Premillennialism, Postmillennialism, and the Second Great Awakening

http://www.johnreilly.info/arg.htm ^ | John J. Reilly

[Lexinom]

I think the differences between amil and postmil are minimal, substantially Matt. 24 and Dan. 9. Mostly they are a matter of degree and how much optimism to place in this world vs. the world to come. Usually I stand with the postmils of the Puritan strain though I myself am amillennial. It's not really worth fighting over since the Puritans bore the fruit of the spirit, understood that this life is a veil of tears in which we carry a cross, and led godly lives that were used of God for marvelous works like The Great Awakening. IOW their optimism for this world did not give them a presumption about their own status which might have led to an abandonment of piety.

Some postmils are rather odd in their views of the Kingdom of God, and where their views on other things are driven by their this-worldly conquering eschatology to affect my own denomination in every-day, practical ways, I must oppose them.

[Lexinom]

FWIW It was Dr. Riddlebarger's The Reformed Tradition that brought me to Calvinism.

[siunevada]

"I would love to read a good primer/defense of the amillennial position"

How about something you can peruse on line? I can't vouch for it but this looks like a possible candidate:

http://www.prca.org/articles/amillennialism.html

In a series of editorials in the Standard Bearer from April 1, 1995 through December 15, 1996, Prof. David J. Engelsma presents a defense of Amillennialism against Postmillennialism.

[Lexinom]

I sent a PM to Alex Murphy with that exact link. The article is a polemic against Reconstructionism, though, and says only a little about premillennialism. It is polemical in nature, but still profitable. Dr. Riddlebarger's work is probably a much better positive outline of realized eschatology.

[onedoug]

Better: Guillermo Gonzalez & Jay W Richards, The Privileged Planet

[Gamecock]

I haven't heard of that one. Have you ever heard him on the White Horse Inn?

Note to self: add to my Amazon.com wish list...

[Lexinom]

It's an audio tape series. The White Horse Inn is where I began learning about historic Protestantism.

[Biblical Calvinist]

The White Horse Inn is one of the finest radio programs, isn't it? I've been listening to Dr. Michael Horton and Dr. Kim Riddlebarger for more than 10 years, and I must say; I've learned so much from them!~ Sure, I don't agree with everything they say, but who agrees with everything that anyone may say? All in all, though; The White Horse Inn (Go to http://www.oneplace.com/Ministries/The_White_Horse_Inn/) is one of the best Radio Ministries on the air today.

[Steel-toed-Consevative]

Good stuff for thought! Lindsay has been riding his successful 1st book for decades. He once had a newsletter that purported to chronicle weekly events in prophesy. I'll never forget his 1984 "Grand Alignment of Planets" scenario as a sign that the tribulation would soon begin. That was when I pretty much stopped paying attention to Hal. I also recall when Van Impe was finding prophesy of a great conflict between the Eagle and the Bear in the early '70s (prior to TLGPE).

[Alex Murphy]

Lindsay has been riding his successful 1st book for decades. He once had a newsletter that purported to chronicle weekly events in prophesy. I'll never forget his 1984 "Grand Alignment of Planets" scenario as a sign that the tribulation would soon begin.

More than a biblical generation has passed since Israel was "restored" in 1948. Either the biblical length of a "generation" is greater than 58 years and growing (assuming Pretrib rapture, 65+ years if Posttrib), or else Hal Lindsey and co. have badly misjudged which prophetic time period we're living in, and thus badly misunderstood Matthew 24:34. .

And since Hal's using a new formula to predict the Second Coming now, I guess Hal's admitting to one or the other.