Pilgrim
Puritanboard Commissioner
As I understand it, MacArthur's basic point relates to unconditional election, with the argument being that if what he sees as the unconditional promises made to Israel in the Abrahamic and Davidic covenants can be annulled then so can New Covenant promises.
The idea that there will be a restoration of national Israel (both spiritually and to the land) doesn't necessitate pretribulationism or dispensationalism. (It may not even necessitate premillennialism at all. I think some postmils have believed that or something similar, although it's rarer to come across postmils who believe anything like that today. I think Erroll Hulse may be a contemporary example of a postmil who believes something along those lines.) A lot of older covenant premils like Spurgeon, Bonar and Ryle believed that.
This is all covered by traditional postmillennialism. The Israel of God (Gal 6:16) in the New Covenant is expanded to include both believing Jews and Gentiles (professing Jews and Gentiles and their children in its administration).
The geographical scope of God's Kingdom is also expanded from the Land of Israel at its widest to include not only the Land of Israel but also the whole Earth (e.g. Ps 72).
The Israel of God is to take possession of the Earth - including the Land of Israel-Palestine by the Holy War of evangelisation. At some point "Israel after the flesh" will be reingrafted into the Israel of God.
Richard,
This is what I'm increasingly coming to understand, although it is certainly a minority view, especially in the USA. But so is the older historic Premillennialism (as opposed to the Ladd variety) that I've noted here and in other threads. I'm premil based on my study so far and admit that I haven't made an in-depth study of traditional postmillennialism. What books would you recommend I start with in studying this view?
If I were to change, traditional postmillennialism of the type that you've advocated here in your many posts appears to me to be the most viable alternative. As I see it, Christ's Kingdom will have dominion over the whole Earth in space and time. The question is whether it will be premil or postmil. I just can't see it being an entirely heavenly, spiritual thing as has been asserted by some of the amils here and of my acquaintence elsewhere.