Millennialism and Dispensationalism:
A Brief Perspective
That many Christians have a keen interest in eschatology - the study of the last times - should come as no surprise. A fascination with the future is common. Christians with a strong attraction to the study of the end times have a related interest in the Biblical prophesy that is interpreted to concern the last days.
A number of these Christians subscribe to Millennialism, basing their views on a literal interpretation of selected Old and New Testament passages. Millennialists believe that there will be a 1000-year period in which the world will be converted to Christ – a golden age. Millennialism was a position held by some Christians already in the second century after Christ. However, by the fifth century Augustine taught that Scripture passages on which millennialists based their views, such as Revelations 20, should be understood figuratively rather than literally.
Dispensationalism, which includes a millennialist position, is a movement that began in England in the 1830’s by John Nelson Darby. Darby introduced a new method of interpreting the Bible. With this method, the Scriptures are divided into seven separate covenants or dispensations. A number of central beliefs follow from this view of the Scriptures. One of these beliefs is that there is not a single plan of salvation or one Covenant of Grace for all mankind (a denial of a core tenet of Reformed/Presbyterian doctrine). The Jewish people and Christians come to God by separate paths and receive different blessings in this life and in the life to come. Dispensationalism predicted the establishment of a Jewish state in the Holy Land (Palestine) and further believes that God will specially bless the Jews. In addition, dispensationalists believe that Christ will return and set up an earthly kingdom in Palestine and reign there a thousand years, a belief that seems not to agree with Christ’s own teachings. (See, for example, John 18:36.)
In contrast to the dispensational belief of seven covenants, the Reformed/Presbyterian position is that there are two dispensations or covenants. The “Old Covenant” applied particularly to the people of Israel as revealed in the Old Testament. Under this covenant were certain laws, practices, and rituals. The “New Covenant” was ushered in with the coming of Christ and is universally inclusive. The New Testament is clear, according to Reformed/Presbyterian teaching, that membership in the New Covenant flows from God’s grace through faith and has roots going back to Abraham, “the father of the faithful.” Reformed/Presbyterian theology teaches the unity of all God’s people because it takes seriously Paul’s words that in Christ there is “neither Jew nor Greek, …, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” (Galatians 3: 28, 29. See also Ephesians 2: 11-22.)
Dispensationalism spread from England to America after the Civil War and swept through fundamentalist churches and groups. From that time until the present, Dispensationalism has not been adopted by the mainline protestant churches or by the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches. This is not to say that some members, even leaders, in the mainline churches were not and are not today adherents of millennial and dispensational theology. For example, Robert Speer, Secretary of the Presbyterian Board of Foreign Missions from 1891 to 1937, was a dispensationalist. There were other Presbyterian ministers and leaders with like views. This caused concern at the denominational level so that at least twice eschatology was officially addressed. Dispensational positions were contrasted with the Presbyterian Confession of Faith (See 1944 and 1978 General Assembly Minutes.)
A number of publications significantly influenced Christians to accept dispensational views. Three will be considered here. Early in the last century, The Scofield Reference Bible was written expressly to help readers understand the Scriptures from a dispensational point of view. This reference book was a very popular source for Bible study throughout the 20th Century.
Two recent publishing phenomena gave tremendous boosts to the dispensational position among American Christians including fundamentalists, evangelicals, and members of mainline Protestant Churches. The first was the publication in 1970 of The Late Great Planet Earth by Hal Lindsey. The second is the “Left Behind” series of fiction by Tim Le Hay. These two promote the dispensational understanding of Biblical prophecy regarding eschatology and both have sold millions of copies. Lindsay, in The Late Great Planet Earth, interprets passages that address the Second Coming of Christ, Gog and Magog, Armageddon, the Rapture, the Antichrist, and others. He ties specific present-day countries and events to Scriptural texts. The “Left Behind” series begins with the Rapture. The “secular media” has taken note of the publications of Lindsey and Le Hay. That there are many Christian lay people and theologians who do not accept the dispensational interpretation of the Bible often seems to go unnoticed.
Millennialism and dispensationalism have significant implications for current views on world politics. Christian Zionism is a movement among American dispensationalists that unquestioningly supports the State of Israel and has influenced what has been called the United States’ lopsided support of Israel. The Christian Zionists believe that the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948 was a direct fulfillment of Biblical prophecy. They fully supported the War of 1967 and believe that Israel has a right to all the land of Palestine. The injustices to Palestinians, including Christian Palestinians, whose homes and lands were taken, often without compensation, are ignored. People who lived on land that had been in their families for hundreds of years were displaced – no problem for Christian Zionists because the Jewish Zionists were claiming what had been given to them thousands of years ago. (Very recently, some dispensationalists have expressed concern that Palestinians may have been treated unjustly.)
Another implication of Dispensationalism for current world affairs is that some of those holding this view have little or no desire for peace in the Middle East. The reasoning goes as follows: if the wars of Armageddon must occur before the millennial reign of Christ in Jerusalem, then praying for peace in the Middle East is counterproductive.
Millennial and dispensational beliefs are held by many (probably most) American Protestant Christians. Millennialism and Dispensationalism are not positions of Reformed and Presbyterian Churches and their confessions.
Anthone (Andy) Kort
September, 2007
Johnson Frykholm, Amy. Rapture Culture: Left Behind in Evangelical America. New York: Oxford University Press, 2004
Kuyvenhoven, Andrew. The Day of Christ’s Return: What the Bible Teaches, What You Need to Know. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Faith Alive Christian Resources, 1999
Weber, Timothy P. On the Road to Armageddon: How Evangelicals Become Israel’s Best Friend. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2004 Article
Eschatology – Appendix – Report on Dispensationalism (1944 GA). http://www.pcusa.org/today/archive/believe/wpb9901h.htm.
What Presbyterian Believe: Jan/Feb 1999 – Eschatology (1978 GA). http://222.pcusa.org/today/archive/believe/wpb9901b.htm.