Amillennialism vs Dominionism

Amillennialism and Dominionism fits “like a hand in a glove”, says C. Peter Wagner, head apostle from the New Apostolic Reformation.  Below we will analyze the two and we will see that he is quite right.

Amillennialism vs Dominionism

What is Amillennialism:

Amillennialism (Latin: a- “no” + millennialism)

Amillennialism is a view in Christian end-times theology named for its rejection of the theory that Jesus Christ will have a thousand-year long, physical reign on the earth. This is in opposition to pre-millennial and some post-millennial views of chapter 20 of the Book of Revelation.

In contrast, the amillennial view holds that the thousand years mentioned in Revelation 20 is a symbolic number, not a literal description; that the millennium has already begun and is identical with the current church age, (or more rarely, that it ended with the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70).

Amillennialism holds that while Christ’s reign during the millennium is spiritual in nature, at the end of the church age, Christ will return in final judgement and establish a permanent physical reign.”

Teaching

Amillennialism teaches that the Kingdom of God will not be physically established on earth throughout the “millennium”, but rather

  • that Jesus is presently reigning from heaven, seated at the right hand of God the Father,      [DTW Note:  All mankind has to do is preach the gospel and turn the world into a Christian world so that Christ may finally return and judge the wicked.]
  • that Jesus also is and will remain with the church until the end of the world, as he promised at the Ascension,    [DTW Note:   This is because they believe the Church is Israel.]
  • that at Pentecost, the millennium began, as is shown by Peter using the prophecies of Joel, about the coming of the kingdom, to explain what was happening,     [DTW Note:   Again they can make this claim because they believe that the Church is Israel and that all prophecies have been fulfilled since 70 A.D.  The problem is all prophecies were not fulfilled in 70 A.D. ]
  • and that, therefore the church and its spread of the good news is Christ’s kingdom.     [DTW Note:   The church and it’s spreading of the good news is NOT Christ’s Kingdom.  The Kingdom of God is Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit in every born again Christians life. Amazing how the correct interpretation of scripture changes everything.]

Amillennialism also teaches that the binding of Satan described in Revelation has already occurred.

Therefore Satan has been prevented from deceiving the nations  i.e., he can’t prevent the spreading of the gospel.   This is the only binding he will suffer in history.   [DTW note: if Satan is not deceiving the nations now, I wonder who is? ]

Amillennialism is sometimes associated with Idealism as both teach a symbolic interpretation of many of the prophecies of the Bible and especially the Book of Revelation.     [DTW Note:   Idealism – the tendency to represent things in their ideal forms, rather than as they are.]

Medieval and Reformation periods

Amillennialism gained ground after Christianity became a legal religion. It was systematised by St. Augustine in the fourth century, and this systematisation carried amillennialism over as the dominant eschatology of the Medieval and Reformation periods. Augustine was originally a premillennialist, but he retracted that view, claiming the doctrine was carnal.

Amillennialism was the dominant view of the Protestant Reformers. The Lutheran Church formally rejected chiliasm in the The Augsburg Confession:

“Art. XVII., condemns the Anabaptists and others ‘who now scatter Jewish opinions that, before the resurrection of the dead, the godly shall occupy the kingdom of the world, the wicked being everywhere suppressed.'”

Likewise, the Swiss Reformer, Heinrich Bullinger wrote up the Second Helvetic Confession which reads:

“We also reject the Jewish dream of a millennium, or golden age on earth, before the last judgement.”

John Calvin wrote in Institutes that chiliasm is a “fiction” that is:

“But a little later there followed the chiliasts, who limited the reign of Christ to a thousand years. Now their fiction is too childish either to need or to be worth a refutation” (3.25.5)

He interpreted the thousand year period of Revelation 20 non-literally, applying it to the

“various disturbances that awaited the church, while still toiling on earth” (3.25.5)

chil·i·asm

The belief that Jesus Christ will return to earth in visible form (after the Tribulation) and establish a kingdom too last 1000 years.

Modern times

Amillennialism has been widely held in the Eastern and Oriental Orthodox Churches as well as in the Roman Catholic Church, which generally follows Augustine on this point and which has deemed that pre-millennialism “cannot safely be taught.”

Amillennialism is also common among Protestant denominations such as the Lutheran, Reformed, Anglican, and Methodist Churches.  It represents the historical position of the Amish, Old Order Mennonite, and Conservative Mennonites.

Source:   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amillennialism

Comparison between Amillennialism and Dominionism

  • The belief in Amillennialism or Preterism also called Victorious eschatology is part and parcel of Dominionist Theology.

Amillennialists believes that we are living in the millennial era and Jesus reigns spiritually from heaven.   The destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D means that all prophecy in the Bible has been fulfilled – especially the Book of Revelation.

Amillennialists can claim the earth and must dominate by instilling Christian principles and a moral code which will create a Christian society so that Jesus can manifest His presence one day and judge the wicked.

Dominionists can claim the earth and must dominate by instilling Christian principles and a moral code which will create a Christian society so that Jesus can manifest His presence and rule the world.

Amillennialism teaches that the Church is now Israel because Israel has been cut off from God but this is not true because the bible says:

Romans 11:25-26 “For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in” 26 And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:

Dominionism teaches that the Church is now Israel because Israel has been cut off from God.  Another word for Dominion Theology is Replacement Theology that teaches that the Church is the replacement for Israel.  The many promises made to Israel in the Bible are fulfilled in the Christian church, not in Israel.  All promises Abraham made to Israel now belong to the Church.

C. Peter Wagner (Head Apostle in the New Apostolic Reformation), has openly declared that he is Amillennial/Preterist, he says:

Victorious eschatology fits dominion theology like a hand in a glove. Eberle and Trench say, “Before Jesus returns, the Church will rise in glory, unity, and maturity. The Kingdom of God will grow and advance until it fills the Earth.”  [Emphasis added]

Victorious eschatology makes a convincing argument that the biblical prophecies concerning the “last days” or the “end times” were literally fulfilled at the time of the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. The end times marked the ending of the old covenant and the beginning of the new covenant. Jesus literally will return to the earth in the future (see Matthew 24:36-25:46), but none of the signs of Matthew 24:4-34 are expected to precede His return, because they have already occurred. This is known by professional theologians as the Partial Preterist view of eschatology, and it is the view with which I personally identify.”  — DOMINION! How Kingdom Action Can Change the World  p. 61  

Dominionism can be traced back to Ambrose of Milan (338-397), who influenced St Augustine, (354-430).

Ambrose believed that the church should exert political authority over the state so that the courts and government would reflect the morality and ethics teachings of the church.

Martin Luther (1483-1546) and John Calvin (1509-1564) were ardent students of St Augustine’s theology.

In 1540 John Calvin (an Amillennialist) set about creating a Genevan Society.

John Calvin’s plan was to incorporate the church into government by restructuring municipal government so that clergy would be involved in municipal decisions, particularly in disciplining the populace.

Dominionists are using a strategy called the ‘7 Mountains’ strategy’ where they are taking over top positions through a mass ‘Christian’ movement to infiltrate business, government, media, arts, education, family and religion.

Calvin imposed a hierarchy on the Genevan Society

Dominionists are doing the same through the 5 fold ministry concept (Ephesians 4:11).  The Apostles being at the top of the hierarchy who will govern the world.

Calvin began a series of statute reforms to impose a strict and uncompromising moral code on the city

Angus Buchan, Elza Meyer, Graham Power, Dion Forster, Bennie Mostert with their programs such as Firetrails and Turn2God, Mighty Men Conference and Global Day of Prayer, are beginning to promote a strict moral and ethical code over the people of South Africa under the name of “Unashamedly Ethical“, which they are hoping will become a society soon enough.

The Genevan Society is actually a small scale model of what the Dominionists are currently doing to the whole world, and very successfully I might add.

Calvin’s idea was to enforce a new Christian moral code on the Geneva City.

Dominionists are currently doing the exact same.  They are enforcing an ethical code on mankind based on morals, values and principles,

A great emphasis is placed on man’s efforts, good works and the law:

  • the right wing Christian calls it ‘Revival’
  • the left wing Religious calls its ‘Social Transformation’ – revival of socialism

Preterism of the Catholic church gives us the oldest Dominion Theology model.

Preterism and Dominionism originated from Roman Catholicism (the father of the Roman Catholic church, St Augustine and the father of Calvinism)

Amillennialists believe that there will be no rapture.

Dominionists believe there will not be a rapture either.

Dominionists encompasses a special group of believers who will take control of the world.

These ‘special’ people are known as covenant people or overcomers (better known as ‘Joel’s Army’)

These chosen Dominionists see themselves as being elected/chosen by God to bring the world under the submission of the Church.

Calvinism believes in the same thing:  Unconditional Election or Predestination.

Calvinists believe they are Elect and are a special group of people too who will take control of the world.

In order for Dominionists to create their new Christian world, the people must be either coerced or lied too, into believing in this false Christianity.  Over time if you have not joined the movement you will be declared wicked, punished and purged from society.

Calvinism believes in the same thing:   Total Hereditary Depravity.  If you are not Elect then you are a reprobate that God selected to burn in hell.  The select have the right to hate you and you need to be purged from society like John Calvin did to those who opposed him in Geneva.

Amillennialists believe that there will be no anti-Christ in the future because he already showed himself in 70 A.D. which resulted in the destruction of Jerusalem – Satan is currently bound.  Therefore Revelation prophecy has apparently already been fulfilled.

Amillennialists believe there is no coming tribulation as this too took place in 70 A.D.

[DTW note:  This is a very scary thought because if the anti-Christ has already come according to the Amillennialist back in 70 A.D then the current world should only expect Jesus Christ to return.  According to the Amillennialist the world does not need to worry about an antiChrist at all.  This is however completely false as masses of people will end up accepting the man of sin, the son of perdition. 2 Thessalonians 2:3]

The only project for Amillennialists / Dominionists is to reclaim the world for their Christ by preaching a false gospel (and it does not matter what gospel as long as it mentions ‘Christ’).

And in doing so they will create a society of people with similar interests, purposes, or passions that will dominate the world together in order to create the Kingdom of God, a Heaven on Earth so that The Christ will return.  This is also called ‘God’s Plan or God’s Dream’ which was dreamed up by St Augustine in his book, City of God.

Calvinism, Dominionism, Lutheranism, Kingdom Now teaching, Replacement Theology, Latter Rain Manifest Sons of God teaching, Word of Faith, New Apostolic Reformation, Apostolic Faith movement, Oneness Pentecostalism, Charismatism, Emergent church movement,  Anglican church, Methodism (Arminianism), Reformation, Roman Catholicism, et al  is all one and the same doctrine…

All these doctrines are can be classified under different things:

  • different names,
  • different terminology,
  • different definitions,
  • different interpretations of scripture,
  • different eschatology,
  • different theology,
  • different ways of receiving the false spirit.

The entire point is to make you think they are completely different doctrines when in fact they are all the same and each one of these movements will cause you to die spiritually if you don’t get out – they will ALL lead you back to Rome and to hell.

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Deborah (Discerning the World)

Deborah Ellish is the author of the above article. Discerning the World is an internet Christian Ministry based in Johannesburg South Africa. Tom Lessing and Deborah Ellish both own Discerning the World. For more information see the About this Website page below the comments section.

3 Responses

  1. Thomas says:

    Very good article. You have pinpointed the major features of these heresies.

    For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.
    (1 Th 5:3-4)

  2. AaronAaron says:

    Yes, all of this is true. Now add a dose of the lordship salvation false gospel that they all agree upon, and you see how they join together in unity without truth, ecumenicalism.

  3. Aaron

    Yip, and the ‘losing your salvation’ part as well, which joins them together as well.

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