The Evangelical Universalist Forum

Eschatological View

Which eschatological view do you hold MOST to?

  • Amill
  • Dispensational Premill
  • Historic Premill
  • Postmill (sometimes called optimistic-amill)
  • Partial-Preterist
  • Full-Preterist
  • Historicist
  • Futurist
  • Panmillenialist (It’ll all pan out in the end)

0 voters

What Eschatological view do you hold? I myself am undecided between Partial-Pret and Amill. What do you guys think? Many people hold a combination of two, but try and select the most appropriate since you can only pick one for the poll.

EDIT: Historic Premill has been added & Dispensational has been made into Dispensational Premill due to an oversight.

I don’t really fit into one of those categories. I’d say the two that most represent me are partial preterist and amillenialist.

Just like me. :slight_smile: Although I lean MORE towards partial-pret.

I would be classified as a historic pre-millenialist. I am amazed that there is no category for pre-millenialism of any stripe.
A significant number of Christians are pre-millenialists.

Last time I thought about it (Does optimistic post-millennialism naturally lead to EU?) I was an optimistic post-millennialist, however, admittedly I spent less than an hour looking into it on Wikipedia, so I may well be completely wrong! :blush:

I never can keep them all straight – which is which. I believe Jesus is coming soon. Beyond that, I dunno. :wink:

Yeah, sorry about that. I actually had intended to put on Historic Pre-Mill. Regarding how significant of a population is Premill of some sort, I admit my poll is certainly off. I assure you it was not my intention to leave that position off. I ask forgiveness as I am not so used to making polls on any forum. The appropriate changes have been made.

After decades of looking at practically every perspective and angle I could think of, I am almost embarrased to admit that I am now clueless as to whether (or when) Jesus will return. I believe the kingdom is at hand, in the sense that it is near to us, within our grasp; I’m just not sure about how prophecies, especially Messianic ones, fit into the future of mankind.

David

At this point for me, it basically comes down to one of two options. Either he is coming again at some point in the future in person as a distinctly identifiable individual, or he is coming as a manifestation via the true Sons, if indeed the second coming was not at pentecost, and hence already “past”.

Melchizedek, I can relate. For the most part, I lean toward the perspective which depicts Christ returning as the head of a body of believers who have been enlightened (lifted up, awakened, transformed). Meeting Him in the air may very well represent having our consciences raised into the heights where He abides, i.e., in a “place” where He is able to work through us as He desires. The Apostle Paul continually makes references to awakening from sleep, putting on Christ, having the mind of Christ, being renewed, bringing every thought into captivity, and so on; I can’t help but think that he was attempting to convey that we are supposed to experience a heightening of awareness, a collective uplift of some kind which would allows us to fully see and grasp what is truly happening in the spirit realm, where the dead and the living meet in the air (in the clouds), which may very well represent a higher realm of consciousness.

Either that or he’s going to come down on a fluffy cloud, and he’s going to grab a bunch of people and take them up into the clouds–and we’ll simply hope these are not stormclouds, and that we’ll soar through them like jets and hang out in the atmosphere, garbed in white, harps in our hands, rainbows all around us, visions of sugarplums dancing in our eyes.

The former of these two seems more plausible to me. Not trying to be cynical in my whimsy; I am merely attempting to contrast some very divergent perspectives with, oh, just a touch of hyperbole. :slight_smile:

David

:laughing: The Fluffy clouds view!!! Can’t say I buy into that one, though it does seem harmless!

The Partial Preterist view seems to me to be the best explanation of Jesus words in Matt 24-25 when Jesus Links the temple destruction to the judgement coming on Israel and all the unfolding events that happen in AD 70. If Revelation was written pre AD 70 then this explains why John views everything as happening shortly. This view seems to me to have the most consistency with the Book of Daniel and also the book of Jeremiah. This view also helps me make the most sense of Jesus words regarding Ghenna. But I am no end time Guru and plan to give my real opinion at some later time when I actually study it :slight_smile:

Would you believe I actually only discovered the preterist view this year? I’m still befuddled by it, perhaps because I tend to believe that there are prophecies regarding the reestablishment of the Jewish nation and events which shall unfold in its aftermath. That’s not written in stone–oh, wait, I have to consult Moses on that one. :wink:

While I see the plausibility of this “new” preterist view (new, as in new to me, of course), it almost makes me feel deflated, like all has been fulfilled and we have nothing to look forward to, other than whatever is destined to happen either in our lifetime or ages hence. A bit disconcerting, don’t you think?

Nevertheless, I am very intrigued, and I would like more information on the preterist perspective. Any suggestions on reading material?

David

I think there is a site called the preterist archive, but if I remember right, it is fairly heavily geared toward full preterism. Just something to be aware of.

I voted Pan. In fact, it seems I’ve been increasingly seeing where the kingdom of God continues to grow and grow, effecting more and more positive change in whole nations of people. I wonder if the parable of the mustard seed is a picture of things to come, where the smallest of all seeds grew and grew until it became a bush in which the birds (nations) came to rest in. I wonder if the defeatest mentality is not crippling the church. Defeatest - things are going to get worse and worse until it gets so bad that God has to intervene and destroy everything. Hmm, I wonder.

Amillennialist at the moment, but could be persuaded by partial preterism. Pre-mill worries me the most, especially in its Christian Zionism guise.

David,

Aaron (A regular Poster on this board) Has some really good arguements (in my opinion) for the partial Preterist view on this thread here:

Maybe Aaron can pipe in here and mention other threads here where he’s described his view. I’ve found them all to be very compelling. Though Aaron’s view on Satan and the Trinity I am not ready to buy into yet :slight_smile:

Also, the partial preterist doesn’t see all fulfilled like a full preterist does, so no need to be deflated as you mention above. I believe the Partial Preterist view sees matt 24 and Rev 1-19 fulfilled. But Partial Preterists see Matt 25 and Rev 20-22 as still yet to be fulfilled.

The table on this site below shows the basic difference between partial and full. And you can see that there is alot left to look forward to!!

apocalipsis.org/preterism.htm#_Toc466462219

having grown up with a large dollop of pre-trib views…i finally managed to reject that on the grounds that there are many views and each can “back it up with Scripture”…
so i said panmillenialist, as i don’t have a clue how, but it’ll definitely all pan out in the end lol
more specifically i’d say i’m largely agnostic on the subject.
hmm yet another doctrinal topic i have to claim agnosticism in lol!

Haha. I think I’m right there with you corpse!
The only thing I am really sure if is that Godloves the whole world

My Grandfather claimed to be a “Pan-Tribulationist” for the same reasons :laughing:

Thanks, Awe! I am gradually getting to know the board; there is much that I want to read, consider and scrutinize in my own studies. I definitely want to look at Aaron’s partial Preterist perspectives. (Ooh, a theological thoughts tongue twister–or two!)

Now, as for Satan and the Trinity, the former shall be redeemed; the latter is polytheistic.

David