Twenty years ago, I encountered a site called Ex-Christian.net. It claimed it was a "support group" for those coming out of Christianity and other religions. It was really
a place to bash, mock, and ridicule God, Christianity, and the Bible.
At that time, I had not yet attended Bible college and did not possess
the knowledge that God has since blessed me with. Nevertheless, I would
read the posted arguments and claims and then I would challenge them.
They would make claims that the Bible was full of contradictions and the
like, I would challenge them on it, and then they would provide their
"proof." At first glance, what they provided seemed to
contradict. But after some research, I was able to explain their
supposed "contradictions." Once I provided an in-depth response against
them, they were unable to answer me further. Eventually, the owner of
the site e-mailed me privately and asked me to stop posting on the site.
Obviously I was a thorn in his side, and quite possibly, through the
Spirit, making some of the members question their atheism and maybe even
turn back to God.
This was my first taste of Apologetics (defense of the faith), and I was very much at ease with it. It is something that I absolutely love to engage in. I share that story because I still get the same responses today when I challenge false beliefs.
There is a commonality amongst all Dispensational ministry websites. If you are a young, ignorant, pliable, gullible, and manipulable mind who will easily believe whatever they tell you without question, they love to talk with you and answer your questions because they want you to buy what they are selling. But if you truly think for yourself, read and study Scripture correctly in its appropriate contexts, and challenge them on their pre-conceived notions and beliefs of Scripture, all of a sudden answering the facts of what Scripture actually has to teach becomes too much of a burden for them, and so they tuck tail and run.
I have had this experience in the past with both Tim LaHaye and Thomas Ice, among others, and have recently had this experience again with Barry Horner (author of Future Israel and Eternal Israel). It is extremely ironic considering Mr. Horner's books on Israel advertise a "[push] back against replacement and supersessionist theology." Well, I do not believe in "Replacement" theology, of which the term "Supersessionism" is just another fancy name. What I believe is Expansion Theology. Seriously! You cannot miss it (unless you are spiritually blind). The Gentile Inclusion was prophesied in the Old Testament and revealed in crystal clarity as clear as daylight in the New Testament. So I challenged him on that. I told him:
In Mr. Horner's response, apart from the usual accusations and use of fallacious arguments, he asked me how I would exegete Matthew 19:27-28. Simple! Since we know that there will not be a future millennial kingdom (Jesus denied such a kingdom, the passages in Revelation are highly symbolic, 2 Peter 3:10 leaves no room for anything after the Second Coming of Christ, and the early church denied and rejected such notions), it is quite obviously in reference to the new heavens and the new Earth. In verification of this, here is Matthew Poole's commentary on the verses:
This was my first taste of Apologetics (defense of the faith), and I was very much at ease with it. It is something that I absolutely love to engage in. I share that story because I still get the same responses today when I challenge false beliefs.
There is a commonality amongst all Dispensational ministry websites. If you are a young, ignorant, pliable, gullible, and manipulable mind who will easily believe whatever they tell you without question, they love to talk with you and answer your questions because they want you to buy what they are selling. But if you truly think for yourself, read and study Scripture correctly in its appropriate contexts, and challenge them on their pre-conceived notions and beliefs of Scripture, all of a sudden answering the facts of what Scripture actually has to teach becomes too much of a burden for them, and so they tuck tail and run.
I have had this experience in the past with both Tim LaHaye and Thomas Ice, among others, and have recently had this experience again with Barry Horner (author of Future Israel and Eternal Israel). It is extremely ironic considering Mr. Horner's books on Israel advertise a "[push] back against replacement and supersessionist theology." Well, I do not believe in "Replacement" theology, of which the term "Supersessionism" is just another fancy name. What I believe is Expansion Theology. Seriously! You cannot miss it (unless you are spiritually blind). The Gentile Inclusion was prophesied in the Old Testament and revealed in crystal clarity as clear as daylight in the New Testament. So I challenged him on that. I told him:
"When the whole counsel of the Word of God is taken into consideration and paid extremely careful attention to, the biblical eschatological truth is this: the true Israel becomes the Church of Christ and the Church of Christ emerges as the true Israel. There is no escaping this fact. The true Israel consists of believing Israel and believing Gentiles. There is one body. Unbelieving Israel are not true Jews (Rom. 2:28-29) and do not belong to Israel (Rom. 9:6-8). If they repent and turn to Christ, they can be grafted back in, which makes them part of true Israel, believing Israel, spiritual Israel. True Israel and the Church are one. For the first two centuries, the members of the church were mostly Jewish. Believing Jews and believing Gentiles form the one body of Christ, the Church, which makes them all true, believing, spiritual Israel."
Mark and Luke repeateth the words of Peter in part, but neither of them have this part of our Lord’s answer, particularly respecting his apostles. We heard before, chap. iv. 18-22, of Peter, and Andrew, and James, and John, forsaking all and following of Christ, when he called them; the others doubtless did the same. Peter observing that our Saviour laid not the stress of men’s salvation either upon riches or poverty, but upon the frame of men’s spirits, their humility, self-denial, their obedience to and readiness to follow him; rejoins these words, and saith, We have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have? Some think that he had an expectation of something in this life, according to the notion which the other Jews had, and it is apparent the disciples had some tincture of a secular kingdom, which the Messias should exercise. But considering our Lord’s former discourse could not be so interpreted, and the disciples question, Who then can be saved? I cannot agree that. And for the same reason I cannot agree, that the coming of the Son of man in his glory, mentioned ver. 28, should be understood of his coming in his mediatory kingdom, (as some would have it), but of his last coming, which is most properly called the coming of the Son of man in his glory, mentioned 1 Thess. iv. 15-17; Jude 1:14; and that the thing here promised to the apostles, is not a preference in the church, but a further degree of honour and glory in the day of judgment. Ye which have followed me in the regeneration; that is, at this time, while I have been by my doctrine reforming the word; in the regeneration of my church, while I have been putting it into a new state. Some make those words, in the regeneration, to refer to the next words. In the regeneration; that is, in the day of judgment, when Christ shall come in his glory. The apostle indeed, Acts iii. 21, calleth that day, the times of restitution of all things. And the prophet speaks of it as the time of the new heavens and new earth, Isa. lxvi. 22. So doth the apostle, 2 Pet. iii. 13; and John, in Rev. xxi. 1. It is not much material to which part we apply the term. Ye which have followed me; that is, who have followed and shall go on and follow me, for this promise cannot belong to Judas, the son of perdition. Ye shall sit upon twelve thrones. Judges and princes use to have assessors, that sit with them in judgment. He mentions twelve thrones, because he had now twelve disciples, his apostles; and though afterward Judas fell away, yet Matthias succeeded, Acts i. 26; so as the twelve thrones shall not be empty, but filled up with twelve that followed Christ, for such a one was Matthias, Acts i. 21. Judging the twelve tribes of Israel. Though the tribes were thirteen, yet they usually went under the notion of twelve, because Levi was not counted, as having no particular possession. That is, judging the Jews for their unbelief, and not reception of me: judging others also; but judgment shall begin at the house of God. Doubtless this promise imports, that the apostles shall have a higher place in glory at the great day than ordinary believers: yet the apostle saith the saints shall judge the world, 1 Cor. vi. 2.Mr. Horner, like most Dispensationalists, Zionists, Pre-Millennialists, and Jewish Restorationists, wants to interpret these verses to mean that in a future "1000-year millennial kingdom," the Apostles will reign with Jesus over the twelve tribes of Israel. That interpretation is sheer nonsense. Pre-millennialism is untenable, as is every aspect of Dispensationalism. I challenged him on Expansion Theology, The Mystery of the Gentiles, What Kind of Throne Was It, The Land Promise, and The Temple. (I could have challenged him on several other things, including The Rapture, but the subject of this challenge was everything associated with the so-called "Millennial Kingdom," which I will address in my next blog article.) Mr. Horner provided very little in the way of so-called "push back" against my challenges to his theology. The reason is simple: he cannot actually do so. When it comes to actually examining what the Scriptures have to teach, admitting it and consequently submitting to it and conforming one's beliefs accordingly, like Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons, and all other cults, Dispensationalists try to argue their position for a brief moment and then tuck tail and run. It is a matter of pride.
I was raised under Dispensational theology. The more I realize just how sloppily they interpret the Scriptures, their method being eerily similar to that of the Jehovah's Witnesses (ripping randomly isolated verses of Scripture from their immediate contexts and tying them to other randomly isolated verses of Scripture ripped from their immediate contexts), the more difficult I find it to call them "my brother in Christ" and "a Christian." Would a Christian distort Scripture to the extent that Dispensationalists have done? Revelation 22:18-19 warns, "I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues which are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his part from the tree of life and from the holy city, which are written in this book."
Many Dispensational ministries I have written to and challenged concerning their beliefs, they attempt a brief response against me (coupled with accusations and fallacious arguments), and then quickly tuck tail and run, refusing to dialogue further. The reason is simple: in today's day and age, with every e-mail they write, as it is demonstrated that they cannot provide a reasonable answer against you and give an adequate explanation as to why the Scriptures they cite contradict their interpretation when looked at in their immediate contexts, they know that this can be used against them, which loses them adherents and followers. When others see that they cannot defend their position, they will quickly jump ship, and rightly so. I am no great man, but when these individuals examine my site to see what I am about and see the kind of depth and evidence I provide in my arguments, they know that they cannot contend with that. But that is not because of anything in me. I give that glory to God, because He is the One Who has blessed me with the wisdom, understanding, and discernment that I have daily prayed for over the past 25 years. Without Him, I would be nothing.