124 thoughts on “Ruckman on Dispensationalism”

      1. Ruckman scared every rational thought out of my head! Maybe I can sneak back in later for my cushion!

      2. Maybe we could get some padded pews so we could stop having to lug around these (admittedly fabulous) butt cushions (although I can’t see mine, it’s got white pianos on it)?

  2. “A Premillenial Chart is rightly dividing the Word of Truth”

    I’ll gladly admit it’s dividing it (dissecting out the exact section they want for piecing together in a way they want). Just gotta make sure you put all the verses they want in each dispensation in the right place if you want to know the truth, no reading it as written, that’s not how it works!

  3. the rapture is connected to the pre-trib
    the pre-trib is connected to the antichrist
    The antichrist is connected to Harlot
    The harlot’s connected to the Romanish Pope
    And all didn’t it rain?
    dem bones dem bones dem dry bones…

  4. He just throws everyone that disagrees with him under the bus and says, “they don’t study.”

    This is just another trick employed by fundy preachers to cause their followers to believe that they alone have the truth…the rest of us are heretic liberals who: are insincere, read a “perverted” Bible, and “don’t study.”

    That is exactly how cults operate as well.

    1. And that sums up fundamentalism in a nutshell. There are no other legitimate interpretations among sincere followers of Jesus. It’s simply “we’re right and you’re wrong.” They are so certain that they are right that there is no way anyone who sincerely reads the text could possibly disagree with them. That is why fundamentalism is one of the most fractured movements in Christianity today.

      1. So very true, and it makes meaning full dialogue almost impossible, you are simply wrong. End of conversation, cue beginning of prayer session for your backslidden soul. To be fair as a former fundy I find myself defaulting to this position with alarming ease, really thinking through what I was taught seems like a gordian (sp?) knot at times.

  5. we call this the rapture and it will take plae in the next 10 or 20 years…. when was this made???

      1. “ALL THE PROPHECIES ARE BEING FULFILLED EVEN AS WE SPEAK! WE MIGHT NOT HAVE A 1978!! OR EVEN A 1977!!!”
        — some “child evangelist” during the heyday of the Gospel According to Hal Lindsay.

        It is now 2011.

    2. He also predicted many years ago that he was on Janet Reno’s hit list and would be dead in inside of 2 years.

      Quite a prophet.

        1. Like most Conspiracy Theory types, Ruckman must have had an exaggerated sense of My Own Personal Importance to Everything.

    5. Judging from his suit, glasses, the curtain and, not to mention the chalk talk…I’d say, “Great Scott, we’ve missed the rapture!!!”

        1. I’m trying to find some Camping followers to sign over their property to me effective May 22nd. Any takers???

    1. It’s paranoid, it’s delusional, it’s escapist & separatist, it’s *perfect*. 🙂

      1. It’s the Ultimate Escape Fantasy followed by the Ultimate Revenge Fantasy.

        Especially because of the idea that “God Will Rapture Me Before Anything Bad Can Personally Happen to Me.”

        Armageddon is NOT a spectator sport with catered box seats. The old Prophets called it “That Great and TERRIBLE Day.”

        1. The End Timesâ„¢, as presented by Ruckman, is like porn for him.

          “Look at the horns on that beast. Yes. Yes. I can’t wait for the heretics to be judged.”

        2. Frank Schaefer said it best. It is the people who read the “Left Behind” novels who have been ‘left behind’ by modernity. They believe the earth is 6,000, therefore having nothing to do with science. They believe the world is going to end soon, so they do nothing about saving the environment or planning for their own future. They generally view art and literature as evil so they are not involved with the arts community. They have so marginalized from the modern world, they grow resentful of anyone in the secular world who is successful. The “Left Behind” novels are just a revenge fantasy for people who have marginalized themselves from the modern world. They get to sit in god’s skybox while their enemies get killed.

    2. Technically we are saved by grace, that we receive through faith. Faith is only as efficaious as the object of that faith. Faith in and of itself is not capable of saving us, however, faith in the person who offers us grace is eternally efficaious.
      So, technically we are not saved by faith.

    3. Just a little history here.
      Ruckman made a lot if waves with the fundamentalist by saying the statement, “people in the New Testament were saved by looking back to the cross and the people in the Old Testament were saved by looking forward to the cross” was wrong. Ruckman says people were always saved by faith but after Moses it was faith plus the law. In the New Testament it is faith in the cross.

      1. He said that in the millennium people are not saved by grace through faith. Heresy!

  10. I’ve always been a premil, pretrib dispensationalist. When we moved away from the IFB, it was over our desire to show God’s love to our community in tangible ways and our refusal to call man-made traditions (i.e. music rules) Biblical when they’re really just preferences. Rethinking those things has kept me from reevaluating my position on eschatology, but I do know this: I cannot subscribe to a belief that ignores the words of Christ and relegates them to “kingdom preaching” and thus not applicable to us in the church age. My goal as a believer is to be like Christ and everything He said is important to me.

    1. It really is a lot to sort through isn’t it? So many doctrines, so little time. I’m saying “I don’t know” a lot more than I used to. On bad days I miss the carved in stone, dogmatic, confident certainty of IFB, then I browse SFL and regain my sanity 🙂

    2. Ruckman and his ilk are hyper ultra crazy dispensationalists–with an emphasis on sensational.

      As one who has moved FROM “Pan-millenial” ignorance, to covenant theology and then unto pre-millenial moderate dispensationalism, I have come across all kinds.

      Ruckmanism ultra dispensationism is the worst.

  12. One has to wonder how much was left on his mortage when he made that statement.

    geoprge said he hears the subtest of what Pete was thinking when he said it, here’s georges translation: **That means I get to fleece you for at least another 10-20 years…***

  13. “what does the Nazi soldier head at the bottom have to do with any of this?”

    Please note: the Nazi soldier head was labeled “Dr. Peter Ruckman” with the audio, “We’re here to give you the Word of God.”

    Draw your own conclusions. 😆

      1. I believe she’s going for the Nazi’s believed in a perfected “race” of humans, and Ruckman believes both that he’s part of that perfect race & has a perfect theology.

        1. I thought the Nazi soldier head looked like one of those drawings a certain art school would have in magazine ads a few years ago. The ones that read, “If you can draw this, you may be able to be an artist.” Who knew that an art school taught dispensationalism?

  14. I love how he gives this whole talk without one scripture reference to substantiate his claims…unless I just tuned him out…

  15. He totally forgot to chalk up the rapture correctly, Jesus shouldn’t have a clean arch to the Millennium, needs to have a double dip in the middle where he drops down to cloud level, hits some kind of atmospheric turbulence, just grabs the Baptists outta here, and returns back for a later final actual return (the one we’ll actually count as a return).

  16. “All false teaching and false doctrine comes from taking a verse here and putting it here, or a verse here and putting it there, or a verse there and putting it there. When you put the verse in the right place, no verse in the Bible contradicts.” Spoken by a man who’s eschatological view is derived from taking a verse here and putting it here, or a verse here and putting there, or a verse there and putting it there.

  17. The part I find most annoying about this is how he purports to know how people will be saved (if indeed they will be) in all these various divisions. Especially the “people will be saved by works AND faith in the tribulation” thing. Where does that idea even come from?

    Mind you, I don’t have a verse to quote to show that it’s wrong, I simply think that you can’t go around asserting things like that if you don’t know it’s right.

    1. It’s kind of unavoidable logical conclusion if you think the dreaded 666 mark of the beast is truly irrecoverable mistake, and unforgivable sin. If taking the mark of the beast eternally damns you, regardless of any kind of repentance, etc, then refusing it has to be a precondition of redemption at that point.

      2. I personally hold the view that the mark of the beast follows the pattern of Deuteronomy “you shall bind them (the laws) on your head and your hands”.
        Obviously, God did not intend that people make copies of the law and wear them (though some did and do), the idea, as supported by other scriptures, was to incorperate them into your every thought and deed, to meditate on them day and night, to work them out diligently. I think that the mark of the beast is similar. It is the acceptance of the world system and morality. Not that it precludes a mark but that the ACCEPTANCE of the mark is already predidicated by the acceptance of the system and the denyal of God.
        Never heard that view from anyone else so it is, no doubt , heretical but it works for me… 😀

  18. The nazi soldier is Ruckman’s self-portrait. It would have been just as accurate to draw a jackass.

    1. Actually, that signature profile is not a “Nazi Soldier”. It’s German regular Army, early war. The shield visible on the side of the Stalhelm is the diagonal red-white-black tricolor, not the silver-on-black double Sieg runes of the SS.

      1. I didn’t think that helmet type was Nazi specific. I don’t know my military stuff all that well. I’ve always thought of those funny looking helmets as being German or Prussian, and only Nazi due to the fact the Nazis were from/in/of Germany.

      2. Yes, I thought it was just a German soldier, not necessarily a Nazi. But that leaves as big a mystery as ever about what it’s doing there.

        1. So the debate is rather the soldier is a nazi and not rather or not Ruckman is a jackass. 😀

  20. Wow. An honest Dispensationalist. He admits openly that Dispensationalism teaches multiples ways of salvation. I guess Jesus being the only way of Salvation is wrong. Jesus can’t save people before he was born after all. It’s not like He’s God or anything…

  21. Further ponderings…

    Am I the only one who thinks his thrones look like robots–or, better, characters from cartoons over at The Oatmeal (http://theoatmeal.com/)?

    What is UP with “hyper-dispensationalism,” especially that psycho DVD cover? Oh–and what about HYPO-dispensationalism? 😉

  22. OOHH I lvoe Chalk talks! Maybe when he turns off the light and shows the chart under blacklight the Nazi at the bottom will make sense.

  23. A few years ago while cleaning out decades of old Sunday School material from the church storage room my husband found a pamphlet warning of the dangers of using these chalk talks. Apparently they are slippery slopes, and one must use extreme caution.

    Thankfully, he had the good sense not to use a black light in his talk. Many of my well meaning teachers used it to give their chalk talks the “WOW” factor, not realizing that they were using a tool straight from the hippie drug culture.

    Thinking back, I think this was what must have triggered my youthful rebellion. 😈 Actually I’m surprised he uses these chalk talks at all considering that I Thessalonians 4:22 specifically warns about it. It’s a slippery, slippery slope. :mrgreen:

      1. Just a joke. Chalk talks are never specifically mentioned in the New Testament. :mrgreen:

  24. I have a number of reasons why I would not rely on the belief that Christians are going to be Rapured up out of the world (“Beam me up, Gabriel!”) before things get really nasty. Mybe I’m trying to play safe but WHAT IF Christians do have to go through a period of Hardship, along with the rest of the world? (call it Tribulation if you like. Christians in countries like North Korea, China, and much of the Islamic World know all about Tribulation). If the Rapure was to happen before the Tribulation, do you think I would be left behind because I do not mentally assent to that particular doctrine?

    1. Paul,
      When I finally chicked the whole Pre-trib/pre-mil theory according to Darby/Scofield/Larkin and Lahaye it was because I looked to find precedence where God miraculously delivering his people out of tribulation, pain. suffering and the like. Can’t find it. The precedence is that God always delivers his people THROUGH the trial and suffering. This idea of being raptured out only plays to the health, wealth and comfort idea that God is more about being our fairy godfather than he is the Sovereign Creator over all that is. Especially here in America, that type of religion is preached. Oh, no God loves you too much to make you go through any hardship. He wouldn’t have you persecuted and maybe have to die for what you believe. “Oh no, just say this prayer and join us in our bunker as we occupy until Jesus comes to saves us from any unpleasantness…. would you like some kool-aide while you wait?” 😯

      1. There’s an element of cognitive dissonance at play here, I think. Those who hold to the Rapture are people who also hold to a futurist view of the book of Revelation. It seems to me that the idea of a pre-trib Rapture flies in the face of the whole point of the book, which is to “hang in there” in the face of persecution and evil. These folks either don’t grasp the larger picture, or they know it’s there and they ignore it.

        1. It’s kind of amazing that America would be the breeding ground for this kind of paranoia and feelings of persecution. I’ve never seen a Voices of the Martyrs datelined in the Bible Belt for some reason or other.

      2. “Oh, no God loves you too much to make you go through any hardship. He wouldn’t have you persecuted and maybe have to die for what you believe. “

        Tell THAT to the Christians in North Korea and most of the Islamic World!!

        You must admit the Pre-trib Rapture is the most ATTRACTIVE doctrine, especially for Christians who have never faced REAL percecution (and I’m not talking about being Bad-Mouthed)

        1. It’s the cushy doctrine. And I say that being a fat, lazy, undiciplined, wimp! I can’t say that I’ll stand true… I may fold like a cheap suit at the first sign of hardship… Peter was in the inner circle and look at his failure.

          I’m a lazy out of shape staypuffed marshmellow wanna be. what will I do to keep my comfort? Would I run and join a survivors camp to defend my liberty? Would I recant my faith and join the greater good? I would like to think that no matter what the form of government and what turn society takes that I will still be known as a Christian. But until I have to exercise that level of faith there is no way I can know how I would act.

          That is what the escape hatch disciples are hoping to avoid. I fear the prospect of having to face that myself, but I fully embrace the idea that I and my family may have to endure hardship and horrors just like the last generation did, and ours may be even greater in scope of human suffering and depravity. But as in all other times of human suffering, God has seen his people through the trials. (and not always safely but through to the accomplishment of his will anyway.)

          It may be that we have made an idol of our comfort and God will show us just how tightly we are holding to that idol of entertainment and comfort.
          I just know that I cannot find any biblical evidence for God to capriciously take his prople out of the trials and suffering. I see where he leads his people through trial and suffering but nowhere that he gives them a free pass.

  26. Did anyone else see the books at the very end of the video? The one where a hyper-dispensationalist slices the bread of life with with a look of menace on his face? Fundies got something agains sliced bread?

    1. It’s a little blurry, but it looks to me like that chef is hacking up the Bread of Life with a hatchet labeled “Spam.”

  27. My personal view is the tribulation is primarily for Israel . For all hell to break loose the restrainer aka Holy Spirit will be removed and since the Holy Spirit indwells each believer the removal of such must occur . This doesn’t mean we are guaranteed never to see evil of course it just means in God’s time for Israel the Holy Spirit ‘s role is more Old Testament like.
    Works for me…

    1. I have heard and lightly held that belief also. The part that I never bought though is the takeing-out-the-Church/Believers-takes-out-the-Holy-Spirit thing. As God, The Holy Spirit is everywhere, also, people are saved during the Tribulation and no one is saved without the Holy Spirit. I’m not dogmatic on it though.

  28. I believe that one of the most heritical things that he said was that from Sinai to the cross salvation was grace plus works. Salvation has alwasy been Grace through faith. What he is preaching by making such a statement is that grace can be earned. Now that is heresy.

    2. @Don This is something that always made me think. If you only had the Old Testament what would your faith be in?

      1. That is a real test, can we present the Gospel using only the Old Testament? Can we show Christ using the Law and the Prophets?

      2. You should check this week’s Religion & Ethics Weekly podcast on the meaning of the Passover. It’ll sound awfully familiar sans references to Jesus, I think.

  29. where’s the wisdom in any of this? What is the point of God telling you exactly what he is going to do, but in riddle form? Is God a trickster? Ever feel like its all pretty retarded?

  30. IMO Revelations is a Rorschach test. It says everything about the interpreter and nothing about the end of the world.

  31. Ah, the Dispensational Premillennialists. This isn’t just in fundamentalist churches, but also in evangelical ones. However, it is in error.

    1. Yes. I knew of one church that would not even use the gospels because “that was the Gospel dispensation”. They only taught from the epistles. Even skipped Revelation because the Church won’t be here.

  32. 1. Dispensationalism is not the same as dispensational eschatology.

    2. Dispensationalism is an external hermeneutic into which Scripture is forced. I reject it because I believe it is my job as a student of the Scripture to let it speak for itself and inform me, not the other way around.

    3. Dispenstional eschatology is a fun fantasy, but has got nothing to do with Paul’s letters to Corinth and Thessalonika.

  33. It always creeps me out when IFB pastors use “we.” It seems like a not so subtle indicator that they actually think of themselves as royalty. Yuck!

  34. ‘rightly dividing the word of truth’

    My how they love that verse. How many times did he quote it in that video? It is a shame that is totally not what that text means. But man you have to love their insistance and arrogance about it. Especially this guy. ‘If you put all the verses in the right division there is no conflict.’ Except for all those people who disagree with you…oh wait you have that covered as well. ‘The people who don’t agree with this aren’t studying to show themselves approved.’ So your way has no conflict except for those people who conflict, but if they conflict they just don’t read their Bible so you can ignore them.

  35. If I had a dollar for every time a ManOGawd predicted that the Rapture/Return of Christ would occur in the next decade or two, I’d be richer than Bill Gates.

    Whenever Darrell posts a ‘fundy celebrity’ like Ruckman, I check out the wiki on them. Ruckman is very interesting.

  36. I recommend “Last Days Madness, Obsession of the Modern Church” by Gary Demar.

  38. You know most of the people in Pensacola think that the Ruckman’s are actually PCC students…

    I had an attorney say to me, “you went to PCC? What is up with all that screaming on the street corner?”

  39. Since Jesus is quoted as saying he’d return while some of those standing there were still alive, I’d say the rapture is long overdue. As to the Revelation of John, many of his allusions seem to point to the beast being the Caesar in Rome. In the last few centuries these were adapted to apply to Napoleon, Stalin, Hitler, Stalin again, whoever was the current Soviet Premier, and Obama to name just a few. I think it is all just a Rorschach.

    But on to more important matters. I thought the guy in the helmet was a Federation rebel, and that the robots were crude representations of R2D2. Obviously, Luke Skywalker will usher in the new heaven and the new earth after the destruction of the Death Star.

    To further mix my metaphors, I’ll see on May 21st at the Restaurant at the End of the Universe.

  40. We were always told Jesus will come twice.
    Jesus has come once.

    If Jesus 2nd coming comes before the tribulation, then Jesus has a 3rd coming after. This cant be true, for Jesus has 2 comings and hes used up one of them.

    If Jesus 2nd coming comes during the tribulation, then Jesus as a 3rd coming after. This cant be true for Jesus has 2 comings and hes used up one of them.

    gimme fuel, gimme fire, devil is a liar 😈

  41. I think he drew the Wehrmacht soldier’s head to limber up his drawing hand and be controversial at the same time.

    Ruckman really should have been a shock comic; he looks like a grandfather, he sounds like a used car salesman, and he can make bigoted statements at the drop of a hat. Just the kind of guy who could start a set with weather jokes, then lurch into raunchy racial humor, then talk about his lawn, then slander the Catholics and gay people with priest jokes. He could’ve been the Lenny Bruce of the geriatric set.

    1. I can’t figure out how Ruckman does this without getting colored chalk on his suit.

      Any time I work with chalk, it get all over me and my clothes. If it’s white chalk, I end up looking like I’ve been flour-bombed. If it’s colored chalk, I look like I lost a fight with a gang of clowns.

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