Another Scofield Witness
Here are a few samples from "A Defense of Dispensationalism,"
by Paul Wilson.
"For the last one
hundred years or so it has been the privilege of Christians to have a better
understanding of the Word of God in its proper application and scope than
perhaps at any other time since the days of the apostles. God's purposes and
ways concerning man in the various ages may be better apprehended today than
then. It has pleased God to unfold His marvelous designs to us who live in the
last days. We do not infer by this that there have not been devoted Christians
in the Church of God at all times, and at times probably more devoted than those
living today;
but we speak only of the
present privilege of having a clearer understanding of His purposes as revealed
in His written Word.
The special aspect of the truth which brings an
understanding of God's revealed mind to His own is what is generally called
"dispensational truth." This term as used in relation to the
Scriptures may be a little difficult for some of our readers to understand
without an explanation. It is not some special truth, as we might refer to the
truth of justification by faith, or the resurrection of the dead. There is a
time factor connected with it, for it enables us to discern the mind of God
concerning His revelation in the various ages since men were upon the earth,
and thus gives us in general a way of understanding all truth. It also enables
us to see His ultimate purposes both for a heavenly and an earthly people; and
again, to distinguish things that differ and to recognize those that are
similar and coincidental.
Without such an
understanding, the Bible is a book of confusion and disarray; whereas it is in reality a book of most
exquisite beauty and design. And the more anyone understands the divine order
of God's Word, the more he will marvel in wondering amazement. He will not wish
any other confirmation of its divine authorship; he will not wish the external
evidences which may be exhumed from the earth by the archeologist's spade, for
its internal structure will carry a conviction far beyond that which may be had
from any other source.
(This writer, like all the
cultists, seems to say that God did not issue the special eyeglasses needed for
reading the Bible for eighteen hundred years, after Peter, Paul and John took
their specs with them to Heaven. J.R.B.)
Dispensationalism has been a great boon to the saints
of God, in these last days. May we value that which we have received and hold
it fast, for it is being given up and many would take it from us."
"Strictly speaking, the Church period is not a dispensation in the sense of an administration of God's way on earth, but a gathering out of a people for heaven;
however, we shall consider it
as a special period of God's ways while He makes known His purposes and plans
not only for them, but for the earth. He has treated us in this age as His
friends and made His mind known to us (John 15:14). Perhaps we should consider
the Church period as merely a long parenthesis in God's ways and dispensations
for the earth. When the Church has been translated to heaven, then God's ways
(of which Israel will be the center) will again begin to unfold, and a time is
to follow, called "the time of Jacob's trouble" (Jer. 30:7). He (that
is, a remnant of Israel) will be saved "out of it," like Noah was
saved out of the flood, while the Church has been promised by the Lord that it
will be kept out of the hour of it — altogether kept from the time of it (Rev.
3:10), as Enoch was taken away before the flood came. For the "time of
Jacob's trouble" will also be "the great tribulation" which
"shall come upon all the world."
After the rapture of the Church, apostasy of both
Christendom and Judaism will mount up to their peaks to receive the judgments
decreed already. The spirit of apostasy has been at work as a mystery since the
days of the Apostle, for he speaks of "the mystery of iniquity" (2
Thess. 2:7); and John wrote that there were already many antichrists (1 John
2:18); but the thing, although far advanced, will not be in full bloom until we
are taken from the scene. Then there will be the attempted complete overthrow
of all reverence for God, and even the mention of His name. It will be man in
daring infidelity who will blaspheme God. Man will be deified, but overthrown
in the end. Apostate Christendom and apostate Judaism will perish, while a
remnant will be saved.
The
increase in numbers and respectability of the false cults, and the shocking
infidelity and daring resistance to God and His Word in many places of what was
once orthodox Christendom, point the way and the trend to the great apostasy.
It has been on its way since the days of the apostles, but now has taken over
large sections of so-called Christianity. Whenever the moment comes for the
home call of the true believers, wickedness will ripen almost over night. There
will be no restraining hand of the Spirit of God to hinder its open manifestation.
After that, that is, after the great tribulation, and the coming of Christ as
"King of kings and Lord of lords" to execute judgment, He will
establish His throne on earth in righteousness, and reign for 1,000 years.
Then, according to Revelation 20, Satan will be loosed out of his prison to
test the multitudes of Gentiles who were born during the Millennium. This will
be the crowning proof that man, unless born again, is hopelessly bad, even
after seeing the wonderful beneficence of God during the Millennium; for they
will rise up against Him. At that time God will destroy the rebels, and the
present earth and its heaven will be destroyed, and a new heaven and new earth
will be formed. In this, righteousness will dwell forever in a state of eternal
bliss. But the Church's portion will be to dwell with Christ in heavenly glory
forever.
For
Christians today to reject dispensationalism is to go (as it were) to sea
without chart or compass, trusting only to their own feelings and intuitions.
Such will not know whither they sail, nor have directions day by day how to
live."
("The
poor Holy Spirit and the self-explaining Word of God cannot work reliably
without the Scofield notes and Salem Kirban's pictures." J.R.B.)
An Explanation
If some of our anti-dispensational readers wonder why
we gave so much space to material with which we do not agree, we can only plead
that debates are supposed to be occasions for respectful hearing of ideas that
differ. Besides, many of the hundreds of new readers who will get this
Researcher are blissfully ignorant of the hundreds of ways in which
Millennialists contradict each other and oftentimes the conflicting opinions
held among them lead to the first shocks that bring sincere Christians to
start re-searching God's Word for themselves. If we give any teachers of error
room enough to talk enough, they will usually defeat their own theories. Only
truth is wholly consistent with truth.
In refuting my honourable opponent, I shall try to
give a brief or concise statement of what I believe to be the main, clearly
revealed events, that God says will transpire between this present time and the
establishing of the eternal state. I shall give or justify my reasons for
holding these points and rejecting others held dear by other Christians. In
doing this, I shall stress especially my objections to the Scofield theories
about Israel's future, the Antichrist, the covenants and the basis of the final
judgment. Following these, I shall give some arguments from scholars of greater
rank than mine, that we prayerfully expect the Lord to bless and use to help
many.
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