john macarthur premillennialism john macarthur premillennialism

Affiliate disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, we may earn commissions from qualifying purchases on Amazon.com. Not just the future of Israel, but our confidence in the Word of God. They would rather believe that God has predestined His Church to failure than believe that they are personally responsible for transforming society. 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. 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.) Another way to see this would be to ask this question: what other category of theology - what other category of theology except atheism - starts with the alpha privative and labels itself as believing in something that doesnt exist? There have been premillennial (traditionally known as "chiliastic) movements, including some Reformed theologians, since the early church but most . 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. 2. The other view is whats called openness theology, and its the same thing; it simply means God has no idea what the future is. . I just want to note that he neither proposed nor answered the types of objections that are oftentimes levied against premillennialists. Process theology: they are the theologians, liberal theologians, who believe that God is in process of becoming what He will be. Why do we want to run from that? a.Dispensationalist Premillennialism 1. The following is a partial response to the subject since it is integral to premillennialism while postmillennialism is often ignored on the subject. 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. MacArthur--who is an ardent dispensationalist--stated and defended his position. Whether youre talking about the church as Gods elect, or Israel as Gods elect, both are Gods elect. Because we dont want you to incur expenditure for which you are not prepared, could you please confirm whether you are willing to pay this charge, if necessary? (Ridgeley, Commentary on the Larger Catechism, 1:563564.). Now, talking about eschatology is not without controversy. Daylight and dark, daylight and dark - thats a 24-hour period - God creates everything. He never has. Help Grace to You bring important resources like this to people in your community and beyond, free of charge. He confronts the views of covenant theology, historical premillennialism, ultradispensationalism, and, in this revised edition, the increasingly popular progressive dispensationalism. Fundamental 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 . Did God do this but somehow mumble? 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. A History of Christian Zionism: Philo-Semitism and the Expectation of Israel's Restoration. John MacArthur and Richard Mayhue's new systematic theology titled Biblical Doctrine has many positive aspects. Now, when they came here, Im very much aware that many of them are amillennialists. The books and articles that make this case are not obscure or difficult to find. 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. I dont know about you, but I really cant get too worked up about greenhouse gases. Only now has it happened, and so His promises may not be trustworthy, since they were given in the past, before so many things happened that He didnt know were coming to pass. 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. 13:79). One topic I did not mention is the place of Israel in prophecy at it relates to postmillennialism. And youve been great tonight; this is more like a theological lecture. But we now have pure Israelites. 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. Some people want to turn it into ages - theres nothing in there that does that; theres nothing in the text itself that does that. 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. Israel disobeyed the law, youre done. , . Certainly, you have no idea what it means - neither does anybody else. Who will establish it? Log In 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. Ive dragged myself through all these years of the discipline of study. They dont want to accept the fact that Adam and Eve were created full grown, male and female, not the result of an evolutionary process. A. DeJong, As the Waters Cover the Sea: Millennial Expectations in the Rise of Anglo-America Missions, 16401810 (Kampen: J. H. Kok, 1970), 3738.) Short Response to Dr. MacArthur's statement. All rights reserved. Its the whole point of the beginning and the middle. I have - they can try to terrify me with all this stuff; I am unmoved. You get your eschatology right when you get Israel right. I like to call amillennialism negative, and postmillennialism positive. Whats that about? 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. 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. He told me he would study the issue and get back to me. Erik Raymond is the senior pastor at Redeemer Fellowship Church in Metro Boston. There is another form of that view called amillennialism; amillennialism - and youve probably heard about that. May it be powerful in our lives we pray in Christs name. He comes pre, not post; He comes before. Scofield, that came out of J.N. 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. Now, I've been telling you for a number of months that we were going to get into the subject of eschatology, the doctrine of last things. 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.. 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. Most of the Reformers and the Puritans were postmils. But, in any case - and by the way, postmillennialists and amillennialists differ as to the details of these kinds of things. Dispensational premillennialists hold that Christ will come before a seven-year period of intense tribulation to take His church (living and dead) into heaven. Major proponents J. N. Darby, C. I. Scofield, John Walvoord, A. C. Gaebelein, Charles Ryrie, Lewis S. Chafer, J. Dwight Pentecost, Charles C. Ryrie, So, we can set aside the idea that somehow this is rooted in wacky dispensationalism; it is not. I align myself to historical premillennialism, so I want to convey my own dismay with John MacArthur's sermon series from 2007. Now, frankly, its too late for John Calvin to fix his work, although he is now a premillennialist in heaven. 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.. He doesnt know the future because it hasnt happened. 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. Ridgeley spends several pages refuting ancient and modern Chiliasts, or Millennarians ((Ridgeley, Commentary on the Larger Catechism, 1:558562.)) Enter your email address and we will send you instructions on how to reset your password. We know that Word about the future has that power. . 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. But people are upset because MacArthur so badly misrepresented amillennialism, and because he defined "premillennialism" as though it were dispensationalism. Contrary to MacArthur, the historical record demonstrates that postmillennial Calvinists had developed a prophetic role for the Jews hundreds of years before Scofield. What passage is it in? Amen. 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 Why TMS? Whether youre an amillennialist or a postmillennialist, you basically say Israel forfeited all its promises. Thats a hard sell, frankly. But in the Old Testament - for example, Isaiah 45:4: Israel, Mine elect. Anything to avoid premillennialism, even if you change the rules of interpretation. ( 3:16) . It makes no sense. by Craig L. Blomberg and Sung Wook Chung [Grand Rapids: . Allis - well-known - says, The Old Testament prophecies if literally interpreted cannot be regarded as having been yet fulfilled or being capable of fulfillment in the present age. Thats true. . We can interpret it the way we interpret any other passage of Scripture, with the same use of the normal, natural means of interpreting language, and we should; and it will yield for us as clear an understanding of the future as the Lord wants us to have. He wants us to get it right; thats why He put it in the Scripture and the Scripture is replete with it. 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. And Im not in to newspaper exegesis, where you where everything that happens in the news fulfills some obscure Old Testament prophecy. One calls it a kingdom and says it will expand and expand and expand - thats the positive spin. Not one reference anywhere in Scripture - and there are over two thousand, referring to Israel - means anything other than Israel. Death, where is your victory? I'm two thirds in to the series; however, one of my complaints so far is that MacArthur doesn't characterize the amillennial camp with accuracy. . The beliefs of Premillennialism are far from "rightly dividing the word of truth"! As you may be aware, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) comes into full effect on 25th May 2018. It was developed in mid-19 th century England by John Darby, a leader of the small but influential Plymouth Brethren Movement. Without the dispensational lens-says MacArthur-you will misunderstand much of the Bible. They were fighting the massive Roman system, and being occupied on those fronts, they never really got to the front of eschatology. 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. And he is suggesting, therefore, that we cant interpret them literally, because somehow, weve got to make them fulfilled in this age, because there is no future age. So, this is a classic perfect fit for Arminian theology. Saving Your Marriage Before It Starts Workbook for Women Updated: Seven Questions to Ask Before---and After---You Marry 9780310875475 Now, if you want to get the future right, youve got to get Israel right, and youve got to get Gods sovereign electing purpose right. In 1679, Scottish minister Walter Smith drew up some guidelines for prayer meetings: As it is the undoubted duty of all to pray for the coming of Christs kingdom, so all that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity, and know what it is to bow a knee in good earnest, will long and pray for the out-making of the gospel-promises to his Church in the latter days, that King Christ would go out upon the white horse of the gospel, conquering and to conquer, and make a conquest of the travail of his soul, that it may be sounded that the kingdoms of the world are become his, and his name called upon from the rising of the sun to its going down. Erdman refers to the premillennialism of Asia Minor in the second century as "Asiatic millennialism.". Pretribulational Rapture in 17th and 18th Century England. He also said that it is too late for Calvin but it is not too late for you [to join the Reformed Premillennial movement]! If you interpret Old Testament prophecies literally, they cannot be fulfilled in this present age. 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. Death, where is your sting? Its there. This primer takes you on a Biblical study of questions surrounding prophecy, Israel, the rapture, and the different millennial . And whats at stake here? Do you understand the massive apologetic power of the existence of Israel as an ethnic people in their own land? See here and here. So, heres how to get the foundation for a good sound eschatology: get election right, get Israel right, you got it. This is why its message is hated. Premillennialists believe that two-thirds of the Jews living in Israel during the time of the great tribulation will be slaughtered (Zech. 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. I think it matters to God. The Lords coming back: blessing, purity, stability, comfort. He is currently the chancellor emeritus of The Master's University in . 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. One says its not the kingdom. Reformed theology has made a monumental comeback in this culture, and thankfully so, because it is biblical. The assembly and the circumstances of the assembly must be distinguished. (Quoted in DeJong, As the Waters Cover the Sea, 38.). It therefore teaches responsibility. 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. 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.) So, I said, Would you do me a favor? 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. If only he could just send down one message, that might be it. 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. Regarding this Dr. Timothy Jones writes, "Dispensationalism emphasizes the differences and discontinuity between the physical descendants of Abraham and followers of Jesus [2]. It has to matter to us. That in itself is an indication of Gods preservation for their future. And so, I think its a fair test to see whether eschatology holds up. But, for certain, according to amillennialists, there will be no thousand-year reign of Christ on the earth. Thats called process theology. I think it matters. 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. We know that, so our ambition is, when we get to that place, to be rewarded because we are pleasing to Him. Scripture affirms the perpetuity of the elect church to salvation glory; that all whom the Lord has chosen He brings to glory. Not that they were the end, but they were the means to the end. Why? 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. 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). Now, Ive been telling you for a number of months that we were going to get into the subject of eschatology, the doctrine of last things. But there is a growing influence of amillennialism, because amillennialism has been a part of reformed theology. 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. 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. 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. He is the author, co-author or co-editor of fifteen books and more than eighty articles in journals or multi-author works. It is one thing to omit them for a time, and another to do it ordinarily. John McArthur John MacArthur was born on 19 June, 1939. MacArthur and the seminary faculty know of Murrays work. Continue reading I recently read this great article and would recommend every professing Calvinist to give it a read, I believe John MacArthur's arguments for Pre-Millennialism are biblically irrefutable, mainly because the traditional Reformed view (Amillennialism) does away (Replacement Theology) with future Israel (God's Elect) and that is far from the truth Why do we want to change the rules in interpretation to avoid that? The other looks at it as a spiritual kingdom also but says it will decline and decline and decline until Jesus finally comes. Now, next time Im going to take you through a series of about five questions that were going to ask and see how this plays out on the pages of Scripture, okay? Those who most celebrate the sovereign grace of election - thats the Reformed - they are typically amillennial. He blogs at Ordinary Pastor. With appearances by. Now, here comes the real irony; this is the real irony. And that was over the gospel, and over the nature of Christ, and over salvation by grace through faith and over the authority of 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. Yet, Abraham did not receive it during all the time of his journey there. You get Israel right when you get the Old Testament covenants and promises with Israel right. 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. MacArthur, John, and Richard Mayhue, eds.