Premillennialism vs Postmillennialism Debate Summary

Eudene Valle February 3, 2014 at 10:37 pm

Hello, I was there at the debate
between you and Paul Viggiano. I asked the last question about the
70 year captivity prophesied in Jer. 29. I wanted to elaborate
about what I was getting at with that question. Jer. 29:10-14 says,

“You will remain in Babylon for 70
years. When the time is over, I will come to you, and I will keep my
promise of bringing you back home…I will restore your fortunes and
gather you from all the nations where you have been scattered-all the
places I have driven you. I will bring you back to the land that is
your rightful home.”

While it is true that Israelites were
allowed to return to Israel under Cyrus more or less 70 years after
they were taken into captivity, it is also true that the return of
the Israelites to Israel in that era does not appear to qualitatively
fulfill the numerous prophecies about the “restoration” of Israel
to the promised land.

In the very next chapter, it is
prophesied, “For on the day of deliverance, declares the Eternal
Commander of heavenly armies, I will break Nebuchadnezzar’s yoke off
their necks and tear off their shackles; no longer will foreigners
force them into slavery…For I, the Eternal One, promise to
liberate you from that distant place, to bring your children home
from where they are in exile. Jacob will return home to peace and
quiet, and no one will make him afraid…I will completely
destroy all the nations where I have scattered you…” Jer.
30:8, 10-11.

No one will despise them. Jer. 30:19

I will punish anyone who tries to
harm them. Jer. 30:20

Historically, when Hebrews returned
to Israel under the Persian kings, they continued to be subjugated
and oppressed, they continued to be despised, they did not have
peace, and the nations which oppressed the Hebrews were not
destroyed. Moreover, several other prophecies about the
“restoration” give timing clues which places the fulfillment of
the “The Restoration” during the time of Christ and not during
the time of the Persian kings. Three examples of timing texts about
the restoration are:

1) I will bring both Judah and
Israel back from captivity and I will rebuild their land to what it
was before. I will cleanse them from all the sins they committed
against me and forgive all the wrongs they have done…The days are
coming when I will fulfill the promise I made to the people of
Israel and Judah. In those days, when the time is right, I will
cause a righteous Branch to sprout from the old stump of David’s
lineage…In those days, Judah will be liberated, and Jerusalem will
live in safety. Jer. 33:7-8, 14-16

2) The days are coming when I will
plant anew the house of Israel and the house of Judah…Look, the
days are coming when I will bring about a new covenant with the
people of Israel and Judah… Jer. 31:27, 31

3) Look, the days are coming when
people will remember how I restored you. They will no longer say,
“As the Eternal Lives who brought the people of Israel out of the
land of Egypt.” Instead, they will say, “As the Eternal lives,
who brought the people of Israel out of the lands of the north and
the countries where He has exiled them. For I will bring them back
to their promised land, the land I gave to your ancestors. But
first, I will send for many fisherman who will catch them. Jer.
16:14-16

All three of the above texts and many
more equate the restoration from exile with the time of Jesus. Jesus
is the Righteous Branch which sprouted from the stump of David; Jesus
inaugurated the new covenant; and it was Jesus who said I will make
you fishers of men (Matt. 4:19).

If the restoration from exile happened
during Jesus’ time, then it follows that the restoration from exile
did not happen 70 years after the captivity. The above verses and
others also suggest that the restoration from exile is not a physical
restoration to physical land, but a spiritual restoration to a
spiritual promised land (See Heb. 11:14, 16 “…they are still
seeking a homeland…a far better place, a heavenly country”).
Among other things, this is deduced by the fact that the oft-repeated

promise that Israel would live
in safety and without fear after the exile was not literally kept.
Israel was in fact shattered and utterly removed from the land in 70
AD. Spiritually however, Israel (all believers) live in safety and
security in the promised land the minute they are regenerated.

I also spoke the guy at your book table
about a book that I’m writing about my theory of eschatology which I
call Premillenial Preterism. Instead of just picking one of the
existing theories, I have tried to start from scratch analyzing all
of the prophecies. I believe that I have been able to come up with a
theory which harmonizes all prophecy and does not ignore or downplay
any prophecy as all of the existing theories do. It has elements
which are in agreement with premillennialism, post-millennialism,
amillennialism, historicism, and idealism and aspects which disagrees
with all of them.

I’m looking for somebody to give me
feedback and to play the devil’s advocate regarding my theory. Your
assistant said you might be willing. I would be ever so grateful if you

would be willing to listen to my theory and tell me what you think. I anticipate
that you will object non-literal hermeneutic. But maybe you would be

willing to be convinced that the Bible was written in a highly poetic

manner, throughout all genres, and not like a newpaper-a very
anacronistic way to approach the Bible. Eudene Valle