Today on two different Facebook pages the question of the “mark of the beast” came up after a YouTube video about human microchip implants began to circulate. It’s amazing how this kind of thing feeds the frenzy of end-time speculation fueled by fictional novel books and newspaper headlines. In fact, speculation is rampant about the [...]
Dispensationalism
The Lost Thousand Years Between Two Resurrections by Rev. Nollie Malabuyo
In the Parable of the Wheat and Weeds (or tares) in Matthew 13:24–30 (with its interpretation in Matthew 13:36–43), Jesus explains that the Son of Man sows good seed—the children of the kingdom—in the world. But the devil came at night and sowed weeds—the children of Satan—among the good seed. At the close of the [...]
Modern Dispensationalism and the Doctrine of the Unity of the Scripture by O.T. Allis
No doctrine concerning Scripture is of more practical importance to the Bible student than that which affirms its unity and harmony. Obviously, the trustworthiness, perspicuity and plenary inspiration of Scripture cannot be maintained aside from the belief that the Bible is a thoroughly self-consistent whole. The Westminster Confession of Faith in enumerating some of the [...]
So, What Do You Believe About Revelation 20?
As an Amillennialist it never fails – any time I have a conversation with a Dispensationalist within the first 3 minutes I get the same question, “So, what do you believe about Revelation 20?” They aren’t typically amused when I tell them that I believe it comes directly after Revelation 19 and just before chapter [...]
Dispensational Approach to Interpreting the Bible
When one allows God himself to interpret the meaning of his prophecies through later revelation, it becomes impossible to employ a naturalistic, Dispensational hermeneutic. Dispensationalists claim to have a literal hermeneutic, taking prophecies in a simple, material sense unless the immediate context demands otherwise. The problem with this approach is that it arrives at interpretations [...]
Dispensationalism: A Return to Biblical Theology or Pseudo Christian Cult – Part I by Gospel Plow
1. Why Argue about Doctrine? Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the [...]
Dispensationalism: A Return to Biblical Theology or Pseudo Christian Cult – Part II by Gospel Plow
4. How Does Dispensationalism Deny the Gospel? I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an [...]
Dispensationalism: A Return to Biblical Theology or Pseudo Christian Cult – Part III by Gospel Plow
5. How the Pretribulational Rapture Denies the Gospel We have discussed the fact that the dispensationalist’s understanding of ‘dispensation’ invalidates the reality of grace in any age, how the dispensational ‘Kingdom Offer’ impugns the honesty of God and makes the gospel nothing more than an afterthought, and how presumed distinctions between Israel and the church [...]
Dispensationalism: A Return to Biblical Theology or Pseudo Christian Cult – Appendix & Glossary by Gospel Plow
Hyper Dispensationalism The distinctive doctrines of dispensationalism have been most consistently taught by a movement variously identified as Hyperdispensationalism, Ultradispensationalism, Consistent dispensationalism or Bullingerism. The movement had its origin in the teaching of Ethelbert W. Bullinger. Bullinger was a descendant of Heinrich Bullinger, the successor of Zwingli. Bullinger’s teaching separated Israel and the church even [...]
Dispensationalism: Part I – Millennial Views Prior to the Rise of Dispensationalism by Mark Sarver
Introduction It is scarcely possible that those who labor in the gospel will be able to escape the necessity of ministering to those who have been influenced by modern dispensationalism. We live in an era flooded with dispensational preaching, books, schools, and even study Bibles. The teaching of dispensationalism has successfully crossed the boundaries of [...]
Dispensationalism: Part II – The Genesis and Development of Dispensationalism in Nineteenth-Century England by Mark Sarver
The Millenarian Revival As the advent of the nineteenth century drew near, there was a great revival of prophetic concern. With the French Revolution came a violent uprooting of European political and social institutions, leading many to the conclusion that the end of the world was near. These events seemed to almost all students of [...]
Dispensationalism: Part III – The Development and Spread of Dispensationalism in America by Mark Sarver
The Rise of Millenarianism in Nineteenth-Century America During the Great Awakening (1725-1760) in America, postmillennalism was given fresh impetus, especially by Jonathan Edwards. This optimistic expectation of future gospel triumphs, given new life due to the present gospel triumphs, fit in well with the American Puritan conviction that the colonists were a chosen people and [...]
Dispensationalism: Part IV – Modern Developments and Modifications by Mark Sarver
The Development and Spread of Dispensationalism in America During the last fifty years dispensationalists have tended more and more to represent the more separatistic element of fundamentalism. George Marsden estimates that during the 1970′s perhaps only one-tenth of America’s forty million evangelicals belonged to such separatistic and dispensationalist churches that called themselves ‘fundamentalist.’45 But there [...]
Dispensationalism: Endnotes by Mark Sarver
ENDNOTES 1. C. I. Scofield, The New Scofield Reference Bible (New York: Oxford University Press, 1967), p. 3. 2. Ibid. 3. This brief outline represents classic dispensationalism. Dispensationalists differ one from another in details. As we shall see, neo-dispensationalists have made significant modifications to the system. In the main, however, what we have just presented [...]
Dispensationalist Beliefs – Salvation by William E. Cox
Dispensationalists derive their name from their teaching that the entire program of God is divided into seven dispensations. Five of these have passed into history, we are living in the sixth, and the seventh dispensation will be an earthly reign of one thousand years (the millennium) following the rapture of the church. Although the word [...]
Dispensationalist Beliefs – The Scriptures by William E. Cox
In keeping with dispensationalist views on the completely separate dispensations, the Scriptures are said to have been given dispensationally, i.e., different passages of the Bible are directed to different dispensations. Unless one interprets each passage of Scripture dispensationally, one is in a hopeless quandary and can never expect to understand the Bible. Scofield (What Do [...]
Dispensationalist Beliefs – Israel and the Kingdom of God by William E. Cox
According to dispensationalists, God has two distinct bodies of people with whom he is working: Israel and the church. There is a separate plan for each of these two peoples. Israel is said to be an earthly people, while the church represents a heavenly body. National Israel’s expectation is an earthly kingdom; the church’s hope [...]
Dispensationalist Beliefs – The Church (Part I) by William E. Cox
With reference to the Christian church, dispensationalists believe it came into being as a result of the rejection of the alleged earthly kingdom. They teach that the church was kept hidden in the mind of God until he was ready to establish it. Although Jesus may have hinted at it, they say, it did not [...]
Dispensationalist Beliefs – The Church (Part II) by William E. Cox
Dispensationalist teaching on the church is one of so many doctrines where the wish is father to the thought; for the Bible simply will not bear out Darby’s ‘rediscovered truth.’ While much of the New Testament could be used to refute this doctrine, one of Paul’s epistles alone will serve to undermine all dispensational teachings [...]
Evaluating Premillennialism: Part I – The Problem with Premillennialism by Cornelis P. Venema
The common feature of all premillennial teaching is the claim that Christ’s return at the end of the age will take place before the period known as the millennium. Whatever differences exist between Historic and Dispensational Premillennialism — and they are considerable — this teaching is common to them. Though a number of arguments are [...]
Evaluating Premillennialism: Part II – Christ’s Return and the Rapture by Cornelis P. Venema
No evaluation of Dispensational Premillennialism may ignore its teaching of a two-phased return of Christ, the first phase of which is commonly known as the rapture. This feature is its most widely known aspect. Popularized by such best-selling books as Hal Lindsey’s The Late Great Planet Earth, the film The Return, and bumper stickers warning [...]
Evaluating Premillennialism: Part III – Israel and the Church by Cornelis P. Venema
We have frequently noted that one of the principal tenets of Dispensational Premillennialism is the strict separation between God’s earthly people, Israel, and his heavenly people, the church. It could even be argued that this separation between Israel and the church is the root principle of classical — as distinguished from ‘progressive’ Dispensationalism. From this [...]
Evaluating Premillennialism: Part IV – The Hermeneutic of Literalism by Cornelis P. Venema
One of the characteristic features of Dispensationalism is its insistence upon a ‘literal’ reading of the Bible. Throughout its history many of its advocates have alleged that alternative millennial views reflect a low view of the Scripture’s authority because they do not follow this hermeneutic.1 Especially when it comes to the prophecies of the Bible [...]
The Bible Without Comment by William E. Cox
Proverbs 30:5,6 Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar. Most Protestants, certainly all evangelicals, accept the Scriptures as an all sufficient guide in matters of practice and doctrine. [...]
Moses or Christ? Paul’s Reply To Dispensational Error by Charles D. Alexander
He who would understand the prophets had better begin with Paul’s Epistle to the Galatians, where he will find that the Church is one in the Old Testament and New, and the New Testament Church is the fulfillment of all prophecy, the very last phase of God’s redemptive work on earth. He will discover in [...]
