A Significant Chronological Problem for Postmillennialism in Acts 3:21

Postmillennialism is trending upward on the eschatological popularity scale. It has many visible and popular adherents, such as Doug Wilson, Jeff Durbin, and more recently, James White. As postmillennialism gains popularity, many questions arise about whether it is an accurate view of the world’s future. One significant challenge postmillennialism has is a chronological issue in Acts 3:21.

Postmillennialism teaches that, over time, the church will emerge victorious by progressively and gradually triumphing over the world. Eventually the whole world will embrace the gospel, times of immense blessings will flow, and then Jesus will return to receive the kingdom. A self-assessed optimism of the future marks this view.

In contrast to postmillennialism, premillennialism teaches that the coming of Christ must precede the establishment of a peaceful earthly kingdom. When Christ comes, he himself will establish a thousand-year reign (millennium) on the Earth.

There are many ways to assess the theology of postmillennialism. For example, one could analyze the postmillennial presentation of the evidence and see if it does justice to the biblical texts. A recent (and in-depth) treatment of postmillennial proof texts (such as Matthew 28, 1 Corinthians 15, etc.) is found in a recent article by Jeremy Sexton. Articles like Sexton’s can be helpful in working through multiple texts in detail, but I want to zero in on one particular passage which gives a chronological problem to postmillennialism.

Acts 3:21 gives what I think is an insurmountable problem to postmillennialism. At the same time, this key text provides confirmation of the Old Testament expectation of a kingdom for Israel when the Messiah returns.

The Chronological Sequence of Acts 3:21

[19] Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, [20] that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus, [21] whom heaven must receive until the time for restoring all the things about which God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets long ago.

Acts 3:19-21

Notice that when Peter is talking to his brethren, the Jewish populace of Jerusalem, he states unequivocally that Jesus must stay in heaven until the time for restoring all things. According to a postmillennial viewpoint, Jesus is currently restoring all things, and Jesus comes back at the very end. But Peter couldn’t be more explicit—Jesus has been received into heaven until the time for restoring all things.

What does “Until” Mean?

The word for “until” in Acts 3:21 is ἄχρι (achri), and according to one of the most extensive New Testament lexicons, BDAG, it is a “marker of continuous extent of time up to a point, until.” Here are a few of the examples of the normal function of this word using the ESV translation.

These samples are indicative of the normal use of this word which occurs 49 times in the New Testament. Although it is normally used temporally, it can also be used geographically (cf. Acts 13:6, “as far as [until] Paphos”) and occasionally to refer to the extent of something (cf. Rev 2:10, “Be faithful unto [until] death”).

Of special interest is the similarity between Acts 3:21 and Revelation 20:3.

Both Acts 3:21 and Revelation 20:3 give eschatological temporal sequences. Acts 3:21 says that the Messiah is in heaven until the time comes for restoration. Revelation 20:3 says that Satan must be bound until the thousand years of Revelation 20 are ended. Both give an initial situation which lasts until another event (at which time the previous situation ends and a new phase begins).

The implication of Acts 3:21 seems rather obvious. Heaven “must receive” the Messiah until the time for restoring all things comes!

What Did Peter Mean by “the Time for Restoring All Things”?

Peter speaks here in Acts 3:21 about the establishment of the kingdom for Israel. How do we know that? Two lines of evidence are sufficient to establish this point.

First, Peter tells us that the times of restoration were spoken of by the prophets in the Old Testament. This phrase, “the mouth of the holy prophets” is actually unique and shows up only here and in Luke 1:70. This section of Luke (vv. 68-75) is worth quoting in full.

      Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,
      for he has visited and redeemed his people
      and has raised up a horn of salvation for us
      in the house of his servant David,
      as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old,
      that we should be saved from our enemies
      and from the hand of all who hate us;
      to show the mercy promised to our fathers
      and to remember his holy covenant,
      the oath that he swore to our father Abraham, to grant us
      that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies,
      might serve him without fear,
      in holiness and righteousness before him all our days

Luke 1:68-75

Note that the exact same phrase is used in this text, and the content of what the prophets talked about is specifically detailed as follows:

• “That we should be saved from our enemies…”
• “To show the mercy promised to our fathers”
• “To remember his holy covenant, the oath that he swore to our father Abraham”
• “To grant us that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him all our days”

These statements give us content as to what the prophets of the Old Testament expected. These statements are also recorded by the same author of Acts 3:21. These phrases match well with the words of the Old Testament prophets themselves, which indicate a restoration of Israel in accordance with the Abrahamic covenant, and a revival of Israel’s kingdom in accordance with the Davidic and New covenants (cf. Amos 9:14; Ezek 37:21-22; 39:25; Hos 3:5; Zech 14; etc.).

Because Peter explicitly states that his message is in accordance with what the holy prophets spoke about, we know these are some of the texts Peter was thinking of when he preached to the people of Israel in Acts 3:19-21.

The second line of evidence which solidifies that Peter was speaking of a restored kingdom for Israel is the connection between Acts 3:21 and Acts 1:6. Peter uses the same terminology that the disciples used in reference to the kingdom of Israel earlier in Acts 1:6.

In Acts 1:6, after having been taught about the kingdom of God for 40 days, the disciples ask, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” To think that the disciples misunderstood Jesus’s teachings on the kingdom of God for 40 days seems to presume much, because Jesus doesn’t rebuke the disciples’ question. He simply says it is not for them to know the Father’s times and seasons.

Later on, in Acts 3:21, Luke records Peter using the same vocabulary. He uses the times (χρόνος/chronos) and restoration (which is the noun form in Acts 3:21 and verb form in Acts 1:6). Clearly these passages are referencing the same subject, and it is unlikely that Luke expected his readers to understand Acts 3:21 differently than Acts 1:6.

In Acts 1:6 the disciples expected Jesus to restore the kingdom to Israel as the Old Testament prophets prophesied. Jesus said, in effect, “Not yet.” In Acts 3:21, Peter mentions that heaven “must receive” the Messiah until that time of restoration.

Putting it All Together

Postmillennialism teaches that the kingdom is here and now, and that the restoration is in progress and will continue to near perfection prior to the Messiah’s arrival. Acts 3:21 seems to directly contradict that idea. Heaven “must receive” the Messiah until the time for restoration. In other words, the restoration awaits the Messiah’s arrival. What restoration is that? It is exactly what the Old Testament prophets foretold. Contrary to the postmillennial belief of slow and steady progression, the times of restoration will begin when the Messiah arrives from heaven.

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