Editing Rapture (section)

=== Amillennialism ===
{{Main|Amillennialism}}

Amillennialists view the millennial rule of Christ as the current, but indefinite period that began with the foundation of the church and that will end with the Second Coming—a period where Christ already reigns with his saints through the [[Eucharist]] and his church.  They view the life of the church as Christ's kingdom already established (inaugurated on the day of the [[Pentecost]] described in the first chapter of Acts), but not to be made complete until his second coming.  This framework precludes a literal interpretation of the thousand-year period mentioned in chapter twenty of Revelation, viewing the number "thousand" as [[Numerology|numerologically]] symbolic and pertaining to the current age of the church. 

Amillennialists generally do not use "rapture" as a theological term, but they do view a similar event coinciding with the second coming—primarily as a mystical gathering with Christ. To amillennialists the final days already began on the day of the Pentecost, but that the great tribulation will occur during the final phase or conclusion of the millennium, with Christ then returning as the alpha and omega at the end of time.  Unlike premillennialists who predict the millennium as a literal thousand-year reign by Christ after his return, amillennialists emphasize the continuity and permanency of his reign throughout all periods of the New Covenant, past, present and future.  They do not regard mentions of Jerusalem in the chapter twenty-one of Revelation as pertaining to the present geographical city, but to a future [[new Jerusalem]] or "new heaven and new earth", for which the church through the twelve apostles (representing of the twelve tribes of Israel) currently lays the foundation in the messianic kingdom already present.  Unlike certain premillennial dispensationalists, they do not view the rebuilding of the temple of Jerusalem as either necessary or legitimate, because the practice of animal sacrifices has now been fulfilled in the life of the church through Christ's ultimate sacrifice on the cross.  Authors who have expressed support for the amillenialist view include St. Augustine.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.catholic.com/tract/the-rapture |title= The Rapture |access-date= 19 September 2017}}</ref>  The amillennialist viewpoint is the position held by the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Anglican churches, as well as mainline Protestant bodies, such as [[Lutherans]], [[Methodists]], [[Presbyterians]] and many [[Reformed churches|Reformed]] congregations.<ref name="Garrison">{{cite book|last1=Garrison|first1=J. Christopher|title=The Judaism of Jesus: The Messiah's Redemption of the Jews|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=b0FxAwAAQBAJ&q=amillennialism+catholic+orthodox+anglican&pg=PA264|date=2014|isbn=978-1-4908-2974-6|publisher=WestBowPress|location=Bloomington, Indiana|page=264}}</ref>