Show more Friends Following Registered User 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? I have dragged you through virtually every verse in the New Testament. Premillennialists believe that two-thirds of the Jews living in Israel during the time of the great tribulation will be slaughtered (Zech. Theres a rapture, and theres a bma seat judgment; we know that. Israel and the church, and advocate for futuristic millennialism. 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 . 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. 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. 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. 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. 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? In fact, some say nearly one-fourth of Scripture is prophetic. 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. After thorough study I saw that his views on the topic were based on (among other things) circular reasoning and tradition. 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". 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. The beliefs of Premillennialism are far from "rightly dividing the word of truth"! "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. May it be powerful in our lives we pray in Christs name. 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. 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. As soon as you abandon that, then its fair game for anybodys craziness. The other looks at it as a spiritual kingdom also but says it will decline and decline and decline until Jesus finally comes. 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. Relax; set all that aside. CLASSIC DISPENSATIONALISM. You get your eschatology right when you get Israel right. Whether youre an amillennialist or a postmillennialist, you basically say Israel forfeited all its promises. Did God do this but somehow mumble? Please respond to confirm your registration. Not that they were the only ones to be saved, but they were the ones through whom God will eventually reach, and even set up His Son to rule over the nations. And youve been great tonight; this is more like a theological lecture. So, I said, Would you do me a favor? 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. And then the effect of it is in verse 58: Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, and you can stop right there. Not that they were the end, but they were the means to the end. Amen. 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. How could He hold any of us, in one sense, responsible for not believing? Now, frankly, its too late for John Calvin to fix his work, although he is now a premillennialist in heaven. 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. 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. 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. 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? Israel disobeyed the law, youre done. After clicking 'Register', you will receive an email with a link to verify your account and to complete your registration. What you have here is a benediction from God: blessed is he who reads and understands the book of Revelation. Over four decades of ministry, John has written dozens of bestselling books, including The . Turn to 1 Thessalonians chapter 4; 1 Thessalonians chapter 4. They dont want to accept that the entire universe was created in six nearly twenty-four-hour days. Israel sinned, promises cancelled. 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. If you get that right, your eschatology will come crystal clear. You would assume that they are confused because the Bible is confusing, and if the Bible is confusing, then God Himself is confused, and so, working hard - and it is often hard work - to understand prophetic passages is needless. The reformers had it right on most issues. He blogs at Ordinary Pastor. Christ's Prophetic Plans: A Futuristic Premillennial Primer. This year they upgraded some snacks and are handing out Zone protein bars, a major enhancementhowever, I am really missing my family. Chicago: Moody, 2012. 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. Help train Christians to boldly share the good news of Jesus Christ in a way that clearly communicates to this secular age. Not one reference anywhere in Scripture - and there are over two thousand, referring to Israel - means anything other than Israel. John MacArthur and Richard Mayhue's new systematic theology titled Biblical Doctrine has many positive aspects. He asked what the amillennialist would say if the Jew asked about the kingdom and the blessings. That in itself is an indication of Gods preservation for their future. And by the way, if we change the rules, what are the new ones? 3. Select Bibliography. . MacArthur, John, and Richard Mayhue, eds. Christ returns before the Millennium, a literal thousand years 2. , . Jonathan Edwards, a noted postmillennialist and someone MacArthur quotes unfavorably in his Shepherds talk, outlined the future of the Christian Church in his 1774 History of Redemption. 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 They would rather believe that God has predestined His Church to failure than believe that they are personally responsible for transforming society. He is currently the chancellor emeritus of The Master's University in . A Purchased Victory: A Conference on the Bright Hope of Postmillennialism, Website made by Chittam Technology Solutions, LLC. MacArthur pulled no punches in his messages saying things like Jesus, Peter, the writer of Hebrews, and James were all premillenial. When He comes, everything ends immediately. Mathewson, Dave L. MacArthur and the seminary faculty know of Murrays work. They taught that the kingdom of God would be visibly manifest on earth after the second coming of Jesus. MacArthur is a fifth-generation pastor, a popular author and conference speaker and has served as pastor-teacher of Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California since 1969, and as President of The Master's College (and the related Master's Seminary) in Santa Clarita, California. Resting Not Vexing, Our Anchor in a Sea of Chaos and Consternation, Why I (Sometimes) Listen to Supreme Court Oral Arguments. 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. 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? I saw it in Scripture when I was young; I saw it in Scripture because it was so crystal clear. 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. This is postmillennialism at its best. 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. That is a large part of evangelical Christianity, the Wesleyan movement, Charismatic movement, Methodists, etc., etc., many Baptists. Help Grace to You bring important resources like this to people in your community and beyond, free of charge. 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. It makes no sense. Ridgeley spends several pages refuting ancient and modern Chiliasts, or Millennarians ((Ridgeley, Commentary on the Larger Catechism, 1:558562.)) 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. One topic I did not mention is the place of Israel in prophecy at it relates to postmillennialism. 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. Like all divine truth, getting the future truth right is beneficial. Israel crucifies the Messiah, thats it. 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. O.T. 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. Ive dragged myself through all these years of the discipline of study. Well, we now come to the doctrines that relate to the end times. All right, thats the introduction. Oh sure, it helps to know some history and some background, but this is a pronounced blessing. 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. 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. His mode of expositing those verses that supposedly counter Preterism really helped me to focus on those areas in the Bible. 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. This message clears up any questions as to where MacArthur stands on the eschatology issue. 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. Premillennialism Historic Premillennialism Postmillennialism Amillennialism view sees the re-establishment of temple worship and animal sacrifices as a remembrance of Christ's sacrifice. 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. Now, they make perfect amillennialists; thats a perfect setup for them. We can take prophetic Scripture at face value. 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? Leave it to the semi-Pelagians and Pelagians, who go in and out of salvation; it makes sense for their theology. They will die for that truth regarding the church, but unashamedly abandon that same truth for the elect nation of Israel. He made an interesting connection between Genesis and Revelation. It has to matter to us. Process theology: they are the theologians, liberal theologians, who believe that God is in process of becoming what He will be. So, I say, leave amillennialism to those kinds of people who do not believe in the sovereign, unilateral, irrevocable, divine electing power of God. There isnt such a thing. We want the Word to bless, to make us pure, to stabilize us, to comfort us, to give us a passion for evangelism. (Edinburgh: The Banner of Truth Trust, [1834] 1974), 1:607.). 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. They were fighting the massive Roman system, and being occupied on those fronts, they never really got to the front of eschatology. This primer takes you on a Biblical study of questions surrounding prophecy, Israel, the rapture, and the different millennial . 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. God filled the Bible with prophecy and much of it looking to the end. Erdman refers to the premillennialism of Asia Minor in the second century as "Asiatic millennialism.". Have you ever heard of that? 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. You get Israel right when you get the Old Testament covenants and promises with Israel right. 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. His presentation was not an attempt to harmonize Calvinism with a premillennial view but rather to show the inconsistency of the contrary. Ive written about this in several places. Arminius did not believe in election; those who follow him do not believe in election. 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. Highly acclaimed theologian Dr. Charles C. Ryrie addresses this crucial issue from the perspective of classic dispensationalism. You have this hope as a purifying hope. Also, among Scottish Presbyterian churches during this period, special days of prayer were set aside partly in order that the promised conversion of [Gods] ancient people of the Jews may be hastened. (Quoted in Murray, The Puritan Hope, 100.) Not just the future of Israel, but our confidence in the Word of God. 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. Amillennialism is consistent with Arminianism. 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. I know where history is going. In the modern theological world, I say leave amillennialism to the process theologians. Because when you understand Gods purpose for Israel, you now have the foundation for all eschatology; all eschatology. Its not nearly as difficult as some people make it if you just take Scripture at face value. Amillennialism really seems to fit them. The reasons are simple enough: this classic work is forthrightly Biblical. 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. Major proponents J. N. Darby, C. I. Scofield, John Walvoord, A. C. Gaebelein, Charles Ryrie, Lewis S. Chafer, J. Dwight Pentecost, Charles C. Ryrie, Fundamental 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. 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. 2023 Grace to You. The books and articles that make this case are not obscure or difficult to find. Even His promises may not be valid, because He made them with inadequate information. Blessed. His message in General Session 1 was entitled Why Every Self-Respecting Calvinist is Premillennial. The completed registration allows us to send order and donation receipts to the email address you provided. MacArthur--who is an ardent dispensationalist--stated and defended his position. Receiving Not Achieving. And he is suggesting, therefore, that we cant interpret them literally, because somehow, weve got to make them fulfilled in this age, because there is no future age. 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. (Edmonton, AB Canada: Still Waters Revival Books, [1855] 1993), 2:621. There have been premillennial (traditionally known as "chiliastic) movements, including some Reformed theologians, since the early church but most . In keeping with his view of faith, MacArthur denigrates "facts," "doctrine," "intellectual assent," and so on. John McArthur John MacArthur was born on 19 June, 1939. 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. Historic premillennialism is the view that Christ will return before the millennium. 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. It was developed in mid-19 th century England by John Darby, a leader of the small but influential Plymouth Brethren Movement. [1] He has been the pastor of Grace Community Church, a non-denominational church in Sun Valley, California since February 9, 1969. With appearances by. In other words, Piper believes Jesus Christ will come on earth and reign for 1,000 years. Because, you see, if it doesnt mean what it says it means, then any suggestion is as bad as any other suggestion. 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. In 1679, Scottish minister Walter Smith drew up some guidelines for prayer meetings: As it is the undoubted duty of all to pray for the coming of Christs kingdom, so all that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity, and know what it is to bow a knee in good earnest, will long and pray for the out-making of the gospel-promises to his Church in the latter days, that King Christ would go out upon the white horse of the gospel, conquering and to conquer, and make a conquest of the travail of his soul, that it may be sounded that the kingdoms of the world are become his, and his name called upon from the rising of the sun to its going down. Death, where is your victory? . Why Every Calvinist Should Be a Premillennialist, Part 1. He made them in the past, when He didnt know what He now knows, because what was going to happen hadnt happened. 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 . 4. 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. 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. Amillennialism is ideal for Arminians because, according to their theology, God elects nobody and preserves nobody. 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. There is another form of that view called amillennialism; amillennialism - and youve probably heard about that. Dispensationalism continues to provoke heated debate within the Christian world. The end is as divinely designed as the beginning, and God has given us massive amounts of revelation in the Scripture about the future. Worship - John F. MacArthur 2012-01-20 Nothing is more important than worship. Some of them are postmillennialists, although there are fewer and fewer of those. 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. Because they believed that the Jews would be converted, Puritan and Presbyterian churches earnestly prayed that Pauls prophecies would be fulfilled. And the longer I think about it and the more I study the Scripture, the clearer it becomes to me. Ive been here at Grace Church well, what - thirty-some years. I have even called thee by thy name Isaiah 65:9: Mine elect shall inherit it - the promises of God. You can believe and be saved and then you can forfeit your salvation. (Quoted in DeJong, As the Waters Cover the Sea, 38.). by R. Scott Clark on April 8, 2020 | Dispensationalism describes a way of reading the Bible and a system of theology the nearest roots of which are in the 19th century. Dr. MacArthur picked this fight. They dont faze me. 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. ), 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.). He told me he would study the issue and get back to me. 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.. Please make sure all fields are filled out. The church will move out of its own environs to capture nations, leaders, ideologies, philosophies, theories, religions, and bring them all into captivity to Christ. John MacArthur claims to be a Dispensationalist in both The Gospel According to Jesus (GAJ) and The Gospel According to the Apostles (GAA). Who Are the Real Schismatics? There are a number of viewpoints of what the Bible means when it speaks of future events. 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. I couldnt help but wonder what the other guest speakers might have been thinking as they sat in the front row. See, for example, Michael Vlach's article "How Does Historic Premillennialism Differ from Dispensational Premillennialism?", this "Eschatology Comparison" chart, and this article "An Historical . 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. Short Response to Dr. MacArthur's statement. And by the way, dispensationalists - people say, Well, that whole premillennial view, that came out of C.I. . Turn to 1 Corinthians 15; 1 Corinthians 15. He and his wife, Christie, have six children. A Case for . Yet, Abraham did not receive it during all the time of his journey there. 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. Historical Records of New South Wales, vols 1-7; Historical Records of Australia, series 1, vols 1-17, series 3, vols 2-3, series 4, vol 1; S. Macarthur Onslow, Early Records of the Macarthurs of Camden (Syd 1914) S. J. Butlin, Foundations of the Australian Monetary System, 1788-1851 (Melb, 1953) M. H. Ellis, John Macarthur (Syd, 1955) and for bibliography
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