Part 1
- The Origin of Dispensational Theology and Its Best Known Distinctive - The Pre-Tribulation "Rapture" of Church Only Saints
Are you aware that the pre-trib "rapture" theory is a distinctive of Dispensational Theology (God's dispensing of salvation differently in each age) or that Dispensational Theology and the pre-trib "rapture" theory did not emerge in the church until the 1830's?
Most who believe in a pre-tribulation resurrection-"rapture" of the church have no idea of its origin or that it is a distinctinve of Dispensational Theology. And most have never conducted a Spirit-guided inductive examination of scripture to determine whether it is true or not.
The doctrine is so popular among evangelical believers in America and the Western world today that belivers assume its truth without examining it. At most they have adopted without question the proof texts presented by various spiritual "authorities" in their lives.
This stronghold of doctrinal error has infected the body of Christ like a contagious disease, and the truth revealed by the Spirit as a warning, like the long, loud sounding of a shofar from the watch tower on the wall, has been missed by many in the body of Christ today.
For though we walk (live) in the flesh, we are not carrying on our warfare according to the flesh and using mere human weapons. For the weapons of our warfare are not physical [weapons of flesh and blood], but they are mighty before God for the overthrow and destruction of strongholds, [Inasmuch as we] refute arguments and theories and reasonings and every proud and lofty thing that sets itself up against the [true] knowledge of God; 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 Amplified (emphasis is the author's)
According to Paul, the overthrowing of "strongholds" is the activity of refuting arguments, theories, reasonings, and every proud and lofty thing that sets itself up against the TRUE knowledge of God.
The overthrowing of "strongholds" is spiritual warfare, directed and empowered by the Holy Spirit against spiritual deceptions and heresies that have been introduced into the body of Christ in much the same way that biological warfare is introduced in the natural world.
In "Who Are The Laodiceans?" I demonstrated that the Lord's condemnation of that church was not related to their religious fervor but to the blending of truth with error, which hinders their (and our) faith response to Him and causes the "winds of doctrine" division in the body of Christ by believers who are incapable of "seeing" their own "wretched" and "poverty-stricken" spiritual condition.
I have been asked why it is important to argue the merits of a pre-tribulation "rapture" or a post tribulation "rapture". Isn't the important issue whether or not we will be included in either one?
My answer is simple:
1) It is never wrong to expose heretical doctrine that creates a stronghold of interpretational error and exalts itself against the true knowledge of God;
2) It is the Lord's specific will that we interpret prophetic scripture accurately with His guidance, especially prophetic scripture that includes a warning to us;
3) I am compelled to do so in spite of the rejection I will face from many, even from those close to me who do not want to know the truth, but it is the only love choice I can make.
But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God. 2 Peter 1:20,21 NASB
The interpretation of prophetic scripture was meant to be accomplished as the Spirit of Truth guides us into all truth. It was not given to us to interpret with mere intellect (as the examples of Dispensational pre-trib thinking included here will clearly demonstrate). And, although all prophetic scripture has a general application for any age, the light of specific interpretation shines brightest on the generation for whom it was intended.
But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. John 16:13 NASB
Dr. Tim LaHaye's "Left Behind" series, and, to a lesser extent, Hal Lindsey's, Late Great Planet Earth capped a surge of interest and promotion of the pre-tribulation "rapture" theory among evangelicals from Southern Baptist to Charismatic in America and the western nations, and, if polled, a large majority of western world evangelical believers would say that they believe in a pre-trib "rapture" of the church.
But what is the origin of this theory and its supporting theology, Dispensationalism? And, more importantly, what is the real scriptural evidence?
Most do not want to examine the issue, because they believe that it involves complex issues of scriptural exegesis that they are incapable of conducting. It's much easier just to rely on our ministry leaders, pastors, and chosen Bible "experts", with degrees in Biblical Hebrew and Greek, to tell us what to believe, even though these experts (in the Laodicean church) all disagree with each other.
But what does the Lord have to say about that?
"But you are not to be called rabbi ...(teacher)..., for you have one teacher, and you are all brothers. And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven. Neither be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Christ." Matthew 23:8-11 ESV(inserts and emphasis are the author's)
At best, those of us who teach, are merely good facilitators of His gift, inspiring others in the body to be like the Bereans whom Paul said were "noble" because they examined the scriptures thoroughly to see if what he was telling them was true. At worst we are teaching false doctrines and erroneous interpretations of scripture, even, doctrines of demons and damnable heresies.
Therefore, the most important trait any believer can have for accurately dividing the word of truth is the "noble Berean" willingness to examine the scriptures carefully instead of leaning entirely on the opinions of "experts" (including this author).
And if it is possible to know, with certainty, the answers to these questions, wouldn't you want to know? Especially if your personal future and the future of your family and friends is involved?
(A list of well-known Christian leaders, past and present, who support a post-tribulation resurrection-"rapture" of all the saints, not just church-only saints, is provided at the end of this commentary.)
At the church where I served as a deacon, a Bible teacher and home group leader, a female teacher, who was a personal friend, led a popular Thursday morning women's Bible study. She was deeply interested in the symbolism of the Lord's feast days, and when she heard that Edgar Whisenant, a former NASA engineer and author of 88 Reasons Why the Rapture Will Be in 1988 was coming to San Angelo to speak at the Civic Auditorium, she enthusiastically recommended class members to attend.
"The Feast of Trumpets makes sense to me," she said. "I don't have any reason to think it will be 1988, but the Feast of Trumpets is the most likely time for the rapture to occur."
When my own class members, some of whom were in her Thursday morning Bible study, asked me if I was going to hear this self-proclaimed prophet prove from the Bible that the rapture would take place during Rosh Hashanah in1988 (only a few months away), I said, "I don't have any intention of going, because whatever he says is going to be wrong."
Afterwards, because of the stir in my own class, I asked my pastor if I could address this issue in the general assembly on the following Sunday, and he agreed. What I told the fellowship was that Mr. Whisenant was one of many false prophets who were unknowing collaborators with the Great Deceiver, the Father of Lies, and that this Rosh Hashanah would come and pass like the ones before it, proving that he was a false prophet.
Later, on the Sunday following Mr. Whisenant's presentation at the Civic Auditorium, I heard from those in my own class who had attended, and they quoted Mr. Whisenant as saying, "I will stake my life on the fact that the rapture will occur on Rosh Hashanah this year."
Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN), who was completely sucked in by Mr. Whisenant's book and prediction, as well as Hal Lindsey's and pastor Chuck Smith's similar predictions, held regular broadcasts on how to prepare for the rapture.
Whisenant also stated that if it did not occur, then he was a false prophet and should be stoned to death.
When the rapture did not take place during Rosh Hashanah 1988 he did not return to San Angelo to be stoned as a false prophet. Instead, he did what all date setters and false prophets do. He re-calculated several times with predictions for various dates in 1989, 1993, and 1994 before everyone simply lost interest. In the meantime, he sold 4.5 million copies of his book to gullible Christians.
Being saved into a denomination where the Scofield and Ryrie Study Bibles were widely recommended and used and Clarence Larkin's charts on Dispensational Truth reflected and illustrated popular teaching concerning dispensationalism and a pre-tribulation "rapture", I naturally adopted that theological position until a brother I was in correspondence with challenged me to be a noble Berean (exactly as I always challenge others) in regard to a pre-tribulation "rapture" and the dispensational doctrine in general.
The popular acceptance of dispensational theology and a pre-tribulation "rapture" theory among a large number of evangelicals in America had overwhelmed me, and I was guilty of assuming the correctness of the doctrine without a thorough, Spirit-guided exegesis of the scriptures where that doctrine is concerned. After all, it was being taught in seminaries wasn't it?
I was already aware of the fact that all believers, even the most brilliant and well-trained, are subject to some bias and assumptive traditions where biblical doctrine, practice, and the interpretation of scripture are concerned. But I was shocked to discover how much a dispensational bias had blinded my own ability to "see" truth. It was a spiritual "stronghold" in the classic sense, and it kept me from making a correct, Spirit-guided exegesis of scripture where dispensationalism and the pre-tribulation resurrection-"rapture" of the church were concerned.
My mentor advised me to examine the historical origin of dispensational doctrine first, without which a pre-tribulation resurrection-"rapture" of the church could not be imagined, and I am, in turn, asking readers to journey down that same path. This will lead to the reader's willingness to thoroughly examine the scriptures to see if what is being said about dispensational theology and its most popular distinctive, the pre-tribulation resurrection-"rapture" of church only saints, is true or not.
What I am reaching for here is merely a temporary suspension of belief, a trial move whereby we take the puzzle pieces that were forced into a position where they did not belong and test them in more appropriate places on our puzzle board. Then the Berean reader can make his/her own decision (hopefuly guided by the Spirit) about whether the square pegs should be forced back into the round holes again or not.
We have some record of the concept of a pre-tribulation resurrection of all the saints from the late 1700's, but Dispensationalism and its accompanying distinctives did not fully emerge until the 1830's (about the time the Philadelphian type of church began to decline and the "lukewarm" Laodicean type of church, the church that has blended truth with error, gained momentum), and the source of that doctrine, once known, should cause any pastor, Bible teacher, or believer who has a strong assumptive belief or a strong deductively reinforced belief in both to either harden their hearts in anger (because he/she has too much invested in them), or retch and fall to his/her knees in repentance once the truth is known.
Each generation of the church tends to believe that the theories and scriptural interpretations popular in their day are the same as they always have been. A study of church history reveals a vastly different scenario, and the fact that some form of the pre-tribulation "rapture" theory was not prevalent in church writings prior to 1830, including the prolific writings of the early church fathers during the first three hundred years of church history, should be a concern to any believer who wants to know the truth.
Historic Premillennialism was the predominant view of the early church fathers (i.e. the return of the Lord prior to His millennial reign and a single resurrection of both living and dead saints prior to His physical return to Mount Olivet at the end of the age to establish His 1000 year reign on earth (the millennium) prior to the final battle with Satan at the end of the millennium, which issues in a final judgment and a new earth.
This continues to be the predominant view of true conservative theologians today. (But not the predominant view of western evangelical Christianity.)
Dispensationalism is an offshoot of Historic Premillennialism with numerous and constantly changing variations and schools of thought up to and including the current "Progressive Dispensationalism" view, but classic Dispensationalism can generally be described by the following distinctives:
1) History is divided into specific dispensations where God dispenses salvation to men through different covenants in different ways. Classic Dispensationalism defined seven dispensations. Progressive Dispensationalism has narrowed this field down to four.
2) A dichotomy between the church and Israel. A literal Israel will inherit the covenant promises of God on the day of the Lord. The church (made up of both Gentiles and Jews) is spiritually ingrafted into Israel and benefits from the covenant promises made to Israel.
3) There are two comings of Christ in the second advent (with the first advent being His birth, life, death, and resurrection). The first appearance of Christ during the second advent is a hidden, secret spiritual (but imminent) event with Christ meeting both the dead in Christ (church only) and the living (church only) saints in the air prior to the tribulation (i.e. pre-tribulation "rapture"). The Lord retreats to heaven with his church (where He presumably consummates a "marriage" with church-only saints) and then returns seven years later to resurrect the Old Testament saints and tribulation saints (excluded from the "marriage") on the last day immediately before the day of the Lord.
The fact that some form of the pre-tribulation "rapture" theory did not fully emerge prior to 1830 is not proof that the theory is wrong, but it should raise a spiritual red flag in spite of the current popularity of that theory among American evangelicals today.
Error is error, though, no matter who has repeated it or over how long a period of time.
A great deal of information is available on the internet and in books, and I will report only the highlights. The interested disciple should do his/her own research once the red flag has been raised in his/her spirit, and a search for "origins of Dispensationalism" will get the reader started on an interesting but disturbing journey.
The origins of Dispensational theology
John Nelson Darby (1800-1882), the primary founder of the Plymouth Brethren, is considered to be the father of Dispensationalism because it is he who developed Dispensationalism into a theology, including a "secret rapture", which he first revealed at the Powerscourt Conference (prophecy conference) in 1832.
Dr. Ice of the Pre-Trib Research Center, a group organized by Dr. Tim LaHaye and Dr. Ice to defend the rapidly growing criticisms of dispensational theology and the pre-tribulation "rapture" theory, states that Darby's own writings show that Darby, whose basic theology was sound, came up with the pre-tribulation theory during a convalescence period of deep meditation (i.e. a special revelation from "God").
A biographer and contemporary of Darby's, Max Weremchuk, reported further, that Darby found Matthew 24, Mark 13, Luke 21, and Revelation to be problematical and confusing in regard to his developing dispensational theology and pre-trib "rapture" theory, and Werenchuk stated, "I still feel his final Church/Israel distinction and pre-trib rapture views were a reaction, a sought for alternative, almost as if he tried to be 'original'."
The true origins of the dispensational school of thought, though, can be traced back to a Jesuit priest, Francisco Ribera (1537-1591), and later to Manuel Lacunza (1731-1801), a Jesuit whose writings were intended to counteract the Protestant reform movement's interpretation of the Book of Revelation, which identified the Pope as the Antichrist and the Roman Catholic Church as the whore of Babylon.
Lacunza's works were translated into English by Edward Irving (1792-1834) in 1827, but Irving was duped by Lacunza, a Roman Catholic and a Jesuit, who fraudulently published his works under the name Juan Josafat Ben-Ezra, a supposed converted Jewish rabbi.
Irving's erroneous teachings concerning the person of Jesus Christ and his interpretation of the book of Revelation (based on Lacunza's fraudulent writings), eventually led to his conviction by the Church of Scotland for heresy. And it was Irving's heretical works that influenced John N. Darby as his dispensational theology and a pre-tribulation "rapture" theory took shape.
Dr. Ice claims that Irving's works only added to and complimented Darby's own developing theological conclusions, but it was at the Powerscourt Conference in 1832, five years after Irving's works were published, that Darby publicly revealed his pre-tribulation "rapture" theory, and by that time he was definitely influenced by Irving's writings.
The modern adoption of dispensational theology has been strongly influenced by Cyrus Scofield, a dubious theologian with no formal training, through his Scofield Study Bible, Charles Ryrie and his Ryrie Study Bible, and, more recently, by Dr. John Walvoord, former president of Dallas Theological Seminary, and J. Dwight Pentecost, Professor Emeritus at Dallas Theological Seminary, and a longtime member of the Plymouth Brethren (founded by John N. Darby), both of whom espoused dispensational theology in its entirety, including a pre-tribulation "rapture" theory. Dr. Walvoord's numerous books on eschatology from the dispensational viewpoint have heavily influenced the modern adoption of the many variations and distinctives of Dispensationalism among protestants, and both his and J. Dwight Pentecost's books on theology and eschatology are still being used to train seminary students at Dallas Theological Seminary and others.
Things to Come by Dr. J. Dwight Pentecost, also influenced my early views on biblical eschatology, but he, like many others, could only assign a general meaning to the detailed and very specific parable of the ten virgins, and, like Darby, Pentecost wasn't sure what to make of Matthew 24 and 25, Mark 13 and Luke 21, but suggested that this prophetic passage given to His disciples primarily concerned their immediate future and the future of Jewish believers during the tribulation. (See "The Olivet Prophecy")
It does seem strange, though, that the Lord would respond to the disciples' question concerning the signs of the time and the end of the age with a multitude of details, including the fact that future believers would read about it in the New Testament, and, yet, forget to mention the secret "rapture" of those who would come after them.
These influences and others have now effected numerous evangelical denominations and fellowships from Southern Baptist to Charismatic, though not all within these denominations and fellowships adhere to dispensational theology or a pre-tribulation "rapture" theory. Some even accept the pre-tribulation "rapture" theory without accepting the other dispensational distinctives, but a pre-tribulation "rapture" cannot take place unless all the distinctives of dispensational theology are correct.
The "middle ground" (of appeasement and religious political expediency) that some have taken in order to avoid the controversy and division is to discount scriptural prophecy entirely and emphasize only that we ought always to be ready.
It is true that we ought always to be ready, but to ignore the, as yet, unfulfilled biblical prophecies related to the church age is contrary to the Lord's own instruction to His disciples in Matthew 24 and 25, Luke 21, and Mark 13.
See I have warned you beforehand, Matthew 24:25 (emphasis is the author's)
We are warned, therefore, to be aware of the signs of the times, even though we do not know the day or the hour. But the signs of the times are a specific warning to the saints of those times. Are we, then, going to ignore the warning signs He gave us because we are afraid to enter into controversy?
And, if the truth is available with clarity, do we not want to know it and allow the Spirit of Truth to confirm it?
As I studied the origins and doctrine of dispensationalism and the proof texts for a pre-tribulation "rapture" of the church I literally had a knot in my stomach and thought I was going to throw up as I discovered and confirmed one refutation after another, line upon line and precept upon precept until, after months of study, meditation, and prayer, the shocking truth was fully confirmed in my heart and mind.
I had previously discovered one amazing error of scriptural interpretation repeated by almost the entire modern evangelical church, a seemingly small error, but one that made the prophetic parable of the ten virgins (Matthew 25:1-9) indecipherable so that it could only be given a generalized interpretation of maintaining our readiness for the Lord's return. And, with that and the stronghold of dispensational theology pulled down in my mind, I had round pegs to put in round holes and square pegs to put into square holes. Matthew 24, and the incredibly detailed parable of the ten virgins in Matthew 25 was now crystal clear and made perfect sense to me as it blended perfectly with the prophetic passages in Revelation, Daniel, Ezekiel, Jeremiah, Joel, James, etc. But it would not be good news for much of the church. (Which is, perhaps, the reason why evangelical protestants have so eagerly adopted dispensational theology.)
In spite of the joy I experienced in having this stronghold of doctrinal error and scriptural mis-interpretation eliminated in my soul, I was deeply concerned. The majority of evangelical western Christians today believe in a pre-tribulation "rapture" even if they do not adhere to the entirety of dispensational theology. Dr.Tim LaHaye, Hal Lindsey, Chuck Smith, Charles Swindoll, John F. MacArthur, David Jeremiah, and even, Chuck Missler, whose works I have come to greatly admire, all, presumably, godly men, are a few of the better known authors and ministers in this lineup, with LaHaye and his "Left Behind" series making him the most famous of these.
How could I, a complete unknown of no particular importance or influence in the body of Christ, come to a conclusion contrary to the conclusion of these great men?
Not easily, I grant you, but perhaps my anonymity (having no great ministerial or denominational investment in a false doctrine and erroneous interpretations of scripture) is a blessing.
(A list of equally well-known ministries and Bible scholars who dispute Dispensational Theology and the pre-tribulation resurrection-"rapture" of church only saints is provided at the end of this commentary.)
The distinctives of Dispensational theology
The dispensational distinctive that God is dealing separately with Israel and the church, particularly in end time events, causes those who hold this view to distort biblical prophecy, especially Matthew 24 and 25, Mark 13, Luke 21, and the book of Revelation. Therefore, it is important to examine and refute this distinctive before we examine the distinctive of a pre-tribulation, church only resurrection-"rapture".
The major interpretational problem for the dispensational distinctive that God is dealing with Israel and the church separately, is Paul's teaching concerning the "mystery" of the "body of Christ":
When you read this, you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit. This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs...(with the Jews)..., members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.Ephesians 3:4-6 ESV(inserts and emphasis are the author's)
And if they...(Jews)...do not persist in unbelief, they will be graftedin...(to the body of Christ)..., for God is able to graft them in again. After all, if you were cut out of an olive tree that is wild by nature, and contrary to nature were grafted into a cultivated olive tree...(Christ)..., how much morereadily will these, the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree!Romans 11:23-24 NIV(inserts are the author's)
What scripture reveals is that Jews and Gentiles are one body in Christ, and, we must assume that this includes all the saints of all time from Adam through the millennial reign who are now, or will be, "in Christ", the mediator of the New Covenant written in His blood. There are no distinctions between Jew and Gentile, male and female, bondservant or free in Christ, and there is only one redemptive covenant (progressively revealed) for all time, from Adam all the way through eternity.
For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's descendants, heirs according to promise. Galatians 3:26-29 NASB (emphasis is the author's)
This is not replacement theology. The church does not replace Israel. We are spiritual Jews in Christ, but we do not replace Israel. (Galatians 3 and Romans 2:28,29) Nor is the church grafted into Israel. Israel is not the olive tree. There is only one olive tree, Jesus Christ, and we Gentiles, who were not the natural branches, have been grafted into the natural olive tree (Christ). At the death and resurrection of Christ and the end of the temple worship and sacrifice system, the unbelieving Jews were debauched from the olive tree, and, from that point forward, the natural but debauched branches (Jews) can only be grafted back into the olive tree (Christ) by grace through faith the same as the Gentiles. Thus the Jews and Gentiles and every name written in the Lamb's Book of Life is, or will be, in Christ, the olive tree.
Christ is more than the church. As the olive tree He includes the church just as He includes the Old Testament saints prior to Abraham (OT saints who were neither Jew nor Gentile), the Old Testament saints of Israel prior to His resurrection (the natural branches), the Jews who are included in the church (natural branches grafted back into the olive tree), and, ultimately, the millennial saints.
The old covenant promises for national Israel will now be fulfilled only in Christ. The old covenant promises were not cancelled. Instead, the promises will be fulfilled in Him, who is now the mediator of the new covenant.
Now, all the promises of God, including the promises to national Israel, are "yes" in Christ. There are no separate promises to national Israel apart from Jesus Christ who will live and reign on the throne of David in Jerusalem for one thousand years.
For as many as are the promises of God ...(this means "all", including the, as yet, unfulfilled covenant promises to national Israel)... ,in Him they are yes; therefore also through Him is our Amen to the glory of God through us.2 Corinthians 1:20 NASB (insert and emphasis is the author's)
What was cancelled at the death of Jesus, the Christ, on the cross, was the old covenant institution of a temple sacrifice system, which was merely a "shadow" of the salvation to come under the new covenant in Christ. The old covenant saints were justified by their faith in God, but their justification was not complete until Jesus, the Messiah (Christ), fulfilled all the old covenant law and prophecies as the Son of Man and was then sacrificed for the sins of all men as the Lamb of God without spot or blemish.
What happened immediately after His death, according to Luke 16:19-31, Luke 23:42-43, and Ephesians 4:7-9, is that Jesus went into the paradise portion of Hades (region of the dead) and revealed Himself to the saints who had come to faith in God under the old covenants. These then were released from "prison" and accompanied the Lord to the paradise of God.
These old covenant saints, along with new covenant saints who are "dead" in Christ will be resurrected in glory on "the last day".
The word "dispensation", as it is used by Dispensational theologians means a system of dispensing salvation, and to claim that God has dispensed salvation differently through the ages is not only wrong but heretical.
There is now and always has been only one redemptive covenant. The promise of that covenant was given to Adam (Genesis 3:21), and it has been progressively revealed through the ages. But it is the same covenant, written in the blood of Jesus Christ since before the creation. Those who responded to God by faith prior to the resurrection of Jesus Christ were accounted as being "righteous" through their faith in God, but their salvation was not complete until Jesus revealed Himself to them in the Paradise portion of Hades (Ephesians 4:9,10).
God's purpose in establishing a chosen nation was to produce a royal lineage for the Lord of Lords and King of Kings, Jesus Christ, but all the covenants, before and after Israel, and all the promises of God have their completion and fulfillment in Him.
Therefore, there is only one redemptive covenant, progressively revealed, from Adam all the way through the millennium.
|
Saints |
Salvation |
Covenants |
|
Adam to Abraham - neither Jew nor Gentile |
Righteousness accounted to men through faith in God
until Christ revealed Himself to them in Paradise
|
The Adamic covenant, a blood covenant pointing to the new covenant in Christ |
|
Abraham to the resurrection of Jesus Christ - Jews and Gentiles |
Righteousness accounted to men through faith in God until Christ revealed Himself to them in Paradise. Salvation not limited to the Jews.
|
The Abrahamic covenant, the Mosaic law, and the prophets pointing to the new covenant in Christ |
|
Resurrection of Jesus Christ to the resurrection of all the saints on the last day |
Righteousness only accounted to men through faith in Jesus Christ
|
The new covenant. |
|
Millennium saints
|
Righteousness only accounted to men through faith in Jesus Christ. |
The new covenant. |
I came face to face with the heretical teaching that God's redemptive plan for Jews is separate from His redemptive plan for Gentiles when a Charismatic group in San Angelo, Texas and a group of messianic Jews from Fort Worth whose ministry was called, "Prophecy Round-Up", invited Gershon Salomon, leader of the "Israel Faithful and Temple Mount Movement", to speak in San Angelo.
I understand Christian interest in the Temple Mount Movement, an Israeli group preparing to restore Solomon's temple and begin temple worship and sacrifices again, because it points to the nearness of the fulfillment of prophecies related to the end times.
However, when the leader of Prophecy Round-Up asked Christians in attendance for donations to assist the Temple Mount Movement, I protested and admonished the Christians present for becoming a stumbling block, both to the Prophecy Round-Up group and to Gershon Salomon, by supporting this movement (and the theology of a dual system of salvation).
I then followed up with several conversations and letter exchanges with the leader of the Prophecy Round-Up group until he confessed, defensively and unrepentantly, that his dual salvation doctrine, which he was reluctant to openly profess because of men like me, was based entirely on Romans 11:25, 26.
For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery--so that you will not be wise in your own estimation--that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in; and so all Israel will be saved; just as it is written,
"THE DELIVERER WILL COME FROM ZION,
HE WILL REMOVE UNGODLINESS FROM JACOB."Romans 11:25-26 NASB
His claim was that the Jews who believe in God and faithfully follow the commandments of the law and the prophets will ultimately be redeemed on the day of the Lord even though a few predestined Jews have been allowed to have faith in Christ.
This, of course, is a denial of Romans 11:23,24, previously quoted and prefacing Romans 11:25,26. And these "faithful" will only be saved if they receive Christ by faith before they die or somehow survive the entire tribulation when the Jews flee to the wilderness after the Antichrist declares himself to be "God" in the rebuilt temple.
The preaching of the two prophets, Elijah and Enoch, on the streets of Jerusalem during the last half of the tribulation, is the preaching of Christ crucified, exactly as we are instructed to preach it now. Nor does the presence of these prophets in Israel preclude that the church entire has been removed from the world at that time.
In addition, the angel of God preaches Christ, and Him crucified, to the entire world after the two prophets are killed.
And I saw another angel flying in midheaven, having an eternal gospel...(the only gospel from beginning to end)...to preach to those who live on the earth, and to every nation and tribe and tongue and people;Revelation 14:6 NASB(insert and emphasis is the author's)
All Israel who survive the tribulation without taking the mark of the beast will be saved on the day of the Lord, but those who have rejected Him and died prior to the day of the Lord are lost.
This unfortunately includes Gershon Salomon and members of the Temple Mount and Israel Faithful Movement who do not receive Christ by grace through faith and do not survive the tribulation.
Therefore, the dispensational distinctive of God's separate plans of redemption for the Jews and for Gentiles is a heresy of the first order, and a HUGE stumbling block for the Jews.
This presentation was not meant to be exhaustive. It is only meant to bring Dispensational doctrine and its distinctives into question. Therefore, it would be appropriate for the Berean reader to do his/her own research on the origins and distinctives of dispensational doctrine, because it is only possible to imagine a pre-tribulation resurrection-"rapture" of church only saints if the first two distinctives are entirely correct.
Yet, when the reader examines "Left Behind? Part 2" he/she will be shocked by the discovery that there is not one single piece of valid direct or indirect scriptural evidence to support the theory of a pre-tribulation resurrection-"rapture" of church only saints.
And, following that discovery, when fully confirmed in the believer's heart and mind, will come a release from the stronghold of Dispensational theology and its distinctives that will be like opening a door into a room filled with light.
The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the...(true)...knowledge of God...2 Corinthians 10:3-5 NIV(insert is the author's)
These are a few of many notable present and past post-tribulationalists. There are, of course, many others: Jay Adams, Randy Alcorn, Henry Alford, Matthew Arnold, J. Sidlow Baxter, Allistair Begg, Corrie Ten Bloom, David Brainerd, F. F. Bruce, John Bunyan, John Calvin, B. H. Carroll, William Cowper, John Gill, Robert Gundry, Hank Hanegraaff, Carl F. H. Henry, William Hendriksen, Matthew Henry, Herschell Hobbs, Adoniram Judson, John Knox, George Eldon Ladd, Hugh Latimer, C. S. Lewis, J. B. Lightfoot, Harold Lindsell, C. S. Lovett, Martin Luther, Walter Martin, Dave McPherson, Jack McAlister, Alexander McLaren, Albert Mohler, Russell Moore, John Warwick Montgomery, Doug Moo, G. Campbell Morgan, H. C. G. Moule, George Mueller, Andrew Murray, Sir Isaac Newton, John Newton, Harold J. Ockenga, J. Edwin Orr, Ian Paisley, John Piper, Bernard Ramm, Paul Rees, A. T. Robertson, Marv Rosenthal, Oswald J. Smith, Charles Spurgeon, John R. W. Stott, A. H. Strong, Merrell Tenny, J. H. Thayer, B. B. Warfield, Isaac Watts, Charles Wesley, John Wesley, George Whitefield, William Wilberforce, Ulrich Zwingli
