This is simply a way to understand Scripture in its normal sense. Loraine Boettner wrote a book called The Meaning of the Millennium; this is what he said: It is generally agreed that if the prophecies are taken literally, they do foretell a restoration of the nation of Israel in the land of Palestine, with the Jews having a prominent place in that kingdom and ruling over the other nations.. 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. 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. ), 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 doesnt know the future because it hasnt happened. It is pungently clear. Theres a rapture, and theres a bma seat judgment; we know that. 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.)) Now, talking about eschatology is not without controversy. Please respond to confirm your registration. And youve been great tonight; this is more like a theological lecture. So that whatever God chose to do He will do, that whatever He began to do He will complete, those who will defend that to their last breath - Gods irrevocable, unconditional, unilateral, sovereign election will bring those He has chosen to the fulfillment of all that He has promised them. 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.) But, for certain, according to amillennialists, there will be no thousand-year reign of Christ on the earth. Daylight and dark, daylight and dark - thats a 24-hour period - God creates everything. 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. 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. In 1 Peter chapter 1, you remember, Peter says that the prophets who wrote concerning Christ, concerning the things to come, wondered what person and what time. 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. 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. Its not nearly as difficult as some people make it if you just take Scripture at face value. DMcFadden said: The mixture of dispensational eschatology and Calvinist soteriology is not unique to MacArthur. In the world, things will get better and better and better as the church becomes more powerful and more influential. 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. 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. He even went so far as to say that the Amillennial position is more consistent with Arminianism Now, I told you a few weeks ago why people believe that, because they want to get God off the hook so Hes not responsible for evil; but Hes happy to take the responsibility for allowing evil for His own glory. All right, thats the introduction. We understand that when you have a prophecy in the Bible that has not yet come to pass, not everything will be clear. So check out Tim Challies summary on this once it is posted and if you are able to get your mitts on the audio for this it is highly recommended. We know that when He appears, - second coming we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him just as He is. Why would God wait nearly 2000 years to redeem a single generation of Jews only to have the antichrist wipe out two-thirds of them? A recurring topic of interest in his writings is the historical reliability of the Scriptures. 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…. See here and here. 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. He made them in the past, when He didnt know what He now knows, because what was going to happen hadnt happened. First John 3 verse 2: Beloved - 1 John 3:2 Now are we the children of God. This article is also available and sold as a booklet. Why do we want to run from that? Israel and the church, and advocate for futuristic millennialism. The Millennium is the reign on earth of Jews who accept Christ John MacArthur, Because the Time is Near: John MacArthur Explains the Book of Revelation (Moody, 2007). Its the same God, same terminology. 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. 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. The other says there will be a kingdom. Do you understand the massive apologetic power of the existence of Israel as an ethnic people in their own land? 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. 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. . 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? Craig Blaising and Darrell Bock, Progressive Dispensationalism Over four decades of ministry, John has written dozens of bestselling books, including The . MacArthur pulled no punches in his messages saying things like Jesus, Peter, the writer of Hebrews, and James were all premillenial. Some people want to turn it into ages - theres nothing in there that does that; theres nothing in the text itself that does that. I have even called thee by thy name Isaiah 65:9: Mine elect shall inherit it - the promises of God. John MacArthur was one of the influences that helped turn me to Preterism. 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. John MacArthur laid down the gauntlet on the issue of prophecy in his opening talk at the 2007 "Shepherds' Conference" that was titled "Why Every Self-Respecting Calvinist Is a Premillennialist." He was emphatic that only premillennialism takes the prophecies concerning the future of Israel seriously. In fact, the worst evil thats ever been done on the history of the world was the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, and by that - the worst evil - He gained the greatest glory. Amillennialism really seems to fit them. Now, I know at this point somebody out there is going to say, Oh boy, hes into the Left Behind series. No, Im not in to Rapture fiction, and Im not in to wacky charts - you dont see me up here with a big chart and a stick. (Edinburgh: The Banner of Truth Trust, [1834] 1974), 1:607.). And the longer I think about it and the more I study the Scripture, the clearer it becomes to me. 13:79). A. DeJong, As the Waters Cover the Sea: Millennial Expectations in the Rise of Anglo-America Missions, 16401810 (Kampen: J. H. Kok, 1970), 3738.) 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. Short Response to Dr. MacArthur's statement. One says moving toward the coming of Christ there will be no kingdom. Articles Baptist Theology Calvinism Charles Spurgeon Christology Classic Premillennialism Covenant Theology e-Articles e-Books Eschatology Historic . Dispensational premillennialists hold that Christ will come before a seven-year period of intense tribulation to take His church (living and dead) into heaven. Israel disobeyed the law, youre done. 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. What you have here is a benediction from God: blessed is he who reads and understands the book of Revelation. And I went there and I spoke for a week, and they finally said to me, When are you going to tell us the good part? and I said, Well, whats the good part? They said, We want to know about the future; we want to know about the future. 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. If this is a future event, why arent premillennialists warning the Jews in Israel whats about to take place? 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 . 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. There isnt such a thing. We know that Word about the future has that power. Now, why am I making a case for this? 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.) . And Im not in to newspaper exegesis, where you where everything that happens in the news fulfills some obscure Old Testament prophecy. (Ridgeley, Commentary on the Larger Catechism, 1:563564.). 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. Staggering. . 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. Some of them are postmillennialists, although there are fewer and fewer of those. 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. It matters to me to understand what God has said about the end. So, I told the pastors at the conference, and the title of this talk is, Why every self-respecting Calvinist has to be a premillennialist. Because, if you believe in divine sovereign election, then you have to believe that as God will be faithful to His promises to His church, He will also be faithful to His promises to His elect nation Israel. I am not going to try to quote him here, because frankly I did not take notes, I just sat there and listened. Romans 11:28 . We had met a short time ago, and she had questions about . They will die for that truth regarding the church, but unashamedly abandon that same truth for the elect nation of Israel. Craig and his wife Fran have two daughters and reside in Centennial, Colorado. See more on the author's page Sung Wook Chung (Matt .25:31-46; John . Do not look down on others from your view of the end-times. Now, against those two is the view called premillennialism; that means there will be a millennium and prior to that millennium, Jesus will come. All of these are benefits of getting it right. Oct 27, 2007. John MacArthur and Richard Mayhue's new systematic theology titled Biblical Doctrine has many positive aspects. MacArthur, John, and Richard Mayhue, eds. 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. Most of the Reformers and the Puritans were postmils. The other view is whats called openness theology, and its the same thing; it simply means God has no idea what the future is. A History of Christian Zionism: Philo-Semitism and the Expectation of Israel's Restoration. Amillennialism is consistent with Arminianism. So, we can set aside the idea that somehow this is rooted in wacky dispensationalism; it is not. 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 It therefore teaches responsibility. He will return to an increasingly wicked earth, He will come in fiery judgment, He will judge all the ungodly of all the earth, and then establish His rule and His kingdom forever. 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 . and divine grace shall melt and renew their hard hearts … And then shall the house of Israel be saved: the Jews in all their dispersions shall cast away their old infidelity, and shall have their hearts wonderfully changed, and abhor themselves for their past unbelief and obstinacy. Scripture affirms the perpetuity of the elect church to salvation glory; that all whom the Lord has chosen He brings to glory. Accordingly, we have updated our Privacy Policy and Terms and Conditions in order to comply with GDPR. 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. Weve been working our way through doctrinal emphases in Scripture, doctrinal themes, and we have covered a lot of ground. 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. This morning John MacArthur opened the 2007 Shepherds Conference with a loud blast that will no doubt be heard around the Reformed world in the coming weeks. Let me give you a theology lesson here a little bit. Every promise God made to Abraham about his lineage inheriting the land of Palestine has been fulfilled! Israel sinned, promises cancelled. "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. Death, where is your sting? Craig Blaising and . Enter your email address and we will send you instructions on how to reset your password. But let me tell you something: normal, natural, literal interpretation is the only way to stop abuse of Scripture. You get the interpretation of Scripture right when youre faithful to valid rules of interpretation. 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. - comfort one another. Yet in Sproul's lifetime, he and MacArthur were close friends. 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. The church will have an increasing influence in the world. Log In
by John MacArthur and Richard Mayhue (Chicago: Moody, 2012), 24. 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 . I said, Sure - Ill take all day Friday, Ill tell you the future. So, I just marched them through the order of the chronology of eschatology as its laid out clearly, both in the Old and the New Testament, and I finished. Postmillennialists think things are going to get better. We want the Word to cause us to live lives pleasing to You. If you interpret Old Testament prophecies literally, they cannot be fulfilled in this present age. 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. Well see more about how that works. This is why the Church is so weak in our day. 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. 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. 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. 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? 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. 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. [2] Receiving Not Achieving. He made an interesting connection between Genesis and Revelation. 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 in line with that, I want to try, at least, in the next couple of Sunday nights to establish a foundation for our understanding. We are responsible for our sin, but in the end, we believe because He moves on us. We want the Word to bless, to make us pure, to stabilize us, to comfort us, to give us a passion for evangelism. Thats a hard sell, frankly. So, I said, Would you do me a favor? Now, there are people who do this to Genesis 1, 2 and 3. God doesnt choose you, you choose Him. 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. DP also believes that God has a place for both national Israel (cf. One calls it a kingdom and says it will expand and expand and expand - thats the positive spin. Why? Resting Not Vexing, Our Anchor in a Sea of Chaos and Consternation, Why I (Sometimes) Listen to Supreme Court Oral Arguments. Calvin, though, was an amil, and DutchCalvinism, after a postmil start, has tended to be amil. 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. But for those who get it, for those who understand it, for those who embrace Gods sovereignty - that He is the only one who can determine who will be saved and blessed, and He is the only one who can save and bless - then saying that He cancelled promises to Israel because they didnt believe is completely inconsistent. 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. Christ's Prophetic Plans: A Futuristic Premillennial Primer. You can follow him on Twitter. 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. In short, there shall be, as it were, a universal spread of religion and holiness to the Lord, throughout the world. I have never moved away from my conviction about these two things. How could He hold them responsible for not believing? 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. 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. We sent you an email. The other looks at it as a spiritual kingdom also but says it will decline and decline and decline until Jesus finally comes. In the mid-seventeenth century, the Westminster Larger Catechism, in the answer to Question 191, displayed the hope for the future conversion of the Jews. 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. We can take prophetic Scripture at face value. 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. 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. Thats just two ways to look at the same thing. He comes pre, not post; He comes before. Premillennialists believe that two-thirds of the Jews living in Israel during the time of the great tribulation will be slaughtered (Zech. Yet it is inconsistent with. And when the church has brought about the dominating influence of Christ across the world, He will then come and end everything, and establish the new heaven and the new earth, which is the eternal state. Not true. I. Dr. MacArthur on Premillennialism and Calvinism: "Now that leads to my title: `Why Every Self-Respecting Calvinist Is a Premillennialist' [laughter and applause] Now it's too late for Calvin, but it's not too late for the rest of you. Would you agree? Why TMS? There were 1600 pastors from central Asia - the first Central Asian pastors conference in history after the breakup of the Soviet Union. Premillennialism Historic Premillennialism Postmillennialism Amillennialism view sees the re-establishment of temple worship and animal sacrifices as a remembrance of Christ's sacrifice. But even more interesting, in England in 1827, there was a publication affirming premillennialism, the coming of Christ and the establishment of His millennial kingdom, written by a Jesuit priest - reading his Bible - by the name of Manuel de Lacunza y Diaz. A Review of Dr. John MacArthur's "Why Every Calvinist Should be a Premillennialist" Sermon. Some of the most formidable amillennialists - and Im talking about well-respected, very erudite influential theologians - say things like this, and Ill quote. 2. As soon as you abandon that, then its fair game for anybodys craziness. 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 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. Mathewson, Dave L. -- by John Walvoord -- p.98 10.The Early Witness to Premillennialism -- by Michael Vlach -- p.104 11.Premillennialism in the Old Testament Series -- by Arnold Fruchtenbaum -- p.107 He wants us to get it right; thats why He put it in the Scripture and the Scripture is replete with it. 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. Ive been teaching and preaching the Bible expositionally now for over 40 years, one verse at a time. 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.. Registered User
It is narrative history, and we fight - sometimes tooth and nail - to maintain the literal veracity of Genesis 1 through 3. Because, you see, if it doesnt mean what it says it means, then any suggestion is as bad as any other suggestion. That in itself is an indication of Gods preservation for their future. His message in General Session 1 was entitled "Why Every Self-Respecting Calvinist is Premillennial". One topic I did not mention is the place of Israel in prophecy at it relates to postmillennialism. Since Scripture speaks of the Millennium as a time of great prosperity for the kingdom of God, post-mills are inherently optimistic. They dont faze me. But, in any case - and by the way, postmillennialists and amillennialists differ as to the details of these kinds of things. Prior to that I thought about it a lot. ( 3:16) . Oh sure, it helps to know some history and some background, but this is a pronounced blessing. Highly acclaimed theologian Dr. Charles C. Ryrie addresses this crucial issue from the perspective of classic dispensationalism. The completed registration allows us to send order and donation receipts to the email address you provided. 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. Macarthur writes "Futuristic Premillennialism is the result of an understanding and application of the prophetic texts in a way that is consistent with the normal, literal approach to interpreting Scripture." This is how the authors come to their Futuristic Premillennial view. 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.