Christ's Prophetic Plans: A Futuristic Premillennial Primer

by John F. MacArthur Jr., Richard L. Mayhue (Editor)

Do you wish you clearly understood the different views of the millenium and know why you believe which view you hold to? General editors and experienced bible scholars John MacArthur and Richard Mayhue help to provide a clear and convincing Biblical explanation for the interpretive approach to Scripture that results in a knowable futuristic view of Christ's millennial reign on earth. Christ's Prophetic Plans also helps provide the certain validity of God's promises to future Israel, and the crucial differences between Israel (as a people and a nation) and the New Testament church. Christ's Prophetic Plans offers the reader John MacArthur's most explicit writing on eschatology and is perfect for pastors, bible professors, teachers, and students with a heart and mind for discovering Biblical truth. This primer takes you on a Biblical study of questions surrounding prophecy, Israel, the rapture, and the different millennial views. The fruit of such study is great as God specifically promises His blessing on those who know and obey the things of biblical prophecy (Revelation 1:3; 22:7).

Genres: Theology, Christian, Christianity

224 pages, Paperback

First published February 21, 2012

About the author

John F. MacArthur, Jr. was a United States Calvinistic evangelical writer and minister, noted for his radio program entitled Grace to You and as the editor of the Gold Medallion Book Award-winning MacArthur Study Bible. MacArthur was a fifth-generation pastor, a popular author and conference speaker, and served as pastor-teacher of Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California beginning in 1969, as well as President of The Master’s College (and the related Master’s Seminary) in Santa Clarita, California.

Reviews

[Owen Lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful! Easy to read and easy to follow - the rich use of Scripture to explain futuristic premillennialism was a blessing. I enjoyed this greatly and learned much.

[Michael Beck · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some very good chapters in this work. It is a helpful book to understand the pretrib premillennial view and the Scriptural arguments behind them.

[Haley Annabelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great little primer on end times views. It definitely helped me to get a solid understanding.
Lags a bit at times but that’s to be expected with the various authors.

[Finn Erickson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. I might use this to convert someone to amillennialism in the future

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent primer on Futuristic Premillennial theology. Very instructive.

[Philip Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good at outlining what Dispensational Premillennialism actually is, but failed to convince me that Amillennialism is wrong.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Since hearing of John MacArthur's "leaky dispensationalism," I wanted to get a better understanding of what it is. This book provides the details. Basically, it's dispensational premillennialism without the other dispensations. Daniel's seventy weeks, a seven-year tribulation, the judgment seat of Christ, the Great White Throne judgment, and the resurrections of the saved and the unsaved are all here. It also holds to a literal 1,000 reign of Christ over a restored national Israel. One major deficiency of this book is that no acknowledgment is made of the unique genre of apocalyptic literature. The literal interpretation approach is followed throughout Revelation, despite the fact that it's highly symbolic in nature. This title is a good summary of futuristic premillennialism, though it doesn't deal adequately with the popular, alternative position of amillennialism.

[Paige · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eschatology matters, not only because it sets our expectations of what is to come, but because it's a product of our hermeneutics. It's a poor reflection on God's character if one believes a covenant He made unconditional can ever be revoked.

[Jeremy Pynch · Rating 4 out of 5]

A literal, grammatical, historical hermeneutic is the most logical approach (in my opinion) to eschatological events. Although this was a short overview on Futuristic Premillennialism, I would’ve appreciated more of an understanding as to why Amillennialism has had such a stronghold on the church. Though they make several references to it, it would have been more beneficial to me if it went into more detail as to why this view is so attractive in the Reformed camp.

[Wallace · Rating 5 out of 5]

There used to be an advertisement on British TV back in the day that had the tagline, 'It does what it says on the tin!' Well, this tag line could be aptly applied to 'Christ's Prophetic Plans", a book of 224 pages, which is subtitled 'A Futuristic Premillennial Primer.'

Whether one is or isn't someone who holds to a Premillennial eschatology, you will find this book of 10 chapters helpful in outlining the basis of the Premillennial position. All contributors are associated with The Master's Seminary, and all show extensive background reading and scholarship; it is edited jointly by John MacArthur and Richard Mayhue.

In summary, the authors' belief in and acceptance of Futuristic Premillennialism rests squarely on their interpretive approach to Scripture, that of a literal grammatical historical hermeneutic. MacArthur gives a summary of this approach in relation to the subject matter on page 10 of the Preface ...

"Dispensationalism basically results from:
1. Interpreting Scripture normally just as one would any other piece of literature, resulting in ...
2. Understanding the restoration promises to Israel in the Old Testament and the events of John's Revelation as future, which necessitates ...
3. Distinguishing decisively between Israel and the church."

The authors offer a historical analysis, exegetical purposefulness and extensive argumentation for their position, in a clear, concise and charitable manner. At the conclusion of his chapter entitled 'Does Calvinism Lead to Futuristic Premillennialism?', MacArthur writes, "Thus, I am a Futuristic Premillennialist for the same reason that I embrace the doctrines of grace. God's Word clearly teaches the sovereign election of the church. But equally clear in His sovereign election of the nation of Israel. Armed with a literal hermeneutic, and fully convinced that God's election cannot be forfeited because His purposes cannot fail, I embrace a Futuristic Premillennial eschatology with the same confidence that I embrace a Reformed soteriology. After all, we are bound to believe what the Scriptures reveal. In this case, a straightforward reading of God's Word leaves me with no other option." (Page 155-156).

This short book is one of the best exemplars of Futuristic Premillennialism available, and whether you agree or not, you have to engage with the evidence and argumentation provided.

[Daniel Lieber · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a helpful primer on futuristic or dispensational premillennialism which is an interpretation of what the end times will look like. Perhaps as much as the book argues for a particular interpretation of events, it argues for a particular hermeneutic, that being the historical-grammatical interpretation of scripture. This hermeneutic is a sort of default setting to interpret the text of scripture in its most grammatically normal understanding as it would have been understood historically by its original audience. This leads to a very literal understanding of scripture. I endorse this hermeneutic greatly on the basis that I believe God’s revelation is provided with the intent to reveal rather than obscure. Forgive me if that sounds like a straw man argument but that is my reasoning for the sake of brevity. Nonetheless, futuristic premillennialism is heavily dependent on this hermeneutic and places a heavy emphasis on God’s faithfulness. I find this interpretation very compelling and currently hold it humbly as my own while having some remaining questions about its implications. Even for those who hold to other eschatological positions, this book should dispel any belief that all dispensational premillennials believe in two separate paths of salvation for Israel and the Church and will hopefully provide a greater appreciation that many who hold this position do so out of a trust in God’s enduring faithfulness rather than some other fleshly motive. They recognize that God has always been faithful to His promises in the past in a very literal way and believe He will continue to be faithful in a very literal way in the future.

[Harold Cameron · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Do you wish you clearly understood the different views of the Millennium and know why you believe which view you hold to? General Editors and experienced bible scholars John MacArthur and Richard Mayhue help to provide a clear and convincing Biblical explanation for the interpretive approach to Scripture that results in a knowable futuristic view of Christ's millennial reign on earth. Christ's Prophetic Plans also helps provide the certain validity of God's promises to future Israel, and the crucial differences between Israel (as a people and a nation) and the New Testament church.

Christ's Prophetic Plans offers the reader John MacArthur's most explicit writing on eschatology and is perfect for pastors, bible professors, teachers, and students with a heart and mind for discovering Biblical truth. This primer takes you on a Biblical study of questions surrounding prophecy, Israel, the rapture, and the different millennial views. The fruit of such study is great as God specifically promises His blessing on those who know and obey the things of biblical prophecy (Revelation 1:3; 22:7).” Moody Publishing Website

My thoughts about the book: People from all over the world want to know why what is happening in our world today is taking place and whether we are on a collision course for the destruction of our planet as we know it at some point in the future. And it’s people who are members of the body of Christ as well as unbelievers who are seeking answers. Many people are experiencing a feeling of unrest within their souls believing that something is happening in our world and for the unbeliever as well as many believers even, they have a lot of unanswered questions.

The good news is that God and his Holy Word, The Bible has the answers for what is happening and what is yet to happen in our world. We know the end of the story and for the believer that is comforting and reassuring but for the unbeliever it leads to fear and dread.

What Dr. MacArthur and Dr. Mayhue have done with their book is create a Bible Prophecy 101 Book or Bible Prophecy Primer if you will. In an easy to read and understand manner Dr. MacArthur and Dr. Mayhue present a “Futuristic Premillennial” view of what events are to take place in the future and what the end of our world as we know it will be.

The book consists of 10 Chapters with each Chapter defining and explaining some aspect of future events. They do use some big theologian’s terms like “Dispensationalism” and “Premillennialism” but fear not, because they break those words down into expressions of thought that the layman can understand. Dr. MacArthur and Dr. Mayhue are unapologetic concerning their holding to a “Pre-Tribulation Rapture” view of the church before the 7 years of Tribulation (God’s final judgment on a sinful rebellious world) begins.

Their views are broken down simply for the reader on a chart in the book that shows 4 major time periods with three different events happening in between the first and final period of time as we know it. The authors write that there is what is referred to as “The Church Age,” which we are in right now. Then the Rapture of the Church will occur (that is when Christ takes believers out of the world before his 7 years of judgment), Next will be what is referred to as “The Abomination of Desolation” proceeded by the Second Coming of Christ to earth. Then there will be the “Millennial Reign of Christ,” (where Christ is going to reign for 1000 years and then finally after the Great White Throne Judgment eternity with a new Heaven and new Earth. It sounds more complicated than it actually is once you read the book.

The authors refer to a significant number of Scriptures as well as the writings of past and present Bible Scholars (early church leaders as well as past and present teachers and professors) to support the eschatological claims they make in their book. The conclusion they come to in their book is that we can indeed know and understand future events and that those events for believers are going to be so awesomely sweet…that sometime soon the church is going to be raptured out of this world to be with the Lord, that the Lord is going to pour out his wrath on the world (over a period of 7 years which is referred to as “The Great Tribulation”), that the Lord will return to the earth and actually reign for 1000 years, (The Millennial Reign of Christ with Satan being bound in the Abyss); and then he is going to finally defeat and judge the Devil and his demons as well as judge all unbelievers and cast them into the Lake of Fire which will burn forever and the redeemed, (believers in Christ whose names are written in the Lambs Book of Life), will reign together forever with the Lord and all the angels and saints in the New Heaven and New Earth. “And in this way, when all is said and done, the Lord Jesus Christ will be victorious over all that is evil.” And we can and should comfort and encourage one another with these words. Just as the book is a great comfort and encouragement to all who are believers in Jesus Christ it is also a warning to all who do not. I give this book 5*****

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the Inside Pages book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

[Patrick Lacson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very good primer on a futuristic premillennial schedule of the eschaton. I understand historic premill (Piper, Mohler, Southern seminary) is the oldest view, and amill is growing in popularity among reformed camps (Voddie B, Sam Storms, Dever, Riddlebager, most 1689 reformed baptists), and the trendiest view today is posmillennialism (Doug Wilson, Jeff Durbin, Stephen Wolfe) with theonomy and the rise of Christian Nationalism.

This book stubbornly explains a futuristic premillenial schedule and establishes that position from a grammatical historical method of interpretation.

[Todd Bryant · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quite outstanding. If you've been interested in prophecy, this is a good place to begin. The staff at Master's Seminary has put forth a great approach to the study of Futuristic Premillennialism based on a literal, grammatical hermeneutic. Everything you need to begin looking at prophecy in the Bible is in this book.

[Andy T. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Still not premil, but I enjoyed it.

[Jared Hiebert · Rating 1 out of 5]

Dispensationalism clearly articulated by the faculty of The Master's Seminary.

[Marisha Caballero · Rating 5 out of 5]

Concise and to the point. Helped me to understand from Scripture why I can be confident in the futuristic premillennial view of eschatology.

[James Nash · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent resource for learning premillenialist eschatology.
A powerful biblical and historical defense of the position.

[Eduardo Corona · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am currently doing a study on the four mainline eschatological views (premil/historic premil/amil/postmil). I have only ever been taught dispensational premillennialism and due to that have believed this view was the only view out there. I give this book five stars not because I staunchly hold to these views, but because of the scholarship and Scripture references used throughout to defend this position. If I was a stiff necked bigot, I would use this as my primary tool against the other two views. However, as I mentioned already, I am studying all four views thoroughly having two more works in the premil camp to push through (John Walvoord’s “The Millennial Kingdom” and a much shorter treatise by Michael Vlach, “Premillennialism”) until I come to a conclusion. Recommend this work to anyone interested in studying eschatology.

[Brian Collins · Rating 3 out of 5]

As with most books of collected essays the quality varies by the contributor. The best essays in this volume are the three by Michael Vlach that deal with the topics of Dispensationalism and Israel. Mirroring his work in Dispensationalism: Essential Beliefs and Common Myths, Vlach defines Dispensationalism and clarifies misunderstandings. He demonstrates that Dispensationalism does not demand a particular soteriology (Calvinist or Arminian, progressive sanctification or Keswick, etc.). It certainly does not teach two ways of salvation, and it is not antinomian (though it does not hold that the Mosaic code directly applies to the believer). He defines Dispensationalism in terms of "six essential beliefs." First, the NT does not reinterpret the OT in such a way that the OT authorial intent is canceled out. Second, Israel is not a type of the church. Third, "Israel and the church are distinct, thus the church cannot be identified as the new or true Israel" (29). Fourth, the salvific unity of Jew and Gentile does not remove a future national purpose of Israel. Fifth, Dispensationalists believe in the future salvation, national restoration of Israel during the Millennium. Sixth, Dispensationalists affirm that "seed of Abraham" has multiple senses. It can refer to national descent or to Gentiles connected to Abraham in Christ. In defining Dispensationalism, Vlach is also careful to correct Dispensational errors in self-definition. For instance, Ryrie asserted that the glory of God as God's purpose in the world was a Dispensational distinctive. Vlach notes that it would be better to say that Dispensationalists have a greater tendency to understand God's purposes in a holistic manner that incorporates "social, economic, and political issues" in God's plan for glorifying himself along with soteriological and spiritual issues (21-22). He also highlights the problem of Dispensationalists defining themselves in terms of consistently literal hermeneutics. He quotes Feinberg, "The difference is not literalism v. non-literalism, but different understandings of what constitutes literal hermeneutics" (22). Vlach is correct that the hermeneutical discussion must go deeper to wrestle with the reasons for different approaches to prophetic material. Vlach's essays on dispensationalism along with his essay arguing for the future restoration of Israel are highly recommended.

Church historians of many different persuasions have long recognized the earliest Christians were premillennial in orientation. Nathan Busenitz's essay helpfully provides for lay readers the quotations from the church fathers that underlie this consensus. He also provides a historical argument for why Amillennialism became the dominant view in the church from Augustine through the middle ages and beyond.

Matthew Waymeyer presents a standard defense of the premillennial reading of Revelation 20. He argues from Scripture passages about Satan's current activity for the impossibility that Satan is currently bound and unable to deceive the nations. He argues against the idea that the first resurrection in Revelation 20 refers to regeneration. He argues in favor of a 1,000 year millennium. And he argues in favor of a chronological reading of Revelation 19 and 20.

John MacArthur contributed three essays to this volume, including a version of his controversial address about why Calvinists should be Premillennialists. His other essays address the timing of the last things. He opposes both preterism and date-setting, but he affirms the general dispensational sequence. In another essay he argues that no New Testament passage precludes the premillinnial position.

Richard Mayhue's contributions were the weakest. At several points his chapters read like speaking notes in which greater explanation would have been provided in the course of the lecture. These parts were written in a bullet point fashion that succinctly stated his position, but greater development and argumentation for the assertions would have been desirable. MacArthur and Mayhue also repeatedly make the error of appealing to literal interpretation as if it settled the debate. This was especially disappointing because Vlach demonstrated this line of argumentation to be erroneous in the books's first chapter.

This book is for a lay reader who wishes to have a basic orientation to dispensational premillennialism (the authors have coined the term futuristic premillennailism, which is an odd choice since historic premillennialists also believe that the millennium is future). Those who wish to dig deeper into this perspective of eschatology would want to track down the sources listed in the endnotes.

[Jimmy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The purpose of this ten chapter book written by John MacArthur and members of faculty of The Master's Seminary is to give a primer on Dispensational Premillennialism. In essence, it is a defense of Dispensational Premillennialism that would be accessible to the general Christian reader. Perhaps those reading this review will remember MacArthur's infamous sermon during Shepherd's Conference 2007 about how every self-respecting Calvinist should be a Premillennialist. I recall first hearing all the outrage about this online from many people, when I was leaning more towards Postmillennialism during that period in my life, and thinking that that might be a little over the top rhetorically. There was a sense of caution as I read this book as I wonder if MacArthur's claim would have been re-iterated here, and it turns out that the very same message in 2007 actually became one of the chapters in the book, arguing why Calvinist should be Premillennial in light of the historical grammatical hermeneutics and a high view of God's sovereignty. It seems to me that this will be probably the most offensive part of the book, but I do not think MacArthur is intentionally doing so, and after reading the whole book, one might be more sympathetic towards MacArthur as surely I did, or at least understand where he is coming from. The introduction to the book focuses on why Christians should study prophecies, and Dr. Mayhue gives some good statistics of the Bible and Scriptural passages on why studying eschatology is important. The first two chapters focused on what the essence of Dispensationalism is, and also what it is not along with popular misconceptions. The author of both chapters, Dr. Vlach, does a good job here, including answering the popular objection that Dispensationalists are anti-calvinists and believe in works righteousness (!). I felt that these two chapters alone was worth getting the book, given the all too common misconceptions about Dispensationalism. What I appreciated the most of the book is that the contributors from the faculty of The Master Seminary all had something of their specialty to offer when it comes to this volume, making it a convenient "one stop" volume summarizing their work for a popular audience. For instance, those who are familiar with The Master's Seminary's faculty's work on Dispensationalism will notice that Dr. Vlach's booklet "What is Dispensationalism?" has been updated and was the essence of the first two chapters of the book. In addition, his chapter on Israel echoes his dissertation and recent book on whether or not the church has replaced Israel. I was also happy to see Waymeyer contribute his chapter on Revelation 20, since it was more reader friendly in terms of the format than his original book on the same subject. Dr. Mayhue's dissertation has been on the tribulation, so it was good to see a chapter contribution from him on that subject. Nate Busenitz, who is currently teaching historical theology, wrote a great chapter on the history of the early church and their view of Premillennialism. Overall, I would recommend the book.

[Lynette Karg · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this helpful and fairly easy to follow, even for one who has not done much scholarly reading on this topic. Helpful in understanding the Biblical support for this position.

[Jim Drake · Rating 5 out of 5]

Concerning the study of end-times events, most American Evangelicals tend to find themselves in one of two camps—they either ignore it or obsess about it. Since obsession is so unmistakably and obviously spiritually unhealthy, many people choose to ignore it instead. But since at least 1,845 verses of the Bible deal with Christ’s second coming, ignoring it is not an option either. A person cannot be a serious Bible student without developing an understanding of eschatology. While holding to differing eschatological frameworks is certainly not worth breaking Christian fellowship over, it is important (even critical) for Christians to have an eschatological framework. Without a basic understanding of God’s prophetic plan, it is impossible to understand large portions of Scripture. That’s where Christ’s Prophetic Plans: A Futuristic Premillennial Primer, by John MacArthur, can be a very helpful resource.

MacArthur identifies the book as a primer. Rather than it being a primer in the strictest sense, it is a basic defense of dispensationalism against historical premillennialism, amillennialism, and postmillennialism. All too often, explanations of dispensationalism have been left to big-hair televangelists and cheesy trade paperbacks. Because of this, and the continual mischaracterizations of some respected Bible teachers, the belief in a pre-tribulational rapture has been discounted as unscholarly, backwoods or even theologically dangerous. This book combats those mischaracterizations by clearly articulating the biblical foundations of the doctrine.

The book is a collection of essays written by MacArthur and Master’s Seminary professors. Unlike most dispensational studies, it does not spend any time developing timelines and charts. MacArthur has referred to himself as a “leaky dispensationalist” because he doesn’t hold to airtight charts and timelines. Instead, he holds generally to the system because it is the only one allowed when a consistent historical-grammatical hermeneutic is used to interpret Scripture. If that last sentence makes little sense to you, you need to read the book!

As a matter of fact, if you have yet to, or are currently developing your understanding of biblical prophesy, you need to read this book. If your only exposure to dispensationalism is the caricature portrayed in the Left Behind series or the heretical distortion promoted by John Hagee, you need to read this book. If you have been persuaded that dispensationalism is somehow inconsistent with serious systematic theology, this book is for you. In short, if you long for the literal, bodily return of Jesus—no matter what your eschatological framework—this book is for you.

Publisher: Moody Publishers; (February 21, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0802401619

Moody Publishers provided me with a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review. In no way did that influence my opinion of the book or my review.

[Johanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

In scripture, 62 (94%) out of 66 books contain predictive information.

What do you really know about end-times prophecy?

What do you believe about the rapture and Christ’s second coming?

Could you defend that belief with a logical explanation?

Written from a futuristic premillennial viewpoint, theologians John MacArthur, Richard Mayhue, Michael Vlach, Nathan Busenitz, and Matthew Waymeyer explore the different beliefs held in regards to Israel, the rapture, Christ’s second coming, and the millennial reign. Using scripture, they lay out the arguments in a point-by-point format which disprove faulty teachings such as replacement theology and Amillennialism, while proving through God’s word that Israel is still God’s chosen people, and the rapture of the church is imminent. Think of this book as a form of apologetics for eschatology- it is designed to help you figure out what to believe about end-times prophecy, and why.

I was very excited to read this book- as an avid student of eschatology and Bible prophecy, I knew this book would not disappoint, and I was right. The arguments laid out by the authors are very thorough and sensible, making an extremely solid case for futuristic premillennialism- in other words, end-times prophecy is yet to be fulfilled via the rapture of the church, the fulfillment of God’s promises to the nation of Israel, and the second coming of Christ followed by a millennial reign on earth.

I did have one minor issue with this book, however. Even though I’ve been studying eschatology for many years, I’ve never done so formally, and so a lot of the terminology and cited works of other theologians went over my head, particularly in the beginning of the book. I wish the authors had done a better job clarifying certain terms such as Antimonianism, as well as the differences between Arminianism and Calvinism, which were vaguely defined in a way that was difficult for me to understand. However, the amount of research and knowledge that went into this book is outstanding, and I especially enjoyed the chapters on the rapture, Israel, and the early church’s beliefs regarding a millennial kingdom.

If you are interested in learning more about end-times prophecy, or just wish to clarify the reasons for your beliefs in your own mind, I wholly recommend this book!

I received this book for free through Moody Publishers in exchange for an honest review.

Check out this review on my blog: EpicBookQuest.wordpress.com

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Christ's Prophetic Plans is an excellent introduction to Dispensationalism or as the authors also entitle it,
"Futuristic Premillennialism". John Macarthur, Michael Vlach, Richard Mayhue, Nathan Busentiz and Mathew Waymeyer team up to defend the grammatical-historical hermeneutic in the interpretation of prophecy. They start by removing misconceptions about Dispensationalism, such as the idea that Premillennialists believe that there are two-ways of salvation, and they define what Dispensationalism/Futuristic Premillennialism really is. "… dispensationalism shapes one's eschatology and ecclesiology. That is the extent of it. Pure Dispensationalism has no ramifications for the doctrines of God, man, sin, or sanctification. More significantly, true Dispensationalism makes no relevant contribution to soteriology, or the doctrine of salvation."

They then go through and show that their eschatology is exegetically derived from Scripture, and not from a misinterpretation of the texts. They focus particularly on Israel, as they point out that ""What distinguishes dispensationalists…is that they believe not only in the salvation of Israel but also in the restoration of Israel…'Restoration' involves the idea of Israel being reinstalled as a nation, in her land…In other words, in a literal, earthly kingdom - a millennium." They defend God's right to distinguish nations/races in His New Covenant plan and not just to distinguish individual people(such as men and women).

Critiquing Covenant Theology's imposition of a theological system on prophetic texts, they point out that the hermeneutic of Futuristic Premillennialists is not derived from their creeds or theology. "If one's hermeneutic is one's theology, then one's theology determines one's hermeneutic…A theology is not a hermeneutic...For Futuristic Premillennialism, a consistent grammatical- historical hermeneutic to interpret all of Scripture is a presupposition, not a determined theology. " Part of Macarthur's contribution is a reiteration of his controversial , and in my opinion excellent, message, 'Why Every Self Respecting Calvinist Should Be A Premillennialist'.

Though I don't agree with all of their views, such as Christ being the 'true Israel', or the statement that Reformed Theology is not related to any particular Eschatology, I think that the authors did a good job with this 'Primer' on Futuristic Premillennialism.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher for the purpose of this
review. Thanks Moody Publishers!

[Drake · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and it has dramatically shaped and re-inforced my eschatology. The articles are very well-written and provide convincing arguments and exegesis that show the Futuristic Premillenial position to be the most biblically-based position, while at the same time interacting with arguments from several proponents of other eschatological views as well. It should be noted that not all of the chapters are equally strong. For example, Michael Vlach's chapters on dispensationalism and Israel were excellent and delved deep into various texts and viewpoints; on the other hand, Richard Mayhue's chapter on the rapture, while good overall, seemed to give more weight to his arguments for a pre-trib rapture than they actually contained. Mayhue's other chapter on Old Testament covenants and promises was also very good, but I was bothered sometimes by his continual attacks against proponents of other views. These were only small blemishes on the book, however, and it was an incredibly difficult book to put down. I would highly recommend it to any student of Scripture.

[Kristine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fantastic collection of essays that accomplished what it set out to do: familiarize the reader with the different views of the end times while defending a futurist, premillennial belief.

When I recently discovered that a pastor I have much admiration for is an amillennialist, I began to question why I hold the beliefs I do. After a few other resources on the subject, I found this collection to be the best articulated and supported. I appreciated that it did such a good job of laying out the other views, namely amillennialism and postmillennialism. The bibliographies will also be a great springboard to finding other books on the subject -- from all points of view.

I can't recommend this book enough to those who disagree but are seeking to understand premillennialism or those wishing to bulk up on biblical affirmations of their beliefs.

[Divanshu Sandhu · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good book, which talks about Dispensation theology in detail. All the authors have done a fair job to explain their points from the Scripture. However, I am not fully convinced should I buy it or not; although I believe in Futuristic Pre-millennial view which is clearly obvious in the Bible. After reading this book, I have many questions which are not addressed in this book, such as- where to draw a line when you are taking numbers in Revelation literally, if rapture will happen during Christ second resurrection which is before 2nd coming, then what about Christians those who die now and etc.

You can read and decide.

[Terrence D. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eschatology is not superfluous to Christian living and you'd be wrong to think so. It is because of this book that I have an even greater passion for the lost, and my hope for the future is made even more sure, for it is now rooted even deeper in God's Word. The Scriptures have spoken and MacArthur, Mayhue, Busentiz, and Waymeyer have rightly divided the word of truth regarding the "eschatology of the blessed hope".

[Sean McGowan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great book. It really clarifies and puts forth the position of dispensational premil. (i.e. futuristic premil.) Some highlights in the book were the chapters by Mike Vlach, Matt Waymeyer, and Nathan Busenitz. Good resource to go to if you want to understand current discussions in dispensationalism.