What did Edwards think about the millennium?
• Edwards held what is commonly called the ‘postmillennial’ position, meaning that he thought that the millennial reign of the saints with Christ would happen before Christ returned, and that the expanse of the church (particularly though wonderful works of God as were taking place in his lifetime through the Great Awakening) prepared the way for Christ finally to return, after this millennial glorious reign of the church, post the millennium. This is not a position that is frequently held today, and it did at times lead Edwards to make, what to us, sound like unwarranted, if understandable, statements in hope that the millennium was just around the corner because the revival seemed to be going particularly well.
