I listened to the following sermon several times because it deals with eschatology and speaks against the pre-tribulation rapture, which I have mostly held since I first read through the Bible.
All I want to say is far too much for one post, so this is going to be a 3-4 part series on dispensationalism, covenant theology, and on the 4 millennial views. I will be using videos from two pastors, Hines and Matthew Everhard.
I think the following teaching by Pastor Hines is a good place to begin because it undermines the dispensational view which has been broadly accepted by evangelicalism.
As I noted the following points, the question of the 1000 years was not explained sufficiently for me via Pastor Hines sermon; but his statements helped me understand that I do not believe in a secret rapture, but a rapture occurring at Christ’s 2nd coming, at which time He will also judge the world. Also, his explanations of dispensationalists and their unbiblical theories helped me see the clear difference between dispensationalism and covenant theology.
I believe in covenant theology after having written a document on Bible covenants to argue with Baha’is about their unbiblical beliefs that Abraham, Moses and Christ were leaders of 3 different world religions – the Bible links them via the covenant of redemption which began in Abraham and had its consummation in Christ, the New Covenant in His blood. [The document I wrote is linked for those who might want to learn about the biblical covenant of redemption as it progressed in both the Old and New Testaments.]
[Also, my reading of The Work Of The Holy Spirit by the late Abraham Kuyper, Professor of systematic theology at University of Amsterdam helped me to believe in covenant theology. Therein, he focused on the work of the Holy Spirit since creation, especially as it involves the people of God, work which began with the patriarch Abraham. The book was way above me, but after reading through it twice, I did grasp basic truths about the plan of redemption via covenants. Kuyper’s book is available on kindle for phone / pc $3 at Amazon.]
The following points are only HIGHLIGHTS, many points, explanations, illustrations are missing and if you want to understand the following material, it would benefit you to listen to his message. I linked his sermon audio messages, of which this message is one part.
[Bracketed statements, emboldening and underscoring are mine]:
- Hines opened with a reading of the following text which he stated, disproves dispensationalist theology:
- Ephesians 2:11 Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called “the uncircumcision” by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands 12 remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility 15 by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, 16 and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility.
- In that text, it is the Jews and Gentiles who were made into one people by Christ
- 5 tenets of dispensationalism: A. claims to be the only system that interprets the Bible literally and correctly; B, biblical history can only be understood in light of several fundamentally different and historically distinguishable economies which it calls dispensations; in each of these dispensations, God has interacted with man in very different ways; C, God made a distinction between Israel and the church (key to this theory); D, It reduces the New Testament church to ‘plan B’ of God’s overall design of human history; and E, Emphasizes end-time prophecy, focusing on the secret rapture of the church, 7-year tribulation that ends with the second coming of Christ wherein He establishes political rule via a 1000 year / millennium on earth where there will be a rebuilt temple with sacrifices
- The end-time focus of the dispensationalism seems to have hurt the church and the great commission, such believers get excited about cultural disintegration as it indicates the secret rapture is coming…and their focus isn’t on evangelism
- Many get involved in newspaper exegesis
- Dispensationalism came into existence in the 1830s, and claims to be the only correct way to interpret the Bible, that means they must nullify the biblical interpretations of Augustine, Luther, Calvin, the Puritans…
- Covenant theology, held by many church fathers, believes there is one God, promise, people, gospel and hope
- The one God had a different way of dispensing grace in the old Abrahamic covenant, it was based on the coming Christ; salvation was by grace, not by keeping the law [Paul explains that in Romans 4 and in Galatians 3]
- Consider: The biblical doctrines of God, man, sin, grace, salvation , Christ’s person and work, the application of redemption to sinners… makes the notion of different ways of salvation at different times impossible
- When Adam fell into sin, if he was going to go to heaven, what needed to happen? He needed to be born again, to be regenerated and justified
- Regenerated by the imputed righteousness of Christ is not new to the New Covenant
- Those essential gospel truths are not new to the NT
- God saves man the same way; therefore, the gospel in its essence has never changed
- God is still the same; sin is still the same; the fall, our condition, still the same
- Charles Ryrie is a dispensational writer of modern times, many own a Ryrie Study Bible [I bought one in 1982 at the recommendation of a minister I worked with then]
- Hines explained Ryrie’s misinterpretation of church history via a quotation from his book on dispensationalism (12:40 minute mark)
- Essential to dispensational thinking is a hard distinction between Israel and the church
- Dispensationalists see the church as plan B, after Israel rejected Christ, and the Israel is really the center of God’s redemption program; therefore, the church does not exist until Acts 2, Pentecost
- According to covenant theology, we are the fulfillment of the promises made to Israel, as Paul calls the church, “ the true Jews;” and “the Israel of God”
- We are the children of Abraham; those who believed by faith in Christ, Abraham’s seed [see Romans 4 and Galatians 3 for such statements]
- Problems with the dispensationalist pre-millennial view:
- During Christ’s 1000 year reign, there will be people living on the earth in their resurrection bodies who will co-exist with people still living in the flesh, not raised from the dead
- When the NT was written, people anticipated the final consummation at the time of the Lord Jesus Christ’s second coming; they did not anticipate a half-way step of an earthly millennium
- Dispensationalists believe in the following sequence of events: secret rapture [by Christ]; 7 year tribulation; return of Christ inaugurating His millennial rule on earth, that is, at His third coming; a fourth coming of Christ at the end of His 1000 year reign…
- Biblically, Christ’s second coming involves the resurrection of the dead, rapturing of believers still alive; final judgment; new heavens and earth
- The 1800s were a time of the formation of many cults in America. Dispensationalism began in the 1830s. There was great prosperity in that century. [The Baha’i Faith began in 1844; and the modernist controversy began later in that century; so the church was greatly harassed.]
- As Pastor Hines began to explain the origins of dispensationalism, he firstly talked about the church fathers who held a belief in covenant theology, that Israel was fulfilled in the church
- He also spoke on the grafting in of the Gentiles to the root and the breaking off of Israel until the time of Gentile fulfillment; indicating that there was only one way in which God worked salvation, via grace, but it was administered differently in the OT than in the NT
- Circumcision and the Passover are outward expressions of glory, via promises, sacrifices and prophecies of the Messiah; presently, salvation is through grace and the sacraments are baptism and the Lords Supper: those saved of Israel depended upon the future atoning work of the Messiah; those saved in the church, depend on the work already done by Him
The following narrative is from the YouTube site, Christian Sermons and Audio Books, where I first heart pastor Hines.
Dispensationalism History & Theology – Pastor Patrick Hines
[Pastor Hines Church link]
▶️Bridwell Heights Presbyterian Church http://www.bridwellheightschurch.org/
Pastor Hines sermons related to the above message, at Sermon Audio (10 other sermons including one on the covenant of Grace and several on aspects of dispensationalism):
22-page pdf I wrote on Bible covenants to illustrate the biblical redemptive plan and to show members of the Baha’i Faith that Abraham, Moses and Christ all belong to the church as is seen as one reads across the Old and New Testaments: