Premillennialism

In America before the Civil War premillennialism of a traditional variety was an important minority position held by some mainline Protestant leaders. It did not differ greatly from the postmillenialism of the same era. Both saw history as controlled by a cosmic struggle, both allowed for interpreting some Biblical prophecies literally, and both thought that some prophecies about the time immediately preceding the millennium were already being fulfilled in current events. They disagreed primarily over whether Christ would come before or after the millennium. The premillenialists were prone to a more literal interpretation of Scripture and were less hopeful concerning progress. During the 1860s, premillennialism of this sort was rapidly rising in popularity.

Premillennialism stressed division and separation within society, to gather in the elect, and its frostiness to Enlightenment projects of social reform contributed to that peculiar process by which ‘liberal’ has become a word of abuse in the United States, in sharp contrast to its esteem in European society.

Mr. Van Impe promoted a view of the end of the world known in evangelical circles as dispensational premillennialism, which teaches that Christians will be raptured, or taken up to heaven, before a period of tribulation, a final battle called Armageddon and the return and rule of Jesus on earth.