©Dr. Jack L. Arnold Equipping Pastors International, Inc.

ESCHATOLOGICAL SYSTEMS

Glossary of Terms

• Allegorical Interpretation: A going behind the plain meaning of scripture to the deeper spiritual meaning.
• Amillennial: A word that means “no one thousand.” This is a theory that states that the millennium is real but spiritual and refers to the period of time between the first and second advents of Christ. This period either refers to the reign of martyred saints in heaven or saints on earth in the inter-advent period.
• Antichrist: A yet future character that will come to power in the tribulation before the Lord returns.
• Apocalyptic: Biblical prophetic language that is basically figurative and symbolical.
• Chiliasm: A Greek word meaning one thousand.
• Church: The “called out ones.”
• Covenants: The promises God made to Israel in the Old Testament: Abrahamic, Palestinian, Davidic, Mosaic and New Covenants.
• Didactic: A teaching passage of scripture not filled with figurative language.
• Dispensationalism: This is a theory that makes a sharp distinction between Israel and the church. The outcome is a premillennialism that sees the second advent of Christ occurring in two stages either (one for the church and one for Israel) before or in the middle of the tribulation period.
• Eschatology: A study of last things.
• Finalism: This is another word used of amils. This view states that all of the prophecies of the Old Testament, which will end with the second advent.
• Great Tribulation: A period, probably 3 ½ years, of tribulation before the second advent.
• Hermeneutics: The laws for the interpretation of scripture.
• Historic Premillennial: A type of premillennialism that sees the church going through the tribulation and will be raptured just before (or at the same time) the second advent of Jesus Christ. This view also acknowledges the church to be spiritual Israel and stresses the similarities between Israel and the church.
• Imminency: Christ can return at any moment without any signs being fulfilled.
• Kingdom: The rule of Christ whether spiritual or earthly.
• Millennium: A Latin word meaning one thousand. Theologically it refers to a yet future golden age.
• Midtribulational Rapture: The church will be caught up in the middle of the seven year Tribulation.
• Partial Rapture: Only the spiritual Christians in the church will be caught up, and the rest of the unspiritual Christians will be left to go through the Tribulation.
• Premillennial: A word that actually means “before one thousand.” This is a theory that states that Christ will return in His second advent and establish an earthly kingdom for one thousand literal years.
• Presuppositions: Basic underlying facts or assumptions behind a given thought or concept.
• Pretribulational Rapture: The church will be caught up before the Tribulation; therefore, it escapes the sufferings on the Tribulation period.
• Postmillennial: A word meaning “after one thousand.” This is a theory that states that the millennium will occur on earth and then Christ will return.
• Posttribulational Rapture: The church will be caught up at the end of the Tribulation at the time of the second advent.
• Progressive Dispensationalism: A relatively new type of dispensationalism that sees a much closer relationship between the Old and New Testaments. Therefore, there is not a clear distinction between Israel and the church. They even call the church spiritual Israel. Yet, they are still pretribulational and premillennial.
• Rapture: A Latin word that means, “to be caught up.” Biblically this refers to what will happen to the church at the coming of Christ and the Tribulation.
• Realized Millennialism: This is an amil concept, which states that the millennium is already realized in the gospel age.
• Recapitulation: To repeat or go back over something.
• Second Advent: Christ will return to this earth literally and bodily.
• Spiritualization: A giving up of a literal interpretation for a spiritual interpretation of scripture.
• Tribulation: A yet future period or unprecedented trouble for the world that will end at the second advent of Christ.
• Unrealized Millennialism: The millennium has not yet been actually realized in history.