Dispensationalism?

[Faithandblood]

:wave:
I have a good friend who is a Dispensational Premillenialist, as I once was. He has since moved to another state and we started writing letters back and forth, and in the 2nd letter I told him that I got rid of my Scofield Study Bible and MacArthur Study Bible for the Concordia Study Bible and told him that I no longer believed in Disp. He wants to know why, scripturely, why I don't believe in the "literal" interpetation anymore.
Since I am new to Lutheran Theology I could use some help:groupray: .

Thank you

In Christ,
Charles

[C.F.W. Walther]

Dispensationalism is purely a "gimmick" to get the church enrollment up. Something like the "hellfire and brimstone" evangelists. "Lets scare them into believing" kinda theology.

We look to where Christ is, and not where history will take us so we are not that concerned about it.

If you are in Christ then you wouldn't have to worry about when he comes becuse you will be ready. Some people use the predictions of Christ's comming just so they see how long the can "get away" with what they are doing.

Lutheran hermeneutics concerns itself first of all with Christ and not legalism. I've actually been quoted scripture by non-denoms that say we have to search out end times. We are justified by faith alone without the works of the law.

You might want to check this link out about Lutheran explantion of our beliefs about Dispens......
http://www.hope-aurora.org/pages/DispensationalismWhatandWhyNot.html

[LutherNut]

:wave:
I have a good friend who is a Dispensational Premillenialist, as I once was. He has since moved to another state and we started writing letters back and forth, and in the 2nd letter I told him that I got rid of my Scofield Study Bible and MacArthur Study Bible for the Concordia Study Bible and told him that I no longer believed in Disp. He wants to know why, scripturely, why I don't believe in the "literal" interpetation anymore.
Since I am new to Lutheran Theology I could use some help:groupray: .

Thank you

In Christ,
Charles

Matthew 24:36 "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone."

Jesus Himself, in His humanity, was not privy to the coming of the end times. Anyone who thinks they can predict it is simply playing God. By faith, we rely on what God our Father has Himself chosen to reveal to us.

[Faithandblood]

See that is the thing. He tells me the we "spiritulize" our interpretations of the end times. More importantly, I said, You spiritulize the interpretation of the Sacraments! And they are very important to our lives. Also my letter was ''anti-semetic'' he said. Since I no longer drool over the state of Israel anymore.

He also said that I must recongize the distinction of Israel and the Church for a correct interpretation of the entire bible

Charles

[IowaLutheran]

Matthew 24:36 "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone."



He wants to know why, scripturely, why I don't believe in the "literal" interpetation anymore.


We do interpret the Bible literally. The word "rapture" is not in the Bible, but the words LutherNut quoted are.

[LutherNut]

We do interpret the Bible literally. The word "rapture" is not in the Bible, but the words LutherNut quoted are.

Actually, it is... but not in English. In 1 Thessalonians 4:17 where Paul writes that after the dead in Christ will rise first and then those who are alive will be "caught up" to meet the Lord in the air, the word for caught up in the Latin text is where we get the English word "rapture."

The point isn't whether or not the rapture is mentioned or described in the Bible. It is. The question is when does this happen? And it happens at the return of Christ on the Last Day.

In Matthew 24 and 25 Jesus describes certain events concerning the Last Day. In 1 Thessalonians 4, Paul is explaining to the Thessalonian church that those events will also include those who have died before hand. There were people in Thessalonica who were concerned for their dead loved ones, that they would miss the return of the Lord. Paul assures them in his writing that they will not only not miss His return, but that they will be the first to see Him, before those who are still alive at His return.

Jesus tells the parable of the wise and foolish virgins in Matthew 25 which describes His return: those who are "ready" (faithful believers) will meet the Bridegroom and accompany Him to the wedding feast. Paul's writing in 1 Thessalonians is pointing to the same event that Jesus describes in the parable: those who are faithful believers (both dead and alive) are meeting the "Bridegroom" and accompanying Him to the "wedding feast."

Jesus is only returning once. The Bible does not say that there will be some secret return to be followed by a public "third coming" 7 years later. It just isn't there.

Read the description of Jesus' return in Matthew 24 and 1 Thessalonians 7. There is no way that anyone is not going to know that He has returned!

[RegularGuy]

I would recommend Barbara Rossing's book, The Rapture Exposed. Rossing is a New Testament Prof at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago. She gives a cogent critique of the whole pre-trib millenial theology and calls the rapture a "racket."

[Jim47]

See that is the thing. He tells me the we "spiritulize" our interpretations of the end times. More importantly, I said, You spiritulize the interpretation of the Sacraments! And they are very important to our lives. Also my letter was ''anti-semetic'' he said. Since I no longer drool over the state of Israel anymore.

He also said that I must recongize the distinction of Israel and the Church for a correct interpretation of the entire bible

Charles


I think a lot of folks get confused.They think they make themselves spiritual by the things they do, but we can only become spiritual when we become one in mind with God. It is not what we do, but willingness to submitt to Him in all things. They seek this spiritual feeling because they lack the real blessed assurance that we have in knowing that our sins are paid for and that Heaven awaits us. They think that they need to persue this as a work on their part, when Jesus actaully did all the work for us. Jesus plainly tells us this in scripture.

Jn 6:28 Then they asked him, "What must we do to do the works God requires?"
Jn 6:29 Jesus answered, "The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent."

[Faithandblood]

how is it that dispensationalists don't see the signifigance of the destruction of the temple and Jerusalem in 70 a.d., since then O.T. Judiaism has not been the same. Also, since when does God bless a disobedient and unbelieving people? Numerous time God kicked them out for disobedience. Why, since the Gospel has been preached, would God bless a people who reject and rejected His Son? Those without Christ are without the Father.

Charles