Re: The wrong horse in evolution education

I think the two go hand in hand because they both seek to apply a "literal"
hermeneutic. So I don't think the dispensational slant influences the YEC
slant so much as they both are influenced by a particular approach to the
Bible. Although, many early dispensationalists, following the Scofield
Bible notes, believed the gap theory.

But surely the choice isn't only between dispensationalism and preterism. I
can't accept a preterism that says there is no real hope of "heaven." And
I think that is one of the underlying fears of folks who are drawn to YEC --
if we starting talking about things like pre-Adamic humans and death before
the fall, what is being "restored" after Christ returns?

On 4/18/06, Bill Hamilton <williamehamiltonjr@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> I have from time to time wondered whether the Dispensationalist
> interpretation
> of Revelation influences those who hold it to apply a young earth
> interpretation of Genesis.
>
> --- drsyme@cablespeed.com wrote:
>
> > I think that our understanding of the beginning is related
> > to our understanding of the end.
> >
> > Without getting into a lot of detail, I personally hold a
> > preterist view of eschatology. I am not expecting a
> > literal new heaven and earth. The old heaven and earth
> > was the law, the old covenant. The new heaven and earth
> > is the new covenant.
> >
> > So, not only does that interpretation change ones
> > understanding of what a new heaven and earth means, but it
> > also changes the time of its fulfillment. In the
> > preterist view, the new heaven and earth is here now, it
> > is not something to be expected.
> >
> >
> > On Tue, 18 Apr 2006 10:47:13 -0400
> > "David Opderbeck" <dopderbeck@gmail.com> wrote:
> > > There's a broader theological question that's been
> > >nagging me regarding some
> > > of this discussion: how do our views of Adam through
> > >Babel relate to
> > > eschatology? By eschatology I don't mean to open up
> > >cans of worms
> > > concerning views of the millenium and such -- I mean the
> > >very basic concept
> > > that our future in Christ involves a new heaven and new
> > >earth, where
> > > "[t]here will be no more death or mourning or crying or
> > >pain, for the old
> > > order of things has passed away." (Rev. 21:4). If we
> > >demythologize, so to
> > > speak, Adam through Babel, what does that say about our
> > >mythos concerning
> > > the new heaven and new earth? I think this broad
> > >question is more critical
> > > at a gut level for many folks than the specifics of how
> > >we translate certain
> > > words or understand certain names in Genesis.
> > >
> > > On 4/17/06, Philtill@aol.com <Philtill@aol.com> wrote:
> > >>
> > >> In a message dated 4/17/2006 5:08:43 PM Eastern
> > >>Daylight Time,
> > >> williamehamiltonjr@yahoo.com writes:
> > >>
> > >> Phil wrote
> > >>
> > >> >The momentousness of the occaision makes sense only if
> > >>there was a long
> > >> period
> > >> of time had elapsed >when men **weren't** calling on the
> > >>name of the Lord.
> > >>
> > >> This means there must have been a very long >gap between
> > >>Adam and Enosh,
> > >> perhaps between Adam and Seth.
> > >>
> > >> Suppose by "men" the Scriptures mean pre-Adamites? IOW
> > >>the covenant
> > >> family's
> > >> mission finally begins to bear fruit.
> > >>
> > >> Hi, Bill!
> > >>
> > >> That's a very interesting idea, and I hadn't thought of
> > >>it before.
> > >>
> > >> Actually, as I think this through, I feel there is
> > >>another reasonable
> > >> explanation for this verse, one which doesn't
> > >>necessarily imply a gap
> > >> (although I still believe there was a gap). I think the
> > >>statement is part
> > >> of the stream toward fulfillment of God's promises to
> > >>Eve to bring the Seed
> > >> of the woman, the one who will crush the serpent's head.
> > >> After A&E were
> > >> kicked out of the garden, at least Abel was calling on
> > >>Yahweh's name. But
> > >> when Eve sees that Abel is dead and Cain has gone bad,
> > >>then there seems to
> > >> be no hope of fulfillment. But then God opens her womb
> > >>and brings another
> > >> child, which represents renewed hope that the promise
> > >>will be fulfilled. So
> > >> the birth of Seth and Enosh represents the renewal of
> > >>hope that a savior
> > >> will come through Eve. Hence her statement how God has
> > >>replace Abel, and
> > >> hence also the comment that then men began [again] to
> > >>call on the name of
> > >> the Lord. This statement "men began to call on the name
> > >>of the Lord" would
> > >> thus mean that there was a renewed path of descendency
> > >>toward the Messiah,
> > >> not just the evil ways of the world represented by the
> > >>line of Cain.
> > >>
> > >> By the way, it's an interesting study to write down the
> > >>meanings of the
> > >> names in Seth's line and the parallel names in Cain's
> > >>line, to see how the
> > >> latter are twisted versions of the former, giving them a
> > >>sinister meaning.
> > >> The overall picture of the names in Seth's line is that
> > >>they are waiting on
> > >> God, hoping in God, trusting and praising him. The
> > >>overall picture of names
> > >> in Cain's line is that they are building cities,
> > >>fighting among the cities,
> > >> living under judgement. This is brought to fulfillment
> > >>in the parallel
> > >> statements of Lamech in each line, where Seth's Lamech
> > >>talks of how Noah
> > >> will bring the promised rest, and Cain's Lamech talks
> > >>how the effects of the
> > >> curse have become worse and worse, 70 times 7.
> > >>
> > >> So after the Bible goes all through Cain's line with the
> > >>increasing curse
> > >> as humans build cities and develop civilization, then it
> > >>tells how Eve bore
> > >> another child and praised God that the hope has been
> > >>restored. It could be
> > >> that there was no gap and it was just presented in this
> > >>order to emphasize
> > >> the point, or it could be that there was really a gap
> > >>and Seth came late
> > >> after men had developed all this civilization. The idea
> > >>is that Adam came
> > >> before all this civilization development, though.
> > >>
> > >> God bless!
> > >> Phil
> > >>
> > >>
> >
> >
>
>
> Bill Hamilton
> William E. Hamilton, Jr., Ph.D.
> 248.652.4148 (home) 248.303.8651 (mobile)
> "...If God is for us, who is against us?" Rom 8:31
>
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Received on Tue Apr 18 18:54:32 2006