Tim LaHaye has criticized his publisher Tyndale House for putting out The Last Disciple, a book with an amillenial escatology. LaHaye clings to a non-Biblical pretribulational view. Actually, my studies lead me to believe that amillenial escatology has some valid points in the probability that some escatological passages were fulfilled in the first century.
I do not believe, though, that the millennium has begun or completed yet. I believe that the key verse for pretribulational escatology is Daniel 9.27 with an interpretation that "And he will make a firm covenant with the many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering.." (NASB) speaks of the anti-Christ. However, in context, the covenant is confirmed by the Messiah and is cut off upon His death on the cross. Further the sacrifice is no longer valid or necessary. If that is the Messiah, the pretribulational view is sunk. Unfortunately so is my former position of a prewrath view as normally defined. I believe that there is no justification for a view of a seven-year Tribulation. But I do still believe that Matthew and I Thessalonians 4.13-18 along with other places in Daniel and Revelation paint a picture of a rapture before the wrath of God is poured out on the earth.
So, in my opinion, and from my study of the topic of escatology, I believe Tim LaHaye is more off-target than Hank Hanegraaff is. And sorry Mr. LaHaye, no monopoly on your poor exegesis of Scripture from Tyndale House.
I do intend to buy a copy of The Last Disciple and have read every book in the Left Behind series. It's decent fiction.
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