins His millennial reign with His church. In contrast to dispensational premillennialists, historical premillennialists hold that the rapture occurs after the 7-year tribulation (also known as the post-tribulation view).
Both systems recognize the 1000-year reign, whereas one views the period as symbolic and the other literal. So to reiterate, Amillennialists view the 1000-year reign symbolically in Heaven and Premillennialists view the 1000-year reign literally on Earth. Amillennialists view the return of Jesus to Earth after this period in Heaven. Premillennialists of all types view the return of Jesus before His 1000-year reign on Earth.
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