Why Do I Believe in Postmillennialism Part 3 of 3

If you’ve come this far, I have to say I’m really proud of you! Although the “end of times” topic is super popular right now, not a lot of folks really want to do the grunt work of digging through Scripture to hear what it really says about the topic. It’s a lot easier to listen to your favorite “the world is crashing” podcast and start stocking up on canned foods, and start a residential homestead while awaiting the fallout from the Gog and Magog battle that is coming in the Middle East. But not you! You’re trekking through this! So this is the last article entitled Why Do I believe in Postmillennialism Part 3 of 3. We’ve covered the Kingdom of God, the timing of the Kingdom, and the nature of the Kingdom. In this part, we’re going to cover how the Kingdom of God will be victorious, and it will do this through God’s Word and the Gospel.

A Victorious Kingdom Through God’s Word

So remember the operating premise: Jesus is ruling and reigning right now, and His Kingdom is currently spreading. Go back to the other two articles to review this. Let’s review for a second though. Isaiah 42:3-4 ESV (emphasis added) says that “…he will faithfully bring forth justice. He will not grow faint or be discouraged till he has established justice in the earth; and the coastlands wait for his law.” When discussing the end of things, Paul states in 1 Corinthians 15:24-25 LSB: “Then comes the end, when He hands over the kingdom to the God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power. For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet.” Remember this is a quote from Psalm 110:1, the most quoted Old Testament verse in the New Testament.  

Keep all this in mind. Now, the Word of God is referenced as a defensive and offensive weapon throughout Scripture. Jesus defends Himself against Satan’s attacks while quoting Scripture in Matthew 4:1-11. Hebrews 4:12 and Ephesians 6:17 identify God’s word as a sword. This is not just for defense but also for attacking. Look at this depiction of Jesus in Revelation 19:11-16 ESV (emphasis added):

Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.

Now, we’re not getting into interpretive strategies of the Book of Revelation here. Jesus is the One who is being spoken of here in this text (John 1:1-18). But remember, it says that Jesus will rule the nations, and we already established that Jesus’ reign is not just a future reality, but is here right now. I don’t take this event as totally future: I believe it took place with His first advent and is continuing until His second coming, based on the nature and reality of His rule, and based on the other verses we have studied thus far.

Nonetheless, follow the logic here. So, IF Jesus is ruling and reigning right now (and He is, Matthew 12:28, 28:18-20), and IF He is bringing forth justice in a progressive manner (which He is, Isaiah 42:3-4, as quoted above), and IF He must reign until He is has put all His enemies under His feet (which He is, 1 Corinthians 15:24-25, see verses above), then how would He do that? How would He accomplish this mission? Through the use of His sword (aka God’s word) and through His Church.

A Victorious Kingdom Through His Church

So let’s turn our eyes to the second factor Jesus is using to conquer in His kingdom reign: His Church. If Jesus is using His word and the Gospel to strike down His enemies (see the Revelation section above), what is the conduit that He uses to spread His Gospel and His word? The Church. Now, the question is, will the Church be successful in Her mission? YES! Matthew 16:18 ESV (emphasis added):

And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. 

I interpret that Jesus is telling Peter that Jesus is the One building the Church on the rock of Himself, that is, on Jesus and not Peter (as the “this” would be the near demonstrative pronoun of Jesus Himself, not Peter). Nonetheless, look at what Jesus is saying. Jesus is building His Church, and the gates of hell can’t stand against it! So much for our defeatist mentality of the Church always losing until Jesus comes back! “Oh woe is us, evil is just taking over, things will never get better until Jesus comes back…” Is that what Jesus says here?! We tend to think the Church is always just defending itself against the fiery arrows of Satan and his demons, and yet what does Jesus say? No, you’re a battering ram, and you’re busting down the gates of hell! Take no prisoners! That’s what Jesus calls His Church to do: Bust down the gates of this dark kingdom and conquer it through His word and the Gospel. These are Jesus’ words, not a theological camp.

Recall back to our previous article where we discussed that in Genesis 3:15, God created enmity between the serpent and the woman, between her offspring and his offspring, and that the serpent would strike the heel of the seed of the woman, but He would, in fact, deliver a deadly blow to the head. But then Paul says something incredible in Romans 16:20 ESV (emphasis added):  “The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet…” Paul sees that the Church has an active part in being this offspring, or “seed of the woman,” and that they are crushing Satan under their feet!

Let’s take another look at the Great Commission given by Jesus to His Church in Matthew 28:18-20 ESV:

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

This is King Jesus giving a kingly edict to His people. Jesus commands this Church to take His word and make disciples of all nations. You, the Church, knock down those gates of hell and clean house of the darkness and make other image bearers of Christ! How should the Church do that? How should they make other disciples and image bearers of Christ? Teach “them to observe all that I have commanded you.” This is where theonomy comes into play. By what standard or ultimate authority should we call the people of the world to conform to? What did Jesus fulfill perfectly and also call all people to live by? God’s law. In fact, Jesus never seems to be lax about the law for His followers as they are becoming molded into His image (if not becoming more in conformity to God’s standards, then how are we actually being made into the image of Christ, who upheld the law, with our sanctification?).

But how will the Church be successful in this mission? How will it accomplish the goal? Because the mission is predicated on all authority being given to Jesus in verse 18 (He will “see to it” that the mission will be accomplished) and also that He will be with the Church all the way through the end (verse 20). Jesus has not left His Bride in the dark. He will be with Her while busting down the gates of hell. He will be creating Her in the image of Himself through His word and His law. He will make sure that the knowledge of Him will spread and take over like a mustard seed in a field or leaven in a lump of dough. It’s not a question of whether the Church will be successful in its mission. Jesus has already commanded the victory. Now, Church, go and do it!

Conclusion

I hope these articles have been helpful for you, because I know these concepts we’ve discussed were paradigm-shifting for me in my Christian walk. Did these articles clear up the interpretive strategies of the Book of Revelation? Absolutely not, and it wasn’t intended to (if you want a great resource, get Dr. Kenneth Gentry’s commentary on Revelation, good stuff!). Were these articles intended to show exactly how this whole story ends or what the “end of the world” looks like? No. What I really wanted to show through these articles is that there is a running theme throughout the whole bible of God’s people and their role in spreading His Kingdom, and how it will conquer over darkness. That’s the postmill perspective. Ever since I’ve realized that reality, it’s hard not to see the relationship of God’s call to mankind to take His image and spread it throughout the earth, while subduing it as stated in Genesis 1:28, and then with Jesus’ command to His Church in Matthew 28:18-20 to make disciples in all the world, and that the Church will be successful in its mission. It’s a running theme throughout the whole book. I don’t want the Church to continue to be defeatist. Frankly, I’m tired of it! Church, do what you’re commanded! Go conquer through the gospel and the word of God!

-Austin