Month: <span>March 2005</span>

General

Not quite antidisestablishmentarianism, but probably more complicated!

I’ve been thinking for some time about the evangelical mania for premillenial dispensationalism. The frenzy over the Left Behind series of books left me cold. I can’t get around the fact that Jesus spoke of His return in terms of a global event, seen by all at which those who belong are caught up to meet Him in the air. I can’t reconcile this with the concept of a secret rapture.

I recently wrote in my devotions: “Can Israel still claim the land as God given? … I’m not convinced that the O.T. promises point to an ultimate physical Israeli conquest and utopian state.”

When I saw Kim Riddlebarger’s book A Case for Amillenialism on the bookshelf of our local Christian bookshop I made a purchase. What an encouragement! It is already tying up all the loose ends of questions about the premillenial position and reassuring me that what I have long believed is actually in the even longer tradition of Reformed belief.

I haven’t yet finished the book, but am eagerly working my way through it. More on this later, no doubt.

General