GRASSROOTS POLITICS OF POSTMILLENNIALISM (2)

Culture, Worldview August 16, 2016 Leave a comment

Cross WashingtonPMT 2016-060 by J. Vaden Cavett

Gentry note: This article was originally published in The Covenant Quarterly and is used by permission of the author. We are in a political season which requires that we bring our faith to bear upon this important topic. This is part 2 of a three part series.

Kingdom Progress in History

R. J. Rushdoony writes: “The heart of post-millennialism is the faith that Christ will through His people accomplish and put into force the glorious prophecies of Isaiah and all the Scriptures, that He shall overcome all His enemies through His covenant people, and that He shall exercise His power and Kingdom in all the world and over all men and nations, so that, whether in faith or in defeat, every knee shall bow to Him and every tongue shall confess God (Rom. 14: 11; Phil. 2: 11).” (God’s Plan for Victory) Continue reading →

GRASSROOTS POLITICS OF POSTMILLENNIALISM (1)

Uncategorized August 12, 2016 Leave a comment

Faith politicsPMT 2016-059 by J. Vaden Cavett

Gentry note: This article was originally published in The Covenant Quarterly and is used by permission of the author. We are in a political season which requires that we bring our faith to bear upon this important topic. This is part 1 of a three part series.

Before we begin, just know this article is unique. It is a systematic presentation of the Bible texts relevant to the topic of the Kingdom, and it contains very few of my own words. Volumes and volumes have been written on this subject, most of which you can find online for free.

My main purpose for writing this article is to summarize, from Scripture, how God will transform the world under the scepter of King Jesus. To start that discussion, we must begin with the tools by which redeemed man exercises dominion. Continue reading →

THE SEXUAL REVOLUTION AND THE WITNESS OF THE CHURCH

Church, Culture, Ethics August 9, 2016 Leave a comment

Abortion on demandPMT 2016-058 by Albert Mohler, Jr.

Gentry note:

The following article from Tabletalk magazine presents the challenge that is before the Church of Jesus Christ. We must pray for revival in the Church that she might arise and re-ignite the progress she promoted in years past. Postmillennialists are not naive: we recognize the downward trend we are currently experiencing. But we remain optimistic for the historical long-run: our God is in heaven and:

“He who sits in the heavens laughs, / The Lord scoffs at them. / Then He will speak to them in His anger / And terrify them in His fury, saying, /‘But as for Me, I have installed My King /Upon Zion, My holy mountain.” (Psa. 2:4–6)

However, Christians today need to be reminded: he uses his people in history to effect his will. This is why he has given us this prayer to pray publically, corporately, and believingly: “’Your kingdom come. Your will be done, / On earth as it is in heaven” (Matt. 6:10).

Continue reading →

DEBATING HYPERPRETERISTS

AD 70, Creeds, hyperpreterism, Preterism August 5, 2016 Comments: 2

Brick wallEvery few years I will get a request such as this. I thought it might be helpful to answer it publicly so that in the next few years when I get another one, I can simply point to this article.

Dr. Gentry:

I have a friend who has pointed out problems he has with some of your response to HyperPreterism. He asked me these questions about you: Why do you not publicly debate HyperPreterists? And: In your chapter in Mathison’s book against HyperPreterism, you focus solely on the creedal argument. Does creedalism preclude exegesis?
LFR (North Carolina)

Continue reading →

THE EFFECT OF RIGHTEOUSNESS

Optimism July 29, 2016 Comments: 5

King JesusPMT 2016-055 by Christopher Hume

Peace. It is illusive, yes, but it is not unattainable. The best of human rulers can only give thanks to God if his kingdom or country is characterized by peace. To say a kingdom is characterized by peace is a high commendation. For example, the reign of Israel’s greatest king, David, was characterized by peace (though not before much fighting had to be done; see 1 Chronicles 22:18; 23:25). Peace was even more prominent during Solomon’s days (1 Kings 4:20; 1 Chronicles 22:8). But the peace of King David and King Solomon was short-lived. As great as they were, these kings were still sinners. Imagine, however, a perfect king, ruling in perfect righteousness. What would be the effect of that? What would the result be if such a king were ruling over us? Would there be peace? Or would there be increasing wickedness and sin? The Bible not only answers that question, it also tells us who that king is. Continue reading →

THE MILLENNIAL MAZE

Amillennialism, Dispensationalism, History, Theology July 19, 2016 Leave a comment

MazePMT 2016-052 by Keith Mathison (Ligonier)

I once heard someone define the millennium as a thousand-year period of time during which Christians fight over the proper interpretation of the book of Revelation. While amusing, that definition is obviously incorrect. Christians have been fighting over the proper interpretation of the book of Revelation for two thousand years. In all seriousness, however, all of the fighting has led some Christians to adopt despairingly a position they call panmillennialism (we don’t know which view of the millennium is correct, but we know it will all pan out in the end).

The word millennium refers to the “thousand years” mentioned in Revelation 20. Because this chapter is found in one of the most difficult books of the New Testament, its proper interpretation is disputed. As a result, there are four main views of the millennium held within the church today: historic premillennialism, dispensational premillennialism, amillennialism, and postmillennialism. Continue reading →

THE CHURCH IS GROWING

Church, Culture, Optimism July 12, 2016 1 Comment

PMT 2016-050 by Krish KandiahChurch growing

Without my glasses, younger children in my household look at me as though I am a stranger they have never met before. To me, the world around feels very different. Last week my glasses were stolen and I became very aware how my myopia caused me to feel disoriented, claustrophic, nervous, and unconfident.

Something similar happens to Christians when we lose our global glasses. We fail to see what God is doing on the world stage and instead we become parochial and introverted, limited in our vision and witness. Continue reading →