Tony Garland in his helpful video below explains with clarity when the church was established, giving evidence that it was at the pouring out of the Spirit at Pentecost portrayed in Acts 2. He gives sound biblical criteria in determining when this great new event of the church age of God’s redemptive program began.
At the same time he undermines the flawed interpretation of hyper-dispensationalists, particularity of the variety of Mid-Acts Dispensationalism. Garland explained how the more extreme varieties of dispensationalists create false distinctions and false discontinuities in their systems.
It was a well-articulated video. But it had me asking how many dispensationalists create the false distinction or discontinuity between the church and so-called “tribulation saints.” I wonder if Garland holds to that (false) distinction? I don’t know. He states, “the church equals the body of Christ.” But are not so-called “tribulation saints” also part of the body of Christ?
Moreover, are there two Brides? In the book of Revelation, the saints are called the Bride (Rev 19:7–8). (They are later described as being vindicated for their martyr’s death from the Beast’s system, Rev 20:4–6). So pretribbers who create the category of “tribulation saints” must also affirm two Brides! The sound biblical principles and criteria that Garland puts forward would render the distinction between the church and “tribulation saints” invalid.
So it is an observation I am making of dispensationalists who object to hyper-dispensationalists creating false distinctions, while many at the same time are doing the exact same thing by creating the new category of “tribulation saints,” distinguishing them from the church!
h.t. Alf
