He Shall Have Dominion

Ch. 2: The Purpose of This Treatise
Of dispensational adherents, he laments: “the numbers are dwindling.” 57
Two other recent dispensational writers comment: “In fact, the
premillennial position is probably more on the decline at the present
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time than the other two views.” Still another observes that “in the last
quarter of the 20th century a movement has begun to return to the
Reformation as a basis of theology, and with it an abandonment of
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dispensationalism and premillennialism.” Another bemoans that
“premillennialism, though still entrenched within many local churches,
is no longer being taught from the pulpit and is rapidly falling from fa-
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vor.” Of course, with its enormous installed base, we should not expect
it to dissipate anytime soon.
We can perhaps make a case that premillennialism — particularly its
young offspring, dispensationalism — is being embarrassed to death. The
temptation to date-setting is just too ingrained in the premillennial
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mindset to resist, as we saw when year 2000 approached. One
57. Hunt, Whatever Happened to Heaven?, back cover copy; 9. See also: 31, 68,
70, 72.
58. House and Ice, Dominion Theology, 210.
59. Walvoord, “Review of House Divided,” 372.
60. Shearer, Political Power, 16.
61. “As the year 2000 approaches there will undoubtedly be increased interest
in premillenarian ideas and even more hazardous speculation that this third
millennium will be the Thousand Year Kingdom of Christ.” Wilson, Armageddon
Now!, 13. Examples of a tendency to a mild form of date-setting among noted
dispensationalist scholars may be found in Ryrie, The Living End, 128–129; Herman
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