Tonight's Academy Lecture -- Amillennialism 101

Tonight, I'm wrapping up this session of my series "Amillennialism 101."  The lecture will be entitled, "The Two Age Model and New Testament Parallels."

The lecture begins @ 7:30 PM, is free of charge, and will be followed by a time for questions and refreshments.

I'm utilizing my two books on eschatology, A Case for Amillennialism (Baker, 2003), and The Man of Sin (Baker, 2006).

Comments

[Sincere guy]

Dr. Riddlebarger.. Your series so far is so extremely helpful to me. It really makes a whole lot of sense. I am a pastor sraised as you were in pre-mill doctrine, but realised some time back that there were severe biblical and theological problems with it. You have described the very same problems that I had with it. Your series has brought me just about all the way from being firmly planted in mid air to seeing the sanity and scriptural basis of the amill position. I wish I could be with you tonight.. I would as you about Ezekiel's Temple (chapters 40-48) - I know that if this were to be interpreted as a literal Temple built in the future, the sacrificial offerings would amount to blasphemy as Christ's finished work has already met every need and the Lord's Supper already points us backwards to remember the finished work of Christ - so there is no need for further sacrifice, especially any that God would sanction.. but, why is there just SO MANY DETAILS about the construction of the Temple?? - if God never intended this thing to ever be built, please excuse me for saying this, it just seems like an aweful waste of (sacred) space in the Bible if it was only ever to be a picture of Christ.. How does the details about walls and panels and the exact measurements presented help me see Christ more clearly?

[Titus]

The Q&A time at the end of these lectures -- you should answer blog and email questions!

I've listened to "Interpreting Bible Prophecy" MP3 part 1 and 2, as well as read chapter 3 "How Do We Interpret Bible Prophecy" (A Case for Amill.). Of all of the teachings, I'm having the hardest time with Prophetic Perspective. Regarding this, I have two questions (though the answer could easily be one):

(1) In Prophetic Perspective it seems that we have the hermeneutical ability to consider a passage of scripture as partially fulfilled with the remaining portion to be fulfilled at a later time. When we come to NT teaching about things like the judgment of the just and unjust happening at the same time, why can we not use 'Prophetic Perspective' with those teachings as well, implying that the judgement of the just happens and then the judgement of the unjust is a separate event in the fugure? If we are to embrace Prophetic Perspective for OT prophecy, why does it not apply forward to gospel or epistle teaching?

(2) In a more general sense, what framework or guidelines subjugate the use of Prophetic Perspective? It seems as though it's slippery slope to bad interpretations of prophecy if it is not governed by some standard. I'm warry of any theology which puts the interpretive compass of the Bible in the hands of men. How is this to be properly accounted for?

[Matthew]

Hi Sincere Guy,

I would strongly recommend Dr. GK Beale's Book "The Temple and the Church's Mission: A Biblical Theology of the Dwelling Place of God"
(http://www.amazon.com/Temple-Churchs-Mission-Biblical-Theology/dp/0830826181/ref=pd_bbs_sr_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1200512219&sr=8-3) It is extremely helpful in developing the need and importance of the temple imagery in the OT.

[Sincere guy]

Thanks for the book recommendation, but outside of spending a lot of money on a new book and waiting weeks for its arrival and reading several hundred pages.. is there a short answer to the question about Ezekiel's Temple?

[Kim Riddlebarger]

Sincere guy:

Here you go . . .

http://kimriddlebarger.squarespace.com/the-latest-post/2008/1/16/eschatology-q-a-what-about-ezekiels-vision-of-the-temple-eze.html

[kyle]

"if God never intended this thing to ever be built, please excuse me for saying this, it just seems like an aweful waste of (sacred) space in the Bible if it was only ever to be a picture of Christ.."

Didn't Christ tell us himself that "all of the law and the prophets" are "picture of Christ?" Not a waste of space.

[James Paul]

I just want to throw my useless two cents in about Ezekiels Temple.
I'm not a theologian or even a scholar or even a well read layman.
I'm just average Joe Christian, and I'm even below average at that.
But I was raised in a dispensational, pre-mil church too and had all the problems that most other well-meaning, truth seeking believers had trying to line up scripture to support those views, rather than just taking the word of someone else.
I eventually found some teachers who were amillennial and covenant oriented who helped me to see the light.
Once i began to line it all up with scripture, all the lights came on and I "knew that I knew" that the bible was full of covenants, not dispensations.
I then understood the symbology of Revelation, and Ezekiels Temple made perfect sense as a symbolical view of the new testament Christian. Not a physical temple, but the actual believer and body of believers in the new covenant. There is still much to understand about the symbology, but thats the beauty of God's scripture---that always there is new insight as we grow in knowlege of the Lord. But it couldnt be clearer to me that its definitely imagery and symbolism describing the new covenant believers.

[plw]

Amen James Paul, we second that. Been where you've been. It is just like our Lord to save the 'right' view for last!! I guess when we learn all the wrong ones and the right one comes along, you just know that you know that 'this is it'!!