Short Mil response

I think I mentioned this before in my many references to John MacArthur, but it was a question on the Calvinism facebook group, so here goes.  Am I Pre-mil, A-mil, or Pre-mil/not dispensational?  Most of the time my answer is Yes, and I don't really care how God ends the world.  I know he'll do it how he wants to do it no matter what I think.  The only thing you cannot be and still be a Christian is post-mil. 

For the most part, I follow the Amillenial viewpoint.  I feel like the church era, the era where Christianity grew and spread throughout the globe was the millennium.  I think the times now are when Satan has been released from prison for a bit and then Christ will come back and reign forever.  It just doesn't make sense to me that Christ would reign for 1000 years and then let Satan out.  Christ will come back and it will be the end of Satan completely.  I do believe there will be a rapture.  It will happen in the middle of the tribulation.  I do believe there will be a time when Jewish people come back to the Lord but it will be before the rapture.  I'm certain if someone sets a date for the rapture, Jesus will make sure he does not come back on that day.

If I told Johnny Mac this, he'd say I'm not taking the Bible literally.  He'd be appalled at what I wrote yesterday about egalitarianism.  I don't mean to gripe about him.  He is my hero.  He was absolutely right about his YRR posts.  I believe he's my favorite famous preacher, but there's no one I agree completely with and here's where I disagree with him. 

I believe in a young-earth creation and 6 literal days, a global violent Noah's flood and the dinosaurs lived with man until the middle ages and enough slayings finally drove them to extinction.  I believe Adam and Eve were our only first parents and that Noah and his sons are also our parents and all people are related.  When God speaks about Creation, he is literal and he is clear in what he says.  Our whole belief in Jesus depends on it.  But he doesn't always speak chronologically.  Genesis 1, he talks about all of creation.  Genesis 2, he rewinds and focuses specifically on making man.  Genesis 6, he tells Noah to build an ark.  Genesis 7, he shows how exactly Noah did it. 

Then look at the first major eschatologies in Daniel.  God shows the statue that shows all the nations that would rule Israel's neighborhood from Babylon up until pretty much now.  It's all come true.  Then, God shows a goat and talks specifically about the Greeks.  He gives general pictures and then focuses on specific areas that he knows will be important.  I believe he's doing the same in Revelation.  He'll show seven seals.  Then the seven trumpets are more than likely an aspect of those seals and the same with the seven bowls.  I haven't read Revelation in a while, so I'm not accurate, but I'm sure I'm right.  But either way, I trust God's plan and if it happens the Johnny Mac way, then fine.  If it happens my way, then fine.  He's God and I know he'll end it all at some point, Christ will come back and rule, and then sin and evil will be over.