Preterism vs
Futurism
An Introductory
Summary
Introduction
The following is not intended to be an exhaustive discussion of the
subject at hand but only an introduction and summary of key points in the hope
that you will find enough here to spur you on to dig even more. There are
several well written books that discuss at length the points and passages
raised in this paper which I am glad to recommend if interested. My God’s
Spirit guide and direct us in all our seeking to know him. Blessed are those
who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
Most Christians have heard of the hugely popular and commercially
successful “Left Behind” book series. Those of us a bit older are also familiar
with Hal Lindsey’s 1970 best selling book “The Late, Great Planet Earth.” And
some of us will even recall musician Larry Norman’s song "I Wish We
So what do all these have in common? They teach or promote a widely
held eschatological system known as Dispensationalism. Generally speaking this
is the teaching that the world will increasingly deteriorate morally until it
gets so bad that God will have to judge and literally destroy it during the
“Great Tribulation.” However right before he does, He will remove the church
out of the world through an event called the “rapture;” hence the titles “Left
Behind”, “The Late, Great Planet Earth” and "I Wish We
If you are like I was you always assumed due to the large number of
adherents that this teaching is squarely rooted in the bible. Certainly, we may
think, the present downturn of morality in our country combined with the wide
spread acceptance of this doctrine are proof alone that this is taught by the
bible. But could it be that this teaching is an example which falls under the
warning by Christ that “broad is the way that lead’s to destruction…” If this
seems a bit harsh or even crazy I encourage you to continue reading these next
several pages to find out.
Before we dig in it is worth mentioning that Dispensationalism did not
come on the scene within the Protestant church until just over 150 years ago.
It was never taught in its current
form prior to then. (Though what is sometimes referred to as “Historical Premillennialism” has been held by
some from the earliest days of the church). Even though the church’s
understanding of scripture has progressed over the years on many fronts (as
well as regressed on others) it’s hard to image the church would have completely missed
Dispensationalism for over 1850 years if it were as clearly taught in scripture as some suggest. Did the church
historically ever have any other views? There is actually another position held
by some of the early church fathers as far back as the 2nd Century called
Preterism. Though the label "Preterist" sounds somewhat ominous it
comes from the Latin word praeter, which simply means "past."
There
are generally two groups within the Preterist camp. Partial and Full Preterists.
Partial Preterists believe most references to Christ’s coming
refer to His coming in judgment on
Full Preterists do not believe there will be a
future physical and literal coming of Christ to earth but that
If
this is the first you have heard of Preterism, no doubt this sounds odd to you.
However even though the Preterist understanding of scripture may be new to you
it is not new to the historical church but a position held within the church
from its earliest beginnings.
Though
different in the one key aspect of the final return of Christ both Partial and
Full Preterists have the same focus and emphasis in one main area; to advance
the Kingdom of God on earth here and now i.e. His spiritual rule as King in
the hearts and minds of individual men and women (which in turn impacts society
and culture around them) through calling them to personal salvation and
submission to Christ as Savior, and King (Lord).
Col 1:13 He has delivered us from
the domain of darkness and transferred
us to the kingdom of his beloved Son,
14 in whom we have redemption, the
forgiveness of sins.
A
broader grouping that includes Dispensationalists is referred to as Futurism.
Though not all futurists are dispensationalists or believe in some kind of
tribulational rapture (typically pre-tribulational) all futurists view most
every prophecy, particularly in the NT as yet to come in the future, hence the
name “futurist.” Seventh Day Adventists would be an example of non
dispensational futurists. This paper will focus more on the specific teaching
of Dispensationalism since it is the most popular application of Futurism. Both
however are similar in their general futuristic approach to prophecy i.e. the
majority of New Testament as well as many OT prophesies are yet to be fulfilled.
It
is worth mentioning that many dispensationalists have modified their position
in recent years in part due to the large amount of research, books and other
material being put out by “Preterists” on passages like those that will be
covered in this article. “Progressive Dispensationalism” which surfaced around
1980 may be one example of this.
Many
of the passages that we will cover in this paper have been overlooked by all
futurists due to the overwhelming influence of Dispensationalism within the
evangelical church over the last 100 years or so. But now through the efforts
of many are being revisited. As a result more dispensationalists are talking
about these passages and several (like me) have concluded Dispensationalism is
not taught in the bible at all. In fact much of the research in this area is by
former Dispensationalists.
Some key differences between the two
positions
Further
down we will be looking at specific verses regarding the subject at hand. At
this time however I wish to point out some of the key differences between to
the two approaches.
One
key difference is how these broad groups approach the Bible itself. The
Preterist always seeks to understand a passage in the context of the entire
book it is in as well as the context of the bible as a whole, Old and New
Testament alike. The Dispensationalist on the other hand may say the same but
tends to interpret the bible according to pre-determined
beliefs and/or current events instead of letting the bible interpret itself.
(This is a serious assertion but will become clearer further on). As a result
Dispensationalist and other futurists seek out those verses which on the
surface appear to support there
beliefs while avoiding those verses that clearly do not.
This
is possibly the key to understanding the difference between
Dispensationlism and Preterism; how they approach the scriptures
hermeneutically.
As
a result many passages are completely overlooked by dispensationalists. For
example avoidance of certain significant passages is common within the Scofield
Bible notes. This also happened to be the first study Bible ever published that
took a Dispensational view, written by a businessman named C.I. Scofield. It
has played a major role in the increased popularity of dispensationalism.
On
many of the passages we will address in this paper there is no comment at all
within Scofields notes. Scofield simply passes them over as if they aren’t
there. The significance of this will be more apparent as we continue. When
there is comment it is usually a very elaborate and complicated explanation
that attempts to explain away the plain meaning of the passage within its
context. If these observations seem harsh, I should point out that I was a
Dispensationalist a good part of my early Christian life and only in the last
five years have I moved away from it. In fact the very FI
I
have also observed that though Dispensationalists claim to take a literal
approach to understanding the Bible with several passages they actually do just
the opposite by attempting to interpret passages in a way other then the plain,
straight forward literal meaning called for by the context. I know this first
hand because in my early Christian life this was how I was taught to handle the
Bible as well.
As
an example a Dispensationalist will say that the words “soon” or “near” in
several places in
If
you assume before you come to the book of
Also
if a passage is intended for a future audience it will often give an indication
such as with Dan 12:4 when the prophet was instructed to seal up the vision for
a later time.
Dan 12:4 “But you, Daniel, shut up the words and seal the book, until the time of the end…”
This
passage in Daniel is interestingly very similar to but at the same time in
clear contrast to
The similarities and differences between these
two passages are not insignificant when you consider both books are believed by
Dispensationlists and Preterists alike to be dealing with the same subject
matter.
Another
example where a Dispensationalist does not interpret scripture literally is
regarding the word “generation” (genea) in the Olivet Discourse passages below. This is
important since the Olivet Discourse is the key passage used to support
Dispensationalism and also where we get the phrase, “the great tribulations.”
Dispensationalist assert the word “generation” in this passage does not
literally mean generation but rather it means “race” i.e. the Jewish race. Yet
the word used for “race” or genos is
not the same as genea, in the below
passages.
Mat
Mat 24:34 Truly, I say to you,
this generation (genea) will not
pass away until all these things take place.
Luk
Mar
Unlike
genea, genos and phusis are the only 2 words translated
“race” in the entire NT and occur a total of 4 times. The primary word genos is
used 3 times in Mar
Genea on the other hand is used 30 times and is always translated “generation” in every occurrence (including the passages above from
the Olivet Discourse above) and in the context it means generation exactly as
you and I understand the meaning of that word.
In
short, the word genea is always
translated “generation” and genos is always translated “race” without
exception.
To
say that genea (generation)
used in the Olivet Discourse means
“race” only in this one instance when everywhere else it means generation is
totally inconsistent. If the author intended to mean race in the Olivet
Discourse passages would he not simply have used genos instead which is always translated “race” instead of genea?
It
should be also pointed out that though the two words, genea (generation)
and genos (race), look similar and appear to have
similar roots, you can see from Strong’s Greek Dictionary their primary meaning
is different (which in turn dictates our understanding of any secondary uses or
meaning). Interestingly both words
actually mean generation. But only Genos allows
for the idea of “kin” or race.
γενεά, genea,
ghen-eh-ah
γένος, genos,
ghen
Even though understanding the original meaning of words and their
usage are helpful this doesn’t in itself prove or disprove what the passage in
question means. However in this instance it does show that the original meaning
supports the meaning of these words as they are understood in their context. The
understanding of a passage in its context is the primary consideration in
ultimately determining the meaning of any passage.
Though
these alternate explanations to the clear literal meaning of “soon” “near” or
“generation” are plausible they require one to come up with a meaning other
then the plain meaning within the context it is written. I believe this
approach is only necessary however if one wishes to “explain away” the clear
and literal meaning of those words
in order to make these passages fit into a pre determined belief system. The fact is if one tries hard enough one can
make the bible say pretty much anything they want it to by simply taking any
given passage out of its context. But is this not also what groups like the
Jehovah Witnesses and Mormon’s do?
In
addition the Dispensationalist attempts to apply a literal meaning to passages
such as Matthew 24 or the book of
Contrary
to the Dispensationalists assertion that they interpret the bible literally,
their “literal” approach is actually very selective and not at all consistent.
When a literal interpretation doesn’t work in their doctrinal system, they will
say it’s not literal and when something symbolic doesn’t work they will say its
literal i.e. a literal approach is used when it supports their beliefs but
abandoned when it does not.
To
say it simply, instead of conforming their beliefs to the bible they seek to
conform the bible to their beliefs. This is also the difference between
exegesis and eisegesis. Exegesis seeks to extract from the text the original
meaning intended by the writer. Eisegesis reads one
Certainly
to understand the meaning of some passages we must dig deeply into the text,
and context and search the scripture diligently but this is not the same as
substituting the plain meaning of a passage from its context to make it say
something it clearly doesn’t say simply because it doesn’t fit our pre
determined understanding of these things.
At
this point I feel it’s important to point out that it is not my desire to shame
or criticize anyone. There is no doubt in my mind the majority of
Dispensationalists are good and sincere followers of Christ. I know first hand
because I was a Dispensationalist for many years and still have many friends
(among those who still wish to call me a friend) who know and love our Lord and
are within these circles today. My purpose in raising these issues is to help
clarify how Dispensationalism handles the Bible so we can evaluate whether it
is or is not a valid understanding of scripture. As Paul exhorted in I Thes.
And now for a closer
look at scripture.
“End times” or “Last Days”
Preterists
understand the bible to teach that the “Last Days” or “End
1.
Announced
by John the Baptist when he called for
2.
Inaugurated with the death and resurrection of Christ Heb 1:2;
3.
Confirmed
with the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost Act 1:5,8;
4.
Finalized
with the destruction of
We
will look at the above verses more closely soon (by “soon” I mean this in the
common understanding of the word. Sorry, couldn’t resist but thought it would
help make a point).
Often
we will hear Dispensationlists say we are in the “last days” or the “end times”
in reference to the end of the world
right before Christ’s final return. But is this what the Bible teaches? Could
the last days be referring to the ending of something other then the whole
world?
Both
Dispensationalist and Preterist alike agree that the last days or end of the OT
age has come and gone for you and I
i.e. it is past, hence the label “Preterist.” (This does not mean the OT itself
is no longer applicable as God’s word but we not longer practice animal
sacrifice in anticipation of a future Messiah who was slain for our sin and
resurrected). We now live under the New Covenant. (I encourage you read the
book of Hebrews regarding this. The wrapping up of the Old Covenant and
implementing the new in Christ, the final sacrifice is a primary message of the
entire book). Let’s see what the Bible has to say.
A closer look at references
indicating that Christ already came at the end of the age, “last
days” or “end times”
Heb 1:2 "...but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son..."
Heb
1Co
Act
2:12-20, specifically 16-17 "...But this
is (referring to the falling
of the Holy Spirit on the disciples at Pentecost) what was uttered through
the prophet Joel:"
Dispensationalists
assert these passages indicate the last days began with Christ’s first coming
and continue on into today and then insert a gap between His first and
second coming saying we are now at the end of those last days or the last days
of the last days if you will. But this does not fit with the whole context of
scripture which clearly indicates the end was referring to end of the Old
Covenant which is clearly past and not ongoing i.e. we are under the New
Covenant today and have been since the resurrection of Christ. The Old Covenant
has passed away and no longer applies.
Christ’s
first coming was the beginning of the New Covenant or New Testament as the
above scriptures clearly indicate. And
to bring in the new you have to end the old. Doesn’t it make perfect sense that
Christ’s coming was the “last days” of the Old Covenant and it’s “end time?”
This is certainly in keeping with the above passages.
Anticipation
of a soon return of Christ to
wrap up the Old Covenant and finalize implementation of the new is not
something obscure or only hinted at by one of the disciples it also recorded in
the various epistles of several key disciples (Peter, James, Paul, and John) to
the churches. Since this widespread anticipation of the soon coming of Christ
was addressed by several writers in addition to Christ Himself, we think it’s
safe to say it was anticipated by the church at large and therefore the reason
it was addressed on several occasions.
1Pe 4:7 The end of all
things is at hand (eggizō); therefore be
self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers.
Jas 5:7 Be
patient, therefore, brothers, until
the coming
of the Lord.
See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient
about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. 8 You also, be
patient. Establish your hearts, for
the coming of the Lord is at hand (eggizō).
1Co
By the way, why does Paul us the phrase “appointed time” here? This is
because this ending of the Old Covenant via the death and resurrection of
Christ was clearly predicted and anticipated by many places in the OT,
particularly Daniel.
1Jn
So what exactly is “the end”, the “last hour’, the “appointed time” that
“is passing away” which will occur “soon” or “very shortly” which every one of
these key disciples was anticipating to occur at any time? The only event that
fits not only scripturally but historically is the destruction of
The meaning in the
original of key words from above verses
¨
“World” in I Cor 7:29 and Jn
2:17 is kosmos,
kos
The word commonly used for the literal planet earth would be oikoumenē (land, that is, the
(terrene part of the) globe; specifically the
Therefore it would make more sense that these passages
are referring to the passing away of an orderly arrangement or order i.e. the Old
Covenant and not planet earth as dispensationalists assert and would have us
assume.
The
more common word for the end is αἰών
or aiōn
From the same as G104;
properly an age; by extension perpetuity (also past); by
implication the world; specifically (Jewish) a Messianic period (present
or future): - age, course, eternal, (for) ever (-more), [n-]ever, (beginning of
the, while the) world (began, without end).
¨
“Near” ἐγγύς,
eggus,
eng-goos
¨
“At hand…” ἐγγίζω,
eggizō,
eng-id
¨
“Short”- συστέλλω,
sustellō,
soos-tel
¨
“Passing away”- παράγω,
paragō,
par-ag
¨
“last” - ἔσχατος,
eschatos , es
Who is Antichrist?
On a related side note since John mentions “antichrist” and “antichrists”
in his letters, it is worth pointing out that “antichrist” or “antichrists” is
mentioned only in the 1st
and 2nd letters of John’s (which is even more interesting
considering this is the same John that God inspired to pen
Unfortunately it is a common misunderstanding among many even within
the non church community as well as within the church that the word antichrist
appears throughout the bible in several other places and particularly the book
of
This doesn’t in itself prove anything (
You will also note below there are many antichrists, not just one
antichrist. According to John antichrist is anyone who denies Jesus is the Christ or denies the Father and the
Son. Antichrist is a belief, attitude or
spirit, not a particular person.
(2Jn 1:7
(1Jn
(1Jn 4:3
What antichrists would you guess John is speaking of that have already come? Well, who were the
biggest deniers that Jesus was the Christ and not from God in John’s day if not
the Scribes, Pharisees and most of the nation of
And when Christ died that day the ripping in two of the curtain that
separated the holy of holies from the rest of the temple was clearly a message
from God and evidence that the Old Covenant system was being done away with.
The final death knell would come in the near future with the destruction of
17 And the world is passing away along with its desires,
but whoever does the will of God abides forever. 18
Children, it is the last hour, and as you
have heard that antichrist is coming, so now
many antichrists have come.
Therefore we know that it is the last hour.
The rejection of Christ by the nation of
The prediction and role of John the Baptist in
preparing for the coming kingdom
Is the
Mal 4:5 “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the LO
Mat
Mat 3:1 In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of
According to Christ himself, these references to John the Baptist
indicate he was the Elijah spoken of in the O.T. that was to prepare the way
before “the great and awesome day of the Lord” and “the wrath to come.” And
what wrath would that be if not the wrath of God poured out on the nation of
The coming destruction of
We
are told by Dispensationalists that Christ’s prediction of His return in
judgment is in some far off distant time in the future. However most of
Christ’s predictions (to his hearers at that time, not to you and I) concerning
his soon return were regarding his coming in
judgment upon Israel and the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70 as
further indicated in the following verses. I am giving you only the barest
essential passages. You will want to read these in their context to get the
complete sense of them but this will give you an idea.
The
context is Christ rebuking the Pharisee’s while He was in the temple, which is
covered in Matt 23. After leaving the temple the disciples inquired “when would
these things be…?” Christ shared with his disciples on the
Mat
Mat
Mat
24:2 ...Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon
another that will not be thrown
down."
Mat
24:34 Truly, I say to you, this
generation will not pass away until
all
these things take place.
And
one of “these things” among many mentioned in this passage is the “great
tribulation” vs 21
Luk
The
Luke and Matthew passages above are dealing with the same event which is also
covered in the Gospel of Mark.
It’s
worth noting that Christ’s prediction that these things would happen to “this
generation” are sandwiched between verses Mat 23:36 and 24:34 not unlike the
“soon” and “near” passages in the opening and closing verses of
This
is a critical point since all the events in between are usually interpreted
literally by Dispensationalists and therefore assumed to not have happened yet
e.g. according to Dispensationalists since there is no time in history that the
sun and moon literally stopped
shining as mentioned in both the Olivet Discourse and the book of
Additional clear passages in the
Gospels on his coming soon
¨
Mat 10:5 These twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them, "Go nowhere among the Gentiles and enter no
town of the Samaritans, 6 but go rather to the lost
sheep of the house of
This passage clearly implies the coming of Christ’s Kingdom is so near
that according to Christ Himself the disciples would not have time to complete
the assignment. Also the fact that the assignment dealt only with the “lost sheep of the house of
It should be evident and
pointed out that throughout the gospels the reference of his Kingdom coming was
of a spiritual Kingdom, not a literal political or physical one as anticipated
and assumed by the nation of Israel as well as his own disciples at first. It
was this misunderstanding that became the major obstacle to them hearing
Christ’s true message of His Kingdom rule within the individual’s hearts of
minds of those who believed in Him.
¨
Mat
If
we were to stop here the above verse sounds like Christ is addressing his
coming at the end of the world. After
all it is a coming “with his angels.” But then He adds the following…
28
Truly, I say to you, there are some standing
here who will not taste death until
they see the Son of Man
coming in his kingdom."
Clearly
this is not a reference to an event at the end of the world. Whatever this
coming of His Kingdom involved it had to occur within the lifetime of at least some
of his listeners for them to see it before
they died.
Since
this passage mentions His coming with angels will occur within the lifetime of
some of his hearers this also sheds a whole new light on what “coming with his
angels” might mean in other passages that mention this. These could also be
referring to something other then the end of the world. Mat 13:39, Mat 13:41, Mat 13:49, Mat 16:27, Mat 24:31, Mat 25:31, Mar 8:38, Mar
13:27, Mar 13:32, Luk 9:26, 2Th 1:7 Heb 12:22, 1Pe 1:12.
¨
Mat 26:63 But Jesus remained
silent. And the high priest said to him, "I adjure you by the living God,
tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God." 64
Jesus said to him, "You have said so. But I tell
you, from now on you
(not some future generation) will see the Son of Man seated at the right
hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven."
Why does Christ say “from now on…?” Because this
event before the high priest was the sentencing of Christ’s death and it is by
his death that the inauguration of his kingdom began.
What is the significance of “the right hand of
power…?” It is Christ’s declaration of His crowning as King of the kingdom that
was to begin at His death and confirmed by His resurrection. His kingdom began
at that time and not at some far off future date that runs for a 1000 years.
Some might argue the “you” above (as well as in
Mat 3:1 earlier) means you as a representative
of all Israelites for all generations of Israelites including those in the
future. But is this not reading into
the passage a certain meaning that actually isn’t present in the text or
context itself, instead of just simply reading it? Why such an elaborate
explanation of an otherwise clear meaning unless the explanation is necessary
to make the passage fit a pre determined belief? Even if this dispensational
explanation is plausible, you still have to address all the other passages that cannot be explained
away in the same manner. As long as there is just one passage that does not fit
a dispensational interpretation (and there is far more then just one), it
requires we evaluate all passages interpreted this way. To interpret this
particular passage in the way Dispensationalists suggest is to ignore the
immediate context as well as the context of all the rest of scripture.
Now we
will look at His coming covered in
(It is also worth noting the world “world”
throughout
On the above verse most Futurists and Preterists
both agreed this is the theme verse of
His soon
coming in
However the following verses in
Not only does John emphasize that the things
written in the book are to occur soon, (at
least 9 times) but he mentions this both in the very beginning and end of the book
(1:1 and 22:20) stressing not only the significance of when the things covered throughout the entire book were to occur
but that everything sandwiched in
between is to occur soon, or is near or at hand.
If we set aside any preconceived notions of what
we think
Just from the opening and closing verses alone
wouldn’t we simply conclude that whatever is happening in this book will happen
soon? Yet because we come to the book with pre determined beliefs told to us by
others we don’t even notice these time references but gloss right over them. I
know I did for years before I saw this.
If you look at these same words in the original
language, the meaning in the Greek for soon and near is very simple and
straightforward and says nothing other then what the words mean.
Soon –
τάχος, tachos, takh
Near - ἐγγύς,
eggus, eng-goos
Here
are all of the time references in
Again, contrast the
above with Dan 12:4 “But you, Daniel, shut up the words and seal the book, until
the time of the end…” The events of that particular vision given to Daniel
were far away and therefore to be sealed up until the time of its fulfillment was
at hand. This is important considering both Dispensationalists and Preterists
alike believe both books are dealing with the very same events. The
instructions given to Daniel are very different then those give to John in
In fact John stresses
the benefits of reading the book now when he said in
Something
that always puzzled me as a Dispensationalist is why John would address seven
literal churches of his day and then jump into events that were to happen
literally thousands of years later. The Dispensational explanation is John is
either talking of seven church ages over time that come right up to our present
time or of both historical churches and church ages. However doesn’t it make
more sense that he is addressing 7 literal churches of his time because all the
events covered throughout the rest of the book are to occur in or near this
time? With a close look it becomes clear John is addressing 7 literal
contemporary churches. When you understand the whole book is dealing
with events which were also going to affect these present day churches in
Certainly
many passages require extra effort to be understood. But some passages are very
simple and straight forward requiring little digging to understand. Especially
when they are stated repeatedly in
several different ways i.e. “coming
soon”, “the time is near” “soon take place…” as they are here in
The
bottom line in understanding any passage is which interpretation best fits
first the immediate and then overall context of scripture. If we always ask
these questions whenever we approach any passage, we are far more likely to get
it right and far less likely to get it wrong.
In concluding this section it was not my intent to provide an exhaustive look at whether or not Dispensationlism is scripturally valid. To be convinced will likely require considerably more study then I have offered here. Hopefully however I have raised serious enough questions that you will be stirred to dig in more. These passages and word studies I have touched on are key yet they are either ignored or explained away when raised. Nor do these passages fit into a Dispensational understanding of the bible and I believe we must ask why. They are passages I believe you must seriously consider if you wish to continue holding to this view.
History behind
Dispensationalism
Up until now we have dealt almost exclusively with various scripture
passages and how to interpret them. Now we will see if history can shine any
light on this subject.
Concerning the history of Dispensationalism it should be pointed out
that the promotion and expansion of Dispensationalism appears to have had
considerably more to do with political views of Zionism, then
with the teaching of scripture. A little known document called The Blackstone
Petition or Blackstone Memorial called for the reestablishment of the State of
Israel back over 100 years ago in 1891. It was submitted by a lay minister/real
estate developer named William Blackstone (not to be confused with
the British attorney who wrote “Commentaries” on Common Law in the 1700’s).
http://www.christianitytoday.com/history/newsletter/2002/feb1.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Eugene_Blackstone
Blackstone
was a “student” of John Nelson Darby’s teachings, who was considered the
“Father of Dispensationalism."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Nelson_Darby
Even
though most of us have likely never heard of this petition it was not an
insignificant document at the time when you consider some of those who signed
it. For example J.P. Morgan, John D. and William Rockefeller, who were signers
also happened to be key “players” in forming the Federal Reserve System
implemented in 1913 under which our country’s monetary system now operates.
(For an excellent book on the issues regarding the Federal
Is
it merely a coincidence these gentlemen were signers of this petition? If you
understand the deception of the Federal
It
should be pointed out of the 413 signers of this Petition only a total of 15
were either
The
rest of the signers were a mixture of Protestant clergymen, representatives of
several major national news papers, politicians, government workers such as
postmasters, judges, clerks and even some collectors of revenue along with a
variety of businessmen. The whole list can be found at http://www.amfi.org/blackmem.htm.
Considering the apparent nature of this petition this was a curious mix indeed,
wouldn’t you agree?
The
rabbit whole goes even deeper however when you consider that J.P. Morgan and
interests also purchased every major newspaper of his time in order to control
the information going to the public to protect “their interests.”
The
banksters (the name I like to give to those who run the private banking system
called the Federal
To
the shock of anyone learning this for the first time the main stream media has
actually been controlled by the "banksters" since that time. This is
not conspiracy theory but documented in the Congressional
"In
March, 1915, (1915 is not a typo. The following has been going on for a long
time. So long that we have been lied to so often about so much that
when we DO hear the truth it often appears to be a lie. It’s also worth
noting this move is only two years after the Federal
This
contract is in existence at the present time, and it accounts for the news columns of the daily press
of the country." END OF QUOTE!
-The Congressional
If
this entry in the Congressional record didn’t just floor you, you didn’t “get
it.” I recommend you read it again and again until you do! We must understand
that lying to us and misdirection is a part of main stream news policy!
Highlights and parenthetical comments
are mine.
As further indication of the
influence and control of the media I offer you these additional quotes.
"There
is no such thing, at this date of the world
-John Swinton, former chief of staff, The New York
"We
are grateful to the Washington Post, the New York
-David Rockefeller, in an address given to Catherine Graham, publisher
of The
"We
are going to impose our agenda on the coverage by dealing with issues and
subjects that we choose to deal with".
-
"Our job is to give people not what they want, but what we decide they ought to have"
-
"Only the small secrets need to be protected.
The big ones are kept secret by public incredulity"(i.e. disbelief)
-Marshall McLuhan, media
Comments in ( )’s and or with emphasis mine.
Why
take so much time on addressing the media in a paper on Dispensationalism? If
you get nothing else from this article please understand this; the current
political and monetary system has subtle but clear connections to a system that
is far more encompassing then simply a theological view. And in order for this
financial/political system to survive we must remain ignorant and apathetic to
the true nature of events related to the banksters; thus the necessity of
controlling the information outlets. Truth, caring and action by you and I are
the banksters biggest fear. That’s why any exposure of this information is
often aggressively attacked with considerable effort to discredit it. If
you have read this far you are apparently neither apathetic and you can
certainly say you are no longer ignorant. But it is our fault as the church as
much as anyone’s on why this monetary/political system has thrived and exists
to this day. And it is also our problem to solve. Politicians have proven
they are not interested in truly addressing this banking system. In fact they
helped to implement it either directly or by turning a blind eye.
Am
I saying the banksters actually created this system called Dispensationalism.
Not at all. I do think however, they saw in dispensational teaching a perfect
opportunity and vehicle to aid in their efforts to implement a one-world
system. If the church can be convinced that the bible predicts the coming of a
one-world system under some diabolical opponent to God Himself, then to resist
it is futile. Why would any good Christian want to go against what the bible
predicts is inevitable.
Though
our understanding of the subject of this paper must be formed primarily from
scripture the political/historical/financial roots of Dispensationalism play a
far greater role to the promotion of this teaching to the church then many may
realize. Since the focus of bible students including Preterists is mainly on
understanding what scripture teaches
regarding the “end times” this lack of awareness of its historical roots is
understandable, however I believe knowing the history behind the promotion of
this doctrine is of no small consequence and should be considered more closely
by all students of the bible. Therefore I have taken the time to address this
side of this rather involved subject of Dispensationalism.
I believe it is the intention of those who seek to rule us (whoever they
may be) that buy into the pessimistic mindset fostered by Futurism as a whole
and Dispensationalism particularly (we will address this pessimism immediately
below in “Two World Views…”). The result is we unintentionally (by us but not
them) look to our rulers for solutions to our problems and not to God. (I
believe this also in part explains why Futurism and particularly
Dispensationalism is such a wide spread and popular notion among many non
Christians as well. No other teaching that is supposedly based on scripture is
more widely received by the non Christian community then this “end time”
doctrine. That in itself should raise a red flag as to the validity of this
teaching. Are not the things of the gospel normally foolishness to the world?
Christ’s word’s “broad is the road that leads to destruction…” could be very
appropriate here). I believe those who wish to rule over us count on us, the
church as a whole, doing just what we are doing which is next to nothing when
it comes to advancing the Kingdom of God here
and now and speaking out
against the corruption going on at all levels, especially within Government.
(For those who wish to raise the question of obeying the authorities in
I also think attempts to label Preterism as anti-Semitic (yes it’s true,
believe it or not. This is the kind of attack I mentioned above) is being used
to further these same ends. And if you understand that Satan is ultimately
behind anything that neuters the church’s effectiveness in the world all of
this is not beyond reason but in fact makes perfect sense. As you further study
the history behind Dispensationalism, if it isn’t already apparent, it will
become more apparent how all of this is connected.
Two World Views = two totally
different approaches to our world
So
far I have addressed the more technical aspects of our understanding of key
passages as well as the history of Dispensationalism. But are their any
practical implications regarding this issue? Do these two systems have any
effect on how we as the Church universal address our world today? I have
already alluded to this in the last section but wish to take a closer look.
Let’s
look at how each position deals with the moral decay in our system, the courts,
and culture. Why do you think the Evangelical church by and large is so
resigned to let things continue to deteriorate morally, politically, and
economically virtually unchallenged? Whenever I have sent info to my
futurist friends regarding current decay in our country there response is
always, "it
But
how does a "Preterist" respond? When things grow more oppressive
they pray even more earnestly and work even more diligently that God would
reverse the trend in order to aid the advancement of His kingdom on earth. This
is understood to not only be possible but is in fact God
The
futurist says, it
Consider
how much greater an impact the church would have on our culture today if they
all held a historical/preterist understanding of God
So there is no confusion I am not suggesting that we change our understanding
of scripture in order to be more effective in the world today. What I am saying
is by aligning our world view with
scripture we will be more effective.
There
is another very significant area these two views have an effect on. Would not
the church be far more aggressive in seeking to point our fellow men
and women of Jewish ancestry to Christ for salvation then we are
today? Whenever Paul addressed the "Jew/Gentile"
question did he not say "to the Jew first, then the Gentile?" Yet this is not the attitude of much
of the “Gentile” church today. (Actually there should be no such distinction. I
am only speaking of our national or ethnic heritage) How many converted
Jews attend evangelical churches that you are aware of? How many converted
Jews do you know personally? We know converted Hispanics, Asians, even
Arabic/Moslems, etc. etc. don
If
we held a "Preterist" view our focus instead of seeking to
support Israel financially and politically would be to reach them
spiritually. Yet we “Gentile” believers somehow (actually it is clearly tied to
futurist view of the nation of Israel) ignore their need spiritually and seek
to advance them materially and politically instead. Was it not the focus
of Christ while on earth to reach His fellow countrymen spiritually and
was this also not the very same reason they missed the message of the Messiah,
because they saw His message of salvation as earthly instead of
spiritual? Their desire for "political/earthly salvation" caused them
to miss the real message of Christ
With
this understanding how differently might we handle events in the Middle East?
Instead of sending billions in cash over the years to
I
also wish to point out there is a clear distinction between conversion to
Christ and the “Americanization” of a country. I am certainly not opposed to
Pro 14:34
Jas 4:10
Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he
will exalt you.
What
is known as "The First Great Awakening" occurred in the north
American Colonies in the 1730
As one of the Pastors of my church pointed out, the
difference between the Dispensational and Preterist camps is like the contrast
between two armies - one planning to endure a siege, the other planning for an
extended campaign of conquest. But in this instance we are speaking of spiritual
conquest, not military conquest. Not only would the attitudes be different,
their activities would reflect the needs they anticipate. In the army expecting
siege, there would be little need for leadership development or generational
transfer. With Dispensationalism everything is geared toward the immediate
future not for the long term planning of building something that will help
advance God’s kingdom for years to come.
This same pastor pointed out it was once overheard
on a futurist website: “Actually, it
However a historical understanding of scripture
gives you a TOTALLY different attitude with huge implications on how we
approach everything. With
this understanding you seek the advancement
of the kingdom and see the importance to share this with all who
will hear it. As certain aspects of our world become more bankrupt,
spiritually, morally, financially, the appeal of Christ and the need for HIS
solutions only become more apparent and the opportunities only increase, not
decrease.
The sad truth is in
¨
According to
the author Jim
¨
"There
are now more missionaries sent from non-Western nations than Western nations," according to he the
author.
¨
Church
growth outside of
Does the bible say anything about this?
Dan
The numbers above are no surprise because American
is the strongest promoter of Dispensational theology.
It is worth noting that when Christ said "the
gates of hell will not prevail" against the church, our English
translations don't do justice to the full meaning. The sense in
the original is the gates of hell will not withstand or stand up to the
advancement of the church. (That was orginally pointed out to
me by a futurist; Dr. Ed Hindson who still teaches at Jerry Farwell
Talk about an optimistic mindset!!!! We are on the
winning team, not just in eternity
but here and now and we
need to start acting like it if we are going to have any chance of
significantly impacting our world for Christ! How desperately the church needs
to get a hold of this (myself included). How sad and unfortunate it is that
because of the futurist pessimism (“it’s a sign of the times. The end is near”
etc. etc.) that has permeated much of the church we have disengaged to a large
extent in speaking into our world and as a result have acquiesced to the government to turn things around instead of Christ. Where in the bible
does it tell us to look to government as our Savior? No where!!! If we
understood God has called us, you and
me to be salt and light in this dark world and the decay of our culture
and society falls on us to address by the power of His Spirit driving us
and not our government we would be on our knees day
and night until His Spirit got a hold of us
first. And then through us He would get a hold of our fellow man and
ultimately our culture and government as well. Desperate times call for
desperate measures and desperate dependence on God and Spirit driven action for
God. Instead of enduring all the garbage and deception in the
world as we look to the sky hoping and waiting for Christ to come
and rescue us from it all
before it gets too bad, we should be speaking out on the bankruptcy of
this world and unapologetically offering the hope and power of Christ
in this
life as well as the one to come. How exciting, positive
and refreshing is that!?! May God give us the grace and understanding to see
His heart on these things!
If
you wish to discuss any of the points addressed in this paper or have any
questions, please feel free to message me at bigdeal@taxtruth4u.com Ask for Jim.
God Speed
