JUDICIAL WARFARE
Christian Reconstruction and Its Blueprints For Dominion
by Greg Loren Durand

Chapter Sixteen:
Theonomic Postmillennialism and the Bible

       [Christian Reconstruction is] the belief that God, the sovereign, predestinating Creator, has delegated to mankind the responsibility of obeying His Bible-revealed law-order, Old and New Testaments, and promises to bless or curse men in history, both individually and corporately, in terms of this law-order. This law-order and its historically applied sanctions are the basis of the progressive sanctification of covenant-keeping individuals and covenantal institutions — family, church, and State — over time, and they are also the basis of the progressive disinheritance of covenant-breakers.⁽¹⁾

       The way to the restoration of dominion is not by revolution.... Those who seek reconstruction by means of blood and violence shall reap a harvest of the same. There must be rather the grace of God unto salvation, followed by the restoration of dominion through the law of God. As men keep the law, they shall reap the dominion which the law establishes (Deut. 28:1-4).⁽²⁾

       Does God progressively reward covenant-breakers in history, while bringing covenant-keepers into bondage to them, long term? Any eschatological system that teaches that the unrighteous will triumph over the righteous in Church history should also explain how this view of the future fits God's covenantal promises — God's blessings and cursings in history — in such passages as Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28.⁽³⁾

       If the conditional promises of Deuteronomy 28:1-14 are taken seriously, and our empowering by the Holy Spirit is taken seriously, then the doctrine of historical progress can be taken seriously. This progress must become externalized through the Biblical system of positive feedback (Deuteronomy 8:18). To deny such historical, institutional progress, the pessimist must reject Biblical law.⁽⁴⁾

       Directly related to the belief in the continuing covenantal sanctions of the Old Testament is the Reconstructionist version of Postmillennialism, which Gary North admitted differs greatly from the historic doctrine as taught by Jonathan Edwards and others.⁽⁵⁾ As explained in the above quotes, the future "golden age" of the Church will supposedly be ushered in on earth as all the nations are brought under the Mosaic law and begin to experience the blessings of Deuteronomy 28. According to Kenneth Gentry, "theonomic postmillennialists expect eventual majoritarian Christendom" [emphasis in original],⁽⁶⁾ which, as we shall see, means an earthly dominion (inheritance) of Christians and a corresponding subjugation (disinheritance) of non-Christians. "This is the orthodox faith,"⁽⁷⁾ insisted North.
       R.J. Rushdoony elaborated upon this theonomic eschatology as follows:

       The purpose of Biblical history is to trace the victory of Jesus Christ. That victory is not merely spiritual; it is also historical. Creation, man, and man's body, all move in terms of a glorious destiny for which the whole creation groans and travails as it awaits the fulness of that glorious liberty of the sons of God (Rom. 8:18-23). The victory is historical and eschatological, and it is not the rejection of creation but its fulfilment.
       This victory was set forth in the resurrection of Jesus Christ, Who destroyed the power of sin and death and emerged victorious from the grave. As St. Paul emphasized in I Corinthians 15, this victory is the victory of all believers. Christ is the first-fruit, the beginning, the alpha and omega of the life of the saints. Had Christ merely arisen as a spirit from the grave, it would have signified His lordship over the world of spirit but His surrender of matter and history. But by His physical resurrection, by His rising again in the same body with which He was crucified, He set forth His lordship over creation and over history. The world of history will see Christ's triumph and the triumph of His saints, His church, and His kingdom. History will not end in tribulation and disaster: it will see the triumph of the people of God and the manifestation of Christian order from pole to pole before Christ comes again. The doctrine of the resurrection is thus a cornerstone of the Biblical dimension of victory....
       The goal of the Messianic purpose of history is the "restitution of all things" (Acts 3:21), their fulfilment in Jesus Christ, first in time and then in eternity.⁽⁸⁾

       On the surface, Rushdoony's thesis sounds very attractive, but it falls apart upon close examination of his selected proof-text:

       For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body (Romans 8:18-23).

       This passage does nothing to prove the claim that the "restitution of all things" occurs "first in time and then in eternity," but rather disproves it. The reader will notice the Apostle's sharp contrast between "the sufferings of this present time" (verse 18) and the future "adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body" (verse 23). This latter event — the resurrection and glorification of the saints — is linked by Paul to the deliverance of the earth itself "from the bondage of corruption"; both events occur simultaneously. This was also described by Peter in his second epistle:

       But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness (2 Peter 3:10-12).

       It cannot be disputed that the "new heavens and new earth" mentioned above by Peter is the same as that described in Revelation 21-22, in which we are told "there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away" (Revelation 21:4). This, then, cannot apply to any historical period prior to the second advent of Christ and the final delivering up of the kingdom to the Father:

       If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming. Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under him. And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all (1 Corinthians 15:19-28).

       Rushdoony's second proof-text was Acts 3:21: "...[T]he heaven must receive [Jesus Christ] until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began." As we shall see in the next chapter, he interpreted the phrase "restitution of all things" to be a reference to the theonomic work of the Church in making restitution to the earth for Adam's transgression by bringing all earthly institutions under the Mosaic law. Thus, while Reconstructionism teaches that Christ will not return until this restitution has been accomplished, the Bible teaches that Christ's return will itself be the restitution: "As touching the force and cause, Christ hath already restored all things by his death; but the effect doth not yet fully appear; because that restoring is yet in the course.... For as the kingdom of Christ is only begun, and the perfection thereof is deferred until the last day, so those things which are annexed thereunto do now appear only in part."⁽⁹⁾ It is the "glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ" that is the "blessed hope" of the Christian (Titus 2:13), for at this time history will be consummated as "God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began." One such Old Testament prophecy is found in Isaiah 65:

       For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former will not be remembered, nor come into mind. But be ye glad and rejoice for ever in that which I create: for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy. And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people: and the voice of weeping shall no more be heard in her, nor the voice of crying. There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days: for the child shall die an hundred years old; but the sinner being an hundred years old shall be accursed. And they shall build houses, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them. They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat: for as the days of a tree are the days of my people, and mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands. They shall not labour in vain, nor bring forth for trouble; for they are the seed of the blessed of the LORD, and their offspring with them. And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear. The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock: and dust shall be the serpent's meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the LORD (Isaiah 65:17-25).

       According to Gary North, "A postmillennialist can interpret this passage literally: a coming era of extensive millennial blessings before Jesus returns in final judgment.... But the amillennialist cannot admit the possibility of such an era of literal, culture-wide blessings in history. His eschatology denies any literal, culture-wide triumph of Christianity in history. Therefore, he has to 'spiritualize' or allegorize this passage."⁽¹⁰⁾ North has claimed that one of these "extensive millennial blessings" will be the reversal of the second law of thermodynamics (entropy), resulting in the decrease of disease and the ultimate longevity of human life:

       Jesus Christ's resurrection in principle restored redeemed man's ethical relationship to God, thereby overcoming the break in mankind's personal relationship to God that took place when Adam rebelled.... [N]ature's relationship to man and God has also been altered in principle by the resurrection, just as this relationship was altered by the curse which God placed on the cosmos when Adam rebelled....
       The earth was brought under a curse by God in Genesis 3:17-19.... But what about the resurrection? The resurrection was the great healing event in history. It definitively restored redeemed mankind as the legitimate heir of God. This new ethical and legal relationship is to be worked out progressively in history. Therefore, these questions must be raised: What effects on the cosmos did Christ's resurrection produce? None? If not, then why not? If God's visible curses were placed on the cosmos because of Adam's covenantal rebellion, then why were there no blessings placed on the cosmos as a result of the death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ? Was Adam's rebellion of greater consequence historically and cosmically than the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Son of God? Why did the covenantal restoration of the resurrection produce no healing cosmic effects? Why is the curse of God in Genesis 3 still in full force in history?
       The answer is: it isn't. There has been a progressive healing of the earth since Calvary. This has come sporadically in response to the sporadic covenantal faithfulness of God's people.... It is their responsibility self-consciously to carry out the dominion assignment of Genesis 1:26-28, which is why Christ delivered the Great Commission to the church (Matt. 28:18-20). The effects of death and decay are progressively rolled back when God's people faithfully transform their lives, institutions, and physical environments to conform to God's revealed laws....
       God's covenantal judgment is a two-fold process: blessings and cursing. The resurrection of Jesus Christ points to the cosmic reality of the potential blessings. Christ's bodily resurrection implies that the cursed aspects of the second law of thermodynamics can be progressively removed in history in response to societies' increased covenantal faithfulness.... [emphasis in original]⁽¹¹⁾

       North insisted that Isaiah 65:20 "prophesies an extended life expectancy for sinners and righteous people before the day of judgment," and then concluded that "death, aging, and the decay of nature" are not "uniformitarian processes," but may be at least partially overcome by "conformity to God's law through the empowering of the Holy Spirit" and "covenantal faithfulness."⁽¹²⁾ In this context, he cited Exodus 23:25-26: "God promised Israel the miracle of genetic near-perfection: no miscarriages of man or beast in Israel, just so long as the people were covenantally faithful to God."⁽¹³⁾ And, "There is no indication in the revelation of God to His Old Covenant people that they would experience anything except large families, zero miscarriages, and high rates of population growth, if they would conform themselves to His law.... Exodus 23:25-26 speaks of God's positive sanctions in history. These sanctions are biological."⁽¹⁴⁾ Such was also Rushdoony's teaching: "It [the keeping of the law] means freedom from plagues and diseases. It means fertility and a safe delivery of the young. It means long life for covenant man and his household. The law is thus clearly a promise of life to covenant man when he walks in faith and obedience" [emphasis in original].⁽¹⁵⁾ Elsewhere, North further commented, "God is the Judge, both in history and eternity. When God renders judgment, He does at least three things: 1) He evaluates a person's thoughts and actions in terms of the requirements of His law; 2) He pronounces judgment, either 'guilty' or 'not guilty'; and 3) He imposes the appropriate sanctions, either cursings or blessings."⁽¹⁶⁾ The health, wealth, and fertility of a professing Christian are therefore indications that he is a diligent keeper of the Mosaic law; the lack thereof is an indication that he is not keeping that law. What words of comfort, then, can the Reconstructionist have for the Christian woman who has, in fact, had a miscarriage, or the young Christian couple who is unable to have children? Are all Christians who fall sick and even die to be seen as guilty "covenant-breakers" (contrary to Romans 8:1)? This atrocious doctrine can only produce hearts of stone toward suffering Christians, not hearts dominated by the tenderness and compassion which Christ has for His people: "Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep" (Romans 12:15). It also denies the chief means by which God sanctifies His people and prepares them for Heaven — that of tribulation and affliction:

       Whatever be the kind of tribulation with which we are afflicted, we should always consider the end of it to be, that we may be trained to despise the present, and thereby stimulated to aspire to the future life. For since God well knows how strongly we are inclined by nature to a slavish love of this world, in order to prevent us from clinging too strongly to it, he employs the fittest reason for calling us back, and shaking off our lethargy. Every one of us, indeed, would be thought to aspire and aim at heavenly immortality during the whole course of his life. For we would be ashamed in no respect to excel the lower animals; whose condition would not be at all inferior to ours, had we not a hope of immortality beyond the grave. But when you attend to the plans, wishes, and actions of each, you see nothing in them but the earth. Hence our stupidity; our minds being so dazzled with the glare of wealth, power, and honours, that they can see no farther. The heart also, engrossed with avarice, ambition, and lust, is weighed down and cannot rise above them. In short, the whole soul, ensnared by the allurements of the flesh, seeks its happiness on the earth. To meet this disease, the Lord makes his people sensible of the vanity of the present life, by a constant proof of its miseries. Thus, that they may not promise themselves deep and lasting peace in it, he often allows them to be assailed by war, tumult, or rapine, or to be disturbed by other injuries. That they may not long with too much eagerness after fleeting and fading riches, or rest in those which they already possess, he reduces them to want, or, at least, restricts them to a moderate allowance, at one time by exile, at another by sterility, at another by fire, or by other means. That they may not indulge too complacently in the advantages of married life, he either vexes them by the misconduct of their partners, or humbles them by the wickedness of their children, or afflicts them by bereavement. But if in all these he is indulgent to them, lest they should either swell with vain-glory, or be elated with confidence, by diseases and dangers he sets palpably before them how unstable and evanescent are all the advantages competent to mortals. We duly profit by the discipline of the cross, when we learn that this life, estimated in itself, is restless, troubled, in numberless ways wretched, and plainly in no respect happy; that what are estimated its blessings are uncertain, fleeting, vain, and vitiated by a great admixture of evil. From this we conclude, that all we have to seek or hope for here is contest; that when we think of the crown we must raise our eyes to heaven. For we must hold, that our mind never rises seriously to desire and aspire after the future, until it has learned to despise the present life.⁽¹⁷⁾

       Thus, the proof of God's favor toward His people is seen in their perseverance in faith in the midst of their earthly miseries, not in the absence of such miseries (2 Thessalonians 1:3-5; James 5:10-11). In this patient endurance of suffering is found the true victory of the Christian, not in an earthly dominion (James 1:12; 1 Peter 4:12-13; 1 John 5:4; Revelation 13:7, 15:2). The New Testament's doctrine of the saints' earthly travail directly contradicts Gary North's doctrine of "covenantal sanctions." In fact, the latter appears very similar to the heretical doctrines of The Manifest Sons of God cult and The Word of Faith movement, both of which groups teach that God's will for the Christian is a life of prosperity and health, and that the Christian Church in its maturity will overcome sickness and even death in a future era of earthly dominion. According to a popular Word of Faith teacher, "Yes, sin, sickness and disease, spiritual death, poverty, and everything else that's of the devil once ruled us. But now, bless God, we rule them — for this is the Day of Dominion!"⁽¹⁸⁾ Given the similarity of their dominionist views — which even North himself has admitted⁽¹⁹⁾ — it is no surprise that the Reconstructionists are often found working closely with such groups to further their agenda.⁽²⁰⁾ However, if it is true that "the effects of death and decay are progressively rolled back" when God's people "faithfully transform their lives" according to the Mosaic law, and that this "positive feedback" for "covenantal faithfulness" will have "visible effects in history,"⁽²¹⁾ why then did the Apostle Paul seem to be so ignorant of this alleged truth?

       For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.... [B]ut though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.... While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal. For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven: if so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked. For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life (2 Corinthians 4:6-7, 16, 18, 5:1-4).

       If our bodies can be renewed by "ethical activity"⁽²²⁾ (law-keeping), there would really be no need for Christians ever to die, and thus no absolute need for a future resurrection; we could theoretically immortalize ourselves by the works of the law. This conclusion, though never drawn by North, seems reasonable. In the Reconstructionists' "postmillennial kingdom," in which the Mosaic law is supposedly being observed by the vast majority of people on earth, then it would be theoretically possible for the corporate Church likewise to immortalize the earth itself. However, this would directly contradict the Scripture's declaration that the creation's "groaning" corresponds to the saints' "groaning" and neither will be relieved of "the bondage of corruption" until the "manifestation of the sons of God" — the resurrection which will occur at the final coming of Christ. This event was prophesied by David in Psalm 102:25-26: "Of old thou hast laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of thy hands. They shall perish, but thou shalt endure: yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment; as a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed." This regenerated creation is the same "new heavens and new earth" mentioned in Isaiah 65:17. The hope of the Christian is therefore not realized in history, as the Reconstructionists claim, but in eternity when both we and all of creation will be renewed: "For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it" (Romans 8:24-25; cf. Titus 2:13). Furthermore, it is important to note Paul's contrast between the veil which was placed over the face of Moses "that the children of Israel could not stedfastly look to the end of that which is abolished" (2 Corinthians 3:13) and "the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ" (2 Corinthians 4:6). While Gary North would have us to look back to "that which is abolished" — the Mosaic code — in order to obtain blessings that are external and earthly, Paul directed his readers to look to "that which remaineth" — the Gospel of Christ — for blessings that are internal and spiritual. The Christian is instructed by Scripture to "walk by faith, not by sight" (2 Corinthians 5:7); we know that we are the children of God because of the inward witness of His Spirit (Romans 8:16), not because we see "visible positive feedback in history."
       Thus we see that North's erroneous universal application of the sanctions of Deuteronomy 28 is really what is behind his literalistic interpretation of Isaiah 65 and his criticism of Amillennialism for allegorizing the text. However, if we cannot allegorize Isaiah 65:17-25, what are we to do with 2 Peter 3:10-12, Revelation 21-22, and even 1 Corinthians 15:19-28 — all of which deal with the very same subject: the "new heavens and new earth"? These New Testament passages refer to a time when the current heaven and earth "shall be dissolved," when "there is no more death," and when Christ "shall have delivered the kingdom up to God, even the Father" having destroyed the last enemy, which is death. By claiming that Isaiah's prophecy, couched as it is in highly metaphoric language, refers to "a coming era of extensive millennial blessings before Jesus returns in final judgement," the Reconstructionist is forced into a belief in two different "new heavens and new earths" — an even greater absurdity than that which is attributed to Amillennialism. Even on its face, this passage from Isaiah cannot be interpreted literally, for while it says that "the voice of weeping shall no more be heard in her," it then says that "the child shall die an hundred years old." It seems likely that parents would still grieve for a deceased child, even though he lived to be one hundred years old. Do the Reconstructionists really expect that carnivorous animals will become vegetarians and that snakes will eat dust? They must if they really "interpret this passage literally," as Gary North claimed.⁽²³⁾ Do they then also believe that "the LORD's house" is a literal mountain (Isaiah 2:2), that the wicked are literally "cedars" and "oaks" (Isaiah 2:13), that the grave literally has a mouth (Isaiah 5:14), that the Lord is literally "a stone" (Isaiah 8:14), that He literally "rideth upon a swift cloud" (Isaiah 19:1), etc.? It is interesting to note that in his book, He Shall Have Dominion, Kenneth Gentry allowed for a spiritual interpretation of Old Testament prophecy over against the "literalistic hermenuetic" of Dispensationalism,⁽²⁴⁾ pointing out that "literalism plagued the Jews throughout Jesus' ministry."⁽²⁵⁾ In light of these statements, the unabashed double-standard employed by Gary North in criticizing Amillennialism for its non-literal interpretation of prophecy is truly amazing.
       Contrary to the absurd and unbiblical theory of theonomic Postmillennialism, John Calvin gave the proper interpretation of Isaiah's prophecy as follows:

       These are exaggerated modes of expression; but the greatness of such a blessing, which was to be manifested at the coming of Christ, could not be described in any other way. Nor does he mean only the first coming, but the whole reign, which must be extended as far as to the last coming.....
       Let us remember that these things take place in us so far as we are renewed. But we are only in part renewed, and therefore we do not yet see a new heaven and a new earth. We need not wonder, therefore, that we continue to mourn and weep, since we have not entirely laid aside the old man, but many remains are still left. It is with us also that the renovation ought to begin; because we hold the first rank, and it is through our sin that "the creatures groan, and are subject to vanity," as Paul shews. (Rom. viii.20.) But when we shall be perfectly renewed, heaven and earth shall also be fully renewed, and shall regain their former state. And hence it ought to be inferred... that the Prophet has in his eye the whole reign of Christ, down to its final close, which is also called "the day of renovation and restoration." (Acts iii.21.)⁽²⁶⁾

Endnotes

1. North, Tools of Dominion, page 75.

2. Rousas John Rushdoony, Salvation and Godly Rule (Vallecito, California: Ross House Books, 1983), page 41.

3. Gentry, He Shall Have Dominion, page 494.

4. North, Liberating Planet Earth, page 146.

5. North, Foreword in Gentry, He Shall Have Dominion, page xxx. Elsewhere, North referred to Edwards' eschatology as "pietistic, antinomian postmillennialism" (Political Polytheism, pages 151, 367). Gary DeMar and Peter Leithart also acknowledged the "subtle distinction" between historic Postmillennialism and the Reconstructionists' version (Reduction of Christianity, page 42).

6. Gentry, He Shall Have Dominion, page 477. Christ commanded His disciples to "enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it" (Matthew 7:13-14). This clear statement would seem sufficient to discount any hope of a future "golden age" in which the majority of the world will be converted, but Reconstructionists such as Gentry are ready with a response. Quoting B.B. Warfield, he wrote, "The resolution to the matter is to realize 'our Lord's purpose is rather ethical impression than prophetic disclosure.' That is, He is urging His disciples to consider the present situation they witness round about them. They are to look around them and see that so many souls are presently perishing, so few men are seeking righteousness and salvation. What will they do about his sad predicament? Do they love Him enough to seek its reversal? Christ's challenge to them is ethical" (ibid., page 475). This supposed solution to the problem is inadequate. Christ made a statement of fact — "narrow is the road to life" — which was followed by the consequence — "few they be that find it." There is no ethical imperative here and there is no indication given that the narrow road will ever be broadened in some future era. In fact, Christ instructed His followers to "strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able" (Luke 13:24). The entering of many through the gate of salvation is exactly what the Reconstructionist expects, but Christ dispelled that expectation by declaring the gate to be narrow until the end.

7. North, Liberating Planet Earth, page 44.

8. Rousas John Rushdoony, A Biblical Philosophy of History (Vallecito, California: Ross House Books, [1959] 1997), pages 25-26.

9. John Calvin, Commentary Upon the Acts of the Apostles (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House, 1993), Volume I, page 153.

10. North, Foreword in Gentry, He Shall Have Dominion, page xxviii.

11. Gary North, Is the World Running Down? Crisis in the Christian Worldview (Tyler, Texas: Institute for Christian Economics, 1988), pages xx-xxi, xxiii. It is important to note that North shifted the “great healing event of history” away from the cross to the resurrection, thereby implicitly denying that the removal of the curse of the broken moral law and the restoration of man’s “ethical relationship to God” was accomplished through the vicarious atonement on Calvary (Ephesians 2:13; Colossians 1:20-22). This identification of the believer’s justification with the resurrection, rather than with imputed righteousness is also a hallmark of Federal Vision writers. Much like North, Rich Lusk wrote that “the resurrection is the real centerpiece of the gospel since it is the new thing God has done... It is not Christ’s life-long obedience per se that is credited to us. Rather, it is his right standing before the Father manifested in his resurrection. His resurrection justified us because it justified him” (“Response to 'The Biblical Plan of Salvation,'” in Beisner, Auburn Avenue Theology, page 142; emphasis in original).

12. North, Is the World Running Down?, pages 9, 10.

13. North, ibid., page 3.

14. North, Tools of Dominion, page 858. See also Gary North, The Dominion Covenant: Genesis (Tyler, Texas: Institute for Christian Economics, 1982), page 174.

15. Rushdoony, Institutes of Biblical Law, page 173.

16. North, Tools of Dominion, page 849.

17. Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, Book III, Chapter IX:1.

18. Kenneth Hagin, article: "This is the Day Which the Lord Has Made," Word of Faith, September 1996. For a thorough expose of the Word of Faith theology, see Greg Loren Durand, In God We Trust? The Deadly Cancer of the "Health and Wealth Gospel" (Dahlonega, Georgia: Crown Rights Book Company, 1996).

19. In his book, Unholy Spirits: Occultism and New Age Humanism, North wrote:

       Some of the charismatic groups believe in tightly knit church covenants. The reconstructionists have been the major theologians of the biblical covenant. Other charismatics have preached personal financial victory and health through prayer and by obeying God's "principles." The reconstructionists have been the major defenders of the continuing legitimacy of God's law in New Testament times. Some of these "positive confession" charismatics (also called "word of faith") have begun to preach that the optimism which God offers to individuals also applies to God's other covenanted associations: families, churches, and civil governments. This represents a major break with the traditional pessimistic eschatology of fundamentalism, called dispensationalism. These charismatic leaders have not self-consciously made the break from premillenialism to postmillenial optimism, but the term "dominion" implies it ([Fort Worth, Texas: Dominion Press, 1986], pages 374-375).

20. William M. Alnor, "Is Reconstructionism Merging With 'Kingdom Now'?" Christian Research Journal, Fall 1988, page 5; Robert M. Bowman, Jr., "Are Christians Supposed to Take Dominion?, ibid., page 31.

21. North, Is the World Running Down?, page 158.

22. North, ibid., page 9.

23. Actually, Gary North apparently does so expect: "Isaiah's language indicates that the blessings of restoration also involve an eventual return to vegetarianism, where the wolf and lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw" (Dominion Covenant, page 113). However, in the footnote on the same page, he wrote, "It is possible that Isaiah's language is allegorical, and that he was referring to political tranquility rather than a world of vegetarianism." This candid admission completely undermines his entire thesis that Isaiah 65 is a prediction of events which occur "in time and on earth." After all, if the language of verse 25 may be allegorical, why not the entire passage?

24. Gentry, He Shall Have Dominion, pages 145-158.

25. Gentry, ibid., page 157.

26. John Calvin, Commenatry on the Book of the Prophet Isaiah (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House, 1993), Volume IV, pages 398-399. Calvin was obviously an Amillennialist, despite Gentry's attempt to prove him a Postmillennialist (Gentry, He Shall Have Dominion, pages 88-89).