Its a strange approach. Thats a hard sell, frankly. The Rapture, Antichrist, and Rebirth of Israel in Medieval Manuscripts. 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 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. Now, talking about eschatology is not without controversy. His mode of expositing those verses that supposedly counter Preterism really helped me to focus on those areas in the Bible. MacArthur, John, and Richard Mayhue, eds. (Ridgeley, Commentary on the Larger Catechism, 1:562. 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17), which, along with the appearance of the Antichrist, marks the beginning of the seven-year great tribulation on earth. We've been working our way through doctrinal emphases in Scripture, doctrinal themes, and we have covered a lot of ground. That's OK and no one is surprised or upset about that. But that is essentially what theyre asking us to do. Did God do this but somehow mumble? How could He hold any of us, in one sense, responsible for not believing? Blessed. Craig and his wife Fran have two daughters and reside in Centennial, Colorado. We know that when He appears, - second coming we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him just as He is. Isaiah 65 - really, the whole chapter is about Israel, Gods elect - verse 22: My elect again shall enjoy long the work of their hands. Israel repeatedly called Gods elect; we know what that means. 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. In the modern theological world, I say leave amillennialism to the process theologians. It is the single most inexplicable story in human history, that this small group of beleaguered people, attacked and assaulted by everybody around them for centuries, still exist as a pure ethnic race. MacArthur pulled no punches in his messages saying things like Jesus, Peter, the writer of Hebrews, and James were all premillenial. In fact, some say nearly one-fourth of Scripture is prophetic. Christ's Prophetic Plans: A Futuristic Premillennial Primer. We also applaud his insistence that the Bible must be interpreted literally, according to its normal sense. This year they upgraded some snacks and are handing out Zone protein bars, a major enhancementhowever, I am really missing my family. They will die for that truth regarding the church, but unashamedly abandon that same truth for the elect nation of Israel. 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? 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. John MacArthur claims to be a Dispensationalist in both The Gospel According to Jesus (GAJ) and The Gospel According to the Apostles (GAA). All rights reserved. Thats called process theology. Registered User I have even called thee by thy name Isaiah 65:9: Mine elect shall inherit it - the promises of God. MacArthur insisted that we should be able to preach the whole Bible without changing the original meaning of the text or abrogating promises. There is another form of that view called amillennialism; amillennialism - and youve probably heard about that. 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? Reformed theologian John Piper affirmed his belief that the second coming of Christ is coming soon and indicated that he is a premillennialist. Ive been putting an outline together in preparation for two talks I did for the December 1819 online A Purchased Victory: A Conference on the Bright Hope of Postmillennialism. My two talks deal with biblical and cultural impediments that are often raised against postmillennialism. Continue reading 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. Would you agree? Even His promises may not be valid, because He made them with inadequate information. I know where history is going. 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. After thorough study I saw that his views on the topic were based on (among other things) circular reasoning and tradition. Israel sinned, promises cancelled. 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. Hes getting better. In a shocking conclusion to the illustration, MacArthur said, if this is the kingdom, then Jesus is not the messiah. And so, you have to change the rules of interpretation and once you say the Bible doesnt mean what it says, then we have no idea what it means. The 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. So, my words to you are really very simple foundational words, I say this. [1] He has been the pastor of Grace Community Church, a non-denominational church in Sun Valley, California since February 9, 1969. 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. The world, as they see it, is in an ongoing golden process of progress. 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. 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. 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. 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. See here and here. The reformers had it right on most issues. The church will become more influential, more impactful, more spiritually powerful. MacArthur and the seminary faculty know of Murrays work. 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. Whether youre an amillennialist or a postmillennialist, you basically say Israel forfeited all its promises. And again, I say, His election is divine, unilateral, unconditional and irrevocable. And Im not in to newspaper exegesis, where you where everything that happens in the news fulfills some obscure Old Testament prophecy. 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. Copyright 2023 The Gospel Coalition, INC. All Rights Reserved. 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. Like all divine truth, getting the future truth right is beneficial. I align myself to historical premillennialism, so I want to convey my own dismay with John MacArthur's sermon series from 2007. Every promise God made to Abraham about his lineage inheriting the land of Palestine has been fulfilled! 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. A Review of Dr. John MacArthur's "Why Every Calvinist Should be a Premillennialist" Sermon. 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. First, the Antichrist would appear and a seven-year period of tribulation would commence. It makes no sense. Show more Friends Following In the meantime, Ive continued to study the Old Testament to write all the footnotes for the MacArthur Study Bible through the entire Old Testament. A Look at the Church of England, Sneak Peek Interview: Laura Wiflers New Childrens Book. . The other view is whats called openness theology, and its the same thing; it simply means God has no idea what the future is. 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. It was developed in mid-19 th century England by John Darby, a leader of the small but influential Plymouth Brethren Movement. When I was in seminary I thought about it, and I guess for about 50 years Ive been thinking about eschatology, the time of the end. 13:79). I think it matters to God. 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. There are two great elect people in the Bible: Israel and the church; and Israel is elect, as the church is elect - the New Testament is full of comments about the church being the elect. Well, this is such a great chapter - verse 51: I tell you a mystery; we shall not all sleep. We had met a short time ago, and she had questions about . Premillennialists believe that two-thirds of the Jews living in Israel during the time of the great tribulation will be slaughtered (Zech. 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 had, as theologians might call it, my own my own ordo eschaton; that would be the chronological sequence of the end times. See De Jong, As the Waters Cover the Sea, 12.). Preachers Should Measure Twice and Cut Once, Why Our Church Cancelled Christmas Eve Service. 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 . 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 . [2] He doesnt know the future because it hasnt happened. It has to matter to us. 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. Because when you understand Gods purpose for Israel, you now have the foundation for all eschatology; all eschatology. The Lords coming back: blessing, purity, stability, comfort. Now, were going to dig a little more deeply into the whole idea of the millennial kingdom and what the Bible says about it, and as to its nature and the aspects of the kingdom that are revealed in Scripture - and by the way, they are many and they are wondrous to behold, and we will do that. I think it matters. He asked what the amillennialist would say if the Jew asked about the kingdom and the blessings. . Because they believed that the Jews would be converted, Puritan and Presbyterian churches earnestly prayed that Pauls prophecies would be fulfilled. Select Bibliography. Theres a rapture, and theres a bma seat judgment; we know that. After that he must be loosed for a little while." Postmillennialists think things are going to get better. Dispensationalism continues to provoke heated debate within the Christian world. Since Scripture speaks of the Millennium as a time of great prosperity for the kingdom of God, post-mills are inherently optimistic. This makes two distinct judgmentsone for Christians and one for non-Christians after the millennium. Oh sure, it helps to know some history and some background, but this is a pronounced blessing. They are certainly available (or they should be) in the library at MacArthurs Masters Seminary. It is one thing to omit them for a time, and another to do it ordinarily. 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. What he is saying is, a literal interpretation of the Old Testament is going to lead you to a premillennial view, and since we dont want to get there, we cant use a literal approach. 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. Basically he said that when people spiritualize or allegorize the first three chapters of Genesis we call them Liberals, but when they do the same with the prophetic Scriptures we call them amillennialists. 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. 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. John MacArthur was one of the influences that helped turn me to Preterism. Israel and the church, and advocate for futuristic millennialism. There are a number of viewpoints of what the Bible means when it speaks of future events. Theres no sense in going in to all of that, except to say in both cases, they say there is no actual earthly reign of Christ fulfilling all Old Testament covenant promises. I have - they can try to terrify me with all this stuff; I am unmoved. Now, when they came here, Im very much aware that many of them are amillennialists. 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. He also said that it is too late for Calvin but it is not too late for you [to join the Reformed Premillennial movement]! But people are upset because MacArthur so badly misrepresented amillennialism, and because he defined "premillennialism" as though it were dispensationalism. I couldnt help but wonder what the other guest speakers might have been thinking as they sat in the front row. 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. They taught that the kingdom of God would be visibly manifest on earth after the second coming of Jesus. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ - thats part of the coming eschatology. One says its not the kingdom. 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. And so, I think its a fair test to see whether eschatology holds up. Arminians - not Armenians, thats different; those who follow Arminius - did not believe in election. They believe that salvation can be gained and lost. Out of their own mouth - whats wrong with that? 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. (Quoted in DeJong, As the Waters Cover the Sea, 38.). 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. 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 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. John Knox (1) John MacArthur (4) John MacDuff (1) John Mark (1) John Piper (25) John T. Carroll (1) John the Baptist (1) . Oct 27, 2007. See, for example, Michael Vlach's article "How Does Historic Premillennialism Differ from Dispensational Premillennialism?", this "Eschatology Comparison" chart, and this article "An Historical . 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? We understand that when you have a prophecy in the Bible that has not yet come to pass, not everything will be clear. You can figure it out. Over 200 times in the Bible God is called the God of Israel - over two hundred times, the God of Israel.. 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. Hes improving; Hes definitely on the upward curve. GDPR is the new European privacy regulation, which will replace the Data Protection Act 1998 in the UK and the equivalent legislation across the EU Member States. And the longer I think about it and the more I study the Scripture, the clearer it becomes to me. You can choose Him and then not choose Him, and then choose Him again and then not choose Him, and you make the decision; and so, all of the promises of God are conditional on you. Theres a recovery of premillennialism in the modern era, and the recovery of premillennialism in the modern era came from two very unlikely sources. 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 really seems to fit them. You get your eschatology right when you get Israel right. 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? Christ will return, He will come in a glorious second coming to earth - but not to establish His kingdom, but rather after His kingdom has been established. 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. He notes that "the decisive authority of Asiatic millennialism is John, from whom the elders claimed to have obtained their information. MacArthur's "dispensationalism" is eschatological and ecclesiological only. A Case for . I have dragged you through virtually every verse in the New Testament. Some people say, How in the world can you understand it? They understood it in China without anything but a Bible; they understood it in Central Asia without anything but a Bible; you take it at face value. Craig Blaising and . 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. Darby, that came out of that whole dispensational system no, it didnt. 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. 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. Do not look down on others from your view of the end-times. Is that what God wanted us to do, to look at it and say, Aw, I cant figure this out; lets forget it? There are whole denominations that are instructed not to teach on the end times. DP also believes that God has a place for both national Israel (cf. Ive been here at Grace Church well, what - thirty-some years. Death, where is your victory? But we now have pure Israelites. If students at The Masters Seminary are not being taught these things in their classes dealing with prophecy, then they are being shortchanged, misinformed, and, dare I say, led astray. A. DeJong, As the Waters Cover the Sea: Millennial Expectations in the Rise of Anglo-America Missions, 16401810 (Kampen: J. H. Kok, 1970), 3738.) 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, there are people who do this to Genesis 1, 2 and 3. If it doesnt mean what it says and everybodys got a different view, then nobody has the authority to say, This is true. Lets just stick with things that we know are true and things that all the good theologians agree on. Romans 11:28 . 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 How do you explain that? 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. Premillennialism: The millennium is the long period (perhaps a literal 1,000 years) when King Jesus will rule on earth. John McArthur John MacArthur was born on 19 June, 1939. Do you understand the massive apologetic power of the existence of Israel as an ethnic people in their own land? . A recurring topic of interest in his writings is the historical reliability of the Scriptures. That leaves me with the impression that God wants us not to question the length of its duration. 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. John MacArthur and Richard Mayhue's new systematic theology titled Biblical Doctrine has many positive aspects. Now, they make perfect amillennialists; thats a perfect setup for them. As soon as you abandon that, then its fair game for anybodys craziness. Please make sure all fields are filled out. Affiliate disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, we may earn commissions from qualifying purchases on Amazon.com. Grace to You radio, video, audio, print, and website resources reach millions worldwide each day. And by what authority? With appearances by. 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. DMcFadden said: The mixture of dispensational eschatology and Calvinist soteriology is not unique to MacArthur. Premillennialism (3) Pretribulationism (1) Pride (3) Priests (4) Princeton Theological Review (1) . 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. Relax; set all that aside. 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. CLASSIC DISPENSATIONALISM. #10. He even went so far as to say that the Amillennial position is more consistent with Arminianism Macarthur writes "Futuristic Premillennialism is the result of an understanding and application of the prophetic texts in a way that is consistent with the normal, literal approach to interpreting Scripture." This is how the authors come to their Futuristic Premillennial view. Its just a lot of material. Its two ways to view human history. I dont know about you, but I really cant get too worked up about greenhouse gases. Forfeited all its privileges, forfeited all those things that God declared in covenant that He would give to them in the future; and they forfeit it by their disobedience to the Mosaic Covenant, by their apostasy from true religion and by their rejection of their Messiah. Now, frankly, its too late for John Calvin to fix his work, although he is now a premillennialist in heaven. Please contact the publisher to obtain copies of this resource. Yet, Abraham did not receive it during all the time of his journey there. Over four decades of ministry, John has written dozens of bestselling books, including The . Dispensational premillennialists hold that Christ will come before a seven-year period of intense tribulation to take His church (living and dead) into heaven. 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.
Tui Manage My Booking Technical Difficulties,
Alexa Sings Thanks For Your Feedback,
Monty Williams Daughter,
Articles J
john macarthur premillennialism