Note: This is a continuing evaluation of the book The Days of Vengeance written by David Chilton. Chilton at the time of writing this was a partial preterist who later in life (after a massive heart attack) turned to full preterism. Sections will be taken from the book and commented on to the fullest extent possible. A PDF of the book can be found here.
It has been awhile since I've been able to review Chilton. I'm hoping to consolidate some of my series moving into the next year. Hopefully that will keep me on track with more consistent posting. Today's post will be brief as we finish off chapter five of Revelation and Chilton's book.
The conclusion of this chapter is all worship and praise. Not a worship and praise of rest but of militancy,
One day, all of creation will acknowledge Christ as Lord (Phil. 2:10-11); in principle, however, this is already established by the sacrifice and victory of the Lamb. Again, St. John has revealed to us the goal of history as the universal recognition of Christ’s Lordship and the eternal glory of God through Jesus Christ.
The Church in St. John’s day was about to experience a time of severe testing and persecution. Already they were seeing what, in a sane age, could scarcely be imagined: a union between Israel and the antichristian Beast of Rome. These Christians needed to understand history as something not ruled by chance or evil men or even the devil, but ruled instead from God’s Throne by Jesus Christ. (DOV, 81)
Likewise the church today is in need of worship and praise for its militancy. I do not find it inconsequential that as the church has lost any understanding of the Psalms that optimistic visions of Christ's reign and progressive success of the church are waning. All Kenneth Gentry jokes aside about "optimistic amillennialism", the majority report of the church couldn't sing the psalms with a straight face.
Something is truly wrong with our worship and theology when huge portions of the Scriptures have no meaning to the church today. As a personal project I have begun my third BBC series moving slowly through the Psalms. Make sure you check back on the goodness!
