Dispensationalist Literal System of Bible Interpretation - 5:07 PM, 4/23/2011

Dispensationalist Literal System of Bible Interpretation
Bernard Pyron

On http://www.monergism.com/directory/l...ensationalism/

they say:

"Dispensationalism is a system of biblical interpretation formalized in the nineteenth century by John Nelson Darby and later popularized by the publishing of the study Bible of C. I. Scofield and the establishment of Dallas Theological Seminary by Lewis Sperry Chafer. It is the foundation of what is known in eschatological studies as "pre-tribulational premillenialism" and involves the division of history into (usually) seven distinct periods of time known as "dispensations". Twentieth century writers such as John Walvoord, Dwight Pentecost, and Charles Ryrie brought the doctrines of Dispensationalism into mainstream scholarship, which are often summarized by Ryrie's famous "sine qua non", i.e., his statement of the three primary tenets of the system. These are:
1) a clear distinction between Israel and the Church,
2) literal interpretation of Scripture, and
3) the glory of God as the primary goal of history."

Remnant Christians agree with the third statement above that the glory of God is the
primary goal of history. The world does not recognize this however.

The Calvinist or Covenant theologian who wrote the above statement summarizing dispensationalism goes on to say that "We believe there is one people of God, rooted in the Abrahamic Covenant, united in Christ, and consisting of both Jew and Gentile alike."

Christians who belong to the Remnant would agree that there is only one people of God, untied in Christ, and consisting of both Jew and Gentile. We find statements in several New Testament books supporting the idea that ethnic Israel was transformed into Israel reborn in Christ, though only a small remnant of ethnic Israel was so transformed by being born again in Jesus.

Remnant Christians, however, do not follow all the doctrines of Calvinism. Remnant Christians follow an end time view very similar to Historic Premillennialism, or post-tribulational premillennialism, which says that the second coming of Jesus Christ will occur prior to a thousand-year reign of the saints, but after the great apostasy and the tribulation. We do not believe God deals differently with the "church" and physical Israel, as does dispensationalist premillennialism, which has made up the doctrine of the pre-tribulation rapture. Dispensationalists apparently do not believe in Israel reborn in Jesus Christ; they believe in the "church."

On http://www.realapologetics.org/blog/...lism/#_ftnref3

they quote C. I. Scofield, the first classical American dispensationalist.

C.I. Scofield says "Israel is earthly, the church heavenly. One is natural the other spiritual. What pertains to Israel is to be interpreted in literalistic fashion. But what pertains to the church need not be so interpreted.[4]"

"[Prophecy is] the ground of absolute literalness.[5]

Jerusalem is always Jerusalem, Israel always Israel, Zion always Zion…Prophecies may never be spiritualized, but are always literal.[6]"

If the dispensationalists always follow their literal
system of interpretation, then when God says in II
Kings 21: 13 that he will turn Jerusalem upside down, for them wouldn't turning that literal city upside down mean somehow ripping it off the ground, and raising it up so that streets and buildings would show upside down at its bottom in the sky.

Again, in Ezekiel 37: 1-12 when the Lord showed Ezekiel many dry bones down in the valley, told Ezekiel to prophesy on the dry bones, and the bones became alive like a great army, this must - for the dispensationalists - mean a miracle in which the bones of people long dead are suddenly brought to life. But, as is often the case in Bible prophecy, this description is metaphoric and not literal. The dry bones in a low place signify spiritual death of the children of Israel. When they are brought back to life and stand upon their feet like a great army, this means physical Israel, long spiritually dead, is given an opportunity to be brought back to life in Jesus Christ. They were to be transformed by being reborn in Christ.

Ezekiel 37: 11 does suggest the dry bones are metaphoric. The verse says "...Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel: behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off for our parts." The dry bones in a low place metaphorically represent the spiritual condition of the whole house of physical Israel.

In 1936, Lewis S. Chafer, a classical dispensationalist, defined Scofield's literalism as "The outstanding characteristic of the dispensationalist is ... that he believes every statement of the Bible and gives to it the plain, natural meaning its words imply."

From: L. S. Chafer, ‘Dispensationalism,’ Bibliotheca Sacra, 93, October (1936), pp410, 417.

Charles C. Ryrie, a classical dispensationalist theologian, says "This distinction between Israel and the church is born out of a system of hermeneutics that is usually called literal interpretation. Therefore, the second aspect of the sine qua non of dispensationalism is the matter of historical-grammatical hermeneutics. The word literal is perhaps not as good as either the word normal or plain, but in any case it is interpretation that does not spiritualize or allegorize as nondispensational interpretation often does. The spiritualizing may be practiced to a lesser or greater degree, but its presence in a system of interpretation is indicative of a nondispensational approach."

Ryrie goes on to say that "To be sure, literal/historical/grammatical interpretation is not the sole possession or practice of dispensationalists, but the consistent use of it in all areas of biblical interpretation is."

From: Dispensationalism. Charles C. Ryrie. Moody Press, Chicago. 1995.

Stephen H. Tyng, Jr., host of the first International Prophetic Conference in 1878, said Common sense proved that "a literal rendering is always to be given in the reading of Scripture, unless the context makes it absurd."

But how do you determine if a dispensationalist interpretation of a prophecy is absurd?

Hal Lindsey makes use of the dispensationalist literalist
interpretation of prophecy in suggesting in his New World Coming (1973), that the locusts of Revelation 9: 3, etc might be an advanced kind of helicopter.

See page 8 and page 141 for a reference to Cobra helicopters.

One problem is that popular dispensationalists contradict one another in their literalist interpretations of the Book of Revelation. For example, in their interpretation of Revelation 9:13-19, Tim Tim LaHaye and Hal Lindsey contradict one another.

Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins say the 200 million army of Revelation 9: 16 are a supernatural horde of 200 million demonic horsemen while for Hal Lindsey and Schuyler English they are literal Chinese soldiers.

Tim LaHaye & Jerry B. Jenkins, Are We Living in the End Times?, (Wheaton, Tyndale House, 1999), pp190-192.

From Hal Lindsey and Tim LaHaye's writings, it seems that in practice dispensationalist literalism is not necessarily any more consistent or free of bias than any other system of Bible interpretation. And it may lead to a failure in understanding of Bible prophecy. What if the main purpose of the tribulation was to send a fire upon the church (Zechariah 13: 8-9), and hail (Isaiah 28: 15-18) to purge it and bring out some who arrive at the truth, and to judge the church (I Peter 4: 17, Hebrews 10: 30)? Their entire system, including literal interpretation and the pre-tribulation rapture, can cause them to miss the beginning of the tribulation and not to know its main purpose is to deal with the falling away of II Thessalonians 2: 3. Some followers of dispensationalism may come to think that the tribulation has started and they have not been raptured, and may then question the pre-trib rapture. But they are likely to stick to their belief in Jewish supremacy.

How would a dispensationalist using the literal method of interpretation deal with the bottomless pit of Revelation 9: 1-3, and 9: 5-9? There the text says "And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit.
2. And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit.
3. And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power...

And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man.
6. And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them.
7. And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle; and on their heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were as the faces of men.
8. And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions.
9. And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle."

Is the bottomless pit a hole in the ground on the earth? On Land, or under the sea? Or is it in outer space? Wherever it is, for dispensationalists true to their consistent literal method of interpretration, literal things are to come flying out of the pit when it is opened. Did the BP Gulf of Mexico oil blow out disaster point to the opening of the bottomless pit? Most dispensationalists probably would not think so.

Some dispensationalists might say the pit is on the earth and on land. Others might say its under the sea. Or, it might be in outer space. What comes flying out might be literal locusts, or might be modern helicopters, or demons that people can see. What arises when the pit is opened are demons, but its not likely we will be able to see them. What is being described are demons,and human enemies inspired by demons, not literal helicopters or other modern instruments of war.