ABSTRACT
Premillennialism is a Christian eschatology, so-called because it anticipates that the Second Advent of Jesus Christ will occur before, and thus initiate, a thousand-year Kingdom of God on earth (the millennium). While the term itself dates from only the mid-nineteenth century, the substance of the belief, known also as “chiliasm” (Greek khilioi, thousand) or “millenarianism” (Latin mille, thousand+annus, year), dates from the second century CE. It is a widely current belief in modern Protestant Christianity, but is virtually unknown in contemporary Roman Catholic and Orthodox thought. It is especially prominent in American denominations and in international Protestant communities rooted substantially in evangelical missions from the United States (Latin America, especially). It is particularly prevalent among conservative evangelical churches, the Baptists, for instance, as well as various Pentecostal and Fundamentalist denominations. It is rarely encountered in mainline Protestant persuasions, such as the Episcopal Church, the Presbyterian Church USA, or the United Church of Christ.
