As many of you know, for many years I have been critical of premillenial dispensationalism, the “rapture-centric” view of the end times made most popular in the Left Behind series of novels.
For a long list of reasons, I have generally held to the simpler amillenial understanding of Jesus’ Second Coming in which there is no secret rapture, no escape from tribulation, and no literal thousand year reign of Christ on earth.
I posted on it here.
But that’s changing.
After careful reflection and study of primary sources, I am now coming to believe that I Thessalonians 4:13-17 does in fact describe the exodus of the church from planet earth; that the material in Revelation 4-19 really does describe the years of tribulation with Christians absent from the scene; and that there are in a sense three Second Comings — one at the rapture, the second to establish the millenial kingdom, and the third at the end of the kingdom to inaugurate the new heavens and new earth once and for all.
As I progress in this new thinking, it will take some new training, perhaps starting with Dallas Seminary in the town where I grew up.
I’ll need a new list of theological heroes, from C.I. Scofield to John Hagee to Jimmy DeYoung and of course, Tim LaHaye himself.
Talbot Davis, Rapture-ready dispensationalist.
God works in mysterious ways, doesn’t he?
April Fools.
There are 5 comments
You had me going for a minute there! I was thinking it was time to hire JMS back on staff so you wouldn’t be so easily swayed!!! 🙂
Me too.
http://web.me.com/craigadams1/Commonplace_Holiness/Blog/Entries/2008/3/29_%E2%80%9CRapture%E2%80%9D_Theology.html
Talbot
You are really pushing your luck with your last 2 blogs!
Im glad you ask the hard questions Talbot, some churches would kick you out for saying that you were skeptical on the pre-trib rapture. But I guess theres an unpopular side of free thinking that people dont want to hear because they are too afraid to ask the question themselves. I comend anyone who, even if wrong, puts aside modern tradition seeking only truth in something. Thats dangerous Talbot, and I mean the good kind of dangerous. Sometimes we get too comfortable with the kenny G version of christianity that to dive deeper would mean we would have to change the station to rock and possibly offend someone with the music. Some people arent ready for that change. On the issue of the rapture I am right there with you. I used to believe that the rapture happened at the second coming and I am in a way still believing that, But someone told me a few things about pretrib theory and imagery from old style biblical time weddings , where the groom goes off to prepare a place for the wife and comes back for her. and now im at square one again.
OMG until I saw that April Fool’s I thought that we would have to find a new church!!!Don’t scare me like that. I almost called my dad to tell on you.