What Is Hopeful Eschatology?

And Why I Don't Like Straw Men and Pigeon Holes

This post is inspired by two conversations: one with a premillennial believer and the other with an amillennial believer. And I admit that I’m a bit stirred up over the topic. Yet, I see now that God has brought this about to help me express my thoughts to my readers.

As a reminder, Flat Out Hope discusses “the Flat Earth from the perspective of Reformed Theology and Hopeful Eschatology.”

So maybe it’s time to flesh out what my flavor of Hopeful Eschatology looks like.

A Tale of Two Believers

Recently, a FOH reader questioned my stance on theology and eschatology. I told him I was happy to share, but was not interested in arguing about it (something I have found unfruitful when discussing any topic).  He was gracious and agreed that he was only seeking understanding. Plus, he shared where he stood on these matters. It turns out we had very much in common and a few differences. One difference was that he held to premillennialism, and I did not.

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I shared how I came to leave premillennialism and embrace what I call “Hopeful Eschatology.” The first step in my journey began with the book, “The Puritan Hope” by Iain Murray. The reader was grateful for the information and purchased a copy.

I thought it might be a good idea to revisit the book since it had been over ten years since learning about it. Plus, I needed an excuse to unpack our books. Since we had recently moved and then my mom passed away, I had put off the daunting task for too long. So, I started unpacking and shelving my books. It felt like Christmas!

I also found my copy of The Puritan Hope and began reading it anew.

What a blessing! It contained the rich history of the Puritans and the gospel successes that came about by trusting and proclaiming God's promises. One passage moved me so strongly, that I shared it on Facebook. Here’s what that looked like: 

Enter friend number two, the FB amillennialist.

When he commented on my post, I knew I should not respond. None of our past conversations have been fruitful. He has made false statements about those holding to Hopeful Eschatology, stirred up strife in conversations, and refused to accept my testimony about my beliefs, creating straw men arguments in their wake. So, when he commented on this post (even though I have since vowed to no longer engage people like that) — I foolishly responded, which yet again led to nothing good. Ultimately, he called me willfully ignorant. His exact words were, “unaware and unwilling.” 

Unaware and unwilling of what? My own beliefs? That’s all I could conclude. But rather than continue in a fruitless conversation, I blocked him. It’s not what I desire to do with “friends” — yet repeatedly straw-manning an argument and jumping on my posts to show me how wrong I am about what I supposedly believe is something I don’t have to deal with on my page. His words didn’t encourage or edify or act as iron sharpening iron. They were like thrusts of swords and without wisdom. His rhetoric did not comport with James 3:17 — and Proverbs 14:7 tells me to avoid these types.

Straw Men and Pigeon Holes

For this reason, I prefer not to use labels when discussing Hopeful Eschatology. While labels can be useful, they don’t always accomplish their purpose, largely because people have preconceived ideas about what the label means. Often, if not ALWAYS, these preconceived ideas are not based on truth but strawmen. The tendency is for others to pigeonhole another into their understanding of the term rather than hearing the person out and accepting their testimony on the topic. In no way does this mean the position agrees with Scripture. The position could be false. Yet, a good communicator will accept the person’s testimony about their belief rather than rely on a preconceived idea about what a label insinuates. I have been guilty of this and must be careful not to fall into that error.

Here are some common straw man arguments against the biblical Flat Earth:

1. You believe in Flat Earth, so you MUST believe in the “Universal Acceleration (UA) … that the Earth and the observable universe are accelerating 'upward' at a constant rate of 9.8m/s^2.” ¹ Answer: No. That comes from the shill organization the Flat Earth Society, which has nothing to do with Biblical Cosmology.

2. Your belief in Flat Earth is stupid because you think Planet Earth is a flat disk flying through space when all the other planets appear as orbs. Answer: No. We believe the earth is the center of the universe inside a solid firmament dome. The sun, moon, and stars exist within the firmament and circle the earth just as the Bible teaches. The planets are not terra firma — but lights, just as the Bible says.

3. You believe the earth is flat, so you must think we can fall off the edge. Answer: No. Land or ice surrounds and holds in the waters. Beyond, there is a solid firmament dome protecting everything. No one is going to fall off God’s Flat Earth. 

If someone presented the straw man arguments above and refused to accept my position, it would be futile to continue in that discussion. That person does not have ears to hear nor a heart to understand.It doesn’t mean they have to believe what I believe, but they should accept that I see things differently than how they presented the information. And let that be okay. As soon as they start telling ME I’m ignorant and don’t know what a Flat Earther believes, it is time to bail that conversation.

And that’s what has happened repeatedly with my amil friend. He insists that I cannot believe what I believe because it doesn’t fit his understanding of what he thinks I should believe — based on his straw man understanding.

At first, I was frustrated over the dialogue. But after prayer [which included asking God to grant this person repentance or remove him as a spokesman in the Reformed community], I saw the good that God had in mind for the exchange. It was an opportunity to declare what I believe about Hopeful Eschatology.

Please note: I’m not telling you what to believe. If you don’t see things the same way as me, that’s okay — we can still be friends. If you are a new creation in Christ, you are a brother or sister. We will spend eternity together.

And I’m going to try not to pigeonhole anyone. No doubt some proponents of Hopeful Eschatology might diverge on some points. That’s okay. We are in a dialogue, trusting the Holy Spirit to bring unity and peace among the brethren, even unity of doctrine.

What Hopeful Eschatology Means to Me

When I talk about Hopeful Eschatology, this is what I mean: A church that proclaims the Lordship of Christ over all creation,² tears down idols by preaching the gospel,³ teaches the nations to obey God’s Law,⁴ warns people of the coming judgments if they don’t repent,⁵ and believes that God will prosper His church among all nations,⁶ even to the ends of the earth,⁷ when they are faithful to do His will. ⁸

I would be content there, but I will break it down using those tricky labels.

1. I consider myself postmillennial — and I will tell you what I mean by that so you don’t have to guess, put words in my mouth (as some have done), or create a straw man based on the label (which I have done to others in the past). I questioned if I should even share this label here. I hope you will set aside any preconceived notions about Postmillennialism and hear me out. Or reach out with genuine questions.

2. Postmillennialism in its purest form means that I believe Christ will Return AFTER the millennium. This is contra to a premillennial, who sees Christ’s Return before the millennium, and the amillennial, who sees no millennium. ⁹

3. The nature of the millennium: Among the postmil camp, there are at least two views of the millennium. Kenneth L Gentry, Jr., in his definitive book, He Shall Have Dominion: A Postmillennial Eschatology agrees. ¹⁰
   
   1) Some believe there will be a literal, future 1000 years of gospel prosperity on earth.
   
   2) Others believe the millennium is not a literal 1000 years, but is confined to the time of the First Advent of Christ to the Second Advent of Christ. ¹¹

   
   Based on my understanding of the word “thousand” in the Bible, I lean toward position #2 above. Here are two lines of evidence for that position: 
   
   1) Psalm 50:10: He owns the cattle on a thousand hills! What of hill number 1001? Does He not own that too? Thousand, in this case, can be used to mean “all the hills.” This comports with other verses that speak of Christ’s ruling forever and ever. And the Scripture is abundantly clear that Christ is ruling NOW from Heaven. Learn more about that here.
   
   2) Deuteronomy 7:9: God promises covenant faithfulness to a thousand generations of those who love Him and keep His commandments. Does His covenant faithfulness end at the generation that makes it to 1001 years? Of course not.
   
   Yet, I must leave room for a literal 1000 years (or an extended period) of prosperity on earth. I’m certainly not against it. However, I still hold the position that the millennium is the fullness of days from the First Advent of Christ to the Second Advent. ¹² This according to Gentry, is the mainstream position for those in the postmillennial camp. ¹³

4. A succinct definition of Postmillennialism by Gentry: “Postmillennialism holds that the Lord Jesus Christ establishes his kingdom on earth through his preaching and redemptive work in the first century and that he equips his Church with the gospel, empowers her by the Spirit, and charges her with the Great Commission to disciple all nations. Postmillennialism expects that eventually the vast majority of men living will be saved. Increasing gospel success will gradually produce a time in history prior to Christ’s return in which faith, righteousness, peace, and prosperity will prevail in the affairs of men and nations. After an extensive era of such conditions the Lord will return visibly, bodily, and gloriously, to end history with the general resurrection and the final judgment after which the eternal order follows.” ¹⁴
   
   I think it is a solid definition, though I might make a few changes in wording here or there.
   

5. I believe the gospel of Jesus Christ when faithfully proclaimed, will accomplish the mission for which it has been promised from eternity past — and nearly all of it will happen before the Second Advent of Christ. This is the decided demarcation between amil and postmil (and premil). While there are a few in the amil camp who hold to the potential of a future time of gospel prosperity, the majority that I have encountered do not. On what do I base my belief of the future hope for the church? Unfulfilled prophecies in the Scriptures. Sadly, a huge deception, bigger than Flat Earth, has crept into the church to make us look for the fulfillment of these Messianic promises after the Second Advent. I believe Scripture promised them, Christ paid for them, and God delivered them starting with the First Advent of Christ. Learn about the deception here.
   
   Below are a dozen unfulfilled prophecies tied to the First Advent of Christ.
   
   1) Future Hope for Israel: Romans 11 promises a future hope for the nation of Israel after the fullness of the Gentiles has come in, ushering in a greater blessing to the church than previously experienced. “Now if their fall is riches for the world, and their failure riches for the Gentiles, how much more their fullness!” (Hebrews 11:12). ¹⁵ Learn more about this view in “The Puritan Hope” by Iain Murray.
   2) Wars Will Cease: Psalm 46:9; Isaiah 2:4
   3) Nations Will Beat Their Swords to Plowshares: Isaiah 2:4
   4) There Will Be an Increase of Justice and Peace from His Advent Forward: Isaiah 9:6-7
   5) Christ Must Subdue All His Enemies Before He Returns: Psalm 110:1; I Corinthians 15:20-28. The last enemy to be destroyed will be death itself. That will happen at the resurrection.
   6) The Glory of the Lord Will Fill the Earth: Numbers 14:21; Isaiah 11:9; Habakkuk 2:14; Malachi 1:11
   7) All the Ends of the Earth Will Be Converted or Fear Him: Psalm 2:8; 66:7; 72:8
   8) Even the Bells will Be Called Holy: Zechariah 14:20
   9) No One Will Have to Teach His Neighbor Because They Will All Know the Lord: Jeremiah 31:34; Hebrews 8:11
   10) All the Nations of the Earth Will Worship Him and Be Blessed: Genesis 22:18, 26:4; Isaiah 66:23; Jeremiah 31:34; Psalm 37:9-10; Galatians 3:16, 29.
   11) Not A Trace of Paganism Will Be Found: Daniel 2:35: Psalm 1:4; 37:28
   12) The Meek Shall Inherit the Earth: Psalm 37:11; Psalm 37:22; Psalm 37:29
   
   While all these things began at Christ’s First Advent and will increase until the end [with ebbs and flows and persecutions], according to Scripture, all the loose ends will be tied up at the Second Advent of Christ. According to Scripture, this can’t happen until all Christ’s enemies (save death) are a footstool for His feet. “Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power. For He must reign [He is reigning now in Heaven] till He has put all enemies under His feet. The last enemy that will be destroyed is death” (1 Corinthians 15:24-26).
   
   Learn more about this critical doctrine:

   
   
   

6. God’s zeal for His name, His glory, and His Bride will accomplish these promises through the faithful preaching of His word in Spirit and Truth.  There is no question that these promises seem IMPOSSIBLE in the present day. Yet, we serve the God of the IMPOSSIBLE. It is His zeal that will accomplish all these things. See Isaiah 9:6-7; 42:4. Yet, He will use faithful ministers to bring it to pass, as recorded in the book, “The Puritan Hope” by Iain Murray. When God’s people start trusting in His promises once again, He will pour out His Spirit on mankind yet again. The missing ingredient today is FAITH. Our generation can be likened to the 10 faithless men who spied out the promised land. The giants were too big for them. I am praying for God to raise up Joshuas and Calebs who see the enemies of God as easily subduable by the power of God and the promise of victory. “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith” (1 John 5:4).

My journey to this position has been as difficult as coming to Flat Earth. There are so many lies to undo, and so many passages in the Bible to sort out. But my friends, just like the Flat Earth — there are answers to each one. 

May God help you along in your journey.

Book recommendations for further reading:

1. The Puritan Hope: Revival and the Interpretation of Prophecy by Iain Murray

2. He Shall Have Dominion: A Postmillennial Eschatology 3rd Ed. by Kenneth L Gentry

3. Postmillennialism Made Easy by Kenneth L Gentry

4. Postmillennialism: An Eschatology of Hope by Keith Mathison

5. Paradise Restored by David Chilton

6. Before Jerusalem Fell: Dating the Book of Revelation by Kenneth Gentry

7. And if you just want to listen and learn for FREE: The Revelation Project by Phillip Kayser

1. https://wiki.tfes.org/Universal_Acceleration

2. Ephesians 1:15-23; Colossians 1:15-18

3. 2 Corinthians 10:4-5; 1 Thessalonians 1:9; James 4:7

4. Isaiah 42:4; Matthew 5:19; 28:18-20; John 14:15; 1 John 5:3

5. Psalm 9:8; Matthew 3:7; John 16:8-11; Acts 10:42; 17:31; 1 Corinthians 10:6-11; 1 Peter 4:17

6. Genesis 22:18, 26:4; Isaiah 66:23; Jeremiah 31:34; Psalm 37:9-10; Galatians 3:16, 29

7. Psalm 2:8; 66:7; 72:8

8. Acts 10:27; Hebrews 11:6; 1 John 5:4

9. There are some differences between what an amil believes about the millennium. But in its purest sense “A” means “no” — therefore no millennium. However, most amillennials believe in a millennium, meaning the term is almost an oxymoron. This is ONE reason I refuse to be called amillennial. If however, someone wants to call themself an amillennial and still believe in a millennium, I’m not going to argue with them. There is ONE major distinction between amil and postmil that I will share in an upcoming point.

10. Gentry writes, “Posmillennialism: “The prefix post points out a lengthy (though not necessarily literal thousand year long) earthly period in which Christ’s kingdom influences the world, which period will conclude at Christ’s second advent. Puritan era postmillennialism tended to expect a literal thousand-year millennium introduced by the conversion of the Jews (rather than the Return of Christ) as the last stage of Christ's earthly kingdom. Modern postmillennialism tends to see the thousand years as a symbolic figure covering the entirety of the Christian era. ” 3rd Edition, pages 64-65

11. At least some, if not all amillennial believers hold this same view. And I admit it gets confusing when trying to understand the nuanced difference, but there is one to be sure.

Ligonier writes: “The three positions differ on when Jesus will return. So you’re premillennial if you believe Jesus will return before the millennium. (The millennium is the period of time described in Revelation when Christ will reign with His saints.) You’re amillennial if you don’t believe there will be a literal earthly millennium before Jesus returns. And you’re postmillennial if you think Jesus will return after the millennium, after the world has been successfully evangelized. So those are the three main views on when Jesus will return.”

What is missing here is that one can believe that there is not a literal 1000-year-reign of Christ, but still believe there is a literal millennial reign of Christ (from Heaven) defined as the period between Christ’s First Advent and His Second Advent — and that He will Return AFTER the world has been successfully evangelized. This is MY brand of Postmillennialism. While there may be a handful in the amil camp that see the potential for a successfully evangelized world, most do not. They hold to the same prophecies of doom and gloom as the dispensationalists.

12. I would clarify this by saying that Christ’s First Advent inaugurated the Kingdom ( a word synonymous with the millennium). For Jesus says, “But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you” (Matthew 12:28) and John Testifies that he was presently in the kingdom 2000 years ago: “I, John, both your brother and companion in the tribulation and kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was on the island that is called Patmos for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ” (Revelation 1:9).

Christ received the Kingdom by decree at His ascension “I kept looking in the night visions, And behold, with the clouds of heaven One like a son of man was coming, And He came up to the Ancient of Days And was presented before Him. And to Him was given dominion, Honor, and a kingdom, So that all the peoples, nations, and populations of all languages Might serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion Which will not pass away; And His kingdom is one Which will not be destroyed” (Daniel 7:13-14). Read more here.

The Kingdom came with power at Pentecost.

FFinally, in 70AD, with the destruction of Jerusalem, the Old Covenant, which was passing away (Hebrews 8:13), was fully destroyed. At this time, the New Covenant was fully implemented so that the “The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!” (Revelation 11:15). To learn more about this verse, the book of Revelation, and hopeful eschatology, I commend you to Phillip Kayser’s Sermon Series on Revelation.

13. “Modern postmillennialism tends to see the thousand years as a symbolic figure covering the entirety of the Christian era.” Gentry. He Shall Have Dominion, 3rd Edition, page 65.

14. Gentry. He Shall Have Dominion, 3rd Edition, pages 81-81.

15. Not all postmillennial believers hold to this view that there is a future hope for the nation of Israel. But I do.