Most American Evangelicals don't even understand the four different views regarding end-time events. They have been taught one view, and don't even realize there are at least 3 other views.
The four traditional options are dispensationalist premillennialism, historic premillennialism, amillenialism, and postmillennialism.
Most American Evangelicals fall into the dispensationalist premillennialism camp. However, I find the amillenial position to be more coherent with the rest of the New Testament books.
The amillenialist position teaches that Christ is reigning now, and that the New Heavens and the New Earth will be inaugurated at that time. The position does not propose that there is no millennium, like the name suggests, but that in a sense Christ is reigning now, in this "present evil age".
The vocabulary of Scripture talks about two different ages..the "present evil age" which is characterized by the effects of the Fall and the curse, and the "age to come" which is characterized as a restored Paradise, a better version of the Garden of Eden.
The bookends approach to Scripture describes redemptive history in this manner: Creation (Genesis 1,2), Fall (Genesis 3), Rescue (Christ and his atoning sacrifice to undo the works of the Devil), and Restoration (Revelation 21-22 and the New Heavens and New Earth).
The amillenial view falls into line with this narrative of Scripture very well.
There are a ton of questions related to these views, and I can't address them all except to say that I don't believe the premillennial dispensationalist view. I was a historical premillennialist for the majority of my Christianity, and I do not hold that view now either.
I would suggest the book The End Times Made Simple by Sam Waldron, as well as Paradise Restored by David Chilton. Paradise Restored is a postmillennial view, and I don't agree with this view exactly either, but it gives a good background into the bookends approach to Scripture.
At any rate, you should examine the options. Don't assume that premillennial dispensationalism is true. It often leads to millennial madness and playing the game of "pin the tail on the antichrist". I see so much speculation amongst Christians that is basically related to assumptions they are making because of the end-times view they've been taught by their organization. Additionally, your view of end-times actually does have some effect on your view of the rest of Scripture. So, it is an important topic.
The four traditional options are dispensationalist premillennialism, historic premillennialism, amillenialism, and postmillennialism.
Most American Evangelicals fall into the dispensationalist premillennialism camp. However, I find the amillenial position to be more coherent with the rest of the New Testament books.
The amillenialist position teaches that Christ is reigning now, and that the New Heavens and the New Earth will be inaugurated at that time. The position does not propose that there is no millennium, like the name suggests, but that in a sense Christ is reigning now, in this "present evil age".
The vocabulary of Scripture talks about two different ages..the "present evil age" which is characterized by the effects of the Fall and the curse, and the "age to come" which is characterized as a restored Paradise, a better version of the Garden of Eden.
The bookends approach to Scripture describes redemptive history in this manner: Creation (Genesis 1,2), Fall (Genesis 3), Rescue (Christ and his atoning sacrifice to undo the works of the Devil), and Restoration (Revelation 21-22 and the New Heavens and New Earth).
The amillenial view falls into line with this narrative of Scripture very well.
There are a ton of questions related to these views, and I can't address them all except to say that I don't believe the premillennial dispensationalist view. I was a historical premillennialist for the majority of my Christianity, and I do not hold that view now either.
I would suggest the book The End Times Made Simple by Sam Waldron, as well as Paradise Restored by David Chilton. Paradise Restored is a postmillennial view, and I don't agree with this view exactly either, but it gives a good background into the bookends approach to Scripture.
At any rate, you should examine the options. Don't assume that premillennial dispensationalism is true. It often leads to millennial madness and playing the game of "pin the tail on the antichrist". I see so much speculation amongst Christians that is basically related to assumptions they are making because of the end-times view they've been taught by their organization. Additionally, your view of end-times actually does have some effect on your view of the rest of Scripture. So, it is an important topic.