As mentioned in the previous article, Viewpoints on the Millennium, premillennialism is the view that Christ will return before the millennium of Revelation 20, and will rule the earth for that time. The two main schools of thought among premillennialists are as follows: 

Dispensational Premillennialism

This view allows for two literal resurrections from the dead: the followers of God before the millennium, and the rejecters of God after the millennium. This view also includes a secret rapture prior to the tribulation, just before Christ’s Second Coming, and states that the literal Jewish nation will fulfill the millennial kingdom. This doctrine also says that the Jews will be restored in Palestine, the temple will be rebuilt, and the sacrificial system will be reinstated.

Dispensational premillennialism makes many of Jesus’ teachings obsolete to the Church. It makes all the warnings given to the Church about the time of trouble only applicable to the Jews. In fact, the whole of Matthew 24 and Luke 21 would then apply only to the Jews as "the gospel of the kingdom" would refer to the Jews only.

According to this view, only Jews are concerned with the Kingdom. This would mean that even the Lord's Prayer, "Thy kingdom come," only applies to the Jews. This view makes most prophecies in the Bible regarding the coming of Christ and His Kingdom meaningless to the Christian. Scofield, a proponent of the dispensationalist view, allows for no continuity between the Old Testament believer and the New Testament Church. Because Scofield believes that Christ taught under the old dispensation, it would mean that not even Christ's words could be applicable to us. Only the epistles would be relevant to a contemporary Christian.

In contrast to the dispensationalist view, Paul preached the "gospel of the kingdom to the Jews and gentiles" (Acts 20:25; 28:23,31). In reality, both Matthew 24 and Luke 21 fully apply to the Christian Church.

Interestingly, dispensationalists do apply Matthew 24:40-41 to the Church, because they believe there is evidence for the secret rapture in these verses, but they don't apply any of the rest of the chapter. Because of the secret rapture doctrine, Christians expecting a rapture before the tribulation will not be prepared for the time of trouble. This doctrine also includes a false second chance for those who reject Christ's grace.

Dispensationalists believe that after the rapture, the Antichrist will reign. They believe that this will happen during a seven-year period, and that during that time all Jews will come to accept Christ. Paul clearly dispels this thought in his teachings about the day of the Lord’s Coming:

Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come. Let no one deceive you by any means; for that day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition. Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God...

For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming (2 Thessalonians 2:1-4, 7-8 NKJV).

The gathering of the brethren (verse 1) and the destruction of the wicked one (verse 8) will occur simultaneously at the coming of the Lord, not at two different times.  

Historic Premillennialism

This view states that all the redeemed throughout history live on the earth during the millennium. The Church is the collection of all God’s people. The millennial period will be the first thousand years of God's Kingdom on Earth.

Historic premillennialists place the end of probation at the beginning of the millennium. In this way, their view differs from all the other views. However, their concept of an earthly millennium is not consistent with the Scriptures, which say the earth will be destroyed and uninhabited during this period.

Scripture places the millennial judgment scenes in heaven. This is in harmony with Christ's promise to take the redeemed to mansions prepared for them in heaven. God’s people will be gathered by angels and taken away from the earth to meet the Lord in the sky. At the same time, the unrighteous will be slain by the brightness of His coming.

Read more about the Pre-Advent Judgment and other end-time events