Thats for people who dont know this; that the way history ends, is with Jesus coming and taking us away. An Anglican - an Anglican - by the name of William Cunningham in 1815 wrote a book called The Premillennial Advent; he was anything but a dispensationalist. Dispensational premillennialists hold that Christ will come before a seven-year period of intense tribulation to take His church (living and dead) into heaven. Its there. 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.) 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? 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. We've been working our way through doctrinal emphases in Scripture, doctrinal themes, and we have covered a lot of ground. Prior to that I thought about it a lot. Its the whole point of the beginning and the middle. The other view is whats called openness theology, and its the same thing; it simply means God has no idea what the future is. . With appearances by. Israel sinned, youre out. Now, frankly, its too late for John Calvin to fix his work, although he is now a premillennialist in heaven. Or another way to say it would be this: how many of you have attended an amillennial prophecy conference? In 1 Peter chapter 1, you remember, Peter says that the prophets who wrote concerning Christ, concerning the things to come, wondered what person and what time. God filled the Bible with prophecy and much of it looking to the end. His mode of expositing those verses that supposedly counter Preterism really helped me to focus on those areas in the Bible. But they never got around to eschatology; they never got around to applying their formidable skills. 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.. Do you know - are you watching this media? Some of them are postmillennialists, although there are fewer and fewer of those. And Im not in to newspaper exegesis, where you where everything that happens in the news fulfills some obscure Old Testament prophecy. 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. 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. Therefore, Israel has been permanently set aside, so that the only kingdom will be that kingdom that we call the church, ruled by Christ, either expanding to take over the world, or existing in the world, and finally in heaven. This message clears up any questions as to where MacArthur stands on the eschatology issue. Receiving Not Achieving. The first phase of that eternal rule will be His reign on this earth, which will last - as Revelation 20 says six times - a thousand years, after which His rule will continue, because it is an everlasting rule, but it will continue in a new heaven and a new earth that replace this heaven and earth, which will melt in an atomic implosion and make way for the new creation. It was developed in mid-19 th century England by John Darby, a leader of the small but influential Plymouth Brethren Movement. In keeping with his view of faith, MacArthur denigrates "facts," "doctrine," "intellectual assent," and so on. 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. 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. He has been the pastor of Grace Community Church, a non-denominational church in Sun Valley, California since February 9, 1969. I like to call amillennialism negative, and postmillennialism positive. He doesnt know the future because it hasnt happened. Not that they were the end, but they were the means to the end. He is known around the world for his verse-by-verse expository preaching and his pulpit ministry via his daily radio program, Grace to You. The reformers had it right on most issues. 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 "MacArthur calls himself a "leaky dispensationalist"--meaning he rejects any and all "dispensational" soteriological innovations, holding to classic Reformed (i.e., Protestant, not "covenantal") soteriology. We also applaud his insistence that the Bible must be interpreted literally, according to its normal sense. 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. See De Jong, As the Waters Cover the Sea, 12.). 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. 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. Worship - John F. MacArthur 2012-01-20 Nothing is more important than worship. The other says it is the kingdom. 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. From the material available online today, many would conclude that "historic premillennialism" refers to the teaching of 20th century theologian George Elton Laddand no other view. Who will establish it? Theres a recovery of premillennialism in the modern era, and the recovery of premillennialism in the modern era came from two very unlikely sources. The church will become more influential, more impactful, more spiritually powerful. This year they upgraded some snacks and are handing out Zone protein bars, a major enhancementhowever, I am really missing my family. But, in any case - and by the way, postmillennialists and amillennialists differ as to the details of these kinds of things. 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. There were 1600 pastors from central Asia - the first Central Asian pastors conference in history after the breakup of the Soviet Union. 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. 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. The reasons are simple enough: this classic work is forthrightly Biblical. Why TMS? For example, the book is well-organized. We know that Word about the future has that power. All right. John McArthur John MacArthur was born on 19 June, 1939. Today's Christians have been taught that they must flee responsibility, for Jesus' sake. Turn to 2 Corinthians chapter 5 verse 9; 2 Corinthians chapter 5 verse 9: We have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, - that is, whether in heaven or here - to be pleasing to Him - to be pleasing to Him. 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. 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, there are people who do this to Genesis 1, 2 and 3. Hes improving; Hes definitely on the upward curve. MacArthur and the seminary faculty know of Murrays work. Piper was responding to an "Ask Pastor John . How could He hold them responsible for not believing? John Knox (1) John MacArthur (4) John MacDuff (1) John Mark (1) John Piper (25) John T. Carroll (1) John the Baptist (1) . And so, I think its a fair test to see whether eschatology holds up. Whether youre talking about the church as Gods elect, or Israel as Gods elect, both are Gods elect. If you get that right, your eschatology will come crystal clear. It is the theme of Scripture, the theme of eternity, and the . In the modern theological world, I say leave amillennialism to the process theologians. (Ridgeley, Commentary on the Larger Catechism, 1:563564.). I remember when I flew to Kazakhstan in about a 35 or 38-hour flight; got off the plane at 7:00 in the morning to speak at a conference. And by the way, dispensationalists - people say, Well, that whole premillennial view, that came out of C.I. 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. a.Dispensationalist Premillennialism 1. Israel disobeyed the law, youre done. So, we can set aside the idea that somehow this is rooted in wacky dispensationalism; it is not. 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. He never has. Whether youre an amillennialist or a postmillennialist, you basically say Israel forfeited all its promises. Certainly, you have no idea what it means - neither does anybody else. This up to now has been more like a lecture, but turn to Revelation chapter 1, and just look at verse 3 for a moment. 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 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. This is process theology. Why bother? We want the Word to bless, to make us pure, to stabilize us, to comfort us, to give us a passion for evangelism. Christ's Prophetic Plans: A Futuristic Premillennial Primer. 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. They were fighting the massive Roman system, and being occupied on those fronts, they never really got to the front of eschatology. 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. This primer takes you on a Biblical study of questions surrounding prophecy, Israel, the rapture, and the different millennial . Some people want to turn it into ages - theres nothing in there that does that; theres nothing in the text itself that does that. This morning John MacArthur opened the 2007 Shepherds Conference with a loud blast that will no doubt be heard around the Reformed world in the coming weeks. 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. Now, I told you a few weeks ago why people believe that, because they want to get God off the hook so Hes not responsible for evil; but Hes happy to take the responsibility for allowing evil for His own glory. John MacArthur's ministries, including Grace to You and Masters University, also employ a grammatical historical method of interpretation, and they come to a dispensational view of eschatology. Ive written about this in several places. Christ returns before the Millennium, a literal thousand years 2. The books and articles that make this case are not obscure or difficult to find. All rights reserved. After clicking 'Register', you will receive an email with a link to verify your account and to complete your registration. 7 Reasons Why the Gospel of John is So Special 3 days ago Dr. MacArthur picked this fight. 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. Primer, ed. I have even called thee by thy name Isaiah 65:9: Mine elect shall inherit it - the promises of God. . Premillennialists believe that two-thirds of the Jews living in Israel during the time of the great tribulation will be slaughtered (Zech. 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. 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. He made an interesting connection between Genesis and Revelation. Its a strange approach. Some of the most formidable amillennialists - and Im talking about well-respected, very erudite influential theologians - say things like this, and Ill quote. Should We Cancel Karl Barth, Martin Luther, and Jonathan Edwards? How could they believe unless He caused them to believe? 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? 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. This is a positive book: positive about the future of the Church. -- 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 Anything to avoid premillennialism, even if you change the rules of interpretation. All of these are benefits of getting it right. He notes that "the decisive authority of Asiatic millennialism is John, from whom the elders claimed to have obtained their information. 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. Why Every Calvinist Should Be a Premillennialist, Part 1. 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. One calls it a kingdom and says it will expand and expand and expand - thats the positive spin. 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.