Journal: Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society
Volume: JETS 44:4 (Dec 2001)
Article: Dispensational Premillennialism In Reformed Theology: The Contribution Of J. O. Buswell To The Millennial Debate
Author: Jeffrey Khoo

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JETS 44:4 (December 2001) p. 697

Dispensational Premillennialism In Reformed Theology: The Contribution Of J. O. Buswell To The Millennial Debate 1

Jeffrey Khoo*

[* Jeffrey Khoo is academic dean at Far Eastern Bible College, 9A Gilstead Road, Singapore 309063.]

I. Introduction

Hear a Jewish proverb: “The nations of the world wish to irritate the Lord, but they can’t. What do they do? They vex Israel instead.” This seems to be the case, not just in the political, but also the theological arena, especially in the field of eschatology.

Covenantalism and dispensationalism are the two main systems of theology in evangelicalism today. Insofar as eschatology is concerned, amillennialism is the most prevalent view among covenant theologians. There are those who take a postmillennial view (e.g. the theonomists), and there are some who are premillennial. Dispensationalists, on the other hand, are always premillennial.

The millennial debate today focuses on these three main issues: (1) Is the millennial reign of Christ a physical or a spiritual reign? (2) Will it happen before or after the Second Coming of Christ? And (3) what is Israel’s place in the millennium? The debate is particularly controversial when the fate of the nation of Israel is addressed. Historic premillennialists, amillennialists, and postmillennialists believe that Israel has been replaced by the Church, and that prophecies relating to Israel must be interpreted in ecclesiastical and not Jewish terms. Dispensational premillennialists, on the other hand, emphasize the importance of the nation of Israel in the study of the end times, and how God will restore his chosen nation to greatness when Messiah returns.

As noted, there are two types of premillennialism: the historic and the dispensational. Historic premillennialism agrees with dispensational premillennialism that there will be a literal millennium of Christ’s rule on earth after his return. But apart from this, both offer somewhat opposite eschatological perspectives on how God will fulfill his redemptive plan. Most reformed scholars who take the premillennial view are historic premillennialists. However, there are those who are Reformed, and yet hold to the

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dispensational premillennial view of Israel and of the end times. This position is unfortunately much neglected in the perennial millennial debate. The late James Oliver Buswell (1895–1977) of Faith Theological Seminary 2 (Bible Presbyterian) is perhaps the most prominent Reformed scholar who took a dispensational premillennial view. My paper intends to revisit Buswell...

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