Confessions of a Recovering Dispensationalist, Pt. 5: Miscellanies and Conclusions

Confessions of a Recovering Dispensationalist: Intro

Confessions of a Recovering Dispensationalist, Pt. 2: The Historical Record

Confessions of a Recovering Dispensationalist, Pt. 3: The Bible and the Rapture

Confessions of a Recovering Dispensationalist, Pt. 4: Ignoring the New Testament

Sorry it’s been so long. Midterms are upon me, and they simply take precedence over stuff like this. But, I’d like to just throw out a few last thoughts and call it quits. This post will likely be a little random, at least. But, it’s just some sporadic thoughts, mostly on the inconsistencies of dispensationalism and dispensationalists.

For starters, I’d like to introduce all unfamiliar readers with the great dispensationalist chart (HT: Nathan and Nicholas):

Aren’t you glad they’ve given us charts to simplify the matter? My favorite part, as I’ve said before, is the little line under “Church age” that calls it a “parenthesis.” Nothing like a cosmic, divine oops to let you know how well God works out his plan.

Another thing I love about dispensationalism is the inconsistency of belief in the doctrines of election and a pretribulational rapture. Ryrie calls the “elect” in Matthew 24 those who choose Jesus after the rapture. But how can that work? The doctrine of election, even for the Arminian (and Ryrie is a Calvinist, anyhow), states that you are elect from before the foundation of the world. So all “elect” have been elect from eternity past, and would be taken in the rapture. But, the Bible is clear about the fact that there will be those who come to faith during the Tribulation.

Along those same lines, I’ve always been taught that after the rapture, God will remove His hand (meaning the Holy Spirit) from the earth. Again, the affirmation is that no one can come to God unless He calls them. But how can He call them if He was removed the Spirit from earth? So the doctrine of election, calling and the pretribulational rapture should affirm that NO ONE comes to faith during the Tribulation. But that’s not what the Bible claims, nor what dispensationalists teach.

I personally love Scofield. I’ve mentioned the dispensationalist insistence on a literal reading of the Bible, especially prophecy. The general rule for dispensationalist hermeneutics is that the only passages which are to be taken as allegory or metaphor or typology are those where it absolutely must be taken as such. Otherwise, it is to be taken at face value. However, one of the main proponents of dispensationalism was also a devout proponent of the Gap Theory of creation. Funny how we switch back and forth, no?

My favorite argument from dispensationalists has always been this: “Don’t you think that God would protect His bride (the Church) from harm? I mean, God would never allow His bride to go through the Tribulation and get beat up.” Of course, 2000 years of Christians being martyred and tortured might take offense to this idea. Where was God in protecting them and delivering them from their tribulations? They had to deal with torture, but we get out scot-free. Hallelujah, ain’t it great!

Lastly, there is the simply logical inconsistency of the pretribulational rapture. I’ve never understood how a rapture could happen and people not figure it out. I mean, if we assume that Billy Graham was correct in saying that 80% of the people sitting in church are not actually Christians, and we assume that the “good Christians” get raptured, how can at least someone in that 80%, who sat in church listening to the teaching on the rapture, not figure it out? And now, as popularized as the pretribulational rapture is, how would most people not figure it out? The only way is to assume that every person who has ever heard of the rapture is taken in it. But we know that is not going to be the case.

Anyway, before this becomes too long of a post, let me conclude. I’ve just given some dispensational inconsistencies. I’ve talked about the dispensational penchant for ignoring the New Testament teaching about the actual means of salvation from the fall until eternity, and their ignoring of the work of Christ once for all, and their ignoring of the admonitions that ethnic differences do not matter in God’s kingdom. I’ve talked about the lack of evidence for a rapture. I’ve talked about the inherent racism of dispensationalism. And I’ve talked about the historical hurdle that dispensationalists have yet to fully contend with. It is not any one of these things individually that have convinced me of the shortcomings of dispensationalism, but the collective whole. The evidence against far outweighs the evidence for the system. The inconsistencies make it hard to deal with. Ultimately, it is simply a doctrine of wishful thinking and escapism.