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Some Comments on Prophetic Scriptures Yet to Be Fulfilled by Bill Hamon and Acts 3 verses 19 to 21, Part 3
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We continue this discussion of postmillennialism in the paper titled "Some Comments on Prophetic Scriptures Yet To Be Fulfilled by Bill Hamon and Acts 3:19-21 with Mal. 4:5, 6; Matt. 17:11; Rev. 10:7; and 11:15" here in Part 3.
I'll quote part of what Wayne Grudem says on postmillennialism ("Systematic Theology" [Zondervan, 1994], pages 1110, 1111). "According to this view, the progress of the gospel and the growth of the church will gradually increase, so that a larger and larger proportion of the world's population will be Christians. As a result, there will be significant Christian influences on society, society will more and more function according to God's standards, and gradually a 'millennial age' of peace and righteousness will occur on the earth. This millennium will last for a long period of time (not necessarily a literal, one thousand years), and finally, at the end of this period, Christ will return to earth, believers and unbelievers will be raised, the final judgment will occur, and there will be a new heaven and new earth. We will then enter the eternal state.
The primary characteristic of postmillennialism is that it is very optimistic about the power of the gospel to change lives and bring about much good in the world. Belief in postmillennialism tends to increase in times when the church is experiencing great revival, when there is an absence of war and international conflict, and when it appears that great progress is being made in overcoming the evil and suffering in the world. ...." That viewpoint suffered a great setback after World Wars I and II.
The post-millennial view of David Brown and his interpretation of Acts 3:21 and of Mark 13; Matthew 24:
(I would have referred to his discussion of Matthew chapter 24, but he chose to discuss Mark chapter 13 in this commentary. The two chapters have very much in common. I'll mention the name of the commentary, etc. as we continue.) If David Brown (and all those who hold the postmillennial viewpoint) didn't interpret large parts of Matthew chapter 24 as being fulfilled when the Romans destroyed Jerusalem in AD 70, it would obviously contradict the idea that the Christian church will take over to a very significant extent before the Lord returns.
I'll quote the key relevant sentence from David Brown's commentary on the book of Acts, in the third volume of the three volume set, "A Commentary on the Old and New Testament," by R. Jamieson, A. R. Fausett, and David Brown (1802-1880) [Eerdmans, 1984 reprint]. First I'll quote a few sentences from pages h and i from the Foreword in Volume 1. "His [David Brown's] first book was probably his most famous, at least it caused the most discussion, 'Christ's Second Coming: Will it be Premillennial?' ... It was written distinctly from a postmillennial standpoint, and was, without a doubt, the most scholarly work written on this subject from this viewpoint the English world had seen up to that time."
Now I'll quote the key relevant sentence where Brown is discussing the meaning of the words, "whom [the] heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things" of Acts 3:21: "This far-reaching expression is probably meant to comprehend the rectification of all the disorders of the fall, and the interval 'until' that consummation embraces (as Bengel remarks) the whole period between the Ascension of Christ and His Second Coming in glory (page 20)." Hamon would agree with most of that sentence, if not all of it.
Matthew chapter 24 and Mark chapter 13 don't fit the postmillennial view if you interpret these chapters in a literal futuristic sense (which I'm quite sure Jesus intended). I'll give a few examples of how Brown interpreted this super-important teaching that was given by the Lord Jesus Christ the last week of His life before the cross, as He sat on the Mount of Olives. (Matthew chapter 24 is discussed verse-by-verse in a paper on my internet site.)
I'll quote part of what Brown regards as the primary meaning of the coming of the Son of Man with the clouds of heaven, and with great power and glory, and with the trumpet of God, and with His angels, to gather the elect who will be raptured from the earth at that time, which is pictured in Matt. 24:30, 31; Mark 13:26, 27. "...He seems to us, by 'the Son of Man...coming in the clouds with great power and glory,' to mean, that when judicial vengeance shall once have been executed upon Jerusalem [in AD 70, from Brown's point of view], and the ground thus cleared for the unobstructed establishment of His own kingdom, His true regal claims and rights would be visibly and gloriously asserted and manifested. ...."
And I'll quote part of what Brown says about the primary interpretation of the gathering of the elect of Mark 13:27; Matt. 24:31 (which speaks of the angels gathering them to Christ, when He comes with the clouds, with the trumpet, etc.): "... Lightfoot [another well-respected commentator] thus explains it: 'When Jerusalem shall be reduced to ashes [by the Romans in AD 70], and that wicked nation cut off and rejected, then shall the Son of man send His ministers with the trumpet of the Gospel, and they shall gather His elect of the several nations, from the four corners of heaven: so that God shall not want a Church, although that ancient people of His be rejected and cast off [that viewpoint lends itself to anti-Semitism]; but that ancient Jewish Church being destroyed, a new Church shall be called out of the Gentiles,' But though something like this appears to be the primary sense of the verse, in relation to the destruction of Jerusalem, no one can fail to see that the language swells beyond any gathering of the human family into a Church upon earth, and forces the thoughts onward to that gathering 'at the last trump,' to meet the Lord in the air, which is to wind up the present scene. Still, this is not, in our judgment, the direct subject of the prediction; for the next verse limits the whole prediction to the generation then existing" (page 195). I believe these are good examples of poor exegesis/interpretation, for whatever reason.
It has often been pointed out that those holding a postmillennial viewpoint (and the amillennial viewpoint) often interpret the Bible in figurative (non-literal) ways when the literal interpretation makes the best sense. Although the Bible includes quite a bit of figurative language, that language is typically obvious, and it is often explained by other passages in the Bible. We must make it a top priority item to seek God for His interpretation of every passage. The Bible wasn't given for us to be creative and come up with our (or some demon's) interpretation (cf. 2 Pet. 1:20; 1 Tim. 4:1). For one thing, we ministers are going to have to answer to God for what we teach. All Christians are going to have to answer to God for what we believe, not to mention for how we live.
Something is certainly wrong when most Christians, and especially ministers, are so sure that what they (and their segment of the body of Christ) happen to believe is true. All of us need to humble ourselves before God and be open to be corrected by Him. It is very much better to be corrected now than when we stand before Him.
Let's Go on to a Verse-by-Verse Study of Acts 3:19-21:
The interpretation given here is the dominant interpretation found in the evangelical commentaries. As I mentioned, I always use the NASB, 1995 edition, unless otherwise noted.
"Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away [cf. Isa. 43:25; 44:22, 23], in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord [The "Lord" here refers to God the Father (note that God the Father sends the Lord Jesus in the next verse), as it does several places in Luke and Acts, which was written by Luke (cf., e.g., Acts 2:39; 4:24, 26, 29 and Luke 1:16, 32, 46, 66; 2:15; 4:12; 10:27; and 20:37).] [[The apostle Peter was speaking to the people of Israel, not long after the crucifixion of the Lamb of God and His resurrection, ascension, and His having poured forth the promised gift of the Holy Spirit, starting on the Day of Pentecost. These words were aimed at the people of Israel as a nation; it would be years before the Christian church realized that God had opened the door of new-covenant salvation to Gentiles (to Gentiles who did not first have to become Jews through being circumcised, etc., etc.).
A large number of prophecies in the Old Testament mentioned that Israel must repent before the nation will experience new-covenant salvation in the Messiah and the outpoured Spirit. (Many of these prophecies didn't specifically mention the new-covenant, or the Messiah, or the outpoured Spirit, but many of them mentioned one, or more, of these things.) Many such prophecies showed that the end-time remnant of the nation Israel (the remnant that will be left after God intensely judges them at the end of this age) will inherit that salvation.
My eschatological papers on the books of Isaiah and Jeremiah (that are available on my internet site) contain some important examples. I'll list several examples (the passages I list here are all discussed in the papers; and there are many more such passages in the Old Testament): Isaiah chapter 2; chapter 27 (the sub-headings in the chapter of my paper on Isaiah that discusses Isaiah chapter 27 verse-by-verse are very important passages on this topic: "Isaiah 10:20-23 and Romans 9:27-29" and "Isaiah 59:19-21 and Romans 11:25-27"); Isaiah chapter 29; Jer. 3:14-19; 23:3-8; chapters 30, 31; 32:36-44; and chapter 33. Also see, for example, Joel 2:30-32; Zechariah chapters 12-14; Matthew 23:39; Revelation 11:13 (these passages [with the exception of Matt. 23:39, which is easy to interpret] are all discussed in my book, "The Mid-Week Rapture"). It is significant that most of the judgment and salvation that is prophesied in the passages I have listed here, starting with Isaiah chapter 2 (and many more passages could be listed), will take place AFTER the Lord Jesus returns. However (as we'll discuss later in this paper), Israel will be judged and reduced to a repentant remnant BEFORE the Lord Jesus returns.
The "times of refreshing" of Acts 3:19 speak of the obvious blessings that will come to Israel when they repent and are saved with new-covenant salvation, at the end of this age. Back in Peter's day, they didn't realize that this present age would last some two thousand years. There were some reasons for thinking that He would return in their lifetime. I agree with the most common viewpoint that the "times of refreshing" spoken of here will start AFTER the Lord Jesus returns and that they are included in the "restoration of all things" of verse 21. Several commentators who agree that the "times of restoration of all things..." will take place AFTER the Lord Jesus returns believe the "times of refreshing" will precede the "times of restoration of all things...." That's a rather minor point for the purposes of this paper, but I am quite confident that the times of refreshing are part of the restoration of all things of Acts 3:21.]] (20) and that He [God the Father] may send Jesus, the Christ appointed for you [[It was clear, in that context, that the apostle Peter was speaking of the second coming of the Lord Jesus. As I have discussed in some detail in my eschatological writings, I believe the Lord Jesus will return at the time of the sounding of the seventh, and LAST, trumpet of the book of Revelation (Rev. 11:15), which will sound right in the middle of Daniel's 70th week. (Significantly, that is the same trumpet mentioned in Matt. 24:31; 1 Cor. 15:52 [where the apostle Paul spoke of "the LAST trumpet"]; and 1 Thess. 4:16.) The resurrection of the saints who have died before that time (including the saints of the Old Testament), the glorification, and the rapture will take place at that time. (For a start see my book, "The Mid-Week Rapture: A Verse-by-Verse Study of Key Prophetic Passages" and my paper, "Twenty-Four Articles on the Mid-Week Rapture," which serves as a good introduction for the book. The twenty-four articles are available individually on this Christian article site. I have been teaching the mid-week rapture since about 1970.]] whom heaven must receive until the period [a plural form of the Greek noun chronos; I prefer the translation "times" of the KJV; NKJV] of restoration [The NKJV has "restoration
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