The Amillenial view makes a similar mistake. Augustine’s popular City of God adopted a figurative interpretation of Revelation 20. Popular commentaries of the nineteenth century that held this view were Adam Clarke, Matthew Henry, and Thomas Scott who were a part of the evangelical churches. This view states that a spiritual kingdom of Christ began at the resurrection and will continue to expand in heaven and earth until Christ’s literal return. Because they do not expect a literal reign on earth, there are labeled “amillennialist.” last days began on Pentecost. For them, what happened in Acts 2 is the beginning of the last days when Christ established the kingdom. According to the view, we are still in that age, today. They teach that the last days will extend until the end of time or the end of the Christian age.
As we have already seen, Joel predicts that “in those days” or while those days are present, the Holy Spirit would be poured out. We have also provided evidence that this proved the last days had arrived. Since they believe that the last days will end with the final judgment and resurrection, it can’t have its fulfillment in the first century because life on earth still continues without any evidence of a judgment or a resurrection.
Post-Millennial View
This view is the position that the second coming of Christ will follow a mass conversion to Christ (millennial reign). Kenneth Gentry, a Post-millennialist, believes that the Millennial is the last days of a closing generation (40 years) and applies the same term to the entire span of the Christian age. It seems inconsistent to apply the same phrase “last days” to both a short period and a long period, but his view represents another popular view.
It is difficult to classify all of the views, but if one that has survived into our present-day is Joseph Smith’s Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, In 1830, he wrote the Book of Mormon, believing that he received the authentic gospel designed to restore the Aaronic priesthood. He called all Mormons to gather in Jackson County, Missouri to establish the New Jerusalem to which Christ would soon return. After being driven out of Missouri, he led his followers to Nauvoo, Illinois, where he taught a plurality of gods and wives. When he was murdered in 1844, Brigham Young led some followers to a new Zion in Utah.
One clear observation is that the distinguishing marks of the different denominations are often determined by their eschatological views. For a complete review of its history, see A Case of Historic Premillennialism, edited by Craig Blomberg and Sung Wook Chung.