Dispensationalism vs. Scripture: Part II

Is Christ coming back two more times (once to rapture and once to rule)?
There is no passage in Scripture that even hints at this. His return is always referred to in the singular. He’ll leave His Father’s right hand in heaven and return to earth only one more time.

Will the wicked and the just be resurrected centuries apart?
Jesus said “the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation” (John 5: 28, 29). So in the same exact hour all the dead (the just and the unjust) are resurrected. Paul said, “there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust” (Acts 24: 15). A single resurrection. See also Daniel 12: 2 and Matt. 13: 30.

But what about that one verse that talks about “the first resurrection”?
The Bible doesn’t contradict itself. So that passage (Rev. 20: 4, 5) can’t contradict all the others that describe the bodies of the wicked and the just resurrected at the same time. That verse seems to describe the ascension of the soul to heaven where Christ reigns (such as what happened when Stephen was killed), while the body awaits its resurrection on the last day. Nothing is said in the verse about resurrected bodies, or about Christ reigning on earth, by the way. We shouldn’t throw out multiple clear verses because of one that’s less clear.

Will the wicked and the just be judged centuries apart?
Nope. “When the Son of man shall come in his glory…before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats…Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world…..Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels…… And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal” (Matthew 25: 31-46).

Notice they are judged at the same time, and the sentence is either eternity in heaven or eternity in hell.

Christ also explained: “the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind: which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away. So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just” (Matthew 13: 47-49).

The wicked and the just are judged on the same day, and that day marks the end of the world.(See also 2 Peter 3: 10-12 for the Second Coming marking the end of the world).

Will the church fail and then be “raptured” over 1,000 years before the end of the world?
“I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matt. 16: 18). If the church disappears from earth, but the gates of hell keep on truckin’, then that verse is rendered meaningless. The church is to storm the fortresses of Satan and is promised victory, not a desperate evacuation: “And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD's house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it” (Isa. 2: 2). And how long will the church be around? “Lo, I am with you alway,” Christ told his followers, “even unto the end of the world” (Matt. 28: 30).

So what does this mean for my bumper sticker?

Well technically it’s true. It’s just that at the so-called “rapture” everyone on earth will be judged and the earth will be gone…and no one will care about your car.

What is Dispensationalism?

I’m probably opening up a can of worms here (or possibly a bottle of Ambien), but I wanted to do a few posts on dispensationalism because it had me so confused for many years.

Dispensationalism is a way of interpreting the Bible. It was invented by a man named John Nelson Darby (right) in the 1830s, and popularized through the explanatory notes in the Scofield Reference Bible. It’s also the framework for the “Left Behind” novels.

According to the dispensational narrative, Christ’s ultimate plan was to start a literal kingdom in Israel. He came to earth the first time to offer such a kingdom to the Jews, but, surprisingly, they rejected Him. He then had to implement Plan B: dying on the cross for sins and establishing His church.

In dispensational theology, this “church age” is seen as a temporary fix—a historical “parenthesis.” The cross was not the focal point of all history, but more of an afterthought. Christ still wants to be the leader of a literal Israeli superpower. The next time He comes back, however, He won’t offer His kingdom politely. He’ll force everyone into submission. Membership will not be optional. (Means of salvation: compulsion).

The dispensationalists teach that the world will only get worse. The church will grow weaker. Satan will raise up a politician called the Antichrist. Christians need only cluck their tongues disapprovingly and disengage from the world, because any second now Christ will evacuate us. He’ll leave His Father’s right hand in heaven, return to earth and secretly resurrect/rapture us (but not Old Testament saints) and take us to heaven.

With Christians gone, Jews will go through a tribulation and become “saints” (their method of salvation is not entirely clear). After 7 years, Christ will again return to earth, bringing all the Christians back. He’ll kill Mr. Antichrist, resurrect all Jewish saints, and judge each nation (not individuals) based on how it treated the Jews. Then He’ll set up His government and reinstate the Old Testament system of animal sacrifices.

Now take note, Christians: you’ll be living on a sin-cursed earth in your glorified, immortal body during this earthly kingdom—right next door to neighbors who have regular bodies and regular lives. This will make for some awkward encounters.

After 1,000 years, there’ll be a military rebellion against King Christ (even though He’s immortal), but God the Father will crush the rebels. Then--1,007 years after Christians were resurrected--all the wicked throughout history will be resurrected and judged. At this point everyone will go to either heaven (this time permanently) or hell.

I’ve read countless books by dispensationalists and attended dispensational churches for 15 years. This is what they teach. Here’s another good summary, in case my explanation wasn’t very clear.

So let’s recap. The church fails. The Great Commission fails. Two separate returns of Christ. Animal sacrifices reinstated. Three separate resurrections. Multiple Judgment Days. Various means of salvation. Christians shuttling back and forth between heaven and earth.

Confused? Me too. But “God is not the author of confusion” (I Cor. 14:33), so there’s gotta be a more Biblical way of explaining His plan than this, right?