eschatology n : the branch of theology that is concerned with such
final things as death and judgment; heaven and hell; the end of the
world. In the Christian world, there are four basic doctrines or
teachings concerning the End Times. Below is a description of each.
The
Amillennial brethren are the ones who consider the 1000 year reign of
the Lord and Savior to be spiritual in nature and not literal and that
the Church will be called out in the end of the world. They hold to the
scriptures that say there is no accounting of time with God.
The
Post Tribulational group believes the Seven Year Tribulation will take
place and then the calling out (rapture) of the Church by the Lord
Jesus Christ takes place followed by a literal 1000 year reign of
Christ on this earth.
The Mid Tribulational brethren believe
that the Seven Year Tribulation takes place with the calling out
(rapture) of the Church by the Lord Jesus Christ after the first 3 1/2
years followed by a literal 1000 year reign of Christ on this earth.
Last
and the newest school of eschatological thought is the Pre Millennial
or Pre Tribulational brethren who believe the calling out (rapture) of
the Church by the Lord Jesus Christ takes place first and then a Seven
Year Tribulational Period followed by a literal 1000 year reign of
Christ on this earth. These brethren are also know as
dispensationalists.
As a young man, I was brought up in an
Amillennial church where the belief was that the church would be taken
out when God destroyed this earth to make a new Heaven and a new earth.
I had agonized for years over the order of events that were to take
place and after studying the scriptures could come to one conclusion.
Christ will not leave his bride in the path of Gods wrath.
(destruction) You see, the Lord told us there will be a great
tribulation, (Matthew:24) such as the world has never seen and the
question in my mind is would the church be here when this happened?
There
is quite a bit of controversy surrounding the millennial doctrines. The
Pre-Trib's arguing with the Posts, the Posts with the Mid's, and the
Am's with the Pre's. During the 1970's and 1980's there were many a
church split over these schools of thought. Why? Was it because people
were using their own wisdom to divide the word of God? Not all of them
can be right and the Holy Spirit didn't cause certain people to believe
one thing and some another. God is not the author of confusion and the
debate that should actually be a reasoning session continues to this
day.
Tim Davis is the webmaster for "The Old Pathways" message board which has been newly opened on the web. The url is http://101info.org/oldpath/
and it's purpose is to defend the faith and the scriptures for what
they really are which I truly believe is the truth. If you feel strong
enough in your beliefs to have them tested by Godly reason and the
scriptures, please feel free to come, make an account, and discuss the
matters. We welcome you and will treat you with kindness and respect
there.
Disclaimer: All information on this site is provided for informational purposes only! By no means is any
information presented herein intended to substitute for the advice provided to you by any health care or other professional
or organization.
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