Q & A on Classic Dispensationalism Q. According to Classic...
Transcript of Q & A on Classic Dispensationalism Q. According to Classic...
Q & A on Classic Dispensationalism © 2004 by R W Glenn 1
Q & A on Classic Dispensationalism
Q. According to Classic Dispensationalists, do people die during the millennium?
A. Yes. “Longevity is restored, but death the ‘last enemy’ (1 Cor. 15:26) is not destroyed till after Satan’s rebellion at the end of the thousand years (Rev. 20:7-14).”1
Q. According to Classic Dispensationalists, what happens to people who die during the millennium?
A. It is difficult to tell. Here is what Scofield says:
The ‘first resurrection,’ that ‘unto life,’ will occur at the second coming of Christ (1 Cor. 15:23) the saints of the O.T. and church ages meeting Him in the air (1 Thess. 4:16, 17) while the martyrs of the tribulation, who also have part in the resurrection (Rev 20:4) are raised at the end of the great tribulation….
After the thousand years the ‘resurrection unto judgment’ (John 5:29) occurs. The resurrection-body of the wicked dead is not described. They are judged according to their works, and cast into the lake of fire (Rev 20:7-15).2
The fate of the unrighteous is clear; they will be resurrected for purposes of judgment. Those who joined Satan in his final rebellion will face God at the Great White Throne to be eternally condemned. Scofield, however, makes no mention of the righteous that may die during the millennium. One dispensationalist that I read says that only the unrighteous that are bothersome to God’s people will die during the millennium. This claim is made on the basis of Isa 65:20: “No longer will there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, Or an old man who does not live out his days; For the youth will die at the age of one hundred And the one who does not reach the age of one hundred Will be thought accursed.”
In addition, though Robert Thomas’ Dispensationalism is of the revised type, his comment is worth reviewing: “The question of what happens to the living just persons who are alive at the end of the Millennium does not come up in [Rev 20:12]. Presumably these saints will survive the transition from the old earth and heaven to the new ones. The assumption must be that God will give them new bodies that suit them for conditions of immortality in the new heaven and the new earth.”3
The reason I cite Thomas here is two-fold: (1) Thomas’ research is second to none. The fact that he makes this claim without any reference to other interpreters is remarkable. It likely indicates that the literature is not clear on this issue; (2) the quotation seems to answer our question by implying that just persons will not die during the millennium. This is in harmony with the other writer that I mentioned above.
I hasten to add that Thomas’ place alongside Revised Dispensationalists should be apparent; for he understands those just people living at the time of close of the millennium to join all the saints
1 C I Scofield (Ed), The Scofield Reference Bible (New York: Oxford, 1917), 769. 2 C I Scofield, “Scofield’s Reference Notes” at www.biblemaster.com/bible/comm/srn. 3 Robert L Thomas, Revelation 8-22: An Exegetical Commentary (Chicago: Moody, 1995), 431.
Q & A on Classic Dispensationalism © 2004 by R W Glenn 2
in the new heaven and the new earth. The Classic Dispensationalist would have understood them to occupy only the new earth.
Q. How does a Classic Dispensationalist understand Eph 2:11-16: “Therefore remember that formerly you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called ‘Uncircumcision’ by the so-called ‘Circumcision,’ which is performed in the flesh by human hands—remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, so that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace, and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity”?
A. The Classic Dispensationalist sees nothing in this text to undermine his fundamental belief in two redemptive purposes of God. This passage relates exclusively to God’s heavenly people, the church, made up of both Jews and Gentiles of this present age who are trusting in Jesus Christ alone for their salvation. They do not see it as teaching that there is one redemptive purpose of God. This is what Scofield says, “Here [in Eph 2:15] the ‘new man’ is not the individual believer but the church, considered as the body of Christ in the sense of (Eph. 1:22, 23; 1 Cor. 12:12, 13; Col. 3:10, 11).”4
Q. What were the historical considerations that led to the development of Dispensationalism?
A. The answer to this question could take up to a few class periods to address. For now, let me mention four precipitating factors: (1) J N Darby’s personal spiritual renewal during his convalescence from a leg injury. It was during this time that he came to have a very great appreciation for his union with Christ in heaven, which is not on the basis of law but on the basis of grace. (2) The terrible conditions of the established churches in the England of the 19th
century. (3) His analysis of the difference between his experience and the state of “Christendom.” (4) His rise to leadership in a church renewal movement, later to be called the Plymouth Brethren. I would refer you to the books by Clarence B Bass, Backgrounds to Dispensationalism: Its Historical Genesis and Ecclesiastical Implications (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1960) and James Grant, The Plymouth Brethren: Their History and Heresies(London: W H Guest, 1875).
4 “Scofield’s Reference Notes”
Chart 1.1
Systems of Theology: Charts for General Intro & Covenantalism © 2000, 2004 by R W Glenn
Systematic Theology Biblical Theology Logical Historical A Circle A Line Topics in Theology Systems of Theology
Systems of Theology: Charts for General Intro & Covenantalism © 2000, 2004 by R W Glenn
Chart 2.1
The Reformation:The Birth of Protestantism
Reformed Theology—essentially following the teaching of John Calvin.
Non-ReformedTheology—followingLuther, Arminius, Menos, etc.
Systems of Theology: Charts for General Intro & Covenantalism © 2000, 2004 by R W Glenn
Chart 3.1
Contracting Parties ConditionsPromises
Threatenings
Systems of Theology: Charts for General Intro & Covenantalism © 2000, 2004 by R W Glenn
Chart 4.1
Parties God and Adam (as Covenant Head) Foundation The holy and perfect nature of man. Condition The performance of good works. Promise Eternal life. Threat The curse—physical and eternal death. Repetition From the fall until Christ, esp. in the Decalogue.
Systems of Theology: Charts for General Intro & Covenantalism © 2000, 2004 by R W Glenn
Chart 5.1
Parties God and those he chooses. Foundation God’s own faithfulness. Condition Faith and obedience. Promise The inheritance of eternal life. Threat Damnation. Repetition Every covenant of redemption history following
the Covenant of Works.
Systems of Theology: Charts for General Intro & Covenantalism © 2000, 2004 by R W Glenn
Chart 6.1
Parties The Father and the Son Foundation The eternal, wise counsel of the
Triune God Condition The Son’s obedience to the Father
in the outworking of redemption. Promise Bestowal of a kingdom and
spiritual offspring upon the Son.
Systems of Theology: Charts for General Intro & Covenantalism © 2000, 2004 by R W Glenn
Chart 7.1
Internal Participation External Participation True Believers Only True and False Believers
Children of true believers.
Children of professing believers.
Systems of Theology: Charts for General Intro & Covenantalism © 2000, 2004 by R W Glenn
Chart 8.1
Circumcision Baptism
Lord’s Supper Passover
Systems of Theology: Charts for General Intro & Covenantalism © 2000, 2004 by R W Glenn
Chart 9.1
The Covenant of Redemption
The Covenant of Works
The Covenant of Grace
The Old Testament Administration
The New Testament Administration
Systems of Theology: A Synopsis of the Systems © 2004 by R W Glenn 6. 1
A Synopsis of the Systems
Emergencein History
Major Proponents
Purposes of God
The Covenants The Abrahamic Covenant
The Old Covenant The Davidic Kingdom
Relationship of the Church to
IsraelCovenantalism Late 16th,
early 17th
century
Rollock, Westminster Divines
Unified: Redemption
All biblical covenants are manifestations of the Covenant of Works or Covenant of Grace
Foundational Administration of the Covenant of Grace; God’s unchanging moral law expressed in the Decalogue; binding for believers
Already and not yet
The church is spiritual Israel
ClassicDispensationalism
Late 19th,early 20th
century
J N Darby, C I Scofield, L S Chafer
Bifurcated: Earthly and Heavenly
Some covenants are heavenly and some are earthly and some are both heavenly and earthly (see Chart 5.2)
Foundational Belongs exclusively to the dispensation of Law; not at all binding for believers
Not yet The church is discrete from Israel, an intercalation into the biblical historical timeline
RevisedDispensationalism
20th century Charles Ryrie, John Walvoord, Dwight Pentecost
Bifurcated: Earthly and Heavenly
Some covenants are heavenly and some are earthly and some are both heavenly and earthly
Foundational Belongs exclusively to the dispensation of Law; generally not binding for believers
Not yet The church is discrete from Israel, an intercalation into the biblical historical timeline
ProgressiveDispensationalism
20th century Craig Blaising, Darryl Bock, Robert Saucy
Unified: Manifestation of the Kingdom
The covenants represent different manifestations of the kingdom of God
Foundational Functions in biblical history to manifest an aspect of the kingdom of God; generally not binding for believers
Already and not yet
The church is in some ways discrete from Israel and in other ways is not discrete from Israel
NewCovenantalism
21st century John Reisinger, Fred Zaspel, Tom Wells
Unified: Redemption
The covenants stand in teleological relationship to one another
Foundational Functions in biblical history to regulated the course of redemption by producing the people who would write the Scriptures and bring forth the Messiah; binding only insofar as it has been fulfilled and terminated in Christ
Already and not yet
The church is the fulfillment of Israel
Chart 1.2
InnocencyConscience
Human Government
PromiseLaw
GraceKingdom
Chart 2.2
His Purposes Earthly Heavenly
The People Israel and Gentile nations alive at Christ’s return who persevere in the Great Tribulation
OT saints who failed to realize God’s earthly purpose, the entire church, and the martyrs of the Great Tribulation
The Goal of the Purposes Liberty from the curse and restoration of humanity
Liberty from sin and deliverance to the presence of the Lord
The Beginning of the Fulfillment of the Purposes
Inaugurated at the beginning of the Millennium
Inaugurated at the resurrection
The Consummation of the Purposes
Consummated at the close of the Millennium and experienced in perpetuity on the New Earth
Consummated and experienced in perpetuity in the New Heaven
The Final State of the People
Perpetually earthly—NO
resurrection Perpetually heavenly—resurrection
Chart 3.2
Resumption of earthly redemption
Insertion of the church age—unforeseen in OT
Redemption of Israel and Gentile
i
The ChurchAge
Chart 4.2
A Given Utterance in the OT(E.g., people, offspring, land, blessing, command, etc.)
Earthly: Israel and Gentile nations
Heavenly: the Church
Literal and historical meaning Spiritual meaning
Chart 5.2
Abrahamic Covenant Earthly fulfillment Heavenly Fulfillment
Mosaic Covenant Earthly fulfillment only1 No heavenly fulfillment
Palestinian Covenant Earthly fulfillment only No heavenly fulfillment
Davidic Covenant Earthly fulfillment only No heavenly fulfillment
New Covenant C.I. Scofield
Earthly fulfillment Spiritual Fulfillment J.N. Darby: One New Covenant
Earthly fulfillment Heavenly fulfillment L.S. Chafer: Two New Covenants
New Covenant 1 New Covenant 2 Earthly
fulfillmentonly
No heavenly fulfillment
Fulfilled in the church
Heavenlyfulfillment
1 That a covenant has an earthly fulfillment only does not mean that its fulfillment is not everlasting,
for it will be literally fulfilled commencing with the Millennium and culminating in the eternal state.
Chart 6.2
Present In the preaching of Jesus Present In mystery form in
Christendom Future In the Millennium
Chart 1.3
The Perspective TheDefinition
From God’s Perspective An Economy From Man’s Perspective A
ResponsibilityFrom the Progressive Revelation point of view
A Stage
Chart 2.3
Classic Dispensationalism Revised Dispensationalism Earthly: Israel Heavenly No such hermeneutical
distinctionLiteral and historicalmethod
Spiritual or AllegoricalMethod
Grammatico-historical method only
Chart 3.3
His Purposes Earthly Heavenly
The People Israel and Gentile nations alive at Christ’s return who persevere in the Great Tribulation
OT saints who failed to realize God’s earthly purpose, the entire church, and the martyrs of the Great Tribulation
The Goal of the Purposes
Liberty from the curse and restoration of humanity
Liberty from sin and deliverance to the presence of the Lord
The Beginning of the Fulfillment of the Purposes
Inaugurated at the beginning of the Millennium
Inaugurated at the resurrection
TheConsummation of the Purposes
Consummated at the close of the Millennium and experienced in the New Heaven or the New Earth
Consummated and experienced in the New Heaven or the New Earth
The Final State of the People
Resurrection Life, yet forever Israel
Resurrection Life, yet forever the church
Chart 4.3
Resumption of Israel’s Redemption
An Interlude in God’s Program
for Israel
Redemption of Israel
Insertion ofthe Church Age
4.1
The Purposes of God in Redemption Covenantalism Classic
DispensationalismRevised
DispensationalismProgressive
DispensationalismOne Unified
Purpose:Spiritual
Redemption
Multiple Purposes: Earthly, National, Political, Social,
and Spiritual
Multiple Purposes: Earthly, National, Political, Social,
and Spiritual
One Unified Purpose:
The Manifestation of the Kingdom of
GodThe Covenant of
GraceEarthly/Heavenly
DualismChurch/Israel
DistinctionUnity with Distinctives
4.2
The Centrality of the Kingdom1
Divine Presence and Power Revealed in Progress of Redemption Future
DispensationPast Dispensations Jesus Christ Present
Dispensation
Millennial Eternal
The Eschatological Kingdom of God TheKinglyActs of
God
TheKingdom
of God In the person of
Christ
In the communityof Christ,
the church (while he is ascended)
In the millennialempire of
Christ(after he has descended)
In eternal fulfillment
(after he has descended)
1 This chart is a modified (but very close) version of one found in Blaising and Bock’s Progressive Dispensationalism 55.
Systems of Theology: Charts © 2004 by R W Glenn Chart 5. 1
The Teleological Relationship between the Covenants1
Covenant Relationship Noahic Provision of a continuing earthly
scene on which redemption could take place.
Abrahamic Outlines the course of redemption history, while setting forth the two kinds of redemption and two peoples to experience them.
Mosaic Regulated the course of redemption history by producing the people who would write the Scriptures and bring forth the Messiah.
1 Wells & Zaspel, New Covenant Theology, nowhere address the relationship of the Davidic covenant to the earlier or later covenant(s).
Systems of Theology: Eschatology Supplement © 2004 by R W Glenn 1
Systems of Theology Eschatology Supplement
1. Christian Interpretations of the End Times (see Rev 20:1-10)
A. Premillennialism
B. Amillennialism
C. Postmillennialism
2. Types of Premillennialism
A. “Earthly Program” Premillennialism (see Dan 9:24-27)
1. Pre-tribulational
2. Mid-tribulational
3. Post-tribulational
B. “Historic” Premillennialism
3. The End Times and Systems of Theology
A. Dispensational Theologies
1. Classic Dispensationalism
a. Pretribulational Premillennialism only
2. Revised Dispensationalism
a. Pretribulational Premillennialism (95%)
b. Midtribulational Premillennialism (4%)
c. Posttribulational Premillennialism (1%)
Systems of Theology: Eschatology Supplement © 2004 by R W Glenn 2
3. Progressive Dispensationalism
a. Pretribulational Premillennialism: Though they advocate this position, they leave room for mid- and post-tribulational views. “While most dispensationalists probably hold to a pretribulation rapture of the church as being in certain respects more harmonious with dispensationalism in general, many would not desire to make this a determining touchstone of dispensationalism today.”1
B. Non-Dispensational Theologies
1. Covenantalism
a. Historic Premillennialism
b. Amillennialism
c. Postmillennialism
2. New Covenant Theology
a. Historic Premillennialism
b. Amillennialism
4. Concluding Observations
A. Both dispensational and non-dispensational theologies allow for premillennialism.
B. Only dispensational theologies are “Earthly Program” premillennialist eschatologies.
C. Only non-dispensational theologies allow for amillennial and postmillennial readings of the events of the end times.
1 Robert L Saucy, The Case for Progressive Dispensationalism: The Interface between Dispensational and Non-Dispensational Theology (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing, 1993), 8-9.