Tag: dispensational

Four Millennial Views Explained: A Helpful & Free E-Book on Eschatology

~ Bob Hayton ~ 5 Comments

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]

“Commonly Misunderstood Bible Verses” by Ron Rhodes

~ Bob Hayton

CommonlymisunderstoodAuthor: Ron Rhodes
Publisher: Harvest House
Format: Softcover
Publication Date: 2008
Pages: 299
ISBN: 9780736921756
Stars: 3 of 5

The Bible covers a lot of ground in 66 books. Written over a period of 1600 years, in a variety of genres by multiple human authors, its readers have often puzzled over its meaning in any number of places within its pages. Ron Rhodes is here to help, with his book Commonly Misunderstood Bible Verses: Clear Explanations for the Difficult Passages.

Commonly Misunderstood Bible Verses is a mini-commentary covering the entire Bible. It tries to focus on just the sorts of questions the average church-goer would have. The questions are even pulled from Rhodes’ own ministry experience as a traveling speaker. Rhodes does an excellent job of providing succinct and simple answer to most of them.

This book can’t cover every issue or every question, but the following list provides a sampling of the sorts of points that are covered in this nice little volume.

  • Are the 6 days of Creation 24 hour days?
  • What was the mark of Cain?
  • Who is the “angel of the Lord” ?
  • How can capital punishment be justified in light of God’s command to not murder?
  • Should Christians worship on Saturday (the Sabbath) or Sunday?
  • What does it mean when the Bible says God “repents” ?
  • Is Proverbs 22:6 a promise or a principle regarding raising our children?
  • What is the new covenant?
  • What is the abomination that causes desolation?
  • Is it wrong to take oaths?
  • Did Jesus really die on Friday?
  • Is baptism necessary for salvation?
  • Are Christians required to evangelize going house-to-house (or door-to-door)?
  • Does God have blood?
  • Should I be seeking the gift of tongues?
  • What is “baptism for the dead” ?
  • Are Christians permitted to drink wine?
  • Does the Bible condone slavery?
  • In Tit. 2:13, is Jesus called “God” ?
  • Can a Christian skip church?
  • Is James really teaching a person is justified by works?
  • How are the elect chosen by God?
  • Why are Dan and Ephraim excluded from the list of tribes in Rev. 7?
  • If Jesus is the beginning of God’s creation, is He then a created being?
  • What is Armageddon?

Not everyone puzzles over each question, nor are they equally important. But this is just a smattering of the kinds of issues addressed in Rhodes’ book. The book is arranged by Scripture reference, so it can be a handy companion to your personal Bible study. If you are in a passage and have a question or can’t understand a verse, try out this book. If your verse isn’t listed in the book, check the topical index, in case the question is still answered by the book.

Rhodes’ approach seems to be from a conservative, dispensational, creationist position. He will address alternate views often, and tries to be fair to other interpretive viewpoints, but the book is clearly biased by his own theological perspective. Then again, which book written by a human author isn’t? Sometimes his answers are given as his personal perspective, as in his treatment of the tongues’ question. He lists his reasons for believing tongues have ceased. Other times, as with the question of the “baptism for the dead” , he is content to give a few positions and not really come down on any one view. With other questions, he presents another view and then details problems with that view. Occasionally, he just gives his own perspective and doesn’t discuss an alternate view. On a few points, he is very careful in laying out a systematic case for his view, as in his discussion of the differing positions on election (he prefers the Calvinistic position).

Some of Rhodes’ questions would only come from a conservative evangelical or even a fundamentalist perspective. That makes the book perhaps more useful to these readers. He explains how Prov. 22:6 isn’t a guarantee that one’s children will automatically turn out right if we just do the right thing as parents. He shows how “house to house” was a description of teaching being done from home-group to home-group, not a prescribed method for evangelizing. He discusses that the Bible permits moderate drinking, but holds that wine in Bible times was weaker than it is today.

Sometimes I found myself upset with the simplicity of the answers. Other times I was impressed. For someone who is aware of all the above points of controversy, the book may not be as useful. But for many Christians, it will be a great tool for help in understanding Scripture more. So I’m happy to recommend the book.

Disclaimer: this book was provided by the publisher for review. The reviewer was under no obligation to provide a positive review.

This book is available for purchase at the following sites: Amazon.com or direct from Harvest House.