A Nice Review of A Case for Amillennialism

My friend, Roger Overton (over at the A-Team blog), has posted a nice review of A Case for Amillennialism.

The review can be found here: Click here: The A-Team Blog :: Main Page

You can check the book out on Amazon and read some of the reviews: Click here: Amazon.com: A Case for Amillennialism: Understanding the End Times: Books: Kim Riddlebarger

Comments

[Wayne Rohde]

Thanks to Kim's reminder about the reviews of "Case" at Amazon.com, I had a good chuckle today at the expense of the "reviewers" who so mercilessly attacked Kim's book.

It looks to me like these grousers couldn't spell, write, or engage in sane exegeis or theology ... even if you gave them 1000 years to do so!

Then again, what do I know? I'm an amillennialist! After all, since being a dispensational premillennialist for 35 years, I switched to the amil position solely in order to embrace an inferior position... (Sarcasm intended.)

(And what's with the suggestion to compare Kim's volume with Walvoord's "Millennial Kingdom"??? All I can say is, "For anyone who wants a really good laugh, go ahead and read both. MAKE KIM'S DAY!!! There's no doubt that Walvoord sincerely and passionately argued the premil case, but oh what miserable logic!")

[Wayne Rohde]

I knew I'd spell something wrong. I just hope that my "exegeis" is better than my spelling! Let's hear it for "exegesis," not "eisegesis!"

(Hey, I'm getting old ... I wear reading glasses ... they have smudges on them ... help!!! Aha!!! Just another reason to look forward to the second advent, when this age gives way to the age to come!!!)

[Tyler]

I WILL be buying this book. And then after I buy it, I'll take it home, and then I'll read it.

[Robin]

Hey Pastor Kim, a theonomist recently chewed me out for agreeing with Amillennialism AND studying/using Francis Schaeffer's apologetics. He said I was being "inconsistent."

Life has gotten so complicated since I began studying with you.

Drama; intrigue; perilious duels; narrow escapes.

I wouldn't trade it for the world!

[Jeff Downs]

I'm just grateful I was able to pick up Kim's book from Ollie's Bargin Outlet for $3.99 and hope someday to be able to do that with "The Man of Sin."

If you people lived on the Eastcoast, you too could receive great deals such a this.

[Denise M.]

This book along with Hoekema's "The Bible and the Future" completely changed my view on end times hermeneutics. It's well worth the money!

[Ivan]

What?
You mean you people don't believe in a literal interpretaion of the Bible?

Anyone knows the plain sense of the text is enough,
For example anyone knows when reading Revelation chapter one that:
Jesus is walking around today in a robe reaching down to his feet,
There's a golden sash around his chest,
He has white hair
His eyes are like bronze
And his toungue is like a double-edged sword,
His face is like the sun shining in all it brilliance,
And he holds two keys: one for death and one for hades.

Just read the plain sense, the common sense of the passage.

You liberals!

:)

[Tyler]

Yes, completely ignoring a sense of metaphor and imagery in certain passages in the Bible is THEE best way to go. ;)

[David]

Brothers and sisters,

I find this might be a good time to ask a quick question about amillennialism and eschatology in general.

I am aware that this landscape has generally been divided into three camps: premillennial, postmillennial, and amllennial. I myself generally fall into the amillennial side as agreeing most clearly with Scripture and tradition.

However, I was wondering (as I have not read on these matters in some time) if there is perhaps a way to combine the optimism of the (non-theonomic) postmillennial schema with an amillennial understanding of Sacred Scripture and eschatology? I have heard of a position called, "optimistic amillennialism" but am not aware of any formalised position which would see a great revival of Christianity throughout the world (perhaps before a great apostasy) which would occur but which would not be co-terminous with a millennium. If you guys could offer any articles, books, etc. about such a position that would be awesome, as a such a position sounds rather attractive to me. Thank you. Pax Christi vobiscum!

His unworthy servant,
David

[Robin]

David, I know no formal position of "optimistic" amillennialism because the truth is amillennarians ARE optimistic! (I know I am.) The assumption of pessimissm gets unjustly plied - an unfortunate misunderstanding.

Our optimism looks to Scripture's declaration that The Gospel will succeed to the ends of the earth -- especially within the Great Apostasy. We enthusiastically say "Amen" to that. The outworking of that fact and what it looks like is what Postmill's disagree with us on.

Bottom line, the New Testament teaches the Gospel extends to all parts of the earth while clearly not teaching Christ arriving to a "golden age" or a "saved" earth. As always, Christ will arrive just in the nick of time to save the earth when things are bad.

Since the last days have been in operation from the first century, the Lord's Second Advent could happen at any moment. Kim's "Man of Sin" book clarifies why, as all the required items have been met, since 70 AD.

Btw, I'm glad the Bible speaks of the Gospel succeeding and NOT terming it as "revival." That word can mean anything these days. Hooboy, you'd never know what to think if that's the way to measure things. Rather, understanding the True Gospel and it's growth in the hearts and minds of people is more reliable - bound to God's clear Word. How solid is our optimism? As sure as Christ's oath to build his church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it!

[Wayne Rohde]

David, I agree with Robin. There is indeed an optimistic aspect of the amillennial view. Several amillenarians, including Kim Riddlebarger (check out his short summaries, posted at his Web site and elsewhere) and others (e.g., Grenz, Hoekema, Venema, Strimple, Waldron, et al), have referred to this as "realism."

On the one hand, there's reason (good reason!) for optimism: God's Word will succeed in the matter for which He sent it, so the gospel will be successful; furthermore, Jesus will come, and this age will give way to the age to come, etc. However, at one and the same time, the tares grow among the wheat, moral decay is all around us, etc. And these things will not be rectified in a conjectured golden age utopia prior to the parousia (contra postmillenarians), nor will they be rectified in a conjectured golden age utopia after the parousia but prior to the arrival of the new heavens and earth (contra premillenarians, with their millennium between the end of this age and the beginning of the age to come).

So (as I see it) amillennialism is a system that not only gets end times events right; it also gets the "spiritual temperature" relative to optimism and pessimism right. Really!