By Dr. Samuel M. Frost
I recently came across an old book by E. Schuyler English, editor of The New Scofield Reference Bible (1967). This particular work is entitled, Re-Thinking the Rapture,[1]and as I began reading it, I found many interesting points that are still raised to this day. English was a Dispensationalist, and in that scheme, he adopted the pre-tribulation-rapture theory. His writing style exhibits a smooth penmanship, demonstrating his familiarity with Dispensational thought.
For my readers, it is not necessary to go into details concerning the various views of Eschatology. Rather, I wish to highlight some concerns expressed by English and note their similarity to today’s thought(s) on the matters at hand. Right off the bat, English quotes a litany of OT passages concerning the reign of Messiah; passages like 2 Samuel 7.16, Psalm 2, Isaiah 11.1-10, and Malachi 4.1-3.[2] After this, English wrote, “None of these things occurred when the blessed Son of God became flesh and dwelt among men on this earth for thirty-three years.”[3] This brought to mind a work by renowned NT scholar Amy-Jill Levine, entitled, The Misunderstood Jew.[4] She, likewise, begins on the first page of chapter one with these lines: “For Jews, claims of Jesus’ divine sonship and fulfillment of the messianic prophecies are false. Since we live in a world of cancer and AIDS, war and genocide, earthquakes and hurricanes, the messianic age cannot be here yet. Since there is no messianic age, obviously the messiah has not yet come.”[5]
If this were not enough, allow me a few more quotes. In a very insightful essay, Rabbi Byron L. Sherwin writes, “As a final and ultimate messiah, Jesus was a failure because he did not bring about the final and complete redemption of the world. If he had completely succeeded, a parousia – a second coming – would not be necessary.” Christians, however, believe that he brought about a “complete spiritual redemption. Jews do not accept this…messianic redemption is not limited to the spiritual realm. The dominant motif in Jewish messianism is that messianic redemption occurs in time and space, in history, in the sociopolitical realm. For redemption to be complete, it must take place in the physical as well as the spiritual realm. For Judaism, the physical and the spiritual are interrelated, interlocked.”[6] Further, messianic Judaism believes that God will usher in a “world without war – a world at peace.”[7] Numerous quotes from several rabbinical scholars can be given to further demonstrate this point, but with one more, I will finish. “Judaism insists,” writes Irving Greenburg, “that redemption is going to happen in this world and that this achievement of total perfection of the world will take place…”[8]
It is plain from these quotes that something must be done in terms of the glaring omission of kingdom-fulfillment in the lifetime of Jesus’ ministry on earth. Indeed, the same – the very same – idea is found in Luke 19.11, “As they heard these things, he proceeded to tell a parable because he was near to Jerusalem, and because of this they supposed that the kingdom of God would at any moment appear at any second.”
There are two causal terms that link together the thinking of the crowd. Jerusalem (and Jesus, the Messiah-King) was in sight (near), and their theological idea that the kingdom’s end time appearance was imminent, or at any moment. Luke’s Greek is emphatic on this point. Is this not the objection Jewish theologians have today? It most certainly is. The Jews in Jesus’ day expected the arrival of God’s kingdom in the very same way we have read above. This very issue is the one Christian history has offered several explanations for.
When we read the opening of the Gospel of Mark, we find the quotation from Isaiah 40.3-4. However, verse 5 states, “And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.” Likewise, Mark has conflated this passage with Malachi 3.1, and in 3.2 we find the “day of the Lord” connected with the “coming” of the Lord. In other words, the Jews in Jesus’ day had a good reason for thinking that with the coming of Messiah, the Day of the Lord would be commenced. “All flesh” would see it.
Calvin, commenting on Daniel 12.2, wrote, “The angel seems here to mark a transition from the commencement of the preaching of the gospel, to the final day of the resurrection, without sufficient occasion for it. For why does he pass over the intermediate time during which many events might be the subject of prophecy? He unites these two subjects very fitly and properly, connecting the salvation of the Church with the final resurrection and with the second coming of Christ” (Calvin’s Commentaries, in loco). That is, often, two prophesied events (here, “tribulation” and “resurrection”) are mentioned side by side, suggesting that the one event takes places with the other. But, we often note that prophecy does not work this way. Jeremiah foretold that Israel would be regathered after her exile, and Jerusalem would be rebuilt, and “it shall not be plucked up, nor thrown down any more for ever” (Jeremiah 31.38). We know that this, taken at face value, did not happen. Jerusalem was “plucked up” again in the time of 70-73/136 AD under the Roman authority.
The disciples, also, seemed to labor under the idea that the kingdom glory would appear in the ministry of Jesus. However, Jesus reminded them that the son of man must first suffer, and then enter into glory (Ascension) as per Psalm 110. We may add, that he had to be first born to a woman, and live for several years prior to his baptism by John and commencement of his ministry. We can further add that the Holy Spirit had been promised to be poured out on a larger scale than before. Then, there is the spreading of the good news of Isaiah’s God to the nations and distant lands.
English, in the book cited, notes that the disciples fully expected the establishment of the kingdom in their own immediate time. However, “they knew nothing [of the] mystery revealed to Paul.”[9] That is, “the church age”[10] is a parenthetical age in the Dispensationalist scheme. The imminent kingdom was “postponed.”[11] By contrast, Postmillennial and Amillennial views argue for a spiritual fulfillment of the kingdom promises by blurring “Israel” and its natural meaning, into “the church.” Dispensationalism keeps Israel and the church visibly distinct. The liberal critic dismisses both of these views as untenable, and note that the kingdom was announced to be imminent, and simply did not happen. The “church,” faced with this difficulty, so it is alleged, invented an ecclesiological organization in response. The so called, “delay of the parousia” created “the church” as we now see it in history. All of these views face several difficulties which we can explore later. It may be noted that Jesus’ announcement, interpreted in such phrasings as “near,” “at hand,” and “this generation,” are all interpreted in the sense of imminence of time, but this temporal reading is being challenged.[12]
What may be noted, too, is that the Ascension of Christ is largely “skipped over,” and barely mentioned in the works of Scofield, Ryrie, and English, three main representatives of Dispensationalism. It is given lip service among many Postmillennialists and Amillennialists. That is, it is merely Christ’s exaltation over all things in heaven and earth, but is not given any real significance in terms of establishing the kingdom except only in a “spiritual sense.” This, in turn, paves the way for a “social gospel” here on earth.[13] There is no sense of “imminence” anymore in these views since the NT prophecies are, by and large, “fulfilled” by the time of 70 AD with Jerusalem’s destruction. What’s left is a far removed “resurrection of the dead” and “new heavens and new earth” consummation at the end of time, and some have even begun to question the relevancy of that.
[1] E. S. English, Re-Thinking the Rapture, (Travelers Rest, SC: Southern Bible Book House, 1954).
[2] Ibid., 13-15.
[3] Ibid., 15.
[4] Levine, Amy-Jill The Misunderstood Jew: The Church and the Scandal of the Jewish Jesus. (New York: HarperOne, 2006).
[5] Ibid., 17. We may note that English, too, sites the same issues of evil in the world (op. cit., 19).
[6] Bruteau, Beatrice, Ed., Jesus through Jewish Eyes: Rabbis and Scholars Engage an Ancient Brother in a New Converstion. (Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2001). “Who Do You Say that I Am?”, Byron L. Sherwin (pp. 36-38).
[7] Ibid., 38.
[8] Frymer-Kensky, Tikva; David Novak; Peter Ochs; David Fox Sandmel; Michael A. Singer, Eds., Christianity in Jewish Terms (Westview Press, 2000), 38.
[9] English, 43.
[10] Ibid., 45.
[11] Ryrie, Charles C., Dispensationalism. (Chicago: Moody Bible Institute, 1995), see pp. 146-ff., for one of the better treatments of their idea of “postponement.”
[12] We may see the emergence of this challenge from Walter Rauschenbusch, Christianity and the Social Crisis, (New York: Harper Torchbooks, 1964 [orig. 1907]). Reacting against the consensus of the academicians, that Jesus was a “failed prophet,” Rauschenbusch argued that “John the Baptist had expected the activity of the Messiah to begin with the judgment…and there was barely time to escape this. Jesus…reversed the programme; the judgment would come at the end and not at the beginning” (p.58). This is, in my estimation, the correct path to trod.
[13] Catholic theologian, Father John Randall, wrote The Book of Revelation: What Does It Say?, (Locust Valley, NJ: Living Flame Press, 1976) from a near-full preterist perspective, arguing that “ninety-five percent of the Book of Revelation is over and done with” (p.85). This is a rare work in that Randall accepts a late date for the revelation (90,or so, AD), and that Babylon is the ancient power of Rome, which “fell” to Constantine.
Author: Samuel M. Frost, Th.D.
Samuel M. Frost has gained the recognition of his family, peers, colleagues, church members, and local community as a teacher and leader. Samuel was raised in the Foursquare Gospel tradition and continued in the rising Charismatic Movement of the early 1980’s. While serving in local congregations he was admitted to Liberty Christian College in Pensacola, Florida where he lived on campus for four years earning his Bachelor’s of Theology degree. It was there under the tutelage of Dr. Dow Robinson (Summer Institutes of Linguistics), and Dr. Frank Longino (Dallas Theological Seminary) that he was motivated to pursue a career in Theology. Dr. Robinson wrote two books on Linguistics, Workbook on Phonological Analysis (SIL, 1970) and Manuel for Bilingual Dictionaries: Textbook (SIL, 1969). It was under these teachers’ guidance that Frost entered into his Master’s studies, being granted a scholarship for Greek I and II at Pentecostal Theological Seminary, accredited, in Cleveland, Tennessee (adjunct of Lee University). Frost completed his study under Dr. French Arrington (The Ministry of Reconciliation, Baker Books, 1980), who used the text of J. Gresham Machen, New Testament Greek for Beginners.
Frost studied Hebrew for two years under Dr. Mark Futato (author, Beginning Biblical Hebrew, Eisenbrauns, 2003) and Dr. Bruce K. Waltke (author, An Introduction to Biblical Hebrew Syntax, Eisenbrauns, 1990) at Reformed Theological Seminary, Orlando, Florida. With combined credits from PTS and RTS, Samuel completed his Master of Arts in Christian Studies and Master of Arts in Religion from Whitefield Theological Seminary in Lakeland, Florida under the direct tutelage of Dr. Kenneth G. Talbot, co-author of the well reviewed work, Hyper-Calvinism and Arminianism (Whitefield Media, 2005) with Dr. Gary Crampton (and Foreword by the late, Dr. D. James Kennedy). Dr. Talbot also oversaw Samuel’s Dissertation, From the First Adam to the Second and Last Adam (2012) earning him the Magister Theologiae (Th.M.) degree. He also helped put together A Student’s Hebrew Primer for WTS, designed and graded exams for their Hebrew Languages course.
Samuel’s studies lead him into an issue in the field of Eschatology where his scholarship and unique approach in Hermeneutics garnered him recognition. Because of the controversial nature of some of his conclusions, scholars were sharp in their disagreement with him. Frost’s initial work, Misplaced Hope: The Origins of First and Second Century Eschatology (2002, Second Edition, 2006 Bi-Millennial Publishing), sold over four thousand units. While arguing for the Reformation understanding of sola Scriptura as defined by the Westminster Confession of Faith, Frost’s book launched a heavily footnoted argument for a total reassessment of the doctrine known as the Second Coming of Christ. The conclusion was that the events of the war of the Jewish nation against their Roman overlords in 66-70 C.E. formed the New Testament authors’ eschatological outlook, and went no further than their own first century generation; a view otherwise known as “full” or "hyper" Preterism. Internationally recognized Evangelical author and speaker, Steve Wohlberg remarked, ‘On the “preterist” side today…we have such influential leaders as Gary DeMar, Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr., David Chilton, R.C. Sproul, Max King, James Stuart Russell, Samuel M. Frost, and John Noe. To these scholars…the beast is not on the horizon, he’s dead” (Italics, his)” (End Time Delusions, Destiny Image Publishers, 2004, page 133). It should be noted that only Noe, King and Frost supported the “full” Preterist position.
Thomas Ice and co-author of the best selling Left Behind series, Tim LaHaye, quote Frost’s work, Misplaced Hope, as well in their book, The End Times Controversy: The Second Coming under Attack (Harvest House Publishers, 2003, page 40). Dr. Jay E. Adams, who single handedly launched “a revolution” in Christian Counseling with his work, Competent to Counsel: An Introduction to Nouthetic Counseling, (1970, Zondervan), also wrote an analysis of Frost’s work in Preterism: Orthodox or Unorthodox? (Ministry Monographs for Modern Times, INS Publishing, 2004). Adams wrote of Misplaced Hope as a "useful, scholarly work" (p.6 - though he disagreed with the overall thesis). Dr. Charles E. Hill, Professor of New Testament and Early Christianity at Reformed Theological Seminary, Orlando, wrote of Misplaced Hope that Frost, “attacks the problem of the early church in a much more thoroughgoing way than I have seen” (When Shall These Things Be? A Reformed Response to Hyper Preterism, Ed. Keith Mathison, Presbyterian & Reformed Publishing, 2003, ‘Eschatology in the Wake of Jerusalem’s Fall’ p. 110-ff.). There were several other works as well that took the scholarship of Frost seriously, like Ergun Caner in The Return of Christ: A Premillennial Perspective, Eds., Steve W. Lemke and David L. Allen (B&H Publishing, 2011).
Because of the controversial nature of Frost’s conclusions on these matters, it was difficult to find a denomination within the Church-at-Large to work in terms of pastoral ministry. That situation changed when Samuel was called by a Bible study group in Saint Petersburg, Florida to found a congregation. Christ Covenant Church was established in 2002 operating under the principles outlined by Presbyterian historian James Bannerman’s work, The Church of Christ: A Treatise on the Nature, Powers, Ordinances, Discipline, and Government of the Christian Church (Banner of Truth Trust, 1974, original, 1869). By-Laws and a Constitution were drawn up in the strictest manner for what was considered an “Independent” establishment of an independent Presbyterian Church, granted that a “call” was received and recognized by Presiding Elders duly ordained from existing and recognized denominations. Two Elders, one ordained in the Reformed Presbyterian Church (Mike Delores), and another ordained in the Presbyterian Church of America (Dr. Kelly N. Birks, now deceased) tested and reviewed the call, ordaining Samuel on October 20th, 2002, the Twenty Second Sunday after Trinity. Proper forms were submitted to Tallahassee, Florida with the stamp of a Notary Public Witness. Christ Covenant Church (CCC) functioned as a local church for five years with a congregation as large as 30 members. Frost was gaining recognition after Misplaced Hope had been published in January of that year, and conferences were hosted that included debates with another prominent "full" Preterist educator, Don K. Preston. CCC hosted best-selling authors, Thomas Ice, and Mark Hitchcock from Dallas Theological Seminary; and Dr. James B. Jordan (Westminster Theological Seminary), well-known author/pastor in Reformed theological circles. Frost was invited for the next several years to speak at over 25 conferences nation-wide, was featured in articles and an appearance on local news in Tampa for one of CCC’s conferences. The Evangelical Theological Society also invited Samuel to speak at the Philadelphia conference (Frost is currently a Member of ETS as well as Society of Biblical Literature, SBL).
During this time Samuel had submitted one more book, Exegetical Essays on the Resurrection of the Dead (TruthVoice, 2008; repr. JaDon Publishing, 2010); and co-wrote, House Divided: A Reformed Response to When Shall These Things Be? (Vision International, 2010). Frost also wrote several Forewords for up and coming authors who were influenced by his teaching materials, as well as sited many times in books, lectures and academic papers (Essays is sited in Worship and the Risen Jesus in the Pauline Letters, Tony Costa, Studies in Biblical Literature, Volume 157, 2013 Monographs XV, Peter Lang: New York; "Unsound and Informally Fallacious Preterist Arguments for Mark 13:24-27." Elton L. Hollon, The Heythrop Journal, Volume 64, Issue 5, Sept. 2023). However, because of certain aspects of Hermeneutics and Frost’s undaunted commitment to scholarship (with always a strong emphasis on the personal nature of devotional living to Christ), several challenges to the "hyper" Preterist view he espoused finally gave way, largely due to the unwavering commitment to Samuel by the Dean of Whitefield Theological Seminary, Dr. Kenneth G. Talbot, who continually challenged him. In what shocked the "hyper" Preterist world, Samuel announced after the Winter of 2010 that he was in serious error, and departed the movement as a whole.
The documentation of Frost’s departure was published by American Vision’s Founder, Gary DeMar, with a Foreword by Dr. Kenneth L. Gentry. Why I Left Full Preterism (AV Publishing, 2012) quickly ran through its first run. The book was later republished under the arm of Dr. Kenneth L. Gentry (GoodBirth Ministries Publishing, 2019). Dr. Gentry also gave mention to Frost in his book, Have We Missed the Second Coming: A Critique of Hyper Preterism (Victorious Hope Publishing, 2016), noting him as "one of the most prominent" teachers within Full Preterism (135). Dr. Keith Mathison, Professor of Systematic Theology at Reformation Bible College in Sanford, Florida, endorsed the book as well. Samuel has gone on to write, Daniel: Unplugged (McGahan Publishing House, 2021); The Parousia of the Son of Man (Lulu Publishing, 2019); God: As Bill Wilson Understood Him: A Theological Analysis of Alcoholics Anonymous (Lulu Publishing, 2017). He is also active as a certified Chaplain with the Henry County Sheriff’s Department, Indiana, and enrolled with ICAADA (Indiana Counselor’s Association on Alcohol and Drug Abuse), and worked directly under Dr. Dennis Greene, Founder of Christian Counseling and Addictions Services, Inc., for a year. Frost’s passion is in the education of the local church on various issues and occasionally worked with Pastor Alan McCraine with the First Presbyterian Church in Lewisville Indiana (and at Knightstown Bethel Presbyterian - where he currently is a Member, and is a Commissioned Ruling Elder in the PCUSA), where he periodically was called upon to give the sermon. Samuel, with his wife, Kimberly, helped to establish Heaven’s Bread Basket food pantry that donates food items to local families in need once a month – a ministry of the Session of First Presbyterian Church (Lewisville). Frost has recently earned his doctorate in Theology (Th.D.) after two years with Christian Life School of Theology Global (CLSTG, Georgia). Currently, he is an Instructor for the Southern Region LIFE Bible College, Papua New Guinea, and recently was co-published with Elton Hollon for Bibliotheca Sacra (April-June 2023; Volume 180, Number 718; 202-227). He has a solid, family reputation in the community, and has performed local marriages and funerals. He also sits on the Board of the Historical Preservation Commission in New Castle, and Hagar's Hope, a women's transition house. Frost is employed as Instructor for the Henry County Health Department (Jail Recovery Assistance Program), teaching Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.
View all posts by Samuel M. Frost, Th.D.
Vigilate et Orate 
I keep thinking about Acts 15:15-18. Fulfilling Amos 9:9-15. Will the people of Israel today, be no more pulled up out of their land? STAND
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Pene,
Thanks! I will reply to that in another article coming up
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This is unrelated to the topic, but I had a question about Daniel 7. I recently acquired your commentary on Daniel, Mr. Frost, and am interested in your understanding of the four beasts being the Diadochi. I have been doing some research, but it would seem there is very little material taking that approach of interpretation, so I can’t learn much from others.
I can see the third beast being Ptolemaic Egypt, and the fourth obviously being Seleucid Syria. But which kingdoms are the Lion and Bear: Lysimachus or Cassander? As well, what do the symbols mean historically (The four heads, three ribs)? I sent an email asking this same question some time ago, and I wasn’t sure if it had just gone to spam. I thought I might try my hand here. Thanks, and God Bless!
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Sorry I didn’t see this before. But, yes, the material there was developed from John Bright’s The Kingdom of God (Abingdon: Nashville, 1978 [org. 1953]); In that work he referenced, Gressmann, Hugo. Der Messias (Gröttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1929). Also, Gressman’s view is mentioned in The Interpretor’s Bible Commentary Volume 6 (Abingdon Press: Nashville, 1956), 453.
As for the other question, the text/interpretation does not tell us other than “four kingdoms,” focusing exclusively on the fourth (Seleucid). The biggest take away for me was that these are depicted as contemporaneous kingdoms rather than successive ones as commonly interpreted. I was heading in that direction already when I stumbled upon John Bright’s work.
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Thanks for your reply!
If the Diadochi interpretation is correct, the vagueness of the details may not be much help to identify the first three. I would go with Cassander, Lysimachus and Ptolemy as the Lion, Bear and Leopard, due to some possible allusions.
As well, concerning Daniel 7:11 in your translation, you have it so as to have the Little Horn and it’s body burned up, not the Beast itself. Your translation is unique, so I was wondering what the reasons are for rendering it this way, aside from keeping it in line with a historically consistent vision? Thanks!
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the Aramaic reads, “i was seeing until it had become killed the beast.” This “it” (di) can be genitival “that which is of” – the “horn” is feminine, and “beast” is feminine. The subject of the verb, “killed” (peil verb form) is feminine, so it could be the horn, or the beast. I preferred the horn. “It’s body” is also feminine, referring to either the horn, or the beast. Again, I preferred the horn. It is the horn that makes war (7.21); 7.26 refers to the horn, and his rule (singular, speaking of the individual horn, and his actions). In the vision of chapter 8, we find, again, the same focus on the individual “horn.” 8.25 concludes that “he” (the horn) shall be broken (off). The term for “broken” is found in 8.7, referring to a breaking of the horns (rulers). From all of this, Daniel’s vision of the little horn is a king of the Seleucid Empire, and he is the one who comes to be “broken” off. 7:12 “the remains of the beasts” (all four of them) their authority will pass away (eventually), but (for the meantime, until they pass) they are prolonged with life for times and seasons.” That is, their authority will continue after this little horn is killed (by God) for however long God gives them life. Hope that helps.
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