In this episode, Pastor Mike lays open the landscape regarding the issues with premillennialism, in two parts. PART 1 - False Caricatures of this position. Or, in some cases, human reasoning problems about biblical concepts as opposed to… PART 2 - Difficult textual issues. These are genuine issues with the exegesis, not just conceptual problems with the theory of the case. This is where we spend more time.
PART 1 - False Caricatures: Dispensationalists are all semi-pelagian or Arminians. Early dispensationalists were in fact reformed in their soteriology. They taught unconditional election. Many were 5-point Calvinists. Lewis Sperry Chafer, who founded Dallas Theological Seminary, was a Presbyterian minister.
What is an example of a human reasoning problem? Or a gap between what God (as the Creator) has said, verses how man (who is the created) understands?
Ezekiel 40-48 - The temple in the Millennial Kingdom. Some say, “I can’t grasp why this would need to be in the Kingdom, therefore it will not be in the kingdom.” Pastor Mike explains this perspective in more detail.
PART 2 - Genuine Exegetical problems: Jesus destroying all his enemies at the end of Revelation 19, and then Jesus destroying death in 1 Corinthians 15. In this episode, we only deal with Jesus destroying all of his enemies at the end Revelation 19.
Why is this a problem? How does it impact the premillennial understanding of the Kingdom? What does the text actually say? Revelation 19:11-21
Notice Jesus is striking down the nations. But then in verse 18 “all” men both small and great are killed. What is going on here? How is “all” being used? What about the future tense of “He will rule” in verse 15? What impact does that have on this discussion?
How does a premillennialist answer these hard questions about the exegesis of the text?
What does Pastor Mike think about this topic specifically? He brings up Revelation 19:20 where the beast and false prophet are thrown into the lake of fire. Then Revelation 20:10 where the devil is added to the lake of fire with the beast and the false prophet. What is the impact of these two verses on our understanding about this topic?
The Inquisition: Can a woman officiate the Lord’s Supper? Could she officiate it with just women at a ladies Bible study, for instance?
Tune in today! We discuss these questions and more.
