Eschatologies SIMPLIFIED

Eschatology refers to the study of the last things—the ultimate destiny of humanity and the cosmos. copilot

Knowing this first, 

that no prophecy of the scripture

 is of any private interpretation.

2 Peter 1:20

There are 3 approaches:
1) Preterism (prophecies are fulfilled in the past)
2) Futurism (prophecies are focused on the future)
3) Historicism (prophecy unfolds over time down through the ages)

There are 2 main branches (Post Millennialism and Pre Millennialism) which contain 4 main views (two in each) which dominate within Christendom. (Post-Millennial, Amillennial, Dispensational and Historic Pre-Millennial).

In a SIMPLIFIED description of them---what separates them are two Questions: 1) When and What is the Millennium and 2) What is the identity of the Little Horn of Daniel and the Beast of Revelation.

Post-Millennialism

Post-Millennial: 

--Believes in a 1,000 year Millennium on earth BEFORE the 2nd

Advent where Christ reigns on earth from Jerusalem for a time, then returns to heaven and some trouble starts on earth and He returns with the 2nd advent to end it all.

--They rely heavily on Preterism. They make the Little Horn to be some obscure Greek king (in the past) Antiochus IV Epiphanes and the Beast Roman Emperor Nero (in the past).

Amillennial:

--Believes that the 1,000 year Millennium is BEFORE the 2nd Advent and is a symbolic number for a long period of time stretching from the Cross to the 2nd Advent. The only prophecy in the future

would be that of Luke 21 and Matthew 24 about natural disasters and wars. Things simply get worse and worse until Christ finally returns to end it all.

--They rely heavily on Preterism. They make the Little Horn to be some obscure Greek king (in the past) Antiochus IV Epiphanes and the Beast Roman Emperor Nero (in the past).

 Pre-Millennialism

Dispensational:

--Believes the Millennium lasts for 1,000 AFTER the 2nd Advent and takes place on earth.

--They separate the Little Horn and Beast. And although they place the Little Horn in the past as some obscure Greek king Antiochus IV

Epiphanes, they rely on Futurism to place the Beast in the future. 

That future is condensed into a 7 year time of trouble where a secret rapture whisks away God's people to heaven, Then those left behind begin to turn to God while a time of trouble grips the planet. 

By the 3 and a half year mark 144,000 Jews in Israel have converted to Christianity and rebuild and restart the old sacrificial system in Jerusalem as an anti-Christ rises up (the Beast) and attacks Jerusalem to destroy the temple and the Jews. Three and a half years of persecution and war break out culminating with a literal Battle of Armageddon between God's people and the anti-Christ's forces literally fought in Israel. Christ returns to crush them at Armageddon and save His people while the rest of the wicked world wide are destroyed by His brightness at His coming. 

Most Dispensationalists are pre-trib (the secret rapture kicks off the 7 years) a small amount are mid-trib (the secret rapture occurs in the middle of the 7 years during the attack on the Jerusalem temple) and a few don't believe in a secret rapture--they are post-trib -- meaning  the rapture happens at the 2nd Advent where all the earth will see it.

Historic Pre-Millennial:

--Believes the Millennium is a 1,000 AFTER the 2nd Advent. Some believes it takes place in heaven, some believe it takes place on earth.

--Believes that end time prophecies unfold down through the ages by applying Historicism to map them out in chronological order

culminating in the 2nd Advent. 

Some believe the Little Horn and Beast are one and the same entity--Papal Rome. 

Some disconnect the two such as making the Little Horn Papal Rome and the Beast something like the European Union, U,N., a revived Holy Roman Empire, etc. There are many ways people tweak these differently.

* Should be noted that some Dispensationalists (like Ladd) apply some limited Historicism to their views.

3 Miscellaneous Eschatolgy Views:

Idealized View: That the prophecies are simply spiritual metaphor for the battle between good and evil raging in your heart.

Realized View: Ultra Preterism where ALL end time prophecies were fulfilled from the cross to the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70. (Already happened within Christ's life and up to 70 A.D.).

Consistent View: Christ was wrong in His predictions. And since Christ was wrong about the nearness of His coming (we are still waiting) then we shouldn't worry about prophecy for how can we figure it out if Christ couldn't?