The Pretribulation Rapture Doctrine and the Progressive Dispensational System: Are They Compatible?Universal-Publishers, 2004 - 144 pages Since its inception in the early nineteenth century, the basic tenet of dispensationalism (a school of Protestant theology which holds that God deals with humankind in different ways in different periods of time called dispensations) has been that the church and Israel are two sharply distinct peoples of God. The distinction is theological in nature; specifically, anthropological (pertaining to humanity), soteriological (pertaining to salvation), and eschatological (pertaining to last things). The tenet of theological distinctiveness has always been the cornerstone for the dispensationalist's belief in the pretribulation rapture of the church: the belief that at the first stage of Christ's two-stage second advent he will endue all who comprise the true church with a resurrected body like his own, and transport; i.e., rapture, all to heaven before the seven year period of turmoil known as the Tribulation begins on earth. The rapture marks the end of one dispensation when God focused his attention primarily on the church, and the start of another when God will focus his attention primarily on Israel. Today, almost two centuries later, progressive dispensationalists have rejected the view of a sharp theological distinction. From their study of Scripture they observe a soft non-theological distinction. They describe the church and Israel as different redemptive dimensions of the same humanity that share in a holistic and unified eternal salvation. An already and not yet eschatological framework is the cornerstone of their system. This thesis will argue that progressive dispensationalism cannot integrate the pretribulation rapture doctrine into its reconstructed dispensational system on any basis of theological distinctiveness between the church and Israel. This will be accomplished by first setting forth the theological systems of the three major forms of dispensationalism that have existed during its history, namely, classical, revised, and progressive dispensationalism, and second, by showing that each of three kinds of theological distinctiveness, namely, anthropological, soteriological, and eschatological distinctiveness, are present in the classical and revised systems and therefore these systems can support the rapture's integration, but are not present in the progressive system and therefore this system cannot support the rapture's integration. The thesis closes with an explanation as to why progressive dispensationalism is more compatible with amillennialism than with premillennialism. |
From inside the book
Results 1-5 of 29
Page iii
... Darby is credited with developing the system now known as dispensational premillennialism , or simply dispensational ... Darby's view is in contrast to the then existing and even now more widely accepted view that the church is a ...
... Darby is credited with developing the system now known as dispensational premillennialism , or simply dispensational ... Darby's view is in contrast to the then existing and even now more widely accepted view that the church is a ...
Page 2
... Darby translation of the text reads : And to the angel of the assembly in Philadelphia write : ... Because thou hast kept the word of my patience , I also will keep thee out of [ emphasis mine ] the hour of trial , which is about to ...
... Darby translation of the text reads : And to the angel of the assembly in Philadelphia write : ... Because thou hast kept the word of my patience , I also will keep thee out of [ emphasis mine ] the hour of trial , which is about to ...
Page 3
... Darby came began to his to Thide recover he whis was recovering from a horse-riding accident. He recalled that time ... Darby's translation. The more common translation of ek in Revelation 3:10 is from, so translated in the Authorized ...
... Darby came began to his to Thide recover he whis was recovering from a horse-riding accident. He recalled that time ... Darby's translation. The more common translation of ek in Revelation 3:10 is from, so translated in the Authorized ...
Page 4
... Darby was the first to speak specifically of a pretribulation rapture . It is pointed out that in 1830 in a Port Glasgow church service a 15 year old girl by the name of Margaret MacDonald ( also spelled “ Macdonald ” ) claimed to have ...
... Darby was the first to speak specifically of a pretribulation rapture . It is pointed out that in 1830 in a Port Glasgow church service a 15 year old girl by the name of Margaret MacDonald ( also spelled “ Macdonald ” ) claimed to have ...
Page 5
... Darby's Plymouth Brethren defenders to shift attention away from young MacDonald and onto a more credible Darby . Dave MacPherson argues the doctrine was established late within the theological system's development and not in its ...
... Darby's Plymouth Brethren defenders to shift attention away from young MacDonald and onto a more credible Darby . Dave MacPherson argues the doctrine was established late within the theological system's development and not in its ...
Contents
Progressive Dispensationalism | 33 |
CHAPTER III | 105 |
THE FULFILLMENT OF THE ABRAHAMIC COVENANT | 124 |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
Abrahamic covenant anthropological basis of theological Bible Truth Publishers Biblical Blaising and Darrell Bock Grand Rapids body of Christ Bruce Waltke Chafer Charles Ryrie Christ's return church and Israel church dispensation classical and revised classical dispensationalism Collected Writings Craig Darby's Darrell L Davidic covenant Davidic kingdom destiny dispensational system earth eschatological eschatological distinctiveness eschatological kingdom Extent and Varieties fulfilled glorified Gordon Fee Grand Rapids heavenly and earthly hermeneutics holistic Holy Spirit Ibid integrate the pretribulation J. N. Darby Jews and Gentiles John Nelson Darby kind of eternal kingdom program Kregel literal interpretation Mal Couch meaning millennial mystery nations Old Testament people-group plan of redemption plan of salvation Poythress presupposition progressive dispensational Progressive Dispensationalism progressive dispensationalists Prophetic purpose reign rejected reprint resurrection glory Revelation revised dispensationalism revised dispensationalists saints Saucy Scofield Reference Bible Scripture seed soteriological soteriological distinctiveness stage theological distinctiveness understanding Varieties of Dispensationalism Vern Poythress Walvoord Zondervan