Dispy PreMil I: The Presuppositions

We all hold to certain presuppositions. Worldviews and interpretive structures are impossible without them. They are not things to be wary of but simply honest about. So, to that end, I begin this series by presenting you with the presuppositions I hold to that inform my position as a Dispensational Premillenarian.

Presupposition 1: A literal interpretation of Scripture is to be preferred unless the context demands otherwise.

Many squirm at the notion of a “literal” interpretation of Scripture. Many outright disregard it. All I mean by it is that the face value reading of the text, given its immediate historical and cultural context, is the most dependable and trustworthy.

The Bible will make the most sense when you read and study it as you would a newspaper: it means what it says and it says what it means.

Two quick points: first, the Bible is capable of telling you when it is being figurative or allegorical. It regularly uses phrases such as, “It was like,” or “I saw a sign,” or “I will teach you the meaning of the parable.” The Bible knows how to indicate to its readers when it is communicating something as a metaphor and therefore we should never assume it is being metaphorical without those indications.

Secondly, as always, context is key. When Christ called Herod a fox in Luke 13:32, He obviously did not mean that Herod literally was a fuzzy, orange forest creature. When He called Himself the door in John 10:9, He was again speaking in obvious metaphor. An over-emphasis on the word “literal” is something nobody means when they say they read the Bible literally. Context always matters and we should not ever assume the Bible is being metaphorical without clear and obvious reason for doing so.

Presupposition 2: A straightforward understanding of the Abrahamic covenant.

Given our presupposition about a literal consideration of the text being preferable, let’s review the central tenets of God’s covenant with Abraham:

1. God would make him a great nation:

And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. - Genesis 12:2

I will make your offspring as the dust of the earth, so that if one can count the dust of the earth, your offspring also can be counted. - Genesis 13:16

And He brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then He said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” - Genesis 15:5

2. Salvation would come through Abraham’s offspring:

…in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed. - Genesis 12:3

Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, “And to offsprings,” referring to many, but referring to one, “And to your offspring,” who is Christ. - Galatians 3:16

3. The land itself would be an eternal possession:

The Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him, “Lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward, for all the land that you see I will give to you and to your offspring forever. - Genesis 13:14-15

And I will give to you and to your offspring after you the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession, and I will be their God. - Genesis 17:8

Presupposition 3: The character of God in relationship to His people.

For all the people of God throughout history, both Old Testament and New, a proper relationship with their creator has been dependent not on their own efforts or performance, but upon God’s performance on their behalf.

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. - Ephesians 2:8-9

For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the Lord set His love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but it is because the Lord loves you and is keeping the oath that He swore to your fathers, that the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. - Deuteronomy 7:6-8

The relationship of God to His people rests upon the grace of God alone and not upon the quality or intention of any human work. This is not to say that there are no consequences for sinful behavior. Of course there are (Galatians 6:7-8). But those consequences do not negate God’s commitment to His people because His commitment does not change based on their performance. This is the essence of grace.

By way of an analogy once passed on to me, imagine that a Christian man decides in a moment of sinful despair to throw himself off the top of a very high building. He may realize the error of his decision on the way down and ask God for forgiveness, which will surely be granted to him. But that forgiveness does not negate the fact that the man’s life will end in a few brief moments.

There are consequences to our actions. But those consequences do not negate the commitment of God or His performance on our behalf. This is as true for the nation of Israel as it is for the Gentile believer saved under the New Covenant because the character of God does not change:

For when God made a promise to Abraham, since He had no one greater by whom to swear, He swore by Himself, saying, “Surely I will bless you and multiply you.” And thus Abraham, having patiently waited, obtained the promise. For people swear by something greater than themselves, and in all their disputes an oath is final for confirmation. So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of His purpose, He guaranteed it with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us. - Hebrews 6:13-18

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. - James 1:17

God keeps His promises and has sworn them according to His own name. To break or change them would be a violation of His own holy character. The straight-forward reading of Scripture leads to only this conclusion.

Thus, if you agree with me on these three presuppositions, namely, that the Bible means what it says and is fully capable of indicating when it is being metaphorical, that God made specific promises to Abraham which He intends to keep and that the keeping of those promises does not rest on the performance or holiness of sinful people, a Dispensational Premillennial conclusion in regards to eschatology is the one you will reach.

I will continue to expand on why in future posts.