I'm in a discussion group on Facebook which is an anti-Futurist group, that is, a group that believes most prophecy has been fulfilled in the past or through history. The group is actually called “I left Dispensationalism behind.”
Without getting into defining dispensationalism... I will just say that they, dispensationalists (I will call them Dispys) believe there is a future 7 year period (the “70th Week of Daniel”) that is unfulfilled, and especially the second half of that period that Daniel and Jesus called “great tribulation.”
Dispys believe that much of the book of Revelation is about that 7 year period and what comes after that period. They believe there is a 1000 year reign of Christ that follows Jesus' “Second Coming” to earth in bodily form: this period is usually called the “Millennium.”
The majority of Dispys believe that before that 7 years begins, there will be a descent of Christ in the air, and the dead believers will be resurrected and the living believers will be caught up (commonly called the “rapture”) together with the resurrected to meet Christ in the air.
Not all Dispys or Futurists believe the same about the timing/ placing of the rapture and resurrection as being before the 7 years for some place it in the middle, others nearer to the end, and some at the end of the 7 years.
Dispys make a distinction between the Church and the nation of Israel, believing that God will save Israel as a nation and people coming out of that 7 year period, and they will be restored in the land promised to Abraham in the Book of Genesis.
Jerusalem will be restored. Christ will rule over the nations in a manifested way with the Law of God going forth from Jeruslaem.
After the Millennium there will be a resurrection of the unbelieving dead who will be judged. Then there will be a new heavens and new earth on which believers in Christ will live forever.
Those who are not futurist and Dispy are either Preterists, Historicists, or Idealists. They usually strongly disagree with the Dispys about the future 7 years, and how the book of Revelation is fulfilled. They believe that God is finished with Israel as distinct people and nation, that either the Church has forever replaced Israel, or they are the continuation of true Israel.
The Church is Jew and Gentile (non-Jew) who believe in Christ, and the Church is the continuation of Israel. The children of Abraham are those who believe, Jew and Gentile who believe—they are the true heirs, not those who of natural descent. There is no future divine purpose for ethnic or national Israel. All prophecies about Israel being restored as a people into the land was fulfilled before or after the Babylonian captivity or in the Church or forfeited forever.
Generally, non-Dispys/ non-futurists are critical of the Jewish State of today and of Dispys who are generally supportive of it--believing in a future divine purpose for the Jewish nation.
Preterists believe most prophecy has been fulfilled in the past, particularly during the destruction of Jerusalem and the Jewish Temple in AD70, while historicists see prophecy fulfilled in the past and throughout history.
Historicists believe that both dispensationalism and preterism were created by Jesuit priests to take the attention off the Pope as the antichrist (the “lawless one” or “son of perdition”) in Second Thessalonians chapter 2 who sits in the temple of God and makes divine claims—the temple of God being the Church. Preterists believe that the lawless one is one of the Roman emperors, probably Nero. Historicists would say the antichrist is not a specific person but the office of the pope.
Idealists believe that prophecies, particularly in the Book of Revelation, should be interpreted symbolically and spiritually rather than literally. They view these prophecies as representing timeless truths about the ongoing struggle between good and evil, rather than specific historical events.
The big differences between futurists and non-futurists are the fulfillments of the 7 year period (the “70th week of Daniel”), the restoration of National Israel as the people of God in the land of promise, and the Millennial reign of Christ in a physical sense over the nations.
Non-futurists do not believe in a Millennium after the second Coming, but it is either a symbolic time reference to the reign of Christ now through the Church and over the nations through the advance of the gospel and the Church, or a 1000 years of a messianic age in which Christian ethics prosper before Christ returns. There is a view called “historic premillennialism” that believes in a millennial reign of Christ after the second Coming, but they focus on one people of God and probably differ on the future of Israel as a people and nation.
Non-futurists/ non-Dispys accuse the futurists/ Dispys of being doom and gloom because the futurist-dispy understanding of Scripture is that things will get much worse, especially in light of the things of which Revelation speaks.
Futurists believe in a period of “great tribulation” and divine judgments on the earth. They may see Jesus' “Olivet Discourse” about the wars and rumors of wars, nation against nation, famines, earthquakes, and pestilences increasing as we near the time of the end. They believe deception will increase, along with people hating one another as evil increases. Even though Christian persecution is increasing--some say it is worse now than any past time--it will get much worse.
Preterists and historicists believe this is doom and gloom theology, and they attribute it to that futuristic interpretation of scripture that they believe is in error.
Time will tell.
But as a final positive note, Non-Futurists (accept for full preterists—which I won't discuss here) and Futurists do agree that Jesus is coming again to earth, and he will raise the dead, some to everlasting life and some to judgment; and there will be a new heavens and earth in which righteousness dwells, and the righteous shall live and reign with Christ forever.
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