A Case For Amillennialism-?

[RamistThomist]

I'm just finishing up the book. I liked it, but was disappointed, at some points, that there was not more effort at detailed exegesis. Also, it seemed like much of the exegetical work offered was simply referenced from other works like Hoekema, Kline, etc.
I especially appreciated the chapter on the Olivet Discourse. This section of Scripture is one that I always felt like dispensationalists had to really "read into" to make it fit (I say that as one just "coming out of" dispensational thinking myself). At the same time, I've not been satisfied with the full preterist interpretation. I think Riddlebarger has a very solid and balanced understanding of these passages, taking a good bit of his material from D.A. Carson's commentary on Matt.
I can't say that this book has convinced me, but it has helped me understand some of the strengths of the amil. position and to face the inherent problems with premil.

Johnny Mac has a book just about the Olivet Discourse. While it's not the kind of book that I think would change anyone's mind and turn 'em Premil, he does clear up a lot of tricky passages in Matt.

Also, isn't D.A. Carson Premil?

Yes. The Evangelical Free Church demands it.

 

[Zadok]

There are series of mp3 lectures by Riddlebarger on Amillennialism and Eschatology at:

Christ Reformed Info - MP3's and Real Audio (of Academy Lectures)

And off topic, he also has a series on the New Perspective

 

[ModernPuritan?]

seems to me that Christians for the past 2,000 years have been shot, burned alive, tortured, used as living torches and such. even today people die for the sake of Christ and his kirk. I should think that the whole tribulation will be just as widespread as it was in rome, and no more fatal or troubling to Christians.

 

[danmpem]

seems to me that Christians for the past 2,000 years have been shot, burned alive, tortured, used as living torches and such. even today people die for the sake of Christ and his kirk. I should think that the whole tribulation will be just as widespread as it was in rome, and no more fatal or troubling to Christians.

From what I understand, those who teach of the rapture teach that the rapture is a time of the absolute worst judgment of God ever brought upon the earth, as opposed to the last 2,000-10,000+ years which have been the result of original sin.

 

[tdowns]

Historicism....

That's where it's at! This week anyway...I'm reading up on it now, very interesting...

Welcome to the Web Site of the Historicism Research Foundation.

What is Historicism?
If you are like many Christians, you probably have never heard of this method of interpreting Biblical prophecy. Historicism is unlike Preterism, which teaches that most of prophecy has been fulfilled in the past. It also differs from Futurism, which teaches that prophecy will only be fulfilled at some future date. In brief, Historicism teaches that biblical predictions are being fulfilled throughout history and continue to be fulfilled today. The Book of Revelation is a pre-written history of the Church from the time of its writing to the future Second Advent of Christ, which shall usher in the new heaven and new earth.

Preterism has little to say to us today since it inteprets predictions as mostly fulfilled. Futurism is beyond the Church, because most Futurists believe that a secret rapture will remove the Church from the world. However, if the Bible and Revelation speak to the Church in ALL ages (as Historicism teaches), it is of great importance that we listen.

 

[ModernPuritan?]

The Sacrifices will be reinstituted but they wont have any expeateing. Power it will be much as Christians now look upon the Lord's supper.

The ceremonial system was a shadow of Christ, why would we return to the shadows when we now have the reality?

they were done originally to look to Christ, the understanding is that those would be done simply to point back to Christ as a more visible reminder than the Lords supper.

 

[tcalbrecht]

The Sacrifices will be reinstituted but they wont have any expeateing. Power it will be much as Christians now look upon the Lord's supper.

The ceremonial system was a shadow of Christ, why would we return to the shadows when we now have the reality?

they were done originally to look to Christ, the understanding is that those would be done simply to point back to Christ as a more visible reminder than the Lords supper.

It seems in order to support that argument you need to spiritualize all the references in Ezekiel 40-48 to the blood sacrifices as a sin offering (cf. 40:39; 43:18-27; 44:9-11, 13-15).

If you can reinterpret those references, then certainly you can interpret the entire vision to be representative of Christ's sacrifice and present millennial reign instead of something literally on the earth around a literal temple after Chrtist's second coming.

Why do we need a more visible reminder than the Lord's Supper esp. if Christ is physcailly present an one may examine His wounds?

I must admit that many of these notions about what will be taking place by whom and where during the earthly meillennial reign never made any sense to me when I was a futurist.

 

[DavidGGraves]

To the original question:

I am currently reading it after having listened to the academy lectures on the web. It made me admit to myself that although I have called myself historical-premil for the last few years, in point of fact apparently I am amil.

As to the question on the sacrifices in millennium, as Riddelbarger quotes Dwight Pentecost in this regard, they are memorials. I think that it is linked to a purely memorialist view of the sacraments found among many dispensationalists. So while I find the issue highly problematic, let us not impute to them the charge of not relying on the sufficiency of Christ. For we must remember that the early church including Paul still spent time in the Herod's Temple and Paul even made purificatory sacrifices. So let us not impute to our discussion partners something that they have not said before interacting with their position, a courtesy, that I hope they will extend to us, as as has heretofore been the tenor of this discussion.