Broadly speaking, there are three general systems which profess to set forth the teaching of Scripture regarding the Second Coming of Christ and the future of God’s kingdom: postmillennialism, amillennialism, and premillennialism. Each holds that Scripture is the word of God and is authoritative. Each holds to the same concept of the death of Christ as the sacrifice to satisfy divine justice and the only ground for salvation. Each holds that there will be a future, visible, personal coming of Christ. Each affirms the resurrection of the body, the judgment seat of Christ, rewards for righteousness, and punishment for the wicked. The differences arise because of distinctive methods of interpretation of Scripture employed by each method.
This study on the millennium defines each system of belief as clearly as possible by exploring the writings of representative theologians, the principles of interpretation. Boettner also explains the various conceptions of the anti-Christ, the Great Tribulation, and the rapture. He also explains the history and beliefs of dispensationalism.
- Title: The Millennium
- Author: Loraine Boettner
- Publisher: P&R
- Publication Date: 1957
- Pages: 415
About Loraine Boettner
Loraine Boettner was born in 1901 in Linden, Missouri. He studied agriculture at the University of Missouri, but graduated with a B.S. after transferring to Tarkio Presbyterian College. In 1925, Boettner began his studies at Princeton, where he was influenced by the writings of Charles Hodge. He graduated from Princeton Theological Seminary with a Th.B. in 1928 and a Th.M. in 1929. He later received an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree in 1933 and a Doctor of Literature degree in 1957. From 1935 to 1939, Boettner also worked at Christianity Today, and worked at the Library of Congress and for the Internal Revenue Service. He continued to write and publish theological works—his most popular The Reformed Doctrine of Predestination, based on his Th.M. thesis, and Roman Catholicism. He died on January 3, 1990.