IS
REAGAN RIGHT?
By George C. Stewart
Many of the congregations
among the Christian Churches/Churches of Christ are captivated by the so-called
“prophetic ministry” of David Reagan. He is welcomed into the pulpits of some
of our largest congregations. One Christian church preacher admitted that
neither he nor his congregation knew anything about Bible prophecy, but he
invited Reagan to speak because he had heard Reagan elsewhere and he “sounded
convincing.” The people fill the pews and accept his brand of biblical interpretation
as the standard. The purpose of this epistle is to issue a warning to those who
“have ears to hear.”
The Bible teaches us to
“test the spirits to see whether they are from God; because many false prophets
have gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1). We are also instructed, that rather
than be silent, we are to “expose the unfruitful deeds of darkness” (Ephesians
5:11).
It is the firm conviction of this writer that there are two fundamental errors in the teachings of David Reagan which must be refuted. These concern God’s revealed terms of salvation and the subject of our Lord’s Return (Eschatology).
David Reagan grew up in an a
cappella Church of Christ—which he now maligns. He falsely accuses them of
believing that the Holy Spirit is “an inanimate object—namely the Bible itself”
(Lamplighter, March, 1997). He also
accuses these brethren of believing and teaching “baptismal regeneration”
(Ibid.). Reagan even makes the preposterous charge that the ministers he heard
as a youth would invite hearers to “be baptized again and again—just to make
sure they had ‘got it right’” (Ibid.).
Then he claims that 1 Corinthians 1:17 was “anathema” to these churches
(Ibid.). Any student of the word knows that
This writer attended a
meeting of Christian Church ministers in 1996 where Reagan was the guest
speaker. His subject was Christian Unity. But it was obvious that he did not
want unity with anyone who insisted that God’s instructions for Christian
baptism be followed. With great joy he related how he had studied himself out
of that early childhood teaching. And he was cheered by at least 95% of the
ministers in attendance!
Reagan’s position on Christian baptism is evident in his publicity of a tape produced by his ministry on the so-called “rapture.” He states: “The tape concludes with a testimony by one of the ministry’s trustees, Bob Birchler. Bob tells how the Lord transformed his life. He then invites the listener to experience the same transformation by praying a salvation prayer with him” (Lamplighter, November, 1995, emphasis added).
About ten years ago a
minister of a large Christian church—where Reagan is considered the epitome of
scholarship—expressed to me his concern about Reagan’s position on baptism.
This writer believes it would be reasonable to assume that many ministers who
host Reagan “Revivals” or “Prophetic” meetings have the same suspicions as that
preacher. Yet the demand for him to speak to our people has not diminished.
David Reagan’s theology of
salvation fits that of those in the charismatic movement. He convinced this
writer of this truth when he read the July, 1994 Lamplighter. There Reagan states: “Perhaps I should emphasize at
this point that I believe in all the gifts of the Spirit, including prophecy,
and I believe those gifts are fully active in the church today (where they are
allowed to be active). In 1 Corinthians 1:7 we are told that the church will
not lack any of the gifts as it awaits the return of Jesus.” (My Bible doesn’t
say that. But then, what does
Can anyone explain why Christian
churches continue to invite this false prophet into their pulpits?
On November 18, 1996, this
writer attended a revival service in one of the largest Christian churches in
the
Referring to the Flood of
Noah’s day, and reading from First Thessalonians 4 and 5, Reagan said those
outside of Noah’s family did not know when the Flood would come because they
were in “darkness.” Likewise, he said, the wicked will not know the time of our
Lord’s return—but Christians can, because they are not in darkness. However,
when the Scriptures say no one
will know, they do not
distinguish between Christians and non-Christians.
One example of Reagan’s
twisting of Scripture took place when he misused Hebrews 10:25. He claims that
the encouragement not to forsake the assembly, “and all the more, as you see
the day drawing near” refers to the Lord’s Second Coming. He placed special
emphasis on “see,” claiming that this is proof that Christians will have “signs” of the Lord’s return.
One does not have to be a theologian to see the error here. What encouragement would it be
for first century Christians to look for “signs” that were at least 1,940 years
away? Was God deceiving them? Was
Reagan said that if God does
not give warnings (signs) of His impending wrath He would violate His nature.
Therefore, he says, God is presently giving signs to all the world of His
impending wrath at Christ’s return. Reagan seems to forget that God has been
warning man for thousands of years already. God even said that those wicked of
the first century were “without excuse” (Romans 1:20). This position of
Reagan’s is also inconsistent with his earlier statement that the wicked cannot
know of Christ’s return because they are in “darkness.”
In this same “sermon” Reagan
took sections of Scripture like Romans one and transferred them to the “end
times.” This wrests the word of God from its historical and grammatical
context, and allows anyone to make whatever they like from the Bible. This
would mean that the Word had no relevance for the first century Christians. In
fact, he said, no one could understand Revelation 11 until 1957, when the
The title of Reagan’s series
of messages in that 1996 meeting was, “Jesus is Coming Soon.” This sounds like
date-setting (which he condemned), but the audience had to wait to the end to learn of his
definition of “soon.” His definition confirmed our suspicions. In an audience
of adults (over 20) he concluded by saying, “Some of you are going to live to
see the coming of the Lord. I truly believe that!” that would be seventy-five
years. He condemns himself!
In 1986, and again in 1991, this
writer had a series of written exchanges with David Reagan on the subject of
our Lord’s return. Reagan finally ended the correspondence by stating that he
knew the amillennial view “inside and out” and had “studied my way out of it.”
This hardly agrees with his statement in his March 1997 Lamplighter that he didn’t really know the Bible until he was
given a Phillips paraphrase of the New Testament during his senior year of
college. This would indicate that he knew neither the Bible nor the amillennial
view while growing up in an a cappella congregation. You can’t study yourself
out of a position which you don’t understand. Of course, consistency is not a Reagan trademark.
David Reagan holds to the
dispensational view that the Church is not foretold in the Old Testament, and
that Christ came to establish an earthly reign over national
In an attempt to defend
their erroneous theory, the dispensationalists (including David Reagan) must
twist Scriptures beyond recognition. They accuse those who disagree with them
of “spiritualizing” the Bible, even when this “spiritualizing” is confirmed by
the New Testament writers.
The following are only a few examples of how
David Reagan twists God’s word and condemns himself as a false prophet.
In the February/March, 1986
issue of the Lamplighter, Reagan attempted to show that there will be
“at least four” resurrections. His main Scripture used as “proof” was 1
Corinthians 15:20-24. It takes a lot of imagination to see more than one
resurrection from this text. Instead, the Bible teaches that the spiritual resurrection
of the believer takes place at baptism (Romans 6:4-7). These have no fear of
the second death (hell, Revelation 20). The bodily resurrection of the
righteous and the wicked will take place together when Christ returns (1
Corinthians 15:20-24). “For an hour is coming, an which all who are in the
tombs shall hear His voice, and shall come forth; those who did the good to a
resurrection of life, those who committed the evil to a resurrection of
judgment” (John 5:28-29).
David Reagan—as with all
dispensationalists--deny that the victorious death and resurrection of Christ
has limited (bound) Satan. Reagan wrote (October, 1986 Lamplighter): “I do not believe that Satan is currently bound.” Of
course we know that Satan is still our adversary who “prowls about like a
roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). But the New Testament
indicates that Satan is limited and cannot reach beyond the length of his
“chain.” After the seventy returned from their missionary trip, they reported
to the Lord: “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name” (Luke 10:17). In
anticipation of what He would accomplish, Jesus replied, “I was watching Satan
fall from heaven like lightening” (Luke 10:18). After the accomplished fact,
Because of Reagan’s dispensational
mindset he refuses to accept the clear teaching of this chapter. Concerning
Matthew 24 and the destruction of
In this chapter the Apostles
and elders conclude that the Gentiles do not have to become Jews in
order to become Christians. This conclusion is based upon Peter’s experience
with the household of Cornelius, the experiences of Barnabas and
This usage of the prophecy has historically led to the
conclusion that the term, “the tabernacle of David,” refers to the Church. And
it does, symbolically. But the context of the passage in the book of Amos makes
clear that the prophecy will find its ultimate fulfillment in something other
than the establishment of the Church (Lamplighter,
November/December, 1987).
Because of his false notions
about national
Christian
dispensationalists—just like the Judaizers of the first century and the
Orthodox Jews of today—contend that God’s promises to the nation of
Reagan claims that “The
Bible says that the Jewish people will continue to serve as the Chosen People
in the future, for when Jesus returns, a remnant of the Jews who have put their
faith in Him will be established as the prime nation of the world” (Lamplighter, January, 1991). The Bible
does not teach this!
In Reagan’s February, 1991
newsletter he expresses the opinion that the Persian Gulf War was a fulfillment
of the prophecy of Jeremiah 50:9. He thinks that was the beginning of a process
that would result in the conversion of national
The dispensationalism of
those like Reagan, places national
Like all dispensationalists,
Reagan holds to an Israel-centered theology, while the Bible is
Christ-centered. He claims that “the sign of
David Reagan claims that
Zechariah 12:10 is a promise that “a remnant of the Jewish nation” will repent
and accept Christ as Lord. He says he knows that this will happen “one day very
soon” (Lamplighter, April, 1992). Of
course he never defines “very soon.” What Reagan fails to acknowledge is that
this promise was fulfilled in the first century, as confirmed by the Word of
God. When the soldiers pierced the side of the Crucified Savior, we are told
that this was a fulfillment of Zechariah’s prophecy (John 19:37). If you choose
to believe Reagan you must reject the words of John. The choice should be easy.
David Reagan has published a
booklet entitled, Psalm 2: The King is
Coming! The promotional says this booklet “is a detailed exposition of
Psalm 2, which Dr. Reagan considers to be one of the most important passages in
the Bible regarding the Lord’s return.” However, it seems clear that the New
Testament writers understood Psalm 2 to be a prophecy of Christ’s first coming and His work of
redemption. Consider the following comparison.
Psalm 2 New
Testament
(verse)
1-3: Gentiles Rage .......................................Acts 4:23-27 (Crucified Christ)
4-6: I have installed My King ........................Acts 13:30-37; Phil. 2:9-11
(Resurrection/Coronation)
7: My Son--Begotten today ...........................Acts 13:33; Heb. 1:5; 5:5
(Resurrection)
8-9: Inheritance among Gentiles ...................Matt. 28:16-20; Eph. 2:13-16;
Col. 1:6,23
(Saved in the Church)
10-12: Exhortation to submit .........................Acts 4:12; 17:30-31
to the Lord (Present Reality)
In 1995, when this writer pointed
this out to Reagan, his reply was, “All I can say in response is that if Jesus
is currently reigning over all the nations of the earth, He is doing a terrible
job of it.” This is just another example of a literalistic mindset that refuses to allow the New Testament to
interpret the Old Testament.
Reagan writes: “We do not
believe it is possible to know the date when Jesus will return. But we do
believe it is possible to know the season of the Lord’s return, and it is our
conviction that we are living in that season” (Lamplighter, June, 1991). This is as dull as any old saw the
dispensationalist can find. It wouldn’t cut hot butter. For Reagan—and his
ilk—never explains how long a “season” is. In his February, 1993 newsletter he
says, “By season, I don’t mean a three month period of time like Spring or
Fall. I’m talking about a general time period.” Then he adds, “I personally
believe we have been in the season of the Lord’s return for 80 years—ever since
the beginning of World War I in 1914.” With such a use of the English language
one can make a “season” to mean any period of time. Such unsupported
generalities do not enhance the credibility of a “prophecy expert.”
Reagan appeals to 2 Timothy
3:1-5 for support of his false notion that “Scriptures make it very clear that
evil will greatly multiply the closer we get to the Lord’s return” (Lamplighter, July, 1994). Second Timothy
3:1-5 teaches something very contrary to Reagan’s dispensationalism.
Reagan lifts texts from
their contexts to support their pretexts. Reagan writes, “And remember Jesus’
words that society will be like it was in the days of Noah when He returns
(Matthew 24:37). That means society will be wallowing in violence and
immorality” (Lamplighter, July,
1994). If this is what this Scripture means then Jesus did not know it. For
Jesus explains that He means that life will be going along normally: eating,
drinking and marrying (Matthew 24:38). Which means, Jesus says, that—like in
the days of Noah—we will not know when “the coming of the Son of Man” shall be
(Matthew 24:39). This writer is inclined to accept the explanation of Jesus.
In the March/April, 1996 Lamplighter Reagan claims that “The
acceleration of Life” is a “signal that Jesus is returning soon.” He says that
the accelerated growth of our population, power, transportation, communication,
computers, knowledge and violence are among the examples which are signs of
Jesus’ soon return.
He reaches this conclusion without any valid biblical support. He concludes:
“Now, the point is that the Bible indicates that the exponential curve will be
one of the signs of the end times, and my thesis is that we are living in the
midst of the exponential curve. Therefore, we are living in the end times.” (Is
the “exponential curve” in your concordance?) These non-biblical speculations
have been around for centuries. Because of the rapid changes and violence of
his time, Martin Luther concluded that Christ would come within forty years of
his lifetime. Why should we believe Reagan any more than the hundreds of others
who have made false predictions in the past?
Again, in the June, 1997
issue of the Lamplighter, Reagan
discusses more “Modern Day Signs of the Times.” These are no more convincing
than any others. One so-called “sign” he proposes is very revealing. He says,
“Even the phenomenal success of Hal Lindsay’s (sic) book, The Late Great Planet Earth, is a unique sign of the times. Keep in
mind that this book was the number one best seller in the world, with the sole
exception of the Bible, for ten consecutive years, from 1970 to 1980.” The
large number of sales for this book proves only the gullibility of those who
want to walk by sight rather than by faith. According to Lindsey’s predictions
the so-called “rapture” of the Church should have taken place in 1981, and
Christ should have returned to rule on earth in 1988. Did Reagan learn his
eschatology from the Bible or from Hal Lindsey? The fact that these two were on
the same program at a
Reagan—like all
dispensationalists—is locked into a literalistic and carnal interpretation of Scripture.
And he stays with this hermeneutic even when it is in obvious conflict with the
New Testament writers. A twin to Reagan’s hermeneutic is his national
Reagan’s method of
interpretation is so literalistic that he believes the Old Testament Ark of the
Covenant is in heaven. He uses Revelation 11:19 as support, which is another
example of denying symbolism. But his real reason for this conjecture is his
national
David Reagan even believes
that the New Jerusalem is the physical city of
One of the
most recent positions taken by Reagan, which fully reveals his radical methods
of interpretation, involves the so-called “Bible Code.” Those who promote such
nonsense, relying upon Jewish cabbalism,
claim to find such things encoded in the Bible as Napoleon’s name alongside “
David Reagan claims there
are over five hundred prophecies in the Old Testament about the second coming of Christ. This writer has failed to find even one! The New Testament writers
unanimously proclaim the truth that the Old Testament was pointing to the first coming of Christ. If one believes that the Bible is the inspired
Word of God they must accept the New Testament interpretation of the Old
Testament. When we do we will rejoice in what a wonderful thing God has done in
Christ. And we will not be caught up in date-setting. And rather than being
focused on what God supposedly is doing with national
It seems to this writer that
the Judaizers of the first century and the dispensationalists like David
Reagan—by their dogmatic insistence that the nation of
Note: all Scripture quotations by author are from the NASB.
Books and videos
by author—and obtained from author (Seminars
on eschatology are also conducted by this author.)
1. Christ--The Focus of All History, published 1994 ( $5.00, plus $1.50 s & h)
2. Our Reigning King and Returning Lord, published 1998 ($15.00, plus $3.00 s & h)
3. Set of five videos, covering over eight hours of lecture ($65 per set, including s & h)
3. Corinth—And Our Current Culture, published 2004 ($30.00, plus $5.00 s & h).