he term Postmillennialist identifies Christians who believe that the kingdom of God is now being extended throughout the world through the preaching of the gospel of Christ. In this point only, this eschatology is similar to historic Amillennialism. The word millennium is from two Latin words. [mille], meaning thousand, and [annum], meaning years. The word post means after. Thus Post-millennialism is the eschatology that teaches the return of Christ after this 1000 years. Amillennialism teaches the same post-millennial return of Christ, but there are other distinct differences between these two eschatologies.

For one, Postmillennialists believe that the world will eventually become Christianized and that the millennium will be a long period of world righteousness and peace on earth. Those who believe in Postmillennialism have a strong view of the Church's calling to carry out and exercise Christ's power and authority in the world, and so in their view, Jesus Christ has given all the needed power to His servants to make sure God's righteous kingdom will overcome the world. They lean upon scriptures such as,

Daniel 2:44

• "And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed. And the Kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break to pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever."

There is the general practical view that a millennial "Golden Age" will come to this world through the activities of the Church before the return of Christ to usher in eternity. Their anticipation is that the Church will so influence that the whole world will become Christianized. The weakness in this position is that many believe that it overlooks the persistence of human sin, moral decay, and prophesied departing from the faith (apostasy). The objection is that as we live in a period when the Church has never been more rebellious and the world never more lawless, Postmillennialists seem to be oblivious to these seeming contradictions. It seems to establish a unjustified dichotomy between triumph and tribulation. They support their view with scriptures such as Psalms 110.

Psalms 110:1-2

• "The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.
• The LORD shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion: rule thou in the midst of thine enemies."

Postmillennialists generally believe that by the work of the Spirit, and through the gospel, the nations of the world will be progressively converted to Christianity. And that this is what will usher in what they see as the yet unfulfilled promised golden age of peace and prosperity.