But in both cases it will be the flow of history under the influence of the church, so theyre really looking at the same thing. 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. 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. 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. 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. Now, they make perfect amillennialists; thats a perfect setup for them. 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. All this panic about global warming, and all this panic about the end of the world and asteroids crashing into the earth? Because when you understand Gods purpose for Israel, you now have the foundation for all eschatology; all eschatology. 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. But there is a growing influence of amillennialism, because amillennialism has been a part of reformed theology. What did MacArthur fail to tell the attendees at the Shepherds Conference? Craig Blaising and . 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. As soon as you abandon that, then its fair game for anybodys craziness. 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. John Piper Backs Professor's End Times Theory of Premillennialism. But we distributed that, and I arranged - and I dont know when its going to happen for you - I arranged to get a copy for every family at Grace Church as a gift. Worship - John F. MacArthur 2012-01-20 Nothing is more important than worship. 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? Yet, Abraham did not receive it during all the time of his journey there. 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. 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. Not just the future of Israel, but our confidence in the Word of God. But let me tell you something: normal, natural, literal interpretation is the only way to stop abuse of Scripture. This article is also available and sold as a booklet. 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.) ), 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 want the Word to cause us to live lives pleasing to You. His mode of expositing those verses that supposedly counter Preterism really helped me to focus on those areas in the Bible. 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. The following is a partial response to the subject since it is integral to premillennialism while postmillennialism is often ignored on the subject. 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. Saving Your Marriage Before It Starts Workbook for Women Updated: Seven Questions to Ask Before---and After---You Marry 9780310875475 He and his wife, Christie, have six children. 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. The church. A Purchased Victory: A Conference on the Bright Hope of Postmillennialism, Website made by Chittam Technology Solutions, LLC. Ive been here at Grace Church well, what - thirty-some years. When it was first published three and a half decades ago, Paradise Restored helped to precipitate a massive paradigm shift in the Evangelical and Reformed world from abject pessimism to unabashed optimism. . The reformers had it right on most issues. 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. And for most evangelicals, for most people who hold to a sound, biblical view and Reformed theology, they would live and die that the text of Genesis 1 through 3 means exactly what it says it means, because thats the only way to interpret Scripture. 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. #10. We've been working our way through doctrinal emphases in Scripture, doctrinal themes, and we have covered a lot of ground. 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. If you interpret Old Testament prophecies literally, they cannot be fulfilled in this present age. The other looks at it as a spiritual kingdom also but says it will decline and decline and decline until Jesus finally comes. 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. Please make sure all fields are filled out. 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. 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. This is postmillennialism at its best. Preachers Should Measure Twice and Cut Once, Why Our Church Cancelled Christmas Eve Service. 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. Over four decades of ministry, John has written dozens of bestselling books, including The . Log In His presentation was not an attempt to harmonize Calvinism with a premillennial view but rather to show the inconsistency of the contrary. 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. What you have here is a benediction from God: blessed is he who reads and understands the book of Revelation. If you get that right, your eschatology will come crystal clear. ), 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.). He is the author, co-author or co-editor of fifteen books and more than eighty articles in journals or multi-author works. He has also written or edited nearly four hundred books and study guides. God doesnt choose you, you choose Him. After thorough study I saw that his views on the topic were based on (among other things) circular reasoning and tradition. 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.)) Seventy percent - by the way - of Scripture is the story of Israel, start to finish. They dont faze me. We want the Word to bless, to make us pure, to stabilize us, to comfort us, to give us a passion for evangelism. And it is powerfully persuasive. Erik Raymond is the senior pastor at Redeemer Fellowship Church in Metro Boston. I have - they can try to terrify me with all this stuff; I am unmoved. 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. And there are others who believe that that refers to heaven; that refers to the experience of the saints in heaven. May it be powerful in our lives we pray in Christs name. 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. In a really interesting illustration MacArthur envisioned an amillennialist evangelizing a Jew. "Why Every Self-Respecting Calvinist is a Pre-Millennialist." For those of you who don't know, this was a statement, among others, that John MacArthur was recorded as making at the recent Shepherd's Conference 2007 at Grace Community Church, Sun Valley California. (Quoted in DeJong, As the Waters Cover the Sea, 38.). Why Every Calvinist Should Be a Premillennialist, Part 1. Ligon Duncan and CJ Maheney (preaching tonight in the place of John Piper) both are Amil; Al Mohler and Mark Dever are both Historic Premil (I believe, correct me if I am wrong). 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. We chart the course and God reacts. 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. The assembly and the circumstances of the assembly must be distinguished. 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. It has to matter to us. [2] I have never moved away from my conviction about these two things. This primer takes you on a Biblical study of questions surrounding prophecy, Israel, the rapture, and the different millennial . O.T. Dispensationalism is a kind of framework for history that is organized around seven dispensationsseven orders or administrations. It therefore teaches responsibility. Craig and his wife Fran have two daughters and reside in Centennial, Colorado. The reasons are simple enough: this classic work is forthrightly Biblical. We are responsible for our sin, but in the end, we believe because He moves on us. Amen. Dr. MacArthur picked this fight. Today's Christians have been taught that they must flee responsibility, for Jesus' sake. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. Yet in Sproul's lifetime, he and MacArthur were close friends. Now, frankly, its too late for John Calvin to fix his work, although he is now a premillennialist in heaven. Theres a rapture, and theres a bma seat judgment; we know that. One topic I did not mention is the place of Israel in prophecy at it relates to postmillennialism. MacArthur's "dispensationalism" is eschatological and ecclesiological only. (Edinburgh: The Banner of Truth Trust, [1834] 1974), 1:607.). Show more Friends Following 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. If only he could just send down one message, that might be it. 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. I like to call amillennialism negative, and postmillennialism positive. . The Rapture, Antichrist, and Rebirth of Israel in Medieval Manuscripts. John MacArthur claims to be a Dispensationalist in both The Gospel According to Jesus (GAJ) and The Gospel According to the Apostles (GAA). and defends what can only be described as postmillennialism over against premillennialism. 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. Theres no sense in going in to all of that, except to say in both cases, they say there is no actual earthly reign of Christ fulfilling all Old Testament covenant promises. 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. They believe that salvation can be gained and lost. But in the Old Testament - for example, Isaiah 45:4: Israel, Mine elect. . Registered User So, we can set aside the idea that somehow this is rooted in wacky dispensationalism; it is not. You would assume that they are confused because the Bible is confusing, and if the Bible is confusing, then God Himself is confused, and so, working hard - and it is often hard work - to understand prophetic passages is needless.

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