Sometimes
the value of a good book is found in one sentence, one paragraph, one chapter, or in
the case of Dr. Barry Horner’s Future Israel, in a nine page personal introduction.
The testimony of Dr. Horner will no doubt resonate with many
Text-driven Christians. It will also challenge some of you as you desire to understand what the sacred Scriptures teach concerning the "end times." But before I
share Horner’s eschatological journey allow me to quickly highlight mine.
I was
a student at The Master’s College when I came to fully embrace and to appreciate the "doctrines of grace" for myself. Through the expository preaching ministry of
John MacArthur and other gifted teachers at my home church (Grace Community) I
began to appreciate more deeply the ministry of the Reformers and the Puritans. During this same time I began to question if
my convictions concerning eschatology needed to be refined. After all, so many of my favorite theologians
were Presbyterian and Reformed. I
remember reading Gerstner’s, Wrongly
Dividing the Word of Truth as well as Mathison’s Dispensationalism: Rightly Dividing the People of God? From a theological perspective the
argumentation in these books was convincing.
At the same time however many of the Text-driven (exegetical) conclusions
were lacking.
Sometimes
the value of a good book is found in one sentence, one paragraph, one chapter, or in
the case of Dr. Barry Horner’s Future Israel, in a nine page personal introduction.
The testimony of Dr. Horner will no doubt resonate with many
Text-driven Christians. It will also challenge some of you as you desire to understand what the sacred Scriptures teach concerning the "end times." But before I
share Horner’s eschatological journey allow me to quickly highlight mine.
I was
a student at The Master’s College when I came to fully embrace and to appreciate the "doctrines of grace" for myself. Through the expository preaching ministry of
John MacArthur and other gifted teachers at my home church (Grace Community) I
began to appreciate more deeply the ministry of the Reformers and the Puritans. During this same time I began to question if
my convictions concerning eschatology needed to be refined. After all, so many of my favorite theologians
were Presbyterian and Reformed. I
remember reading Gerstner’s, Wrongly
Dividing the Word of Truth as well as Mathison’s Dispensationalism: Rightly Dividing the People of God? From a theological perspective the
argumentation in these books was convincing.
At the same time however many of the Text-driven (exegetical) conclusions
were lacking.
I
decided to go back to the Scriptures in order to determine whether my end times
positions needed to be modified or overhauled.
As I made my way through the Old Testament Minor Prophets I found
Charles Feinberg and Jim Boice’s commentaries to be faithful to the Text and to the
point. Both scholars embraced premillennialism.
By the time I went verse by verse
through Romans 9-11 I was thoroughly convinced that the Word of God not only
supports the doctrines of grace they also promote biblical premillennialism. In view of this I was not surprised when John
MacArthur titled his plenary address at Shepherds Conference, Why Every Calvinist Should Be a Premillennialist. Well enough about me. Let’s give the floor now to Dr. Horner.
