The Many Tentacles of Christian Zionism
A guy on the Internet recently mentioned "...the paradigm of the Rapture Cult and its myriad of dispensational tentacles..."
Although many in the churches do not understand very much of what the theology called dispensationalism is about, the "dispensational tentacles" of influence reach into many church people's beliefs. Many follow doctrines of dispensationalism and do not know what the word dispensationalism means.
The Pre-tribulational Rapture of the Dispensationalist Church is part of classical dispensationalist doctrine, but its not essential to that doctrine. There are dispensationalists who do not agree with the pre-trib rapture theory, which is not in scripture. The continuation of the physical bloodline - the chosen people - is the fundamental doctrine of dispensationalism or Christian Zionism.
I Thessalonians 4: 15-17 does describe a taking of believers up into the air to meet Christ, but there is nothing about when this occurs in I Thessalonians 4: 15-17. When it occurs is found in I Corinthians 15: 51-52, at the last trump or trumpet. This is supported by John 6: 39 and the statement "I will raise him up at the last day" is repeated in John 6: 40, John 6: 44 and in John 6: 54.
But dispensationalists learn a peculiar way of interpreting scripture, something called their "Hermeneutic," from the pagan Greek god Hermes.
They learn their theology - their tradition of men - and then they try to find scripture that appears to them to support that theology. An example is their use of I Thessalonians 4: 15-17 in isolation from I Corinthians 15: 15-17 and the statements in John 6 on the resurrection being on the last day. In the process of trying to find scripture that they think supports their theology they often make scripture appear to contradict itself. If I Thessalonians 4: 15-17 is about a pre-tribulation rapture of the dispensationalist capital C Church, then I Corinthians 15: 15-17, saying the resurrection occurs at the last trumpet and John 6: 39 saying the same thing contradict I Thessalonians 4: 15-17. And then the dispensationalists go about trying to argue how there are to be two resurrections, which again is not in scripture.
The dispensationalist "Hermeneutic" is not the same as the way Isaiah 28: 13 tells us to interpret scripture. "But the word of the LORD was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little;"
To follow Isaiah 28: 13 you start from scripture and use other relevant scripture to interpret scripture. You do not start from the ideas of men and then search for scripture you think supports those ideas. That leads to false doctrines and those who follow this procedure are False Prophets.
The word dispensationalism is not a good description of what dispensationalism is all about. Christian Zionism is a better term.
C. I. Scofield claimed that "Not one instance exists of a 'spiritual' or figurative fulfilment of prophecy... Jerusalem is always Jerusalem, Israel is always Israel, Zion is always Zion... Prophecies may never be spiritualised, but are always literal." C.I. Scofield, Scofield Bible Correspondence Course (Chicago, Moody Bible Institute), pp. 45-46.
Lewis S. Chafer, a follower of Scofield and founder of Dallas Theological Seminary, says "The outstanding characteristic of the dispensationalist is... That he believes every statement of the Bible and gives to it the plain, natural meaning its words imply." L. S. Chafer, 'Dispensationalism,' Bibliotheca Sacra, 93 (October 1936), 410, 417.
And Chafer says dispensationalism or Christian Zionism "...has changed the Bible from being a mass of more or less conflicting writings into a classified and easily assimilated revelation of both the earthly and heavenly purposes of God, which purposes reach on into eternity to come." L. S. Chafer, 'Dispensationalism,' Bibliotheca Sacra, 93 (October 1936) pp. 446-447. Quoted in Daniel P. Fuller, Gospel and Law, Contrast or Continuum? The Hermeneutic of Dispensationalism and Covenant Theology (Grand Rapids, Michigan, Eerdmans, 1980), pp. 24-25
Chafer means that Christian Zionism has changed the understanding of the Bible for many in the churches, which means this tradition of men has changed some of the doctrines from the Bible. And it has changed some basic doctrines so that Christian Zionism becomes another Gospel (II Corinthians 11: 4, Galatians 1: 6-9).
Christian Zionism has difficulty in interpreting Romans 2: 28-29, "He is not a Jew who is one outwardly...in the flesh...he is a Jew, which is one inwardly...of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter." They often either ignore Romans 2: 28-29 or say it only means that a true Jew is one who is a Jew inwardly of the heart and in the spirit, while not seeing that Romans 2: 28-29 is saying there is no more Jew because of his flesh, because of his physical descent from Abraham. That, they cannot accept.
Christian Zionists do not like to deal with Romans 9: 6-8, "For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel...They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God..." Romans 9: 6-8 says something the opposite of what Christian Zionism teaches, that the Old Covenant is somehow still in existence and that Jews are still the chosen people by their flesh.
Galatians 3: 3,16, 26-29 is subtle, maybe too subtle for the dispensationalist "Hermeneutic" to understand, which tends toward literalism and the letter rather than being led by the Spirit into truth. But Galatians 3 is another scripture that Christian Zionists want to ignore. It says in a subtle way that the doctrine that Old Covenant Israel were the chosen people because of their physical descent from Abraham was done away with, replaced by a spiritual descent from him, being his spiritual seed and therefore the spiritual seed of God in Christ.
Then there is Hebrews 10: 9, "He taken away the first, that he may establish the second." Christian Zionists have to compromise or change Hebrews 10: 9 in some way to make their theology work, that somehow the Old Covenant till exists for those that they call Israel.
The Christian Zionist starting point or assumption that God now has two peoples, all Old Covenant Israel, the multitude, not the remnant, and the Capital C Dispensatrionalist Church is contradicted clearly by John 10: 16, Romans 12: 4-5 and Ephesians 4: 4, all saying there is one Body of Christ, not two.
http://anothervoicerev184.blogspot.c...-of-jesus.html
"Return of Jesus Christ, The Rapture of the Church and the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, By Lewis Sperry Chafer 1871-1952."
Chafer says "The nation Israel, God's chosen earthly people, to whom at least five-sixths of the Bible is addressed and with whom the great covenants are made (Rom 9:4-5) -- which covenants secure to that nation a land, a nation, a throne, a King, and a kingdom -- are now scattered throughout all the nations of the earth (Deut 4:26-28; Deut 28:63-68; Jer 16:13), and are to remain scattered until they (a remnant; ed.) are gathered into their own land (Deut 30:3-6; Isa 11:11-12; Isa 14:1-3; Isa 60:1-22; Jer 23:6-8; Jer 32:37-44; Jer 33:7-9; Eze 37:21-25; Mic 4:6-8) under the reign of Christ Jesus at His return."
Lewis S. Chafer refers to physical Israel as God's earthy chosen people. And early dispensationalists talk about the church as being only a "parenthesis" within dispensations.
Charles C. Ryrie (born 1925) says:
"basic promise of Dispensationalism is two purposes of God expressed
in the formation of two peoples who maintain their distinction
throughout eternity." Charles C. Ryrie, Dispensationalism Today,1966, pp.44-45.
J. Dwight Pentecost in his book Things To Come ( 1965) says "The church and Israel are two distinct groups with whom God has a divine plan.
The Catholic Church did not replace Old Covenant Israel, and contrary to Christian Zionism, the Dispoensationalist Capital C Church does not now exist alongside of the multitude of Old Covenant Israel, whoever they are in 2015. Instead, as Jeremiah 18: 4,6 say "And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it. 6.O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the LORD. Behold, as the clay is in the potter's hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel."
God remade Old Covenant Israel into that spiritual house of I Peter 2: 5, 9, where in I Peter 2: 9 Peter quotes Exodus 19: 5-6, meaning now born again Christians are the peculiar people, a kingdom of priests and a holy nation or people.
"The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former..." Haggai 2: 9
Haggai 2: 9, like Hebrews 10: 9, does not agree with the fundamental idea of Christian Zionism that the physical descendants of Abraham under the Old Covenant remain now the chosen people. Haggai 2; 9 is talking about a spiritual people as making up this latter house. As I Peter 2: 5 says "ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house."
A guy on the Internet recently mentioned "...the paradigm of the Rapture Cult and its myriad of dispensational tentacles..."
Although many in the churches do not understand very much of what the theology called dispensationalism is about, the "dispensational tentacles" of influence reach into many church people's beliefs. Many follow doctrines of dispensationalism and do not know what the word dispensationalism means.
The Pre-tribulational Rapture of the Dispensationalist Church is part of classical dispensationalist doctrine, but its not essential to that doctrine. There are dispensationalists who do not agree with the pre-trib rapture theory, which is not in scripture. The continuation of the physical bloodline - the chosen people - is the fundamental doctrine of dispensationalism or Christian Zionism.
I Thessalonians 4: 15-17 does describe a taking of believers up into the air to meet Christ, but there is nothing about when this occurs in I Thessalonians 4: 15-17. When it occurs is found in I Corinthians 15: 51-52, at the last trump or trumpet. This is supported by John 6: 39 and the statement "I will raise him up at the last day" is repeated in John 6: 40, John 6: 44 and in John 6: 54.
But dispensationalists learn a peculiar way of interpreting scripture, something called their "Hermeneutic," from the pagan Greek god Hermes.
They learn their theology - their tradition of men - and then they try to find scripture that appears to them to support that theology. An example is their use of I Thessalonians 4: 15-17 in isolation from I Corinthians 15: 15-17 and the statements in John 6 on the resurrection being on the last day. In the process of trying to find scripture that they think supports their theology they often make scripture appear to contradict itself. If I Thessalonians 4: 15-17 is about a pre-tribulation rapture of the dispensationalist capital C Church, then I Corinthians 15: 15-17, saying the resurrection occurs at the last trumpet and John 6: 39 saying the same thing contradict I Thessalonians 4: 15-17. And then the dispensationalists go about trying to argue how there are to be two resurrections, which again is not in scripture.
The dispensationalist "Hermeneutic" is not the same as the way Isaiah 28: 13 tells us to interpret scripture. "But the word of the LORD was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little;"
To follow Isaiah 28: 13 you start from scripture and use other relevant scripture to interpret scripture. You do not start from the ideas of men and then search for scripture you think supports those ideas. That leads to false doctrines and those who follow this procedure are False Prophets.
The word dispensationalism is not a good description of what dispensationalism is all about. Christian Zionism is a better term.
C. I. Scofield claimed that "Not one instance exists of a 'spiritual' or figurative fulfilment of prophecy... Jerusalem is always Jerusalem, Israel is always Israel, Zion is always Zion... Prophecies may never be spiritualised, but are always literal." C.I. Scofield, Scofield Bible Correspondence Course (Chicago, Moody Bible Institute), pp. 45-46.
Lewis S. Chafer, a follower of Scofield and founder of Dallas Theological Seminary, says "The outstanding characteristic of the dispensationalist is... That he believes every statement of the Bible and gives to it the plain, natural meaning its words imply." L. S. Chafer, 'Dispensationalism,' Bibliotheca Sacra, 93 (October 1936), 410, 417.
And Chafer says dispensationalism or Christian Zionism "...has changed the Bible from being a mass of more or less conflicting writings into a classified and easily assimilated revelation of both the earthly and heavenly purposes of God, which purposes reach on into eternity to come." L. S. Chafer, 'Dispensationalism,' Bibliotheca Sacra, 93 (October 1936) pp. 446-447. Quoted in Daniel P. Fuller, Gospel and Law, Contrast or Continuum? The Hermeneutic of Dispensationalism and Covenant Theology (Grand Rapids, Michigan, Eerdmans, 1980), pp. 24-25
Chafer means that Christian Zionism has changed the understanding of the Bible for many in the churches, which means this tradition of men has changed some of the doctrines from the Bible. And it has changed some basic doctrines so that Christian Zionism becomes another Gospel (II Corinthians 11: 4, Galatians 1: 6-9).
Christian Zionism has difficulty in interpreting Romans 2: 28-29, "He is not a Jew who is one outwardly...in the flesh...he is a Jew, which is one inwardly...of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter." They often either ignore Romans 2: 28-29 or say it only means that a true Jew is one who is a Jew inwardly of the heart and in the spirit, while not seeing that Romans 2: 28-29 is saying there is no more Jew because of his flesh, because of his physical descent from Abraham. That, they cannot accept.
Christian Zionists do not like to deal with Romans 9: 6-8, "For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel...They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God..." Romans 9: 6-8 says something the opposite of what Christian Zionism teaches, that the Old Covenant is somehow still in existence and that Jews are still the chosen people by their flesh.
Galatians 3: 3,16, 26-29 is subtle, maybe too subtle for the dispensationalist "Hermeneutic" to understand, which tends toward literalism and the letter rather than being led by the Spirit into truth. But Galatians 3 is another scripture that Christian Zionists want to ignore. It says in a subtle way that the doctrine that Old Covenant Israel were the chosen people because of their physical descent from Abraham was done away with, replaced by a spiritual descent from him, being his spiritual seed and therefore the spiritual seed of God in Christ.
Then there is Hebrews 10: 9, "He taken away the first, that he may establish the second." Christian Zionists have to compromise or change Hebrews 10: 9 in some way to make their theology work, that somehow the Old Covenant till exists for those that they call Israel.
The Christian Zionist starting point or assumption that God now has two peoples, all Old Covenant Israel, the multitude, not the remnant, and the Capital C Dispensatrionalist Church is contradicted clearly by John 10: 16, Romans 12: 4-5 and Ephesians 4: 4, all saying there is one Body of Christ, not two.
http://anothervoicerev184.blogspot.c...-of-jesus.html
"Return of Jesus Christ, The Rapture of the Church and the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, By Lewis Sperry Chafer 1871-1952."
Chafer says "The nation Israel, God's chosen earthly people, to whom at least five-sixths of the Bible is addressed and with whom the great covenants are made (Rom 9:4-5) -- which covenants secure to that nation a land, a nation, a throne, a King, and a kingdom -- are now scattered throughout all the nations of the earth (Deut 4:26-28; Deut 28:63-68; Jer 16:13), and are to remain scattered until they (a remnant; ed.) are gathered into their own land (Deut 30:3-6; Isa 11:11-12; Isa 14:1-3; Isa 60:1-22; Jer 23:6-8; Jer 32:37-44; Jer 33:7-9; Eze 37:21-25; Mic 4:6-8) under the reign of Christ Jesus at His return."
Lewis S. Chafer refers to physical Israel as God's earthy chosen people. And early dispensationalists talk about the church as being only a "parenthesis" within dispensations.
Charles C. Ryrie (born 1925) says:
"basic promise of Dispensationalism is two purposes of God expressed
in the formation of two peoples who maintain their distinction
throughout eternity." Charles C. Ryrie, Dispensationalism Today,1966, pp.44-45.
J. Dwight Pentecost in his book Things To Come ( 1965) says "The church and Israel are two distinct groups with whom God has a divine plan.
The Catholic Church did not replace Old Covenant Israel, and contrary to Christian Zionism, the Dispoensationalist Capital C Church does not now exist alongside of the multitude of Old Covenant Israel, whoever they are in 2015. Instead, as Jeremiah 18: 4,6 say "And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it. 6.O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the LORD. Behold, as the clay is in the potter's hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel."
God remade Old Covenant Israel into that spiritual house of I Peter 2: 5, 9, where in I Peter 2: 9 Peter quotes Exodus 19: 5-6, meaning now born again Christians are the peculiar people, a kingdom of priests and a holy nation or people.
"The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former..." Haggai 2: 9
Haggai 2: 9, like Hebrews 10: 9, does not agree with the fundamental idea of Christian Zionism that the physical descendants of Abraham under the Old Covenant remain now the chosen people. Haggai 2; 9 is talking about a spiritual people as making up this latter house. As I Peter 2: 5 says "ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house."
