Because we dont want you to incur expenditure for which you are not prepared, could you please confirm whether you are willing to pay this charge, if necessary? John MacArthur and Richard Mayhue's new systematic theology titled Biblical Doctrine has many positive aspects. The alpha privative in the Greek language means a negative, so there is the view that there is no millennium; that what John is writing about in Revelation 20 is very vague, may refer to nothing other than a long time in which the church flourishes on earth, simply referring to that kingdom which is spiritual - that is, the rule of Christ over those who belong to Him while on earth. As soon as you abandon that, then its fair game for anybodys craziness. See, for example, Michael Vlach's article "How Does Historic Premillennialism Differ from Dispensational Premillennialism?", this "Eschatology Comparison" chart, and this article "An Historical . 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. I have - they can try to terrify me with all this stuff; I am unmoved. We can take prophetic Scripture at face value. They will die for that truth regarding the church, but unashamedly abandon that same truth for the elect nation of Israel. Thats called process theology. I align myself to historical premillennialism, so I want to convey my own dismay with John MacArthur's sermon series from 2007. What you have here is a benediction from God: blessed is he who reads and understands the book of Revelation. ), 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…. We know that, so our ambition is, when we get to that place, to be rewarded because we are pleasing to Him. I had, as theologians might call it, my own my own ordo eschaton; that would be the chronological sequence of the end times. You get the interpretation of Scripture right when youre faithful to valid rules of interpretation. Edwards believed that the overthrow of Satans kingdom involved several elements: the abolition of heresies and infidelity, the overthrow of the kingdom of the Antichrist (the Pope), the overthrow of the Muslim nations, and the overthrow of Jewish infidelity: However obstinate [the Jews] have been now for above seventeen hundred years in their rejection of Christ, and however rare have been the instances of individual conversions, ever since the destruction of Jerusalem … yet, when this day comes, the thick vail that blinds their eyes shall be removed, 2 Cor. So, I said, Would you do me a favor? It is narrative history, and we fight - sometimes tooth and nail - to maintain the literal veracity of Genesis 1 through 3. I reject the wacky world of newspaper exegesis and cartoon eschatology, and crazy interpretation like the locusts of Revelation 9 being helicopters, et cetera. Not one reference anywhere in Scripture - and there are over two thousand, referring to Israel - means anything other than Israel. It has to matter to us. So, you interpret it right, and that will allow you to understand the meaning of the Covenants and the future of Israel; and Gods integrity is at stake. An Excellent Defense of The Rapture by Dr. John MacArthur But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope. Every promise God made to Abraham about his lineage inheriting the land of Palestine has been fulfilled! And that was over the gospel, and over the nature of Christ, and over salvation by grace through faith and over the authority of Scripture. So, I say, leave amillennialism to those kinds of people who do not believe in the sovereign, unilateral, irrevocable, divine electing power of God. Is that what God wanted us to do, to look at it and say, Aw, I cant figure this out; lets forget it? There are whole denominations that are instructed not to teach on the end times. 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. In short, there shall be, as it were, a universal spread of religion and holiness to the Lord, throughout the world. 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. 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. Leave it to the semi-Pelagians and Pelagians, who go in and out of salvation; it makes sense for their theology. This is why the Church is so weak in our day. Romans 11:28 . The other says there will be a kingdom. One says moving toward the coming of Christ there will be no kingdom. Hes improving; Hes definitely on the upward curve. 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. Thats just two ways to look at the same thing. and defends what can only be described as postmillennialism over against premillennialism. He has also written or edited nearly four hundred books and study guides. "John MacArthur on Calvinism, Dispensationalism, Israel, and Hermeneutics: A Few Comments" . 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. Scofield, that came out of J.N. 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. Similarly, the Westminster Directory for Public Worship instructed ministers to pray for the Propagation of the Gospel and Kingdom of Christ to all nations, for the conversion of the Jews, the fullness of the Gentiles, the fall of Antichrist, and the hastening of the second coming of the Lord. (Quoted in J. And in line with that, I want to try, at least, in the next couple of Sunday nights to establish a foundation for our understanding. . He told me he would study the issue and get back to me. A. DeJong, As the Waters Cover the Sea: Millennial Expectations in the Rise of Anglo-America Missions, 16401810 (Kampen: J. H. Kok, 1970), 3738.) You forfeit everything, and God gives it to somebody else - namely, the church - and we hope the church can do better than Israel or the church will forfeit it all as well. 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…. The Rise of Philo-Semitism and Premillennialism During the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries. 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. 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. MacArthur, John, and Richard Mayhue, eds. We who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and thus shall we always be with the Lord. Heres the application: Therefore - do what? 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. Receiving Not Achieving. First John 3 verse 2: Beloved - 1 John 3:2 Now are we the children of God. He and his wife, Christie, have six children. 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. I am not going to try to quote him here, because frankly I did not take notes, I just sat there and listened. He confronts the views of covenant theology, historical premillennialism, ultradispensationalism, and, in this revised edition, the increasingly popular progressive dispensationalism. His point being that Jesus literally fulfilled promises of God just as they would have been literally taken, how in the world can we now redefine the kingdom in a different way than it was described in and through the prophets? The reformers had it right on most issues. Those who most celebrate the sovereign grace of election regarding the church and its inviolable place in Gods purpose, from predestination before the foundation of the world to glorification in the future, those who most celebrate the sovereign grace of election, those who most aggressively, most militantly, and most capably defend the truth of Scripture regarding this election being divine, unilateral, unconditional, irrevocable by nature, for the church - thats for us . No other study Bible does such a thorough job of explaining the historical context, unfolding the meaning of the text, and placing it within a theological Arminians - not Armenians, thats different; those who follow Arminius - did not believe in election. He made an interesting connection between Genesis and Revelation. But let me tell you something: normal, natural, literal interpretation is the only way to stop abuse of Scripture. All this panic about global warming, and all this panic about the end of the world and asteroids crashing into the earth? 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. The world, as they see it, is in an ongoing golden process of progress. The church will become more influential, more impactful, more spiritually powerful. I like to call amillennialism negative, and postmillennialism positive. Dispensationalism is a kind of framework for history that is organized around seven dispensationsseven orders or administrations. 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. Now, why am I making a case for this? This up to now has been more like a lecture, but turn to Revelation chapter 1, and just look at verse 3 for a moment. Mathewson, Dave L. Thats for people who dont know this; that the way history ends, is with Jesus coming and taking us away. It is pungently clear. Its there. Where is the divine mandate to do that? You can figure it out. Because, you see, if it doesnt mean what it says it means, then any suggestion is as bad as any other suggestion. He notes that "the decisive authority of Asiatic millennialism is John, from whom the elders claimed to have obtained their information. 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. A recurring topic of interest in his writings is the historical reliability of the Scriptures. 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. Weve been working our way through doctrinal emphases in Scripture, doctrinal themes, and we have covered a lot of ground. Or another way to say it would be this: how many of you have attended an amillennial prophecy conference? Israel and the church, and advocate for futuristic millennialism. Well, we now come to the doctrines that relate to the end times. Process theology: they are the theologians, liberal theologians, who believe that God is in process of becoming what He will be. This is why its message is hated. Yet, Abraham did not receive it during all the time of his journey there. Not just the future of Israel, but our confidence in the Word of God. Piper was responding to an "Ask Pastor John . We are responsible for our sin, but in the end, we believe because He moves on us. He concluded that Nothing is more certainly foretold than this national conversion of the Jews in Romans 11. (Jonathan Edwards, History of Redemption, The Works of Jonathan Edwards, 2 vols. Today's Christians have been taught that they must flee responsibility, for Jesus' sake. Well see more about how that works. And it is powerfully persuasive. God is just trying to find His way through the melee of choices and decisions, through the endless vicissitudes and choices that everything and everyone makes, through all of the numberless issues in this massive universe that are going on; Hes sorting it all out as He goes. The "millennium" refers to the period of 1,000 years mentioned in Revelation 20:3, "He threw Satan into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years were ended. 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. Without the dispensational lens-says MacArthur-you will misunderstand much of the Bible. Over four decades of ministry, John has written dozens of bestselling books, including The . I saw it in Scripture when I was young; I saw it in Scripture because it was so crystal clear. Daylight and dark, daylight and dark - thats a 24-hour period - God creates everything. The assembly and the circumstances of the assembly must be distinguished. There isnt such a thing. Other well-known historic premillennialists include Walter Martin; John Warwick Montgomery; J. Barton Payne; Henry Alford, a noted Greek scholar; and Theodor Zahn, a German New Testament scholar. iii.16. The reasons are simple enough: this classic work is forthrightly Biblical. A Purchased Victory: A Conference on the Bright Hope of Postmillennialism, Website made by Chittam Technology Solutions, LLC. 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. Dr. MacArthur picked this fight. So, my words to you are really very simple foundational words, I say this. Arminius did not believe in election; those who follow him do not believe in election. The bottom line is were in charge. And who made them? 7 Reasons Why the Gospel of John is So Special 3 days ago That is to say, while they understood that someone would come, they understood whatever it was that had been revealed to them, the timing was not clear, and the precise personages were not clear. The sting of death is sin, the power of sin is the law, thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.. But there is a growing influence of amillennialism, because amillennialism has been a part of reformed theology. He asked what the amillennialist would say if the Jew asked about the kingdom and the blessings. If you get that right, your eschatology will come crystal clear. 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. Do not look down on others from your view of the end-times. 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. They are certainly available (or they should be) in the library at MacArthurs Masters Seminary. #10. Who Are the Real Schismatics? Please make sure all fields are filled out. 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. Christ will return, He will come in a glorious second coming to earth - but not to establish His kingdom, but rather after His kingdom has been established. Chicago: Moody, 2012. It therefore teaches responsibility. The following is a partial response to the subject since it is integral to premillennialism while postmillennialism is often ignored on the subject. Hes not predicting the future because you cant predict what hasnt happened - it doesnt exist. And by the way, if we change the rules, what are the new ones? He made them in the past, when He didnt know what He now knows, because what was going to happen hadnt happened. 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. We had met a short time ago, and she had questions about . John MacArthur was one of the influences that helped turn me to Preterism. Now, the only thing that I ask is that you read it, and the only reason I ask you to read it is so that you may be what? He never has. Articles Baptist Theology Calvinism Charles Spurgeon Christology Classic Premillennialism Covenant Theology e-Articles e-Books Eschatology Historic . Did God do this but somehow mumble? John MacArthur claims to be a Dispensationalist in both The Gospel According to Jesus (GAJ) and The Gospel According to the Apostles (GAA). 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. God promised him the inheritance of the land. Israel disobeyed the law, youre done. It makes no sense. The preconception is that we cant allow this to happen. Now, to affix our thinking to one great future event which seems to be the most controversial, I want you to think with me about the coming kingdom of Christ, known as the millennial kingdom, because in the twentieth chapter of Revelation, the opening of that chapter, there is reference to the reign and rule of Jesus Christ on the earth which lasts one thousand years; in fact, one thousand is repeated six times in that brief text. (Matt .25:31-46; John . We cant have those prophecies come to pass with regard to Israel in an earthly, literal kingdom the way the Old Testament seems to be saying it, so set aside normal, natural, literal interpretation. 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. See more on the author's page Sung Wook Chung Christ's Prophetic Plans offers the reader John MacArthur's most explicit writing on eschatology and is perfect for pastors, bible professors, teachers, and students with a heart and mind for discovering Biblical truth. 8.The Grammatical-Historical Hermeneutic: Its Defense and the Demand for Premillennialism -- by Abner Chou -- p.64 9.Will Israel Build a Temple in Jerusalem? 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. Therefore, Israel has been permanently set aside, so that the only kingdom will be that kingdom that we call the church, ruled by Christ, either expanding to take over the world, or existing in the world, and finally in heaven. 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. What passage is it in? They would rather believe that God has predestined His Church to failure than believe that they are personally responsible for transforming society. Now, here comes the real irony; this is the real irony. Premillennialism Historic Premillennialism Postmillennialism Amillennialism view sees the re-establishment of temple worship and animal sacrifices as a remembrance of Christ's sacrifice. This is simply a way to understand Scripture in its normal sense. There is no doubt that he does hold to the fundamental distinction between the Church and Israel, though he does not always apply this distinction consistently. This article is also available and sold as a booklet. Turn to 1 Corinthians 15; 1 Corinthians 15. Ive dragged myself through all these years of the discipline of study. They dont faze me. That leaves me with the impression that God wants us not to question the length of its duration. What some postmil critics fail to recognize is that postmillennialists have always had a significant role for the future conversion of Jews while premillennialists do not. He doesnt know the future because it hasnt happened. Yet it is inconsistent with. 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. Now, frankly, its too late for John Calvin to fix his work, although he is now a premillennialist in heaven. We also applaud his insistence that the Bible must be interpreted literally, according to its normal sense. Show it to me. 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. How could He hold them responsible for not believing? Short Response to Dr. MacArthur's statement. 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. 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. Please respond to confirm your registration. Its the same God, same terminology. It is the single most inexplicable story in human history, that this small group of beleaguered people, attacked and assaulted by everybody around them for centuries, still exist as a pure ethnic race. All right. But, you know, of all the people on the planet who should be premillennialists, it should be those who believe in divine sovereign election, of all people. (Quoted in Murray, The Puritan Hope, 101102. 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. It matters to me. Amen. We sent you an email. 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. I have thought about these things, by the way, for a long time. You get Israel right when you get the Old Testament covenants and promises with Israel right. Anything to avoid premillennialism, even if you change the rules of interpretation. This morning John MacArthur opened the 2007 Shepherd's Conference with a loud blast that will no doubt be heard around the Reformed world in the coming weeks. And at that judgment, well be recompensed for the deeds done in the body, whether they are good or phaulos, meaning useless. 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. Would you agree? Guest. A Review of Dr. John MacArthur's "Why Every Calvinist Should be a Premillennialist" Sermon. With appearances by. Turn to 1 Thessalonians chapter 4; 1 Thessalonians chapter 4. Should We Cancel Karl Barth, Martin Luther, and Jonathan Edwards? Registered User . I have dragged you through virtually every verse in the New Testament. Now, Im going to save the good stuff till next time, but I want to just end by giving you a little list of benefits of getting your eschatology right, okay? And . Ive been putting an outline together in preparation for two talks I did for the December 1819 online A Purchased Victory: A Conference on the Bright Hope of Postmillennialism. My two talks deal with biblical and cultural impediments that are often raised against postmillennialism. And youve been great tonight; this is more like a theological lecture. Israel sinned, youre out. After this period of fulfillment of divine wrath, He shall then return to rule from a holy city ( i.e., the New Jerusalem) over the earthly nations for one thousand years. . 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.))
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