John Flipse Walvoord (May 1, 1910 – December 20, 2002) was a

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

theologian Theology is the study of religious belief from a religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of ...

pastor A pastor (abbreviated to "Ps","Pr", "Pstr.", "Ptr." or "Psa" (both singular), or "Ps" (plural)) is the leader of a Christianity, Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutherani ...

, and president of Dallas Theological Seminary from 1952 to 1986. He authored over 30 books, focusing primarily on

eschatology Eschatology (; ) concerns expectations of the end of Contemporary era, present age, human history, or the world itself. The end of the world or end times is predicted by several world religions (both Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic and non-Abrah ...

and theology, including ''The Rapture Question'', and was co-editor of ''The Bible Knowledge Commentary'' with Roy B. Zuck. He earned the degrees of

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

and

Doctor of Divinity A Doctor of Divinity (DD or DDiv; ) is the holder of an advanced academic degree in divinity (academic discipline), divinity (i.e., Christian theology and Christian ministry, ministry or other theologies. The term is more common in the Englis ...

from Wheaton College, a

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degree from

Texas Christian University Texas Christian University (TCU) is a private university, private research university in Fort Worth, Texas, United States. It was established in 1873 by brothers Addison Clark, Addison and Randolph Clark as the AddRan Male & Female College. It i ...

in philosophy, a

Bachelor of Theology The Bachelor of Theology degree (BTh, ThB, or BTheol) is a two- to five-year undergraduate degree or graduate degree in theological disciplines and is typically (but not exclusively) pursued by those seeking ordination for ministry in a church, de ...

Master of Theology Master of Theology (, abbreviated ThM, MTh or MTheol, or ''Sacrae Theologiae Magister''; abbreviated STM) is a post-graduate degree offered by universities, divinity schools, and seminaries. It can serve as a transition degree for entrance into a ...

, and

Doctor of Theology Doctor of Theology (, abbreviated DTh, ThD, DTheol, or Dr. theol.) is a terminal degree in the academic discipline of theology. The ThD, like the ecclesiastical Doctor of Sacred Theology, is an advanced research degree equivalent to the Doctor o ...

systematic theology Systematic theology, or systematics, is a discipline of Christian theology that formulates an orderly, rational, and coherent account of the doctrines of the Christian faith. It addresses issues such as what the Bible teaches about certain topics ...

from Dallas Theological Seminary, and a Litt.D. from Liberty Baptist Seminary.

History

Walvoord was brought up in a Christian home but had little interest in the faith until he was fifteen, when his family moved to Racine after his father accepted a position as superintendent of the junior high. They joined the Union Gospel Tabernacle, where Walvoord committed his life to

Jesus Christ Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...

after attending a Bible study on Galatians. After continuing his education at Wheaton College, Walvoord went on to

and then Dallas Theological Seminary, where he completed his Th.D. in 1936. Seminary president and mentor Lewis Sperry Chafer appointed Walvoord to the position of registrar. During Walvoord's tenure, he also taught systematic theology at the seminary, and pastored the Rosen Heights Baptist Church in Fort Worth. Walvoord became more involved in the administration of the school, serving as Chafer's assistant and secretary to the faculty. Upon Chafer's death in 1952, he became the seminary's second president, serving until his retirement in 1986. In addition to his responsibilities at the seminary, Walvoord earned a reputation as one of the most influential dispensational theologians of the 20th century. He played a prominent role in advocating the doctrine of a

rapture The Rapture is an Christian eschatology, eschatological position held by some Christians, particularly those of American evangelicalism, consisting of an end-time event when all dead Christian believers will be resurrected and, joined with Chr ...

of Christians from the earth prior to a time of

great tribulation In Christian eschatology, the Great Tribulation () is a period mentioned by Jesus in the Olivet Discourse as a sign that would occur in the time of the end. At , "the Great Tribulation" () is used to indicate the period spoken of by Jesus. us ...

, followed by a literal thousand-year millennial reign of Christ, and a renewed focus of God on the nation of Israel (which he associated with modern-day

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) as distinct from the Church. As part of his dispensationalist theology, he claimed there was prophetic biblical justification for the restoration of a

Jewish state In world politics, Jewish state is a characterization of Israel as the nation-state and sovereign homeland for the Jewish people. Overview Modern Israel came into existence on 14 May 1948 as a polity to serve as the homeland for the Jewi ...

Palestine Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in West Asia. Recognized by International recognition of Palestine, 147 of the UN's 193 member states, it encompasses the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and th ...

. Stephen Sizer, an Anglican priest who is a prominent critic of

Christian Zionism Christian Zionism is a political and religious ideology that, in a Christianity and Judaism, Christian context, espouses the return of the Jews, Jewish people to the Holy Land. Likewise, it holds that the founding of the State of Israel in 1948 ...

, lists Walvoord as one of the "leading dispensationalists who are also overtly

Zionist Zionism is an Ethnic nationalism, ethnocultural nationalist movement that emerged in History of Europe#From revolution to imperialism (1789–1914), Europe in the late 19th century that aimed to establish and maintain a national home for the ...

", including also Charles Ryrie, Dwight Pentecost, Eric Sauer, Charles Dyer and Hal Lindsey, Retrieved on 20 March 2018. all associated with Dallas Theological Seminary.

Selected publications

* ''The Revelation of Jesus Christ'', John Walvoord,

Moody Publishers Moody Bible Institute (MBI) is a private evangelical Christian Bible college in Chicago, Illinois. It was founded by evangelist and businessman Dwight Lyman Moody in 1886. Historically, MBI has maintained positions that have identified it as ...

(1966), * ''Daniel: The Key to Prophetic Revelation'', John Walvoord, Moody Publishers (1971), *''Armageddon, Oil and the Middle East Crisis'',

Zondervan Zondervan is an international Christian media and publishing company located in Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States. Zondervan is a founding member of the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA). It is a part of HarperCollins, Ha ...

. (1974, rev. ed. 1976 and 1990), * ''Jesus Christ Our Lord'', John F Walvoord, Moody Publishers (1974), * ''Major Bible Themes'' (with Lewis Sperry Chafer) (1974) * ''The Blessed Hope and the Tribulation: A Historical and Biblical Study of Posttribulationism'' (1976) * ''The Rapture Question'' (1979) * ''The Millennial Kingdom'' (1983) * ''The Bible Knowledge Commentary'' (with Roy B. Zuck), Cook Communications (1989), * ''The Holy Spirit: A Comprehensive Study of the Person and Work of the Holy Spirit'' (1991) * (contributor) ''Five Views on Sanctification'' (1996) * (contributor) ''Four Views on Hell'', Zondervan Corp. (1996), * ''Matthew: Thy Kingdom Come'', The Moody Bible Institute of Chicago (1974), * ''The Final Drama: Fourteen Keys to Understanding the Prophetic Scriptures'', Kregel Publications (1998), * ''Every Prophecy of the Bible'', Cook Communications (1999), * ''The Church in Prophecy: Exploring God's Purpose for the Present Age'', Kregel Publications (1999), * ''The Power of Praying Together: Experiencing Christ Actively in Charge'' (with Oliver W. Price), Kregel Publications (1999), * ''Major Bible Prophecies'', Zondervan Corp. (1999), * ''Blessed Hope'' (autobiography with Mal Couch), AMG Publishers (2001), * ''Prophecy in the New Millennium'', Kregel Publications (2001),

References

Audio programs

Harold Camping (Amillennialism) vs. John Walvoord (Premillennialism)
– 1980 debate MP3 {{DEFAULTSORT:Walvoord, John 1910 births 2002 deaths 20th-century American clergy 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American non-fiction writers 21st-century American male writers 21st-century American non-fiction writers American Christian theologians American Christian Zionists American male non-fiction writers American Presbyterian ministers Christian writers about eschatology Dallas Theological Seminary alumni Dallas Theological Seminary faculty Dispensationalism Presbyterian writers Texas Christian University alumni Wheaton College (Illinois) alumni Presidents of the Evangelical Theological Society