Let me give you a theology lesson here a little bit. There are a number of viewpoints of what the Bible means when it speaks of future events. 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. Turn to 1 Thessalonians chapter 4; 1 Thessalonians chapter 4. There are over two thousand references to Israel in Scripture; not one of them means anything but Israel. 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. That is a large part of evangelical Christianity, the Wesleyan movement, Charismatic movement, Methodists, etc., etc., many Baptists. Its the same God, same terminology. 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.) Amillennialism really seems to fit them. Turn to Revelation chapter 1. You can follow him on Twitter. The assembly and the circumstances of the assembly must be distinguished. And youve been great tonight; this is more like a theological lecture. 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. They explain, "As a refinement of dispensational premillennialism, futuristic millennialism affirms a futuristic view . Show more Friends Following Now, I told you a few weeks ago why people believe that, because they want to get God off the hook so Hes not responsible for evil; but Hes happy to take the responsibility for allowing evil for His own glory. 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.. Some of the most formidable amillennialists - and Im talking about well-respected, very erudite influential theologians - say things like this, and Ill quote. If you interpret Old Testament prophecies literally, they cannot be fulfilled in this present age. 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. The world, as they see it, is in an ongoing golden process of progress. 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? Those are the views. But, in any case - and by the way, postmillennialists and amillennialists differ as to the details of these kinds of things. In short, there shall be, as it were, a universal spread of religion and holiness to the Lord, throughout the world. Prior to that I thought about it a lot. John MacArthur was one of the influences that helped turn me to Preterism. And again, I say, His election is divine, unilateral, unconditional and irrevocable. Premillennialism (3) Pretribulationism (1) Pride (3) Priests (4) Princeton Theological Review (1) . I think it matters to God. Some people want to turn it into ages - theres nothing in there that does that; theres nothing in the text itself that does that. Death, where is your victory? But they never got around to eschatology; they never got around to applying their formidable skills. This book teaches that Christians will exercise dominion in history. Why, then, if we are so committed to protecting the text of the beginning in its literal nature, are we so fast to give up the texts of the end and their literal nature? . 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. Israel and the church, and advocate for futuristic millennialism. It has not appeared as yet what we shall be. The Savoy Declaration, drawn up in October 1658 by English Congregationalists meeting at the Savoy Palace, London, included the conversion of the Jews in its summary of the Churchs future hope: We expect that in the latter days, Antichrist being destroyed, the Jews called, and the adversaries of the kingdom of his dear Son broken, the churches of Christ being enlarged and edified through a free and plentiful communication of light and grace, shall enjoy in this world a more quiet, peaceful, and glorious condition than they have enjoyed. He will return to an increasingly wicked earth, He will come in fiery judgment, He will judge all the ungodly of all the earth, and then establish His rule and His kingdom forever. After clicking 'Register', you will receive an email with a link to verify your account and to complete your registration. Whether youre an amillennialist or a postmillennialist, you basically say Israel forfeited all its promises. Theological Method of Premillennialism" in A Case for Historic Premillennialism: An Alternative to "Left Behind" Eschatology, ed. I think it matters. 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. Popular proponents of dispensational premillennialism have been John F. MacArthur, Phil Johnson, Ray Comfort, Jerry Falwell, Todd Friel, Dwight Pentecost, John Walvoord (d. 2002), Tim Lahaye, Charles Caldwell Ryrie (in the notes for the Ryrie Study Bible), the theological-folk poetry of Jack Royerton, and Charles L. Feinberg. / ( .) And by the way, dispensationalists - people say, Well, that whole premillennial view, that came out of C.I. Darby, that came out of that whole dispensational system no, it didnt. John McArthur John MacArthur was born on 19 June, 1939. Over 200 times in the Bible God is called the God of Israel - over two hundred times, the God of Israel.. They didnt really get to the front of ecclesiology either, the study of the church, but those two kind of go together - as well see in this study - in some very fascinating ways. Over four decades of ministry, John has written dozens of bestselling books, including The . A Look at the Church of England, Sneak Peek Interview: Laura Wiflers New Childrens Book. Primer, ed. 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. Why do we want to run from that? Resting Not Vexing, Our Anchor in a Sea of Chaos and Consternation, Why I (Sometimes) Listen to Supreme Court Oral Arguments. I was talking to one of our missionaries just this same week I gave this talk to the pastors, and he was coming back from China and he said, Theres only one view in the church in China and its the premillennial view. Of course, because they just take what Scripture says. 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". 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? I had, as theologians might call it, my own my own ordo eschaton; that would be the chronological sequence of the end times. 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 by Craig L. Blomberg and Sung Wook Chung [Grand Rapids: . The "millennium" refers to the period of 1,000 years mentioned in Revelation 20:3, "He threw Satan into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years were ended. 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. ), 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.). Historic premillennialism is one system of eschatology that has support in the Protestant community. If only he could just send down one message, that might be it. But in the Old Testament - for example, Isaiah 45:4: Israel, Mine elect. I have never moved away from my conviction about these two things. Enter your email address and we will send you instructions on how to reset your password. Worship - John F. MacArthur 2012-01-20 Nothing is more important than worship. The other view is whats called openness theology, and its the same thing; it simply means God has no idea what the future is. 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. The reason why it's called "historic premillennialism" is that, historically, this was the allegedly commonly-held view by many of the church fathers like Iraenus, Pappias, and Justin Martyr. And Ive gone back after I preach, and Ive written commentaries - now I think 26 or 27 volumes on the New Testament - back through the same material again and again and again and again and again, so that this understanding of eschatology has had to stand the acid test of every text. We know that, so our ambition is, when we get to that place, to be rewarded because we are pleasing to Him. 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 . This year they upgraded some snacks and are handing out Zone protein bars, a major enhancementhowever, I am really missing my family. Mathewson, Dave L. Yet in Sproul's lifetime, he and MacArthur were close friends. Amillennialism is ideal for Arminians because, according to their theology, God elects nobody and preserves nobody. Out of their own mouth - whats wrong with that? Scofield, that came out of J.N. 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. 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. And there are others who believe that that refers to heaven; that refers to the experience of the saints in heaven. Select Bibliography. "MacArthur calls himself a "leaky dispensationalist"--meaning he rejects any and all "dispensational" soteriological innovations, holding to classic Reformed (i.e., Protestant, not "covenantal") soteriology. Do not look down on others from your view of the end-times. In fact, some say nearly one-fourth of Scripture is prophetic. 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. If you look at Acts 3:19, Peter says, Repent therefore, and return, that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing - thats the millennium - may come from the presence of the Lord; that He may send Jesus, the Christ appointed for you, whom heaven must receive till the period of restoration of all things about which God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient time. So, having your eschatology in place may lead you to repentance. Historic premillennialism is the view that Christ will return before the millennium. These are dicult words to pronounce and even harder concepts to understand. -- 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 It therefore teaches responsibility. He notes that "the decisive authority of Asiatic millennialism is John, from whom the elders claimed to have obtained their information. 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. We want the Word to cause us to live lives pleasing to You. "John MacArthur on Calvinism, Dispensationalism, Israel, and Hermeneutics: A Few Comments" . See De Jong, As the Waters Cover the Sea, 12.). It is masterfully written. 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. They dont faze me. Or another way to say it would be this: how many of you have attended an amillennial prophecy conference? 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. I have - they can try to terrify me with all this stuff; I am unmoved. This is simply a way to understand Scripture in its normal sense. 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. The other says it is the kingdom. His message in General Session 1 was entitled "Why Every Self-Respecting Calvinist is Premillennial". Tell us about the future. They were in a very hopeless situation, having very little in life. Who will establish it? There were 1600 pastors from central Asia - the first Central Asian pastors conference in history after the breakup of the Soviet Union. You cannot fight the war on every front, and at the great time of the Reformation, they were fighting the war where the battle raged the hottest. Why bother? Saving Your Marriage Before It Starts Workbook for Women Updated: Seven Questions to Ask Before---and After---You Marry 9780310875475 Arminius did not believe in election; those who follow him do not believe in election. 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.. For details about this sermon and for related resources, click here: https://www.gty.org/library/sermons-library/90-339 To receive John MacArthur's monthly l. If you dont know what you believe about the future, you cant preach on it. Seventy percent - by the way - of Scripture is the story of Israel, start to finish. It makes no sense. Please make sure all fields are filled out. 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. For example, the book is well-organized. 2023 Grace to You. Thats a hard sell, frankly. So, my words to you are really very simple foundational words, I say this. 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). a.Dispensationalist Premillennialism 1. Israel disobeyed the law, youre done. 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. This makes two distinct judgmentsone for Christians and one for non-Christians after the millennium. - comfort one another. Premillennialism: The millennium is the long period (perhaps a literal 1,000 years) when King Jesus will rule on earth. 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. Daylight and dark, daylight and dark - thats a 24-hour period - God creates everything. And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure., Getting your eschatology right will bless you and getting your eschatology right will purify you. (Edinburgh: The Banner of Truth Trust, [1834] 1974), 1:607.). 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. John Knox (1) John MacArthur (4) John MacDuff (1) John Mark (1) John Piper (25) John T. Carroll (1) John the Baptist (1) . Because when you understand Gods purpose for Israel, you now have the foundation for all eschatology; all eschatology. And the longer I think about it and the more I study the Scripture, the clearer it becomes to me. 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). 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? If you get that right, your eschatology will come crystal clear. 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. That's a complete misreading. 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. Without the dispensational lens-says MacArthur-you will misunderstand much of the Bible. 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? You never met a Hittite, an Amorite, a Hivite, a Jebusite, or any other ite. They have long since morphed into the melee and the mix of the races. 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. But for those who get it, for those who understand it, for those who embrace Gods sovereignty - that He is the only one who can determine who will be saved and blessed, and He is the only one who can save and bless - then saying that He cancelled promises to Israel because they didnt believe is completely inconsistent. . Amillennialism is consistent with Arminianism. But let me tell you something: normal, natural, literal interpretation is the only way to stop abuse of Scripture. But, for certain, according to amillennialists, there will be no thousand-year reign of Christ on the earth. (Quoted in Murray, The Puritan Hope, 101102. Pretribulational Rapture in 17th and 18th Century England. 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. And at that judgment, well be recompensed for the deeds done in the body, whether they are good or phaulos, meaning useless. They dont want to accept that the entire universe was created in six nearly twenty-four-hour days. 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. I align myself to historical premillennialism, so I want to convey my own dismay with John MacArthur's sermon series from 2007. The books and articles that make this case are not obscure or difficult to find. . Who Are the Real Schismatics? Doctrinal Statement Student Testimonies TMS for your Family Academics Academics Overview Master of Divinity Master of Theology Doctor of Ministry Doctor of Philosophy Bachelor of Theology Diploma of Theology Center for Israeli Studies Distance Education Academic Calendar Tyndale Center for Bible Translation In similar language, Scripture affirms the perpetuity of ethnic Israel to a future salvation and a future kingdom as a race of people, and that in that salvation and in that kingdom will be the fulfillment of all divine promises given to them in the Old Testament, repeated in the New Testament, and through them to the world. Show it to me. 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. Because, you see, if it doesnt mean what it says it means, then any suggestion is as bad as any other suggestion. But that is essentially what theyre asking us to do. If were going to change the rules, then, may I suggest this - and this is what I told the pastors - if were going to change the rules, then we better have a word from God. Floyd Hamilton in his book, The Basis of the Millennial Faith, says - and I quote: Now we must frankly admit the literal interpretation of the Old Testament prophecies gives us just such a picture of an earthly reign of the Messiah as the premillennialist pictures., Now, thats a fate worse than death. 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. and divine grace shall melt and renew their hard hearts … And then shall the house of Israel be saved: the Jews in all their dispersions shall cast away their old infidelity, and shall have their hearts wonderfully changed, and abhor themselves for their past unbelief and obstinacy. [2] This message clears up any questions as to where MacArthur stands on the eschatology issue. One topic I did not mention is the place of Israel in prophecy at it relates to postmillennialism. So, this is a classic perfect fit for Arminian theology. See, for example, Michael Vlach's article "How Does Historic Premillennialism Differ from Dispensational Premillennialism?", this "Eschatology Comparison" chart, and this article "An Historical . 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. In a really interesting illustration MacArthur envisioned an amillennialist evangelizing a Jew. We know that when He appears, - second coming we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him just as He is. Do you understand the massive apologetic power of the existence of Israel as an ethnic people in their own land? 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. We are responsible for our sin, but in the end, we believe because He moves on us. It is the theme of Scripture, the theme of eternity, and the . He also spoke briefly about dispensationalism, but I am not going to cover that here, I got to run. 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. There are 73 references to Israel in the New Testament; each of them refers to Israel. 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. The reformers had it right on most issues. We can take prophetic Scripture at face value. Leave it to the semi-Pelagians and Pelagians, who go in and out of salvation; it makes sense for their theology. And who made them? The beliefs of Premillennialism are far from "rightly dividing the word of truth"! We understand that when you have a prophecy in the Bible that has not yet come to pass, not everything will be clear. 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. 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. Not just the future of Israel, but our confidence in the Word of God. He doesnt know the future because it hasnt happened. 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. Return the sovereignty of God in election to its rightful place, return the nation Israel to its rightful place, and your eschatology will unfold in beautiful clarity. college football rules quiz,
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