2 of 2

The older idea that the church was a parenthetical break between God's Jewish work in the Old Testament and God's Jewish work in the future is being replaced by the assertion that the church, although different, has much in common with Israel. Writes Saucy, "The emphasis in Scripture is thus on that which unifies rather than separates Israel and the Church."

Both books recognize that the pretribulation rapture of the church is distinctive of dispensationalism, but neither makes an issue of it. In fact, Blaising and Bock do not even mention it when it would seem natural to do so, and at one point only say the Rapture "would appear to be pretribulational.

All of this will be warmly received by nondispensationalists, but one wonders how more traditional dispensationalists will react. The newer dispensationalism looks so much like nondispensationalist premillennialism that one struggles to see any real difference.

One also wonders, in the light of dispensationalism's acknowledged threestage development from classical to revised to progressive, if there will be a stage four and what it will look like. Will progressive dispensationalism simply turn into historic premillennialism? That is hard to say. Still, progressive dispensationalism itself is evidence that a pilgrimage is taking place.

Copyright 1994 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

first page |  2 of 2

share this page

September 12 1994, Vol. 38, No. 10