Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them (all nations) in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 Teaching them (all nations) to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
Phil, being premillennial Baptist thinks only in terms of the individual and never in terms of nations.
We should be praying for Phil Johnson. First, that even at his age he might repent but also, Phil is dealing with a life threatening cancer. As much as we are put off by this terrible sermon we still have compassion. Indeed, it is because we have compassion on those who might take Phil seriously that we rebuke Johnson.
Phil Johnson (PJ) sermonizes,
You may be asking, what does any of this have to do with Bible prophecy in the end times? I’m glad you asked. The fallacy underlying almost all strains of Christian nationalism is a post-millennialism (PM) eschatology.
Bret resonds,
This really is the crux of the issue. Remember Phil, was John MacArthur’s right hand man for decades. John MacArthur was the man who said, from the pulpit, “We lose down here.”
So when PJ says the kind of things we have been seeing here it is consistent with his own errant eschatology. However, if nothing else, PJ’s sermon dramatically reveals the difference that eschatology makes in a persons thinking. Because PJ believes that “we lose down here” that means he finds abhorrent any theology that suggests Christians will be victorious, in and by Christ, down here.
PJ embraces an eschatology (the doctrine that teaches the ultimate teleology of the Christian life) that insists that the Kingdom of Christ is totally future and only comes in at the end of history after Christians and the Church have been soundly defeated by the forces of the Anti-Christ. In Premillennialism Christians and the Church are on their last legs ready to go down to utter defeat whereupon Jesus comes back to personally defeat his heretofore conquering enemies. He then sets up an earthly Kingdom with Him as the regent and rules for a thousand years. At that time we have the great white throne judgment and a new heavens and new earth.
So, because of his theology (particularly his premillennial eschatology) PJ cannot have any tuck with a theology (postmillennial eschatology) that teaches that Christ goes from victory unto victory continuing to establish His already present Kingdom by the means of Holy Spirit filled sanctified living of His saints and the faithfulness of His church preaching the Lordship of Jesus Christ over every area of life as they seek to take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ (I Cor. 10:3-5).
4 For the weapons of our warfare are not [a]carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,
The differences them between PJ’s dispensational premillennialism and postmillennialism are of such a nature it really makes for two very different expressions of Christianity. Further, these differences are worldview in nature. That is, the differences are of such a vast nature that those who hold to these opposing eschatologies end up being very different people.
As an aside, the Reformed Church for hundreds of years, embraced as its majority report postmillennialism. PM was the eschatology of the largest share of the Puritans. PM was the eschatology of the old Princeton crowd of the Hodges, Warfield, and Archibald Alexander and his son J. A. Alexander.
As an example of the optimism of Postmillennialism in contradiction to PJ’s pessimistic premillennial eschatology we offer a quote form Princeton’s J. A. Alexander from his commentary on Isaiah 2,
In commenting upon Isaiah 2:2-4, Alexander sets out the following points:
The prophet sees the church, at some distant period, exalted and conspicuous, and the nations resorting to it for instruction in the true religion, as a consequence of which he sees war cease and universal peace prevail….The prophecy begins with an abrupt prediction of the exaltation of the church, the confluence of nations to it, and a general pacification as the consequence….This confluence of nations is described more fully, and its motive stated in their own words, namely, a desire to be instructed in the true religion. He who appeared in the preceding verses as the lawgiver and teacher of the nations, is now represented as an arbiter or umpire, ending their disputes by a pacific intervention, as a necessary consequence of which war ceases, the very knowledge of the art is lost, and its implements applied to other uses….The event is suspended upon a previous condition, viz., the confluence of nations to the church, which has not yet taken place; a strong inducement to diffuse the gospel, which, in the mean time, is peaceful in its spirit, tendency, and actual effect, wherever and so far as it exerts its influence without obstruction
Jonathan Edwards also wrote a long treatise supporting Postmillennialism.
The Premillennialism of PJ’s persuasion came in like a flood following the Civil War and reached a crescendo with the rise of the theological movement called Dispensationalism.
So, because PJ, by way of conviction, hates postmillennialism he is driven to insist that PM is a fallacy. He does so in favor of his own fallacious thinking that embraces Dispensational premillennialism.
PJ sermonizes,
Postmillennialism is the view that it is the duty of the church to establish the kingdom of Christ on earth and then once the church has gained dominion, then Jesus will return to take the the throne. And I hope you can see immediately why Christian nationalism would appeal to someone with that view of the end times.
BLMc
First, we should note that with the coming of Christ the Kingdom of God was then established,
Col. 1:13 For he (God) has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
We could not be put into a Kingdom that had not yet been established. So, the first error of PJ is to think that Postmillennialists believe that the Kingdom of God is not established and they have to establish something that is not yet a reality. The Kingdom of God is present. Jesus even said, “The Kingdom is in our midst (Luke 17:21)”
Second, it is true though, that while the Kingdom is already present there is the necessity for Christians in their sphere and the institutional church in its sphere to be participants and advocates for an ever growing expression of the Kingdom of God until such a time when in God’s sovereignty the knowledge of the Lord covers the earth as the waters cover the sea (Habakkuk 2:14).
Third, Postmillennialism, contrary to PJ’s assertion, does not teach that the “church is going to gain dominion.” Postmillennialism does teach that the Christian faith is going to gain dominion. The Church will always only have a jurisdiction where, by the faithful handling of the keys of the Kingdom, opens and shuts the Kingdom, by means of Word and Sacrament. PJ’s language hints at the idea that PM’s believe that the institutional church is going to giving all the orders. Quite to the contrary, PM believes that Christians, in their particular callings, will exercise godly dominion to the end that all callings will Kiss the Son, lest they perish in the way. For example, Christian Magistrates, operating in their proper jurisdiction will craft and enforce laws that are consistent with God’s scriptural revelation. It won’t be the “Church” doing that. It will be Christians serving as magistrates. So, beware premillennial scare tactics that the Church is going to turn the globe into one giant ecclesiocracy.
PJ sermonizes,
But the chief problem with PM is that there is no suggestion anywhere in scripture that it is the duty of the church to establish political control in the world before Christ will return to reign and rule. Rather, Christ will establish his kingdom for himself.
BLMc
As we have seen Postmills don’t teach that it is the duty of the Church to establish political control in the world before Christ returns. No, we would say it is the duty of Spirit filled Christians to champion the Lordship of Jesus Christ over every area of life (including politics) to the end that the already present Kingdom leavens all like yeast working through the dough (Matthew 13 – Parable of the Leaven).
Secondly, we do believe that Christ will establish His Kingdom for Himself, as by His Spirit He works in and through the obedience of His people to the end that the Kingdoms of this world become the Kingdoms of our Lord and His Christ.
Thirdly, there is plenty of scripture that teach postmillennialism. We could look at the Parable of the Leaven in Matthew 13. We could look at the parable of the Mustard seed, also in Matthew 13. We could look at Isaiah 2 or Psalm 72. However, for the sake of space let’s just look at I Corinthians 15,
25 For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet. 26 The last enemy that will be destroyed is death
The “He” there is referring to Christ who is even now at the right hand of the Father interceding for His church. The text says that Jesus, the Christ is reigning right now and will continue to reign until all enemies are put under His feet.
We note here the relationship between I Cor. 15:25 and Psalm 110:1b,
“Sit at My right hand, until I make Thine enemies a footstool for Thy feet.”
The inspired Apostle substitutes the word “reign” for the language of Ps. 110 where we read, “Sit at my right hand.” Paul’s language gives the same meaning as in Ps. 110. In the reigning that Paul speaks of we are taught that Jesus is presently and actively putting down His enemies in space and time. This is what it means “to reign.”
This current, present and active reign of Jesus as King of Kings and Lord of Lords is continuous until the “last enemy” (death) is “swallowed up in victory.” So, Christ is actively reigning now and will continue to actively reign until that final enemy is defeated at his appearance (coming).
When we take this in conjunction with the parable of the Mustard Seed and the Parable of the Leaven we conclude that Scripture teaches that the reign of Jesus is not something that is restricted to a future time (as Johnson suggests) but is something that is and will continue to be current and ongoing and incrementally increasingly muscular until Jesus returns to defeat the final enemy (death). We learn thus that the millennial reign, in the terms of Psalm 110 and I Cor. 15, occurs between His resurrection and His appearance (Parousia) whereupon death is swallowed in life.
So, contra Johnson, there is plenty of evidence in Scripture (and we have only touched the tip of the tip of the iceberg) that Christians and the Church will advance so that the gates of Hell will not prevail in politics, economics, family life, law, education, etc.
Johnson is just in error and if it was only Johnson we would leave it alone but this teaching is poison as it works to the end of the kind of defeatism that walks into the pulpit before thousands of people and loudly says,
“We lose down here.”
Quite to the contrary, we are more than conquerors, as Scripture teaches.
Author: jetbrane
I am a Pastor of a small Church in Mid-Michigan who delights in my family, my congregation and my calling. I am postmillennial in my eschatology. Paedo-Calvinist Covenantal in my Christianity Reformed in my Soteriology Presuppositional in my apologetics Familialist in my family theology Agrarian in my regional community social order belief Christianity creates culture and so Christendom in my national social order belief Mythic-Poetic / Grammatical Historical in my Hermeneutic Pre-modern, Medieval, & Feudal before Enlightenment, modernity, & postmodern Reconstructionist / Theonomic in my Worldview One part paleo-conservative / one part micro Libertarian in my politics Systematic and Biblical theology need one another but Systematics has pride of place Some of my favorite authors, Augustine, Turretin, Calvin, Tolkien, Chesterton, Nock, Tozer, Dabney, Bavinck, Wodehouse, Rushdoony, Bahnsen, Schaeffer, C. Van Til, H. Van Til, G. H. Clark, C. Dawson, H. Berman, R. Nash, C. G. Singer, R. Kipling, G. North, J. Edwards, S. Foote, F. Hayek, O. Guiness, J. Witte, M. Rothbard, Clyde Wilson, Mencken, Lasch, Postman, Gatto, T. Boston, Thomas Brooks, Terry Brooks, C. Hodge, J. Calhoun, Llyod-Jones, T. Sowell, A. McClaren, M. Muggeridge, C. F. H. Henry, F. Swarz, M. Henry, G. Marten, P. Schaff, T. S. Elliott, K. Van Hoozer, K. Gentry, etc. My passion is to write in such a way that the Lord Christ might be pleased. It is my hope that people will be challenged to reconsider what are considered the givens of the current culture. Your biggest help to me dear reader will be to often remind me that God is Sovereign and that all that is, is because it pleases him. View all posts by jetbrane
Would it be a devoutly modest thing to say that “We shall either lose or conquer down here as God’s good will shall be – we cannot be certain – but we will seek to fulfil our God-given duties in any case”?
Some of our churches may have been predestined to the role of Smyrna and others to that of Philadelphia. But ruling out the possibility of success “out of principle” is silly pseudo-humility.
I think we should think that we are to operate knowing that over the course of time God is building His Kingdom that will eventually triumph. Now, we should not think that the fullness of the Kingdom will arrive necessarily in our lifetime and we should realize that it may be that God was pleased to ordain to us times wherein His Kingdom recedes visibly, but we must be confident no matter what our circumstances that God in Christ is building His Kingdom so that upon His Parousia (coming) He returns to a world that has been tamed for Him and His glory because of how the Spirit of Christ worked upon and through His people to the end of winning the world for Christ.
Thanks for the perceptive question!
One might make the case that this kind of “they are going to kick our asses down here” mentality actually resembles the sort of self-made humility and will-worship that Protestants have traditionally mocked when seeing it in self-torturing or theatrically self-abasing ascetic RC/EO “saints”? That is, thinking that brazenly putting ourselves and our potential down, in such ways that God never prescribed for us, is pleasing to Him.
“These things indeed have an appearance of wisdom in self-imposed religion, false humility, and neglect of the body, but are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh.” (Colossians 2:23)
And as C.S. Lewis commented:
http://www.samizdat.qc.ca/arts/lit/PDFs/ScrewtapeLetters_CSL.pdf
“The great thing is to make him value an opinion for some quality other than truth, thus introducing an element of dishonesty and make-believe into the heart of what otherwise threatens to become a virtue. By this method thousands of humans have been brought to think that humility means pretty women trying to believe they are ugly and clever men trying to believe they are fools. and since what they are trying to believe may, in some cases, be manifest nonsense, they cannot succeed in believing it and we have the chance of keeping their minds endlessly revolving on themselves in an effort to achieve the impossible.”
This is almost like a theological version of self-deprecating comedy act! And White believers trying to deny or snidely belittle their hereditary, God-given natural talents is also part of this phenomenon. FALSE HUMILITY is at work here as well.
By and with the Sovereign Lord, we win down here.
https://timesexaminer.com/?view=article&id=13931%3Aleibniz-and-calhoun-the-christian-march-of-progress-and-postmillennial-truth&catid=80
I know you’ve said before that Richard Sibbes was a postmillennialist, but I’d demur based on the following quotes from the eminent Anglican-Puritan minister:
“There was in Christ regnum patientiae, a kingdom of patience, as well as regnum potentiae, a kingdom of power and glory. … So, in every member of his, there is a kingdom of patience set up. … When he was subdued by death and Satan, was there a kingdom then? Yes, a kingdom. For though visibly he was overcome and nailed to the cross; yet invisibly, he triumphed over principalities and powers. … [Did] not Christ reign on the cross when he converted the thief? When the sun was astonished, and the earth shook and moved, and the light was eclipsed? … In patience he reigned and triumphed.” p. 27.
Richard Sibbes, ‘A Christian’s Portion’, Works, Vol. 4
“Why not before? Why not in this world? Beloved, we are not capable here of that fullness of glory. … God that gives us the earnest could make up the bargain here if we were capable of it. But we are not. God will have a difference between the militant and the triumphant church, and will train us up here to live the life of faith till we come to live the life of sight, the life of vision, forever in heaven. … We are here lame Mephibosheths. p. 286. Therefore, in the Lord’s Prayer, what say we? ‘Thy kingdom come; thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven.’ (Matt. 6:10). Can it be so in this world? No. But we must pray till we come to it.” p. 289.
Richard Sibbes, ‘The Excellency of the Gospel Above the Law’, Works, Vol. 4
Hello Ron,
I wonder if you could point out where I have previously said that Sibbes was postmil? I mean, I may have said that but I don’t remember every saying or writing that. I have said that, generally speaking the Puritans were postmil but I don’t remember saying Sibbes was.
English Puritans that held postmillennial views well before Whitby, as a number of important historical works have amply
demonstrated.93 We think of Thomas Goodwin (1600-1679), John Owen (1616-1683), William Gouge (1575-1653), John Cotton (1585-1652), Thomas Brooks (ca., 1662),James Renwick (d. 1688),John Howe (1678), William Perkins (1558-1602), and others.
I like these quotes from a Puritans and others on Postmil,
Plain it is, there is not a more stupifying, benumbing thing in all the world than mere despair. To look upon such a sad face and aspect of things through the world as we have before our eyes; to look upon despairingly and with apprehension that it never will, never can be better. … But hope is a kind of anticipated enjoyment and gives a present participation in the expected pleasantness of those days, how long soever they may yet be off from us. … Religion shall not be an inglorious thing in the world always.
John Howe, 1678, Sermons on The Prosperous State of the Christian Interest Before the End of Time
There will come a time when in this world holiness shall be more general, and more eminent, than ever it hath been since Adam fell in paradise.
Thomas Brooks, 1608-1680, The Crown and Glory of Christianity, Complete Works Vol 4
Though our persons fall, our cause shall be as truly, certainly, and infallibly victorious, as that Christ sits at the right hand of God. The gospel shall be victorious. This greatly comforts and refreshes me.
John Owen, 1616-1683, The Works of John Owen Volume 9
We also rejoice in hope. We have many and express assurances in the Scriptures, which cannot be broken, of the general, the universal spread and reign of Christianity, which are not yet accomplished. Nothing has yet taken place in the history of Divine grace, wide enough in extent, durable enough in continuance, powerful enough in energy, blessed enough in enjoyment, magnificent enough in glory, to do anything like justice to these predictions and promises. Better days, therefore, are before us, notwithstanding the forebodings of many.
William Jay, 1769-1855, Nonconformist leader, The Autobiography and Reminiscences of the Rev. William Jay.
Micah proclaims how all the world will be brought to God at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. This reunification has already begun, is taking place now, and will continue until the end of the world. … Jesus Christ has been designated the Lord, not simply of one corner of the world, but of all nations. … Since our Lord Jesus Christ’s kingdom has hardly begun, it is necessary for it to be implemented little by little, until it achieves its full perfection.
John Calvin, AD 1509-1564, Sermons on the Book of Micah
Commenting on Psalm 2 regarding the Lord laughing at the nations (v.4):
It is to be understood of that power which he giveth to His saints, that they seeing the things to come, namely, that the Name and rule of Christ is to pervade posterity and possess all nations. … ‘Ask of Me’ (v.7), may be referred to all this temporal dispensation, which has been instituted for mankind, namely, that the ‘nations’ should be joined to the Name of Christ, and so be redeemed from death, and possessed by God. ‘I shall give Thee the nations for Thine inheritance,’ which so possess them for their salvation, and bear unto Thee spiritual fruit.
Augustine,AD 354-430
It is right for you to realise, and to take as the sum of what we have already stated, and to marvel at exceedingly; namely, that since the Saviour has come among us, idolatry not only has no longer increased, but what there was is diminishing and gradually coming to an end: and not only does the wisdom of the Greeks no longer advance , but what there was is fading away. … And to sum the matter up: behold how the Saviour’s doctrine is everywhere increasing, while all idolatry and everything opposed to the faith of Christ is daily dwindling, and losing power, and falling. … For as, when the sun is come, darkness no longer prevails, but if any be still left anywhere it is driven away; so, now that the divine Appearing of the Word of God is come, the darkness of the idols prevails no more, and all parts of the world in every direction are illumined by His teaching.
Athanasius, AD 296-372, Incarnation
David was not a believer in the theory that the world will grow worse and worse, and that the dispensation will wind up with general darkness, and idolatry. Earth’s sun is to go down amid tenfold night if some of our prophetic brethren are to be believed. Not so do we expect, but we look for the day when the dwellers in all lands shall learn righteousness, shall trust in the Saviour, shall worship thee alone, O God, ‘and shall glorify thy name.’ The modern notion has greatly damped the zeal of the church for missions, and the sooner it is shown to be unscriptural the better for the cause fo God. It neither consorts with prophecy, honours God, nor inspires the church with ardour. Far hence be it driven.
C. H. Spurgeon, From an exposition of Psalm 86:9, ‘All nations whom thou hast made shall come and worship before thee, O Lord; and shall glorify they name’. The Treasury of David, 1874.
It was in the comments section of a previous post. I’d have to really dig through past comments sections and it’s really not that important. I understand you’re firmly entrenched in the post-mil position, but I think you (and the others you cite) misrepresent the amil position by categorizing it as “stupefying, benumbing, mere despair.” At bottom, the post-mil position seems mercenary to me.
I like this statement of faith from Romanian nationalist Corneliu Codreanu:
“Pain upon pain, suffering upon suffering, agony upon agony, wound upon wound in our bodies and in our souls, fall after fall: in this way shall we conquer. I see the true destiny of our people as lying, not in time, but in eternity. … Political achievements, culture, struggles, and national greatness are means, not ends in themselves. The ultimate goal is not life, but resurrection.”
Thanks Ron.
Here is a quote I like on the matter,
“Note that his (Christ’s) enemies become his footstool while he is seated at God’s right hand (where he appears after his ascension: Acts 2:33–35; 5:31; 7:56; Rom 8:34; Eph 1:20; Col 3:1; Heb 1:3, 13; 8:1; 10:12; 12:2; 1 Pet 3:22) — not after leaving that place and returning to earth at his Second Coming. Again, his victory will occur in contemporary history as Christ presently rules from heaven.”
Kenneth L. Gentry Jr.
Postmillennialism Made Easy