So here, we are living in the view of our eschatological triumph in Christ: the glory of the Rapture, the last trump, rising from the grave, made imperishable and immortal. 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? Show it to me. Regarding this Dr. Timothy Jones writes, "Dispensationalism emphasizes the differences and discontinuity between the physical descendants of Abraham and followers of Jesus [2]. This is why its message is hated. John MacArthur was one of the influences that helped turn me to Preterism. Its two ways to view human history. 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.. Short Response to Dr. MacArthur's statement. No other study Bible does such a thorough job of explaining the historical context, unfolding the meaning of the text, and placing it within a theological I am not going to try to quote him here, because frankly I did not take notes, I just sat there and listened. Hes getting better. 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 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. And at that judgment, well be recompensed for the deeds done in the body, whether they are good or phaulos, meaning useless. 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. Well, this is such a great chapter - verse 51: I tell you a mystery; we shall not all sleep. MacArthur pulled no punches in his messages saying things like Jesus, Peter, the writer of Hebrews, and James were all premillenial. And there are others who believe that that refers to heaven; that refers to the experience of the saints in heaven. Craig Blaising and Darrell Bock, Progressive Dispensationalism . 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. It is masterfully written. How could He hold them responsible for not believing? 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. John MacArthur News Why TMS? We know that when He appears, - second coming we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him just as He is. The Lords coming back: blessing, purity, stability, comfort. 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. 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. Amillennialism is ideal for Arminians because, according to their theology, God elects nobody and preserves nobody. Over 200 times in the Bible God is called the God of Israel - over two hundred times, the God of Israel.. 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. 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. [2] 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. Amillennialism is consistent with Arminianism. Moreover, John, as again stated by Papias, ascribed the origin of millenarianism to Christ . I have thought about these things, by the way, for a long time. This up to now has been more like a lecture, but turn to Revelation chapter 1, and just look at verse 3 for a moment. Seventy percent - by the way - of Scripture is the story of Israel, start to finish. Whether youre an amillennialist or a postmillennialist, you basically say Israel forfeited all its promises. Thats a hard sell, frankly. 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 . One says its not the kingdom. -- 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 Scripture affirms the perpetuity of the elect church to salvation glory; that all whom the Lord has chosen He brings to glory. As soon as you abandon that, then its fair game for anybodys craziness. Staggering. And so, I think its a fair test to see whether eschatology holds up. Help Grace to You bring important resources like this to people in your community and beyond, free of charge. (Ridgeley, Commentary on the Larger Catechism, 1:562. I dont know about you, but I really cant get too worked up about greenhouse gases. After this period of fulfillment of divine wrath, He shall then return to rule from a holy city ( i.e., the New Jerusalem) over the earthly nations for one thousand years. It therefore teaches responsibility. The world, as they see it, is in an ongoing golden process of progress. 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.) Historically, church fathers favored historic premillennialism, including Ireneaus, Papias, Justin Martyr, Tertullian, and Hippolytus. The other says there will be a kingdom. 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? DMcFadden said: The mixture of dispensational eschatology and Calvinist soteriology is not unique to MacArthur. In other words, Piper believes Jesus Christ will come on earth and reign for 1,000 years. 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17), which, along with the appearance of the Antichrist, marks the beginning of the seven-year great tribulation on earth. I have never moved away from my conviction about these two things. 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. He made an interesting connection between Genesis and Revelation. This is a positive book: positive about the future of the Church. The assembly and the circumstances of the assembly must be distinguished. They would rather believe that God has predestined His Church to failure than believe that they are personally responsible for transforming society. A Purchased Victory: A Conference on the Bright Hope of Postmillennialism, Website made by Chittam Technology Solutions, LLC. and defends what can only be described as postmillennialism over against premillennialism. Dr. MacArthur picked this fight. In the meantime, Ive continued to study the Old Testament to write all the footnotes for the MacArthur Study Bible through the entire Old Testament. I have - they can try to terrify me with all this stuff; I am unmoved. But in the Old Testament - for example, Isaiah 45:4: Israel, Mine elect. We know that, so our ambition is, when we get to that place, to be rewarded because we are pleasing to Him. 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. 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. 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. The church will have an increasing influence in the world. You have this hope as a purifying hope. Basically he said that when people spiritualize or allegorize the first three chapters of Genesis we call them Liberals, but when they do the same with the prophetic Scriptures we call them amillennialists. All of these are benefits of getting it right. Because when you understand Gods purpose for Israel, you now have the foundation for all eschatology; all eschatology. Every promise God made to Abraham about his lineage inheriting the land of Palestine has been fulfilled! And by the way, if we change the rules, what are the new ones? It is pungently clear. 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. That's OK and no one is surprised or upset about that. See here and here. 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. After that he must be loosed for a little while." 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. Because, you see, if it doesnt mean what it says it means, then any suggestion is as bad as any other suggestion. Since Scripture speaks of the Millennium as a time of great prosperity for the kingdom of God, post-mills are inherently optimistic. There are a number of viewpoints of what the Bible means when it speaks of future events. Ive written about this in several places. Isaiah 65 - really, the whole chapter is about Israel, Gods elect - verse 22: My elect again shall enjoy long the work of their hands. Israel repeatedly called Gods elect; we know what that means. When He comes, everything ends immediately. John MacArthur is the pastor-teacher of Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California, where he has served since 1969. Erdman refers to the premillennialism of Asia Minor in the second century as "Asiatic millennialism.". Anything to avoid premillennialism, even if you change the rules of interpretation. Its the same God, same terminology. Erik Raymond is the senior pastor at Redeemer Fellowship Church in Metro Boston. 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. Israel and the church, and advocate for futuristic millennialism. God is just trying to find His way through the melee of choices and decisions, through the endless vicissitudes and choices that everything and everyone makes, through all of the numberless issues in this massive universe that are going on; Hes sorting it all out as He goes. MacArthur and the seminary faculty know of Murrays work. See, for example, Michael Vlach's article "How Does Historic Premillennialism Differ from Dispensational Premillennialism?", this "Eschatology Comparison" chart, and this article "An Historical . 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. Christ returns before the Millennium, a literal thousand years 2. 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. 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 is one thing to omit them in formal obedience to the law; and another thing to omit them in prudence, or for necessity, because we cannot keep them. Another Rapture passage - great one - verse 16: the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, the trumpet of God, the dead in Christ shall rise first. . There were 1600 pastors from central Asia - the first Central Asian pastors conference in history after the breakup of the Soviet Union. You can follow him on Twitter. John MacArthur has compiled more than 20,000 study notes, a 200-page topical index, and numerous charts, maps, outlines, and articles to create The MacArthur Study Bible. 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. This year they upgraded some snacks and are handing out Zone protein bars, a major enhancementhowever, I am really missing my family. CLASSIC DISPENSATIONALISM. Its a strange approach. We understand that when you have a prophecy in the Bible that has not yet come to pass, not everything will be clear. It is one thing to omit them for a time, and another to do it ordinarily. He told me he would study the issue and get back to me. Premillennialism: The millennium is the long period (perhaps a literal 1,000 years) when King Jesus will rule on earth. 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. 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. The Rapture, Antichrist, and Rebirth of Israel in Medieval Manuscripts. 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 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. There have been premillennial (traditionally known as "chiliastic) movements, including some Reformed theologians, since the early church but most . The end is as divinely designed as the beginning, and God has given us massive amounts of revelation in the Scripture about the future. What did MacArthur fail to tell the attendees at the Shepherds Conference? Why TMS? Would you agree? That's a complete misreading. 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. 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. The following is a partial response to the subject since it is integral to premillennialism while postmillennialism is often ignored on the subject. This article is also available and sold as a booklet. Who will establish it? 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. 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. The preconception is that we cant allow this to happen. 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. God doesnt choose you, you choose Him. a.Dispensationalist Premillennialism 1. Where is the divine mandate to do that? Whats that about? All right. You can figure it out. Continue reading 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. 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. So, if were going to change the rules of interpretation to inject into Scripture a preconceived idea or to avoid what is obvious, we better be sure that we have a word from God. Im unwaveringly committed to that. And again, I say, His election is divine, unilateral, unconditional and irrevocable. First, the Antichrist would appear and a seven-year period of tribulation would commence. 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. Now, why am I making a case for this? There is another form of that view called amillennialism; amillennialism - and youve probably heard about that. But not us, who live and breathe the rarified air of sovereign grace and election; it makes no sense to me. That leaves me with the impression that God wants us not to question the length of its duration. I think it matters. Please contact the publisher to obtain copies of this resource. This is simply a way to understand Scripture in its normal sense. I had, as theologians might call it, my own my own ordo eschaton; that would be the chronological sequence of the end times. MacArthur, John, and Richard Mayhue, eds. Daylight and dark, daylight and dark - thats a 24-hour period - God creates everything. Now, there are people who do this to Genesis 1, 2 and 3. MacArthur's "dispensationalism" is eschatological and ecclesiological only. We freely own, as what we think agreeable to scripture, that as Christ has, in all ages, displayed his glory as King of the Church, so we have ground to conclude, from scripture, that the administration of his government in this world, before his coming to judgment, will be attended with greater magnificence, more visible marks of glory, and various occurrences of providence, which shall tend to the welfare and happiness of his church, in a greater degree than has been beheld or experienced by it, since it was planted by the ministry of the apostles after his ascension into heaven. O.T. 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. You have nothing to fear, nothing to worry about. 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. Now, they make perfect amillennialists; thats a perfect setup for them. 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 . John Piper Backs Professor's End Times Theory of Premillennialism. Btw, LA is beautiful and the conference is great, I hope to post some reflections as the week goes on. ), 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.).