Monday, March 17, 2008

Luke 1:15 and Marvin Pate

 Dr. Couch, I have your Luke Commentary, and it's great! I also have Marvin Pate's Luke Commentary but I'm puzzled by many things he says. Can you explain his comment on Luke 1:15?

ANSWER: As far as I know he is a Progressive Dispensationalist who is not very discerning. But of course, he has the right to be wrong. The quote you are referring to is: The coming of the Spirit on John the Baptist "represented a transitional period; he lived in the overlap of the Old Testament era and the messianic kingdom."

No, Pate is dead wrong! John presented the King. Israel rejected the King and their Kingdom, and we went into the period of the postponement of that Kingdom. We are now in the dispensation of grace not the kingdom!

Pate is implying that the church somehow is the messianic kingdom, and of course this is stupid and wrong. John presented the King who would inaugurate the Kingdom if the Jews as a nation repented, which they did not!

Progressives believe that we are now in some form of the messianic kingdom, but of course they may say, the millennial stage will come later. Some used to say that Christ is now on the throne of David, heading up the millennial kingdom, in heaven. They use Psalm 110:1 to poorly try to prove that. But guess what?

Some recently repented and recanted that sorry view. They realized they were wrong! They should have formulated their views better! The truth is, Christ is seated on His Father's throne until the Father subdues His enemies and then puts His Son on the Davidic throne in Zion (Jerusalem).

Thanks for asking.
Dr. Mal Couch