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1) N. T. Wright likes to mock Dispensational teaching for some reason. Now there may be grounds for debate and sincere critique. But with NTW I only see a straw man and a really cheesy one at that - this should be an anomaly for such learned man. His acumen should have helped him
2) on the subject of eschatology— one would think. He constantly says our (dispensational) hope is “to die and go to heaven” that we are escapists who want to detach ourselves from the “created world” in some type of
ethereal state of semi Docetism. But then on the other hand
ethereal state of semi Docetism. But then on the other hand
3) he mocks the idea of a literal millennial kingdom with real embodied people in the real world as a chiliastic fantasy. But you can’t have it both ways. Either we’re escapists from the created world or we’re not. They are not ghosts who will be “caught up” (whatever the timing)
4) and in fact those who “sleep” will be caught up first thus ending their separated intermediate state - disembodiment then is not our hope. His focus and emphasis in his critique is the new creation - as if this were not something we too long for. That God had not forsaken His
5) creation. He says the New Creation started at the Resurrection of Christ. Now I can assent to this: that we are now linked in Spirit to this new order of things indeed we are a new creation even now (2 Cor. 5:17)a kind of firstfruits of this — so far all is good — we all agree
6) But wait there is more. We are bringing in the new creation NOW - we are not like those escapist Dispensationalists! We are involved in the world making incremental (undefined) new creation changes to it. This is where it gets really mystifying and sounds strangely like a
7) postmillennialism with full preteristic overtones. I don’t believe NTW is a full preterist or even a partial one - I don’t know - but if we are in the New Creation now or if we are vessels through which it is introduced it seems at least to hint this. My Bible tells me that it
8) will be kainos (completely new without previous existence) Rev. 21, the old heaven & earth pass away by fire the elements melting 2 Pet 3. God dwelling with the redeemed of all the ages. Sounds good to me — call me an escapist if you want. It will be more real than THIS WORLD.
