Accident Of History?: Why Do So Many Mainstream Denominations Get This Wrong?
The great scientist, Sir Isaac Newton, who was a diligent student of Bible prophecy, once wrote: “About the time of the end, a body of men will be raised up who will turn their attention to the prophecies, and insist upon literal interpretation, in the midst of much clamor and opposition.”
Newton proved to be right on target with this prediction. Once the Bible became accessible in printed form and in national languages, people began to interpret it for its plain sense meaning. Four hundred years ago, in the late 16th Century, the Puritans began to apply literal interpretation to the Bible’s prophecies, resulting in the conclusion that in the end times, God will regather the Jewish people in unbelief and reestablish the state of Israel. One of the greatest of the English Puritan theologians was John Owen (1616–1683) who wrote, “The Jews shall be gathered from all parts of the earth where they are scattered, and brought home into their homeland.”
Literal or plain sense interpretation became a cornerstone of the Dispensational Movement that arose in England in the early 19th Century. Its advocates made a clear distinction between Israel and the Church. They rejected the idea that the Church had replaced Israel and that all the unfulfilled prophecies about Israel would be fulfilled symbolically or spiritually in the Church. Instead, they maintained that all the prophecies concerning the end time regathering of the Jewish people and the re-establishment of Israel would be literally fulfilled.
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