Ive written about this in several places. O.T. "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. We want the Word to cause us to live lives pleasing to You. Tell us about the future. They were in a very hopeless situation, having very little in life. 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.) 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. You get Israel right when you get the Old Testament covenants and promises with Israel right. 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. Calvin, though, was an amil, and DutchCalvinism, after a postmil start, has tended to be amil. Theres a recovery of premillennialism in the modern era, and the recovery of premillennialism in the modern era came from two very unlikely sources. 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. Who will establish it? That in itself is an indication of Gods preservation for their future. Not just the future of Israel, but our confidence in the Word of God. 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. Please respond to confirm your registration. Hes getting better. 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? Does the end matter? In 1652, a group of eighteen Puritan ministers and theologians, including both Presbyterians and Independents, affirmed that the Scripture speaks of a double conversion of the Gentiles, the first before the conversion of the Jews, they being Branches wild by nature grafted into the True Olive Tree instead of the natural Branches which are broken off…. Over four decades of ministry, John has written dozens of bestselling books, including The . There isnt such a thing. For this perishable must put on the imperishable, this mortal must put on immortality. And then he goes on to talk about the fact that in that moment, in that event, Death is swallowed up in victory. John MacArthur was one of the influences that helped turn me to Preterism. 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. What did MacArthur fail to tell the attendees at the Shepherds Conference? Have you ever heard of that? 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. Its the whole point of everything else. Now it is time to reestablish the high ground of sovereign grace for a future generation of ethnic Israel in salvation and the messianic earthly kingdom. 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. Thats called process theology. 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 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. 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. 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. I saw it in Scripture when I was young; I saw it in Scripture because it was so crystal clear. Well see more about how that works. The Lords coming back: blessing, purity, stability, comfort. Worship - John F. MacArthur 2012-01-20 Nothing is more important than worship. It is pungently clear. Now, frankly, its too late for John Calvin to fix his work, although he is now a premillennialist in heaven. Not that they were the end, but they were the means to the end. 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. 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. He wants us to get it right; thats why He put it in the Scripture and the Scripture is replete with it. But we distributed that, and I arranged - and I dont know when its going to happen for you - I arranged to get a copy for every family at Grace Church as a gift. Christ's Prophetic Plans: A Futuristic Premillennial Primer. Loraine Boettner wrote a book called The Meaning of the Millennium; this is what he said: It is generally agreed that if the prophecies are taken literally, they do foretell a restoration of the nation of Israel in the land of Palestine, with the Jews having a prominent place in that kingdom and ruling over the other nations.. Now, when they came here, Im very much aware that many of them are amillennialists. They believe God elects nobody to salvation. Amillennialism is ideal for Arminians because, according to their theology, God elects nobody and preserves nobody. See more on the author's page Sung Wook Chung 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. The church. One topic I did not mention is the place of Israel in prophecy at it relates to postmillennialism. 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? 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. In keeping with his view of faith, MacArthur denigrates "facts," "doctrine," "intellectual assent," and so on. And youve been great tonight; this is more like a theological lecture. 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. We've been working our way through doctrinal emphases in Scripture, doctrinal themes, and we have covered a lot of ground. Arminius did not believe in election; those who follow him do not believe in election. The other view is whats called openness theology, and its the same thing; it simply means God has no idea what the future is. 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. Thats a hard sell, frankly. by John MacArthur and Richard Mayhue (Chicago: Moody, 2012), 24. 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 the whole point of the beginning and the middle. 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. We are responsible for our sin, but in the end, we believe because He moves on us. God is just trying to find His way through the melee of choices and decisions, through the endless vicissitudes and choices that everything and everyone makes, through all of the numberless issues in this massive universe that are going on; Hes sorting it all out as He goes. John MacArthur claims to be a Dispensationalist in both The Gospel According to Jesus (GAJ) and The Gospel According to the Apostles (GAA). 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". 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. Israel sinned, youre out. a.Dispensationalist Premillennialism 1. 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? The bottom line is were in charge. Israel crucifies the Messiah, thats it. Show it to me. One says moving toward the coming of Christ there will be no kingdom. God promised him the inheritance of the land. 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. 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. Piper was responding to an "Ask Pastor John . Please be aware that these items are sent out from our office in the UK. 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. / ( .) Or another way to say it would be this: how many of you have attended an amillennial prophecy conference? 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. 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. 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. [2] This makes two distinct judgmentsone for Christians and one for non-Christians after the millennium. . 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 . 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? Its a strange approach. Its just a lot of material. You can believe and be saved and then you can forfeit your salvation. They taught that the kingdom of God would be visibly manifest on earth after the second coming of Jesus. Now, there are people who do this to Genesis 1, 2 and 3. 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. Turn to Revelation chapter 1. And Im not in to newspaper exegesis, where you where everything that happens in the news fulfills some obscure Old Testament prophecy. The beliefs of Premillennialism are far from "rightly dividing the word of truth"! He never has. Scripture affirms the perpetuity of the elect church to salvation glory; that all whom the Lord has chosen He brings to glory. Let me give you a theology lesson here a little bit. 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. Dispensationalism is perhaps a key reason why evangelicals have such a concern with what happens to the nation of Israel. You get the Old Testament covenants and promises right when you get the interpretation of Scripture right. It is masterfully written. Whether youre talking about the church as Gods elect, or Israel as Gods elect, both are Gods elect. 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. 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. First, the Antichrist would appear and a seven-year period of tribulation would commence. Every promise God made to Abraham about his lineage inheriting the land of Palestine has been fulfilled! He and his wife, Christie, have six children. Ridgeley spends several pages refuting ancient and modern Chiliasts, or Millennarians ((Ridgeley, Commentary on the Larger Catechism, 1:558562.)) One calls it a kingdom and says it will expand and expand and expand - thats the positive spin. 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. 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17), which, along with the appearance of the Antichrist, marks the beginning of the seven-year great tribulation on earth. His mode of expositing those verses that supposedly counter Preterism really helped me to focus on those areas in the Bible. That leaves me with the impression that God wants us not to question the length of its duration. But there is a growing influence of amillennialism, because amillennialism has been a part of reformed theology. And for most evangelicals, for most people who hold to a sound, biblical view and Reformed theology, they would live and die that the text of Genesis 1 through 3 means exactly what it says it means, because thats the only way to interpret Scripture. They believe that salvation can be gained and lost. Ive been here at Grace Church well, what - thirty-some years. He told me he would study the issue and get back to me. Well, this is such a great chapter - verse 51: I tell you a mystery; we shall not all sleep. Log In Instead, MacArthur systematically unpacked the biblical theology that leads one to an unabashed Calvinistic eschatology. Theres a rapture, and theres a bma seat judgment; we know that. But people are upset because MacArthur so badly misrepresented amillennialism, and because he defined "premillennialism" as though it were dispensationalism. It is one thing to omit them for a time, and another to do it ordinarily. 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. 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. And at that judgment, well be recompensed for the deeds done in the body, whether they are good or phaulos, meaning useless. Historic premillennialism is the view that Christ will return before the millennium. Turn to 1 Corinthians 15; 1 Corinthians 15. , . Its two ways to view human history. The other says it is the kingdom. Amillennialism is consistent with Arminianism. 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. He comes pre, not post; He comes before. 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. 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?
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