Slide 1 Bill Lockwood Slide 2 Louis Sperry Chafer Dispensationalism has now become one of the most firmly established features of Christian education. Slide 3 John Walvoord Premillennialism is more than a dispute on the twentieth chapter of Revelation and that instead it involves a system of interpretation of the entire Scriptures from Genesis to Revelation. The Millenial Kingdom, p. vii
Slide 4 John Walvoord Millennialism is of comparable importance to the doctrines of verbal inspiration, the deity of Christ, substitutionary atonement, and bodily resurrection. The Millennial Kingdom, p. 16 Slide 5 Dispensationalism? Eph. 3:2; Col. 1:25 Administration of affairs Όικονομια management, arrangement (See Vine s, 313) BUT: Scofield Reference Bible A dispensation is a period of time during which man is tested in respect to some specific revelation of the will of God (note to Gen. 1:28, p. 3). Slide 6 Dispensationalism? Seven Dispensations. 1) Innocence Gen 1:28; 2) Conscience Gen. 3:7; 3) Human Government Gen. 8:15; 4) Promise Gen. 12:1; 5) Law Ex 19:1; 6) Church Acts 2:1; 7) Kingdom Rev. 20:4.
Slide 7 What Shall We Say To These Things? 1. Dispensational Premillennialism basically takes that name because of the 7 th which declares there will be a future earthly kingdom wholly without Scriptural support. 2. Completely Arbitrary 3. This manner Scofield keeps church separate from kingdom Slide 8 Dispensationalism in History 1. The Appearance of Dispensationalism in History 2. The Rise of Dipensational Premillennialism in America 3. The Essence of Dispensationalism Slide 9 Dispensationalism in History
Slide 10 John Nelson Darby (1800-1882) Bournemouth, Dorset, England Slide 11 Physical Israel John Nelson Darby (1800-1882) God: Two Purposes Spiritual Israel: The Church Slide 12 Two Influences Jesuit Thinking Concerning Second Coming General Outlook that Current Political Events were Fulfillment of Bible Prophecy
Slide 13 Manuel De Lacunza (1731-1801) The Coming of the Messiah in Glory Jesuit Condemned RCC Priesthood Corrupt BUT: Futuristic View of Revelation Rivera: 1590 --argued that prophecies regarding Antichrist not fulfilled until 2d coming. In this way, he attempted to undermine the Protestant claims that the Roman papacy was the fulfillment of the Biblical Antichrist. Timothy Weber, On the Road to Armageddon, p. 270 Slide 14 Edward Irving (1826) Translated Lacunza s Work into English (1827) Albury Park Prophetic Conferences Henry Drummond (1826-1830) Slide 15 John Nelson Darby Millennial expectations are woven into the fabric of early nineteenth century life in Europe and America Ernest Sandeen, Church History, March 1967, p. 69 The events of the French Revolution were regarded generally as the fulfillment of prophecy and the impending end of the world was anticipated. John Zens, Dispensationalism, p. 3
Slide 16 John Nelson Darby The feeling was widespread that the 1260 years of Daniel 9 prophecy terminated in the French Revolution. Edwin LeRoy Froom, The Prophetic Faith of our Fathers, vol. VIII, p. 324ff William Miller: Set Dates for Christ s Return: 1843, 1844 Slide 17 John Nelson Darby The Brethren, The Plymouth Brethren Isaiah 32 change of dispensations at that time concerning Jew on earth The Jewish nation never to enter the church (The Hopes of the Church of God, 109) These principles had been hidden from the church for nineteen centuries but had been revealed to him Slide 18 Physical Israel John Nelson Darby (1800-1882) God: Two Purposes Spiritual Israel: The Church
Slide 19 C.H. Mackintosh The Messiah, instead of being received, is cut off. In place of ascending the throne of David, He goes to the cross God signified His sense of this act by suspending for a time His dispensational dealings with Israel. The course of time is interrupted. There is a great gap. Four hundred and eightythree years are fulfilled, seven yet remain a cancelled week, and all the time since the death of the Messiah has been an unnoticed interval a break or parenthesis, during which Christ has been hidden in the heavens, and the Holy Ghost has been working on earth in forming the body of Christ, the church, the heavenly bride. Slide 20 C.H. Mackintosh 1. Suspension of Prophetic Time Clock? 2. Gap? Cancelled Week? Postponed? 3. Current Time Unnoticed Interval? 4. Church Existed OUTSIDE OT Prophecy. It is vain to look into the prophetic page in order to find the church s position, her calling, her hope. They are not there. It is entirely out of place for the church to be occupied with dates and historic events (Weber, On the Road, 23) The Rapture?! Slide 21
Slide 22 Made 8 visits to United States and Canada Great success on the Two Peoples Theory Adherents did NOT leave churches to join The Brethren Slide 23 Slide 24 Brookes (St. Louis) did a great deal to make dispensational interpretation the predominant one in the conference movement by 1900 (C. Norman Kraus, Dispensationalism in America, 1958)
Slide 25 Brookes tutored in St. Louis Moves to Dallas, pastor of Congregational Church Reference Bible: made possible by Plymouth Brethren (1909) probably done more to extend premillennialism in the last half century than any other volume. Slide 26 It was not until the first decade of the 20 th century that Dispensationalism, with its rapture theory, and the separation of the 70 th week from the previous 69 weeks of Daniel 9, became general in the then newly forming Fundamentalist wing of Protestantism. Slide 27
Slide 28 1. Keeps Israel and the Church distinct a man who fails to distinguish between Israel and the church will inevitably not hold to dispensational distinctions. Slide 29 2. Dispensationalists employ a consistently literal principle of interpretation. This principle is at the heart of dispensational eschatology. Slide 30 3. Dispensationalists assert that God s purposes center in His glory, rather than the single purpose of salvation. God has more than one purpose. One for the church, the other for Israel.
Slide 31 It follows that if we read those principles into the present Dispensation, we are taking what God spoke by the prophets to the fathers (i.e. Israel) and reading them as though they were spoken to and about ourselves, in this present Dispensation. This procedure can only result in confusion. Foundations of Dispensational Truth, p. 21 Slide 32 If we forget the distinction between an earthly and a heavenly people, or in other words, if we lose sight of dispensational truth we will be thrown into inextricable confusion in attempting to understand the Scriptures. J.H. Brookes, Maranatha, p. 522,23 Slide 33 Comparing then, what is said in Scripture concerning Israel and the Church, we find that in origin, calling, promise, worship, principles of conduct and future destiny all is contrast. Scofield Bible Correspondence Course, p. 23-25
Slide 34 The dispensationalist believes that throughout the ages, God is pursuing two distinct purposes; one related to the earth with earthly people and earthly objectives involved, while the other is related to heaven with heavenly people and heavenly objectives involved. L.S. Chafer, Dispensationalism, 448 Slide 35 of prime importance to the premillennial interpretation of Scripture is the distinction provided in the NT between God s purpose for the Church and His purpose for the nation Israel. John Walvoord, The Millennial Kingdom, p. vii Slide 36 The Church and Israel are two distinct groups Dwight Pentecost, Things to Come, 193 A dispensationalist keeps Israel and the Church distinct The Church is a distinct body in this age having promises and a destiny different from Israel s Charles Ryrie, The Basis of Premillennial Faith, 12
Slide 37 ISRAEL V. CHURCH Slide 38 It originated in Darby s own hermeneutical principles (Fuller, Hermeneutics of Dispensational Premillennialism, p. 54) Slide 39 It is this conviction, that the Church is properly heavenly, forming no part of the course of events of the earth which makes the rapture so simple and clear. The Church belongs to the great parenthesis in God s purposes; and it would be contradictory to have her upon the earth when God s earthly purposes commence again. John Nelson Darby
Slide 40 John Walvoord It is not too much to say that the rapture question is determined more by ecclesiology than eschatology Dwight Pentecost The Rapture Question, p. 15,16 The Rapture rests on this dispensational interpretation of the Word of God. Slide 41 1. Heb. 1:1,2 Different Manners 2. Jewish. Disregards the NT. Pentecost: There is no question but that the literalism of the Jewish interpreters was identical with present day grammatical-historical interpretation. (Pentecost, Things To Come, p. 19) 3. Charles Ryrie: Other views are guilty of imposing the NT on the OT. (Dispensationalism Today) Slide 42 1. Ezekiel 34:23,24 David? 2. Mal. 4:5 Elijah? 3. Isa. 11:10 Root of Jesse? 4. Amos 9:11-14 Tabernacle of David?
Slide 43 The Dispensationalist finds various dispensation periods of stewardship which are NOT directly related to salvation. (Primary purpose to bless Israel nationally, not from sin!, bl) Mosaic Economy: Heaven was not among its rewards nor was hell among its punishments. The Millennial Kingdom, p. 80 Slide 44 1. SALVATION FROM SIN (Matt. 1:21; Acts 3:26; 1 Pet. 1:19,20) 2. ONE FLOCK (John 10:14-16) 3. ONE NEW MAN (Eph. 2:11-18) 4. ONE BODY of CHRIST (Eph. 1:22,23; 4:4) Slide 45
Slide 46 All things now FINISHED (τετέλεσται. Pfc, fulfill, finish, complete) Scripture might be ACCOMPLISHED (τελειωθη Very remarkable. Consummated. Perfect completion of whole prophetic image. B.F. Westcott, Speaker s Commentary, 277) Slide 47 1. Keep Israel and Church Separate 2. A Consistent Literal Interpretation 3. God Has TWO Purposes Primary Purpose Not Salvation ERROR Titus 1:14 Jewish Fables 1 Tim. 1:3,4