The Rapture and the Nature of the Church — Part 3

Posted on June 18, 2023 by David

The Mystery of the Church

In the great Church epistles, Ephesians and Colossians, Paul explains what he means by the word mystery, saying, “by revelation He made known to me the mystery. . . which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets” (Eph. 3:3-5). Mystery for Paul means a truth of God not revealed in times past, but now revealed to the apostles and prophets of the NT. The mystery is that Gentiles are fellow heirs in the same body with Jews, and that Gentiles are fellow partakers with Jews of God’s promise in Christ through the gospel (Eph. 3:6). The OT does promise Gentile salvation—even in the covenant that formed Israel, all the families of the earth are to be blessed, and Paul equates this promise with the gospel (Gal. 3:8).

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The Rapture and the Nature of the Church — Part 2

Posted on June 13, 2023 by David

Is the Church is coextensive with the redeemed throughout all ages, or is it a New Testament entity? Did it begin suddenly or slowly develop out of Israel? These questions have dramatic implication for one’s theology, including the nature and timing of the rapture.

When did the Church Begin?

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The Rapture and the Nature of the Church — Part 1

Posted on June 7, 2023 by David
"I am... the Bright and Morning Star" Revelation 22:16

Ecclesiology is often neglected in debates over the rapture, but it makes all the difference. Readers will interpret a text differently depending on the assumptions they bring to it, and one weighty assumption for the rapture debate is the precise nature of the Church. Charles Ryrie in his classic work, Dispensationalism, calls the doctrine of the church the touchstone of pretribulationism.[1] Posttribulationist, and Historic Premillennialist, Don J. Payne, says his view shares a basic method of literal interpretation with (pretribulationist) dispensationalism, but it differs by “recognizing that in some spiritual sense the Church does fulfill the role of Old Testament Israel.”[2] Well-known Historic Premillennialist, George Eldon Ladd, admits to a less-than-literal approach to hermeneutics, but says he does so because he is convinced the New Testament (NT) takes Old Testament (OT) promises to Israel and applies them to the Church.[3]

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Bad Objections to the Rapture, Part III

Posted on May 31, 2022 by David

Klayton Carson (follow him @jarsofKlay) asked me to read and respond to this article by Erik Reed from Knowing Jesus Ministries, titled Is the Rapture Taught in the Bible? This is the right question. As we concluded the first “Bad Objections” article, it’s the only question that really matters. A doctrine is true if it corresponds to the Biblical evidence and accords with right reason. There are many rhetorical devices we can use to make an idea look bad and to win over our audience, but Christians are called to speak and seek the truth. We do neither by arguing dishonestly or uncharitably.

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A Concise Response to A Concise Case for Amillennialism

Posted on February 13, 2022 by David

Anthony Charles at thenewgeneva.com released a blog post recently, subtitled, “A Concise Case for Reformed Amillennialism.” It seems like a worthwhile platform for dialogue, so here is a Dispensational Premillennialist’s reaction to the article.

the-kingdom-of-heaven-title-graphic
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Notes on Guilt Grace Gratitude Podcast Season 3 Episode 24

Posted on December 6, 2021 by David

A twitter follower asked for my opinion on this podcast episode, wondering if I thought they represented Dispensationalism fairly. Here are a few notes in response:

The podcast guest kept saying, “Gentile church and Jewish Israel,” when describing our view of the distinction between the Church and Israel. It is true that this present church age is characteristically Gentile, but it isn’t fair to call the church a Gentile entity. The remnant of Israel in this age is within the church, according to Dispensationalism. The church is neither Jew nor Gentile but is a unique body made one from the two.

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Are my senses as authoritative as Scripture?

Posted on March 1, 2021 by David

All knowledge comes to us via the senses (let’s leave aside direct revelations from God at the moment). So, when I observe the natural world, I use my senses, and when I read a book I use my senses. The problem for the “scripture is my axiom” folks, as I often point out, is that if you completely distrust the senses as a source of knowledge (an epistemology)… if you can’t trust any knowledge you get from your senses, then you can’t trust the Bible either, since it comes to you via the senses.

But does that put our senses on par with scripture? Do you mean, my senses are as authoritative as scripture? A friend claimed this is what I was saying: “Since we can trust our senses to read scripture we can trust them for observations on the natural world, and the conclusions that come from it.”

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5 MORE Terrible Objections to the Rapture

Posted on December 19, 2020 by David

This is a response to Dr. Jordan B. Cooper’s 5 Major Problems with the Rapture.

I watched Dr. Jordan B. Cooper’s video from a couple of years ago titled, “5 Problems with the Rapture.” Why did I watch a two year old video on the rapture from a Lutheran and write about it, you ask? I wanted a writing exercise. I also like Dr. Cooper. He’s a good follow on twitter, and a smart resource for church history topics, justification controversies, and whether someone is semi-Pelagian.

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Is Simulation Theory Self-Defeating?

Posted on May 7, 2020 by David

My recent Intro to Apologetics video gave some examples of self-defeating statements. Here’s another example.

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Addendum – Why do YOU believe?

Posted on May 6, 2020 by David
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