Covenant Commission

Christian Expectations is a series of articles from Covenant Commission dealing with the implications of the Covenant of Grace. Due to Dispensationalism's faulty worldview, many Christians only expect defeat in this life. Whether it is personal victory over the tyranny of sin or institutional victory, modern American Christians have little hope. In the Introduction to the series, Devin Maddox explains the issues and what is at stake. In Part One, Resurrection: The True Hope of the Saints, Devin sets forth the Biblical expectations of Christians after death. Many American Christians are hoping in an abdicating rapture to steal them away from the failure of the Church. However, our hope is in the power of the Gospel, which will ultimately defeat every enemy of Christ. Death is the last enemy that will be defeated making resurrection our hope, not escape. In Part Two, The Dominion of Christ, Pastor James Brown Jr explains this victory will also be measured in the complete fulfillment of Christ's dominion over every nation. In Part Three, and the final article in this series, Devin concludes with how the Church will be victorious over darkness.

Introduction

"Hope differs from wish and desire in this, that it implies some expectation of obtaining the good desired, or the possibility of possessing it. Hope therefore always gives pleasure or joy; whereas wish and desire may produce or be accompanied with pain and anxiety." -Hope, American Dictionary of the English Language, Noah Webster 1828

The news headlines might cause undiscerning Christians to ask, "What hope to we have?"� Although this specific period of American history may look bleak, the question really depends upon your theology.

Contrary to American end-times writers, our demise is not prophetic fulfillment, but the Church's abandonment of a Biblical worldview. Christians remain defeated as a result, which is why I am beginning to have great compassion for those with flawed theology. What will be of them in the days to come? Will their faith remain as we are tested in post-Christian America? How will they respond in a global world?

If their faith is true to Christ and His Word, then yes, I believe they will persevere. However, it will not be without accompanying consequences.

What exactly am I referring to? Well, mainly a theology of defeat: The eschatological system of Dispensationalism.

What hope does the dispensationalist have in today's overwhelmingly anti-Christian climate? I will give you my own perspective of dispensationalism. As a former dispensational fundamentalist, I know of only two summations of hope within their system. One is for pre-tribulation secret rapture and the other is to, "get as many saved" before this event.

To some this sounds right because they do not see the greater implications of the narrow views of dispensationalism. To clarify, dispensational eschatology creates a dualism between transforming culture and avoiding it. On one hand they see that they are to be salt and light, but on the other they admit that there is no time to engage the many cultural problems because, "We could be caught up at any moment to meet Him in the air. That 'blessed hope' causes this earth to lose its attraction, purifies our lives and motivates us to win the lost because we believe the time is short...Our removal from earth to heaven in the Rapture will allow the Antichrist to be revealed to rule over the revived Roman Empire. It has been exciting to see the worldwide dimensions of that 'last days' kingdom begin to take shape."¹

There is a real dilemma that is presented to the congregation. One Sunday it is preached, "Victory in Jesus! We need to change society, we are the salt and light, we are the pillar and ground of the truth, we need Christian politicians, we need to turn the world upside down, let's get in the fight!"

However, the next Sunday it is preached, "We are in the last days, everything is going to get worse, it is prophesied, there's nothing we can do about it, we need to focus on personal holiness, let's go out and try to get some saved before the end." Never mind the discipleship portion of the great commission. Apparently, that is to be negated when living in the "last days".

So I ask again, what hope do we have? Are all of the socialists, evolutionary, or humanistic forces going to rule the world at the hand of the devil? Are we just supposed to hide away and hope to "get some saved"? Is that what Biblical Christianity is? No, it is not!

The Scriptures declare a greater hope. However, before we get into that, let's consider the motivation of opposition to Christianity in the world. Anti-Christ forces are fighting, and have been for a long time, to win dominance in the world. The humanists, the atheists, the evolutionists, the socialists, the communists, and even false religious groups, like Muslims are fighting for dominion. There is one thing they all have in common other than being anti-Christ. They have a multi-generational plan of victory.

Funded by Christian tax dollars, the humanistic socialists have used subsidized education, other government funded institutions, and the media to advance their worldview. Instead of having children of their own, they have recruited your children for their agenda.

The Muslims have advanced their worldview through fear generating influence, which includes political pressure, conversion by sword, and having numerous children to carry on the plan of dominance.

What does the dispensationalist have to say about all of this? "It is the will of God, it is prophecy, it is supposed to happen!"

It is a grave mistake to teach that things are supposed to get worse in the future. It is already happening! In many cases, it has already happened. France will soon be a Muslim nation through numbers alone. The Dome of the Rock over the old sight of the temple in Jerusalem is a Muslim temple.

Which leads me to the next point, dispensationalist affirm that God will not allow Israel to be taken over and whoever supports the nation of Israel is blessed. But, reality testifies that they are not looking very hard at the facts.

Israel is a melting pot of orthodox Christians, Muslims, and all sorts of Jews. In 2009, there were nearly 20,000 abortions performed in Israel, with over 40 percent of those approved due to pregnancy outside of marriage. This is not a God fearing "Jewish" state.

But even if it was a Judaic state, it would still not conform to the passages used to support the Zionist Dispensational claim. The Jewish state has not accepted the Messiah, Jesus Christ, nor is Israel a Christian state. However, it is a secular, socialist state.

America is also becoming more socialist by the day. America has degenerated to a post-representative, post-Christian government. If the government was thought to be corrupt in the previous administration, how much more now with the Federal takeover of GM, expansions of bailouts to banks, and the health scare plan (scam)? Our founding era is long gone. Christianity is being attacked at every level, and what do we find our American Christians doing? Sitting idle, watching Larry the Cable Guy, waiting for the secret rapture to get us all out of here before all hell breaks loose, but wait, it is breaking loose, and we are still here! Can we see this problem? Does the dispensationalist have an answer for this in the ever changing predictions that come from dispensational books and conferences?

Their shuffling answers are reminiscent of the changes in the mark of the beast. It used to be tattoos, then it was bar codes, and now it is micro-chips inserted under the skin.

Apparently, it has not climaxed yet in their view. But I am saddened at the thought that it will. Why do I say that? Well, I would never wish for a group of believers to have their faith shaken by unfulfilled beliefs. On the other hand, this has gone on for many years and decades. There have been enough predictions of the end times dates and who the supposed Anti-Christ is, that Francis Gumerlock was able to record over 300 pages of the history of these predictions in a book entitled, The Day and the Hour.

Covenant Commission will cover more of the debate between Dispensational theology and Covenant theology as we progress. If you do not want to wait, you can study any recognized protestant church leader before the era of sensationalized rapture theology.

For our Baptist readers, you will find our heritage full of men like John Gill and Charles Spurgeon who were anti-dispensational, yet Premillennial. Others, like John Broadus and William Carey were Postmillennial. They had a greater hope: The advancement of the Gospel and Kingdom of God in history.

According to James Brown Jr., "We have lost ground that the apostles had gained for us, we have gone from turning the world upside down, to pew sitting, waiting for a secret getaway...Dispensationalism has been such a damning doctrine for American Christianity, in that, it has caused so much confusion that following generations of believers have actually discredited the Bible's authority over every aspect of life. We have gone backward not forward."

One of the reasons that "end times" fictional media sells so well is because it is marketed as truth. This is a deception. A fictional work will be published, whether it is a movie, a book, or both and there will be a huge void of scriptural reference and commitment to sound doctrine. However, the whole work will be advertised as a hypothetical event taken from the truth of the Bible.

To give a real life example, here in Georgia there is a play that is advertised on the radio. There is a creepy sounding guy telling people around the time of Halloween to come to this play put on by a Baptist church that depicts the "last days, rapture, second coming, mark of the beast," and so on. In the background of the advertisement you can hear screams by the actors and a rough voiced man asking, "will you take my mark?"

The whole thing is advertised as a Broadway event, yet in the end the broadcast rings out, "It's as real as the Word of God!" Well it is real, as for the event itself is concerned, but how real the information being acted out is, that's what I have a problem with. Year after year, decade after decade, and soon to be generation after generation has heard that we are in the "last days".

Countless predictions have been made about this "last days" time period. I personally have heard preachers question the Lord's will to wait any longer. "I don't know how the Lord can tarry his coming with all that is going on", some have said.

My own mother remembers when she was young, at a Baptist church in Indianapolis, the preacher was doing a series on the end times and told the congregation that he did not think they would be on the earth more than five years from that date. That was about forty years ago. Do we think this prediction in the mind of a child could have effected decisions and goals for that child's future outlook? Do we think things said behind a pulpit can effect people for years to come?

We need the truth and nothing but the truth. It has been our conclusion at Covenant Commission, that it has been a church leadership problem in America's churches to allow things to creep in, destroy sound doctrine, and make the next generation falter in the way.

So what is sound Theology? What is our hope? Let us answer nothing but what the scripture teaches!

For this specific article series we will be dealing with three areas:

1) Resurrection: The true hope of the saints.
This article will reveal the resurrection at the Second Coming as the hope of the Church. The rapture doctrine as taught in the modern American church is creating a mindset of retreat instead of victory over death.

2) Church Victory in History.
The doctrine of defeat is not just isolated to the rapture and resurrection. It has saturated the whole American Christian mindset. Instead of tearing down the gates of hell, American Christianity has adopted appeasement and flight for its battle plan. This was not the commission given by our King. Learn in this article about Christ's victorious plan for His Church. This Kingdom begins small like a mustard seed but will become mighty to take dominion over the world.

3) Defeat of darkness.
In our final article we will conclude Christian Expectations with the defeat of darkness. How will God's glory be realized in power and judgment on the earth? The promise of Scripture is a reconciled world and all the kingdoms of the earth becoming the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ. Yet, how does this defeat of darkness take place? Dispensationalism has the Church fleeing in defeat and in time Christ destroying the world. This doesn't sound like hope, reconciliation, restoration, inheriting the earth, or the promises being won in Christ. Is the Gospel a message of doom or the defeat of darkness?

Footnotes:

1. Dave Hunt, Prewrath Rapture, The Berean Call Newsletter; PO Box 7019, Bend OR 97708; December 1, 1990; http://www.thebereancall.org

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