Reformed theologian John Piper affirmed his belief that the second coming of Christ is coming soon and indicated that he is a premillennialist. Those are the views. The sting of death is sin, the power of sin is the law, thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.. This we think to be the sense, in general, of those scriptures, both in the Old and New Testament, which speak of the latterday glory. MacArthur is a fifth-generation pastor, a popular author and conference speaker and has served as pastor-teacher of Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California since 1969, and as President of The Master's College (and the related Master's Seminary) in Santa Clarita, California. And so, we stand steadfast, immovable. Now, the only thing that I ask is that you read it, and the only reason I ask you to read it is so that you may be what? Piper was responding to an "Ask Pastor John . Craig and his wife Fran have two daughters and reside in Centennial, Colorado. The Lords coming back: blessing, purity, stability, comfort. The bottom line is were in charge. That leaves me with the impression that God wants us not to question the length of its duration. In the world, things will get better and better and better as the church becomes more powerful and more influential. There have been premillennial (traditionally known as "chiliastic) movements, including some Reformed theologians, since the early church but most . There are two great elect people in the Bible: Israel and the church; and Israel is elect, as the church is elect - the New Testament is full of comments about the church being the elect. Another way to see this would be to ask this question: what other category of theology - what other category of theology except atheism - starts with the alpha privative and labels itself as believing in something that doesnt exist? Leave it to the semi-Pelagians and Pelagians, who go in and out of salvation; it makes sense for their theology. This is why the Church is so weak in our day. That in itself is an indication of Gods preservation for their future. by John MacArthur and Richard Mayhue (Chicago: Moody, 2012), 24. Its the same God, same terminology. ), We have, hence, sufficient ground to conclude, that, when these prophecies shall have their accomplishment, the interest of Christ shall be the prevailing interest in the world, which it has never yet been in all respects; so that godliness shall be as much and as universally valued and esteemed, as it has hitherto been decried, and it shall be reckoned as great an honour to be a Christian, as it has, in the most degenerate age of the church, been matter of reproach…. Erdman refers to the premillennialism of Asia Minor in the second century as "Asiatic millennialism.". #10. Do you know - are you watching this media? The Keller Center for Cultural Apologetics helps Christians show unbelievers the truth, goodness, and beauty of the gospel as the only hope that fulfills our deepest longings. Romans 11:28 . For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ - thats part of the coming eschatology. Let me condense that down, just squeeze it down to about 350 pages, because if people read this and understand it, theyre going to be blessed by God. And they said, Sure.. How could He hold them responsible for not believing? There isnt such a thing. Since the UK is now no longer a member of the EU, you may be charged an import tax on this item by the customs authorities in your country of residence, which is beyond our control. It makes no sense. Theres no sense in going in to all of that, except to say in both cases, they say there is no actual earthly reign of Christ fulfilling all Old Testament covenant promises. This morning John MacArthur opened the 2007 Shepherds Conference with a loud blast that will no doubt be heard around the Reformed world in the coming weeks. We know that, so our ambition is, when we get to that place, to be rewarded because we are pleasing to Him. They dont want to accept the fact that Adam and Eve were created full grown, male and female, not the result of an evolutionary process. Now, with regard to the coming kingdom of Christ, in which Christ rules as supreme and sovereign ruler, there are a number of views, but let me boil them down to three views - and these are good, and Ill give you a simple explanation so that you understand where we are going. Ive been here at Grace Church well, what - thirty-some years. God doesnt choose you, you choose Him. 4. Why bother? If you dont know what you believe about the future, you cant preach on it. Part of what we pray for in the second petition, Thy kingdom come, is that the gospel [be] propagated throughout the world, the Jews called, the fullness of the Gentiles brought in. In his commentary on the Larger Catechism, Thomas Ridgeley (16671734) wrote, Hence, we cannot but suppose that those prophecies which respect [to the conversion of the Jews], in the latter day, together with the fullness of the Gentiles being brought in, shall be more eminently accomplished than they have hitherto been. ((Thomas Ridgeley, Commentary on the Larger Catechism, 2 vols. After clicking 'Register', you will receive an email with a link to verify your account and to complete your registration. It has to matter to us. That is to say, while they understood that someone would come, they understood whatever it was that had been revealed to them, the timing was not clear, and the precise personages were not clear. Certainly, you have no idea what it means - neither does anybody else. The completed registration allows us to send order and donation receipts to the email address you provided. If you want to understand what the Bible says about the future, get these two things right: the sovereignty of God in election, and the promises of that sovereign, electing God to those people to whom He has elected - His redeemed church and Israel. These are dicult words to pronounce and even harder concepts to understand. John MacArthur and Richard Mayhue's new systematic theology titled Biblical Doctrine has many positive aspects. As more and more information comes to Him, and as He has more and more experience in dealing with the issues of His universe, Hes getting better at being God. This up to now has been more like a lecture, but turn to Revelation chapter 1, and just look at verse 3 for a moment. First of all, we commend Dr. MacArthur for his solid Biblical position on Israel, and that Israel has a glorious future in the plan and purpose of God. All right. . There were 1600 pastors from central Asia - the first Central Asian pastors conference in history after the breakup of the Soviet Union. Thats just two ways to look at the same thing. Its the whole point of everything else. And by what authority? Ridgeleys original work was titled A Body of Divinity: Wherein the Doctrines of the Christian Religion are Explained and Defended, Being the Substance of Several Lectures on the Assemblys Larger Catechism and was published in 1731.)) I dont know about you, but I really cant get too worked up about greenhouse gases. To say youre an amillennialist is only to tell me what you dont believe, and then you have to go to all of the passages of Scripture that talk about the kingdom and tell me why you dont believe they mean what they say. Out of their own mouth - whats wrong with that? Arminius did not believe in election; those who follow him do not believe in election. Help Grace to You bring important resources like this to people in your community and beyond, free of charge. Well, this is such a great chapter - verse 51: I tell you a mystery; we shall not all sleep. He has also written or edited nearly four hundred books and study guides. 13:79). Theyve been refined, clarified, expanded, enriched through these 50 years, but I was convinced when I started. Forfeited all its privileges, forfeited all those things that God declared in covenant that He would give to them in the future; and they forfeit it by their disobedience to the Mosaic Covenant, by their apostasy from true religion and by their rejection of their Messiah. All this panic about global warming, and all this panic about the end of the world and asteroids crashing into the earth? The other says there will be a kingdom. The English noun/verb "rapture" comes from the Latin noun raptura/verb rapio that is used 14 times in the NT.The basic idea of the word is "to remove suddenly or snatch away." It is used in the NT in reference to stealing/plundering (Matt. I think it matters. Most of the Reformers and the Puritans were postmils. John Fullerton MacArthur Jr. (born June 19, 1939) is an American Protestant pastor and author known for his internationally syndicated Christian teaching radio and television program Grace to You. Continue reading They also think that there is not to be a literal thousand-year kingdom as such, but thats just metaphoric for a long time; and it simply indicates whatever the duration of that period where the influence of the church dominates the world, after which Christ returns. The other says it is the kingdom. . They believe that salvation can be gained and lost. And youve been great tonight; this is more like a theological lecture. There are 73 references to Israel in the New Testament; each of them refers to Israel. Post-Millennialism, in stark contrast to Pre-Millennialism, believes that the Millennium occurs before Jesus' Second Coming rather than after. Turn to 1 Thessalonians chapter 4; 1 Thessalonians chapter 4. See more on the author's page Sung Wook Chung And there are others who believe that that refers to heaven; that refers to the experience of the saints in heaven. So, this is a classic perfect fit for Arminian theology. He made them in the past, when He didnt know what He now knows, because what was going to happen hadnt happened. Does the end matter? In other words, Piper believes Jesus Christ will come on earth and reign for 1,000 years. Another Rapture passage - great one - verse 16: the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, the trumpet of God, the dead in Christ shall rise first. And for most evangelicals, for most people who hold to a sound, biblical view and Reformed theology, they would live and die that the text of Genesis 1 through 3 means exactly what it says it means, because thats the only way to interpret Scripture. Now, against those two is the view called premillennialism; that means there will be a millennium and prior to that millennium, Jesus will come. Israel sinned, promises cancelled. Historic premillennialism is the view that Christ will return before the millennium. I have - they can try to terrify me with all this stuff; I am unmoved. Its not nearly as difficult as some people make it if you just take Scripture at face value. This is why its message is hated. He made an interesting connection between Genesis and Revelation. O.T. (Ridgeley, Commentary on the Larger Catechism, 1:563564.). We also applaud his insistence that the Bible must be interpreted literally, according to its normal sense. . I said, Sure - Ill take all day Friday, Ill tell you the future. So, I just marched them through the order of the chronology of eschatology as its laid out clearly, both in the Old and the New Testament, and I finished. Because when you understand Gods purpose for Israel, you now have the foundation for all eschatology; all eschatology. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. Because, you see, if it doesnt mean what it says it means, then any suggestion is as bad as any other suggestion. MacArthur pulled no punches in his messages saying things like Jesus, Peter, the writer of Hebrews, and James were all premillenial. Im unwaveringly committed to that. I had no idea what they believed - 1600 pastors and leaders from central Asia - Id never have even been there; and the group that led the conference came to me afterwards with smiles on their faces and said, You believe exactly what we believe. This isnt something for people who have been highly educated; this is something for people who havent been corrupted by education. Thats for people who dont know this; that the way history ends, is with Jesus coming and taking us away. Some people want to turn it into ages - theres nothing in there that does that; theres nothing in the text itself that does that. We chart the course and God reacts. Arminians - not Armenians, thats different; those who follow Arminius - did not believe in election. Similarly, the Westminster Directory for Public Worship instructed ministers to pray for the Propagation of the Gospel and Kingdom of Christ to all nations, for the conversion of the Jews, the fullness of the Gentiles, the fall of Antichrist, and the hastening of the second coming of the Lord. (Quoted in J. The world, as they see it, is in an ongoing golden process of progress. And again, I say, His election is divine, unilateral, unconditional and irrevocable. Guest. Calvin, though, was an amil, and DutchCalvinism, after a postmil start, has tended to be amil. Amillennialism, dispensational premillennialism, historic premillennialism, postmillennialism, preterism. When He comes, everything ends immediately. But they want to get God off the hook, so they say Hes really not responsible, Hes really not in charge of anything; Hes just trying to figure it out. My professors were a Who's Who of dispensational premillennialism: John Walvoord (then president of DTS), Charles Ryrie (author of Dispensationalism Today and The Ryrie Study Bible ), and J. Dwight Pentecost (author of perhaps the most influential text on the subject at that time, Things to Come ), just to mention the more well-known. I have even called thee by thy name Isaiah 65:9: Mine elect shall inherit it - the promises of God. The other looks at it as a spiritual kingdom also but says it will decline and decline and decline until Jesus finally comes. The church will move out of its own environs to capture nations, leaders, ideologies, philosophies, theories, religions, and bring them all into captivity to Christ. In his commentary on John 3:33, John Calvin wrote: "To believe the Gospel is nothing else than to assent to the truths that God has revealed." The sort faith that MacArthur rejects is what the Bible requires. The preconception is that we cant allow this to happen. We freely own, as what we think agreeable to scripture, that as Christ has, in all ages, displayed his glory as King of the Church, so we have ground to conclude, from scripture, that the administration of his government in this world, before his coming to judgment, will be attended with greater magnificence, more visible marks of glory, and various occurrences of providence, which shall tend to the welfare and happiness of his church, in a greater degree than has been beheld or experienced by it, since it was planted by the ministry of the apostles after his ascension into heaven. The Rapture, Antichrist, and Rebirth of Israel in Medieval Manuscripts. MacArthur's "dispensationalism" is eschatological and ecclesiological only. Hes improving; Hes definitely on the upward curve. In keeping with his view of faith, MacArthur denigrates "facts," "doctrine," "intellectual assent," and so on. Those who most celebrate the sovereign grace of election regarding the church and its inviolable place in Gods purpose, from predestination before the foundation of the world to glorification in the future, those who most celebrate the sovereign grace of election, those who most aggressively, most militantly, and most capably defend the truth of Scripture regarding this election being divine, unilateral, unconditional, irrevocable by nature, for the church - thats for us . Tell us about the future. They were in a very hopeless situation, having very little in life. Those who most celebrate the sovereign grace of election - thats the Reformed - they are typically amillennial. God filled the Bible with prophecy and much of it looking to the end. John MacArthur and Richard Mayhue, editors Moody Publishers 2012-02-21 Five faculty members of The Master's Seminary have written an excellent primer on what they call "futuristic premillennialism." This is a strong defense of pretribulational dispensational premillennialism. Did God do this but somehow mumble? Ligon Duncan and CJ Maheney (preaching tonight in the place of John Piper) both are Amil; Al Mohler and Mark Dever are both Historic Premil (I believe, correct me if I am wrong). Yet it is inconsistent with. But I want to approach this whole thing with you, as my congregation, the way I did with three thousand five hundred pastors a couple of weeks ago. This is process theology. Death, where is your sting? In fact, the worst evil thats ever been done on the history of the world was the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, and by that - the worst evil - He gained the greatest glory. And I can only tell you I am unwaveringly committed to the sovereign election of a future generation of Jews to salvation, and the full inheritance of all the promises and covenants of God given to them in the Old Testament. He blogs at Ordinary Pastor. Craig Blaising and Darrell Bock, Progressive Dispensationalism Israel and the church, and advocate for futuristic millennialism. It is one thing to omit them in formal obedience to the law; and another thing to omit them in prudence, or for necessity, because we cannot keep them. Let me give you a theology lesson here a little bit. But they never got around to eschatology; they never got around to applying their formidable skills. And in line with that, I want to try, at least, in the next couple of Sunday nights to establish a foundation for our understanding. When Frederick the Great called his chaplain in and he said, I want proof of the truthfulness of the Bible, and I want it briefly, the chaplain replied, Sir, I can give you proof of the truthfulness of the Bible in one word: Israel.. This makes two distinct judgmentsone for Christians and one for non-Christians after the millennium. But people are upset because MacArthur so badly misrepresented amillennialism, and because he defined "premillennialism" as though it were dispensationalism. Well see more about how that works. But, for certain, according to amillennialists, there will be no thousand-year reign of Christ on the earth. S. Lewis Johnson, Curt Daniel "The History and Theology of Calvinism" by Curt Daniel) and others affirm full soteriological Calvinism without adopting postmil or amil eschatology. There is another form of that view called amillennialism; amillennialism - and youve probably heard about that.