Roni’s Reviews > Christ's Prophetic Plans: A Futuristic Premillennial Primer > Status Update

10. How Certain is Futuristic Premillennialism?

Harold Camping, Hal Lindsey & RC Sproul all guilty of date setting; neither prophets nor the early church needed to know the time and day—Jesus and Paul taught futility of these efforts; certainty: of fact, of relative timing, of Satan’s eternal doom, all unbelievers’ eternal judgement, eternity future for believers new heaven & new earth; prophetic certainties

9. Did the Early Church Believe in a Literal Millennial Kingdom?

scholars agree about the prominence of premil view of early church: Papias, Justin in Dialogue with Trypho the Jew; Irenaeus, Tertullian, Lactantius; opposition from Alexandria; Platonic dualism, allegorical hermeneutics, & a growing opposition to unbelieving Jews were factors; Augustine popularized Amillennialism as de facto position in Middle Ages

8. Does the NT Reject Futuristic Premillennialism?

interpretive negligence: reading NT into the OT results in an eschatology that fits predetermined theology; OT prophecies cannot be conditional in light of divine election; Jews took the OT prophecies literally & expected a future Messianic kingdom; silence about any premil controversy; did Jesus, Peter, Paul or John reject futuristic premillennialism?; conclusion

7. Does Calvinism Lead to Futuristic Premillennialism?

Reformed hermeneutic was always a literal hermeneutic; Calvin himself championed a literal hermeneutic & aggressively opposed allegoric interpretation except for eschatology (!) and thus inconsistent himself in its application; eschatology & the doctrine of election (promises of God cannot be annulled by disobedience of men!); is the church the same as Israel?

6. People What About Revelation 20?

events in vision occur in same order as written; timing of Satan’s binding (and location!); nature of 1st resurrection—physical, progress of revelation with future resurrection; duration of thousand years (3?s if should be interpreted symbolically); chronology of John’s visions Rev 12 (heaven to earth), 20 (earth to abyss); points to a chronological reading of Rev 19 & 20

5. What About Israel?

‘nations’; “salvific unity that all believers experience in Christ in no way rules out God’s future dealings with nations including Israel”; unity & diversity in harmony; both OT & NT affirm a future for nations; Israel as means for worldwide blessings; OT: Deut 28-29, Ezek 36, Jer 30, Joel3, Zeph 3, Isaiah 49; NT: Matt 19, Luke 13, Rom 9-11, Rev 7, 21; “May it never be” Rom 11:1

4. Why a Pretribulation Rapture?

flaws observed on all sides of rapture debate; what does “rapture” mean; will there be a future rapture?; partial or full?; pre,mid or post and reasons why; John 14:1-3 & 1 Thes 4 parallels as well as 1 Cor 15 & Mat 24,25 nature of events; Rev 3:10 and 1 Thes 1:10; answers to difficult questions (day of the Lord, “two” second comings?, Rev 6-19, trumpets, 1st resurrection

3. Why Futuristic Premillennialism?

4 basic views; puzzle pieces analogy: consistent hermeneutic (grammatical-historical), impartial exegesis, God’s unconditional covenants & uncompromising promises (nature of God & truth); Israel’s preservation, exclusivity, fixed identity & Christ’s coming and reigning sequence (OT & NT); 4 corner and 4 border pieces of prophetic puzzle significantly shape pattern of events

1. What is Dispensationalism?

Dispensationalists “want to say no more and no less than what the Bible reports”; recent background (Charles Ryrie, John Feinberg, Blaising & Bock) and progressive dispensationalism; uniqueness of the church; rejects replacement theology; approach to hermeneutics & testament priority; six essential beliefs of dispensationalism & examples

Introduction: Why Study Prophecy?

reasons to study prophecy and not treat it as optional; Scriptural content of prophecies; Scriptural commands and commendations; Scriptural consequences (life benefits and spiritual blessings); Scriptural confidence