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. See, for example, Michael Vlach's article "How Does Historic Premillennialism Differ from Dispensational Premillennialism?", this "Eschatology Comparison" chart, and this article "An Historical . 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. Listen to John MacArthur Sermons - Grace to You Radio - Oneplace.com Registered User 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. I think it matters to God. Now, there are people who do this to Genesis 1, 2 and 3. And who made them? Why I Changed My Mind About the Millennium - The Gospel Coalition by John MacArthur and Richard Mayhue (Chicago: Moody, 2012), 24. Where is the divine mandate to do that? Review of Biblical Doctrine, John MacArthur's new systematic theology And so, we stand steadfast, immovable. So, it is really one of the strange ironies of Reformed theology, and therefore its a strange irony in the church today, that those who love the doctrine of sovereign election most - that would be Reformed theologians - those who love the doctrine of sovereign election most supremely, and who love that doctrine most sincerely and - this is going to be a long sentence - and who are most unwavering in their devotion to the glory of God, the honor of Christ, the work of the Holy Spirit in regeneration, the veracity and inerrancy of Scripture , Those who are usually the most fastidious in Bible interpretation - yes, those who are the most careful and intentionally biblical regarding all categories of doctrine, those who see themselves as guardians of biblical truth, those who are passionate to get it right, those who are not content to be wrong at all, and those who most heartily agree on the essential matters of Christian truth, so that they labor with all their powers to examine in a Berean fashion every relevant text to discern the true interpretation of all matters of divine revelation, are . You cannot fight the war on every front, and at the great time of the Reformation, they were fighting the war where the battle raged the hottest. (Ridgeley, Commentary on the Larger Catechism, 1:562. And . Israel and the church, and advocate for futuristic millennialism. The English noun/verb "rapture" comes from the Latin noun raptura/verb rapio that is used 14 times in the NT.The basic idea of the word is "to remove suddenly or snatch away." It is used in the NT in reference to stealing/plundering (Matt. Because they believed that the Jews would be converted, Puritan and Presbyterian churches earnestly prayed that Pauls prophecies would be fulfilled. And youve been great tonight; this is more like a theological lecture. 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? "John MacArthur on Calvinism, Dispensationalism, Israel, and Hermeneutics: A Few Comments" . Why Every Calvinist Should Be a Premillennialist By John MacArthur If only he could just send down one message, that might be it. The other view is whats called openness theology, and its the same thing; it simply means God has no idea what the future is. And whats at stake here? (Quoted in Murray, The Puritan Hope, 101102. If you look at Acts 3:19, Peter says, Repent therefore, and return, that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing - thats the millennium - may come from the presence of the Lord; that He may send Jesus, the Christ appointed for you, whom heaven must receive till the period of restoration of all things about which God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient time. So, having your eschatology in place may lead you to repentance. We sent you an email. After that he must be loosed for a little while." Ive preached through many of the books of the Old Testament, the first eleven chapters of Genesis through Daniel, Zechariah, the minor prophets, and pieces and bits of Isaiah and others in the Old Testament. The other looks at it as a spiritual kingdom also but says it will decline and decline and decline until Jesus finally comes. This is postmillennialism at its best. In 1679, Scottish minister Walter Smith drew up some guidelines for prayer meetings: As it is the undoubted duty of all to pray for the coming of Christs kingdom, so all that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity, and know what it is to bow a knee in good earnest, will long and pray for the out-making of the gospel-promises to his Church in the latter days, that King Christ would go out upon the white horse of the gospel, conquering and to conquer, and make a conquest of the travail of his soul, that it may be sounded that the kingdoms of the world are become his, and his name called upon from the rising of the sun to its going down. John MacArthur claims to be a Dispensationalist in both The Gospel According to Jesus (GAJ) and The Gospel According to the Apostles (GAA). Certainly, you have no idea what it means - neither does anybody else. Because when you understand Gods purpose for Israel, you now have the foundation for all eschatology; all eschatology. He has also written or edited nearly four hundred books and study guides. Scripture affirms the perpetuity of the elect church to salvation glory; that all whom the Lord has chosen He brings to glory. Copyright 2023 The Gospel Coalition, INC. All Rights Reserved. The other says it is the kingdom. It is narrative history, and we fight - sometimes tooth and nail - to maintain the literal veracity of Genesis 1 through 3. Dispensationalism is perhaps a key reason why evangelicals have such a concern with what happens to the nation of Israel. Receiving Not Achieving. Those who most celebrate the sovereign grace of election - thats the Reformed - they are typically amillennial. Why a Pretribulational Rapture? | Journal | The Master's Seminary Grace to You radio, video, audio, print, and website resources reach millions worldwide each day. Premillennialism: The millennium is the long period (perhaps a literal 1,000 years) when King Jesus will rule on earth. And by the way, if we change the rules, what are the new ones? Ridgeleys original work was titled A Body of Divinity: Wherein the Doctrines of the Christian Religion are Explained and Defended, Being the Substance of Several Lectures on the Assemblys Larger Catechism and was published in 1731.)) This is why its message is hated. It has not appeared as yet what we shall be. They also think that there is not to be a literal thousand-year kingdom as such, but thats just metaphoric for a long time; and it simply indicates whatever the duration of that period where the influence of the church dominates the world, after which Christ returns. 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. Church column: Are people of Israel today children of God by reason of See De Jong, As the Waters Cover the Sea, 12.). So, I say, leave amillennialism to those kinds of people who do not believe in the sovereign, unilateral, irrevocable, divine electing power of God. Murray notes that A number of years before [the Larger Catechism and Westminster Directory for Public Worship] were drawn up, the call for prayer for the conversion of the Jews and for the success of the gospel throughout the world was already a feature of Puritan congregations. (Murray, The Puritan Hope, 99.) In 1652, a group of eighteen Puritan ministers and theologians, including both Presbyterians and Independents, affirmed that the Scripture speaks of a double conversion of the Gentiles, the first before the conversion of the Jews, they being Branches wild by nature grafted into the True Olive Tree instead of the natural Branches which are broken off…. Without the dispensational lens-says MacArthur-you will misunderstand much of the Bible. A recurring topic of interest in his writings is the historical reliability of the Scriptures. Saving Your Marriage Before It Starts Workbook for Women Updated: Seven Questions to Ask Before---and After---You Marry 9780310875475 One topic I did not mention is the place of Israel in prophecy at it relates to postmillennialism. And at that judgment, well be recompensed for the deeds done in the body, whether they are good or phaulos, meaning useless. Why? Since Scripture speaks of the Millennium as a time of great prosperity for the kingdom of God, post-mills are inherently optimistic. Chicago: Moody, 2012. Now, I know at this point somebody out there is going to say, Oh boy, hes into the Left Behind series. No, Im not in to Rapture fiction, and Im not in to wacky charts - you dont see me up here with a big chart and a stick. End Times DEBATE! John MacArthur vs Voddie Baucham (Premillennialism vs Over four decades of ministry, John has written dozens of bestselling books, including The . John Piper Backs Professor's End Times Theory of Premillennialism. And again, I say, His election is divine, unilateral, unconditional and irrevocable. Those are the views. All right. Return the sovereignty of God in election to its rightful place, return the nation Israel to its rightful place, and your eschatology will unfold in beautiful clarity. There isnt such a thing. So, I told the pastors at the conference, and the title of this talk is, Why every self-respecting Calvinist has to be a premillennialist. Because, if you believe in divine sovereign election, then you have to believe that as God will be faithful to His promises to His church, He will also be faithful to His promises to His elect nation Israel. Whether youre talking about the church as Gods elect, or Israel as Gods elect, both are Gods elect. Darby, that came out of that whole dispensational system no, it didnt. Over 200 times in the Bible God is called the God of Israel - over two hundred times, the God of Israel.. Ive been teaching and preaching the Bible expositionally now for over 40 years, one verse at a time. John MacArthur on the Rapture - LifeCoach4God The preconception is that we cant allow this to happen. Erdman refers to the premillennialism of Asia Minor in the second century as "Asiatic millennialism.". Why would God wait nearly 2000 years to redeem a single generation of Jews only to have the antichrist wipe out two-thirds of them? Now, I've been telling you for a number of months that we were going to get into the subject of eschatology, the doctrine of last things. But there is a growing influence of amillennialism, because amillennialism has been a part of reformed theology. Classical Vs Progressive Dispensationalism: Differences - Bible Reasons (Edinburgh: The Banner of Truth Trust, [1834] 1974), 1:607.). Register. From the material available online today, many would conclude that "historic premillennialism" refers to the teaching of 20th century theologian George Elton Laddand no other view. Fundamental But we now have pure Israelites. We shall all be changed, in a moment, the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed., Thats the rapture; were going to study the rapture. The Millennium: When Is It? | Reformed Bible Studies & Devotionals at 13:79). Do you know - are you watching this media? But not us, who live and breathe the rarified air of sovereign grace and election; it makes no sense to me. Even His promises may not be valid, because He made them with inadequate information. Turn to 1 Corinthians 15; 1 Corinthians 15. It is one thing to omit them for a time, and another to do it ordinarily. Every promise God made to Abraham about his lineage inheriting the land of Palestine has been fulfilled! There are 73 references to Israel in the New Testament; each of them refers to Israel. God filled the Bible with prophecy and much of it looking to the end. Now, when they came here, Im very much aware that many of them are amillennialists. The Rise of Philo-Semitism and Premillennialism During the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries. Not just the future of Israel, but our confidence in the Word of God. Staggering. Post-Millennialism, in stark contrast to Pre-Millennialism, believes that the Millennium occurs before Jesus' Second Coming rather than after. Log In So, this is a classic perfect fit for Arminian theology. Thats a hard sell, frankly. Now, talking about eschatology is not without controversy. John MacArthur | The Road Less Traveled Craig and his wife Fran have two daughters and reside in Centennial, Colorado. . 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. In the modern theological world, I say leave amillennialism to the process theologians. If students at The Masters Seminary are not being taught these things in their classes dealing with prophecy, then they are being shortchanged, misinformed, and, dare I say, led astray. Turn to 2 Corinthians chapter 5 verse 9; 2 Corinthians chapter 5 verse 9: We have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, - that is, whether in heaven or here - to be pleasing to Him - to be pleasing to Him. In fact, the worst evil thats ever been done on the history of the world was the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, and by that - the worst evil - He gained the greatest glory. Show more Friends Following He made them in the past, when He didnt know what He now knows, because what was going to happen hadnt happened. Master Category Reference - Page 77 - Biblestore.com Death, where is your victory? "MacArthur calls himself a "leaky dispensationalist"--meaning he rejects any and all "dispensational" soteriological innovations, holding to classic Reformed (i.e., Protestant, not "covenantal") soteriology. Thats for people who dont know this; that the way history ends, is with Jesus coming and taking us away. After thorough study I saw that his views on the topic were based on (among other things) circular reasoning and tradition. Israel sinned, youre out. Instead, MacArthur systematically unpacked the biblical theology that leads one to an unabashed Calvinistic eschatology. Premillennialism: This view sees a chronological sequence as Satan is bound in the future when Christ returns and before Christians receive their reward, and then the millennium commences, hence the name, "pre". In similar language, Scripture affirms the perpetuity of ethnic Israel to a future salvation and a future kingdom as a race of people, and that in that salvation and in that kingdom will be the fulfillment of all divine promises given to them in the Old Testament, repeated in the New Testament, and through them to the world. O.T. . Pre-Millennialism, Post-Millennialism or Amillennialism? Select Bibliography. How could He hold them responsible for not believing? Now, against those two is the view called premillennialism; that means there will be a millennium and prior to that millennium, Jesus will come. Its the whole point of everything else. Israel sinned, promises cancelled. And then the effect of it is in verse 58: Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, and you can stop right there. That's a complete misreading. Some people want to turn it into ages - theres nothing in there that does that; theres nothing in the text itself that does that. Turn to 1 Thessalonians chapter 4; 1 Thessalonians chapter 4. Its the whole point of the beginning and the middle. Leave it to the semi-Pelagians and Pelagians, who go in and out of salvation; it makes sense for their theology. Does the end matter? Now it is time to reestablish the high ground of sovereign grace for a future generation of ethnic Israel in salvation and the messianic earthly kingdom. Some of the most formidable amillennialists - and Im talking about well-respected, very erudite influential theologians - say things like this, and Ill quote. A Preface First: One of the reasons I am doing this review of Dr. MacArthur's sermon Why Every Calvinist Should Be a Premillennialist is due to a good friend and sister in Christ who wished to challenge me on the subject of eschatology. And I ask the question: are we supposed to be comfortable with the notion that the hard and fast and true principles of Bible interpretation have to be set aside in prophetic texts? He blogs at Ordinary Pastor. Theological Method of Premillennialism" in A Case for Historic Premillennialism: An Alternative to "Left Behind" Eschatology, ed. Israel crucifies the Messiah, thats it. This is process theology. 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. Popular proponents of dispensational premillennialism have been John F. MacArthur, Phil Johnson, Ray Comfort, Jerry Falwell, Todd Friel, Dwight Pentecost, John Walvoord (d. 2002), Tim Lahaye, Charles Caldwell Ryrie (in the notes for the Ryrie Study Bible), the theological-folk poetry of Jack Royerton, and Charles L. Feinberg. John Fullerton MacArthur Jr. (born June 19, 1939) is an American Protestant pastor and author known for his internationally syndicated Christian teaching radio and television program Grace to You. How could He hold any of us, in one sense, responsible for not believing? / ( .) Amen. 4. His mode of expositing those verses that supposedly counter Preterism really helped me to focus on those areas in the Bible. Not that they were the only ones to be saved, but they were the ones through whom God will eventually reach, and even set up His Son to rule over the nations. There are a number of viewpoints of what the Bible means when it speaks of future events. John MacArthur's first message at the Shepherds' Conference set off shock waves throughout the reformed evangelical church by upholding Premillennialism as being the only consistent position for any person who holds to the doctrine of sovereign electing grace. This year they upgraded some snacks and are handing out Zone protein bars, a major enhancementhowever, I am really missing my family. Now, why am I making a case for this? Arminius did not believe in election; those who follow him do not believe in election. How Leaky Dispensationalism Leads to Inaccurate Scriptural The reformers had it right on most issues. A Case for Historic Premillennialism: An Alternative to "Left Behind Please respond to confirm your registration. Amillennialism really seems to fit them. We've been working our way through doctrinal emphases in Scripture, doctrinal themes, and we have covered a lot of ground. What is historic premillennialism? | GotQuestions.org Father, we thank You for a great evening together; wonderful testimonies, great fellowship and how - how good it is to think deeply and broadly about the glory of Your Word. He wants us to get it right; thats why He put it in the Scripture and the Scripture is replete with it. Premillennialism (3) Pretribulationism (1) Pride (3) Priests (4) Princeton Theological Review (1) . If were going to change the rules, then, may I suggest this - and this is what I told the pastors - if were going to change the rules, then we better have a word from God. S. Lewis Johnson, Curt Daniel "The History and Theology of Calvinism" by Curt Daniel) and others affirm full soteriological Calvinism without adopting postmil or amil eschatology. First John 3 verse 2: Beloved - 1 John 3:2 Now are we the children of God. One says its not the kingdom. 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. I have dragged you through virtually every verse in the New Testament. Seventy percent - by the way - of Scripture is the story of Israel, start to finish. 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. I have never moved away from my conviction about these two things. Some of them are postmillennialists, although there are fewer and fewer of those. Tell us about the future. They were in a very hopeless situation, having very little in life. Not true. Turn to Revelation chapter 1. The second, after the conversion of the Jews. (Quoted in Iain Murray, The Puritan Hope: Revival and the Interpretation of Prophecy (London: The Banner of Truth Trust, 1971), 72. We had met a short time ago, and she had questions about . (Ridgeley, Commentary on the Larger Catechism, 1:563564.). He also said that it is too late for Calvin but it is not too late for you [to join the Reformed Premillennial movement]! There should be a footnote in the chapter saying, Please note: here comes a prophetic text; change the rules. We really need a divine mandate, because I think God cares that we get it right. The Gospel According to John MacArthur - Trinity Foundation They taught that the kingdom of God would be visibly manifest on earth after the second coming of Jesus.
