The thread about the eschatology of the soul made me remember how Ruben and I simultaneously changed our millennial views, and I was wondering how others may have changed their views, and what kind of impact that had on their hope and joy. I know people on the board have different views, and don't at all want to start a thread that is simply an argument: but I would be very interested to know more about how people have been affected by what they believe in this area.

I'll start, but I think I was peculiarly dominated by errors; so my experience is rather ridiculously exaggerated. I think I had a very vivid imagination :-), and I was taught premillennialism to the exclusion of realizing that there were other views. I had always avoided reading or studying Revelation because I had been told the terrible things that were coming -- that this was the culmination of history -- evil would sweep over creation and pull it down in total destruction; we in our lifetimes would probably experience the terrible persecution of the horrific end, etc. I had very vivid recurring nightmares all through childhood and into adulthood, till after we were married -- my consciousness of the future was very much a black hole sucking at everything. After Ruben told me about the resurrection of the body, I hesitantly looked at the first few verses of Revelation and realized that a blessing was promised to those who read it, and decided to ask for the blessing. It took me a couple of weeks, but I was simply dumbfounded -- still not realizing that there were other eschatological positions -- at how what I was reading could possibly have any relation to what I had been taught. What I was reading was wonderful: Christ was victorious over all the hideous forms of evil. It wasn't about the beast at all, but about Him. And His people were not dragged under and defeated but were victorious, too. I thought I must be misunderstanding the book: I was stunned that anyone could teach such a nightmare as I thought was universally taught from it. I loved the symbols: the rider on the white horse, the princess in the distress but who is delivered, the dragon who is defeated, the sword. I was reading Roman history at the same time and thought how the people then must have understood so much of what was said to be applicable to them. I thought that the series of sevens seemed more like a cycle that encompassed history than an end times chart. Ruben started reading, and being convinced by, a book on amillennialism around the same time: and when he started telling me about it, it made sense of everything I had been thinking. I was very excited that I wasn't mistaken: that other people saw this too; and it was a tremendous blessing, as I had asked, because my whole view of history, the glory of Christ and the plan of redemption, was changed and made hopeful. Another blessing was that I did not have a nightmare about the tribulation period again. (though I did have a dream while reading Revelation that I was being burned at the stake, but it was a good dream: I was beckoning the people telling me to recant and save myself to come in with me, and be victorious. I can easily remember the intense joy I had being burned away :-) --my whole view of history was changing. & I thought God was very good to me in such a detail as a nice dream after lifelong nightmares of persecution.)

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Heidi
Indianapolis, Indiana

After two days, he will revive us; on the third day he will raise us up, that we may live before him.
Let us know; let us press on to know the LORD; his going out is sure as the dawn; he will come to us as the showers, as the spring rains that water the earth.