http://www.alankurschner.com/2014/03/08/preterisms-literalistic-interpretation-of-jesus-is-coming-soon-en-tachei/
Showing posts with label Gary Demar. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gary Demar. Show all posts
Saturday, March 08, 2014
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
"Premillennialism is Pessimistic so it Militates Against Social Justice, the Environment, Blah, Blah, Blah"
This is a cliché that folks like Randal Rauser, Gary DeMar, and other anti-dispensationalists spout.
When examined it is simply shallow argumentation and a non sequitur.
Steve Hays recently responded to Rausner assertions on this matter. I want to append some comments here.
Jesus, in the context of what must happen before he returns, states explicitly that the world will morally get worse—not better:
“And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.” (Matt 24:12–13)
Only the person wearing anti-dispy blinders will not allow these plain words of our Lord speak for themselves.
I also believe the world at large is much more brutal—and amoral—today, than it was centuries ago, including antiquity. We are living in the dark moral ages today. At least in antiquity, people could not live any way they pleased. There were moral standards via the gods or cultural taboos.
Besides this empirical evidence, which my argument is not resting on, Jesus' claim in Matthew 24:12–13 is sufficient to support the premill notion that the world's depravity will reach a crescendo before the Lord returns.
Not only will the world at large increase in lawlessness, but there are good biblical reasons that the persecution of God's people will increase. Scripture teaches on what will happen before the consummation of all things: God's people will be persecuted before Jesus returns, which at that time he will vindicate his people by destroying his enemies:
“(9) When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne. (10) They cried out with a loud voice, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” (11) Then they were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been.” (Rev 6:9–11)
The premill position ends on that hope as well as joining in full fellowship with the Lord:
“....and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words.” (1 Thess 4:17–18).
Premillennialism is a promised-hope and thus optimistic eschatology.
So go ahead and refuse to recycle your condoms and dental floss!
When examined it is simply shallow argumentation and a non sequitur.
Steve Hays recently responded to Rausner assertions on this matter. I want to append some comments here.
Jesus, in the context of what must happen before he returns, states explicitly that the world will morally get worse—not better:
“And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.” (Matt 24:12–13)
Only the person wearing anti-dispy blinders will not allow these plain words of our Lord speak for themselves.
I also believe the world at large is much more brutal—and amoral—today, than it was centuries ago, including antiquity. We are living in the dark moral ages today. At least in antiquity, people could not live any way they pleased. There were moral standards via the gods or cultural taboos.
Besides this empirical evidence, which my argument is not resting on, Jesus' claim in Matthew 24:12–13 is sufficient to support the premill notion that the world's depravity will reach a crescendo before the Lord returns.
Not only will the world at large increase in lawlessness, but there are good biblical reasons that the persecution of God's people will increase. Scripture teaches on what will happen before the consummation of all things: God's people will be persecuted before Jesus returns, which at that time he will vindicate his people by destroying his enemies:
“(9) When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne. (10) They cried out with a loud voice, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” (11) Then they were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been.” (Rev 6:9–11)
The premill position ends on that hope as well as joining in full fellowship with the Lord:
“....and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words.” (1 Thess 4:17–18).
Premillennialism is a promised-hope and thus optimistic eschatology.
So go ahead and refuse to recycle your condoms and dental floss!
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