Journal: Central Bible Quarterly
Volume: CENQ 01:1 (Mar 1958)
Article: Is Premillennialism A Modern Doctrine?
Author: T. C. Horton

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CenQ 1:1 (March 1958) p. 21

Is Premillennialism A Modern Doctrine?

T. C. Horton

The object of this article is to prove that Premillennial teaching is not a modern concoction as some have been charging, but has ever been the hope of the Church of God from the days of the apostles. From earliest times the great students of the New Testament have understood that this dispensation like all those preceding it, would end in failure as far as man is concerned and that the blessed and only hope for this sin-cursed world is the personal return of the Lord Jesus to establish His kingdom.

There are those who constantly seek to belittle this position, claiming that those who hold this view are composed of insignificant preachers and teachers of rather recent years; that this doctrine is dangerous and that its effect is to paralyze evangelistic and missionary effort. (Dr. Horton lists scores of the greatest ministers, commentators and missionaries who have held the premillennial positions).

There is no doctrine in Scripture so well calculated to induce a surrender of life and means to the Lord’s cause and to immediate and strenuous effort to fulfill His command to give the Gospel to a lost world. We can challenge these brethren who charge that this teaching cuts the nerve of Christian endeavor, to produce a like list of names of missionaries and evangelists. The teaching that the world is gradually getting better every day through human efforts carries no such inspiration to service. (See Titus 2:11–15).

The word “millennium” is derived from the Latin word “mille” meaning a thousand, and “annus,” a year, and, in a Scriptural sense is used with reference to the thousand years of Christ’s reign on earth (Rev. 20:4–6). Today we have the A-millennialists who consider this figurative and do away entirely with millennial teaching.

The Cambridge Bible says with reference to Rev. 20:4, “This passage is quite sufficient foundation for the doctrine even if it stood alone, and there are many other prophecies which if not teaching it plainly, may fairly be understood to refer to it.” (the thousand year reign of Christ.)

The Greek equivalent to the word is “chilaid” and the early Christians were known as “Chiliasts,” the doctrine then being, as Harnack says, to all appearances “inseparably associated with the Gospel itself.”

A PRE-millennialist then, is one who believes the teaching of Scriptures to be that the world will not be converted in this present age, but that God is taking out from the world a “people for his name.”...

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