by R. Scott Clark on April 8, 2020 | Dispensationalism describes a way of reading the Bible and a system of theology the nearest roots of which are in the 19th century. Oh sure, it helps to know some history and some background, but this is a pronounced blessing. I like to call amillennialism negative, and postmillennialism positive. See, for example, Michael Vlach's article "How Does Historic Premillennialism Differ from Dispensational Premillennialism?", this "Eschatology Comparison" chart, and this article "An Historical . And it is powerfully persuasive. You can choose Him and then not choose Him, and then choose Him again and then not choose Him, and you make the decision; and so, all of the promises of God are conditional on you. I align myself to historical premillennialism, so I want to convey my own dismay with John MacArthur's sermon series from 2007. Whats that about? There is another form of that view called amillennialism; amillennialism - and youve probably heard about that. I was talking to one of our missionaries just this same week I gave this talk to the pastors, and he was coming back from China and he said, Theres only one view in the church in China and its the premillennial view. Of course, because they just take what Scripture says.
In keeping with his view of faith, MacArthur denigrates "facts," "doctrine," "intellectual assent," and so on. In the mid-seventeenth century, the Westminster Larger Catechism, in the answer to Question 191, displayed the hope for the future conversion of the Jews. He notes that "the decisive authority of Asiatic millennialism is John, from whom the elders claimed to have obtained their information. Amillennialism, dispensational premillennialism, historic premillennialism, postmillennialism, preterism. Premillennialists believe that two-thirds of the Jews living in Israel during the time of the great tribulation will be slaughtered (Zech. Short Response to Dr. MacArthur's statement. So to interpret Matthew 24 the way John MacArthur does as all about the tribulation period, and then all of a sudden you get to verse thirteen and you read into that a whole soteriological concept that I've got to make it to the end of my life in good works to prove I'm a Christian so I can get to heaven. So, I said, Would you do me a favor? My professors were a Who's Who of dispensational premillennialism: John Walvoord (then president of DTS), Charles Ryrie (author of Dispensationalism Today and The Ryrie Study Bible ), and J. Dwight Pentecost (author of perhaps the most influential text on the subject at that time, Things to Come ), just to mention the more well-known. Weve been working our way through doctrinal emphases in Scripture, doctrinal themes, and we have covered a lot of ground. And again, I say, His election is divine, unilateral, unconditional and irrevocable. Would you agree? I asked Dr. Michael Brown, who is premil, in our debate about Replacement Theology how he reconciles his claim that God is not finished with Israel with Zechariah 13:79. Where is the divine mandate to do that? The church. But in both cases, they would deny the actual thousand-year reign of Christ, and they would deny that Christ will reign and rule on earth and literally fulfill all His promises to the nation Israel given in the Old Testament covenants. Some of the most formidable amillennialists - and Im talking about well-respected, very erudite influential theologians - say things like this, and Ill quote. John MacArthur's ministries, including Grace to You and Masters University, also employ a grammatical historical method of interpretation, and they come to a dispensational view of eschatology. Btw, LA is beautiful and the conference is great, I hope to post some reflections as the week goes on. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. Isaiah 65 - really, the whole chapter is about Israel, Gods elect - verse 22: My elect again shall enjoy long the work of their hands. Israel repeatedly called Gods elect; we know what that means. Post-Millennialism, in stark contrast to Pre-Millennialism, believes that the Millennium occurs before Jesus' Second Coming rather than after. This is simply a way to understand Scripture in its normal sense. . Articles Baptist Theology Calvinism Charles Spurgeon Christology Classic Premillennialism Covenant Theology e-Articles e-Books Eschatology Historic . Along that line, I went to Moody Press and I said, Look, Ive written two volumes on Revelation - I dont know, its 800 or 900 pages - and I realized not everybody is going to go through all of that. GDPR is the new European privacy regulation, which will replace the Data Protection Act 1998 in the UK and the equivalent legislation across the EU Member States. Thats just two ways to look at the same thing. And Im not in to newspaper exegesis, where you where everything that happens in the news fulfills some obscure Old Testament prophecy. You can figure it out. Now, next time Im going to take you through a series of about five questions that were going to ask and see how this plays out on the pages of Scripture, okay? They dont want to accept the fact that Adam and Eve were created full grown, male and female, not the result of an evolutionary process. The bottom line is were in charge. Look, I reject all of those really abusive and bizarre kinds of interpretation; but frankly, theyre no more wacky then the interpretations of the amillennialists, who want to take the entire book of Revelation and stuff it into the events of 70 A.D. and a few years afterwards and come up with things that are just as ridiculous. . And he is suggesting, therefore, that we cant interpret them literally, because somehow, weve got to make them fulfilled in this age, because there is no future age. A Review of Dr. John MacArthur's "Why Every Calvinist Should be a Premillennialist" Sermon. Cause what that means is God does know the future; God has set the future, and the future involves not only the glory of His church but the fulfillment of His elect people Israel with regard to everything that He promised that nation. There are 73 references to Israel in the New Testament; each of them refers to Israel. And may I remind you that you have one very, very important reality to deal with in case you think theres no future in Israel: living Israelites. I couldnt help but wonder what the other guest speakers might have been thinking as they sat in the front row. There are two great elect people in the Bible: Israel and the church; and Israel is elect, as the church is elect - the New Testament is full of comments about the church being the elect. Did He do it and somehow muddle it so hopelessly that the high ground for Bible students and the high ground for theologians is to recognize the muddle and abandon the perspicuity or the clarity of Scripture on that subject? It matters to me. Scripture affirms the perpetuity of the elect church to salvation glory; that all whom the Lord has chosen He brings to glory. Or another way to say it would be this: how many of you have attended an amillennial prophecy conference? Christ's Prophetic Plans: A Futuristic Premillennial Primer. I am not going to try to quote him here, because frankly I did not take notes, I just sat there and listened. Revelation 1:3: Blessed is he who reads, and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and heed the things which are written in it: for the time is near.. In a really interesting illustration MacArthur envisioned an amillennialist evangelizing a Jew. John Knox (1) John MacArthur (4) John MacDuff (1) John Mark (1) John Piper (25) John T. Carroll (1) John the Baptist (1) . When I was in seminary I thought about it, and I guess for about 50 years Ive been thinking about eschatology, the time of the end. iii.16. Craig and his wife Fran have two daughters and reside in Centennial, Colorado. Have you ever heard of that? This is a positive book: positive about the future of the Church. But let me tell you something: normal, natural, literal interpretation is the only way to stop abuse of Scripture. We can interpret it the way we interpret any other passage of Scripture, with the same use of the normal, natural means of interpreting language, and we should; and it will yield for us as clear an understanding of the future as the Lord wants us to have. But in the Old Testament - for example, Isaiah 45:4: Israel, Mine elect. Daylight and dark, daylight and dark - thats a 24-hour period - God creates everything. Today's Christians have been taught that they must flee responsibility, for Jesus' sake. For details about this sermon and for related resources, click here: https://www.gty.org/library/sermons-library/90-339 To receive John MacArthur's monthly l. I have - they can try to terrify me with all this stuff; I am unmoved. We had met a short time ago, and she had questions about . - comfort one another. Chicago: Moody, 2012. This morning John MacArthur opened the 2007 Shepherds Conference with a loud blast that will no doubt be heard around the Reformed world in the coming weeks. He is known around the world for his verse-by-verse expository preaching and his pulpit ministry via his daily radio program, Grace to You. Dispensationalism is perhaps a key reason why evangelicals have such a concern with what happens to the nation of Israel. One calls it a kingdom and says it will expand and expand and expand - thats the positive spin. The other says it is the kingdom. I just want to note that he neither proposed nor answered the types of objections that are oftentimes levied against premillennialists. That is a large part of evangelical Christianity, the Wesleyan movement, Charismatic movement, Methodists, etc., etc., many Baptists. Dr. MacArthur picked this fight. Not just the future of Israel, but our confidence in the Word of God. Premillennialism Historic Premillennialism Postmillennialism Amillennialism view sees the re-establishment of temple worship and animal sacrifices as a remembrance of Christ's sacrifice. Out of their own mouth - whats wrong with that? In fact, I understand sovereign electing grace much more clearly than I ever have in the past, and I also understand Gods sovereign electing purpose for Israel more clearly than Ive ever understood it. We've been working our way through doctrinal emphases in Scripture, doctrinal themes, and we have covered a lot of ground. These are dicult words to pronounce and even harder concepts to understand. The Millennium is the reign on earth of Jews who accept Christ John MacArthur, Because the Time is Near: John MacArthur Explains the Book of Revelation (Moody, 2007). The assembly and the circumstances of the assembly must be distinguished. If you read the paper and have your eyes open, and youre breathing, and your body has any temperature at all, you know things arent getting better. Now, here comes the real irony; this is the real irony. Some people try to call it poetry, but its clearly not poetry - it has none of the earmarks of poetry, none of the characteristics of Hebrew poetry. The amil guy, MacArthur said, would have to say that things have changed, those promises no longer apply to you, we have them now and this is the kingdom. And so, we stand steadfast, immovable. In other words, Piper believes Jesus Christ will come on earth and reign for 1,000 years. But they want to get God off the hook, so they say Hes really not responsible, Hes really not in charge of anything; Hes just trying to figure it out. And the longer I think about it and the more I study the Scripture, the clearer it becomes to me. So, heres how to get the foundation for a good sound eschatology: get election right, get Israel right, you got it. A Purchased Victory: A Conference on the Bright Hope of Postmillennialism, Website made by Chittam Technology Solutions, LLC. I remember when I flew to Kazakhstan in about a 35 or 38-hour flight; got off the plane at 7:00 in the morning to speak at a conference. First of all, we commend Dr. MacArthur for his solid Biblical position on Israel, and that Israel has a glorious future in the plan and purpose of God. Accordingly, we have updated our Privacy Policy and Terms and Conditions in order to comply with GDPR. I saw it in Scripture when I was young; I saw it in Scripture because it was so crystal clear. He told me he would study the issue and get back to me. Historic premillennialism is one system of eschatology that has support in the Protestant community. Turn to 1 Thessalonians chapter 4; 1 Thessalonians chapter 4. Yet, Abraham did not receive it during all the time of his journey there. Preachers Should Measure Twice and Cut Once, Why Our Church Cancelled Christmas Eve Service. We chart the course and God reacts. You get the interpretation of Scripture right when youre faithful to valid rules of interpretation. And whats at stake here? If it doesnt mean what it says and everybodys got a different view, then nobody has the authority to say, This is true. Lets just stick with things that we know are true and things that all the good theologians agree on. Doctrinal Statement Student Testimonies TMS for your Family Academics Academics Overview Master of Divinity Master of Theology Doctor of Ministry Doctor of Philosophy Bachelor of Theology Diploma of Theology Center for Israeli Studies Distance Education Academic Calendar Tyndale Center for Bible Translation But we now have pure Israelites. Particular to this framework is the eschatological position known as "premillennial dispensationalism" which holds that Christ will return prior to a literal one-thousand-year reign on earth. 11:12; 12:29; 13:19; John 10:12, 28, 29) and removing (John 6:15; Acts 8:39; 23:10; Jude 23).There is a third use, which focuses on being caught up . The church will move out of its own environs to capture nations, leaders, ideologies, philosophies, theories, religions, and bring them all into captivity to Christ. Some people want to turn it into ages - theres nothing in there that does that; theres nothing in the text itself that does that. In the world, things will get better and better and better as the church becomes more powerful and more influential. Yet in Sproul's lifetime, he and MacArthur were close friends. One says moving toward the coming of Christ there will be no kingdom. Should We Cancel Karl Barth, Martin Luther, and Jonathan Edwards? 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17), which, along with the appearance of the Antichrist, marks the beginning of the seven-year great tribulation on earth. a.Dispensationalist Premillennialism 1. The reasons are simple enough: this classic work is forthrightly Biblical. (Ridgeley, Commentary on the Larger Catechism, 1:563564.). So, if you say the promises of the Old Testament that refer to Israel really meant the church, you have no precedent for such an interpretation. Some people say, How in the world can you understand it? They understood it in China without anything but a Bible; they understood it in Central Asia without anything but a Bible; you take it at face value. "John MacArthur on Calvinism, Dispensationalism, Israel, and Hermeneutics: A Few Comments" . When Frederick the Great called his chaplain in and he said, I want proof of the truthfulness of the Bible, and I want it briefly, the chaplain replied, Sir, I can give you proof of the truthfulness of the Bible in one word: Israel.. Help Grace to You bring important resources like this to people in your community and beyond, free of charge. Every promise God made to Abraham about his lineage inheriting the land of Palestine has been fulfilled! ( 3:16) . Anything to avoid premillennialism, even if you change the rules of interpretation. The church will become more influential, more impactful, more spiritually powerful. You can believe and be saved and then you can forfeit your salvation. Major proponents J. N. Darby, C. I. Scofield, John Walvoord, A. C. Gaebelein, Charles Ryrie, Lewis S. Chafer, J. Dwight Pentecost, Charles C. Ryrie, Dispensational premillennialism (DP) offers the most complex chronology of the end times.It argues that the current church age will end with the rapture of the church (cf. MacArthur insisted that we should be able to preach the whole Bible without changing the original meaning of the text or abrogating promises. We want the Word to bless, to make us pure, to stabilize us, to comfort us, to give us a passion for evangelism. Fundamental Basically he said that when people spiritualize or allegorize the first three chapters of Genesis we call them Liberals, but when they do the same with the prophetic Scriptures we call them amillennialists. Its a strange approach. God doesnt choose you, you choose Him. An Anglican - an Anglican - by the name of William Cunningham in 1815 wrote a book called The Premillennial Advent; he was anything but a dispensationalist. So, my words to you are really very simple foundational words, I say this. Part of what we pray for in the second petition, Thy kingdom come, is that the gospel [be] propagated throughout the world, the Jews called, the fullness of the Gentiles brought in. In his commentary on the Larger Catechism, Thomas Ridgeley (16671734) wrote, Hence, we cannot but suppose that those prophecies which respect [to the conversion of the Jews], in the latter day, together with the fullness of the Gentiles being brought in, shall be more eminently accomplished than they have hitherto been. ((Thomas Ridgeley, Commentary on the Larger Catechism, 2 vols. How could they believe unless He caused them to believe? And at that judgment, well be recompensed for the deeds done in the body, whether they are good or phaulos, meaning useless. Iain Murray, the author of The Puritan Hope, a book that Im using to make my historical case against MacArthurs claims, spoke at the Shepherds Conference in 2001. John MacArthur laid down the gauntlet on the issue of prophecy in his opening talk at the 2007 Shepherds Conference that was titled Why Every Self-Respecting Calvinist Is a Premillennialist. He was emphatic that only premillennialism takes the prophecies concerning the future of Israel seriously.