Critiques of the Dispensational Premil, Historic Premil, and Postmil positions, from Dean Davis High King of Heaven

Transcription

1 Critiques of the Dispensational Premil, Historic Premil, and Postmil positions, from Dean Davis High King of Heaven A CRITIQUE OF HISTORIC PREMILLENNIALISM This is the first of four appendices in which I will offer a brief critique of the main eschatological options competing for the allegiance of evangelical Christians. My purpose here is not to repeat all the relevant arguments and evidence; I have already done plenty of that in the body of this book! Rather, I simply want to model what I regard as the most fruitful method for examining different eschatological outlooks, so that you can do the same if and when you see a new eschatology coming around the pike. This method involves four basic questions. Concerning any given eschatology any given picture of Salvation History we do well to ask: 1) What is its view of the structure of the Kingdom of God? 2) What is its view of the structure of the Consummation? 3) How does it interpret OT Kingdom prophecy? What kind of hermeneutic does it bring to this body of biblical revelation? 4) What is its view of the language and structure of the Revelation in general, and bearing that in mind, how does it understand chapter 20? View of the Kingdom From the time-line we learn that historic premillennialism envisions the Kingdom as entering history in three stages. The first is the Church Era, or Era of Gospel Proclamation; the second is the Millennium; the third is the new heavens and the new earth. While historic premillennarians sometimes disagree among themselves as to exactly what will happen in these three eras, all concur that the eras are indeed stages of the one Kingdom of God. We have seen, however, that the one Kingdom appears in two stages, and two only: The Kingdom of the Son, followed by the Kingdom of the Father; or, to use different biblical language, a temporary Era of (Gospel) Proclamation, followed by an eternal Era of Reward and Retribution. Apart from the disputed Revelation 20, the NT makes no mention whatsoever of a second, millennial stage of the Kingdom. As it was for the NT authors, so it is for us who live in these last days: the Kingdom is already and not yet. It has already come (in the Kingdom of the Son), but it is also yet to come (in fullness, in the Kingdom of the Father). In short, it appears in two stages, and two only. View of the Consummation The time-line also shows us that historic premillennarians look for two distinct Comings of Christ one at the end of the present evil age, and the other at the end of the Millennium. Because of this, they also look for two distinct resurrections, judgments, and transformations of nature. In short, whether they are willing to admit it or not, historic premillennarians actually look for two Consummations. Importantly, there are considerable differences of opinion among premillennarians as to how these Consummations will play out. At the first Parousia, who will be judged and who will enter the millennial Kingdom? What happens to the millennial saints when they die? Will they immediately receive their resurrection bodies, or will they wait in heaven as disembodied spirits until the second resurrection at the end of the Millennium? Also, how is it that Christ s glorious millennial reign ends in near universal rebellion against him and his people? Questions like these signal that something is fundamentally wrong with the premillennial system. In the course of our study, we have learned what it is: The NT consistently looks for a single Consummation centered on a single Parousia of Christ, which involves a single resurrection, a single judgment, and a single cosmic 1

2 transformation of the heavens and the earth. Premillennialism, on the other hand, looks for two Consummations, and two of each great of the eschatological events. This shatters the simplicity of the biblical picture and opens to the door to all kinds of questions and contradictions. Far better, then, to accommodate Revelation 20 to the true NT eschatology, rather than vice-versa. Far better to embrace the amillennial picture of the one Consummation. View of OTKP Historic premillennarians interpret OTKP basically literally. They treat OTKP s just as they do simple OT prophecies of the birth, life, death, and resurrection of the coming King. They treat them as photographs of the future in this case, as photographs of Israel and the nations living together in a future millennium (and beyond). We have seen, however, that this approach immediately plunges the interpreter into a great thicket of difficulties: apparent contradictions, historical anachronisms, a future return to the Mosaic Law, and more. Happily, we saw that the apostles do not interpret OTKP in this manner. Yes, they understood that God meant for simple Messianic prophecies prophecies fulfilled prior to Pentecost to be interpreted basically literally, and then to be used as a witness in the global proclamation of the Gospel. But they also understood that all true OTKP s prophecies fulfilled after Pentecost must be interpreted in a new and different way. They must be interpreted typologically, covenantally, and ecclesiologically; they must be interpreted on the premise that here the Holy Spirit was pleased to use OT ideas and images to speak mystically of the various blessings of life under the New Covenant; blessings that Christ would bestow upon his New Covenant people the Church, whether in the Kingdom of the Son or the Kingdom of the Father. In short, we saw that the apostles believed, taught, and demonstrated that all OTKP must be interpreted by a skillful use of the New Covenant Hermeneutic. Let us be grateful for it, for this hermeneutic provides the only possible way of escape from the maddening historical and theological contradictions into which prophetic literalism plunges the premillennial interpreter. View of the Revelation While historic premillennarians hold widely divergent views about the overall structure of the Revelation, all agree that chapters 6-19 speak more or less symbolically of events that occur prior to the Parousia, while chapter 20 speaks of events that will occur after the Parousia. We have seen, however, that this futuristic reading Revelation 20 immediately brings the premillennarian into conflict with the rest of the NT, which pervasively represents the Kingdom as coming in two simple stages, and which also represents the Consummation as a single Momentous Event surrounding the Parousia. There is simply no reconciling a future millennium with the rest of NT eschatology. There is, however, a way of escape. As we learned in Part 4 of our study, chapter 20 is actually one of six parallel cycles of visions, all of which describe the period of time between Christ s first and second advents. This is particularly evident from the striking similarities between chapters 12 and 20. Moreover, once we recognize that the first resurrection of 20:4-6 is spiritual rather than physical, it is easy to see how Revelation 20 symbolizes the course of the Era of Proclamation, and how the whole book now harmonizes perfectly with the rest of the NT. Summing up, we find that historic premillennialism plunges the biblical interpreter into inescapable conflict and confusion. When, however, we receive from Christ the Master Keys to the Great End Time Debate, all difficulties are resolved and the one true eschatology of the Bible rises in the darkness like the sun in its strength. My hope and prayer for my premillennial brethren is that they will receive those keys, and that they will soon come to rejoice in the amillennial dawn. 2

3 A CRITIQUE OF POSTMILLENNIALISM As we learned in chapter 3, postmillennialism is a species of amillennialism. Its distinctive characteristic is the expectation of a Golden Era of universal Christian faith, peace, and prosperity prior to the Last Battle, the Parousia, and the Consummation of all things. Like amillennialism, postmillennialism envisions the Kingdom of God as appearing in two stages: the Kingdom of the Son, followed by the Kingdom of the Father. However, unlike amillennialism, it posits that the Kingdom of the Son is itself divided into two stages. Beginning in NT times, the Gospel goes forth into the world. Amidst much tribulation it begins to prosper. Then, at some point late in the Era of Proclamation a point yet future to us, Satan is bound in such a way that the Gospel begins to make unprecedented advances. This is the second, millennial stage of the Kingdom of the Son. Importantly, most postmillennarians assert that the Millennium will begin with the conversion of the great bulk of ethnic Israel. Then, as Ken Gentry puts it, The Kingdom will grow and develop until eventually it exercises a dominant and universal gracious influence in a long era of righteousness, peace, and prosperity on the earth and in history. 1 This era could actually last more than a literal thousand years, since (unlike Augustine) most postmillennarians regard that number as symbolizing magnitude. Quite surprisingly, as the end approaches the glories of the Golden Era are suddenly overshadowed by a brief, Satanically inspired rebellion, in which the true saints of God will suffer much persecution. However, just as suddenly, the Lord will return to reverse the reversal, rescue his own, raise the dead, judge the world, and bring in the eternal Kingdom. Using our four questions, let us now critique this relatively unpopular eschatological option. View of the Kingdom On a positive note, postmillennialism does indeed embrace the basic NT understanding of the structure of the Kingdom, viewing it as entering history in two separate stages, separated by a single Consummation at the Parousia of Christ. The problem, however, lies with its view of the first stage of the Kingdom, the Kingdom of the Son (or the Era of Proclamation). Nowhere in the Didactic NT do we find any suggestion that it is divided into two sub-stages, or that it includes a long, future Golden Era. Quite to the contrary, our study has shown that whether we look at the teachings of Christ, Paul, Peter, or John, we always find these men girding the loins of the saints for constant opposition and persecution, yet also for measured success as God brings in his little flock through the faithful preaching of the Gospel (Mt. 24:9-14, John 10:16, Rom. 8:30, 1 Thess. 2:2, Titus 2:14, 1 Peter 4:12, 1 John 3:13, 5:19). In this regard, the Parable of the Wheat and the Tares is paradigmatic (Mt. 13:24-30, 36-43). There the Lord clearly assumes that all throughout the Era of Proclamation the tares will grow up alongside the wheat. Indeed, so abundant are the tares that the angels regard them as a threat to the safety of God s crop (Mt. 13:27-28). This is the template of all NT eschatology. Believers live and serve in the present evil age (Gal. 1:4). Always and everywhere, they struggle against the world forces of this present darkness (Eph. 6:12). To the very end, the world-system lies under the sway of the evil one (1 John 5:19). The Church is light shining in the everdeepening darkness of the world-system (Mt. 5:14, John 1:5). Her ongoing experience is one of Great Tribulation (Rev. 7:14). She is making a hard pilgrimage through the wilderness of a hostile world (Rev. 12:6, 13-17). The Last Battle will simply be the final and most extreme engagement of a perennial war. Where, in all of this, is there room for a Golden Era of peace, righteousness, and prosperity? 2 View of the Consummation Fundamentally, the postmillennial view of the Consummation is sound, since, like its birth mother (amillennialism), it looks for a single Consummation at the Parousia. Nevertheless, there are a number of serious problems, most of which involve its picture of the lead-up to the Consummation. First, postmillennialism errs in looking for the latter-day conversion of ethnic Israel prior to the Millennium; that is, prior to the so-called Golden Era. This is not the teaching of the NT, which looks for Israel s conversion at th 3

4 end of the millennium; that is, at the end of the entire Era of Proclamation. This is a serious mistake, since here postmillennialism effectively robs the Church of one of the three great signs of the imminence of the Parousia: the grafting of Israel back into the vine of Christ, after which we may soon expect life from the dead. Secondly, and even more seriously, postmillennarians vitiate biblical teaching on the Last Battle. Yes, they confess that a Last Battle will occur prior to the Parousia. However, by placing it on the far side of a Golden Era, they leave the Church looking first for a Golden Era (that will not come), and only then for the Last Battle (which, for postmillennarians, will come all too soon). In other words, this teaching effectively cuts the nerve of several powerful NT texts warning us that the Last Battle could fall quickly upon us, and that we must always be ready for it. It leaves a naively optimistic Church vulnerable to the shock of the sudden rise of the Antichrist, and to all the spiritual disillusionment that will inevitably flow from it. Again, this dire consequence is rooted in the postmillennarian s failure to see that the entire Era of Proclamation is a season of Gospel combat and conflict, a season of great tribulation (Rev. 7:14). Finally, postmillennialism tends to trivialize the Last Battle, and also the Last Judgment. Both are profoundly solemn events, events that will engulf huge swaths of humanity. Postmillennarians, however, regard the Last Battle as an unfortunate ripple upon the sea of the millennial era. Similarly, their distinctive eschatology eclipses the gravity of the Last Judgment by asserting that as a consequence of the Golden Era relatively few souls will be lost. On both counts, the NT sharply disagrees. Jesus said that throughout the Church era, and especially at its end, his disciples will be hated by all nations (Mt. 10:16ff, 24:9). John relates that the number of those who wage war against the eschatological camp of the saints will be like the sand of the seashore (Rev. 20:8). As for the ratio of the saved to the lost, we are wise, I think, to eschew undue speculation (Luke 13:22f). Nevertheless, it is sobering to recall that wide is the gate and broad the way that leads to destruction, and many go in by it; that Christ refers to his Church as a little flock; and that those will follow him upon the slopes of the eternal Zion are the firstfruits (i.e., a small, early part of the total harvest) of God and the Lamb (Mt. 7:13, 13:24-30, 36-43, Luke 12:32, James 1:18, Rev. 14:1-4, 14-20). We find, then, that despite its welcome nod to orthodoxy, postmillennialism gives us a flawed and potentially injurious view of the Consummation. View of OTKP Postmillennarians argue that a large number of OTKP s promise a global triumph of the Gospel in the Church Era (Psalms 72, 110, Isaiah 2:1-4, 65:17-25, Micah 4:1-3, Zech. 9:10, etc.). Like their amillennarian brethren, they see these prophecies as being fulfilled under the New Covenant. However, unlike them, they tend to view the prophecies as being fulfilled in the New Covenant Era of Proclamation, rather than in the Era of Reward and Retribution (i.e., the World to Come). Reading OTKP this way, they conclude that the OT promises us a Golden Era of Gospel success on this side of the Consummation. In the course of our study, I have addressed a number of these texts in some detail, using the NCH hermeneutic to show that they and all genuine OTKP s are fulfilled in the (conflicted) Era of Proclamation, the (perfected) World to Come, or both. We saw, for example, that Psalm 72 is not fulfilled exclusively in the Era of Proclamation, but that it often uses OT imagery to represent the Messiah s achievements in the World to Come. We saw that the NT consistently regards Psalm 110 as one of the Old Testament s most powerful portraits of the ongoing spiritual warfare of the Church Militant. We saw that Isaiah 2 and Micah 4 just like Psalm 72 refer to both stages of the Kingdom. As for Isaiah 65:17-25, it is not, as postmillennarian Marcellus Kik avers, a picture of the moral and spiritual revolution in human affairs fostered by the Gospel. Rather, it is simply a picture of the new heavens and the new earth, cast in the familiar tropes of the OT (1 Peter 3:13, Rev. 21:2). In all of this, we see yet again the vast importance of a skillful use of the NCH. Unless we are thoroughly grounded in NT eschatology unless we are perfectly clear about the nature and structure of the two-staged Kingdom of God we shall surely miss the true message of OTKP. Like their premillennial brethren, postmillennarians seek to impose a false reading of OTKP and Revelation 20 upon the Didactic NT. This turns things upside down. Instead, they should allow a true reading of the Didactic NT to guide them into a true understanding of OTKP. Only thus shall the OT and the NT be found to sing the same beautiful song! 4

5 View of the Revelation Like premillennarians, postmillennarians generally teach that the events described in Revelation 20 follow those described in Revelation 19: This means, of course, that Revelation 19:11-21 cannot be speaking of the Parousia/Consummation. Accordingly, Loraine Boettner argues that this text gives us... a vision setting forth in figurative language the age-long struggle between the forces of good and the forces of evil in the world, with its promise of complete victory. 3 In other words, it gives us Christ triumphing in the Era of Proclamation through the preaching of the Word of God. This results in a special binding of Satan, which in turn inaugurates the golden millennial era (20:1-3). In that era, the world will experience the first resurrection, by which postmillennarians mean a... restoration and vindication of the cause for which the martyrs died (J. J. Davis), or a rebirth of the martyr spirit (A. Strong). Vast numbers of millennial saints, now fully subject to the Spirit of the High King of Heaven, will reign victoriously on a peaceful and prosperous earth (20:4-6). 4 At the close of the Millennium, this global victory will seem, for the briefest of moments, to end in defeat, as Satan is released from his prison and leads multitudes against the faithful people of God. However, at his Parousia, Christ will swiftly intervene to destroy his enemies (20:7-10). This brings on the Last Judgment (20:12-15), which in turn brings in the new heavens and the new earth (21:1-22:21). By my lights, this is a serious misreading of the Revelation. As I argued earlier, Revelation 20 runs parallel to Revelation 17-19, and does not follow it chronologically. Revelation 19:11-21 most certainly does give us the Parousia, as do 6:12-17, 11:11-19, 14:14-20 and 20: The binding of Satan took place at the beginning of the Era of Proclamation, through Christ s work on the Cross; it is not still future, even to us who live 2000 years into that era (Mt. 12:29, John 12:31, Col. 2:15, 1 peter 3:22, Rev. 12:7f)! The first resurrection is not a revival of the martyr s cause or spirit, but the attainment of the joys of the Intermediate State by the spirits of the saints who die in the Lord (Rev. 14:13). And finally, the millennial reign of the saints does not take place upon the earth, but rather in heaven, where the sprits of the saints reign in life with Christ, even as they await the final triumph of life at the second resurrection : the resurrection of the body on the Day of the Lord Jesus Christ (Rom. 5:17, 1 Cor. 15:1f, Rev. 20:11-15). Conclusion Certainly we can be grateful to our postmillennarian brethren when they remind us that God has destined the Gospel to triumph in the earth; that it will indeed redeem a great multitude of believers out of every tribe, tongue, people and nation (2 Cor. 2:14, Rev. 5:9, 7:9). And certainly we can affirm with them that the advance of Christ s spiritual Kingdom both leavens and lightens the evil world-system in such a way as to have positive impacts upon its various institutions, whether cultural, political, or economic (Matt. 5:13-16). By all means, then, let individual Christians serve their Lord in every legitimate sphere of life, and let them be grateful whenever their presence produces a little change for the good (John 17:15). Yet for all this, postmillennialism remains a seriously flawed eschatology, perhaps even dangerously so. Its root problem is that it fails to understand God s true purpose in the Era of Proclamation, and therefore the true character of that era. God s true purpose is not to Christianize the Domain of Darkness, but rather to rescue a chosen people out of it and to transfer them into the Kingdom of his beloved Son (Gal. 1:4, Col. 1:13). This means that, from beginning to end, Christ s Kingdom and Satan s kingdom are in constant contact and conflict; that the Era of Proclamation is, above all else, a spiritual battlefield upon which we shall ever see a cosmic clash of the kingdoms. If received, the unbiblical doctrine of a future Golden Era will seriously undermine the spiritual health of the saints. It sets them up for disappointment and frustration, since the Era they dream of will never come, no matter how hard they toil for it. It distracts them from their true mission, which is not to transform the worldsystem, but simply to preach the Gospel, so that God may gather his chosen people out of it. It distorts the believer s hope, focusing it upon an illusory stage of Church history rather than upon the Consummation at Christ s return (1 Peter 1:13). It fails to prepare the Church for inevitable persecution, and also to warn her against the perils of the rising tide of lawlessness that will characterize the last of the last days (Mt. 24:12). And again, it effectively robs her of the three great signs by which she may know that the Coming of her Lord is at hand: the completion of the Great Commission, the conversion of ethnic Israel, and the Last Battle. 5

6 For all these reasons, I would invite my postmillennial brethren to come home to your true birth mother, to the amillennial eschatology that begot you. Truly, she has prepared her table well, and is eager to forgive, forget, and savor all good things with her beloved sons. A CRITIQUE OF DISPENSATIONAL PREMILLENNIALISM In chapter 3, I offered a brief history and theological overview of Dispensational Premillennialism. Throughout the course of this book, I have addressed and critiqued nearly every element of that system. In the present appendix, I will use our four questions to provide a brief summary and evaluation of this popular eschatological option. View of the Kingdom Classical Dispensationalism teaches that the Kingdom of God enters history at the onset of the Millennium. It was promised to ethnic Israel in the Abrahamic and Davidic Covenants, predicted and pictured in OTKP, offered to Israel in the days of Christ s flesh, rejected, and then postponed until the end of the Dispensation of the (largely Gentile) Church. After the Rapture, when Christ removes the Church from the earth, God s prophetic clock will begin to tick again. Just as Jesus did, 144,000 Jewish evangelists will preach the Gospel of the Kingdom, this time to all nations during a seven-year Tribulation. This Tribulation will end with the Parousia (i.e., Christ s Coming with his Church), at which time those Tribulation saints who have believed in Christ will enter his millennial Kingdom. Then Christ will sit on David s throne in Jerusalem, ruling and reigning over the nations. Many elements of the Mosaic Ceremonial Law will be revived as a memorial to Christ s work. Ethnic Israel will be the head, the Gentile nations will be the tail. According to some, the glorified Church will remain in heaven throughout the Millennium (though she will still have a mysterious share in Christ s millennial reign). According to others, she will rule with Christ on earth. Dispensationalists view this lengthy Kingdom Age as the true sphere of fulfillment of almost all OTKP. In passing, we should note that among Dispensationalists there is some difference of opinion as to the structure of the Kingdom. Classical Dispensationalists foresee a two-staged Kingdom: the Millennium and the World to Come, wherein the glorified Church will join with glorified Israel in the eternal worship of God. Progressive Dispensationalists, alive to NT teaching on the presence of the Kingdom in the Church, refer to the Church Era as the mystery phase of the Kingdom. In effect, they offer us a three-staged Kingdom of God. In the course of our study, we have seen that Dispensationalism more or less completely misunderstands the NT doctrine of the Kingdom of God. By way of review, four crucial points may be made. First, Dispensationalism misunderstands the nature of the Kingdom. As we have seen, Christ and the apostles taught that the Kingdom is simply the direct reign of God, through Christ, by the Spirit, over all who have entered the New (i.e., the Eternal) Covenant by faith. The Kingdom has nothing whatsoever to do with the theocratic institutions of the Mosaic Law, all of which have been fulfilled and rendered obsolete by Christ and the New Covenant. Secondly, Dispensationalism misunderstands the OT representations of the Kingdom. In OT history, the Kingdom was represented by national Israel by the Mosaic theocracy, especially as this existed under kings David and Solomon. In OT Kingdom Prophecy, the Kingdom was represented by an ideal Mosaic theocracy governed by God s latter day David, the Messiah. But as the NT makes clear, in both cases God was using physical persons, places, objects, and institutions to picture the spiritual elements and blessings of the New Covenant. For Dispensationalists, OTKP s are photographs of a coming physical kingdom; for the NT authors, they are symbols of spiritual kingdom that has come in Christ, and will in glorious fullness at his return. Thirdly, Dispensationalism misunderstands the structure of the Kingdom. As we have seen, the NT does not look for a future millennial stage of the Kingdom, but sees the Kingdom appearing in two simple stages. In the first, Christ reigns from heaven over the spirits of his pilgrim people. He does this through the Holy Spirit, and through the institutions of his new evangelical law. In the second, the Father and the Son reign over the 6

7 glorified spirits, bodies, and world of their resurrected/transformed people in the new heavens and the new earth. Happily, some progressive dispensationalists acknowledge that God s eschatological David does indeed now rule over his spiritual nation from his heavenly throne. But even these, by looking for a literal fulfillment of OTKP in a future millennium, tragically eclipse the centrality and glory of the greatest of all NT mysteries of the Kingdom: the heavenly mediatorial reign of the High King of Heaven. Finally, Dispensationalism misunderstands the people of the Kingdom. According to the NT, they are a great multitude taken out of every tribe, tongue, people, and nation; they are all who come by faith to Christ as Prophet, Priest, and King (Mt. 11:28f, John 6:37, 44, 65). God does not have two peoples, and he does not have two plans for two peoples: a Gospel of the Kingdom for the Jews, and a Gospel of Grace for the Gentiles. No, he has one plan: the New Covenant in Christ. And he has one people: those who enter the New Covenant through faith in him, whether Jew or Gentile. Henceforth, he has broken down the middle wall separating Jew and Gentile (Eph. 2:14). Henceforth, there is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, but all are one in Christ Jesus (Gal. 3:28). Henceforth, there is one flock (John 10), one Woman (Rev. 12), one Bride (Eph. 5), one Wife (Rev. 21), one Body (Eph. 5), one New Man (Eph. 2), one Olive Tree (Rom. 11), one City (Rev. 21), one Royal Priesthood (1 Pet. 2), and one Holy Nation: the one true Israel of God who will live with him forever (Gal. 6:16, 1 Pet. 2). Therefore, let no one rebuild what God has forever torn down (Gal. 2:18); let no one separate what God has forever joined together (Mt. 19:6). View of the Consummation For those steeped in the simplicity, power, and Christ-centered glory of the NT view of the Consummation, Dispensational teaching on this theme is deeply troubling. The great problem here is that Dispensationalism destroys the Blessed Hope of the Church by dismantling its unity; by breaking up the eschatological Diamond into pieces and sewing them like tiny sequins on a false time-line of future Salvation History. The result is eschatological controversy, confusion, and discouragement, none of which well serves a people upon whom the ends of the ages have now come (1 Cor. 10:11). But in order to be more specific, let us work our way through the relevant portions of the Dispensational timeline. The Dispensational vision of the Consummation begins with the Rapture, or Christ s Coming for his saints, when he secretly returns to the earth, raises the dead (Christians), transforms the living, and removes his glorified Church into heaven, thus marking the onset of a seven-year season of tribulation. We have seen, however, that this idea is not found in the OT, and that it is based on a faulty exegesis of a small handful of NT texts. In truth, the Rapture or the gathering together of all the glorified saints to meet the Lord in the air occurs at the one Parousia, when Christ returns in visible power and glory, raises all the dead, and judges all men before his glorious throne (Mt. 13, 25, 1 Thess. 4). Next comes the seven-year Tribulation, or the 70 th week of Daniel. Here, error abounds. We have seen, for example, that the Great Tribulation of Revelation 7:14 is the entire present evil age, wherein the saints have always been persecuted; that the permutations of three and a half found in the Revelation symbolize the entire Era of Proclamation as a season of persecution; and that the greatest tribulation of which Christ spoke in Matthew 24:21 is a brief season of unspecified length at the end of the age, a season of tribulation for both the Church and the world. Using symbolic language, Daniel spoke of this very season, describing it as the final seven (or week) of Salvation History; the week in which the Antichrist would rise to power, deceive the world, and persecute the saints (Dan. 9). So then, the Scriptures do not teach that the final season of tribulation will last seven years; and most certainly they do not teach that the Church will escape it. Quite to the contrary, whether in the Old or New Testaments, the Holy Spirit clearly reveals these solemn truths in order to prepare the saints to endure this brief final season of hardship this Last Battle as good soldiers of Jesus Christ (2 Tim. 2:3, 4:5). Next we have Christ s Coming with his saints, at which time he will (allegedly) judge the living nations that have passed through the Tribulation. Here the Dispensational error is at its worst, seeing that this view of the Parousia so egregiously empties the Consummation of its Christ-centered power and glory. As we saw in our journey, there is but one Parousia of Christ, not two (i.e., a Coming for his saints, followed by a Coming with his saints). Moreover, this Parousia is cosmic in scope, and absolutely ultimate in impact. Here Christ raises or 7

8 transforms all who have ever lived; here he judges all sentient beings, whether men or angels; here he destroys the old cosmos and creates a new one out of its ashes; here he lays down the completed Kingdom as a radiant trophy before his Father s feet, and concludes his Messianic reign, rather than begins it! Contrary to all this NT teaching, Dispensationalism has Christ s Coming affecting a small portion of humanity by a partial resurrection, a partial judgment, and a partial transformation of nature. Certainly our Dispensational brethren do not mean it so, but in point of fact their teaching on the Parousia runs sharply athwart the true purpose of God for the Consummation, grievously detracting from the unspeakable glory of the High King of Heaven at his return. Next comes the Millennium. As we have seen, by placing it in the future, Dispensationalists misrepresent the true structure of the Kingdom, and further disrupt the unity of the Consummation by requiring yet a third (stage of the) Consummation to occur at the close of the Millennium. Neither the Didactic NT nor the Revelation require or permit this, teaching as they do that the thousand years of Revelation 20 symbolize the lengthy era between Christ s first and second advents, in which the High King of Heaven applies and perfects the redemption that he purchased for his own during his days upon the earth. How wonderfully amillennialism unifies, simplifies, and illuminates all things, including the Consummation! We conclude, then, that the Dispensational view of the Consummation seriously departs from Scripture, needlessly robbing Christ of his proper glory, and needlessly confusing the saints by breaking up the one Consummation into multiple comings, resurrections, judgments, and transformations of nature. Surely, after so many years of confusion and controversy on this score, it is time for our Dispensational brothers seriously to rethink their position, so that in the difficult days ahead we all may stand firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the Gospel (Phil. 1:27). View of OTKP Classic Dispensationalists interpret OTKP s in a severely literal manner. Charles Ryrie asserts that this literal hermeneutic necessarily generates a premillennial system, and he is right: We cannot interpret OTKP s literally unless we find or create a stage of the Kingdom in which they can be literally fulfilled. We have seen, however, that going down this road immediately entangles the interpreter in a host of insuperable difficulties: historical anachronisms, apparent contradictions, a resurrection of the OT Law, a rebuilding of the wall between Jew and Gentile, and the problem of millennial conditions said to endure forever (Isaiah 60:21, 65:18, Jer. 17:25, 31:36, Ezek. 37:25, 43:7, Hosea 2:19, Joel 3:20, etc.). More importantly still, we have seen that the NT gives us a simple, two-staged Kingdom an Era of Proclamation, followed by the eternal World to Come, with the result that there is no simply room for a future Millennium. In effect, NT teaching demands that we approach OTKP (and Revelation 20) using an entirely different hermeneutic; a hermeneutic that interprets OTKP typologically, christologically, covenantally, eschatologically, and ecclesiologically. In short, it demands that we use the New Covenant Hermeneutic, precisely as Christ and the apostles taught us to do. Progressive Dispensationalists clearly feel the force of these arguments. As a result, they now bid their classic Dispensational brethren to join them in exploring a new hermeneutic. Recognizing, with the NT, that the Kingdom is indeed already and not yet ; that Christ, even now, is reigning upon David s throne in heaven; and that the Church, under the New Covenant, is indeed participating in the Abrahamic and Davidic covenants, these interpreters who still adhere to the basic the Dispensational picture of Salvation History argue that OTKP has a double fulfillment; that it speaks both of the Church Era, and also of a future Jewish Millennium. This is a step in the right direction. However, for reasons already explained, I am quite confident that my Progressive Dispensationalist brethren will find that it is but a first step; a first step in a long journey that can arrive at its happy destination only when they come home to the classic eschatology of their Protestant forefathers. View of the Revelation Earlier in our study, I argued that the true foundation of the entire Dispensational system is found in its distinctive (and unprecedented) interpretation of Daniel 9:24-27, the prophecy of the 70 weeks. According to this view, the great theme of Daniel s prophecy is Israel s future glory in the millennial kingdom (9:24). To attain this glory, she must traverse seventy sevens, that is, 490 calendar years. The 69 weeks began with Artaxerxes 8

9 decree to rebuild Jerusalem and ended at the birth (or triumphal entry) of Christ. Having described them, Daniel quietly leaps over the entire Church Era, for it must remain a mystery completely unforeseen in OTKP, reserved for Christ to reveal. Finally, he describes the last week, the 70 th. It begins at the Rapture, when Christ removes his Church to heaven, with the result that God s prophetic time clock for his OT people begins to tick again. This final week is nothing other than the Tribulation, repeatedly spoken of both in the Old and New Testaments. In the middle of this week, the Antichrist arises, bringing on a Great Tribulation of three and a half years. At the end of the Great Tribulation, Christ comes again with his Church and for his OT people, to destroy the Antichrist, judge the nations, and inaugurate the blessings of the Kingdom Age promised to Daniel and his people. Dispensationalists passionately believe that the Revelation confirms their interpretation of Daniel 9, and therefore of all Salvation History. To understand why, let us use our diagram briefly to sketch the Dispensational view of the structure of the Revelation. In chapters 2-3, the focus of John s prophecy is upon the Church on earth, rather than upon ethnic Israel. Here we are dealing with the (long) era between the 69 th and 70 th week of Daniel. Here we receive a prophetic foreview of entire Church Era. Yes, Christ was addressing seven historical churches. But in so doing, he was also giving us a glimpse of the seven stages of Church History,... the progress of its spiritual state until the end of the Church Age. 1 This truth is confirmed by the fact that after Rev. 3:22, the word church does not appear again in the Revelation. As in Daniel 9, so here: The main theme of the Revelation is God s dealings with Israel, so as to bring in the Kingdom Age. In chapter 4-5, the focus is now upon the Church in heaven. John has heard a voice, saying, Come up here (Rev. 4:1). His subsequent journey to heaven pictures the Rapture of the Church. According to Scofield, the 24 elders also represent the glorified, rewarded, worshiping Church, now in heaven because of the Rapture. Chapters 6-19 the great bulk of the prophecy give us the Tribulation, or the seventieth week of Daniel. During this time, 144,000 Jewish evangelists preach the Gospel of the Kingdom. As they do, manifold judgments fall upon the earth, with ever-increasing severity. While these chapters do contain brief looks backward and forward, the events here described unfold essentially chronologically. Says Scofield, The major continuity is provided by the events symbolized in the seals (6:1-8:1), trumpets (8:2-11:19), and bowls (15:1-16:21). 2 Chapter 20 gives us the great goal of Daniel s 70 weeks, the Kingdom Age, in which all OTKP is finally fulfilled. With Satan bound, Israel s Davidic King now reigns in Jerusalem over all the earth for a thousand years. Fundamentally, it is a time of peace, prosperity, longevity, righteousness, and joy. Nevertheless, it will end in conflict, and with a series of dramatic eschatological events: the release of Satan, another Last Battle, another resurrection of (the wicked) dead, and the Last Judgment at the Great White Throne. Concerning chapters 21-22, Dispensationalists hold conflicting views. All agree that 21:1-8 reveals the eternal state. But what of 21:9-22:7, in which John further describes the Holy City, New Jerusalem? Some argue that this is a retrospective, that it describes millennial conditions in figurative language. Others say it describes the eternal state. Still others say it describes the heavenly Jerusalem (filled with glorified saints) as it will exist during the Millennium, floating above the earth, so that the nations may walk by its light (21:4). Viewed in this overall perspective, the Revelation seems powerfully to confirm the Dispensational interpretation of Daniel 9, and therefore the entire Dispensational conception of Salvation History. Indeed, so closely do these two texts seem to harmonize with one another, and so powerfully do they seem to confirm one another, that Dispensational interpreters feel justified in forcibly imposing this paradigm on the rest of the NT. No matter that the Didactic NT teaches a completely different idea of the nature and structure of the Kingdom; no matter that it never once mentions a pre-tribulation Rapture, or a seven year Tribulation, or a two (or three) phased Parousia, or multiple resurrections, judgments, and transformations of nature; no matter that it pervasively teaches a single Consummation at a single return of Christ at the end of the present evil age. No, none of this matters, for even if the NT seems to teach the traditional eschatology of the historic Christian Church, now we know better; now, in Daniel 9 and the Revelation, we have discovered the true structure of Salvation History; and now we see that the Didactic NT must teach this view, even if, on the face of things, it obviously does not. 9

10 In the course of our study, I have sought diligently to probe these twin pillars of Dispensationalism. Indirectly, I have done so by going first to the proper locus of true eschatological truth: the Gospels and the Epistles. Having done that, and having confirmed from them the truth of the traditional amillennial eschatology, I proceeded directly to Daniel 9, then to the Revelation as a whole, and finally to Revelation 20. In all cases, we found that the Dispensational interpretations simply do not hold up under careful scrutiny. On the other hand, we also found that with a proper application of the NCH, all these texts are seen to teach and support the traditional amillennial view. It appears, then, that the Dispensational captivity of the evangelical church is traceable to an optical illusion, an illusion that might quickly have been dispelled had we all followed sound hermeneutical practice, turning first to the didactic clarity of the Gospels and the Epistles, and only then to the mystery and poetry of Daniel and the Revelation. Truly, it has been a costly mistake. By way of conclusion and by way of a final critique of the Dispensational view of the Revelation let us remember for just a moment what we learned in our study about the theme and structure of that most challenging NT book. Chapters 2-3 of the Revelation do indeed give us the High King s messages to the seven churches of Asia, and also to the Church Militant of all time. Possibly, they hint at the stages of Church History (though I think it is far better to see them addressing situations that can arise at any time in Church History). And yes, the word church does not appear again after 3:22. But does any of this mean that after chapters 2-3 Christ is no longer speaking to the Church about the Church? Hardly! John addresses the entire book to the Church (1:4). If the things which are pertain to the Church, is it not reasonable to conclude that the things which shall take place after these things also pertain to the Church? The entire book is a prophecy, a prophecy directed to the Church (1:3, 22:7, 10, 18-19). In chapters 2-3, Christ prophesies to the Church by way of exhortation. In subsequent chapters, he prophesies to the Church by way of prediction. When he does, he often uses OT symbols to speak to his NT people about their walk through wilderness of this world, thus highlighting the unity of the people of God of all time, and also giving us the grand finale of all Scripture. No, there is nothing here to suggest that chapters 2-3 exhaust Christ s message to or about the Church. Indeed, there is much to argue against it. In chapters 4-5, the Spirit does indeed call John up into heaven. His purpose, however, is certainly not to give him (or us) a picture of the Rapture of the Church, or to reveal the life of the Church in heaven after the Rapture. To the contrary, the Spirit s purpose is to show John things to come, so that he in turn can show them to the Church Militant, so that they in turn may be edified, exhorted, and encouraged (4:1). In all of this, John is indeed a type of the Church: not a type of the Church raptured, but a type of the Church Militant, which even now is spiritually seated in heavenly places, yet also physically walking, amidst great tribulation, through the wilderness of this evil world. Also, note well that the elders cannot symbolize the saints of the Church Age only, since there are 24 of them: 12 representing the OT saints, and 12 representing the NT saints. So then, in a great mystery, the 24 elders picture the Universal Church Jews and Gentiles, OT and NT saints seated in the heavenlies with Christ, watching him receive all authority from the Father so as to become the High King of heaven and earth; so as triumphantly to apply and consummate the redemption that he purchased upon the earth as the Lamb of God. The worship they offer has already begun, and it will resound to all eternity (Rev. 5:8-14). The Dispensational view of chapters 6-19 that it chronicles the ministry and vicissitudes of a Jewish remnant during a seven-year period of intense tribulation is simply incredible. As I have argued, it flies in the face of the stated purpose of the book, that Christ should prophesy to his Church. It flies in the face of the selfevident literary genre of the book (biblical apocalyptic), which in this case uses OT ideas and imagery to symbolize NT eschatological realities; realities that will befall God s NT people, the Church, during the period between the two advents. It flies in the face of a proper understanding of the 70 th week of Daniel. And it flies in the face of sound NT teaching on the Great Tribulation (i.e., the present evil age), and the greatest tribulation (i.e., a season of unspecified length that will bring it to a close). But most importantly, it flies in the face of the true structure of this section, which gives us six cycles of visions, each of which traces the inter-adventual era from beginning to end, closing with a symbolic depiction of the Parousia and/or its effects. Wonderful to say, this is actually a far more reasonable understanding of Revelation 6-19, since it truly fulfills the prophetic function of the book, which is to edify, exhort, and encourage the Church. It does so by assuring her that despite the manifold challenges of life in the Era of Proclamation, she 10

11 is well able to bear them, seeing that her Lord will nourish her in the wilderness of this world, bless her labors, protect her from her foes, vindicate her cause at the Judgment, and richly reward her faithfulness in the World to Come. How starkly all this contrasts with the troubling fruits of the Dispensational view, a view that deludes and weakens the Church with false promises of a rapturous escape from the serial judgments of the Tribulation wrath to come. As for Revelation 20, Dispensationalists rob Christ s Church of much-needed edification by banishing this crucial chapter to complete irrelevancy; by asserting that it speaks of a literal thousand years to follow the Parousia, and that it pertains, not to the Church, but to Israel and the millennial nations. We have seen, however, that in truth Revelation 20 traces for the sixth and final time the course, character, and consummation of the entire Era of Proclamation; that it faithfully teaches, warns, and comforts Christians concerning things to come prior to the Parousia, the Resurrection, and the Judgment of the Last Day. Far from being irrelevant, Revelation 20 is vital to our spiritual health. We dare not lose it. Finally, it is heart-rending indeed to see how their literalist hermeneutic plunges Dispensationalists into confusion and controversy over chapters 21-22; how it keeps them from decoding the rich OT symbolism employed here; how it keeps them from seeing the glorious Bride-City of Christ enjoying the fullness of eternal life with her Triune God in the World to Come; and how it keeps them from hearing and savoring the Grand Finale of the Grand Finale of all Scripture. My prayer, then, is that the High King of Heaven the glorious Christ of the Revelation may grant us all eyes to see and ears to hear, that we may better know both him and his truth, and may better serve him and his people in these last days (Rev. 1:8-20, 2:7, 3:18). A CRITIQUE OF PRETERISM As we learned in chapter 3, preterism is a school of prophetic interpretation that emphasizes the past fulfillment biblical prophecies dealing with the Consummation. Grounding their distinctive views in the Olivet Discourse (and especially Matthew 24), preterists lay great stress on the Jewish War (66-70 AD) and the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. Full preterists assert that all elements of the Consummation were fulfilled at that time; partial preterists say that many elements were fulfilled at that time, though the main ones still await the end of the age. In the course of our study, I have addressed most of the preterist claims, whether directly or indirectly. In this appendix, I will again use our four basic eschatological categories to summarize my criticisms of this view, which has gained some traction in Reformed circles. Full Preterism (FP) Again, FP is the view that the Consummation, whole and entire, occurred in 70 AD. For full preterists, the last days are the last days of the Mosaic Covenant, the (brief) period between Christ s ascension and his (spiritual) Parousia in 70 AD. During this time the whole (Jewish and Roman) world was evangelized, the fullness of ethnic Israel came in, the Antichrist (i.e., Nero) arose, and the Great Tribulation (i.e., the lead up to Titus invasion) occurred. Then, in 70 AD, the Parousia, the Resurrection, and the Last Judgment all took place: spiritually rather than physically. The Kingdom in its fullness appeared, the new heavens and the new earth arrived: spiritually, rather than physically. Since then, believers, at their death, are resurrected into the World to Come; unbelievers, at their death, are resurrected into the Lake of Fire: spiritually, rather than physically. You may ask, What then lies ahead for the physical remains of the saints, or for our sin-cursed earth? So far as I can tell, no full preterist seems to know. View of the Kingdom of God In agreement with amillennarians, FP s affirm that the Kingdom is the direct reign of God, through Christ, by the Spirit; that it is entered through faith in the Person and Work of Christ; and that it is, in essence, the promise of the Eternal Covenant. Also, they would agree that the Kingdom enters the world in two stages, though they conceive of these quite differently: the first began at Pentecost, the second at the destruction of Jerusalem. 11