premillennialism

American  

[pree-mi-len-ee-uh-liz-uhm] / ˌpri mɪˈlɛn i əˌlɪz əm /

noun

1. the doctrine or belief that the Second Coming of Christ will precede the millennium.

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premillennialism British  

/ ˌpriːmɪˈlɛnɪəˌlɪzəm /

noun

1. the doctrine or belief that the millennium will be preceded by the Second Coming of Christ

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Other Word Forms

• premillennialist noun

Etymology

Origin of premillennialism

First recorded in 1840–50; premillennial + -ism

Example Sentences

Premillennialism: The belief that Jesus will physically return to the Earth heralding a literal thousand-year messianic age of peace.

From Salon

Christian Zionism: Primarily an evangelical doctrine, originating in 19th-century British premillennialism, that regards supporting the State of Israel as crucial to fulfilling prophecies in the Book of Revelation.

From Salon

Premillennialism is the belief that after a period of destruction and extreme suffering on Earth, Jesus Christ will physically return to bring peace.

From BBC

Ask most people today about the rapture and you’ll largely be discussing premillennialism, a religious doctrine devised in part by English theologian John Nelson Darby in the 1820s and ’30s and popularized by American religious leaders like Dwight L. Moody, founder of the Moody Bible Institute.

From Slate

Modern hard conservatism provides believers with a secular version of evangelical eschatology: Since the early part of the 20th century, evangelical thought has shifted toward “premillennialism,” the belief that, as Gerson put it, “the current age is tending not toward progress, but rather toward decadence and chaos under the influence of Satan.”

From Slate