Back in 2007, John MacArthur spoke at his Shepherd Conference, and one of his lectures was, “Why Every Self-Respecting Calvinist Has to be a Pre-millennialist.” In this lecture, he said, “Now frankly it’s too late for John Calvin to fix his work, although he is now a premillennialist in heaven.” Talking about slandering Calvin. Calvin must have been rolling in his grave while he was speaking!
So here’s a comparison between MacArthur’s Swiss-cheese dispensationalism—full of ridiculous holes and errors—and amillennialism. So ridiculous you have to have the most complex Biblical hocus-pocus ever to understand what MacArthur is saying. Compare with the simple amillennial timeline.
Summarized from “Dispensationalism” by Dr. Ligon Duncan
| Dispensational Premillennialism | Amillennialism |
| May be Arminian or modified Calvinist. Almost never 5-point Calvinist. | Always Calvinist. Usually 5 point. |
| Stresses ‘literal’ interpretation of the Bible. | Accepts both literal and figurative interpretation of the Bible. |
| Usually does not accept the idea of the ‘Analogy of Faith.’ | Almost always accepts the idea of the ‘Analogy of Faith.’ |
| ‘Israel’ always means only the literal, physical descendants of Jacob. | ‘Israel’ may mean either literal, physical descendants of Jacob or the figurative, spiritual Israel, depending on context. |
| Israel of God’ in Gal. 6:16 means physical Israel alone. | ‘Israel of God’ in Gal. 6:16 means spiritual Israel, parallel to Gal. 3:29, Rom. 2:28-29, 9:6, Phil. 3:3. |
| God has 2 peoples with 2 separate destinies: Israel (earthly) and the Church (heavenly). | God has always had only 1 people, the Church gradually developed. |
| The Church was born at Pentecost. | The Church began in the OT (Acts 7:38) and reached fulfillment in the NT |
| The Church was not prophesied as such in the OT but was a hidden mystery until the NT | There are many OT prophecies of the NT Church. |
| All OT prophecies for’ Israel, are for literal Israel, not the Church. | Some OT prophecies are for literal Israel, others are for spiritual Israel. |
| God’s main purpose in history is literal Israel. | God’s main purpose in history is Christ and secondarily the Church. |
| The Church is a parenthesis in God’s program for the ages. | The Church is the culmination of God’s saving purpose for the ages. |
| The main heir to Abraham’s covenant was Isaac and literal Israel. | The main heir to Abraham’s covenant was Christ and spiritual Israel. |
| No eternal Covenant of Redemption within the Trinity. | The eternal Covenant of Redemption was within the Trinity to effect election. |
| No Covenant of Grace concerning Adam. | God made a conditional Covenant of Works with Adam as representative for all his posterity. |
| No Covenant of Works with Adam in the Garden of Eden. | God made a Covenant of Grace with Christ and His people, including Adam |
| Israel was rash to accept the Covenant at Mt. Sinai. | Israel was right to accept the Covenant at Mt. Sinai. |
| The ‘New Covenant’ of Jer. 31:31-34 is only for literal Israel and is not the New Covenant of Lk. 22:20. | The ‘New Covenant’ of Jer. 31 is the same as in Lk. 22; both are for spiritual Israel according to Heb. 8. |
| God’s program in history is mainly through separate dispensations. | God’s program in history is mainly through related covenants. |
| Some have said that OT sinners were saved by works. | No man has ever been saved by works, but only by grace. |
| Most teach that men in the OT were saved by faith in a revelation peculiar to their Dispensation, but this did not include faith in the Messiah as their sin-bearer. | All men who have ever been saved have been saved by faith in Christ as their sin-bearer, which has been progressively revealed in every age. |
| The OT sacrifices were not recognized as the Gospel or types of the Messiah as sin-bearer, but only seen as such in retrospect. | OT believers believed in the Gospel of Messiah as sin-bearer mainly by the sacrifices as types and prophecies. |
| The Holy Spirit indwells only believers in the Dispensation of Grace, not OT and not after the Rapture. | The Holy Spirit has indwelt believers in all ages, especially in the present NT era, and will not be withdrawn. |
| Jesus made an offer of the literal Kingdom to Israel; since Israel rejected it, it is postponed. | Jesus made only an offer of the spiritual Kingdom, which was rejected by literal Israel but has gradually been accepted by spiritual Israel. |
| OT believers were not ‘in Christ,’ nor part of the Body or Bride of Christ. | Believers in all ages are all ‘in Christ’ and part of the Body and Bride of Christ. |
| The Law has been abolished. | The Law has 3 uses: to restrain sin in society, to lead to Christ, and to instruct Christians in godliness. The ceremonial laws have been abolished; the civil laws have been abolished except for their general equity; the moral laws continue. |
| OT laws are no longer in effect unless repeated in the NT | OT laws are still in effect unless abrogated in the NT |
| The Millennium is the Kingdom of God. Dispensationalists are always Premillennial and usually Pre-Tribulational. | The Church is the Kingdom of God. Covenanters are usually Amillennial , sometimes Premillennial or Postmillennial, rarely Pre-Tribulational. |
| The OT animal sacrifices will be restored in the Millennium. | The OT sacrifices were fulfilled and forever abolished in Christ. |
| The Millennium will fulfill the Covenant to Abraham. Israel has a future. | Christ fulfilled the Covenant to Abraham. Some Covenanters believe in a future for literal Israel, most don’t. |
| David will sit on the Millennial throne in Jerusalem. | Christ alone sits on the throne. Saints rule under Him. |
