What About That Rapture Thing?

The different views of Protestant Eschatology

This is a roundtable discussion with Authors and Professors, Piper, Hamilton, Wilson, and Storms, where they talk about their views on Eschatology (the study of end time things) and their differences.  One believes in Premillennialism (which the Church calls "Chiliasm "), another in  Postmillennialism, and the third in Amillennialism.  A lot of money and fear has been spread in books and movies like "Left Behind" which depicts "the Rapture" in Chiliasm terms. Yet the majority of convert to Christianity in the last 20 years have been into movements that stress "Premillennial Rapture."  In other words they believe that before things get really bad here on earth they will escape, they will be caught away and not face Tribulation.

Some evangelicals and some protestants influenced by Premillennial pop-culture like to take pot shots at me because of the Church's suspicion of their teaching, which it has called a speculation and not a true teaching of the church. This discussion clearly shows that Protestants too see the same as "speculation" and not a cardinal doctrine of the faith. The largest percentage of Evangelicals are "Premillennialist" but more and more the movement is split along these lines, and in the extremes separation has been ugly.