Dispensationalism

DISPENSATIONALISM DISPENSATION-“That system of doctrine which divides the history of God’s dealings with the world into the period of time, called dispensation. In each dispensation, God deals with man upon a plan different from the plan of the other dispensation…Each dispensation is a thing entirely apart from the others, and when one period succeeds another, there is a radical change of character and governing principles.”_Matthew Francis, Rock or Sand, Which quoted by Varner J. Johns, the Secret Rapture, p. 25. SCHOOLS OF PROPHETIC INTERPRETATION A. The Identification of the Antichrist: 1. Martin Luther. “There sits the man, of whom the apostle wrote(2 Thessalonians 2:3,4), that will oppose and exalt himself above all that is called God. That man of sin to be revealed, the son of perdition… He suppresses the law of God and exalt his commandments above the commandments of God (LeRoy Froom, The Prophetic Faith of our Fathers, vol.2, p. 281 ). “We here are of the conviction that the papacy is the seat of the true and real antichrist (Ibid. p. 256) 2. John Calvin “I deny him to be the vicar of Christ. . . He is the antichrist- I deny him to be head of the church.” (John Calvin Tracts, vol. 1, pp. 219, 220)

Because of the overwhelming scriptural evidence, the solution to the problem of identification of the papacy as the antichrist, during the reformation period and the years following, was hard to come by. It was during the council of trent in 1545, that the task of destroying the influence of the protestant identification of the Roman Church, the papacy as the antichrist, was given to the Jesuits. The Jesuits was the cream of the crop of the Roman Church’s intelligentsia. This was the beginning of the Roman Catholic Counterreformation.

ROME’S COUNTER ATTACK was IGNATIUS de LOYOLA(spain) antidote of papacy. He is the founder of the Jesuit. Ways of the papacy a. b. c. d. e.

order of the Jesuit council of trent counter of prophetic interpretation index persecution

SCHOOLS OF PROPHETIC INTERPRETATION 1. PRETERIST INTERPRETATION a. Jesuit Louis de Alcazar (1614)-believed that the prophecies in the book of Daniel and Revelation regarding the Antichrist were already past, fulfilled by Antiochus Epiphanes IV and Nero. By offering pig in the altar of the Temple of the Jews. Pig is not suitable for offering because it is unclean. 2. FUTURIST INTERPRETATION a. In 1585, Francisco Ribera, a Spanish Jesuit, came up with his thesis that the antichrist was a future personage, who at the end of time, would challenge the power of Christ. This thesis was published in 1590. b. With the exception of the first three chapters, the prophecies of the book of revelation were applied by Ribera to the future. c. According to Ribera, antichrist would be a single diabolical individual who would arise at the end of time. He would received by the Jews, and would reestablish Jerusalem and the Temple. Lindsey a graduate of Dallas Theological Seminary has contributed to making dispensationalism not only more popular but also more sensational,by giving dates to its Endtime-scenario. The fixed starting point of Lindsey’s End-time prophetic scenario was May 14, 1948 the year of the establishment of the state of Israel. He use Matthew 24:32-34the parable of the fig tree given by Christ in His Olivet

Discourse: “From the fig tree learn its lesson” as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. The parable of fig tree contains according to Lindsey, “an extremely important time clue” to calculate the approximate date of Christ’s visible Return. He finds the time clue in the reference to the putting forth of the first leaves by the fig tree. The imagery, for Lindsey, represents the restoration of national Israel which occurred on 1948. The term generation =40 years +1948=1988 is the coming of Christ according to Lindsey. d. He also would abolish Christianity, revile Christ, and persecute Christians terribly, during his 3 ½ years reign. Because he believes that the antichrist is yet in the future in the course of 7years tribulation period, after the church was secretly raptured, leaving all Jews to suffer the tribulation.

1. Jewish kingdom 1. Restoration of suspended Jerusalem’s Temple 2. Jewish church & 2. 3.5 years prosperous gentile church separate 3. Reign of antichrist at the end of 3.5 prosperous living 4. Persecution of the Jews by the antichrist 5. Salvation still open

1. 1000 years peace & prosperity 2. Salvation still open (2nd chance) 3. Many Jews & Gentile Believed

CARDINAL ROBERT BELLARMINE- created the gap theory Ribera’s thesis was sent to many of the universities of Europe, including Oxford University; however it took 200 years before his work stated bearing fruit. The Anglo-catholic movement at Oxford University, led by a small group of Anglicans was then exploring the concept of reunification w/ Rome & men like SR MAITLAND, JAMES TODD, and WILLIAM BURGH suggested that the English Church should reunite w/ the Church of Rome. They accept the thesis of ribera and scattered it. Edward Irving- In the late 1820’s, in the beginning of the great British Advent awakening, Edward Irving started a church of his own w/c he called the catholic Apostolic Church. This church fervently believed in the speaking in tongues. The secret rapture was said to have been revealed. The secret rapture was introduced at the Powerscourt Castle Prophetic Conferences w/c began in Ireland in 1830. John Nelson Darvy- (student of Irving)- Darvy lived in Plymouth England. After studying at trinity college Dublin, he served for a short time as an Anglican curate, after w/c he established the Plymouth Brethren Church. In 1831, ordained speaking in tongue. Principal pioneer of dispensationalism in America was Cyrus Ingerson Scofield-who accept the concept of Darvy. Different kind of dispensationalism * Acts 2 *Acts 3 *Acts 9 & 13 *Acts 28