The 4 Main Views of the End-Times

From a message preached on the evening of the Lord’s Day, November 9, 2025.
  
     1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show to His servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending His angel to His servant John,
     2 who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw.
     3 Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near.
 
Introduction
 
Several years ago, I was made aware of a survey that had been conducted among evangelical pastors and their churches. The question asked of the pastors was this: “Which book of the Bible do you most dread preaching through?” To their congregations, the question was asked, “Which book of the Bible do you wish your pastor would preach through, but hasn’t?” The answer to both questions was the same book of the Bible: the book of Revelation.
 
This is the last book of the Bible, and it seems for many pastors the last book they want to preach through. That’s unfortunate, because it is the only book of the Bible that begins with this promise: “Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy.”
 
Much of what makes us apprehensive about the book of Revelation is because of all the wild language it uses: Lions and Dragons and Beasts, oh my! The great reformer Martin Luther had such difficulty understanding it that he said it should not be given the same apostolic authority as the gospels—despite the fact that Revelation was written by the apostle John. Luther went as far as saying:
 
“My spirit cannot accommodate itself to this book. For me this is reason enough not to think highly of it: Christ is neither taught nor known in it. But to teach Christ, this is the thing which an apostle is bound above all else to do; as Christ says in Acts 1:8, ‘You shall be my witnesses.’ Therefore, I stick to the books which present Christ to me clearly and purely.”
 
Ulrich Zwingli, the Swiss reformer, did not believe the book of Revelation should have been included in canon. So on the one hand, you have people like Zwingli and Luther who marginalize the book; on the other hand you have people who sensationalize the book, as if this is the most important book of the Bible. One man I used to have in my church in Kansas said that he only read apocalyptic literature: anything anyone printed about the return of Christ. In fact, the only book of the Bible he read with any regularity was the book of Revelation.

That’s not just a wrong approach to Revelation, it’s a wrong approach to the Bible. There are end-times prophecies made in both the Old and New Testaments, and we need the whole Bible in order to rightly understand Revelation. One of the things I believe this study will do for us is demystify this book so that it doesn’t feel so incomprehensible or unknowable, but rather it is full of the beauty of God, with depictions of His holiness, and His promises to us through Christ Jesus. In fact, you may find this to be one of the most Christ-exalting studies through a book of the Bible you have ever done.
 
In these lessons that I plan to do on Sunday evenings, I want to try to keep them short and not bog you down with a whole lot of information or exegesis. No doubt you will have questions, and I want to allow time at the end for you to ask them. For these first two lessons, we’re not going to get into much of the text of Revelation itself, but rather we will lay the groundwork for our study.
 
For this lesson tonight, I will cover what are widely considered to be the four main views of the end-times; then when I speak again on this in two weeks, we’re going to look at the four approaches to the book of Revelation itself. After that, which won’t be until December, we’ll do an overview of the whole book and I will provide an outline.
 
Four Views of Eschatology
 
First of all, the study of the end times is called eschatology. This comes from the Greek words eskhatos meaning “last things,” and logos meaning word or the study of something. The four main views of the end-times are these: dispensationalism, historic or classical premillennialism, amillennialism, and postmillennialism. I’ll go through each of these four and explain what they are and the distinctions of each view.
 
Though these are the four most commonly regarded views of the end-times, we could narrow them further to just two main categories: premillennialism and postmillennialism. The "millennium" in their names comes from Revelation 20:1-10, which speaks of a thousand-year reign of Christ at which time Satan will be bound. At the end of the thousand years, Satan will be released for a short time to deceive the nations once again until he is finally destroyed.
 
Premillennial eschatology views the return or second coming of Jesus Christ to happen at the beginning of that millennial period—then Jesus will set up a thousand year kingdom literally on earth with His throne in Jerusalem. Satan will be bound and tossed into the bottomless pit until near the end of the thousand years when he will be released. Then a final judgment will come on Satan and those whom he deceived, death itself will be destroyed, and then Christ’s kingdom will be eternal and perfect with no more death forever.
 
Postmillennial eschatology views the return or second coming of Jesus Christ to happen at the end of that millennial period. The millennium is not literally one thousand years but the use of a thousand in the book of Revelation is symbolic for a long period of time. Christ is reigning now in heaven, accomplishing His work through His church, and at the end of the millennial reign is when He will return, defeat Satan and death, judge the nations, and establish His perfect eternal kingdom.

Let's consider first the two premillennial views (dispensationalism and historic premillennialism), and then we'll move to the postmillennial views (amillennialism and classical postmillennialism).
 
Dispensationalism
 
Some have criticized dispensationalism as being the youngest view of the end-times, arguing that it was the invention of John Nelson Darby and popularized by C.I. Scofield in the 19th century, but I’m not going to take that position. The history of these views is irrelevant for our purposes tonight.

Dispensational premillennialism teaches a rigid distinction between God’s plans for Israel and the church, with a literal, future thousand-year millennial kingdom after Christ’s return. Here are five distinctions:

1. The Pretribulation Rapture. Before a seven-year period of Great Tribulation, Christ secretly raptures the church like a thief (1 Thes. 4:16-17; 5:9). Believers will meet Him in the air, and the Holy Spirit’s restraining ministry ceases so that the antichrist can be revealed (2 Thes. 2:6-7).
2. The Great Tribulation. There will be a seven-year period of Great Tribulation between the rapture of the church and Christ's Second Coming at the end of that seven years, when Daniel’s 70th week (Dan. 9:27) unfolds on earth. The Antichrist rises desecrating the rebuilt temple and persecuting those saints who become Christians during the Tribulation (this is how Rev 6–19 is interpreted).
3. Two Returns of Christ. Christ returns at the beginning of The Great Tribulation to rapture the church, but this is not what dispensationalists refer to as His Second Coming. After the Great Tribulation, Christ returns publicly with those raptured saints to defeat the Antichrist at Armageddon (Rev. 19:11-21), bind Satan, and establish his kingdom on earth reigning from Jerusalem. National Israel will be restored, fulfilling Davidic and Levitical promises (Ezek. 37; Jer. 33).
4. The Literal Millennial Kingdom. Resurrected church-age saints reign with Christ on the earth; tribulation martyrs and Old Testament saints are raised. Mortal survivors repopulate the earth under perfect government during this thousand year kingdom, but sin and death persists among non-glorified people (there are various beliefs about whether saints die in this perfect kingdom; some dispensational teachers saying they will, some saying they won't).
5. The Final Rebellion and Judgment. Near the end of the thousand years, Satan’s release sparks Gog-Magog revolt (Rev. 20:7-10). The unsaved dead are resurrected, judged at the Great White Throne, and cast into the lake of fire (Rev. 20:11-15). The perfect new heavens and earth follow, in which there will be no more dying.

 
Dispensationalists expect a sudden rapture, unprecedented global judgment, Christ’s literal reign over restored Israel, and eternal state—emphasizing sharp dispensational divisions and strict literal interpretation.
 
There are, of course, several views concerning the rapture. Traditionally, dispensationalists put the rapture of the church at the beginning of the tribulation, called the pre-tribulation rapture view. This is common in apocalyptic fiction, a secret rapture in which suddenly all the Christians vanish leaving a pile of their clothes behind—as seen in the Left Behind series, written by Jerry B. Jenkins or Tim LaHaye, or the famous 1973 thriller entitled A Thief in the Night.
 
While the pre-trib rapture is the most common, a smaller contingent believe in a mid-trib rapture (the church will be raptured three and a half years into the tribulation), and even fewer believe in a post-trib rapture (the church will be raptured at the end of the tribulation). But the latter view is more common to the historical premillennial view than dispensationalism.
 
The most critical position in dispensational eschatology is that Israel is still a distinct people group separate from the church, and in order to truly understand the end-times properly, one must have a right understanding of the nation of Israel. Said John MacArthur, well-known for his dispensational eschatology, “If we get our hermeneutics right, we’ll get the Old Testament promises right. Get the promises right, we’ll get Israel right. Get Israel right, we’ll get eschatology right.”
 
Other famous dispensational thinkers have included Dwight Pentecost, John Walvoord, Chuck Swindol, Charles Ryrie, Charles Stanley, Hal Lindsey, David Jeremiah, John Hagee, and Robert Jeffress. It is the chosen eschatology of theology schools such as The Masters University, Dallas Theological Seminary, and Moody Bible College. While dispensationalism has been the predominant end-times view in America for over a hundred years, it has slowly been waning in popularity.
 
Historical Premillennialism
 
Next is historic premillennialism, which earns its name from the fact that figures in church history such as Justin Martyr, Tertullian, and Hippolytus of Rome anticipated a literal thousand year kingdom on earth after the return of Christ. Like dispensationalism, historic premil teaches that Christ returns personally and visibly before His millennial reign, but there are some key differences that separate it from dispensationalism. Here are five distinctions:

1. The Return of Christ Precedes the Millennium. After a seven year period of Great Tribulation, which includes the rise of Antichrist (2 Thes. 2:3-8; Rev. 13), Christ descends in glory with the saints who have gone to heaven before us (1 Thes. 4:14-17; Rev. 19:11-16). The resurrection of their bodies occurs and then the rapture of believers who are left in this single, public second coming (post-tribulational, not secret).
2. The Millennial Kingdom on Earth. Following His return, Christ establishes a kingdom on earth centered in Jerusalem where He reigns on David's throne. The resurrected saints rule with Him (Rev. 20:4-6) and Satan is bound preventing large-scale deception. Restored national Israel enjoys covenant promises (Rom. 11:26-29; Zech. 14), while Gentile believers co-reign. The era is marked by righteousness, peace, and partial removal of the curse (Is. 11:6-9; 65:20).
3. The Great Rebellion and Final Judgment. At the millennium’s end, Satan is released briefly, deceives the nations (Gog and Magog), and is defeated (Rev. 20:7-10). Then comes the general resurrection of the wicked, final judgment (Rev. 20:11-15), and the eternal state—the new heavens and the new earth (Rev. 21-22).
4. The Continuity With the Church. Though Israel is a distinct people, there is no sharp church/Israel dichotomy; the church inherits Israel’s promises spiritually, yet God retains a future for ethnic Israel.
5. This Realistic yet Hopeful Expectation. Christianity will continue to be a persecuted people. Tribulation precedes glory; the kingdom is inaugurated by Christ’s return, not gradual gospel success.

 
Historic premillennialists thus await a future, earthly sabbath rest under Christ's rule, followed by eternity—expecting both suffering now and vindication soon. Other famous historic premillennials include John Gill and Charles Spurgeon, and more recent teachers include John Piper, Albert Mohler, D.A. Carson, James Hamilton, and Wayne Grudem.
 
Amillennialism
 
Now onto the two postmillennial views, and we begin with amillennialism. This is the dominant view among most reformed protestants, but it is also held by the Roman Catholics and the Eastern Orthodox. The word amillennial implies “no millennium,” but that’s an unfortunate label likely given by its critics. Very little distinction was made between amillennialism and postmillennialism until the beginning of the 1900s.

According to amillennialism, the “millennium” of Revelation 20 is not a future literal thousand year earthly reign but a symbolic depiction of Christ’s current spiritual rule from heaven during the present church age. Here are five distinctions:

1. The Kingdom of God is Now. Jesus said that the kingdom of God was not coming in ways that could be observed but is in the midst of you (Luke 17:22). Christ inaugurated the kingdom at His crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension to heaven, where He presently sits at God's right hand reigning with all authority (Matt. 28:18; Eph. 1:20-22). Believers already sit with Him in the heavenly places (Eph. 2:6) and reign spiritually through gospel proclamation and suffering (Rev. 1:6; 5:10; Rom. 5:17).
2. There Will Not Be a Future Golden Age on Earth. The binding of Satan (Rev. 20:1-3) occurred at Christ’s first coming, restraining him from deceiving the nations as he did before the gospel went throughout the world (Matt. 12:29; Col. 2:15). Satan is “bound” regarding his ability to prevent the spread of the kingdom, yet he is still active in other ways (1 Peter 5:8).
3. The Return of Christ Happens Once. There is no secret rapture or seven-year period of Great Tribulation, but rather Christians have undergone tribulation throughout church history. Christ has only one Second Coming, immediately after a final intense period of apostasy and rebellion, the deception of Satan talked about at the end of Revelation 20. Some do believe there will be a final antichrist (2 Thes. 2:3-8), though it is largely understood that this is the last hour when many antichrists have already come (1 John 2:18).
4. The Resurrection and Judgment Happen at the Same Time. At Christ’s return, both the righteous and wicked are raised bodily at the same time (John 5:28-29), followed instantly by the final judgment and the eternal state—the new heavens and the new earth (Rev. 21-22).
5. Those Who Are in Christ are True Israel. Isaiah prophesied that Jesus Christ is true Israel (Isaiah 49:3). Promises to Israel find fulfillment in the church, the true Israel of God (Rom. 9:6-8; Gal. 6:16), being grafted into Christ (Rom. 11:11-24). Many hold that ethnic Jews will experience large-scale conversion before the end (Rom. 11:25-26).

 
Amillennialists thus emphasize the tension in the "already and not yet": the kingdom has been inaugurated and is here but awaits the final consummation, calling believers to persevere in hope amid suffering until Christ returns to make all things new. Famous amillennials in church history include Augustine and John Calvin, and in more recent times the late Louis Berkhof, J.I. Packer, D. James Kennedy, and Voddie Baucham, and also G.K. Beale, Mark Dever, Sam Waldron, and Alistair Begg.
 
Postmillennialism
 
Postmillennialism was popular among many of the puritans, including Jonathan Edwards and many 19th-century evangelicals, teaching that the “millennium” of Revelation 20 is a future golden age on earth in which the gospel progressively transforms societies, cultures, and nations before Christ returns. Here are five key distinctions:

1. The Gradual Triumph of the Gospel. Through preaching, revival, and the Spirit’s work, Christianity increasingly subdues evil, leading most of the world to embrace Christ (Matt. 13:31-33; Is. 2:2-4; 11:9). The Great Commission will largely succeed and the majority of the world if not the whole world will be Christianized (Matt. 28:19-20).
2. The Millennium is Future but not Literal. Some believe that we're in that millennial kingdom now, but most others believe it is something more perfect and future, a long period of righteousness, peace, and prosperity on earth—initiated by the church’s success, not by Christ’s personal presence. Satan is “bound” (Rev. 20:2-3) in the sense that his influence is curtailed as nations are discipled.
3. Through the Church, Christ Reigns on Earth. Christ reigns in heaven now, and His rule on earth progresses through the success of the church. Verses used to justify this include Psalm 110:1, which says, “The Lord says to my Lord: ‘Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool;" and 1 Corinthians 15:25, which says, “He must reign until He has put all enemies under His feet.” The kingdom advances by the ordinary means of prayer, preaching, worship, holiness, education, law, and culture-building.
4. The Return of Christ is After the Millennium. Christ's second coming is a single, public event (1 Thes. 4:16-17) that ends this era of history, resurrects all people simultaneously, judges the world, and ushers in the eternal state (Rev. 21-22). There is no seven-year period of Great Tribulation and therefore no pre-trib rapture.
5. The Most Optimistic View for Earthly Success. Wars, poverty, and injustice diminish; longevity, health, and gospel prosperity increase. Israel’s restoration (Rom. 11:26) occurs through conversion to Christ and incorporation into the church.

 
Postmillennialists thus labor with confident hope, expecting Christ’s kingdom to visibly dominate earth before He returns to consummate what the church, by grace, has largely achieved. Some famous postmils include John Owen, B.B. Warfield, Greg Bahnsen, and R.J. Rushdooney, and more recently Doug Wilson, James White, Jeff Durbin, Keith Matthison, and R.C. Sproul. The late Sproul's ministry Ligonier is largely postmillennial (though they are accepting of all four of these views of eschatology). Most Presbyterian schools and seminaries tend to be postmillennial.
 
Amils would agree with their postmil brethren that the world will improve and get progressively better as the gospel advances, and we’ll even see cultures and nations become Christianized. However, amillennialism also sees evil increasing along with the good that increases. As Revelation 22:10-11 says, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near. Let the evildoer still do evil, and the filthy still be filthy, and the righteous still do right, and the holy still be holy.”
 
When Jesus said that broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many will find it because that’s the easy path, and narrow is the way that leads to life and few will find it—there won’t ever be a time where that won’t be true.

In Conclusion

As of this teaching, the elders of Providence Reformed Baptist Church are all amillennial in their eschatology. But that does not mean one must hold to our view of the end-times in order to become a member. We would not consider any of these four main views to be heretical or would prohibit someone from joining our church—though those who are dispensational may have the covenantal theology in our statement of faith.

If you believe that Christ will return to judge the living and the dead, and that return has not yet come, and we will dwell with Him forever in glorified bodies, you believe the main elements of end-times theology that we hold to. Those who are in Christ Jesus, who in their lives put their faith and trust in Him, they will live forever with Him in His eternal heaven. But those who did not believe will perish in eternal hell.

As summarized on our website: "God has appointed a day wherein He will judge the world in righteousness by Jesus Christ. All persons that have lived upon the earth shall appear before Him, to give an account of their thoughts, words, and deeds, and receive according to what they have done in the body, whether good or evil."