John MacArthur and Richard Mayhue, editors Moody Publishers 2012-02-21 Five faculty members of The Master's Seminary have written an excellent primer on what they call "futuristic premillennialism." This is a strong defense of pretribulational dispensational premillennialism. 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? 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. 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. 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. Why do we want to change the rules in interpretation to avoid that? You can believe and be saved and then you can forfeit your salvation. 315K views 1 year ago Significant video editing was used to create a unique storyline that teaches about the end times, specifically premillennialism and amillennialism. Yet, Abraham did not receive it during all the time of his journey there. This primer takes you on a Biblical study of questions surrounding prophecy, Israel, the rapture, and the different millennial . Amillennialism is consistent with Arminianism. What passage is it in? It makes no sense. After thorough study I saw that his views on the topic were based on (among other things) circular reasoning and tradition. But some are holding on to what they have taught in the past; I guess self-preservation dominates their theology at that point. God filled the Bible with prophecy and much of it looking to the end. That's a complete misreading. 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? . But that is essentially what theyre asking us to do. 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. Do you understand the massive apologetic power of the existence of Israel as an ethnic people in their own land? 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. 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. But if you read Genesis 1 to 3, its pretty clear the evening and the morning were the first day, the evening and the morning were the second day, the evening and the morning were the third day. He comes pre, not post; He comes before. You get the Old Testament covenants and promises right when you get the interpretation of Scripture right. He made an interesting connection between Genesis and Revelation. The other says it is the kingdom. Tell us about the future. They were in a very hopeless situation, having very little in life. He blogs at Ordinary Pastor. Now, against those two is the view called premillennialism; that means there will be a millennium and prior to that millennium, Jesus will come. John MacArthur News Why TMS? 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. Why, then, if we are so committed to protecting the text of the beginning in its literal nature, are we so fast to give up the texts of the end and their literal nature? 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. 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. I am not going to try to quote him here, because frankly I did not take notes, I just sat there and listened. 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. Should We Cancel Karl Barth, Martin Luther, and Jonathan Edwards? I dont know about you, but I really cant get too worked up about greenhouse gases. Help train Christians to boldly share the good news of Jesus Christ in a way that clearly communicates to this secular age. We know that Word about the future has that power. 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. Israel disobeyed the law, youre done. A. DeJong, As the Waters Cover the Sea: Millennial Expectations in the Rise of Anglo-America Missions, 16401810 (Kampen: J. H. Kok, 1970), 3738.) They would rather believe that God has predestined His Church to failure than believe that they are personally responsible for transforming society. 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. He also spoke briefly about dispensationalism, but I am not going to cover that here, I got to run. So, we can set aside the idea that somehow this is rooted in wacky dispensationalism; it is not. See here and here. Those are the views. And theres the main verb in the sentence are in varying degrees of disinterest in applying their skills to the end of the story, and rather, content to be in happy if not playful disagreement in regard to the vast biblical data on eschatology, as if the end doesnt matter much - period. 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. Receiving Not Achieving. The Gospel Coalition supports the church by providing resources that are trusted and timely, winsome and wise, and centered on the gospel of Jesus Christ. But I want to approach this whole thing with you, as my congregation, the way I did with three thousand five hundred pastors a couple of weeks ago. This is a positive book: positive about the future of the Church. I like to call amillennialism negative, and postmillennialism positive. Now, they make perfect amillennialists; thats a perfect setup for them. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ - thats part of the coming eschatology. Saving Your Marriage Before It Starts Workbook for Women Updated: Seven Questions to Ask Before---and After---You Marry 9780310875475 Not that they were the end, but they were the means to the end. It has not appeared as yet what we shall be. Process theology: they are the theologians, liberal theologians, who believe that God is in process of becoming what He will be. and defends what can only be described as postmillennialism over against premillennialism. If you interpret Old Testament prophecies literally, they cannot be fulfilled in this present age. John Piper Backs Professor's End Times Theory of Premillennialism. And again, I say, His election is divine, unilateral, unconditional and irrevocable. What did MacArthur fail to tell the attendees at the Shepherds Conference? Because when you understand Gods purpose for Israel, you now have the foundation for all eschatology; all eschatology. A History of Christian Zionism: Philo-Semitism and the Expectation of Israel's Restoration. MacArthur and the seminary faculty know of Murrays work. But in the Old Testament - for example, Isaiah 45:4: Israel, Mine elect. 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. Interestingly, some of this same languagethe phrase double conversion of the Gentiles in particularwas used by Johann Heinrich Alsted, whose premillennial The Beloved City or, The Saints Reign on Earth a Thousand Yeares (1627; English edition 1643) exercised great influence in England. Please make sure all fields are filled out. "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. I saw it in Scripture when I was young; I saw it in Scripture because it was so crystal clear. Why bother? He never has. But let me tell you something: normal, natural, literal interpretation is the only way to stop abuse of Scripture. (Ridgeley, Commentary on the Larger Catechism, 1:563564.). And Im not in to newspaper exegesis, where you where everything that happens in the news fulfills some obscure Old Testament prophecy. 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. Staggering. Ive been here at Grace Church well, what - thirty-some years. Its the same God, same terminology. This book teaches that Christians will exercise dominion in history. The beliefs of Premillennialism are far from "rightly dividing the word of truth"! It has to matter to us. Btw, LA is beautiful and the conference is great, I hope to post some reflections as the week goes on. Premillennialism: The millennium is the long period (perhaps a literal 1,000 years) when King Jesus will rule on earth. If you get that right, your eschatology will come crystal clear. If it doesnt mean what it says and everybodys got a different view, then nobody has the authority to say, This is true. Lets just stick with things that we know are true and things that all the good theologians agree on. He is best known for his internationally syndicated Christian teaching radio programme Grace to You and has been the pastor-teacher of Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California since February, 1969.He is also currently is the President of The Master's University in Newhall, California and The Master's Seminary in Los Angeles . And the longer I think about it and the more I study the Scripture, the clearer it becomes to me. 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. The completed registration allows us to send order and donation receipts to the email address you provided. This is simply a way to understand Scripture in its normal sense. He and his wife, Christie, have six children. The Rise of Philo-Semitism and Premillennialism During the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries. Why Every Calvinist Should Be a Premillennialist, Part 1. Theological Method of Premillennialism" in A Case for Historic Premillennialism: An Alternative to "Left Behind" Eschatology, ed. 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. I was talking to one of our missionaries just this same week I gave this talk to the pastors, and he was coming back from China and he said, Theres only one view in the church in China and its the premillennial view. Of course, because they just take what Scripture says. And whats at stake here? He has been the pastor of Grace Community Church, a non-denominational church in Sun Valley, California since February 9, 1969. And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure., Getting your eschatology right will bless you and getting your eschatology right will purify you. This is why its message is hated. The world, as they see it, is in an ongoing golden process of progress. MacArthur--who is an ardent dispensationalist--stated and defended his position. Theres a recovery of premillennialism in the modern era, and the recovery of premillennialism in the modern era came from two very unlikely sources. They believe that salvation can be gained and lost. The Rapture, Antichrist, and Rebirth of Israel in Medieval Manuscripts. And so, I think its a fair test to see whether eschatology holds up. Does the end matter? MacArthur insisted that we should be able to preach the whole Bible without changing the original meaning of the text or abrogating promises. Did God do this but somehow mumble? 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. But not us, who live and breathe the rarified air of sovereign grace and election; it makes no sense to me. Darby, that came out of that whole dispensational system no, it didnt. I had no idea what they believed - 1600 pastors and leaders from central Asia - Id never have even been there; and the group that led the conference came to me afterwards with smiles on their faces and said, You believe exactly what we believe. This isnt something for people who have been highly educated; this is something for people who havent been corrupted by education. And there are others who believe that that refers to heaven; that refers to the experience of the saints in heaven. The Lords coming back: blessing, purity, stability, comfort. 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. And it is powerfully persuasive. Ridgeley knew his history well enough to know that the majority of theologians in the seventeenth century held to an advancing kingdom through the proclamation of the gospel which includes the future conversion of the Jews. And by the way, dispensationalists - people say, Well, that whole premillennial view, that came out of C.I. We know that, so our ambition is, when we get to that place, to be rewarded because we are pleasing to Him. This is postmillennialism at its best. Thats called process theology. [2] Have you ever heard of that? And may I remind you that you have one very, very important reality to deal with in case you think theres no future in Israel: living Israelites. Let me condense that down, just squeeze it down to about 350 pages, because if people read this and understand it, theyre going to be blessed by God. And they said, Sure.. His contention that unless you see Scripture through dispensational eyes, you cannot be a "self-respecting Calvinist" surprised many-Reformed amillennarians and historic premillennarians alike. And by the way, if we change the rules, what are the new ones? Leave it to the semi-Pelagians and Pelagians, who go in and out of salvation; it makes sense for their theology. It is the theme of Scripture, the theme of eternity, and the . (Matt .25:31-46; John . by John MacArthur and Richard Mayhue (Chicago: Moody, 2012), 24. The books and articles that make this case are not obscure or difficult to find. And so, you have to change the rules of interpretation and once you say the Bible doesnt mean what it says, then we have no idea what it means. Death, where is your victory? I reject the wacky world of newspaper exegesis and cartoon eschatology, and crazy interpretation like the locusts of Revelation 9 being helicopters, et cetera. Craig and his wife Fran have two daughters and reside in Centennial, Colorado. Resting Not Vexing, Our Anchor in a Sea of Chaos and Consternation, Why I (Sometimes) Listen to Supreme Court Oral Arguments. In keeping with his view of faith, MacArthur denigrates "facts," "doctrine," "intellectual assent," and so on. For example, the book is well-organized. Relax; set all that aside. 3. The church will become more influential, more impactful, more spiritually powerful. Its a strange approach. Not one reference anywhere in Scripture - and there are over two thousand, referring to Israel - means anything other than Israel. That's OK and no one is surprised or upset about that. I align myself to historical premillennialism, so I want to convey my own dismay with John MacArthur's sermon series from 2007. And Ive gone back after I preach, and Ive written commentaries - now I think 26 or 27 volumes on the New Testament - back through the same material again and again and again and again and again, so that this understanding of eschatology has had to stand the acid test of every text. Let me give you a theology lesson here a little bit. 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…. Articles Baptist Theology Calvinism Charles Spurgeon Christology Classic Premillennialism Covenant Theology e-Articles e-Books Eschatology Historic . Like all divine truth, getting the future truth right is beneficial. 7 Reasons Why the Gospel of John is So Special 3 days ago 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. I think He cares that we get it right, thats why He wrote it, and I think He understands that His glory is at stake, and our hope and comfort is at stake and the evidence of Gods massive moving in history is at stake with regard to the future. So, I said, Would you do me a favor? 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. They are certainly available (or they should be) in the library at MacArthurs Masters Seminary. 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. Select Bibliography. The other view is whats called openness theology, and its the same thing; it simply means God has no idea what the future is. See, for example, Michael Vlach's article "How Does Historic Premillennialism Differ from Dispensational Premillennialism?", this "Eschatology Comparison" chart, and this article "An Historical . 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. 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. 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. 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. . We had met a short time ago, and she had questions about . He even went so far as to say that the Amillennial position is more consistent with Arminianism The reformers had it right on most issues. He made them in the past, when He didnt know what He now knows, because what was going to happen hadnt happened. 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. 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17), which, along with the appearance of the Antichrist, marks the beginning of the seven-year great tribulation on earth. Certainly, you have no idea what it means - neither does anybody else. 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. Oct 27, 2007. This message clears up any questions as to where MacArthur stands on the eschatology issue. I just want to note that he neither proposed nor answered the types of objections that are oftentimes levied against premillennialists. His mode of expositing those verses that supposedly counter Preterism really helped me to focus on those areas in the Bible. Its the whole point of everything else. 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. Moreover, John, as again stated by Papias, ascribed the origin of millenarianism to Christ . But we now have pure Israelites. But there is a growing influence of amillennialism, because amillennialism has been a part of reformed theology. Registered User 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. 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. 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. 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.. Hes not predicting the future because you cant predict what hasnt happened - it doesnt exist. 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. A Case for . Now, were going to dig a little more deeply into the whole idea of the millennial kingdom and what the Bible says about it, and as to its nature and the aspects of the kingdom that are revealed in Scripture - and by the way, they are many and they are wondrous to behold, and we will do that. Jonathan Edwards, a noted postmillennialist and someone MacArthur quotes unfavorably in his Shepherds talk, outlined the future of the Christian Church in his 1774 History of Redemption. In short, there shall be, as it were, a universal spread of religion and holiness to the Lord, throughout the world. All right. Doctrinal Statement Student Testimonies TMS for your Family Academics Academics Overview Master of Divinity Master of Theology Doctor of Ministry Doctor of Philosophy Bachelor of Theology Diploma of Theology Center for Israeli Studies Distance Education Academic Calendar Tyndale Center for Bible Translation And . Daylight and dark, daylight and dark - thats a 24-hour period - God creates everything. Dispensational Premillennialism is a recent, complex, and increasingly controversial form of modern Historic Premillennialism (HP). Pretribulational Rapture in 17th and 18th Century England. 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. 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. Christ's Prophetic Plans: A Futuristic Premillennial Primer. John McArthur John MacArthur was born on 19 June, 1939. May we be faithful to take it, to interpret it as you intended for us to, so that it can yield to us the wonderful rich blessings that You have promised. It is masterfully written. Who Are the Real Schismatics? Its not nearly as difficult as some people make it if you just take Scripture at face value. 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, and as President of The Master's College (and the related Master's Seminary) in Santa Clarita, California. So, I say, leave amillennialism to those kinds of people who do not believe in the sovereign, unilateral, irrevocable, divine electing power of God. Help Grace to You bring important resources like this to people in your community and beyond, free of charge. First John 3 verse 2: Beloved - 1 John 3:2 Now are we the children of God. We want the Word to bless, to make us pure, to stabilize us, to comfort us, to give us a passion for evangelism. . 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. 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 . Forfeited all its privileges, forfeited all those things that God declared in covenant that He would give to them in the future; and they forfeit it by their disobedience to the Mosaic Covenant, by their apostasy from true religion and by their rejection of their Messiah. The following is a partial response to the subject since it is integral to premillennialism while postmillennialism is often ignored on the subject. 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. Please contact the publisher to obtain copies of this resource.

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