According to J. Dwight Pentecost, the pretribulation conception rests on several essential presuppositions: (1) a “literal interpretation” of the Scriptures; (2) “The church and Israel are two distinct groups with whom God has a divine plan”; (3) “The church is a mystery, unrevealed in the Old Testament. This present mystery age intervenes within the program of God for Israel’s rejection of the Messiah at His first advent”; and (4) “This mystery program must be completed before God can resume His program with Israel and bring it to completion.”[18] This is an important admission, since the
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