dispensationalism...

can anyone give me the jest behind why, and when, people decided to start interpreting the old testament "literally" instead of "through the lens of the new testament"?

I think i basically understand the main views of both points, but i dont understand how people get to dispensationalism (other than it just being what they've been taught), simply because my understanding is that its a relatively new view...

wikipedia wrote:

Dispensationalism is a Christian theological view of history and Biblical interpretation that became popular during the 1800s and early 1900s and is held today by many conservative Protestants. It supplies an interpretive grid for understanding the flow of the Bible as a whole, and it is frequently contrasted with opposing views such as Covenant Theology, where the fundamental difference is the relationship between the nations of Israel and Judah on the one hand and the Christian church on the other

any help?

rogermugs wrote:

can anyone give me the jest behind why, and when, people decided to start interpreting the old testament "literally" instead of "through the lens of the new testament"?

Unless I'm getting my terms mixed up (which happens way too much). I take the Bible as the whole word of God what was literally promised in old testament is the same word of God as the new testament. That means the promises and covenants that God made with Abraham, Jacob, Moses and David will be fulfilled literally. That is Israel will be restored to the point that God has promised. A for instance example of what I mean: God laid out the borders of Israel that have yet to be realized and the current borders are a shadow of what they should be. I expect God will restore Israel's fortunes and borders to what he had promised.

While we can use the New Testament to help guide us with the Old Testament, for instance the book of Revelation further fleshes out the final 7 year period, i.e., tribulation, that God mentioned which will be used to cleanse and purge Israel. So in other words what was first mentioned in Daniel was further defined in the book of Revelation. its by no means meaning that all of the covenants are now going to be redirected to the Church. We are currently in the Church age, once the rapture occurs, God will refocus his attention on Israel as promised in the book of Daniel and further fleshed out in the book of Revelation. Jesus will then return, setup his millennial kingdom

I'm don't embrace dispensationalism because I was just taught it, but rather I believe that the entire Bible is God breathed 2 Timothy 3:16 so we don't need to refocus the promises of the old testament in light of the new testament.

Does that make sense?

(to all)

Can someone give me a clear teaching from scripture on a pre-trib rapture? Where do you find it?

(to rogermugs)

Did anyone ever tell you that you look like the pastor from the Simpsons?