Answers to the 95 Theses against Dispensationalism

The folks at NiceneCouncil.com got together at one stage and formulated 95 Theses Against Dispensationalism. Among the scholars were, allegedly, some ex-Dispensationalists.

Here's one reason they give for going through the exercise:

Therefore, because we believe that dispensationalism has at least crippled the Church in her duty of proclaiming the gospel and discipling the nations, and out of love for the truth and the desire to bring it to light, the following propositions will be discussed in a series of videos written and produced by NiceneCouncil.com under the title The Late Great Planet Church. And as iron sharpens iron we request that every Christian, congregation, and denomination discuss and debate these issues. By the grace of our great Sovereign let us engage in this debate with an open mind and an open Bible. Like the Bereans nearly two thousand years ago, let us “search the Scriptures daily, to see whether these things are so.”

There have been a number of great responses by dispies to the 95 Theses. The problem is that they are scattered here and there in various scholarly publications.

However, I'm most impressed with Dr Paul Henebury's contra-efforts and have been following them since he began to address them. He has now completed the work and made it readily available on his site in an organized format.

You can read it HERE.

Most enlightening are some of the readers' challenges to Paul's observations and how he deftly deals with them.

2 Thessalonians 2:1-8

Here's a commentary on 2 Thess by Eric Douma. He responds to the pre-Wrath interpretation of Paul's Epistle and points out some difficulties with that system.

He also demonstrates why, despite so many claims and assertions that 2 Thess is incompatible with pre-Trib, the pretribulational model is still viable and even likely.

I like the humble manner in which he has approached this critique and agree with his following comment:

"I don’t hold to my own pre-tribulation position with absolute certainty. If certitude must be asserted, then I will claim with certainty that Antichrist cannot both be destroyed at the parousia (2 Thessalonians 2:8) and continue to reign for 3 and ½ years (Revelation 13:5) as pre-wrath would have to maintain without engaging in a form of equivocation."

2 Thessalonians 2:1-8: Does it Support a Pre-wrath View?

More on this subject can be found at Twin City Fellowship

Begin at Class 1- Introduction to Eschatology

Note: In the first audio, Pastor Douma has some interesting comments on the pre-Wrath position on the parousia and the single versus multi-stage Second Advent.

Highly recommended!