So, this is a classic perfect fit for Arminian theology. Scofield, that came out of J.N. John MacArthur's Defense of Dispensationalism Monday, December 8, 2008 by Gary DeMar In 1988, John MacArthur wrote The Gospel According to Jesus, a controversial book in certain circles because he relied heavily on the views of Calvinistic writers to deal with the lordship salvation controversy. 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. MacArthur, John, and Richard Mayhue, eds. Throughout the Patristic periodparticularly in the 3rd centurythere had been rising opposition to premillennialism. It is one thing to omit them for a time, and another to do it ordinarily. 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. - comfort one another. 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. by Craig L. Blomberg and Sung Wook Chung [Grand Rapids: . John MacArthur, Erwin W. Lutzer, S. Lewis Johnson, Rodney Stordtz, John Hannah and John Piper also come to mind) that was premillennial in his eschatology. He wants us to get it right; thats why He put it in the Scripture and the Scripture is replete with it. "[43] His Puritan contemporaries, Increase Mather and Cotton Mather, openly proclaimed a belief in a literal millennium. Michael Servetus taught a chiliastic view, though he was denounced by the Reformers as a heretic and executed in Geneva under Calvin's authority. You get the interpretation of Scripture right when youre faithful to valid rules of interpretation. 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. It is often post-tribulational, meaning that the rapture of the church will occur after a period of tribulation. He doesnt know the future because it hasnt happened. The Lutherans formally rejected chiliasm (millennialism) in The Augsburg Confession. 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? Show it to me. And I can only tell you I am unwaveringly committed to the sovereign election of a future generation of Jews to salvation, and the full inheritance of all the promises and covenants of God given to them in the Old 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? All of these are benefits of getting it right. Premillennialism is often used to refer specifically to those who adhere to the beliefs in an earthly millennial reign of Christ as well as a rapture of the faithful coming before (dispensational) or after (historic) the Great Tribulation preceding the Millennium. Tell us about the future. They were in a very hopeless situation, having very little in life. The assembly and the circumstances of the assembly must be distinguished. Hes improving; Hes definitely on the upward curve. 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? Justin wrote in chapter 80 of his work Dialogue with Trypho, I and others who are right-minded Christians on all points are assured that there will be a resurrection of the dead, and a thousand years in Jerusalem, which will then be built For Isaiah spoke in that manner concerning this period of a thousand years. Though he conceded earlier in the same chapter that his view was not universal by saying that he and many who belong to the pure and pious faith, and are true Christians, think otherwise. [6], Irenaeus, the late 2nd century bishop of Lyon, was an outspoken premillennialist. Acts 2:17 And in the last days it shall . When Assyrian power had ebbed by 625 B.C., the Neo-Babylonians conquered: 1) Assyria with its capital Nineveh in 612 B.C. Donald Bloesch in his book The Last Things writes that: "Amillennialists as well as some postmillennialists adhere to the theory of progressive parallelism when dealing with the book of Revelation. Other early premillennialists included Pseudo-Barnabas,[9] Papias,[10] Methodius, Lactantius,[11] Commodianus[12] Theophilus, Tertullian,[13] Melito,[14] Hippolytus of Rome, Victorinus of Pettau[15][16] and various Gnostics groups and the Montanists. "John MacArthur on Calvinism, Dispensationalism, Israel, and Hermeneutics: A Few Comments" . The other says there will be a kingdom. 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. Theyve been refined, clarified, expanded, enriched through these 50 years, but I was convinced when I started. [2] Amillennialists do not view the thousand years mentioned in Revelation as a literal thousand years but see the number "thousand" as symbolic and numerological. I have thought about these things, by the way, for a long time. The church historian, Eusebius, reports this in his Ecclesiastical History. Arminius did not believe in election; those who follow him do not believe in election. ; 2) Egypt in the following years; and 3) Judah in 605 B.C. Now, they make perfect amillennialists; thats a perfect setup for them. The completed registration allows us to send order and donation receipts to the email address you provided. They explain, "As a refinement of dispensational premillennialism, futuristic millennialism affirms a futuristic view . Historically, church fathers favored historic premillennialism, including Ireneaus, Papias, Justin Martyr, Tertullian, and Hippolytus. He considers the Mosaic history of the creation a type of six ages of labor for the world, each lasting a thousand years, and of a millennium of rest, since with God one day is as a thousand years. Millennial Sabbath on earth will be followed by an eight and eternal day in a new world, of which the Lords Day (called by Barnabas the eighth day) is the type" (, Note this is Victorinus of Pettau not Marcus Piav(v)onius, Augustine wrote in regards to the premillennialism And this opinion would not be objectionable, if it were believed that the joys of the saints in that Sabbath shall be spiritual, and consequent on the presence of God. . 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. Dispensationalism is perhaps a key reason why evangelicals have such a concern with what happens to the nation of Israel. Help Grace to You bring important resources like this to people in your community and beyond, free of charge. I recently read this great article and would recommend every professing Calvinist to give it a read, I believe John MacArthur's arguments for Pre-Millennialism are biblically irrefutable, mainly because the traditional Reformed view (Amillennialism) does away (Replacement Theology) with future Israel (God's Elect) and that is far from the truth I have dragged you through virtually every verse in the New Testament. 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. 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. Joachim divided earth's history into three periods. A History of Christian Zionism: Philo-Semitism and the Expectation of Israel's Restoration. In his commentary on John 3:33, John Calvin wrote: "To believe the Gospel is nothing else than to assent to the truths that God has revealed." The sort faith that MacArthur rejects is what the Bible requires. That the coming of Christ to raise the dead and to judge the earth will be within much less than this thousand years. . This is observed in the 41st of the Anglican Articles, drawn up by Thomas Cranmer (1553), describing the millennium as a 'fable of Jewish dotage', but it was omitted at a later time in the revision under Elizabeth (1563).[35]. Irenaeus and Justin represent two of the most outspoken premillennialists of the pre-Nicean church. 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. Now, with regard to the coming kingdom of Christ, in which Christ rules as supreme and sovereign ruler, there are a number of views, but let me boil them down to three views - and these are good, and Ill give you a simple explanation so that you understand where we are going. 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. Accordingly, we have updated our Privacy Policy and Terms and Conditions in order to comply with GDPR. Premillennialism is distinct from the other views such as postmillennialism which views the millennial rule as occurring before the second coming. After the final judgment, God will create the new heaven and new earth. We know that Word about the future has that power. DP also believes that God has a place for both national Israel (cf. 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. 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. Now, here comes the real irony; this is the real irony. He assigned each age to a particular person of the Trinity as the guiding principle of that era. He would be pretty close to progressive. Here at Grace to You Europe we take our data protection responsibilities very seriously and, as you would expect, have undertaken a significant programme of work to ensure that we are ready for this important legislative change. Allis - well-known - says, The Old Testament prophecies if literally interpreted cannot be regarded as having been yet fulfilled or being capable of fulfillment in the present age. Thats true. 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.. Now, why am I making a case for this? Why TMS? All right. 3. But we now have pure Israelites. First John 3 verse 2: Beloved - 1 John 3:2 Now are we the children of God. Many of these theologians and others in the early church expressed their belief in premillennialism through their acceptance of the sexta-septamillennial tradition. MacArthur is a fifth-generation pastor, a popular author and conference speaker and has served as pastor-teacher of Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California since 1969 . 2. Now, when they came here, Im very much aware that many of them are amillennialists. Romans 11:28 . I had, as theologians might call it, my own my own ordo eschaton; that would be the chronological sequence of the end times. 2. God promised him the inheritance of the land. Theres a rapture, and theres a bma seat judgment; we know that. Throughout the 19th century, premillennialism continued to gain wider acceptance in both the US and in Britain, particularly among the Irvingites,[46] Plymouth Brethren, Christadelphians,[47] Church of God, Christian Israelite Church. [48] Premillennialism continues to be popular among Evangelical, Fundamentalist Christian, and Living Church of God communities in the 20th and 21st centuries,[49] expanding further into the churches of Asia, Africa and South America. Through allegorical interpretation, he had been a proponent of amillennialism (of course, the sexta-septamillennial tradition was itself based upon similar means of allegorical interpretation). 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. 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.. Like all divine truth, getting the future truth right is beneficial. 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. Premillennialism: The millennium is the long period (perhaps a literal 1,000 years) when King Jesus will rule on earth. Since the UK is now no longer a member of the EU, you may be charged an import tax on this item by the customs authorities in your country of residence, which is beyond our control. Darby, that came out of that whole dispensational system no, it didnt. Now, the second flavor: Dispensational Premillennialism. All this panic about global warming, and all this panic about the end of the world and asteroids crashing into the earth? But not us, who live and breathe the rarified air of sovereign grace and election; it makes no sense to me. For the day of the Lord is as a thousand years; and in six days created things were completed: it is evident, therefore, that they will come to an end at the sixth thousand year. Through the work of Ladd, historic premillennialism gained scholarly respect and popularity among Evangelical and Reformed theologians since he had the right appreciation of the redemptive- historical significance of the first coming of Christ and of the NT age. Primer, ed. 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. John MacArthur is the pastor-teacher of Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California, president of The Master's College and Seminary, and featured teacher with the Grace to You media ministry. Also, they believe the millennium has already begun. Blessed. Premillennialism experienced a revival among 17th century Puritans like Thomas Brightman, Joseph Mede, and others. There are three basic eschatological views which are held by those calling themselves "Reformed.". Its a strange approach. As soon as you abandon that, then its fair game for anybodys craziness. Regarding Marcion and premillennialism, Harvard scholar H. Brown noted. 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. First, the Antichrist would appear and a seven-year period of tribulation would commence. As more and more information comes to Him, and as He has more and more experience in dealing with the issues of His universe, Hes getting better at being God. And Im not in to newspaper exegesis, where you where everything that happens in the news fulfills some obscure Old Testament prophecy. That the conversion of the Jews will not be till this present state of the world is near unto its end. But there is a growing influence of amillennialism, because amillennialism has been a part of reformed theology. Dispensationalism traces its roots to the 1830s and John Nelson Darby (18001882), an Anglican churchman and an early leader of the Plymouth Brethren. "[42] It was authors such as these who concluded that the decline of the Roman Catholic Church would make way for the conversion and restoration of the nation of Israel. Anderson locates three reasons that may account for Augustine's theological shift: After moving away from premillennialism to amillennialism, Augustine viewed Sabbath rest in the sexta-/septamillennial scheme as symbolically representative of Eternity. Moreover, the millennium of Revelation 20 became for him symbolically representative of Christs present reign with the saints.[30] Richard Landes observed the 4th century as a time of major shift for Christian eschatology by noting that it "marked a crucial moment in the history of millenarianism, since during this period Augustine repudiated even the allegorizing variety he himself had previously accepted. Revelation 20:4-6 and the Question of the Millennium,, Bailey, J. W. The Temporary Messianic Reign in the Literature of Early Judaism,. I dont know about you, but I really cant get too worked up about greenhouse gases. Let me give you a theology lesson here a little bit. Please be aware that these items are sent out from our office in the UK. How could He hold them responsible for not believing? Dispensational premillennialism[61] generally holds that Israel and the Church are distinct entities. Or another way to say it would be this: how many of you have attended an amillennial prophecy conference? The church will become more influential, more impactful, more spiritually powerful. 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. In keeping with his view of faith, MacArthur denigrates "facts," "doctrine," "intellectual assent," and so on. I have - they can try to terrify me with all this stuff; I am unmoved. What he is saying is, a literal interpretation of the Old Testament is going to lead you to a premillennial view, and since we dont want to get there, we cant use a literal approach. No kingdom on earth ruled by Christ before He gets here, and no kingdom on earth ruled by Christ after He gets here. "[45] 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? 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. We still have Mark to go, but there are only a couple of discourses and a couple of miracles in Mark that arent in the other three gospels, so not a lot of new material. . Edwards taught that a type of Millennium would occur "1260 years after A.D. 606 when Rome was recognized as having universal authority. Grace to You radio, video, audio, print, and website resources reach millions worldwide each day. Its two ways to view human history. 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