The Future inflences the Present just as much as the Past

This statement is written on the sidewalk near my house and fits in perfectly with what I am about to talk about.

I had a chat with one of the pastors here over extremely thin pizza about eschatology (end times study.) And he said that there were about 5 views on the end times. The one that is most predominate in America is the view called

PRE-MILLENIALISM
This is the main view to where Jesus will come back at anytime after the gospel has reached the end of the world and he will sweep the saved away while bringing terrible plagues on those left on earth for seven years. Then Jesus will come back for a second second coming and start a 1,000 year reign. This view has been around for only about 200 years according to Perry. It was started in Britain, but didn't really catch on so it was taken to America where it was adopted. The problem with this view is that it has caused the Church to withdraw from society and wait for Jesus to come back. This is fueled by beliefs that everything will continue to get worse and worse until Jesus comes. This belief was popularized during and around the World Wars. It also leads to a defeatism. I have experienced this with my environmentalism and politics (Ron Paul) it's the whole "why even bother, it's just supposed to get worse" Can you see the negative effect that can have on the Church?

POST-MILLENIALISM
This is the view to wear things keep getting better. People continue to get saved and Christians gain influence in the world until we become so many in number that we usher in a 1,000 year period where the Jesus is in charge because of the Church being so influential. Afterwards, Jesus will appear for the ultimate end. Doesn't this one make you hopeful? My only argument against this is that people could somewhat judge when Jesus would be back. it would just be 1,000 years from when everything started going really great. and Jesus said we wouldn't know.

AMILLENIALISM
This is the view where things continue to get better and better, but Jesus will come back at anytime for only one second coming and institute a 1,000 year reign. In this one, you don't know when Jesus will come.

There are two others, but they are mixtures of the above. I would describe myself as an amillennialist right now. I like to think that things don't have to get worse and that Jesus is a conqueror more than he is a sit back and wait for the right time. The Church has hidden because of a view that is not really that old. What if it's our job to usher in Jesus' kingdom. Doesn't that sound similar to what Jesus told us anyway. I would like to think that Jesus would be happier and better glorified if we were excited about the future and were very active in changing it for the better rather than saying, "it's gotta get worse" and not fighting the enemy. The way we are used to sounds too much like evil wins the thing, at least for now.

Let me hear your feedback

But as for me, I am now very hopeful about the future.

Ian