Dispensational Premillennialism

Historic Premillennialism

Postmillennialism

Amillennialism

Favored hermeneutic

Strict literal

Grammatico-historical

Covenant-historical

Redemptive-historical

Israel and the church

Views church and Israel as two distinct peoples of God with two individual redemptive plans.

The church is the fulfillment of Israel.

The church is the fulfillment of Israel.

The church is the eschatological fulfillment of Israel.

The rapture

The church is raptured before a seven-year tribulation (the seventieth week of Daniel - Daniel 9:24-27). This tribulational period contains the reign of the AntiChrist.

The saints, living and dead, shall meet the Lord in the clouds as he comes to earth to commence the millennial reign.

The rapture is temporily coincident with the Second Coming, both of which occur at the end of the church age

The saints, living and dead, shall meet the Lord in the clouds and immediately proceed to judge the nations with Christ and then follow Him into their eternal state.

Kingdom of God

The literal physical kingdom reign, anticipated by the OT prophets, during which God will fulfill all the OT promises to ethnic Israel.

The literal physical kingdom reign anticipated by the OT and NT prophets.

A spiritual entity experienced on earth through the Christianizing effect of the Gospel.

A spiritual reality in which all Christians partake presently by faith, but by sight at the consummation.

Millennium

Christ will return at the end of the great tribulation to institute a thousand-year rule from a the New Jerusalem. Those believing in Christ during the "seventieth week of Daniel" who survive will go on to populate the earth during this time. Those raptured or raised prior to the tribulational will reign with Christ over the millennial population. This view sees the re-establishment of temple worship and animal sacrifices as a remembrance of Christ's sacrifice.

Christ will return to institute a thousand-year reign on earth after the tribulation period. Others like J. Barton Payne argure for an imminent Second Coming.

A "golden age" leading up to Christ's second advent during which Christ will virtually rule over the whole earth through an unprecedented spread of the Gospel; the large majority of people will become Christian.

Inaugurated with Christ's resurrection. In an "already/not yet" sense, Christ already reigns over all and is already victorious over Satan.

Major proponents

C. I. Scofield, John Walvoord, Charles Ryrie, Lewis S. Chafer, J. Dwight Pentecost, Charles C. Ryrie, Tim Lahaye, Hal Lindsay

W.J. Erdman, George Eldon Ladd, Robert Gundry, Robert Culver, Walter Martin, J. Barton Payne, John Warwick Montgomery, Wayne Grudem.

Lorraine Boettner, Rousas J. Rushdoony, Greg L. Bahnson, Kenneth L. Gentry Jr., David Chilton, R.C. Sproul , Gary North.

Charles Hodge, Meredith Kline,  Kim Riddlerbarger, Robert B. Strimple, Gregory Beale, Anthony Hoekema, Vern Poythress, John Murray, Louis Berkhof.