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By now if you are a regular or even semi-reader of the Apologia Christi blog you could easily come to the conclusion that I do not have much interest into eschatology. Rather than get heated over an issue in the church that tends to cause nothing but strife and division*, the only conviction I have in the matter is this: "One day Christ will return and fulfill His promise to save His beloved. Satan will be defeated once and for all. Redemption and justification will be finalized. And lastly, we will forever be in the midst of our Heavely Creator." The details of when, how, where, and what countries will be involved are perochial matters that I would rather wait to find out than to speculate and cause unnecessary division.
Do not get me wrong, though. I do believe particular views sound more convincing than others and I am open to hearing their arguments and the evidence for the view they take. One such view I find pretty convincing, though not exhaustive enough to completely persuade me is the amillenialist view put forth by Kim Riddlebarger.
Today marks the day (pun intended) that Kim Riddlebarger releases his new book entitled, "Man of Sin." Here is the description given by Riddlebarger:
"In my book, The Man of Sin, I attempt to make the case that the church has faced many "antichrists" from the days of the apostles (1 John 2:18, 22; 4:3; 2 John 7).
I also contend that the beast from the land is imperial Rome (Revelation 13:1-10) and the beast from the sea is the emperor cult in Asia Minor (Revelation 13:11-18) when John was given the vision we now know as the Book of Revelation, about A. D. 95. The dragon empowers the state and its leader (the false prophet) to turn on all those who confess "Jesus is Lord." To confess "Jesus is Lord" is to simultaneously confess that "Caesar isn't!"
John implies that what is represented by the beast (a satanically energized state waging war on the church) will reoccur throughout the course of this age (Revelation 17:9-18), and will finally culminate in a great apostasy and out-pouring of evil at the end of this age (Revelation 20:7-10), when Satan is released from the Abyss, only to go to his final destruction.
Paul's discussion of the "man of sin" (lawlessness) in 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12, fits with this as well. Paul speaks of someone in the church (the temple of God--which I believe is not a reference to the temple in Jerusalem, either in AD 70 or in the future), who proclaims himself God, demands worship, and deceives many through Satanic power. Paul likewise ties this to a final apostasy (2 Thessalonians 2:3). While image of a deceiver in the church surely fits with the papacy (which is an antichrist institution), Paul ties the revelation of this particular individual to the time of the end (2:8). The appearance of the man of sin and the final apostasy are harbingers of the end."
Instead of boosting the opening day ticket sales of the new movie "Omen", divert your money into a better investment by purchasing Kim Riddlebargers new book, "Man of Sin." I bought it this morning, and I am enjoying every page.
Footnote: *Division alone is not inherently bad. Take for instance the division Christ made with the Pharisitical teachings. The division I mentioned here pertains to unnecessary and non-productive change. In otherwords, Christ was not the reason for the change, but man's convention drived the split.
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Cross-blogged at Apologia Christi
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