Short Response to Dr. MacArthur's statement. 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). 4. Amillennialism is consistent with Arminianism. Why Every Calvinist Should Be a Premillennialist, Part 1. Historic premillennialism - What is it? - CompellingTruth.org John MacArthur | The Heidelblog How do you explain that? Out of their own mouth - whats wrong with that? You forfeit everything, and God gives it to somebody else - namely, the church - and we hope the church can do better than Israel or the church will forfeit it all as well. Christ's Prophetic Plans - DTS Voice 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. Part of what we pray for in the second petition, Thy kingdom come, is that the gospel [be] propagated throughout the world, the Jews called, the fullness of the Gentiles brought in. In his commentary on the Larger Catechism, Thomas Ridgeley (16671734) wrote, Hence, we cannot but suppose that those prophecies which respect [to the conversion of the Jews], in the latter day, together with the fullness of the Gentiles being brought in, shall be more eminently accomplished than they have hitherto been. ((Thomas Ridgeley, Commentary on the Larger Catechism, 2 vols. Turn to 1 Corinthians 15; 1 Corinthians 15. Some of the most formidable amillennialists - and Im talking about well-respected, very erudite influential theologians - say things like this, and Ill quote. This is process theology. Why a Pretribulational Rapture? | Journal | The Master's Seminary John MacArthur on the Rapture - LifeCoach4God Historically, church fathers favored historic premillennialism, including Ireneaus, Papias, Justin Martyr, Tertullian, and Hippolytus. Does the end matter? 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 get the interpretation of Scripture right when youre faithful to valid rules of interpretation. So, heres how to get the foundation for a good sound eschatology: get election right, get Israel right, you got it. But let me tell you something: normal, natural, literal interpretation is the only way to stop abuse of Scripture. Or another way to say it would be this: how many of you have attended an amillennial prophecy conference? #10. There are over two thousand references to Israel in Scripture; not one of them means anything but Israel. Why Every Calvinist Should Be a Premillennialist, Part 2 - Grace To You (Quoted in Murray, The Puritan Hope, 101102. We still have Mark to go, but there are only a couple of discourses and a couple of miracles in Mark that arent in the other three gospels, so not a lot of new material. The Millennial Maze: A Panel on the Millennium - Andy Naselli Thats a hard sell, frankly. He notes that "the decisive authority of Asiatic millennialism is John, from whom the elders claimed to have obtained their information. Contrary to MacArthur, the historical record demonstrates that postmillennial Calvinists had developed a prophetic role for the Jews hundreds of years before Scofield. He asked what the amillennialist would say if the Jew asked about the kingdom and the blessings. As soon as you abandon that, then its fair game for anybodys craziness. The reasons are simple enough: this classic work is forthrightly Biblical. He is the author, co-author or co-editor of fifteen books and more than eighty articles in journals or multi-author works. A. DeJong, As the Waters Cover the Sea: Millennial Expectations in the Rise of Anglo-America Missions, 16401810 (Kampen: J. H. Kok, 1970), 3738.) The following is a partial response to the subject since it is integral to premillennialism while postmillennialism is often ignored on the subject. John MacArthur'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. [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. Weve been working our way through doctrinal emphases in Scripture, doctrinal themes, and we have covered a lot of ground. The first view well call the postmillennial view; that is to say, that Christ will come after the millennium; that the return of Christ is post, it is after the millennial kingdom. I dont do this to you very often, but I hope you feel like it was helpful, and anchored you in this great and important truth. Now, Im going to save the good stuff till next time, but I want to just end by giving you a little list of benefits of getting your eschatology right, okay? This message clears up any questions as to where MacArthur stands on the eschatology issue. Anything to avoid premillennialism, even if you change the rules of interpretation. Grace to You radio, video, audio, print, and website resources reach millions worldwide each day. We know that, so our ambition is, when we get to that place, to be rewarded because we are pleasing to Him. But that is essentially what theyre asking us to do. 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. 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? Now, here comes the real irony; this is the real irony. We shall all be changed, in a moment, the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed., Thats the rapture; were going to study the rapture. It is pungently clear. Ridgeley spends several pages refuting ancient and modern Chiliasts, or Millennarians ((Ridgeley, Commentary on the Larger Catechism, 1:558562.)) Ive been here at Grace Church well, what - thirty-some years. Leave it to the semi-Pelagians and Pelagians, who go in and out of salvation; it makes sense for their theology. The reformers had it right on most issues. 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. Hes not predicting the future because you cant predict what hasnt happened - it doesnt exist. (1) That the old offcasten Israel for unbelief would never be forgotten, especially in these meetings, that the promised day of their ingrafting again by faith may be hastened; and that the dead weight of blood removed off them, that their fathers took upon them and upon their children, that have sunk them down to hell upwards of seventeen hundred years. 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.)) Christ's Prophetic Plans: A Futuristic Premillennial Primer: John It has not appeared as yet what we shall be. Major proponents J. N. Darby, C. I. Scofield, John Walvoord, A. C. Gaebelein, Charles Ryrie, Lewis S. Chafer, J. Dwight Pentecost, Charles C. Ryrie, God promised him the inheritance of the land. 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. Why Every Calvinist Should Be a Premillennialist By John MacArthur (Ridgeley, Commentary on the Larger Catechism, 1:562. 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. 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. One says moving toward the coming of Christ there will be no kingdom. For example, the book is well-organized. John Piper Backs Professor's End Times Theory of Premillennialism Without the dispensational lens-says MacArthur-you will misunderstand much of the Bible. 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. by Craig L. Blomberg and Sung Wook Chung [Grand Rapids: . 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. Regarding this Dr. Timothy Jones writes, "Dispensationalism emphasizes the differences and discontinuity between the physical descendants of Abraham and followers of Jesus [2]. 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. Guest. We chart the course and God reacts. There should be a footnote in the chapter saying, Please note: here comes a prophetic text; change the rules. We really need a divine mandate, because I think God cares that we get it right. The other says there will be a kingdom. He and his wife, Christie, have six children. 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. I saw it in Scripture when I was young; I saw it in Scripture because it was so crystal clear. Because, you see, if it doesnt mean what it says it means, then any suggestion is as bad as any other suggestion. 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. How could He hold them responsible for not believing? As one prominent amillennialist said when asked, What is the biblical significance of the existence of Jews in their land? and he said, It has no significance at all. Really? And the longer I think about it and the more I study the Scripture, the clearer it becomes to me. 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. 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.. Today's Christians have been taught that they must flee responsibility, for Jesus' sake. Amen. Help Grace to You bring important resources like this to people in your community and beyond, free of charge. We know that Word about the future has that power. Hes getting better. But, in any case - and by the way, postmillennialists and amillennialists differ as to the details of these kinds of things. We also applaud his insistence that the Bible must be interpreted literally, according to its normal sense. But they never got around to eschatology; they never got around to applying their formidable skills. The bottom line is were in charge. And Im really grateful that the Spirit of God is moving the way He is these days, and moving in the church to reestablish the glorious high ground of the sovereignty of God in salvation. 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. May it be powerful in our lives we pray in Christs name. by R. Scott Clark on April 8, 2020 | Dispensationalism describes a way of reading the Bible and a system of theology the nearest roots of which are in the 19th century. Biography - John Macarthur - Australian Dictionary of Biography Its there. The True Historical Premillennial View: Not George Ladd's Version 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 . Master Category Reference - Page 77 - Biblestore.com And so, I think its a fair test to see whether eschatology holds up. -- 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 Israel crucifies the Messiah, thats it. If you dont know what you believe about the future, you cant preach on it. Christ and Caesar: A Response to John MacArthur There have been premillennial (traditionally known as "chiliastic) movements, including some Reformed theologians, since the early church but most . We want the Word to cause us to live lives pleasing to You. Should We Cancel Karl Barth, Martin Luther, and Jonathan Edwards? 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 . And there are others who believe that that refers to heaven; that refers to the experience of the saints in heaven. These are dicult words to pronounce and even harder concepts to understand. Sermons | Educational Resources | The Master's Seminary I have - they can try to terrify me with all this stuff; I am unmoved. This is a positive book: positive about the future of the Church. ), 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.). Theyve been refined, clarified, expanded, enriched through these 50 years, but I was convinced when I started. 13:79). For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. He blogs at Ordinary Pastor. 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. Now, talking about eschatology is not without controversy. - comfort one another. 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. Blessed. I am not going to try to quote him here, because frankly I did not take notes, I just sat there and listened. Short Response to Dr. MacArthur's Comment on Amillennialism 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. 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. They believe that salvation can be gained and lost. Its the whole point of the beginning and the middle. 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. Reformed theologian John Piper affirmed his belief that the second coming of Christ is coming soon and indicated that he is a premillennialist. Its not nearly as difficult as some people make it if you just take Scripture at face value. And Im not into all kinds of complex charts, and Im not into all that is traditionally known as dispensationalism - seven dispensations, two kingdoms, two New Covenants, two ways of salvation, discontinuity between the Old Testament and the New - Im not talking about that. A Case for . . MacArthur--who is an ardent dispensationalist--stated and defended his position. 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. Dr. MacArthur picked this fight. It therefore teaches responsibility. 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. 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. If you want to understand what the Bible says about the future, get these two things right: the sovereignty of God in election, and the promises of that sovereign, electing God to those people to whom He has elected - His redeemed church and Israel. John Piper Backs Professor's End Times Theory of Premillennialism. 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. See more on the author's page Sung Wook Chung He doesnt know the future because it hasnt happened. . Its the same God, same terminology. Not just the future of Israel, but our confidence in the Word of God. This is simply a way to understand Scripture in its normal sense. So, this is a classic perfect fit for Arminian theology. This makes two distinct judgmentsone for Christians and one for non-Christians after the millennium. Whether youre an amillennialist or a postmillennialist, you basically say Israel forfeited all its promises. Whether youre talking about the church as Gods elect, or Israel as Gods elect, both are Gods elect. 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. 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. And then the effect of it is in verse 58: Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, and you can stop right there. We are responsible for our sin, but in the end, we believe because He moves on us. Resting Not Vexing, Our Anchor in a Sea of Chaos and Consternation, Why I (Sometimes) Listen to Supreme Court Oral Arguments. Post-Millennialism, in stark contrast to Pre-Millennialism, believes that the Millennium occurs before Jesus' Second Coming rather than after. Now, the only thing that I ask is that you read it, and the only reason I ask you to read it is so that you may be what? They dont faze me. Theres a rapture, and theres a bma seat judgment; we know that. Premillennialists believe that two-thirds of the Jews living in Israel during the time of the great tribulation will be slaughtered (Zech. iii.16. All this panic about global warming, and all this panic about the end of the world and asteroids crashing into the earth? In fact, some say nearly one-fourth of Scripture is prophetic. 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. We want the Word to bless, to make us pure, to stabilize us, to comfort us, to give us a passion for evangelism. . 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. MacArthur and the seminary faculty know of Murrays work. The alpha privative in the Greek language means a negative, so there is the view that there is no millennium; that what John is writing about in Revelation 20 is very vague, may refer to nothing other than a long time in which the church flourishes on earth, simply referring to that kingdom which is spiritual - that is, the rule of Christ over those who belong to Him while on earth. It matters to me to understand what God has said about the end. Arminius did not believe in election; those who follow him do not believe in election. First John 3 verse 2: Beloved - 1 John 3:2 Now are we the children of God. We can take prophetic Scripture at face value. I think it matters to God. (Edinburgh: The Banner of Truth Trust, [1834] 1974), 1:607.). John MacArthur's Defense of Dispensationalism Monday, December 8, 2008 by Gary DeMar In 1988, John MacArthur wrote The Gospel According to Jesus, a controversial book in certain circles because he relied heavily on the views of Calvinistic writers to deal with the lordship salvation controversy. Well, this is such a great chapter - verse 51: I tell you a mystery; we shall not all sleep. Dispensationalism continues to provoke heated debate within the Christian world. 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 be aware that these items are sent out from our office in the UK. See here and here. "Are You Becoming a Post-Millennialist?" - Desiring God This morning John MacArthur opened the 2007 Shepherd's Conference with a loud blast that will no doubt be heard around the Reformed world in the coming weeks. In a shocking conclusion to the illustration, MacArthur said, if this is the kingdom, then Jesus is not the messiah. I align myself to historical premillennialism, so I want to convey my own dismay with John MacArthur's sermon series from 2007. Chicago: Moody, 2012. And I can only tell you I am unwaveringly committed to the sovereign election of a future generation of Jews to salvation, and the full inheritance of all the promises and covenants of God given to them in the Old Testament. And I ask the question: are we supposed to be comfortable with the notion that the hard and fast and true principles of Bible interpretation have to be set aside in prophetic texts? The other looks at it as a spiritual kingdom also but says it will decline and decline and decline until Jesus finally comes. Now, frankly, its too late for John Calvin to fix his work, although he is now a premillennialist in heaven. 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. 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? All of these are benefits of getting it right. The beliefs of Premillennialism are far from "rightly dividing the word of truth"! 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. And at that judgment, well be recompensed for the deeds done in the body, whether they are good or phaulos, meaning useless. And whats at stake here? First, the Antichrist would appear and a seven-year period of tribulation would commence. 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. Continue reading Dispensationalism is a kind of framework for history that is organized around seven dispensationsseven orders or administrations. Historic premillennialism is the view that Christ will return before the millennium. Preachers Should Measure Twice and Cut Once, Why Our Church Cancelled Christmas Eve Service. There is another form of that view called amillennialism; amillennialism - and youve probably heard about that.
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