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RAPTURE FEVER Why Dispensationalism Is Paralyzed ,. ,, Key Dates in Dispensationalism’s History .“- ,,. ,-.:.. , ,.:.-.. “, . -, -., .” “:: .-- .,:,. .. -.. ...”-: - -“? . .. ,: . .. ,, 1830 ‘The initial development of the pre-tribulation doctrine, either by the trance-induced 20-year-old Margaret Mac- , donald or by John Nelson Darby. : > 1855 John Cumming announces that Russia will invade Israel: ; The End: 0~ The Proximate Signs of the Close of This Dispen- ~, sation, Lecture ‘7. 1878 Publication of the immensely popular book by William E. Blackstone (W. E.B.), Jesus Is Coming. I 1909 C. 1. Scofield’s Scofield Reference Bible is published by Ox- ford University Press. ; -.. 191’7 Balfour Declaration promises British support for the - ~ ~ ,... ., . .:.. :.. - <-< --- -, ;., ; :: / ..2 . -, ,. .---..,-’ creation of a State of Israel in Palestine. ,. .-’ -. -,. “::.”.. ” “ > -.. -’”” ‘:’”. ; :. ‘. $ 1925 The Scopes’ “ Monkey Trial” results in a public disgrace i- :: for William Jennings Bryan and the voluntary withdrawal ;,, ,;. of American fundamentalism from public discourse. .-,, . .,. ..,.,., ,. 1926 Founding of Dallas Theological Seminary. ,. ,.,,-., .“’. $-::. ., :“ 1948 The creation of the modern State of Israel, May 14: the “generation of the fig tree” supposedly begins. 1970 Hal Lindsey’s Late Great Planet Earth creates a huge new market in “ticking clock” prophecy books: an unstated but obvious rejection of traditional dispensationalism’s doc- trine of the any-moment Rapture, which insists that the 70th week of Daniel begins only after the Rapture. -. -,. ,.,..::.,. ,%. (continued on inside back cover) : . ...;, ,, ..-’ - . Other Books by Gary North Mum’s Religion of Revolution (1968, 1989) An Introduction to Christian Economics (1973) Puritan Economic Experiments (1974, 1988) Unconditional Surrender (1981, 1988) Successful Investing in an Age of Envy (1981) The Dominion Covenant: Genesis (1982, 1987) Government by Emergency (1983) Backward, Christian SoZdiers? (1984) 75 Bible Questions Ybur Instmctors Pray lbu Won’t Ask (1984) Coined Freedom (1984) Moses and Pharaoh (1985) The Sinai Strategy (1986) Conspiracy: A Biblical View (1986) Honest Money (1986) Fighting Chance (1986), with Arthur Robinson Unholy Spirits (1986) Dominion and Common Grace (1987) Inherit tlw Earth (1987) Liberating Planet Earth (1987) Healer of the Nations (1987) The Pirate Economy (1987) Is the World Running Down? (1988) When Justice Is Aborted (1989) Political Polytheism (1989) The Hoax of Higher Criticism (1990) Tools of Dominion: The Case Laws of Exodus (1990) Victim’s Rights (1990) Westminste-#s Confession (1991) Christian Reconshwction (1991), with Gary DeMar The Cease Theorem (1992) Politically Incorrect (1993) Salvation Through L@ation (1993) RAPTURE FEVER Why Dispensationalism Is Paralyzed Gary North Institute for Christian Economics Tyler, Texas copyright, Gary North, 1993 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data North, Gary. Rapture fever: why dispensationalism is paralyzed / Gary North P“ cm” Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-93046467-2 :$25.- ISBN 0-930464-65-6 (pbk.) : $12.95 1. Dispensationalism - Controversial literature 2. Millen- nialism - United States - History - 20th century. 3. Rapture (Christian theology) - Controversial literature. 4. Walvoord, John. 5. House, H. Wayne. Dominion theology: blessing or curse? 6. Dominion theology. 7. Dallas Theological Seminary I. Title BT157.N67 1993 93-444 230’. O464C2O CIP Institute for Christian Economics P O. BOX 8000 Tyler, Texas 75711 This book is dedicated to Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr. whose books would have paralyzed the dispensational theologians of this genera- tion, had it not been for one thing: their constant revi- sions to the system had al- ready paralyzed each other. TABLE OF CONTENTS Foreword . ..ix Preface . .. xxiv Introduction . 1 l. Endless Unfulfilled Prophecies Produce Paralysis . 19 2. Fear of Man Produces Paralysis . ...40 3. Pessimism Produces Paralysis . ...61 4. Dispensationalism Removes Earthly Hope . ...76 5. A Commitment to Cultural Irrelevance . ...91 6. A Ghetto Eschatology . ...110 7. House of Seven Garbles . ...129 8. Revising Dispensationalism to Death . 145 9. Dispensationalism vs. Six-Day Creationism . 163 10. Dispensationalism vs. Sanctification . 172 11. Theological Schizophrenia . 180 12. When “Babylon” Fell, So Did Dispensationalism . 188 13. The Strange Disappearance of Dispensational Institutions . 195 Conclusion . ...202 Bibliography . ...222 Scripture Index . ...235 Index . ...238 A Challenge to Dallas Theological Seminary . ..247 A Three-Year Strategy for Pastors . 248 A Three-Year Strategy for Laymen . ...249 About the Author . ...250 AT GOD’S RIGHT HAND, UNTIL. A Psalm of David. The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool. The LORD shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion: rule thou in the midst of thine enemies. Thy people shall be willing [vdm%wr~reel’y: New American Standard Bible] in the day of thy power, in the beau- ties of holiness from the womb of the morning: thou hast the dew of thy youth. The LORD bath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek. The Lord at thy right hand shall strike through kings in the day of his wrath. He shall judge among the heathen, he shall fill the places with the dead bodies; he shall wound the heads over many countries. He shall drink of the brook in the way: there- fore shall he lift up the head (Psalm 110:1-7; emphasis added). But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the first- fi-uits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming. Then cometh the end, when he shall have deliv- ered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. For he must reign, till he bath put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. For he bath put all things under his feet. But when he saith, all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under him. And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all (I Cor. 15:20-28; emphasis added). FOREWORD (to be read) For which of you, intending to build a towe~ sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have su.cient to finish it? Lest haplj [it happen], afier he bath laid tk foundation, and is not able to fintih it, all that behold it begin to mock him, Saying, Thti man began to build, and was not able to jlnish (Luke 14:28-30). Count the costs, Jesus said. But we must also remember to count the benefits. In this Foreword I present three major gifts that are available to all Christians through their membership in God’s New Testament Church. The existence of these stupen- dous gifts has been denied by many theologians. Millions of Christian laymen have therefore been unwilling to accept these benefits from the hand of God. I concluded that it was time for a Christian layman to protest. I can read the Bible, too, and I am convinced that all three of these gifts are not only available to God’s people, but also that He is highly displeased when we deny their existence and thereby reject them. There is a reason for Christians’ hesitancy to admit the avail- ability of these gifts. They know that with all blessings inevitably come duties and obligations. We never get something for noth- ing. Even salvation requires men to live new lives that break with their evil past (I Cor. 6:9-1 O; Eph. 5:1-5). Millions of Christians think they can evade many duties and obligations if they just refuse to accept God’s blessings. This is a terrible x RAPTURE FEVER mistake. It is analogous to the person who refuses the gift of eternal life because he knows he will have to live dfierendy after he receives this gift. He prefers to turn down the gifi of salvation rather than allow God to change his life for the better. The GHt of Eternal Life In July, 1959, a man sat down with me after a church meet- ing. He opened a Bible. I had never read the entire Bible; I was 17 years old, and I lived in a non-Christian home. Here is the first verse he showed me: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God (Rem. 3:23). I knew this was true. Men are not God, and God is perfect. Back in 1959, a pagan could go through the U.S. government school system and still know this much. I knew that I was in- cluded under the words “for all.” But then he showed me another verse: For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord (Rem. 6:23). That verse drew a conclusion from the earlier verse: all men are going to die. My friend told me that I had better believe the Bible’s conclusion regarding the wages of sin if I believed the Bible’s premise about all having sinned. I did draw this conclusion. My father had been a military policeman and was at the time an F.B.I. agent, one of J. Edgar Hoover’s men. I knew there is cause and effect in breaking laws and receiving punish- ment. So, I accepted the truth of the warning: “For the wages of sin is death.” But there is a way to escape death. The second half of the verse is crucial, “but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Jesus Christ is Lord.
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