What is dispensational premillennialism / premillennial dispensationalism?

This is a label that has been attached to the (biblical) teaching that Christ's coming in glory will occur prior to the millennium (see references under Q 38–Q 40).

The essence of dispensationalism, then, is the distinction between Israel and the church. This grows out of the dispensationalist's consistent employment of normal or plain or historical-grammatical interpretation, and it reflects an understanding of the basic purpose of God in all His dealings with mankind as that of glorifying Himself through salvation and other purposes as well.

Whoever reads the Bible with any attention cannot fail to perceive that more than half of its contents relate to one nation: the Israelites. He perceives, too, that they have a distinct place in the dealings and counsels of God. Separated from the mass of mankind, they are taken into covenant with Jehovah, who gives them specific promises not given to any other nation. Their history alone is told in Old Testament narrative and prophecy; other nations are mentioned only as they touch the Jew. It appears, also, that all the communications of Jehovah to Israel as a nation relate to the Earth. If faithful and obedient, the nation is promised earthly greatness, riches, and power; if unfaithful and disobedient, it is to be scattered "among all people, from the one end of the earth even unto the other" (Deut. 28:64). Even the promise of the Messiah is of blessing to "all the families of the Earth." Continuing his research, the student finds mention in Scripture of another distinct body, which is called the church. This body also has a peculiar relation to God and, like Israel, has received from Him specific promises. But similarity ends there, and the most striking contrast begins. Instead of being formed of the natural descendants of Abraham alone, it is a body in which the distinction of Jew and Gentile is lost. Instead of the relation being one of mere covenant, it is one of birth. Instead of obedience bringing the reward of earthly greatness and wealth, the church is taught to be content with food and raiment, and to expect persecution and hatred; it is perceived that just as distinctly as Israel stands connected with temporal and earthly things, so distinctly does the church stand connected with spiritual and heavenly things. Further, Scripture shows the student that neither Israel nor the church always existed; each had a recorded beginning. The beginning of Israel he finds in the call of Abram. Looking then for the birth of the church he finds (contrary, perhaps, to his expectations, for he has probably been taught that Adam and the patriarchs are in the church) that it certainly did not exist before, nor during, the earth life of Christ, for he finds Him speaking of His church as yet future when He says (Matt. 16:18), "Upon this rock I will build my church." Not, have built, nor am building, but will build. He finds, too, from Ephesians 3:5-10, that the church is not once mentioned in Old Testament prophecy, but was, in those ages, a mystery "hid in God." Scripturally, he finds the birth of the church in Acts 2, and the termination of its career on the earth in I Thessalonians 4. The student also finds, in the scriptural division of the race, another class, rarely mentioned, and distinguished in every respect from either Israel or the church: the Gentiles. The comparative position of the Jew, the Gentile, and the church may be briefly seen in the following Scriptures: the Jew (Rom. 9:4-5; John 4:22; Rom. 3:1-2); the Gentile (Eph. 2:11-12; Eph. 4:17-18; Mark 7:27-28); the Church (Eph. 1:22-23; Eph. 5:29-33; 1 Pet. 2:9).

Let us re-emphasise: the fact that there are slightly different divisions does not in any way alter the fact that there are dispensations. Nor does it affect the key conclusions of dispensational truth, namely that one distinguishes the time of the law from that of grace, one does not confuse Israel with the church, and one holds on to the immediate expectation of the rapture as well as the expectation of a real 1,000-year reign of peace on the earth.

Perhaps the issue of premillennialism is determinative. Again the answer is negative, for there are those who are premillennial who definitely are not dispensational. The covenant premillennialist holds to the concept of the covenant of grace and the central soteriological purpose of God. He retains the idea of the millennial kingdom, though he finds little support for it in the Old Testament prophecies. The kingdom in his view is markedly different from that which is taught by dispensationalists, since it loses much of its Jewish character due to the slighting of the Old Testament promises concerning the kingdom. Many covenant premillennialists are also posttribulationalists, and that seems to be a logical accompaniment of the nondispensational approach.[38] At any rate, being a premillennialist does not necessarily make one a dispensationalist. (However, the reverse is true -- being a dispensationalist makes one a premillennialist.)

The time of the church will end with the rapture. Then a period of seven years of tribulation will follow. At the end of this period, Christ will appear in power and set up his kingdom. This kingdom will last 1000 years: “and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years” (Rev. 20:4ff). This is why the coming kingdom is often referred to as ‘millennium’ (mille=1000, annus = year).

Scripture plainly teaches that the Lord’s coming will be in two parts, viz., His coming for His saints, as seen in 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17, called for convenience sake, the rapture; and His coming with His saints to reign over the earth, in other words, to establish the millennium—the thousand years’ reign of peace and righteousness and called for convenience sake, the appearing (1 Thess. 4:14).

His second coming is in two phases. The first phase involves His coming to the air to take to heaven the Old Testament believers and the dead in Christ of the Church (and we who are alive at His coming). This is popularly called the Rapture (1 Thess. 4:16-17). Then just before the second phase of His second coming, His Appearing, the saved martyrs of the Tribulation are raised (Rev. 11:9-13; 20:4). They are the last dead believers. Therefore, the First Resurrection ends at that time.

.that the Bible is the Word of God, and reliably predicts future events .that many prophecies in the Old Testament refer to Israel and to the geographic location known as Israel, in a literal way (and not to the church in some 'spiritualised' figurative way) ..that the biblical promises for Israel are for the earth whereas the church possesses heavenly blessings and a heavenly calling. .that the Lord Jesus will return, and can return any time now, to take the believers to Himself (the 'rapture') .of the doctrine of 'dispensations' (different consecutive periods, which always start with failure and end in judgement). The 'rapture' will end the current 'dispensation'. Then the prophetic clock will start ticking again and the 7-year tribulation period will start. Then the appearing of Christ in power.

1 A dispensationalist keeps Israel and the church distinct . This is stated in different ways by both friends and foes of dispensationalism. Fuller says that "the basic premise of Dispensationalism is two purposes God expressed in the formation of two peoples who maintain their distinction throughout eternity"[39] A. C. Gaebelein stated it in terms of the difference between the Jews, the Gentiles, and the church of God.[40] Chafer summarized it as follows: