Historically, church fathers favored historic premillennialism, including Ireneaus, Papias, Justin Martyr, Tertullian, and Hippolytus. This is why its message is hated. Registered User Please contact the publisher to obtain copies of this resource. Now, when they came here, Im very much aware that many of them are amillennialists. But let me tell you something: normal, natural, literal interpretation is the only way to stop abuse of Scripture. The end is as divinely designed as the beginning, and God has given us massive amounts of revelation in the Scripture about the future. 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. And . Certainly, you have no idea what it means - neither does anybody else. 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. Now, there are people who do this to Genesis 1, 2 and 3. I align myself to historical premillennialism, so I want to convey my own dismay with John MacArthur's sermon series from 2007. 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17), which, along with the appearance of the Antichrist, marks the beginning of the seven-year great tribulation on earth. Particular to this framework is the eschatological position known as "premillennial dispensationalism" which holds that Christ will return prior to a literal one-thousand-year reign on earth. They would rather believe that God has predestined His Church to failure than believe that they are personally responsible for transforming society. 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. Please be aware that these items are sent out from our office in the UK. . There were 1600 pastors from central Asia - the first Central Asian pastors conference in history after the breakup of the Soviet Union. 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. 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? Historic premillennialism is the view that Christ will return before the millennium. 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. . See, for example, Michael Vlach's article "How Does Historic Premillennialism Differ from Dispensational Premillennialism?", this "Eschatology Comparison" chart, and this article "An Historical . How do you explain that? Since Scripture speaks of the Millennium as a time of great prosperity for the kingdom of God, post-mills are inherently optimistic. 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, they make perfect amillennialists; thats a perfect setup for them. He doesnt know the future because it hasnt happened. They explain, "As a refinement of dispensational premillennialism, futuristic millennialism affirms a futuristic view . 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. What you have here is a benediction from God: blessed is he who reads and understands the book of Revelation. If only he could just send down one message, that might be it. But that is essentially what theyre asking us to do. 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. It matters to me to understand what God has said about the end. He made an interesting connection between Genesis and Revelation. 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? 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. And again, I say, His election is divine, unilateral, unconditional and irrevocable. Please respond to confirm your registration. John MacArthur is the pastor-teacher of Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California, where he has served since 1969. The following is a partial response to the subject since it is integral to premillennialism while postmillennialism is often ignored on the subject. Some people want to turn it into ages - theres nothing in there that does that; theres nothing in the text itself that does that. 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. Daylight and dark, daylight and dark - thats a 24-hour period - God creates everything. The Lords coming back: blessing, purity, stability, comfort. Hes improving; Hes definitely on the upward curve. 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. "John MacArthur on Calvinism, Dispensationalism, Israel, and Hermeneutics: A Few Comments" . Leave it to the semi-Pelagians and Pelagians, who go in and out of salvation; it makes sense for their theology. Because, you see, if it doesnt mean what it says it means, then any suggestion is as bad as any other suggestion. Even His promises may not be valid, because He made them with inadequate information. Register. In a really interesting illustration MacArthur envisioned an amillennialist evangelizing a Jew. Now, I know at this point somebody out there is going to say, Oh boy, hes into the Left Behind series. No, Im not in to Rapture fiction, and Im not in to wacky charts - you dont see me up here with a big chart and a stick. 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. Death, where is your sting? 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. Its there. See here and here. Chicago: Moody, 2012. Theres a rapture, and theres a bma seat judgment; we know that. 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. But people are upset because MacArthur so badly misrepresented amillennialism, and because he defined "premillennialism" as though it were dispensationalism. Primer, ed. We chart the course and God reacts. 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. Articles Baptist Theology Calvinism Charles Spurgeon Christology Classic Premillennialism Covenant Theology e-Articles e-Books Eschatology Historic . Select Bibliography. Now, against those two is the view called premillennialism; that means there will be a millennium and prior to that millennium, Jesus will come. God filled the Bible with prophecy and much of it looking to the end. So here, we are living in the view of our eschatological triumph in Christ: the glory of the Rapture, the last trump, rising from the grave, made imperishable and immortal. But if you read Genesis 1 to 3, its pretty clear the evening and the morning were the first day, the evening and the morning were the second day, the evening and the morning were the third day. It matters to me. 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. John MacArthur is the pastor-teacher of Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California, president of The Master's College and Seminary, and featured teacher with the Grace to You media ministry. The books and articles that make this case are not obscure or difficult to find. This article is also available and sold as a booklet. We cant have those prophecies come to pass with regard to Israel in an earthly, literal kingdom the way the Old Testament seems to be saying it, so set aside normal, natural, literal interpretation. 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 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. 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. And youve been great tonight; this is more like a theological lecture. Why Every Calvinist Should Be a Premillennialist, Part 1. Staggering. They believe that salvation can be gained and lost. 1897 (Western Theological Seminary) (James Orr) .. Whether you are a pessimistic amillennialist, or an optimistic amillennialist - thats a postmillennialist - you dont know what to do with prophetic truth, because if you interpret prophetic truth in the same normal, natural way you interpret all the rest of the passages of Scripture, youre going to end up a premillennialist; its inevitable. We can interpret it the way we interpret any other passage of Scripture, with the same use of the normal, natural means of interpreting language, and we should; and it will yield for us as clear an understanding of the future as the Lord wants us to have. He asked what the amillennialist would say if the Jew asked about the kingdom and the blessings. Who Are the Real Schismatics? So check out Tim Challies summary on this once it is posted and if you are able to get your mitts on the audio for this it is highly recommended. Its two ways to view human history. A. DeJong, As the Waters Cover the Sea: Millennial Expectations in the Rise of Anglo-America Missions, 16401810 (Kampen: J. H. Kok, 1970), 3738.) So, if were going to change the rules of interpretation to inject into Scripture a preconceived idea or to avoid what is obvious, we better be sure that we have a word from God. He wants us to get it right; thats why He put it in the Scripture and the Scripture is replete with it. 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. Hes not predicting the future because you cant predict what hasnt happened - it doesnt exist. 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. Worship - John F. MacArthur 2012-01-20 Nothing is more important than worship. And the longer I think about it and the more I study the Scripture, the clearer it becomes to me. And then the effect of it is in verse 58: Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, and you can stop right there. 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. Premillennialism Historic Premillennialism Postmillennialism Amillennialism view sees the re-establishment of temple worship and animal sacrifices as a remembrance of Christ's sacrifice. 7 Reasons Why the Gospel of John is So Special 3 days ago Anything to avoid premillennialism, even if you change the rules of interpretation. We know that when He appears, - second coming we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him just as He is. 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. Darby, that came out of that whole dispensational system no, it didnt. 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? 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. 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. Moreover, John, as again stated by Papias, ascribed the origin of millenarianism to Christ . Instead, MacArthur systematically unpacked the biblical theology that leads one to an unabashed Calvinistic eschatology. 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. 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. When He comes, everything ends immediately. 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. No kingdom on earth ruled by Christ before He gets here, and no kingdom on earth ruled by Christ after He gets here. MacArthur and the seminary faculty know of Murrays work. 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. We know that, so our ambition is, when we get to that place, to be rewarded because we are pleasing to Him. Log In -- 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 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. How could He hold them responsible for not believing? Does the end matter? 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. [2] But we now have pure Israelites. The completed registration allows us to send order and donation receipts to the email address you provided. He also spoke briefly about dispensationalism, but I am not going to cover that here, I got to run. by John MacArthur and Richard Mayhue (Chicago: Moody, 2012), 24. 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. We sent you an email. Out of their own mouth - whats wrong with that? Whether youre an amillennialist or a postmillennialist, you basically say Israel forfeited all its promises. I asked Dr. Michael Brown, who is premil, in our debate about Replacement Theology how he reconciles his claim that God is not finished with Israel with Zechariah 13:79. 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. Thats just two ways to look at the same thing. Thats a hard sell, frankly. Amillennialism is ideal for Arminians because, according to their theology, God elects nobody and preserves nobody. Premillennialism: The millennium is the long period (perhaps a literal 1,000 years) when King Jesus will rule on earth. 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. Did He do it and somehow muddle it so hopelessly that the high ground for Bible students and the high ground for theologians is to recognize the muddle and abandon the perspicuity or the clarity of Scripture on that subject? He is currently the chancellor emeritus of The Master's University in . If you interpret Old Testament prophecies literally, they cannot be fulfilled in this present age. Father, we thank You for a great evening together; wonderful testimonies, great fellowship and how - how good it is to think deeply and broadly about the glory of Your Word. To say youre an amillennialist is only to tell me what you dont believe, and then you have to go to all of the passages of Scripture that talk about the kingdom and tell me why you dont believe they mean what they say.