I’m never one to turn down a chance to open the proverbial “can of worms”. I’ve gotten myself in heaps of trouble on my blog and elsewhere over the years. (In fact I started a group blog on KJV Onlyism, so you know I have no sense left in me!) So, on the heels of my recent post, “Doctrinal Disagreement (on Secondary Matters): Just a Teaching Issue“, I thought it might be good to test the waters with a post on eschatology.
I recently came across an excellent e-book explaining the four primary millennial views (yes there are four) that was a joy to read. Even if I didn’t lean amillennial, I think I would have appreciated the clarity with which Dr. David Murray, professor of Old Testament and Practical Theology at Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary (Grand Rapids, MI) explained the four positions: amillennialism, postmillennialism, historic premillennialism, and dispensational premillennialism. The freely available e-book (download it as a .pdf or view it at Scribd), is laid out in a question and answer format complete with pictures — helpful pictures (there’s not many diagrams or end-times charts, unfortunately 😉 ).
This little book (57 pages but much shorter if you took out the pictures and repetition) is well worth your time, if only to help you see where the areas of disagreement are. Knowing where we disagree will highlight how much we really do agree about. Knowing why others hold to their views also allows us to see that our opponents may just revere the Bible and love Christ as much as we do.
I wish end-times theology wasn’t so divisive. In reading through this, I was reminded afresh of the focus believers need to maintain on both this present earth, and Christ’s grand accomplishment which transforms our entire experience as well as on the future hope we have laid up for us in heaven, which will be realized with the re-creation of everything into a new heaven and new earth. Surely we can all agree on that.
I encourage you to give this little primer a read through. Then feel free to speak up for your view of choice in the comments. I want to close with a passage that was referenced all throughout the paper and which seems appropriate here:
Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. (2 Pet. 3:11-13 ESV)
Dr. Murray has additional resources at his blog, such as animated time-lines of the various viewpoints (and wow does this fellow have an accent!). Don’t forget to feel free to dig in to the can of worms in the comments section below!
[HT: Nathan Bingham]
I really like to read this type of information, mostly because I really want to know what others believe and what they base their conclusions on. While I am a continual (cover to cover) Bible reader I still find many places that give me pause, which I simply read across and let them be as I don’t really have an actual position…such as the passage you left us with. I just take the holiness and godliness portion and leave the rest for a day when it doesn’t hurt my brain…*; )
I hear ya, Nancy. I remember how blessed I was by learning why Presbyterians baptize babies. I don’t agree with that position, but once I actually understood their arguments, I was able to respect them and their view much more. Sometimes we do have to take our doctrinal stances without as much dogmatism — a little humility never hurts.
I’ve heard the following attributed to R.C. Sproul: “When it comes to eschatology, I land like a butterfly with sore feet.” (referring to which position he lands on)
Blessings in Christ,
Bob
R.C. Sproul has some of the best quotes ever!
When I first got saved I heavily favored Dispensational Premillennialism mostly because John MacArthur and his book Charismatic Chaos got me out of The Mormons and I knew nothing other then Premillennialism. I now favor a Preterist Amil position because it does less violence in my opinion to the text of Revelation however I interpret The Millenium as The Intermediate state not the entire Church Age. I favor B. B. Warfield’s interpretation of Revelation 20 but rejecthis Postmil view and favor Turretin’s Pessimism
Thanks for jumping on over here, Aaron. Preterism seems to be too non-literal in several points to me. Sam Storms sees the millennium as being the intermediate state of believers before the resurrection, too.