The central character of the story, even in the Old Testament, was the Redeemer, Jesus Christ, the only mediator between God and sinful humans (1 Tim. 2:5). He lay hidden in Old Testament shadows but was revealed in the New. Seeing the flow of redemptive history in this light helps explain why those in the Reformed tradition are concerned about the dispensational tendency to interpret the New Testament in light of the Old and why [the Reformed] believe eschatology must be Christ centered. Our eschatological expectation should not be epoch centered or even centered in an earthly golden age as in postmillennialism. Nor should eschatology be a correlation of current events and certain verses that supposedly explain them. The story of redemption is nothing less than the story of Jesus Christ and his kingdom, which is manifest in the covenant of works, the covenant of grace, and finally the new creation. God’s kingdom is the consummate manifestation of his covenant with his elect, originally made with Jesus Christ before the foundation of the world.

Kim Riddlebarger | A Case for Amillennialism: Understanding the End Times, Expanded Edition (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2013), 66–67.

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Post authored by:

• Tony Phelps

  

  Tony grew up in Rhode Island. He was educated at BA (University of Rhode Island) and Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. He worked in the insurance industry for ten years. He planted a PCA church in Wakefield, RI where he served for eleven years. In 2015–18 he pastored Covenant Reformed Church (URCNA) in Colorado Springs. He is currently pastor of Living Hope (OPC). Tony is married to Donna and together they have three children.

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