In the early years of my
Christian life I firmly believed in a premillennial second coming and a
pretribulation rapture. Then in 1990 I read an article in the magazine “Israel
My Glory” that refuted postmillennialism, and the author used so many logic fallacies
that I decided to do a more objective and thorough study of Bible prophecy to
either reaffirm my belief or learn if I am in error. I am not attempting to
cross swords or make enemies; I am simply hoping to encourage you to study this
further.
Dispensationalism
replaces New Testament interpretations of Old Testament prophecies concerning
Israel with Zionist teachings and interprets the historical and poetic books of
the Old Testament and the Gospels and Epistles of the New Testament in the
“light” of extra-biblical teachings and pet theories about the interpretation
of passages of prophecy in prophetic books (especially Daniel, Zechariah, and
Revelation). In many Christian circles a popular and growing trend in the study
of eschatology has been to interpret passages of Bible prophecy through the
lens of current headlines, distort facts and scriptures to make every passage
of Bible prophecy appear to be a literal narration of end time events, try to
make every current event fit the mold of pet theories about the fulfillment of
Bible prophecy, support theories and predictions by cross referencing unrelated
passages of Bible prophecy, and try to make dispensationalist theories into
criteria for Christian fellowship. Many insist that their pet theories are
above scrutiny and base their teachings, plans, goals, and decisions on things
they obviously do not and cannot know, and are not revealed in Scripture, and
this tends to detract from important truths and issues and make Christianity
look silly. What is wrong with this picture? First, the Holy Bible is the final
authority and Scripture itself, comparing Scripture with Scripture, is the key
to understanding Scripture: Bible passages must be understood in relation to
context and the whole Bible, and difficult passages must be understood in
relation to clear passages. (Psalm 119:130; I Corinthians 2:13; II Timothy
2:15)
Theories on eschatology that
have become popular in Christian circles often promote a
neutrality or isolation that rejects or prevents interaction between
Christianity and culture and encourages believers to withdraw from society and
be neutral because of preoccupation with speculations about things which they
obviously do not and cannot know. (Consider Acts 17:6-7) Those who study Bible
prophecy merely to find a schedule of future events have missed the purpose of
prophecy: Prophecy (even prophecies fulfilled long ago) teaches us about God
and His truths, principles, standards, and Providence. (Ephesians 1:11) Rather
than seeing history as HIS story and recognising God as the present ruler of
the earth Who intervenes in human history and ultimately controls everything,
many have adopted a worldly view of history, such as the Humanist, Cyclical,
and Marxist views of history. (Romans 12:2; Colossians 2:8) Many even insist
that world conditions must continually go from bad to worse because they
believe Satan rules the Earth, but nothing in the Bible ever indicates that God
has ever abdicated His throne and turned rulership over to Satan. (I Chronicles
29:11-12) Many Bible prophecies that are being applied to the second coming of
Christ are fulfilled prophecies (e.g., Return from Babylonian captivity,
destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD, etc.). When someone makes a ministry of making
predictions and one or some of his predictions come true it is often assumed
that this puts him and all his teachings above scrutiny. (Making a correct
prediction could be considered inevitable if someone keeps making predictions.
This certainly is not rightly dividing the Word of God but is putting men and
theories of men above God’s Word.)
Prophecy preachers and
theorists often predict a world where demonised and satanic people hold public
offices after the rapture, but this has been a characteristic of the world for
thousands of years. (Consider Matthew 4:8-10) Satan rules in the hearts of
unbelievers, the wicked world system, but God is the present ruler of the Earth
and ultimately controls everything, and nothing in Scripture indicates that God
ever abdicated his throne or turned it over to Satan. (II Corinthians 4:4; I
Chronicles 29:11-12) Salt cleanses, purifies, preserves, and makes people
thirsty, and light dispels darkness; government corruption and social maladies
are signs of a lack or decline in Christian influence or an increase in
exposure of corruption, not signs of the Second Advent. (Matthew 5:13-16)
QUESTIONS FOR DISPENSATIONALISTS AND PREMILLENNIALISTS:
·
What is the basis for insisting that the
Millennium of chapter twenty of the Book of Revelation, an extremely symbolic
book, is a literal one-thousand-year period?
·
Is the word "thousand" always
used in the Bible in the absolute mathematical sense and never to mean a great
number or amount? (E.g., Psalm 50:10; II Peter 3:8; etc.)
·
Where does the Bible explicitly teach that
Christ will reign on earth for a literal thousand years?
·
Do you argue for a completely literal
hermeneutic while insisting that some parts of the Bible are figurative,
allegorical, or typical? (E.g., Revelation 1:4, 20; 17:9-12; etc. Whether some
parts of the Bible are figurative, allegorical, or typical is not the issue,
which parts of the Bible are figurative, allegorical, or typical is the issue.
The thousand years in Revelation 20 is in a context of obvious symbolism and is
a figurative expression indicating an indefinitely long period of time.)
·
Where does the Bible explicitly teach that
the antichrist will make a covenant with the Jews and then break it?
·
Have you carefully studied to learn for
yourself if Bible prophecies that are being applied to the second coming of
Christ might be fulfilled prophecies (e.g., return from Babylonian captivity,
destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD, etc.)?
·
How do you reconcile the teaching that
Christ sitting on the throne of David is a future event with Acts 2:29-36?
(Also, Matthew 28:18; I Corinthians 15:20-28; Ephesians 1:18-23; Hebrews 1:8)
·
How do you reconcile the teaching of a gap
between the resurrection of the saved and the resurrection of the unsaved with
John 5:28-29?
·
How do you reconcile the teaching that in
Matthew 24:4-33 Christ gave signs of the Second Advent to be seen by people
living centuries later with Matthew 24:34? (After verse thirty-four the subject
changes to the second coming of Christ and the discourse does not give us any
visible signs or verifiable events to precede the Second Advent except people
carrying on with their lives unaware in the final phase of history after the
long period of righteousness. -Matthew 24:36-39)
·
What is the basis for insisting that “This
generation” in Matthew 24:34 does not refer to people then living? (Consider
Matthew 11:16; 12:39; 17:17; 23:36)
·
If Christ wanted Matthew 24:34 to mean
that Matthew 24:4-33 would be completely fulfilled within the lifetime of
people then living how would he have changed the wording of Matthew 24:34 and
the context thereof?
·
How is Matthew 24:14 the Great Commission
given in Matthew 28:18-20? (In any language words often have various possible
meanings which depend on context. Matthew 24:14 is part of a prophecy about the
destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD and is saying the gospel would be preached
throughout the Roman Empire before the destruction; compare the use of word
"world" elsewhere. For example, did Caesar Augustus tax everyone on
the entire planet or everyone in the Roman Empire? [Luke 2:1] Matthew 28:18-20
refers to the entire inhabited earth and verse twenty refers to the Second
Advent as Christ began with "All power is given unto me in heaven and in
earth. Go ye therefore ...." Matthew 24:14 was fulfilled before the
destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. [Romans 1:8; 16:25-26; Colossians 1:5-6,
23])
·
Doesn’t the Jewish War of 66-70 AD qualify
as a “great tribulation,” and if not, then why not? (Matthew 24:21)
·
If the great tribulation is global, why
were people living in Judea warned to flee to avoid the great tribulation?
(Matthew 24:16)
·
If Matthew 24:30-31 refers to the Second
Advent why is the Greek word Erchomia (“coming”) used in the Greek text of
Matthew 24:30 instead of Parousia? (Christ used figurative language to say that
people would see the evidence or sign of His coming in judgment against
Jerusalem in 70 AD. Followers of Christ were destined to occupy all nations and
gather the elect from all peoples, and Christianity did spread and prevail
after this period.)
·
Do references to the “last days” give
signs or conditions to indicate to people of our generation that the end of the
world is near, or does the term "last days" refer to the Christian
era? (Compare Joel 2:28-32 & Acts 2:16-21; II Timothy 3:1; Hebrews 1:1-2;
II Peter 3:2-3. The Old Testament served as the “days of old” and “former
years” that gave way to the “last days” that started at the First Coming of
Christ. - Malachi 3:4. Note that Christ was upon the earth during the “last
days.” -Genesis 49:1 & 10; Hebrews 1:1-2; Hebrews 9:26. The instruction
"from such turn away" indicates that the previously described
conditions in chapter three of II Timothy existed at the time this epistle was
written. -II Timothy 3:5. Consider Isaiah 2:2-4 and Micah 4:1-3 and note that the
New Testament church of Jesus Christ is Mount Sion [Zion] and heavenly
Jerusalem. -Hebrews 12:22-23)
·
If II Timothy 3:2-5 is a list of signs or
conditions prior to the rapture, then how many times has the rapture occurred
over the last two thousand years?
·
If God wanted II Timothy 3 to be a warning
of perilous times resulting from conditions that have been characteristic of
the world, in greater and lesser degrees throughout Christian history, and a
warning or reminder that the advance of Christianity would be accompanied by
efforts of enemies of the Gospel to thwart the Lord’s work through persecution
from without and corruption from within, how would he have changed the wording
of II Timothy 3?
·
What is the basis for insisting that
Philippians 4:5 does not say “the Lord is at hand” in the sense that God is
near His people? (Psalm 46:1; 145:18)
·
What is the basis for insisting that “the
end of all things” in I Peter 4:7 is not an obvious reference to the
destruction of Jerusalem and the temple around which the Jewish world revolved
in the first century?
·
If nearly two thousand years ago the New
Testament taught that the Second Advent was near, wouldn’t that mean the Holy
Bible contains error?
·
Where does the Bible say that the
establishment of the modern state of Israel relates to the Second Advent or the
end or fulfillment of "the times of the Gentiles?"
·
Why did God use singular pronouns instead
of plural pronouns when addressing Abraham in the Hebrew text of Genesis 12:1-3?
·
Does a comparison of 1948 USA with modern
America indicate that alliance with Israel brought blessings or curses?
·
How do you reconcile the teaching that the
land promise made to Israel is yet to be fulfilled with Joshua 21:43-45 &
23:14-15?
·
Where does the New Testament explicitly
support the teaching that the land promise made to Israel is yet to be
fulfilled?
·
If God has two different plans for Jews
and Gentiles, why does the New Testament say there is no longer a distinction?
(Romans 1:16; 10:12; Galatians 3:28; Colossians 3:11)
·
Where does the New Testament say that Old
Testament prophecies about Israel have their fulfillment in the modern state of
Israel and not the Church?
·
Where does the Bible say the temple will
be built a third time, and if the Bible foretells a rebuilt Jewish temple why
does the Bible say that God does not dwell in man-made temples anymore and that
Christ is the new temple? (Acts 7:48, 17:24; John 2:19-21; Revelation 21:22)
·
Why do all the New Testament passages
comparing Israel to a fig tree point to Jerusalem’s destruction (not
restoration)? (e.g., Luke 13:6-9)
·
Why does dispensationalism divide
justification by law and grace even though both law and grace are present in
both the Old Testament and the New Testament? Doesn’t the New Testament teach
that Old Testament saints were saved by faith? (Romans 4:1-8) Didn’t God preach
the gospel beforehand to Abraham? (Galatians 3:8) Didn’t Paul quote the Old
Testament in Galatians 3 to prove that nobody is justified by the law? Doesn’t
Hebrews 10:4 teach that nobody was ever saved by animal sacrifices? Doesn’t the
New Testament clearly teach the necessity of obedience to the moral law?
(Matthew 5:19; Matthew 7:16-20; Matthew 13:36-43; Matthew 25:31-46; Romans
2:13; 3:31; James 2:10-17)
·
Does “no man” in John 14:6 include both
Jew and Gentile?
·
How do you reconcile the teaching that
Christ’s earthly kingdom will be set up in earthly Jerusalem with John 4:21?
·
How do you place Zechariah 13:8 somewhere
in the future when the New Testament places the previous verse in the time of
Christ, making it obvious that Zechariah 14:2 is a reference to the destruction
of Jerusalem in 70 AD? (Zechariah 13:7; Hebrews 13:20)
·
How do you reconcile the teaching that the
Second Advent will bring about the establishment of an earthly kingdom of
Israel with the New Testament teaching that the Second Advent will bring the
sudden destruction of the heavens and the earth? (II Peter 3:10-12)
PROBLEMS WITH CHRISTIAN ZIONISM
“Therefore say I unto
you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing
forth the fruits thereof.” (Matthew 21:43) Let us suppose that one of your
neighbors began a building project and persuaded others to participate in this
building project and let us suppose that when you asked what they are doing
they explained that they are building an ark according to the instructions in
Genesis 6:14-16 in preparation for a global flood. What would be your reaction
if, after you told them this is unnecessary because those commands applied to
Noah, they explained that this is in the Bible and they are being obedient to
God’s commands?
God's covenant with
natural Israel was a conditional covenant. (Deuteronomy 4:23, 26-27; 28:15,
49-53; Jeremiah 31:36; Micah 3:9-12) The Old Testament requirement of the
obedience of faith and genuine repentance removed Israel as a special nation,
as natural Jews as a people cast off God's Word for their human traditions and
rejected Christ. (Numbers 15:30-31; Matthew 15:1-9; 21:43; John 8:33-44, 47) In
the first century many Christians were unfairly judging one another on the
basis of the observance or neglect of circumcision, the seventh-day Sabbath,
Jewish holidays, dietary restrictions, and other aspects of the Old Covenant
that separated or distinguished natural Jews from Gentiles as a result of the
teaching that Jewish priority and privilege is perpetual; those laws were based
on principles and truths that did not change, but their application changed
under the New Covenant. (Consider Matthew 5:17 & Romans 3:31) The New
Testament makes it clear that the real issue was whether anyone should really
be considered a Jew without first becoming a Christian as the Church is a
continuing body in the Old Testament and the New Testament and the New
Testament Church is the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy concerning
Israel. (Acts 2:16-21; 15:15-17; Romans 2:28-29; 9:6-8; Galatians
3:7,16-19,24-29; 4:21-31; Hebrews 10:15-17; 12:22-24; I Peter 2:9. Note that
while in the New Testament a church normally means a local body of Christians,
the redeemed are also collectively referred to as the church. -Matthew
16:13-18; Hebrews 12:22-23; etc.) Old Testament prophecy about restoring Israel
was fulfilled by the calling of the Gentiles to be God’s people. (Compare Amos
9:11-12 & Acts 15:13-17; compare Hosea 1:10; 2:23 & Romans 9:22-26) The
prophecy of the New Covenant that is made with the house of Israel is fulfilled
in the New Testament Church. (Jeremiah 31:31-34; Matthew 26:26-28; Mark
14:22-24; Luke 22:19-20; I Corinthians 11:23-25; II Corinthians 3:5-6; Hebrews
8:6-13; 10:14-18) Dispensationalists promote the teaching that Jewish priority
and privilege is perpetual and that God is working through two distinct bodies
of people, natural Israel and the Church, by claiming that Old Testament
prophecies about Israel have their fulfillment in the modern state of Israel
even though the New Testament teaches that those prophecies have their
fulfillment in the church.
THE MILLENNIUM OF REVELATION 20
Premillennialists claim
that Revelation 20 teaches that Christ returns before the Millennium because it
presents Christ as on the throne and Satan bound, but Revelation 20 does not
say or imply that the return of Christ is prior to the Millennium. Jesus Christ
sat down at the right hand of the Father when He ascended to heaven after His
resurrection. “Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch
David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this
day. Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to
him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up
Christ to sit on his throne; He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of
Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see
corruption. This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses.
Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the
Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see
and hear. For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The
LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, Until I make thy foes thy
footstool. Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath
made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.” (Acts
2:29-36) “Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such
an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in
the heavens.” (Hebrews 8:1) “And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful
witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the
earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood.”
(Revelation 1:5)
The Millennium of
Revelation 20 began with the binding of Satan at the first advent. “And he laid
hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound
him a thousand years.” (Revelation 20:2) “But if I cast out devils by the
Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you. Or else how can one
enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the
strong man? and then he will spoil his house.” (Matthew 12:28-29) “And the
seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto
us through thy name. And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall
from heaven. Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions,
and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.
Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but
rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.” (Luke 10:17-20) “Now
is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out.”
(John 12:31)
“And cast him into the
bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should
deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and
after that he must be loosed a little season.” (Revelation 20:3) The Devil is
bound in that he is unable to deceive the nations in the way he did prior to
the first advent when only natural Israel knew the true God. After the first
advent the Gospel is preached to all nations. (Isaiah 2:2-3; 11:10; Matthew
28:18-20; Luke 2:32; 24:47; Acts 1:8; 13:47)
Christ will return at the
end of the millennium. “And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be
loosed out of his prison, And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in
the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to
battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. And they went up on the
breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the
beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them. …
And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were
opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead
were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to
their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell
delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man
according to their works.” (Revelation 20:7-9, 12-13; John 5:28-29; II
Thessalonians 1:7-9)
There will be a general
bodily resurrection of the dead at the Second Advent after the Millennium and
the Bible does not teach a gap between the resurrection of the saved and the
resurrection of the unsaved. The use of the singular word “hour” (Greek: Hora)
in John 5:28 makes it clear that the resurrection of the saved and the
resurrection of the unsaved take place in the same period. “Marvel not at this:
for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his
voice, And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of
life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation. (John
5:28-29)
“And I saw thrones, and
they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of
them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and
which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his
mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with
Christ a thousand years. But the rest of the dead lived not again until the
thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy
is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath
no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with
him a thousand years.” (Revelation 20:4-6) The first resurrection is the new
birth; those who are born again have been raised from the dead spiritually.
There are two resurrections: one is taking place now through the salvation of
sinners and the other is the future physical resurrection of the dead. (John
5:21-29; Romans 5:17, 21; 6:11-23; Ephesians 1:20-2:6; Colossians 3:1-3; also
consider I Peter 2:5, 9)
THE SCOPE OF THE GOSPEL
The Bible does not limit
the scope of the Gospel. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only
begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have
everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world;
but that the world through him might be saved.” (John 3:16-17) “And I, if I be
lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.” (John 12:32) “But not as
the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many
be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one
man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many. And not as it was by one that
sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the
free gift is of many offences unto justification. For if by one man's offence
death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of
the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.) Therefore
as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by
the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of
life. For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the
obedience of one shall many be made righteous. Moreover the law entered, that
the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:
That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through
righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 5:15-21) “To
wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing
their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of
reconciliation.” (II Corinthians 5:19) “I exhort therefore, that, first of all,
supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all
men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and
peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in
the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come
unto the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one mediator between
God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be
testified in due time.” (I Timothy 2:1-6) “And he is the propitiation for our
sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.” (I John
2:2) “And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the
Saviour of the world.” (I John 4:14)
Did Christ limit the
scope of the Gospel? "Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the
gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be
which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which
leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it." (Matthew 7:13-14)
Matthew 7:13-14 is descriptive, not prescriptive; in the context of the time
few Jews would recognise or acknowledge Jesus as the Christ and many would be
killed in the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD and the Roman war against
Judea. (Luke 19:41-44)
If you plant seeds in
your garden or field and then later look at the seeds or watch your garden or
field at any point in time between planting and harvest it will likely appear
that nothing is happening, and this is also true of the Christianisation of the
whole world. “The kingdom of God cometh not with observation.” (Luke 17:20b)
“Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like
to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field: Which
indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest
among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge
in the branches thereof. Another parable spake he unto them; The kingdom of
heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of
meal, till the whole was leavened.” (Matthew 13:31-33) “And he said, So is the
kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground; And should sleep,
and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not
how. For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the
ear, after that the full corn in the ear.” (Mark 4:26-28)
While the world will
eventually be a field of wheat instead of a field of tares, we can expect to
have some tares among the wheat until the Final Judgement at the Second Advent.
The Bible does not teach a form of universalism that says there will come a time
before the Second Advent in which everyone will be perfect or even that every
individual will be saved; the eventual worldwide conversion will be
majoritarily, not universally. (Matthew 13:24-30)
Scriptures present the
Church as victorious. (Matthew 16:17-19; 28:18-20; II Corinthians 10:3-5; I
John 4:4)
The Second Advent will be
after worldwide conversion. (Acts 3:21; Hebrews 1:8 & 13; 10:12-13) Note
that Christ came to destroy the works of the Devil and be the saviour of the
world. (I John 3:8; 4:14)
“Repent ye therefore, and
be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing
shall come from the presence of the Lord; And he shall send Jesus Christ, which
before was preached unto you:” (Acts 3:19-20) Acts 3:19-20 is the promise of
the sending of Jesus Christ in salvation while He is not physically present.
(John 14:23-26; Romans 8:9; Ephesians 2:17-18) The focus of the context is what
had been done to Christ. (Acts 3:14-18) Peter was not telling the Jews that if
they repent God will send Christ to them thousands of years in the future,
Christ was being presented to them right then. The resurrection and exaltation
of Christ provides for the sending of Christ to lost sinners. (Acts 3:26)
“Whom the heaven must
receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by
the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.” (Acts 3:21) Christ
must physically remain in heaven “until the times of restitution of all
things.” This restitution is a fulfillment of that “which God hath spoken by
the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.” (Psalm 2:8; 22:27;
72:11; 86:9-10; Daniel 2:35, 44; Isaiah 2:2-4; 9:1-7; 11:1, 9; Micah 4:1-3;
etc.) It is a process leading to the reformation of the fallen world as a
system and where Christ’s kingdom grows and advances. (John 1:29; 3:17; 4:42;
Matthew 6:9; 13:31-33; I Corinthians 15:20-27; Hebrews 9:10)
DISPENSATIONALISM – CATEGORIZED SCRIPTURE LIST
Is the Pretribulation Rapture Biblical?
Moses or Christ? Paul's Reply To Dispensational Error
A Non-millennial Interpretation of Romans 11
The Threat of Christian Zionism
AN EXAMINATION OF DISPENSATIONALISM
Dispensational Approach to Interpreting the Bible
The Triumph of the Church: A Biblical Defense of Postmillennialism
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