Perhaps another way to understand the various millennial views is by looking at how they agree on certain points and disagree on others. I ‘ll just use the prefixes to designate the views.
Post- and a- agree that the thousand years is not to be taken as signifying 1,000 years of 365 days. Like most of the numbers in Revelation, the millennium is not taken as a literal number but as a symbol.
Post- and a- agree that Revelation is not to be read as a chronological account of future events.
Post- and a- agree that Jesus’s rule is spiritual not earthly and that the promises made for Israel are fulfilled in the church.
Post- and a- generally agree that the millennium began in the first century and we are living in it today. Some post- believe that the millennium will only begin in the future when the world is Christian.
Post- and a- agree that there will be no future seven-year tribulation. Tribulation occurs whenever the church is persecuted.
Post- and a- agree that the rapture occurs at the same time as Jesus’s return to earth.
Post- and a- agree that Satan is currently bound and Christians are currently reigning over the earth with Christ.
Post- and a- agree that Jesus is now reigning, but a- believes that Jesus is reigning in heaven while post- believes that Jesus is reigning on earth through the gospel.
Pre- and post- agree that the millennium is a time of great earthly blessing.
Pre- and (some) post- agree that the millennium is a time of glory after the tribulation and not mixed with tribulations.
Pre-, post-, and a- agree that trials are occurring on the earth today, but they differ on whether these are what are predicted as the tribulation.
Thanks for sharing these 2 recent posts with us Todd! It’s especially great to hear you receiving applause from a large audience!