13). This massive repentance is a gradual extension or development of God's kingdom onto the earth. Gentry states that many of the parables in the Bible (i.e. mustard seed), are symbols of this view (40). He continues by reemphasizing the point that many will accept Christ in great numbers: "The massive influence of Christ's reconciling death will operate in history through that age-long drawing of all men resulting in the world-as-a-system returning to God" (42). The postmillennial position in brief is that the Great Commission will be fulfilled before Christ's advent. According to postmillennialism, fulfilling the Great Commission requires much more than converting a few to Christianity from each nation on earth (44); but instead, it will be fulfilled when almost every nation or ethnic group on earth has identified itself as Christian and sought to conform its complete culture to the teachings of Christ. This does not mean that all people before Christ's returns will be saved. It means that one day a considerably large enough majority will be saved so that Christianity will become the more dominate religion (44). To simply state it, the postmillennial view believes that Christ will return following the thousand year kingdom development and advancement (Sproul 294). However, Christ, through the church will accomplish this in two ways: 1. "A world wide revival and mass conversions, or" 2. "Imposition of Christian ideals by converted rulers and Christian government". This was first believed by Jonathan Edwards (Gregg 459). Conclusion I disagree with one aspect of postmillennialism; and that is how they discover when the thousand year period begins and ends. Other views define the start and end times for the thousand year stage. Whether it begin after the resurrection or after the second coming. Instead the postmillennialists will, in my thoughts, take the idiot proof view. They believe that when Christ returns...
