97) Pre-Millenial or A-Millenial: Interview with Dr. Dustin Smith, Part 1

Dr. Dustin Smith is currently Professor of Theological Studies at Reformed University near Atlanta, Georgia. Among other writings, he is co-author of the book The Son of God: Three Views on the Identity of Jesus" and he is the host of the Biblical Unitarian Podcast.

 

In this first of a series of three One God Report podcast episodes, Dr. Smith describes some differences between pre-millennialism and a-millennialism. Eventually we are leading up to the question: is the 1000 years in Revelation 20 to be understood as a literal 1000 years, or does the 1000 years symbolically represent something else?
Dr. Smith makes these points in the current episode:

 

Both pre-millennial and a-millennial views see two levels, or two tiers, two time-periods to the kingdom of God.

 

For pre-millennialism the two tiers are:

1) after the physical return of Jesus, a literal 1000-year rule of Christ on earth, and then

2) the eternal kingdom which begins after the 1000 years.

 

For amillennialism:

1) the kingdom of God and of His Christ has already been inaugurated with the coming of Jesus and his ascension to heaven at the right hand of God. And

2) the eternal kingdom is consummated when Jesus physically returns to earth. The amillennialism that Dr. Smith describes believes that Jesus will physically rule over a kingdom on earth, just not for an intermediate 1000-year period. Rather, Jesus’s return is the transition to his to an eternal rule on earth.

 

In this podcast Dr. Smith begins to explain some problems with the pre-millennial view.

 

1) Pre-millennialism maintains that even after Jesus returns and raises the dead, some non-believers, that is, mortals, will enter the millennial kingdom. But biblically, there are considerable problems not only with mortals entering the kingdom of God, but with people continuing to die after the resurrection which accompanies the second coming of Christ (Matt 25:46; 1 Cor 15:23-26, 54-55; 2 Tim 1:10; Rev 21:4).

 

2) Pre-millennialism maintains that the resurrection of the just precedes by 1000 years the resurrection of the unjust, that is, the righteous are resurrected when Jesus returns, but the unrighteous 1000 years later. But in the Bible the resurrection of the just and the unjust always occurs at the same time, (e.g., Dan 12:2; Matt 12:41-42; John 5:28-29; Acts 24:15; Rev 11:15-18). Specifically, the resurrection of all the dead occurs at the return of Jesus (1 Thes. 4:13-17).

Biblical Unitarian Podcast, Host Dr. Dustin Smith

https://biblicalunitarianpodcast.podbean.com/

 

The Son of God: Three Views on the Identity of Jesus
https://www.amazon.com/Son-God-Three-Views-Identity-ebook/dp/B07FYTZFZK

 

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