David,
I'm not sure creation-fall-restoration is quite right.
Perhaps it's better stated as creation-fall-redemption-consummation
Consummation is not restoration. In some branches of Reformed
covenant theology, especially following the lines of Geerhardus Vos,
there was an eschatological dimension to the covenant of works that
was never fulfilled, because Adam broke the covenant. It's not that
Adam would have been in a constant state of "testing" always being
able to fall, but at some point, after a probation period, Adam would
have been confirmed in his righteousness and put in a state of "not
able to fall". This is the anticipated state (at least for me) of the
new heaven and new earth. In other words that eschatological
dimension that was promised to Adam upon his obedience is now
available to us in Christ because of his obedience.
Not quite sure how to relate this to TE other than to say that
restoration to a "regular neolithic guy" is not the same as
consummation.
TG
On Apr 19, 2006, at 7:01 AM, David Opderbeck wrote:
> Thanks Jack. I was imprecise in my question. If I understand
> "full preterism" correctly, it would essentially say we are now in
> "heaven" in some sense. But if I understand you right, you're
> taking something of a "partial preterist" view.
>
> My background and upbringing are dispensational. When I was a kid,
> we went to "Bible Conference" with the occasional "end times"
> preacher who saw the European Union as the 10-nation confederacy
> that would support the Beast, and stuff like that.
>
> If I had to characterize myself now, it would be as "progressive
> dispensational" or "historically premillenial" but perhaps open to
> "amillenial." I don't think historic premillienialism or
> amillenialism require the exacting Biblical literalism of classic
> dispensationalism, and either could and do coexist with OEC or TE
> types of views on beginnings.
>
> Still, my "spiritual DNA" is unsettled by many TE ideas in
> particular, not so much for how they interact with various creeds
> and confessions (being raised in an independent dispensational
> church, we didn't deal much in confessional statements), but for
> how they interact with the "big picture." The "creation-fall-
> restoration" paradigm seems like the right broad outline, however
> one envisions the timing and details of the restoration. But what
> is being "restored" if Adam was pretty much just a regular
> neolithic guy living a regular neolithic life?
>
> On 4/19/06, jack syme <drsyme@cablespeed.com> wrote:
> What is restored after Christ's return, is the relationship between
> Man and God.
>
> There are conflicting preterist views about "the afterlife". But,
> the traditional preterist views are the same as mainstream
> protestant views.
>
> After we die, we will be raised into a perfect, immortal, spitirual
> body, and reside with God. We preterists are not expecting a
> resurrection of physical bodies out of the grave. Those that died
> prior to 70 AD were raised at that time. Since then each person
> that dies is raised in a spiritual body, immediately after death,
> to join Christ that day "in paradise."
>
> No one in the preterist camp really knows what is going to happen
> with the Earth, and the physical realm. The Bible says nothing
> about that. The Earth can continue for millenia, or it could end
> now. We just dont know.
>
> But yes, the preterist view is not a literal hermenutic, as is the
> old earth, and TE view. That is why, imo, they are compatible.
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: David Opderbeck
> To: Bill Hamilton
> Cc: drsyme@cablespeed.com ; Philtill@aol.com ;
> dickfischer@verizon.net ; asa@calvin.edu
> Sent: Tuesday, April 18, 2006 6:54 PM
> Subject: 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 Wed Apr 19 17:02:48 2006
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