Rapture Fever

Pessimism Produces Paralysis 65
the Holy Spirit, to shape the thoughts and actions of Christians,
that he believes that Jesws must return bodily and personally isswe
millions of orders per day, telling everyone exactly what to do, case by
case, crisis by crisis. (And Jethro thought the line in fkont of
Moses’ tent was too long! See Exodus 18.) If this is not what
dispensationalists expect, then they should spell out in detail
exactly how Jesus will rule during the future millennium. They
have so far refused to do this for over 160 years.
- Thus, premillennialist deny the progressive maturation of
Christians and Christianity in history. The millennium ruled by
Christ, Hunt says, will be a world in which “Justice will be
meted out swiftly.”4 Jesus will treat men as fathers treat fiveyear-old
children: instant punishment, no time for reflection
and repentance. Christians today are given time to think
through their actions, to reflect upon their past sins, and to
make restitution before God judges them. Today, they are
treated by God as responsible adults. Not in the millennium!
The Church will go from maturity to immuturit~ when Christ returns in
power. And even with the testimony of the perfect visible rule of
Jesus on earth for a thousand years, Satan will still thwart
Christ and Christ’s Church, for at Satan’s release, he will deceive
almost the whole world, leading them to rebel against
“Christ and all the saints in Jerusalem.”5
The Failure of the Gospel in History?
In short, the plan of God points only to the defeat of His
Church in history, according to dispensationalism. Satan got the
upper hand in Eden, and only the raw power of God in final
judgment at the end of history can wipe out the kingdom of
Satan and restore the creation to wholeness. The gospel in history
is doomed to cub-al failure. In premillennialism and amillen-
4. Dave Hunt, Beyond Seduztion: A Return to Biblical ChriettiniQ (Eugene, Oregon:
Harvest House, 1987), p. 250.
5. Idem.