John MacArthur will lead you astray with his overbearing dispensationalism. Because of it I no longer recommend him.
Correct me if I am wrong, most Calvinists, especially those holding to Covenant Theology have an end times view where most prophecies in the N.T. have been fulfilled (partial Preterist?), where those (Calvinists, Arminians, etc.) holding to Dispensationalism have an end times view where most prophecies have yet to be fulfilled? If this is so, all I have ever heard concerning end times, is the Dispensational side. Though I have heard both sides of post-trib and pre-trib, and seems many are dropping the whole notion of a rapture. I lean towards the idea that the Church has already gone through the great tribulation, I tie to either the persecution of the Church under Nero, or else the "Crusades" or else the persecution during the time of the Reformation. I say lean, because I have no idea what God has in store for the future, only know that Christ is coming in the future and the earth will not be the same when He is done. To me, it will be a most glorious day, and thinking about it causes me to look forward to see Him, like a wife with a husband in the military, and her husband she has not seen for months on end.
Just looking at events throughout the world in the past one hundred years or so and what appears to me to be declining in many ways in every area of life with exceptions in technology and discoveries and such, I am concerned, and cannot help but be sympathetic towards Dispensationalism, as much as I do not enjoy hearing the "doom and gloom" of it. Whatever the case may be, the grace of God is sufficient, I trust God will give His people the grace for whatever situation in time of need, though it is easy to say at the moment from where I am at.
John MacArthur is an important figure in my opinion, and despite his sympathies with dispensationalism, he is friends with many prominent Presbyterians including R.C. Sproul, they have even done conferences together where people in the audience during Q&A attempt to bring up the differences between them, and of course, they both respond thoughtfully and graciously. Funny part is, it's only recently that I even took the time to listen to John M. As with most any preacher/teacher/instructor/professor I listen with the desire to learn, be inspired, encouraged, comforted, convicted, etc. but I do so also with a grain of caution, and it's probably for this reason, I learn slower than many others. I believe John M. has much to offer, and benefit from, despite some disagreements. I understand though people who have already listened for a long time, and perhaps tired of sifting the chaff from the wheat. I totally feel that way about Arminianism, when all I want to hear is the pure Gospel of Christ, the Gospel of Sovereign Grace.
