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. Please be aware that these items are sent out from our office in the UK. We sent you an email. A Purchased Victory: A Conference on the Bright Hope of Postmillennialism, Website made by Chittam Technology Solutions, LLC. 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. Now, talking about eschatology is not without controversy. After that he must be loosed for a little while." And in line with that, I want to try, at least, in the next couple of Sunday nights to establish a foundation for our understanding. 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. 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). MacArthur, John, and Richard Mayhue, eds. In the modern theological world, I say leave amillennialism to the process theologians. With appearances by. by John MacArthur and Richard Mayhue (Chicago: Moody, 2012), 24. I just want to note that he neither proposed nor answered the types of objections that are oftentimes levied against premillennialists. Oct 27, 2007. I dont do this to you very often, but I hope you feel like it was helpful, and anchored you in this great and important truth. And so, I think its a fair test to see whether eschatology holds up. In short, there shall be, as it were, a universal spread of religion and holiness to the Lord, throughout the world. Register. Over four decades of ministry, John has written dozens of bestselling books, including The . The following is a partial response to the subject since it is integral to premillennialism while postmillennialism is often ignored on the subject. What passage is it in? We've been working our way through doctrinal emphases in Scripture, doctrinal themes, and we have covered a lot of ground. Let me give you a theology lesson here a little bit. 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? There are 73 references to Israel in the New Testament; each of them refers to Israel. 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. 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. 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. This is postmillennialism at its best. A recurring topic of interest in his writings is the historical reliability of the Scriptures. Amillennialism is consistent with Arminianism. Death, where is your victory? Copyright 2023 The Gospel Coalition, INC. All Rights Reserved. Should We Cancel Karl Barth, Martin Luther, and Jonathan Edwards? 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. But some are holding on to what they have taught in the past; I guess self-preservation dominates their theology at that point. You get your eschatology right when you get Israel right. The alpha privative in the Greek language means a negative, so there is the view that there is no millennium; that what John is writing about in Revelation 20 is very vague, may refer to nothing other than a long time in which the church flourishes on earth, simply referring to that kingdom which is spiritual - that is, the rule of Christ over those who belong to Him while on earth. The amil guy, MacArthur said, would have to say that things have changed, those promises no longer apply to you, we have them now and this is the kingdom. That leaves me with the impression that God wants us not to question the length of its duration. Why Every Calvinist Should Be a Premillennialist, Part 1. Instead, MacArthur systematically unpacked the biblical theology that leads one to an unabashed Calvinistic eschatology. 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.. 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. How could He hold them responsible for not believing? All rights reserved. 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 want the Word to cause us to live lives pleasing to You. 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. Christ returns before the Millennium, a literal thousand years 2. 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? Theological Method of Premillennialism" in A Case for Historic Premillennialism: An Alternative to "Left Behind" Eschatology, ed. It was developed in mid-19 th century England by John Darby, a leader of the small but influential Plymouth Brethren Movement. 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 . Have you ever heard of that? It is the theme of Scripture, the theme of eternity, and the . That's OK and no one is surprised or upset about that. 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. Why do we want to run from that? Reformed theologian John Piper affirmed his belief that the second coming of Christ is coming soon and indicated that he is a premillennialist. Dispensationalism continues to provoke heated debate within the Christian world. Those who most celebrate the sovereign grace of election regarding the church and its inviolable place in Gods purpose, from predestination before the foundation of the world to glorification in the future, those who most celebrate the sovereign grace of election, those who most aggressively, most militantly, and most capably defend the truth of Scripture regarding this election being divine, unilateral, unconditional, irrevocable by nature, for the church - thats for us . Those are the views. 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. Not one reference anywhere in Scripture - and there are over two thousand, referring to Israel - means anything other than Israel. What did MacArthur fail to tell the attendees at the Shepherds Conference? 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 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. 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. John Knox (1) John MacArthur (4) John MacDuff (1) John Mark (1) John Piper (25) John T. Carroll (1) John the Baptist (1) . In other words, Piper believes Jesus Christ will come on earth and reign for 1,000 years. This we think to be the sense, in general, of those scriptures, both in the Old and New Testament, which speak of the latterday glory. 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. This makes two distinct judgmentsone for Christians and one for non-Christians after the millennium. 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. 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. If only he could just send down one message, that might be it. DMcFadden said: The mixture of dispensational eschatology and Calvinist soteriology is not unique to MacArthur. Select Bibliography. Ive been teaching and preaching the Bible expositionally now for over 40 years, one verse at a time. We understand that when you have a prophecy in the Bible that has not yet come to pass, not everything will be clear. Turn to Revelation chapter 1. 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. 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. So, I said, Would you do me a favor? There is another form of that view called amillennialism; amillennialism - and youve probably heard about that. The books and articles that make this case are not obscure or difficult to find. So, my words to you are really very simple foundational words, I say this. God promised him the inheritance of the land. 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. 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. Please make sure all fields are filled out. First John 3 verse 2: Beloved - 1 John 3:2 Now are we the children of God. It is pungently clear. Those who most celebrate the sovereign grace of election - thats the Reformed - they are typically amillennial. All this panic about global warming, and all this panic about the end of the world and asteroids crashing into the earth? How could He hold any of us, in one sense, responsible for not believing? Who Are the Real Schismatics? Please respond to confirm your registration. Relax; set all that aside. Now, to affix our thinking to one great future event which seems to be the most controversial, I want you to think with me about the coming kingdom of Christ, known as the millennial kingdom, because in the twentieth chapter of Revelation, the opening of that chapter, there is reference to the reign and rule of Jesus Christ on the earth which lasts one thousand years; in fact, one thousand is repeated six times in that brief text. 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. 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. The other says there will be a kingdom. They were fighting the massive Roman system, and being occupied on those fronts, they never really got to the front of eschatology. 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. But, in any case - and by the way, postmillennialists and amillennialists differ as to the details of these kinds of things. We know that, so our ambition is, when we get to that place, to be rewarded because we are pleasing to Him. The Lords coming back: blessing, purity, stability, comfort. 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. Accordingly, we have updated our Privacy Policy and Terms and Conditions in order to comply with GDPR. John Piper Backs Professor's End Times Theory of Premillennialism. They also think that there is not to be a literal thousand-year kingdom as such, but thats just metaphoric for a long time; and it simply indicates whatever the duration of that period where the influence of the church dominates the world, after which Christ returns. Dispensationalism is perhaps a key reason why evangelicals have such a concern with what happens to the nation of Israel. You can believe and be saved and then you can forfeit your salvation. Well see more about how that works. (Quoted in DeJong, As the Waters Cover the Sea, 38.). We are responsible for our sin, but in the end, we believe because He moves on us. How do you explain that? We chart the course and God reacts. iii.16. Continue reading Because they believed that the Jews would be converted, Puritan and Presbyterian churches earnestly prayed that Pauls prophecies would be fulfilled. MacArthur--who is an ardent dispensationalist--stated and defended his position. They believe God elects nobody to salvation. Arminius did not believe in election; those who follow him do not believe in election. The world, as they see it, is in an ongoing golden process of progress. The church. 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. 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. 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. 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? When it was first published three and a half decades ago, Paradise Restored helped to precipitate a massive paradigm shift in the Evangelical and Reformed world from abject pessimism to unabashed optimism.