I may have investigated Dr. John F. MacArthur and found out the Hylestic groups have been smearing half-truths. After checking more of what Lordship salvation is about–I’m convinced all about testing true converts from the false ones. What I never realized or even forgot was that MacArthur didn’t only turn 85 years old the other day. MacArthur also shares the same birthday as my favorite preacher, Charles H. Spurgeon! I bought the book called Truth Endures. Baptist preacher Steven Lawson called MacArthur the “Spurgeon of our day”. I enjoyed MacArthur’s methodology of verse-by-verse preaching even if I intended to remain in the IFB, KJV-Only position. I wanted to warn more brethren of the alleged faults of the KJV. Spurgeon is admired by both Calvinists and non-Calvinists alike. I could still shake hands with a Calvinist back when I wasn’t. Back then, I used to assume that every Calvinist was a Presbyterian. I would often raise the late D. James Kennedy when someone says he or she is a Calvinist. I only started demonizing MacArthur because of some crazy Hyles followers and their misrepresentations.
The Spurgeon Library is maintained by MacArthur and his staff members. I imagined ditching the Hylestics when I discovered their watered-down repentance. I’m glad someone pointed out to me to stop reading Jesus-is-Savior–a site that made me doubt my salvation and vaccination. Reading the Spurgeon Library by Grace to You makes me imagine I was back in an era of lower technology. There was no Internet at that time to spread Spurgeon’s message worldwide. However, the more I examined my walk, I became a futurist when I studied Revelation. I reject the silly idea that Francisco Ribera created futurism to distract people away from the Pope. Back then, Spurgeon spread the idea that the Antichrist was a dynasty. MacArthur uses the futurist view with Revelation, which may be the most accurate way to view things. The best way to view prophecy is by looking at what’s fulfilled, what’s being fulfilled, and what will be fulfilled. Those three tenses all help verify the prophecies. That’s how Kennedy presented prophecies in Why I Believe. It’s amazing the work Kennedy put into providing historical references to prove the prophecies of the Bible.
My first book by MacArthur was called Fool’s Gold?. I read through The Gospel According to Jesus where Spurgeon is frequently mentioned. I’m no longer surprised by a diehard Hyles troll who even dismissed Spurgeon as a “Jesuit agent”. The reason was that this troll claimed that Calvinists are Jesuit agents (based on the fact John Calvin went to school with Ignatius of Loyola, logical fallacy there) and when Spurgeon did the so-called Hand of Jahbulon. That pose got me into unnecessary trouble because I decided it’d be cool to pose like Napoleon Bonaparte.
MacArthur does a good job in verse-by-verse preaching even if I heavily disagree with his view on Genesis 6. No preacher is absolutely perfect. I reject MacArthur’s view of demon-possessed men creating demon-possessed families in Genesis 6. Instead, Spurgeon got it right in his August 20th evening devotional. Spurgeon gives his view that the daughters of men are unbelieving women. I reject Spurgeon’s view of Revelation, the same view used by the Protestant reformers. I find the thought of the Papal Dynasty as the Antichrist (one person) way too confusing. Back then, I rejected MacArthur’s and Spurgeon’s use of Calvinism. I still reject Calvin’s cigar even after embracing Calvinism. Both Spurgeon and MacArthur provide useful sermons, both expository and topical. Despite for their mistakes, I still remain thankful to them.
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