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. Also, among Scottish Presbyterian churches during this period, special days of prayer were set aside partly in order that the promised conversion of [Gods] ancient people of the Jews may be hastened. (Quoted in Murray, The Puritan Hope, 100.) In the world, things will get better and better and better as the church becomes more powerful and more influential. I just want to note that he neither proposed nor answered the types of objections that are oftentimes levied against premillennialists. Why a Pretribulational Rapture? | Journal | The Master's Seminary Essential Christian Doctrine: A Handbook on Biblical Truth: MacArthur Why Every Calvinist Should Be a Premillennialist, Part 1. 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.)) The other says it is the kingdom. I think it matters. He has also written or edited nearly four hundred books and study guides. Do you understand the massive apologetic power of the existence of Israel as an ethnic people in their own land? Today's Christians have been taught that they must flee responsibility, for Jesus' sake. I dont do this to you very often, but I hope you feel like it was helpful, and anchored you in this great and important truth. And there are a lot of people who get the first one right - they get election right - and they dont get Israel right, and they are lost when it comes to eschatology. Without the dispensational lens-says MacArthur-you will misunderstand much of the Bible. Do not look down on others from your view of the end-times. So, we can set aside the idea that somehow this is rooted in wacky dispensationalism; it is not. Every promise God made to Abraham about his lineage inheriting the land of Palestine has been fulfilled! 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. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ - thats part of the coming eschatology. You never met a Hittite, an Amorite, a Hivite, a Jebusite, or any other ite. They have long since morphed into the melee and the mix of the races. 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. The Keller Center for Cultural Apologetics helps Christians show unbelievers the truth, goodness, and beauty of the gospel as the only hope that fulfills our deepest longings. For this perishable must put on the imperishable, this mortal must put on immortality. And then he goes on to talk about the fact that in that moment, in that event, Death is swallowed up in victory. 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.. (Edmonton, AB Canada: Still Waters Revival Books, [1855] 1993), 2:621. . Help train Christians to boldly share the good news of Jesus Christ in a way that clearly communicates to this secular age. 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. They would rather believe that God has predestined His Church to failure than believe that they are personally responsible for transforming society. Now, the truth of the matter is, those are just two ways to look at the same thing; postmillennialism and amillennialism is really the same thing. He made an interesting connection between Genesis and Revelation. And then the effect of it is in verse 58: Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, and you can stop right there. That is called historical premillennialism: Christ will come, set up the kingdom, but it won't have the Jewish character that we anticipate from Old Testament promises it would have, because those promises were cancelled to Israel and given to the church. Whether you are a pessimistic amillennialist, or an optimistic amillennialist - thats a postmillennialist - you dont know what to do with prophetic truth, because if you interpret prophetic truth in the same normal, natural way you interpret all the rest of the passages of Scripture, youre going to end up a premillennialist; its inevitable. 4. Some people want to turn it into ages - theres nothing in there that does that; theres nothing in the text itself that does that. One calls it a kingdom and says it will expand and expand and expand - thats the positive spin. In one passage he defends premillennialism by arguing that a future earthly kingdom is necessary because of God's promise to Abraham, he wrote "The promise remains steadfast. The Early Witness to Premillennialism - The Master's Seminary by John MacArthur and Richard Mayhue (Chicago: Moody, 2012), 24. It is narrative history, and we fight - sometimes tooth and nail - to maintain the literal veracity of Genesis 1 through 3. Dr. MacArthur picked this fight. He wants us to get it right; thats why He put it in the Scripture and the Scripture is replete with it. Its there. "Are You Becoming a Post-Millennialist?" - Desiring God "John MacArthur on Calvinism, Dispensationalism, Israel, and Hermeneutics: A Few Comments" . And Im really grateful that the Spirit of God is moving the way He is these days, and moving in the church to reestablish the glorious high ground of the sovereignty of God in salvation. 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. 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. So, if were going to change the rules of interpretation to inject into Scripture a preconceived idea or to avoid what is obvious, we better be sure that we have a word from God. John MacArthur on the Rapture - LifeCoach4God Enter your email address and we will send you instructions on how to reset your password. ), We have, hence, sufficient ground to conclude, that, when these prophecies shall have their accomplishment, the interest of Christ shall be the prevailing interest in the world, which it has never yet been in all respects; so that godliness shall be as much and as universally valued and esteemed, as it has hitherto been decried, and it shall be reckoned as great an honour to be a Christian, as it has, in the most degenerate age of the church, been matter of reproach…. They didnt really get to the front of ecclesiology either, the study of the church, but those two kind of go together - as well see in this study - in some very fascinating ways. Every Sunday morning for over 50 years, John MacArthur a faithful pastor with many of the same convictions as Barrow has ascended the pulpit of Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California, opened his Bible, and boldly preached God's Word to the thousands assembled there to worship. Process theology: they are the theologians, liberal theologians, who believe that God is in process of becoming what He will be. And it is powerfully persuasive. 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. Reformed theologian John Piper affirmed his belief that the second coming of Christ is coming soon and indicated that he is a premillennialist. How Leaky Dispensationalism Leads to Inaccurate Scriptural So, I said, Would you do me a favor? Now, understanding the future is you know, thats a general statement that you would be blessed - but look at just a couple of other things quickly. (Quoted in Murray, The Puritan Hope, 101102. Craig Blaising and . a.Dispensationalist Premillennialism 1. Classical Vs Progressive Dispensationalism: Differences - Bible Reasons Most of the Reformers and the Puritans were postmils. 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. How could He hold any of us, in one sense, responsible for not believing? Historical Records of New South Wales, vols 1-7; Historical Records of Australia, series 1, vols 1-17, series 3, vols 2-3, series 4, vol 1; S. Macarthur Onslow, Early Records of the Macarthurs of Camden (Syd 1914) S. J. Butlin, Foundations of the Australian Monetary System, 1788-1851 (Melb, 1953) M. H. Ellis, John Macarthur (Syd, 1955) and for bibliography ), Puritan Independent Thomas Goodwin, in his book, The Return of Prayers, encouraged people to pray for the calling of the Jews, the utter downfall of Gods enemies, the flourishing of the gospel. Goodwin assured his readers that all these prayers will have answers. (Quoted in Murray, The Puritan Hope, 102.). 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 . In fact, its an impossible effort since it doesnt mean what it says, and you have to sort of allegorize it or spiritualize it and therefore interpretations are myriad; they are as many as interpreters. PDF Millennial Views Comparison Chart - WordPress.com And at that judgment, well be recompensed for the deeds done in the body, whether they are good or phaulos, meaning useless. 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. In a really interesting illustration MacArthur envisioned an amillennialist evangelizing a Jew. For example, the book is well-organized. This we think to be the sense, in general, of those scriptures, both in the Old and New Testament, which speak of the latterday glory. One says moving toward the coming of Christ there will be no kingdom. Israel disobeyed the law, youre done. It is the theme of Scripture, the theme of eternity, and the .