INTRODUCTION: A BRIEF DEPARTURE
FROM THE PATTERN
The
following article is a departure from the pattern I have generally followed as
I have analyzed the chapters of Revelation.
In this article I shall examine some issues regarding Dispensationalism,
especially in regards to Revelation 11.
I shall do that by referring mostly to J. Dwight Pentecost in his book Things to Come. I shall also take up some matters that are
not directly pertinent to chapter 11.
The reason
that I am proceeding in this way is that chapter 11 has a great deal of
material that can lend support to the theories of Dispensationalism. Those who have read my previous articles know
that I have tended to be critical of Dispensationalism. It seems to me that at this critical
juncture, I should discuss with greater depth the whole topic. I cannot cover everything in this article, but
I can give some indication of the theories of the Dispensationalists and some
of my objections to those theories.
I should
say that there are considerable emotions as I enter this subject. My father was an ardent
Dispensationalist. The Scofield Bible
was the Bible of our home. Then, in my
early thirties, I attended a church in which the pastor was beginning to lean
toward the Post-Tribulational Rapture.
Eventually, I read Robert Gundry’s The
Church and the Tribulation, which defends the theory of the
Post-Tribulational Rapture together with Dispensationalism. Later I read Dispensationalism by Lewis Sperry Chafer. One of the striking quotations from that book
is the following:
The Bible presents the origin, present estate, and destiny of
four major classes of rational beings in the universe: the angels, the
Gentiles, the Jews, and the Christians.
That,
together with a number of conclusions and trends that I found in Pentecost, has
led me to question seriously the wisdom of Dispensationalism. I still wrestle with many of the issues, and
I do not pretend to have things “all worked out.” Nevertheless, as I have read from Pentecost,
Ryrie, and Walvoord, I have come to believe that much of their reasoning is circular
and that often their exegesis is poor. I
say that while still recognizing that these men have studied the Bible all of
their lives and are due great respect.
It is with trepidation that I attempt to build a coherent theory of
eschatology that rejects much of Dispensationalism.
A BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF
DISPENSATIONALISM
The word
οικονομια is translated “dispensation” in some cases in the KJV. Ryrie explains the word, which is used 9
times in the New Testament, as follows:
“Thus, the central idea in the word dispensation is that of managing or
administering the affairs of a household.” An associated word is οικονομοσ
(used 10 times), which is a “steward” or “manager” (Newman). The verb form is οικονομεω, “be a manager or
steward” (Newman). Ryrie tries to make
the point that in two instances the New Testament uses the word “in exactly the
same way” that the Dispensationalist does.
I do not agree with his assessment of one those instances. However, as he points out, one is justified
in using “dispensation” as a technical theological term if one does so with
proper Biblical foundation. This use
does not necessarily depend on its use in the Bible.
The
following definition and descriptions of a Dispensation and of
Dispensationalism are taken from Ryrie’s Dispensationalism:
Definition of a Dispensation: A dispensation is a distinguishable economy
in the outworking of God’s purpose. If one were describing a dispensation, he
would include other things, such as the ideas of distinctive revelation, responsibility,
testing, failure, and judgment.
The characteristics of a
Dispensation:
Thus, the distinguishing
characteristics of a different dispensation are three: (1) a change in God’s
governmental relationship with man (though a dispensation does not have to be
composed entirely of completely new features); (2) a resultant change in man’s
responsibility; and (3) corresponding revelation necessary to effect the change
(which is new and is a stage in the progress of revelation through the Bible).
The secondary characteristics of a
Dispensation are a test, a failure, and a judgment.
Sine qua non of Dispensationalism:
1.
Israel and the church are kept distinct.
2.
The hermeneutic is literal interpretation
3.
The purpose of God in the world is the
manifestation of His glory.
The names of the Dispensations:
1.
Innocency:
Before the Fall
2.
Conscience:
After the Fall until Noah
3.
Civil Government: From Noah until Abraham
4.
Promise or Patriarchal Rule: From Abraham to Moses
5.
Mosaic Law:
From Moses until Christ
6.
Grace:
From Christ until the Millennium (or until Second Coming)
7.
Millennium:
For 1,000 years from onset to Satanic rebellion
SOME CHARACTERISTICS OF DISPENSATIONALISM
The
following characteristics are my own observations, but, in some cases, they are
widely known. Ryrie is defending the
entire school of thought and covers the entire subject matter. However, although the scheme has the
background as I have outlined from Ryrie, Dispensationalism has focused on
certain areas especially. As I enumerate
these, I do not mean to imply in every case that the characteristic is a
weakness or mistake in Dispensationalism.
I simply point out that these are characteristics often observed in the
teaching and preaching of Dispensationalists.
The Pre-millennial Second Coming of Christ: Dispensationalists have been the principal
advocates of Pre-millennialism for many years.
They understand themselves to be in opposition to Post-millennialism and
A-millennialism. Many scholars who do
not subscribe to Dispensationalism also reject Post-millennialism, but the
Dispensationalists have been at the forefront.
I might comment that Post-millennialism has made a comeback because of
the Christian Reconstructionism of Rushdoony and his followers, who were
especially influential in the Christian school and home-schooling movement and
also among some of the Christian Right political activists.
A strong emphasis on the Millennium: The Dispensationalists practically predicate
their interpretation of the Old Testament on the Millennium. As I have read Pentecost (Things to Come), I have been amazed that
he seems to see the Millennium in every Scripture of the Old Testament that
points to the future.
The Pre-Tribulational Rapture of the Church: This could be called the tail that wags the dog in Dispensationalism. It is both the conclusion and the premise
upon which much of the theory of the system rests. Gundry has given historical details of the
early development of Dispensationalism among the Plymouth Brethren, including
J. N. Darby, and the “Irvingites” in England and Ireland. Two individuals, Robert Baxter and Margaret
Macdonald, had prophetic revelations about a Pre-Tribulation Rapture. These revelations appear to have been “in the
mix” of the studies and open discussions in prophecy conferences that
eventually led to a more coherent theory of Dispensationalism, which came
originally from Darby. (Gundry, 185-187)
The church as a “parenthesis” in the
plans of God: In the view of
Dispensationalism, the plans of God are directed mostly toward Israel. The church is a “mystery”—it was not revealed
to the Old Testament peoples—that interrupts those plans. The church begins on the day of Pentecost and
will be taken out of history with the Rapture/Resurrection of the church. During this time, the Kingdom of God operates
under the principles of the “mystery” program for the Kingdom as Jesus outlined
in Matthew 13. Then, after the church is
raptured, God begins to deal with Israel again during the Tribulation.
A marked interest in Israel and the land of
Israel: Dispensationalism
understands Israel to be destined to be the central nation in the government of
the Millennium. It is the people who
have an “earthly destiny,” whereas the church has a “heavenly destiny.” So, Dispensationalists are very interested in
Israel and the Middle East.
A
strong emphasis on grace in the church age: Dispensationalists focus on salvation by
grace through faith for this present age.
They tend to dismiss much of Jesus’ teachings as irrelevant to the
church, because He was preaching and teaching the “gospel of the Kingdom.”
A strange disinterest in eternity: Dispensationalists tend to “see” the
Millennium in many Scriptures that possibly are related to eternity. Pentecost, especially, believes strongly that
eternity is very obscure in Scripture.
For example, he considers the New Jerusalem to be present during the
Millennium.
A great interest in the Tribulation
and detailed forecast of its events:
Dispensationalists follow closely the prophecies in Ezekiel, Daniel, and
other Old Testament books, and they create from them a detailed scenario of
events during the Tribulation.
The “offer of the Kingdom” in the
gospels: Dispensationalists
understand the gospel of Matthew, especially, to be an account of how Jesus
offered the Kingdom to Israel, but it rejected that offer. Therefore, the Kingdom was delayed, and the
church age has intervened until the Resurrection/Rapture, when the Kingdom will
again be preached to Israel.
An understanding of the “gospel of
the Kingdom” that differs from the “gospel of grace”: This follows from the “offer of the
Kingdom.” Jesus and the disciples
preached the “gospel of the Kingdom.” Paul
and the New Testament church preached the “gospel of grace.”
A
distinction between “Kingdom” and the church:
Dispensationalists are adamant that the church does not equate to
the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom will be
manifested in the Millennium as the “Theocratic Kingdom” that will consist of
Israel as the central nation from which Christ will govern the world.
A multiplicity of resurrections: The Resurrection of the righteous is divided
as various groups are resurrected at different times. The church will be resurrected at the
beginning of the Tribulation—along with the Rapture of living saints. Then, the time when Old Testament saints and
Tribulation martyrs are resurrected is debated by various scholars.
A multiplicity of judgments: Dispensationalists believe that there are
at least three judgments: these include
the “Bema” judgment of the church, the judgment of the nations, and the Great
White Throne judgment.
PENTECOST’S ACCOUNT OF THE “THEOCRATIC KINGDOM”
The synoptic gospels emphasize the
Kingdom of God (which is also called the Kingdom of Heaven). The Kingdom has been distorted by many people
and often is used to serve whatever purpose is at hand. In the nineteenth century, the church,
especially influenced by Schleirmacher, Ritschl, Harnack, and Rauschenbusch,
developed the social gospel, which understood the Kingdom of God as the ideal
that humanity progressed toward through (mostly by means of political
liberalism). (Grenz and Olson,
39-62) H. Richard Niebuhr characterized
this liberal Christianity as follows: “A
God without wrath brought men without sin into a kingdom without judgment
through the ministrations of a Christ without a cross.” (Grenz and Olson, 62) Although Neo-orthodoxy overthrew the
intellectual underpinnings of liberalism, its influence remains throughout
mainline Christianity.
The
Dispensationalists have great interest in the Kingdom of God, and they have developed
a detailed understanding of the concepts surrounding the Kingdom. I shall follow Pentecost’s material on the
Kingdom.
The main
reason I follow Pentecost as a representative Dispensationalist is that one can
find no more thorough treatment of the concepts of this school of thought
anywhere else. Pentecost treats the
material systematically and not exegetically.
This necessitates that I skip around a great deal in his book in the
analysis of specific Scriptures, as I have done in previous articles.
Pentecost
considers that there are two aspects of the Kingdom—the “eternal kingdom” or
“universal kingdom” and the “theocratic kingdom.” (I usually capitalize the “Kingdom” when it
refers to the Kingdom of God, but he and most others do not.) He does not see these as separate, but as
different expressions of how God rules.
The
universal kingdom is the rule of God over all of His creation. It is expressed in God’s providence over
nature and humanity. This aspect some
theologians call “immanence.” In
addition, God’s universal kingdom is sometimes expressed by the “direct
intervention of God in the affairs of men” (Pentecost, 429). Most scholars now believe that the New
Testament use of “kingdom” is God’s “rule” rather than God’s “domain” or
“realm.” So, the emphasis in the New
Testament is more on “authority to rule” rather than “territory.” (Quotation from Ladd in Pentecost,
429-430). However, I would point out that
authority or rule implies subjects to that rule. For example, a king may have authority to
rule in England, but not in America.
Pentecost,
following other Dispensationalists, defines the universal kingdom in specific
terms as: God’s kingly rule and
sovereignty over all persons (angelic or human) who subject themselves to His
rule. (Pentecost, 430) Satan has rebelled
against that rule. Pentecost describes
the “theocratic kingdom” as a reaction to that rebellion: “a program…to manifest His sovereignty before
all created intelligences.” (Pentecost,
432) That is, God’s purpose is to
establish a kingdom on earth that will manifest His sovereignty. This kingdom, then, “issues into the eternal
kingdom.” Pentecost, 432)
The
theocratic kingdom began in Eden, where Adam was to rule with delegated
authority. The test for Adam was perfect obedience. If he demonstrated this obedience, then he
would receive eternal life and the eternal kingdom would be manifested on
earth. Instead, Adam failed and became
subject to the kingdom of Satan. “With
the repudiation of this authority of God by Adam’s disobedience, God announced
(Gen. 3:15) the inception of a program that would manifest that authority,
which was repudiated, by bringing a new creation into existence through the ‘Seed
of the woman’ that would be willingly subject to Himself. The redemptive program now parallels the
development of the kingdom program and is a necessary adjunct to it, but is not
identical with it. The method of
establishing God’s authority is through the medium of redemption, but the
re-establishment of that authority remains God’s primary purpose.” (Pentecost,
435-436)
I must
pause to comment on this quotation.
Notice that the kingdom is the centerpiece in the thinking of the
Dispensationalists. It even takes
precedence over redemption.
Pentecost
follows this introduction by tracing the theocratic kingdom through Old
Testament history. The theocracy was
manifested in the line of Seth and in the establishment of human
government. When Abraham was called, God
narrowed his focus to one man through whom all the world would be blessed. He then jumps ahead to Jacob’s prophecy
concerning Judah (Genesis 49:10): “The
important observation here is to notice that the anticipated fulfillment of
this whole program comes through one that is to be King (Gen. 49:10).” (Pentecost, 436) The theocracy was administered by individuals
who served as representatives of God.
The judges continued this means of rule.
When Israel demanded a king, God declared that they had rejected his
rule.
The next
phase of the theocracy was through kings.
Pentecost (439) says: “The
monarchial form of government was God’s ideal for the theocratic kingdom.” This new program was not understood as a
“type” of the Messianic rule. (A “type”
is a prefiguring example, usually in the Old Testament, that is fulfilled in
the “antitype.”) “The Theocracy…was
itself the Kingdom of God in its initiatory form—a commencement of that rule of
God’s as earthly king, which, if the Jews had rendered the obedience required,
would have extended and widened itself until all nations had been brought under
its influence and subjection.” (G. N. H.
Peters, quoted in Pentecost, 440) It was the Davidic kingdom “in which the
theocratic kingdom should come to full realization…” and “Messiah will come to
bring the program to completion in that form [of the Davidic monarchy].” (Pentecost, 441)
As the
kings fell into disobedience, the prophets became God’s spokesmen and His means
of expressing His rule, though most of the kings and the people disobeyed
them. With the collapse of the kingdom
and the departure of glory from the Temple, the “times of the Gentiles”
began. That period would continue until
Messiah came. The Messiah would then
establish the theocratic kingdom. This
will be a literal monarchy under the Messiah, a descendant of David. It will bring about such a complete
reformation of life on earth that it may be described as a “new heaven and a
new earth.” It will include profound
spiritual blessings, including forgiveness of sins, a new heart and spirit
within people, and manifestation of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. There will be peace on earth, social justice,
and freedom from disease and death.
(Pentecost, 441-444) This
Messianic Kingdom will take place in the period called the Millennium
(Revelation 20:1-10).
The
Millennium will fulfill the Old Testament covenants that have not yet been
fulfilled—the covenants made with Abraham and David as well as the promises of
the land to Israel and the promise of the New Covenant (Jeremiah 31:31-34). (Pentecost, 476-477) Among the accomplishments of the Millennium
will be salvation to the people, manifestation of the glory of Christ,
righteousness (those who hunger for righteousness will be filled), obedience to
God’s will through renewal of the heart and outpouring of the Spirit,
manifestation of holiness which is imparted by the Messiah, manifestation of
truth through the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and fullness of the Holy
Spirit. Besides the blessing that have
been enumerated, the Millennium will see the removal of the curse from creation
so there will be abundance and the pacification of dangerous animals. Although the Millennium lasts 1000 years, its
blessings will continue into eternity. The
ultimate purpose of the Millennium is stated as follows: “God’s original purpose was to manifest His
absolute authority and this purpose is realized when Christ unites the earthly
theocracy [the Millennium] with the eternal kingdom of God. Thus, while Christ’s earthly theocratic rule
is limited to one thousand years, which is sufficient time to manifest God’s
perfect theocracy on earth, His reign is eternal.” (Pentecost, 492-493) “By merging this earthly theocracy with the
eternal kingdom God’s eternal sovereignty is established. Such was the purpose of God in planning the
theocratic kingdom and developing it through successive stages throughout
history until it reaches the climax…in the millennium. That authority, which Satan first challenged,
Christ has now demonstrated belongs solely to God. God’s right to rule is eternally
vindicated.” (Pentecost, 494)
This
version of the purposes and plans of God is a coherent theory that considers
almost all Scripture evidence. It “tells
a story” that makes good sense. It takes
into account most of what we as Christians know and experience as well as the
experience of the Hebrew nation.
Although many Christians would raise quick objections about the church
and God’s redemptive plan, in many cases those objections are answered. Usually, those objections are answered by the
understanding that the present Dispensation—the age of grace during which the
church is in focus—is now operative and the kingdom program is in its “mystery”
phase. Also, certain references to the
kingdom during this age are referred to the “eternal kingdom” and not the
“theocratic kingdom.”
A (VERY) BRIEF COMMENTARY ON DISPENSATIONALISM
A theory
needs to be tested for coherence and for validity. Although Dispensationalism can be given high
marks for its coherence, I do not believe it is valid. I base this conclusion partly on the Biblical
description of God’s work in the world.
I shall only sketch an outline of
a critique of Dispensationalism. This
outline shall be more of proposal than a point-by-point rebuttal.
·
The fall of humanity was a crisis of relationship. There had been trust, fellowship, partnership
in overseeing creation, and familial love.
This was life to the fullest. Now
there was distrust and disbelief, enmity, harsh labor in extracting sustenance
from creation, and alienation from God.
Added to this alienation from God, there was crisis after crisis in
human relationships. One generation from the fall, the first murder took
place. Violence and perversions of all
sorts developed. Whereas human hands had
reached out to grasp knowledge, the human race fell into darkness of religious
deception. Idolatry and empty
philosophical speculation ruled human hearts and minds. As a result people drifted further and
further from a relationship with the true God who had created them.
·
The succinct statement of what God did about
that has been memorized by millions of children in Sunday School: “For God so loved the world, that he
gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have
eternal life.” (John 3:16)
The central motivation of God is love. God sought to
rescue the lost human race because He loved all the people of the world. He gave His Son, Jesus Christ, as a sacrifice
to pay the penalty of sin so that people might be reconciled back to
Himself. All those who believe in Jesus
and what He did—who trust in His work and God’s offer of life through
Him—are brought back into that familial relationship: “But to all who did receive him, who believed
in his name, he gave the right to become children of God…” (John 1:12)
·
The
nature of the Kingdom of God: The
Kingdom of God is to be prayed for, as in the Lord’s Prayer: “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth
as it is in heaven. So, in its simplest
form, the Kingdom is wherever God’s will is done. It can also be thought of as God’s being
active and intervening in the affairs of people. His intervention was motivated by love and
sought to redeem people back into relationship with Him. The Kingdom is God’s action in the world to
fulfill His purposes.
·
God has been at work creating a people. There were people, such as Abel, Enoch, and
Noah (the ones we know of) who were related to God in the early days. Then, God called Abraham and we follow the
narrative of his descendants from about 2000 BC to about 400 BC in Scripture.
·
Abraham was related to God in a trusting relationship. This was a reversal of the Fall, in which
people failed to trust God’s wisdom for their lives. The trust began with God’s promise and was responded to by faith or trust in Abraham. An element of that trust was obedience.
·
In the Exodus, God delivered His people from slavery.
That slavery was not just to the Egyptians. It was a slavery to the Egyptian gods.
·
At Sinai, God declared His intention to form the
people into a “kingdom of priests and a
holy nation.” Thus, a community of faith was formed. Although the Law was given, the element of
trust in God continued to be fundamental to the relationship. (See a brief comment below regarding Law and
Grace.)
·
Throughout the history of the people of God, the
nature of the relationship was evidenced by strength in the midst of weakness.
Slaves were delivered from their masters. A ragtag army defeated organized
kingdoms. Water sprang from desert
rocks. Manna fell in the
wilderness. Joshua conquered the holy
land. The judges delivered the people
again and again.
·
God’s leadership among the people was through charismatic leaders who were wise and
strong through the endowment with the Holy Spirit.
·
This endowment was evident in the life of David and Solomon. The people continued to be a unique and holy
people through God’s leadership, not because they were organized into a
kingdom. David exemplified both the
leading of God’s Spirit and God’s grace in a flawed human being.
·
Later, the people were led by prophets whose authority from God
superseded the kings.
·
With the Babylonian captivity, the monarchy
ended. However, the prophetic vision was
that a Messiah would come to restore
the people.
·
When Jesus came, the announcement was made by
John and Jesus: “Repent, for the kingdom
of God is at hand.” I cannot find that
this is so much an offer as it is an announcement.
·
Jesus depicted the Kingdom as a place not
governed by the values of this world but by values of love of God and neighbor.
·
Jesus demonstrated the Kingdom through the power of the Holy Spirit to cast out
demons, heal the sick, and raise the dead.
·
His ministry included the development of a people who related to Him as disciples in a believing/trusting
relationship.
·
In order to form such a people, it was necessary
that He die. His body on the cross
carried all human failing and put it to death.
He received God’s judgment upon…
o
Sin
o
The Law as a means to justification
o
The pride of natural human capacity—the flesh
o
The work of the devil
·
When He rose from the dead, He stepped into the
fullness of the Kingdom of God:
o
A life no more subject to death
o
Perfect in holiness
o
Utterly raised in the power of the Spirit and
living forever in dependence on the Spirit
o
Perfect in righteous love of God and neighbor
·
All who believe and trust in Him and His
redemptive work are translated from
the power of Satan into this Kingdom of the beloved Son.
·
They are joined with the people of God that God
in His Kingdom has been forming from the beginning. In the Old Testament period that formation
was in anticipation of the cross. Now,
it is founded on the work of Jesus at the cross.
·
Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Jacob, Moses, the people
at Sinai, the monarchy—all of the people, both named and unnamed throughout the
Old Testament history—were the people of God through His grace and their
trusting relationship.
·
These people did not build the Kingdom, the
Kingdom built them.
·
In the New Testament era, the Kingdom continues
to add people to the People of God. Ephesians 2:11-22 makes this quite
clear.
·
The
church does not replace Israel. The
church is joined to Israel.
·
Someday, Israel
that is at present unbelieving will be saved (Romans 11). It will occur at the Second Coming of
Christ. When Israel is saved, it will be
joined to the people of God.
·
Thus, there
are not two peoples of God, one the church and the other Israel under the
monarchy in the Millennium.
·
The people of God
o
Are redeemed by the blood of Jesus
o
Are related to God through a trusting
relationship
o
Have experience the power of the Holy Spirit in
their conversion and in their ongoing walk with God
o
Are delivered out of the clutches of Satan
o
Have died to the world and their own fleshly
capacity
o
Have been formed into who they are through God’s
intervention in their lives—through the work of the Kingdom of God
·
Someday, God’s Kingdom will be all in all. He will dwell among His people and they will
enjoy the presence of the Father and the Son forever. The people will reign victorious over those
things that have sought to destroy them—sin, hate, fear, sickness, death,
pride, and so forth.
·
That life of the ages to come resides in the
people of God this side of eternity through the work of the Holy Spirit within
them. The Kingdom of God is, for them,
“righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”
A BRIEF COMMENT ON LAW AND GRACE
A good
portion of the New Testament contrasts Law and Grace. Paul’s writings are especially directed
toward teaching how we relate to God through faith and not by works of the Law
and that we are saved by God’s Grace through faith. Some have extended Paul’s arguments to the
point of rejecting the validity of the Old Testament. In some cases, I believe Dispensational
teaching has contributed to the tendency to reject the validity of the Old
Testament. I believe that if one reads
Paul carefully, one finds that he is not rejecting the Old Testament. Rather, he is rejecting the tendency in
Israel to rely on self-righteousness through the Law rather than on faith. For example, in Romans 9:30-33, Paul
describes the contrast in the Gentiles, who received Christ by faith and the
people of Israel, who rejected Christ and sought to be justified by works:
What shall we say, then? That Gentiles who did not
pursue righteousness have attained it, that is, a righteousness that is by
faith; but that Israel who pursued a law that would lead
to righteousness did not succeed in reaching that law. Why? Because
they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were based on works. They have
stumbled over the stumbling stone, as it is written,
“Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone of stumbling, and a
rock of offense;
and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.” (English Standard Version, Romans 9:30-33)
and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.” (English Standard Version, Romans 9:30-33)
In each case, Paul is emphasizing the stance of the
group: the Gentiles had faith and Israel
pursued righteousness by works. He is
not saying that the Old Testament necessarily is a book that would lead them to
go astray as they did. He is saying that
they did so because of their inborn propensity to sin, which is present in all
peoples (this is borne out in the whole of his discussion in Romans 9-11).
In fact the
Old Testament is a history of people who had encounters with the living God,
the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Their revelation of God was incomplete.
Nevertheless the God whom they encountered was a loving, gracious God
who desired to relate to them in love.
This view of the Old Testament can be overshadowed by a lot of other
issues. It is helpful to keep in mind
that the Old Testament was the only Bible the early church had. The apostles taught grace and salvation
through Jesus Christ by preaching from the Old Testament.
I have
reflected lately on the importance and beauty of the Mosaic Law. In some cases it has gotten a bad rap. We could find parts of it that seem quaint or
quirky. However, we can also be
impressed that God displays in His Law a vital interest in every “nook and
cranny” of our life. In Romans and
Galatians, Paul focuses on the negative aspect of the Law, which is certainly
valid. Keep in mind that his focus
really is not on the Law but on the inadequacy of our fallen nature. The Law fails for two reasons. First, we are incapable of obeying it. Second, the Law appeals to our pride and
tempts us to self-righteousness. Yet, at
the same time, the Law also gives us a vision of the righteous life and what it
is to walk as a holy people before God.
The Holy Spirit can lead us in pathways that are harmonious with the
vision of the Law (see the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23 and the
addendum of 5:24-26).
Dispensationalists
do not entirely ignore what I have just written. However, they have fostered a disdain for the
Old Testament that seems to be especially prevalent in many groups today (some
not at all connected with Dispensationalism).
The
contrast in Law and Grace should not be confused with Dispensationalism, though
there are some parallels in the two sets of concepts. Nor should the rejection of the validity of
the Old Testament be equated with Dispensationalism. If they do anything, at times
Dispensationalists elevate the Old Testament to too great a degree. Nevertheless, their teachings echo in the
present rejection of the Old Testament.
SOME THINGS I REJECT
From these considerations, I
reject certain principles of Dispensationalism, as follows:
·
That the church
is a “parenthesis” in the plans of God.
There is a definite transition in the New Testament as the Jews rejected
the gospel and the focus turned to the Gentiles. This is revealed by Paul in Romans 11 to be
God’s plan to bring the Gentiles into the people of God. However, there is also a continuity with all
that has gone before.
·
That the Millennium will be a time of ascendancy of Israel and subjugation of
Gentiles.
·
That it is necessary and consistent with the New
Testament that the church be raptured out
of the world before the Tribulation
so that God can begin again to deal with Israel.
·
The false
dichotomy of either Israel being the heirs of the monarchy of God or the
church is the new Israel: The Bible
teaches, I believe, that the church consists of (mostly) Gentiles who have been
joined to the people of God through Christ.
Israel has also been a part of the people of God. When “all Israel” is saved in the last days,
Israel will once again be part of the people of God. There is only one people of God.
·
That Jesus is the Messiah only of the Jews:
Jesus is given the title “Christ” (Greek version of “Messiah”) among the
Gentiles in the New Testament. His
Messiahship extends to the Gentile Christians as well as those Israelites who
accept Him and who will accept Him in the final days.
·
That Old Testament sacrifices will be offered in the Millennium: These are declared to be obsolete throughout
the New Testament and especially in the book of Hebrews.
·
That the New
Jerusalem will be present during the Millennium: One cannot divide Revelation 21-22 and
declare part of it to depict the Millennium and part of it to depict the
eternal state.
·
That the teachings
of Jesus in the synoptic gospels are not Christian, but rather are
“Kingdom” teachings that describe the Millennium: This is a false notion of the Kingdom. The Kingdom principles apply to the people of
God in the church age and to all other ages.
·
That the Millennium will be necessary to
complete God’s work in expelling evil and establishing His eternal kingdom: The Dispensationalists have stripped the work
of the cross of much of its power and assigned that work to the Millennium.
·
That God’s plans for the earth are relevant to
Israel, and God has heavenly plans for the church: This is a corollary to the Pre-Tribulation
Rapture theory. As this idea is spun
out, it puts the church in heaven after the Rapture at the beginning of the
Tribulation. Thereafter, Israel is the
focus. The victory of God for Israel
continues into the Millennium. During
that period (Dispensation), God accomplishes the regaining of Paradise that was
lost at the Fall. This comes about
through the reign of Christ over Israel and, through Israel, over the
whole earth. As I described previously,
the consequence of the Millennium is a paradise on earth, in human
relationships, government, and even in nature.
All of this is centered on fulfilling God’s promises to Israel on earth. The church has become irrelevant, though
Pentecost believes that somehow the church will reign with Christ as it remains
housed in the New Jerusalem hovering above the earth. Thus, preaching today is to call people to be
saved so that they can go to heaven. The
“pie in the sky, sweet by and by” smear on Christians becomes a reality. The Southern Gospel extreme emphasis on
heaven is also validated. Moreover, the
Resurrection and Rapture of Christians seem almost to be irrelevant since they
will have only a heavenly destiny.
Paul’s statement that we will be qualified to inherit the Kingdom by
means of Resurrection or Rapture also seems to be negated by this view. (See I Corinthians 15:50.)
CONCLUDING REMARKS
I believe
that Dispensationalism ignores much of New Testament teaching and its
implications. It partitions off
Scripture into “Kingdom” and non-Kingdom portions. Thus, the gospel of Matthew and parts of the
other Synoptics are really not for the church, but are relevant to the
Kingdom. This is because this school of
thought sharply separates the church from the Kingdom. I believe that this is a false understanding
of the Kingdom. It robs the church of
much of the message of the New Testament and misses what God has done in Jesus
and what He is continuing to do.
When one
rejects Dispensationalism as a preconceived notion of how Scripture is
organized, one does not solve instantly all problems of interpretation. In fact, whenever one has a scheme of
interpretation—whether it be Preterism or Dispensationalism or some other
scheme—interpretation sometimes is easier than it is without such a
scheme. That principle is especially
true in approaching chapter 11 of Revelation.
For that chapter especially seems to “fit” the Dispensationalist scheme. I shall deal with the details of that chapter
in the next article or articles.
REFERENCES
Crossway Bibles (2009-04-09). ESV Study Bible. Good News
Publishers. Kindle Edition.
Chafer, Lewis Sperry (2010-07-07). Dispensationalism. Kindle
Edition.
Grenz, Stanley J. and Roger E. Olson. 20th Century Theology.
God & the World in a Transitional
Age. Downers Grove, IL: Intervarsity Press, 1992.
Gundry, Robert H. The Church and the Tribulation. A Biblical
Examination of Posttribulationism.
Grand
Rapids: Acadamie Books by Zondervan
Publ., 1973.
Newman, Barclay M. A Concise Greek-English Dictionary of the
New Testament. Stuttgart:
United
Bible Societies, 1971.
Pentecost, J. Dwight.
Things to Come. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publ. House, 1958.
Ryrie, Charles C. (2007-02-01). Dispensationalism (Kindle
Locations 407-408). Moody Publishers.
Kindle
Edition.
