Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Adult Sunday School Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/bb/bb20130414.htm

THE DOCTRINE OF DISPENSATIONALISM
Part IV: A Biblical Critique Of Errant Schools Of Dispensationalism
  1. Introduction
    1. Though we found the consistently literal and thus right way to view Scripture leads to dispensationalism, some dispensationalists push their beliefs so far they even violate the literal interpretation of the Bible!
    2. We thus correct their errors in keeping with the consistently literal interpretation of Scripture (as follows):
  2. A Biblical Critique Of Errant Schools Of Dispensationalism
    1. The consistently literal interpretation of Scripture counters Ultradispensationalism:
      1. All ultradispensationalists teach the Church did NOT begin at Acts 2, and hold there is more than one dispensation between Acts 2 and the rapture, Charles C. Ryrie, Dispensationalism Today , 1970, p. 196.
      2. This school of thought thus teaches varying beliefs on the ordinances of baptism and the Lord's Table and on what parts of the New Testament are directly applicable to the Church, Ibid., p. 192-196.
      3. However, Scripture shows that all ultradispensationalists err in not starting the Church at Acts 2:
        1. 1 Corinthians 12:12-28 claims Jews and Gentiles are baptized by the Spirit into the spiritual Church.
        2. That ministry began to occur on the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2:1-4 with Jews, it was continued with part-Jewish Samaritans in Acts 8:14-17, then with full-blooded Gentiles in Acts 10:44-45 and last with Jews in Acts 19:1-6 who were believers under the Law, but who had been ignorant of Christ!
      4. Thus, the consistently literal interpretation of Scripture counters ultradispensationalism.
    2. The consistently literal interpretation of Scripture counters Progressive Dispensationalism:
      1. Progressive Dispensationalism asserts the Church is currently partly fulfilling the Abrahamic, Davidic and New Covenants, so the Church should be involved in the social redemption of man, "Progressive Dispensationalism: An Evaluation," by Fred Moritz, The Biblical Evangelist, Jul.-Aug. 2001, p. 3-4.
      2. However, James' Acts 15 address to the first Church Council shows this view is in error as follows:
        1. James claimed God would initially call out a people for Himself from among the literal Gentiles, citing Peter's Acts 10 interaction with literal Gentiles in Cornelius' household, cf. Acts 15:13-14.
        2. James further explained how the Old Testament prophets agreed with this past Gentile conversion event, and then cited Amos 9:11-12 as evidence of the fact, cf. Acts 15:15-17.
        3. Yet, in citing Amos 9:11-12, (a) James added the words, "After this" that are not in the Hebrew Masoretic text or the Septuagint translation of the Hebrew, Bib. Know. Com., N. T. , p. 394. (b) James added that God said, "I will return," using the Greek verb anastrepso that likewise does not appear either in the Septuagint or in the Hebrew text. (Ibid.; Sir Lancelot C. L. Brenton, The Sept. with Apocrypha, 1998, p. 1092; Kittel, Bib. Heb., p. 927) (c) As anastrepso exists elsewhere in Luke's works only at Acts 5:22 to picture "a literal, bodily return" (Ibid., Bib. Know. Com., N. T.), James must have meant that the events of Amos 9:11-12 occur after the literal, bodily return of Christ at His Second Coming. (d) Thus, JAMES held that the event foretold in Amos 9:11-12 would occur at Christ's Second Coming to the earth AFTER God's calling out a Gentile people as Gentiles. [James' argument for the Council was that if God will justify Gentiles as Gentiles at Christ's Second Coming, we now should accept Gentiles who are justified by faith without requiring them to be circumcised to become Jewish proselytes, Acts 15:18-19! (Ibid., p. 395)]
        4. If Amos 9:11-12 also reveals that, at Christ's Second Coming, David's Kingdom will be broken down versus David's era, the Church does not fulfill the Davidic covenant before Christ's coming!
      3. Thus, the consistently literal interpretation of Scripture in Acts 15 and Amos 9 counters Progressive Dispensationalism, so that position's belief that the Church is to redeem the world socially also errs!
Lesson: The consistently literal view of Scripture leads to the regular dispensational view that the Church dispensation starts in Acts 2 and ends at the rapture, and Israel's covenants are only for Israel.

Application: (1) May we interpret Scripture in a consistently literal way as regular dispensationalists. (2) Then, unlike Ultradispensationalists, may we see the Church consists in one body of all who are saved between Acts 2 and the rapture, and practice the ordinances of believer's baptism and the Lord's Table. (3) Also, unlike Progressive Dispensationalists, may we not view the Church as partly fulfilling Israel's covenants so as to aim to redeem society socially, but disciple men for Christ's future Kingdom.