Preterism and the LCMS

[LutheranGuy]

I read somewhere that the LCMS condemns the preterist view of eschatology, is this correct?

Also, do the WELS and LCMS still hold to the traditional historicist viewpoint?

 

[Rechtgläubig]

Also, do the WELS and LCMS still hold to the traditional historicist viewpoint?

Define "traditional historicist"...

 

[cenimo]

This is from the LCMS site:

Of the Millennium

(St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, N.D.) [Adopted 1932]

42. With the Augsburg Confession (Art. XVII) we reject every type of millennialism, or Chiliasm, the opinions that Christ will return visibly to this earth a thousand years before the end of the world and establish a dominion of the Church over the world; or that before the end of the world the Church is to enjoy a season of special prosperity; or that before a general resurrection on Judgment Day a number of departed Christians or martyrs are to be raised again to reign in glory in this world; or that before the end of the world a universal conversion of the Jewish nation (of Israel according to the flesh) will take place.

Over against this, Scripture clearly teaches, and we teach accordingly, that the kingdom of Christ on earth will remain under the cross until the end of the world, Act 14:22; John 16:33; 18:36; Luke 9:23; 14:27; 17:20-37; 2 Tim. 4:18; Heb. 12:28; Luke 18:8; that the second visible coming of the Lord will be His final advent, His coming to judge the quick and the dead, Matt. 24:29, 30; 25:31; 2 Tim. 4:1; 2 Thess. 2:8; Heb. 9:26-28; that there will be but one resurrection of the dead, John 5:28; 6:39, 40; that the time of the Last Day is, and will remain, unknown, Matt. 24:42; 25:13; Mark 13:32, 37; Acts 1:7, which would not be the case if the Last Day were to come a thousand years after the beginning of a millennium; and that there will be no general conversion, a conversion en masse, of the Jewish nation, Rom. 11:7; 2 Cor. 3:14; Rom. 11:25; 1 Thess. 2:16.

According to these clear passages of Scripture we reject the whole of Millennialism, since it not only contradicts Scripture, but also engenders a false conception of the kingdom of Christ, turns the hope of Christians upon earthly goals, 1 Cor. 15:19; Col. 3:2, and leads them to look upon the Bible as an obscure book.


http://www.lcms.org/pages/internal.asp?NavID=578


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Since preterism says all prohecy has been fulfilled I guess that wouldn't fit in with the above either.

 

[Breetai]

I read somewhere that the LCMS condemns the preterist view of eschatology, is this correct?

Also, do the WELS and LCMS still hold to the traditional historicist viewpoint?

Darn right we condemn preterism. It's heresy and undermines the gospel of Christ.

The Lutheran church would be classified as amilleinnial; same as the Roman-Catholic Church.

 

[ILoveYeshua]

does everyone agree that the LCMS view is amillennial? when does the "thousand years" happen then?

 

[alabaster jar]

Isn't this preterism stuff pushed a lot on the two main non-catholic religioius networks? Are many of these speakers teaching this stuff? A lot of it is over my head, but I like to watch and hear the gospel, or a sermon and some programs get into stuff that I'm not familiar with. I'm not familiar with all the names for the millenia theories.

 

[SPALATIN]

does everyone agree that the LCMS view is amillennial? when does the "thousand years" happen then?

First of all the "thousand years" is just a reference to time and not to a specific time. So we consider that we are currently living in the end times.


The "rapture" you read about in 1 Thess 4 is the day of Judgment not a "secret rapture" that the Pre-millenialists and dispensationalists mention frequently.

I doubt that all laity consider themselves "amillenial" but the more serious theologists do.

 

[Breetai]

Was Luther amillennialist? I know he was a historicalist (sp?). I'm just assuming he was amillennialist as well.

 

[Simon_Templar]

I realize I can't debate in the forum, not being a lutheran, (really there isn't much difference between traditiona lutheran and traditional anglican though).

However, I wanted to point out that there are pre-millenial views which don't fit with most of the criticism offered by the statement from the augsburg confession.

Most of the anglican tradition is amillenial as well. However, I what is known as a pre-millenial, post trib view. This view point is a minority among pr-mil view points which holds that the "rapture" happens after the time of tribulation.

In this view point the rapture is not a secret event, in which christians disappear from the earth.. but rather a moment when all christians are gathered together to welcome the returning Christ... the concept relayed is that of the welcome procession in ancient cultures when a city was visited by a king, the people came out to line the road leading up to the city.

The pre-mil post trib, view (unlike the common Pre-trib (think "left behind")) has historical precedent in the church and it was commonly believed by many of the early church fathers for the first several centuries of church history.

 

[ILoveYeshua]

Luther was amillenialist yes