Sunday, January 11, 2009

Cut to the Chase, Please

How are Postmillennialism and Partial Preterism different? How does Optimistic Amillennism that Earl subscribes to relate to this study? Or is Earl Eclectic or Ambivalent Eclectic? Maybe the answer is in an earlier posting, but at this point can we cut to the chase, simplify, give our “aha” moments in the pursuit of this topic? What is learned from each of the men that you, Bill and Earl, quote? Kindly give me the “aha”. Thanks.
Posted by Carol Noren Johnson at 5:23 AM

6 comments:

  1. WILLIAM (BILL) EARL SULLIVANJanuary 11, 2009 at 9:21 AM

    New Kidd,

    Amillennialism is postmil when it comes to timing. But as to nature or character, Amil is spiritual (internal) and heavenly whereas postmil adds an external dimension involving the fulfillment of the Great Commission (in heaven and on earth). This needs more explanation, I'm sure. Dr. Bahnsen deals with this in Lectures 2 and 3 of the series I am now describing. Also, Dr. Kenneth Gentry's book, "The Greatness of the Great Commission" describes the postmillennial understanding of the scope of Christ's commission to His church. I will be addressing that later in the blog also.

    Bill

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  2. Earl FlaskJanuary 11, 2009 at 2:54 PM

    I wouldn't say that amil is internal. It is sometimes presented that way, and often characterized that way by others, but not so by Anthony Hoekema in his book, The Bible and the Future, nor by Kim Riddlebarger, Vern Poythress, and Beale.

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  3. WILLIAM (BILL) EARL SULLIVANJanuary 11, 2009 at 4:59 PM

    Earl,

    Would you agree that the amil position does not see a promise in Scripture that Christ's kingdom will be victorious in history, whereas the postmil position does?

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  4. Earl FlaskJanuary 11, 2009 at 11:44 PM

    Bill,

    It depends on how you see Scripture in the kinds of victorious.

    I see Christ's kingdom has been victorious in history in some examples:
    1. The gospel going throughout the entire world. There will be a vast multitude of the redeemed from every tribe and nation that cannot be counted.
    2. Elimination of the slave trade.
    3. Advances in medicine and healing.
    4. Advances in understanding science to the glory of God -- seeing ever stronger evidence of God's fingerprint in nature.

    If I spend more time, I could come up with dozens of other things in how God's kingdom has advanced.

    We also live in the tribulation that spans from Christ's first advent to his second coming. Examples of the tribulation reoccurring in history:
    1. Fall of Jerusalem.
    2. Roman persecution of Christians.
    3. Persecution of Christians under Islam since Mohammad to now.
    4. The Roman Church and Papist persecution of Reformational Christians during the Reformation and beyond.
    5. Persecution of Christians under Hitler, Stalin, Communism (yet the striking triumph of the church in persecution).

    How do you see it differently from me?

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  5. Earl FlaskJanuary 12, 2009 at 12:28 AM

    Oops, I don't proofread the previous comment.

    Bill,

    One difference between some Postmillennialists and Amillennialists is that some Postmillennialists think that evil will become neglegable just before Christ's return while Amillennialists believe evil will continue and possibly intensify. Do you view that evil will become neglegable? Anthony Hoekema (an Amillenialist) claims that is the view of Postmillennialism -- but I think that might be a straw man created on the Amillennialist side speaking against Postmillennialism.

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  6. Carol Noren JohnsonJanuary 13, 2009 at 5:22 AM

    Dr. Gentry has a comment on the term "Optomistic Amillennism" in one of his Internet sites: http://goodbirthministries.com/QA_Optimistic-Amillennialist.php and that is an "aha" moment for me.

    ReplyDelete

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