Eschatology

=====Dispensationalists=====
{{Main|Dispensationalism|Christian Zionism}}
Dispensationalism is an [[evangelical]] [[futurist]] Biblical interpretation that foresees a series of [[dispensation (period)|dispensations]], or periods, in which God relates to human beings under different [[Biblical covenants]]. The belief system is primarily rooted in the writings of [[John Nelson Darby]] and is [[premillennial]] in content. The [[Declaration of Independence (Israel)|reestablishment of Israel]] in 1948 provided a major impetus to the dispensationalist belief system. The wars of Israel after 1948 with its Arab neighbors provided further support, according to [[John F. Walvoord]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.biblio.com/isbn/0310539218.html |title=Armageddon, Oil and the Middle East Crisis |author=John F. Walvoord |orig-year=1974|year=1990|author-link=John F. Walvoord }}</ref> After the [[Six-Day War]] in 1967, and the [[Yom Kippur War]] in 1973, it seemed plausible to many [[Fundamentalist Christians]] in the 1970s that Middle East turmoil may well be leading up to the fulfillment of various Bible prophecies and to the Battle of Armageddon.

Members of the dispensationalist movement such as [[Hal Lindsey]], [[J. Dwight Pentecost]], [[John Walvoord]], all of whom have [[Dallas Theological Seminary]] backgrounds, and some other writers, claimed further that the [[European Economic Community]], which preceded the [[European Union]], would become a [[United States of Europe]], which would in turn become a Revived Roman Empire ruled by the [[Antichrist]]. The Revived Roman Empire also figured into the [[New Testament]] writers' vision of the future. The fact that in the early 1970s, there were (erroneously thought to be) seven nations in the European Economic Community was held to be significant; this aligned the Community with a seven-headed beast mentioned in Revelation. This specific prophecy has required revision, but the idea of a Revived Roman Empire remains.

Dispensationalism, in contrast to the Millerite Adventist movement, had its beginning in the 19th century, when [[John Nelson Darby]], founder of the [[Plymouth Brethren]] [[religious denomination]], incorporated into his system of Biblical interpretation a system of organizing Biblical time into a number of discrete [[dispensation (period)|dispensations]], each of which marks a separate [[Covenant (religion)|covenant]] with God. Darby's beliefs were widely publicized in [[Cyrus I. Scofield]]'s ''[[Scofield Reference Bible]]'', an annotated Bible that became popular in the United States.

Since the majority of the Biblical prophets were writing at a time when the [[Temple in Jerusalem]] was still functioning, they wrote as if it would still be standing during the prophesied events. According to preterism, this was a fulfillment of the prophecies. However, according to [[Futurism (Christian eschatology)|Futurists]], their destruction in 70 CE put the prophetic timetable on hold. Many such believers therefore anticipated the return of Jews to Israel and the [[Third Temple#Christian views|reconstruction of the Temple]] before the Second Coming could occur.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://christianactionforisrael.org/congress.html|title=Proclamation of the 3rd International Zionist Congress|access-date=27 November 2012|date=25 February 1996 |publisher=Christian Action For Israel|url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120719161650/http://christianactionforisrael.org/congress.html|archive-date=19 July 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.leaderu.com/common/british.html|title=The Untold Story: The Role of Christian Zionists in the Establishment of Modern-day Israel|access-date=27 November 2012|date=13 July 2002|publisher=Rabbi Jamie Cowen}}</ref>