One particularly strange aspect of the Dispensational system is that the Messianic kingdom will involve 1000 years of mingling resurrected, glorified believers and non-resurrected, mortal men.
According to traditional dispensationalism the place of Christ’s throne will be in literal Jerusalem on earth for a 1000 year political reign. J. Dwight Pentecost and Charles Ryrie write extensively that within the millennial kingdom there will be the glorified redeemed who came down from heaven with Christ, the saved mortals and the unsaved mortals who eventually rebel against Christ. In other words, for 1000 years these glorified people live without sickness, weakness, or death among unresurrected men and women who, though they live longer life spans, still get sick and die. And incredibly, these unresurrected mortals attempt to attack these 1000 year old, glorified immortal people!
This feature of dispensationalism is one of the most absurd.
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Jason Robertson is a husband and a father and a pastor. He is dedicated to leading and equipping his the Church with God’s word and biblical theology for life ministry, using a combination of pastoral, church planting and evangelism experience. He holds a Master of Divinity from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. He is experienced in church planting, evangelism, missions, and the training of pastors and Bible teachers.
Jason has been preaching the gospel since 1985, serving the first ten years of ministry as a Southern Baptist itinerant evangelist out of Milldale Baptist Church in Zachary, LA which ordained him in 1993. He has preached in hundreds of churches in over 30 States and 4 countries. He planted churches in Siberia, Russia in the summers of 1993 and 1994. He founded Murrieta Valley Church in California, which he planted in cooperation with the SBC NAMB in 2001. He also teaches ministry students at California Baptist University.
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“In other words, for 1000 years these glorified people live without sickness, weakness, or death among unresurrected men and women who, though they live longer life spans, still get sick and die. “
When i first was confronted with this idea, I couldn’t believe my ears. It reminded me of something, a book everybody knows, LOTR. But it had no anchor in my understanding of the Scriptures.
How come that the same people who interpret everything else in such a thorough, logical way, fail here? And refuse to admit it?
Blessings – and – You guys do a great job on those Covenant Theology Thursdays at Gene’s. Keep up with it. We need you.
Ann,
For what does LOTR stand? Also, since I’m unfamiliar with what that is and with the people who wrote it, would you give an example of their interpretation that is good?
Thanks.
LOTR = Lord of the Rings
Uhm, The Lord of the Rings, by Tolkien
What I had in mind were the immortal elves living side by side with mortal men, according to the tolkienian mythology.
Great book, where fiction is welcome. But the same amount of fiction in the Bible interpretation is not so welcome any more.
I think there is some confusion.
In dispensationalism:
1)
Here’s Isaiah 65 – what is this describing?:
17″For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth;… The voice of weeping and the sound of crying. 20″No longer will there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, Or an old man who does not live out his days;For the youth will die at the age of one hundred And the one who does not reach the age of one hundred. Will be thought accursed. “
This can’t be heaven (where there is no death), but makes perfect sense in a Christ led Theocracy on earth.
2)We also believe after the tribulation there will still be Christians still alive who have not died and who will not become glorified, rather immortal
3) Satan has attacked spiritual beings who cannot die, why wouldn’t he try to attack the glorified saints along w/ the mortal saints in the kingdom.
“This can’t be heaven (where there is no death), but makes perfect sense in a Christ led Theocracy on earth.”
TPB,
Christ does not have to physically be on earth to lead His kingdom on earth. He does that through His agents.
Isaiah 65 is speaking of the present reality of Messiah’s kingdom as it progresses through time. The blessings are expanding, even things like longer life spans, as we go forward.
“No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found, …”
Good point guys… This used to bug me a bit too when I was still a dispy…
Thanks.
Rhett