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. If you interpret Old Testament prophecies literally, they cannot be fulfilled in this present age. First, the Antichrist would appear and a seven-year period of tribulation would commence. 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. It is the theme of Scripture, the theme of eternity, and the . 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. Over four decades of ministry, John has written dozens of bestselling books, including The . Postmillennialists think things are going to get better. John MacArthur is the pastor-teacher of Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California, where he has served since 1969. Israel sinned, youre out. Whether youre an amillennialist or a postmillennialist, you basically say Israel forfeited all its promises. Pretribulational Rapture in 17th and 18th Century England. He is currently the chancellor emeritus of The Master's University in . A. DeJong, As the Waters Cover the Sea: Millennial Expectations in the Rise of Anglo-America Missions, 16401810 (Kampen: J. H. Kok, 1970), 3738.) We who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and thus shall we always be with the Lord. Heres the application: Therefore - do what? Not just the future of Israel, but our confidence in the Word of God. There have been premillennial (traditionally known as "chiliastic) movements, including some Reformed theologians, since the early church but most . As you may be aware, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) comes into full effect on 25th May 2018. 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. Did God do this but somehow mumble? It has not appeared as yet what we shall be. 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. These are dicult words to pronounce and even harder concepts to understand. Amen. 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? Scripture affirms the perpetuity of the elect church to salvation glory; that all whom the Lord has chosen He brings to glory. He doesnt know the future because it hasnt happened. God filled the Bible with prophecy and much of it looking to 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. Craig Blaising and . by John MacArthur and Richard Mayhue (Chicago: Moody, 2012), 24. "John MacArthur on Calvinism, Dispensationalism, Israel, and Hermeneutics: A Few Comments" . All right, thats the introduction. And . (Edinburgh: The Banner of Truth Trust, [1834] 1974), 1:607.). 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 . Do you know - are you watching this media? After that he must be loosed for a little while." 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. 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. In fact, some say nearly one-fourth of Scripture is prophetic. 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. John Fullerton MacArthur Jr. (born June 19, 1939) is an American Protestant pastor and author known for his internationally syndicated Christian teaching radio and television program Grace to You. and defends what can only be described as postmillennialism over against premillennialism. His message in General Session 1 was entitled "Why Every Self-Respecting Calvinist is Premillennial". 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. Its a strange approach. So, my words to you are really very simple foundational words, I say this. "Why Every Self-Respecting Calvinist is a Pre-Millennialist." For those of you who don't know, this was a statement, among others, that John MacArthur was recorded as making at the recent Shepherd's Conference 2007 at Grace Community Church, Sun Valley California. Thats just two ways to look at the same thing. They believe God elects nobody to salvation. 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. Guest. And so, I think its a fair test to see whether eschatology holds up. 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. 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. Iain Murray, the author of The Puritan Hope, a book that Im using to make my historical case against MacArthurs claims, spoke at the Shepherds Conference in 2001. I 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. Yet in Sproul's lifetime, he and MacArthur were close friends. John MacArthur News Why TMS? We know that Word about the future has that power. He has also written or edited nearly four hundred books and study guides. Every promise God made to Abraham about his lineage inheriting the land of Palestine has been fulfilled! Not true. Since Scripture speaks of the Millennium as a time of great prosperity for the kingdom of God, post-mills are inherently optimistic. Who Are the Real Schismatics? 2023 Grace to You. 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. Now, against those two is the view called premillennialism; that means there will be a millennium and prior to that millennium, Jesus will come. What you have here is a benediction from God: blessed is he who reads and understands the book of Revelation. MacArthur pulled no punches in his messages saying things like Jesus, Peter, the writer of Hebrews, and James were all premillenial. And whats at stake here? 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. Christ returns before the Millennium, a literal thousand years 2. 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. 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? They were fighting the massive Roman system, and being occupied on those fronts, they never really got to the front of eschatology. It is narrative history, and we fight - sometimes tooth and nail - to maintain the literal veracity of Genesis 1 through 3. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. And there are others who believe that that refers to heaven; that refers to the experience of the saints in heaven. 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. He also spoke briefly about dispensationalism, but I am not going to cover that here, I got to run. In his commentary on John 3:33, John Calvin wrote: "To believe the Gospel is nothing else than to assent to the truths that God has revealed." The sort faith that MacArthur rejects is what the Bible requires. 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17), which, along with the appearance of the Antichrist, marks the beginning of the seven-year great tribulation on earth. Israel and the church, and advocate for futuristic millennialism. 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. See, for example, Michael Vlach's article "How Does Historic Premillennialism Differ from Dispensational Premillennialism?", this "Eschatology Comparison" chart, and this article "An Historical . This article is also available and sold as a booklet. 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 Premillennialism: This view sees a chronological sequence as Satan is bound in the future when Christ returns and before Christians receive their reward, and then the millennium commences, hence the name, "pre". 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 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). In fact, I understand sovereign electing grace much more clearly than I ever have in the past, and I also understand Gods sovereign electing purpose for Israel more clearly than Ive ever understood it. Premillennialism: The millennium is the long period (perhaps a literal 1,000 years) when King Jesus will rule on earth. The other looks at it as a spiritual kingdom also but says it will decline and decline and decline until Jesus finally comes. May it be powerful in our lives we pray in Christs name. But they never got around to eschatology; they never got around to applying their formidable skills. 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. (Quoted in DeJong, As the Waters Cover the Sea, 38.). , . You get your eschatology right when you get Israel right. So, if you say the promises of the Old Testament that refer to Israel really meant the church, you have no precedent for such an interpretation. And the longer I think about it and the more I study the Scripture, the clearer it becomes to me. The world, as they see it, is in an ongoing golden process of progress. 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. See De Jong, As the Waters Cover the Sea, 12.). Do not look down on others from your view of the end-times. 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 . Its just a lot of material. He asked what the amillennialist would say if the Jew asked about the kingdom and the blessings. 2. Now, why am I making a case for this? Historic premillennialism is the view that Christ will return before the millennium. This is why its message is hated. ), 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.). Short Response to Dr. MacArthur's statement. 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 The completed registration allows us to send order and donation receipts to the email address you provided. Relax; set all that aside. 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.)) If you get that right, your eschatology will come crystal clear. This is postmillennialism at its best. I reject the wacky world of newspaper exegesis and cartoon eschatology, and crazy interpretation like the locusts of Revelation 9 being helicopters, et cetera. MacArthur's "dispensationalism" is eschatological and ecclesiological only. Blessed. 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. The following is a partial response to the subject since it is integral to premillennialism while postmillennialism is often ignored on the subject. After thorough study I saw that his views on the topic were based on (among other things) circular reasoning and tradition. Dispensational premillennialism (DP) offers the most complex chronology of the end times.It argues that the current church age will end with the rapture of the church (cf. 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. Help train Christians to boldly share the good news of Jesus Christ in a way that clearly communicates to this secular age. An article by John MacArthur: "The common question of which Bible translation to use is very important--it concerns the most important words ever spoken, the words of God the Creator. 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? Israel sinned, promises cancelled. 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. Not that they were the only ones to be saved, but they were the ones through whom God will eventually reach, and even set up His Son to rule over the nations. Copyright 2023 The Gospel Coalition, INC. All Rights Reserved. They explain, "As a refinement of dispensational premillennialism, futuristic millennialism affirms a futuristic view . Accordingly, we have updated our Privacy Policy and Terms and Conditions in order to comply with GDPR. When Frederick the Great called his chaplain in and he said, I want proof of the truthfulness of the Bible, and I want it briefly, the chaplain replied, Sir, I can give you proof of the truthfulness of the Bible in one word: Israel.. The end is as divinely designed as the beginning, and God has given us massive amounts of revelation in the Scripture about the future. 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. Instead, MacArthur systematically unpacked the biblical theology that leads one to an unabashed Calvinistic eschatology. Along that line, I went to Moody Press and I said, Look, Ive written two volumes on Revelation - I dont know, its 800 or 900 pages - and I realized not everybody is going to go through all of that. John Piper Backs Professor's End Times Theory of Premillennialism. CLASSIC DISPENSATIONALISM. Its the whole point of everything else. First John 3 verse 2: Beloved - 1 John 3:2 Now are we the children of God. And again, I say, His election is divine, unilateral, unconditional and irrevocable. The other says it is the kingdom. Christ's Prophetic Plans: A Futuristic Premillennial Primer. How could they believe unless He caused them to believe? Now, understanding the future is you know, thats a general statement that you would be blessed - but look at just a couple of other things quickly. Hes getting better. Here at Grace to You Europe we take our data protection responsibilities very seriously and, as you would expect, have undertaken a significant programme of work to ensure that we are ready for this important legislative change. 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. Turn to 1 Corinthians 15; 1 Corinthians 15. Affiliate disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, we may earn commissions from qualifying purchases on Amazon.com. . 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. Ive written about this in several places. I dont know about you, but I really cant get too worked up about greenhouse gases. 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. So, I say, leave amillennialism to those kinds of people who do not believe in the sovereign, unilateral, irrevocable, divine electing power of God. 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. We want the Word to cause us to live lives pleasing to You. Let me give you a theology lesson here a little bit. 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. 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. 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. Hes improving; Hes definitely on the upward curve. . In other words, Piper believes Jesus Christ will come on earth and reign for 1,000 years. 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. Premillennialists believe that two-thirds of the Jews living in Israel during the time of the great tribulation will be slaughtered (Zech. Moreover, John, as again stated by Papias, ascribed the origin of millenarianism to Christ . 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. 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. I have thought about these things, by the way, for a long time. 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. Dispensational Premillennialism is a recent, complex, and increasingly controversial form of modern Historic Premillennialism (HP). 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. Primer, ed. 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.) Some of the most formidable amillennialists - and Im talking about well-respected, very erudite influential theologians - say things like this, and Ill quote. But in the Old Testament - for example, Isaiah 45:4: Israel, Mine elect. Turn to 1 Thessalonians chapter 4; 1 Thessalonians chapter 4. And Im confident that God didnt reveal prophetic truth in so much detail to hide anything, to obscure the truth, but to reveal it for our blessing, our motivation and His glory. 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. 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. A Look at the Church of England, Sneak Peek Interview: Laura Wiflers New Childrens Book. Does the end matter? iii.16. He wants us to get it right; thats why He put it in the Scripture and the Scripture is replete with it. For example, the book is well-organized. The church will become more influential, more impactful, more spiritually powerful. You have this hope as a purifying hope. 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. DP also believes that God has a place for both national Israel (cf. 3. So, they did it, and we distributed that at the Shepherds Conference - 350-page version of Revelation, in which the full interpretation is provided there and of course, you can advance to the full two volumes if youd like. 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. 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. Reformed theologian John Piper affirmed his belief that the second coming of Christ is coming soon and indicated that he is a premillennialist. I like to call amillennialism negative, and postmillennialism positive. He has been the pastor of Grace Community Church, a non-denominational church in Sun Valley, California since February 9, 1969. 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. 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. Erik Raymond is the senior pastor at Redeemer Fellowship Church in Metro Boston. Dr. MacArthur picked this fight. A recurring topic of interest in his writings is the historical reliability of the Scriptures. This book teaches that Christians will exercise dominion in history. 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. Would you agree? Amillennialism is consistent with Arminianism. If you read the paper and have your eyes open, and youre breathing, and your body has any temperature at all, you know things arent getting better. You get the interpretation of Scripture right when youre faithful to valid rules of interpretation.
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