I'm currently undecided about my eschatological view. I'm leaning towards premillennialism currently, but it's not a strong lean as I am open to amillennialism.
I'd like to share my understanding of amillennialism with you, if you don't mind. If so, do you have any particular questions about it that you'd like more details about or more clarification on?
One of the hang ups I have is about Israel:
I believe there is only ONE people of God, and ONE way to salvation. God does not have two separate peoples, nor two plans for salvation. This means that Jewish people must still accept Jesus as Lord and Savior in order to be saved.
Yes, that is a dispensationalist belief, but scripture is very clear that God is not a respecter of persons and Jesus has brought Israelite and Gentile believers together as one.
Acts 10:34 Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: 35 But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him.
Ephesians 2:11 Wherefore remember, that
ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; 12 That
at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: 13
But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. 14 For
he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;
That said, I agree with premillennialism in that Satan is not currently bound and is still deceiving the world. I do think his power has been limited somewhat, but not to the extent portrayed in Revelation.
Okay, so let's talk about this a bit. I'm not sure if you fully understand what amillennialists believe about this, so I will give you my understanding of it. As I'm sure you probably know, not all amils believe everything exactly the same just as premils don't.
So, my approach to this is to compare what kind of power Satan had in OT times compared to NT times. The NT has a lot to say about this. People tend to focus on Satan going about like a roaring lion seeking who he may devour but in the very next verses after that it talks about the authority we have over him as Christians and that often gets missed.
1 Peter 5:8 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9
Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.
What happens if we resist the devil?
James 4:7 Submit yourselves, then, to God.
Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
This kind of authority over Satan that NT believers have is unprecedented. OT saints had no such authority because they didn't have the Holy Spirit dwelling in them like we do. Satan must back down and flee from us because of the present of the Holy Spirit in us.
Look at how Paul described the state of the Gentiles in OT times:
Ephesians 2:11 Therefore,
remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called “uncircumcised” by those who call themselves “the circumcision” (which is done in the body by human hands)— 12
remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
In OT times the Gentiles, for the most part (some exceptions here and there like the Ninevites and others), "were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world".
That all changed when Christ came, died and rose from the dead, right? A huge and dramatic change! Did this affect what Satan was able to do? Yes, in a major way!
Hebrews 2:14 Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that
by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— 15 and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.
1 John 3:8 The one who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning.
The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.
Acts 26:15 “Then I asked, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,’ the Lord replied. 16 ‘Now get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen and will see of me. 17
I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them 18 to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God,
so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’
So, because of Jesus's death and resurrection, Gentiles were no longer "without Christ...without hope, and without God in the world". No longer was Satan able to wield the power of death and keep people "in slavery by their fear of death" because of them having no hope for eternal life. I believe the binding of Satan relates directly to what Jesus did "to destroy the devil's work" while leading people "from the power of Satan to God".
In OT times not many people were saved. The Gentiles were mostly "without God in the world". But in NT times a multitude of people have been saved because of what Christ did for them. He defeated Satan and set the captives free! He bound Satan!
Matthew 12:25 And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand: 26and if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand? 27And if I by Beel´zebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cast them out? therefore they shall be your judges. 28But
if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you. 29 Or else, how can one enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? and then he will spoil his house.
Jesus came and entered the strong man's house, which means He came to this world, of which Satan is its god (2 Cor 4:4), and plundered it. He set many people free who Satan formerly held captive by their fear of death. Jesus bound Satan and took the power of death away from him (Hebrews 2:14-15).
I also believe that the Church began at Pentecost, like what dispensationalists teach. There is no Church in the OT, but there is a spiritual Israel. The Church is just the form spiritual Israel takes in the NT. The OT Israel was entirely Jewish, while the NT Israel is predominantly Gentile.
The church is simply a reference to God's congregation which has been around since OT times. What Jesus did was give the church a cornerstone (He is the cornerstone, of course) with the apostles and prophets being its foundation (Ephesians 2:19-22) and that made it so that the gates of hell can never prevail against it (Matthew 16:18). Regardless, we (Jew and Gentile believers) are now all one in the Church (body of Christ).
I believe that, while the Jews have been cut off, they will one day be grafted back in. I still think there will be a future restoration of a Jewish kingdom in the Near East. So, Israel, while currently still cut off and in denial of the Messiah, still fulfills biblical prophecy, or at least lead to the fulfillment of prophecy.
I think many make the mistake of missing the fact that not all Israelites were cut off. There was a remnant of saved Israelites with the rest being temporarily blinded (Romans 11:5-7) to fulfill God's purpose of bringing the gospel to the Gentiles who in turn would make the Israelites jealous and want to be saved in the same way Gentiles are. That process was happening back then and is still happening today.
Paul said Israel was blinded in part, not in full. That can't be missed. Also, the ones who were blinded were not blinded permanently, as Paul explained here:
Romans 11:11 Again I ask:
Did they stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? Not at all! Rather, because of their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel envious. 12 But if their transgression means riches for the world, and their loss means riches for the Gentiles, how much greater riches will their full inclusion bring! 13 I am talking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch as
I am the apostle to the Gentiles, I take pride in my ministry 14 in the hope that I may somehow arouse my own people to envy and save some of them.
Dispensationalists act as if Paul said Israel fell beyond recovery and won't be recovered until some later time. But, that is not what he said at all. Instead, he said they stumbled, but not beyond recovery. He was talking about the ones who were blinded in his day. Notice in verse 14 above how he wanted to help save some of the ones who he said were blinded. Dispensationlism completely misses this! It says salvation for Israel has been postponed until a later time. Not true! Those unbelieving Israelites who had been temporarily blinded had the opportunity to be grafted in again and Paul helped some of them to be grafted in again (saved). So, Romans 11 needs to be understood from this ongoing perspective that began long ago instead of the futurist perspective of dispensationalism.
