I. It is quite easy to see how recently in Western Christianity there has been a certain increase in the belief of Dispensationalism. With books, movies, TV shows and a general interest in all things apocalyptic, this type of theology is seeing a growing popularity that is almost unheard of. However upon examination it turns out that this theology is not theologically sound.
II. In order to understand if Dispensationalism is biblical, it is vital to understand its history and beliefs.
A. A British pastor named John Nelson Darby heard of a Scottish girl’s dream of Jesus returning to earth in two stages which led to him becoming a follower of this idea.
i. Darby also expanded upon the vision by stating that Christ would return once for
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In short Dispensationalism has three distinct characteristics and that is Rapture of Christians, Millennium Rule of Christ, and the Unfulfilled Prophecies of the Bible.
i. Basically what the rapture means is that Christians at that time will be brought up and not have to endure the tribulation.
ii. Secondly is the teaching that Jesus will set up his reign on earth for 1,000 years.
iii. Dispensationalism is also well known for its beliefs in unfulfilled prophecies and how they are going to be fulfilled.
III. Once one makes a cultural critique of Dispensationalism, the problems with this theology begin to show.
A. Now the first issue with Dispensationalism is how it uses an escapist mentality to gain followers.
i. With a close historical look we can see that many of the important events of the Dispensationalist movement have been around events in our nation of great struggle.
ii. People in times of hardship often have a desire to be removed from the pain that they suffer in daily life.
iii. So in times such as in the hardship people endured it was only natural that Dispensationalism’s teaching of being raptured out of harm would be popular to the people.
B. The second issue that one can have with Dispensationalism is the fact that it lacks scholarly
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The first issue is that the verses tells us that there will be a trumpet sound which makes the chance of a secret silent rapture unlikely
iii. The second issue is that when the Bible speaks of Jesus returning in the clouds it seems to be talking about the second coming not the rapture
B. Secondly it is important to ask the question of if the Millenial reign is biblical.
i. Now depending on your view of prophecies the answer of the legitimacy of the millennial reign will vary.
ii. However in this regard it should be noted that many like St. Augustine felt the Church age was the millennium.
iii. This is the view held by most churches such as the United Methodist Church and the Episcopal Church.
C. Finally one must also consider the issue of unfulfilled prophecies.
i. The dispensationalist belief system makes constant use of unfulfilled prophecies to support their claims.
ii. The issue with this idea is that it does not consider the fact that many of the “unfulfilled” prophecies are either fulfilled or are conditional.
iii. With that in mind it is quite troubling to support a system of theological belief that is based upon literal assumptions when prophecy in the Bible is not
One of the most distinct feature of dispensationalist view is the millennial kingdom in Revelation. The thousand year reign of Christ will take place on the earth. Based on grammatical-historical exegesis of chapter 20, Thomas provides
In the book’s introduction, Walter Rauschenbusch has written “It follows that the relation between Christianity and social crisis is one of the most pressing questions for all intelligent men who realize the power of religion, and most of all the religious leaders of the people who give direction to the forces of religion” .
With this in mind, the objective of this essay is to focus on the main ideas of each theologian, and discuss how each theologian’s ideas are compensatory to the other. This is important because even though each theologian’s writings were inspired by the harsh realities of the societies, and also by the effect each writer experienced in their moment in history, their critiques specifically of Christian institutions remain a consistent amongst all three writings. Furthermore, not only are their critiques consistent, but their goals for providing new frameworks for the future of the Church and Christian discipleship are consistent as well.
2. This can be related to the harvest of the earth just prior to the Judgment Day.
... a new behaviour which makes the original false conception come 'true'. This specious validity of the self-fulfilling prophecy perpetuates a reign of error. For the prophet will cite the actual course of events as proof that he was right from the very beginning.”
In the opening paragraph of her article "Depatriarchalizing in Biblical Interpretation," Phyllis Trible says that the task she has set before herself, that of relating the words of Hebrew Scripture to the ideology of the Women's Liberation Movement, is considered by many to be "impossible and ill-advised." (Trible, "Depatriarchalizing," 30) Some would suggest, she supposes, that "[t]he two phenomena have nothing to say to each other." (Ibid.) She then quotes Kate Millet expressing one of the more radical views of feminism: that much of the body of scripture in question was written with the express intent of turning the female gender into scapegoats for the ills of the world.
However, in the end it is questionable if these are true revelations, and if the
rapture is one good example. “The rapture is Christian belief that forms a major part of the
"EXPLORING THEOLOGY 1 & 2." EXPLORING THEOLOGY 1 2. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 May 2014.
This essay will argue that the eschatology of the Book of Revelation forms an integral part of John’s attempt within the pages of his book to form a literary world in which the forms, figures, and forces of the earthly realm are critiqued and unmasked through the re-focalization of existence from the perspective of heaven. It will attempt to show that, in response to the social, political, religious, and economic circumstances of his readers, the Book of Revelation forms a counter imaginative reality. Through drawing upon an inaugurated sense of eschatology and evocative imagery, John is able to pull the reader in and show them the true face of the imperial world and consequences of its ideology, forcing the reader allegiance to fall with either ‘Babylon’ or the New Jerusalem.
...s distributed in Theology 101 at the University of Notre Dame, Fremantle on 22 April 2008.
Stuart has authored commentaries and articles in journals and magazines. The authors acknowledge that many books have been written on this topic. Their goal is to be unique by focusing on different types of literature (genres) so their readers will understand how to properly interpret them in the context they were written. This review will examine the principles the authors use to interpret the Bible. The review will summarize the book, followed by a critique, and a conclusion.
The term millennium does not appear anywhere in Scripture. The idea originated from a thousand year period of time that characterizes the reign of the Messiah. In fact, the phrase “thousand years” is stated six times in Revelation 20. There are three main schools of thought based upon one’s view of the thousand-year reign of Christ. These views are: Amillennial, Postmillennial and Premillennial. Over the centuries these prophetic differences have caused conflict within the body of Christ and are still currently widely debated. Instead of the book of Revelation being the basis of comfort (1 Thess. 4:18) among Christians it has become a bone of contention. However, this controversy should not deter Christ’s disciples from receiving the blessings that Revelation has to offer (Rev. 1:3; 14:13; 16:15; 19:9; 20:6; 22:7, 14). Rather, one should study prophecy under the Spirit’s guidance and look at the data provided within the full context of the Word assessing each of the views for correct motives and presuppositions. Therefore, this paper will examine the nature, timing, and duration of the millennium as well as the occupants of the millennial kingdom and the relationship of Israel and the Church to the millennial kingdom. The aim of this paper is to address “The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave to him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place” (Rev. 1:1, ESV).
Answering these questions is the purpose of this essay. I begin by arguing that the Bible cannot be adequately understood independent of its historical context. I concede later that historical context alone however is insufficient, for the Bible is a living-breathing document as relevant to us today as it was the day it was scribed. I conclude we need both testimonies of God at work to fully appreciate how the Bible speaks to us.