He Shall Have Dominion

edly in John’s Gospel. Tragically “first-century Jews primarily expected a
political delverer and warrior, who would enable them to throw off the
oppression of the Roman government and regain political independence,
international prominence, prosperity, peace, and respect. They were
surprised, and sometimes offended, by the unconventional form that
163
Jesus’ ministry took.” Biblical interpretation requires careful thought
and reflection, rather than mechanical manipulation of the text by presupposed
principles. Unfortunately, as Vos puts it: “chiliasm is a daring
literalizing and concretizing of the substance of ancient revelation.” 164
In the material above I focus on three critical issues necessary for
illustrating postmillennialism’s reasonable hermeneutic: the danger of
simplistic literalism in kingdom prophecy, the necessity of preterism
regarding certain judgment passages, and the function of Israel in Scripture.
Objectors frequently complain against these views, particularly dispensationalists.
So, instead of rehearsing the common principles of
biblical interpretation — principles found in many hermeneutics manuals
— I concentrate on these key points of contention. The remainder of my
book will illustrate the postmillennial hermeneutic in action.
163. Poythress, “New Testament Worldview,” in Hoffecker, Revolutions in
Worldview, 75.
164. Vos, Pauline Eschatology, 227.