It didn’t happen. So, they expanded the definition of “generation” to 70 years.
But guess what? 70 years has now passed without their expected great tribulation, rapture, and Second Coming.
Time has left dispensationalism empty. What this reveals is that the END has indeed come—not the end of the world, but the end dispensationalism itself. It has failed. Bankrupt. Kaput.
Here's my own article detailing the history of false prophecies of Christians down through the ages:
https://onedrive.live.com/view.aspx?resid=D3BD424B0B25B83F!11257&app=Word
One could say that a “generation” is one degree in the Great Year, which is the Processional movement of the Earth Axis through the Zodiac/Seasons. Thus 25980 years divided by 360 degrees equals 72 years, which is one degree of the Great Year... which of course is also considered the average lifespan of a man/human. Fascinating. Thus perhaps we have to wait until May 14th, 2020. After that all bets are off, of course...
Just my random thoughts late at night.
This is kind of a BS article.
It paints with a very broad brush and is meant to discredit pretty much any and all Protestants based on a handful of high profile books and personalities.
The Rapture happened already.
The four or five people that met God’s standards were brought home and the rest of us were “left behind”.
[[A generation is widely considered to be 40 years.]]
No it wasn’t- that is a lie- the only reason it was AN AVERAGE of 40 years years ago was because of high infant mortality- Those numbers skewed the total average-
But whatever- typical Christian bashing article
Smugness is always so helpful when trying to get another Christain’s attention
This generation, which I understand to mean, “this generation who is alive when it happens”, shall not pass away. There are still people alive, who were alive in 1948. Plenty of them. But that’s just me, I guess. I never heard the interpretation that it was a “generation’s” amount of time, which could be 40 years, or even much less. There are generations that are only 12 years apart, in some cases.
WRONG!
It will fall upon the whole world. Certain events are prophesied for Jerusalem, Megiddo and other places in Israel, but the Tribulation will be felt globally.
In fact, Israel will be just about the safest place to be, geographically speaking.
And about the safest people, temporally speaking, will be the descendants of Jacob. Others who, deceiving or being deceived, call themselves Jews, eh, not so much maybe.
I have no tolerance for either false prophets or smug critics. My faith is based upon Christ’s words as documented in the Bible, not on books or articles written by modern “scholars”.
I dunno. I just went outside when I heard a wreck and everyone is freaking out because people just vanished from a bus, including the driver.
I think you just missed the boat.
“Dispensationalists interpreted Jesus’ words in Matthew 24:34 about “this generation” to have begun in 1948.
SOME, but certainly not all.
“A generation is widely considered to be 40 years.
Got a chapter and verse for that?
This is such a shallow article. Did you write this??
Correction. The article was written by Gary North rather than Gary DeMar.
The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away. Psalms 90:10
That’s 70-80 years, not 40.
They’ll just re-interpret to keep their theological error alive.
There are reasonable Christians who believe the rapture occurs after the tribulation. We could very well be into the tribulation now, society certainly has entered a time that is consistent with the end times and all the players are moving their pieces into place for the battle of Armageddon.
The world has turned their back on the poeple of the Word. I hope that America stands with Isreal, but honestly, we are one election away from being on the wrong side.
The author ought to at a minimum list just who he includes as “American fundamentalists”. Also it is fair to ask if he using his definition of them, or their self-identification as “fundamentalists”. Additionally it needs to be established if ALL “fundamentalists” agree with what he says they believe about the dispensation.
I think maybe the author assumes too broad and not transparent of a brush to paint “fundamentalists”.
And that's it??? That's what you wasted all the ink about???
Actually Dispensationalists believe the Scriptures...So what do the scriptures say??? Apparently you don't know...
Mat 24:34 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.
Til what be fulfilled??? The making of a State in 1948??? Of course not...
Mat 24:3 And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?
And Jesus said, these things will take place 40 years after 1948.
Mat 24:4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no Preterist nor A-Millennial deceive you.
Mat 24:5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.
Mat 24:6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass,
but the end is not yet.
Mat 24:7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
Mat 24:8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.
Then read the rest of that chapter...
1Th 5:1 But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.
1Th 5:2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.
1Th 5:3 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.
1Th 5:4 But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.
1Th 5:5 Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.
1Th 5:6 Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.
Now here's an interesting tidbit...We are told we will know the times and seasons of Jesus' return yet, there is a group who will not know...
Act 1:6 When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?
Act 1:7 And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.
One group of people will not know the times and seasons of the Lord's return but another group will...And what group is that???
Act 1:8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
And of course the Rapture comes before the return of the Lord...
It does appear however that the Kingdom was at least partially restored in 1948...But that has nothing to do with the timing of the Rapture or the 2nd Coming, except to say that the Nation of Israel had to again exist before the other events can take place...
The 'this generation' of Matthew has to do with seeing the signs of the times and seasons, not the restoration of Israel in 1948...
Think of it this way. When all the people of that "generation," who were alive in 1948 finally die, that would be the end of that generation.
When I was a little kid, I remember seeing the last remaining Civil War vets on film. At that time there were still WW1 vets alive. It would be safe to say that in 2018 both those generations are gone.
We still have WW2 vets and we still have the beginning of the Baby Boomers hanging around.
So, when it says that "that generation will not pass," we are still in play.
It was not supposed to keep ticking longer than 70 years — the normal lifespan of one generation.
The model will be changed on the fly. I've seen folks talk about biblical generations being 100 years. Older views will be memory holed.
(None of this makes full preterism true.)
Dispensationalism is simply recognizing that God dealt with people differently in different ages. If you don’t agree with that most basic premise, you better start keeping every jot and tittle of the Law, and picking up a few live animals to take to the Temple on the Sabbath.
Since the majority of Believers do hold at least a some dispensational viewpoints, there will likely be some who may abuse it, or wrongly divide the Word. But date setting is hardly a dispensational problem. Eschatology is plagued by people and “prophets” who set dates all the time. Do a Google or Youtube Search on Jesus will return... and you will be amazed how many dates you will get.
Of the respected theologians in this area that I have read - Bullinger, Welch, Ryrie, Scofield, Moody, Allen, few have set dates/times. All recognize that the Church Age was HIDDEN IN GOD. And was revealed after Israel rejected Jesus - when that was official is debated.
We should all recognize the signs of the times, study the Word, and listen to the Holy Spirit. Elijah, the sons of the priests, and sons of the prophets all knew he was to be taken by God that day. Would it be surprising that the Holy Spirit reveals this to Believers who have ears to hear? Certainly the world will not know what is about to happen.