Tag Archives: Christ’s rule

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 →

DISPENSATIONALISM AND THE SPIRITUAL KINGDOM

Dispensationalism September 16, 2015 Comments: 2

Christ bureaucratsPMT 2015-111 by Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr.

Classic dispensationalism I the most popular version of this eschatological perspective, the view held by most self-proclaimed “prophecy experts,” televangelists, and your neighbors. Therefore, it is important to analyze it as the leading competitor to postmillennialism. As I continue my critique of it I will return to elaborate on the spiritual nature of the kingdom which I briefly touched on in my last article.

Dispensationalists argue for the necessity of Christ’s physical presence if His kingdom is to come. For instance, House and Ice write in their critique of postmillennialism:

“Within the Reconstructionist framework, Messiah is in heaven and only present mystically in his kingdom. His absence from the earth during his kingdom reign robs Messiah of his moment of earthly glory and exaltation. Continue reading →

DISPENSATIONALISM AND CHRIST THE POLITICIAN

Christ, Dispensationalism September 14, 2015 Comments: 3

PMT 2015-110 by Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr.Christ President

In my previous article I began a brief study considering some of the leading errors in classic (populist) dispensationalism. I opened with a presentation of the Christological distortions inherent in the system — which is significant in that Christ lies at the very center of Christianity. I will continue my concern with those Christological distortions in this article.

One of the difficulties dispensationalists have in understanding the Messianic kingdom promised by the prophets is with regard to its fundamental nature. Several major misconceptions lead them astray in this regard. We highlight but three: they assert of the Messianic kingdom that it will (1) be a future, earthly, Armageddon-introduced, political system, (2) require the physical presence of Christ on earth, and (3) be fundamentally Jewish in purpose and character. Continue reading →

DISPENSATIONALISM DISTORTS CHRIST’S RULE

Christ, Dispensationalism September 11, 2015 Leave a comment

PMT 2015-109 by Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr. Crown

In this and the next few blog articles, I will be highlighting three types of distortions involved in classic dispensationalism, the most wildly popular eschatological position in the modern evangelical market. These distortions are harmful to a balanced Christian worldview. In this brief series, I have chosen to cover classic dispensational errors in the areas of christology, redemptive history, and contemporary historical progress. There are, of course, many other areas that I could consider.

Before I begin considering these, it should be understood that, as in any system, there will be some internal disagreements among its adherents. The aspects I have chosen for scrutiny are broadly popular, even if some of the details of the following features are debated by dispensational theologians. Continue reading →