Tag: Dispensationalism

The Abrahamic Land Promise in Light of the Edenic Dominion Mandate

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One area of biblical theology that I’ve been thinking more about lately is the relationship between the dominion mandate in Eden and the land promise given to Abraham. Brian Collins (Exegesis and Theology) has written a helpful series of posts interacting with Progressive Covenantalism, particularly on the themes of land and rest. While Collins critiques several of the specific proposals advanced by Progressive Covenantalist scholars—arguing that they require greater nuance (a concern I share)—he nevertheless acknowledges a genuine connection between the Abrahamic land promise and the Edenic dominion mandate.

In his post, Progressive Covenantalism and Land: Conclusion and Appeal, Collins writes:

“The central thesis of the Progressive Covenantalist view of the land, namely, that the land promise expands to encompass all of the new creation and all of the redeemed, is affirmed. This agreement rests on a shared belief that the material creation is significant in God’s redemptive plan. In addition, Progressive Covenantalists are correct in rooting the land theme in Eden. It is also correct to posit that the origins of this theme prior to the giving of the Abrahamic covenant point to a worldwide fulfillment of the theme in the new creation. Further, there is no disagreement with Progressive Covenantalists regarding the way the rest theme in Scripture points to the fulfilment of the land theme in the entire new creation.

These are points of genuine agreement, rather than concessions. My own thoughts on the land promise expanding to encompass the entire world developed in late 2010 and through 2011, prior to the publication of works by Progressive Covenantalists, as I worked through Scripture passages that speak of Israel possessing the nations and through a study on the theme of land in Joshua.”

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Dispensationalism – One of America’s Greatest Stains?

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It is not uncommon to log onto social media and immediately encounter assertions like this.

In an era of rising animosity toward the Jewish people, we are witnessing a resurgence of intense hostility directed at Zionism, Christian Zionism, and Dispensationalism. Frequently, these distinct movements are lumped together and attacked as a single entity.

In nearly two decades of engaging in online theological discussions, debates, and dialogues, I have heard these exact claims repeated ad nauseam. Those who parrot them almost never provide evidence to support their conclusions; instead, the rhetoric is simply recycled across the internet.

Dispensationalism is routinely subjected to caricature and strawman arguments, or guilt-by-association with the most sensationalist figures on the fringes of the movement. No matter how much evidence is presented to counter these false narratives, the same claims are repeated as if they were unquestionable facts.

To correct these egregious misconceptions, I want to highlight what respected, non-dispensationalist scholars have actually written about the system—particularly regarding its historic relationship with America, as detailed below.

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The Three Theological Covenants: An Internal Critique from Covenant Theologians

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Covenant theology is not a monolithic theological system. While its central formulations have been codified in Reformed confessions and systematic theologies, there has long been significant internal debate regarding the formulation, terminology, and exegetical basis of its three theological covenants: the Covenant of Redemption, the Covenant of Works, and the Covenant of Grace.

This blog post focuses primarily on internal critiques—those offered by covenant theologians themselves. Significant challenges have also been advanced by scholars outside the covenantal tradition, including Paul Williamson, Paul Henebury, Daniel Block, and others.

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The Wait is Almost Over: Rolland McCune’s Systematic Theology (Coming Soon!)

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Taken from: https://www.rbpstore.org/Products/Default.aspx?bookid=5702

A comprehensive systematic theology—written from within the dispensational Baptist framework.
For decades, Rolland McCune’s systematic theology served pastors, professors, and students seeking rigorous, Scripture-first doctrine rooted in the dispensational Baptist tradition. Now, for the first time, his complete three-volume work is available in a single, comprehensive volume—making it more accessible for classroom use and theological study.

About the Book
A Systematic Theology of Biblical Christianity presents the full scope of Christian doctrine—from prolegomena through eschatology—in a single volume of over 1,000 pages. McCune’s method is clear and consistent: Scripture alone is the source for theology. His work is carefully structured, well-documented, and written with both academic and ministry use in view.

Key Distinctives
Scripture as the sole source for theology
Presuppositional apologetics
Dispensational framework of progressive revelation
Pretribulational premillennialism
Calvinistic soteriology
Baptist ecclesiology

Why Consider This as a Course Text
Comprehensive treatment of all major loci of systematic theology
Consistent theological framework throughout
Accessible to students without sacrificing rigor
Suitable as a primary text or supplementary reference

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Pre-Darby Pretribulationism: A Historical Survey

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“What is clear from all the recent work on the history of eschatology and millennialism is that John Nelson Darby did not create the dispensational system out of whole cloth by himself in the nineteenth century. Certain elements of that system pre-dated Darby. Prior to Darby, those elements existed in various non-dispensationalist theological systems. The division of history into eras pre-dated Darby in non-dispensationalist systems. Premillennialism pre-dated Darby in non-dispensationalist systems. Philosemitism pre-dated Darby in non-dispensationalist systems. There were tributaries that fed into the larger stream that became dispensationalism. In the nineteenth century, Darby and others took these already existing ideas, added a few of their own, and put them together in an altogether new way. They built a unique new house.”
— Keith Mathison, https://www.keithmathison.org/post/dispensationalism-before-darby

“Darby’s claims were striking, but with hardly any exceptions, they weren’t novel. As some of his more perceptive Reformed critics noticed, almost all the ideas that distinguished the Brethren had been advanced in the 17th century.”
— Crawford Gribben, https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/darby-dispensationalism/

Did dispensational pretribulationism exist before Darby? Absolutely—at least in its “proto” stages. I’ve put together a list of key resources that track pretribulationism prior to Darby’s time. The common claim that Darby either stole the idea from Margaret MacDonald or invented it out of thin air is simply a myth.

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Ezekiel’s Temple and the New Covenant

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Featured Blog: Selwin Christian

Today’s featured blog article was written by Selwin Christian back in April 2025 called Ezekiel’s Temple Sacrifices and the New Covenant. The article was written as a research paper for The Master’s Seminary.

I am thankful for Selwin and his continued to desire to study and grow in God’s Word. I pray that his work is an encouragement to study more seriously Ezekiel 40-48 and recognize how it comports with New Covenant realities.

Taken from the Introduction:

One of the hotly debated topics in the eschatological conundrum is to find the exact nature of Ezekiel’s temple sacrifices in the light of the New Covenant. Scripture must be read in its normal, plain sense unless the text demands some kind of symbolism. But those with allegorical hermeneutics reject the plain and literal view of the temple and hence find it utterly impossible to consider future sacrifices to be literal in the light of Christ and His finished work. We meet with the dilemma, how to exactly interpret Ezekiel’s temple and sacrifices. Those who apply allegorical sense, approach the meaning through the lens of the New Testament and try to read the New Testament into the Old Testament. We will first analyze the New Testament Priority hermeneutics. This paper will argue that the New testament priority hermeneutics disregards the basic details of the text for the Ezekiel’s temple sacrifices and misreads the authorial intent, though the later revelation is important, as far as the New Covenant is concerned the exegetical answer is found in the Old Testament itself without contradiction.

Click to access selwin_ezekiels-temple-and-new-covenant.pdf

10 Reasons for a “Gap” in Daniel’s 70 Weeks

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It is often assumed that dispensationalists invented the idea of a gap in Daniel’s seventy weeks in order to support their eschatological system. In reality, dispensational and non-dispensational interpreters have substantial textual and historical reasons for rejecting the view that the seventieth week was fulfilled by AD 40. The following are some of the strongest arguments supporting a gap between the sixty-ninth and seventieth weeks.

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Abraham’s Four Seeds: The Key Many Systems Overlook

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Excellent work has been done in identifying the fourfold sense of Abraham’s seed. I first encountered this framework in John G. Reisinger’s book Abraham’s Four Seeds: A Biblical Examination of the Presuppositions of Covenant Theology and Dispensationalism (1998), which was extremely helpful in clarifying how Scripture speaks of the various “seeds” of Abraham. The concept was later further developed by Stephen J. Wellum and Peter J. Gentry in Kingdom through Covenant: A Biblical-Theological Understanding of the Covenants (2012). Dispensational scholars have also made use of similar categories; for example, see Michael Riccardi’s study, The Seed of Abraham: A Theological Analysis of Galatians 3 and Its Implications for Israel, Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum, Israelology: The Missing Link in Systematic Theology (2001) and John S. Feinberg in Continuity and Discontinuity: Perspectives on the Relationship Between the Old and New Testaments (1988).

I likewise find the fourfold distinction of Abraham’s seed to be a helpful framework for bringing together the full biblical data on this important subject. My primary disagreement with Reisinger, Wellum, and Gentry, however, is that their redemptive-historical model tends to downplay two of the four seeds, despite the significant emphasis Scripture itself places upon them. When a theological model highlights one element within a predefined interpretive framework, it often results—intentionally or not—in the marginalization of elements that do not fit neatly within that framework.

Dispensationalists, by contrast, have sought to account for the totality of the biblical witness without minimizing particular strands of revelation due to prior theological commitments.

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Future Sacrifices and the Once-for-All Cross: Harmonizing Ezekiel and Hebrews

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Let’s talk Ezekiel 40-48!

After years of dialogue with non-dispensationalists over this passage, I have repeatedly encountered the same interpretive problems surrounding these nine chapters of Scripture. At the core of many of these disagreements is what has been termed a “New Testament Priority Presupposition.” This approach grants the New Testament interpretive primacy when reading the Bible, often described as viewing the Old Testament through the lens of the New Testament. In this case the book of Hebrews is given interpretive priority over Ezekiel and is used to interpret the book of Ezekiel.

Continue reading “Future Sacrifices and the Once-for-All Cross: Harmonizing Ezekiel and Hebrews” →