Millennialism: A False Hope and Formidable Threat

Abstract

Rev. H. Zink’s Millennialism offers a confessional Lutheran critique of millennialist interpretations of biblical prophecy. Written for a pastoral and theological audience, the paper surveys the origins and development of premillennial, postmillennial, and amillennial views, situating them within broader church history. Zink emphasizes that millennialist schemes often arise from misinterpretations of Revelation 20 and reflect an overemphasis on earthly expectations of Christ’s reign. He critiques both the literalist readings of dispensational premillennialism and the optimistic cultural assumptions of postmillennialism, contrasting them with the historic Lutheran amillennial understanding grounded in Scripture. Central to his argument is the insistence that Christ’s kingdom is spiritual, present through Word and Sacrament, and not to be confused with earthly political or social triumphs. The paper warns that millennialism distracts believers from the gospel’s central message of salvation by grace and distorts eschatology. Zink concludes by reaffirming the Lutheran confession of Christ’s return in glory to judge the living and the dead.

Summary prepared with the assistance of OpenAI’s ChatGPT (GPT-5).