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appears in the person of Antichrist. After he has completed his destructive work and has boldly
seated himself in the temple of God, Christ will appear in heavenly glory and triumph over all
His enemies. This will be accompanied by the physical resurrection of the saints and the
establishment of the Kingdom of God on earth. The period of millennial bliss, lasting a thousand
years, will correspond to the seventh day of creation, — the day of rest. Jerusalem will be
rebuilt; the earth will yield its fruit in rich abundance; and peace and righteousness will prevail.
At the end of the thousand years the final judgment will ensue, and a new creation will appear,
in which the redeemed will live forever in the presence of God. In general outline this
representation is typical of the eschatological views of the early Christian centuries, however
these may differ in some details. During all the following centuries and into the nineteenth
century, millennial thought remained essentially the same, though there were strange
aberrations in some of the sects. Continued study, however, led to further development and to
greater clarity in the presentation of some of its particulars. The main features of the common
view may be stated somewhat as follows: The coming advent of Christ to the world is near, and
will be visible, personal, and glorious. It will be preceded, however, by certain events, such as
the evangelization of all nations, the conversion of Israel, the great apostasy and the great
tribulation, and the revelation of the man of sin. Dark and trying times are therefore still in
store for the Church, since she will have to pass through the great tribulation. The second
coming will be a great, single, outstanding, and glorious event, but will be accompanied by
several others bearing on the Church, on Israel, and on the world. The dead saints will be raised
and the living transfigured, and together they will be translated to meet the coming Lord.
Antichrist and his wicked allies will be slain; and Israel, the ancient people of God will repent, be
saved, and restored to the Holy Land. Then the Kingdom of God, predicted by the prophets, will
be established in a transformed world. The Gentiles will turn to God in great abundance and be
incorporated in the Kingdom. A condition of peace and righteousness will prevail in all the
earth. After the expiration of the earthly rule of Christ the rest of the dead will be raised up;
and this resurrection will be followed by the last judgment and the creation of a new heaven
and a new earth. Generally speaking, it may be said that this is the type of Premillennialism
advocated by such men as Mede, Bengel, Auberlen, Christlieb, Ebrard, Godet, Hofmann, Lange,
Stier, Van Oosterzee, Van Andel, Alford, Andrews, Ellicott, Guinness, Kellogg, Zahn, Moorehead,
Newton, Trench, and others. It goes without saying that these men differed in some details.
2. THE PREMILLENNIALISM OF THE PRESENT.
In the second quarter of the nineteenth century a
new form of Premillennialism was introduced under the influence of Darby, Kelly, Trotter, and
their followers in England and America, a Premillennialism wedded to Dispensationalism. The
new views were popularized in our country especially through the Scofield Bible, and are widely
disseminated through the works of such men as Bullinger, F. W. Grant, Blackstone, Gray, Silver,
Haldeman, the two Gaebeleins, Brookes, Riley, Rogers, and a host of others. They really present