I used to be a dispensationalist, probably due to the Ryrie Study Bible.
When I was making my journey from agnosticism, I used an NASB Ryrie Study Bible. I struggled for weeks with dispensationalism until I decided that Ryrie had not made his case with the texts he used. In my opinion, a plain reading of the Bible pointed away from dispensationalism to a more linear view where the Old and New Testament views of faith were tightly consistent.
I am no longer a dispensationalist, but I could go for non-dispensational premillenialism (including the rapture in the midst of the Tribulation.)
Growing up in the church, I heard all about "the rapture" and I assumed I would locate the teaching on it at some point through my journey in the scriptures. After about three trips from cover to cover, I looked up where the rapture was supposed to be taught. It was not convincing to me in the least. As far as I'm concerned, it is simply God's people meeting Jesus in the air as the citizens of a city would run out to meet a returning king.
Otherwise, I would be an millennialist.
If I were forced to describe my position, I would probably an amillennialist.
Postmillenialism died our good reason. It's not tenable.
Two world wars in the first half of the 20th century crushed the naive hopes of the postmillennial adherents.
The church is not expanding on worldwide scale in sufficient degrees to completely transform the world.
Perhaps, perhaps not. It's all in God's timing and providence. Most is happening out there than we can imagine. The Kingdom of God is larger than the church, but churches are national outgrowths of the Kingdom of God.
I have a friend who lives and ministers discreetly in a communist country. He keeps running into Christians. A typical scenario - He has to ride the bus because of circumstances outside of his control. A man sits next to him and whispers, "I think we have the same father." My friend immediately feels the presence of the Spirit weighing upon the moment and says, "I think so." His new brother, invites him to an address in a sketchy part of town. He goes over that evening and has to walk down an alleyway. There seem like 20 different doors that lead into buildings on each side. Suddenly a boy is with him in the alley and says in perfect Southern English, "You just passed it, its the green door." My friend looks back as sees the door and turns around to thank the child. The child is gone... somehow. He goes to the green door and knocks, is invited in and discovers he is in a home with a few dozen native Christians who have gathered to worship. He asks his host (the man from the bus) about the child. The man says he know of no child like that, but he grins, "it happens." He met with the church that night and did some teaching (he is an experienced pastor) and goes his way. He still meets with that congregation from time to time.
Other friends in Muslim countries tell me similar stories of conversions and visions. God is at work even in places where most Western church people cannot go.
