John Dwight Pentecost (April 24, 1915 – April 28, 2014) was an American Christian

theologian Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

, best known for his book ''Things to Come''. Pentecost was born in Pennsylvania and died in Dallas, Texas. His wife was Dorothy Harrison Pentecost (June 17, 1915 – June 21, 2000). John and Dorothy had two daughters: Jane Pentecost Fenby and Gwendolyn Ann Pentecost Arnold. Pentecost was Distinguished Professor of Bible Exposition, Emeritus, at

Dallas Theological Seminary Dallas Theological Seminary (DTS) is an evangelical theology, theological seminary in Dallas, Texas. It is known for popularizing the theological system dispensationalism. DTS has campuses in Dallas, Houston, and Washington, D.C., as well as cont ...

, one of only two so honored. He held a B.A. from

Hampden-Sydney College Hampden Sydney is a census-designated place (CDP) in Prince Edward County, Virginia, United States. The population was 1,450 at the 2010 census. Hampden Sydney is the home of Hampden–Sydney College, a private all-male college that is the tenth- ...

(1937), in addition to Th.M. (1941) and Th.D. (1956) degrees from Dallas Theological Seminary. During his academic career he taught biblical subjects for over 60 years ( Philadelphia College of Bible, 1948–55;

, 1955-2014). His nearly twenty books are written mostly for the general Christian reader. His pastoral career continued through this period. * Ordained at Cambridge Springs, Pennsylvania (Presbyterian Church) in 1941 * Pastor at the same Cambridge Springs, Pennsylvania (Presbyterian Church) from 1941 to 1946 * Pastor at Devon, Pennsylvania (Saint John's Presbyterian Church) from 1946 to 1951 * Pastor at Dallas, Texas (Grace Bible Church) from 1958 to 1976 He traveled worldwide, speaking on his specialist subjects.J Dwight Penticost's speaking toursMore speaking tours A

Festschrift In academia, a ''Festschrift'' (; plural, ''Festschriften'' ) is a book honoring a respected person, especially an academic, and presented during their lifetime. It generally takes the form of an edited volume, containing contributions from the h ...

, ''Essays in Honor of J. Dwight Pentecost'', has been written. Edited by Stanley D. Toussaint and Charles H. Dyer, it was published by

Moody Press Moody Bible Institute (MBI) is a private evangelical Christian Bible college founded in the Near North Side of Chicago, Illinois, US by evangelist and businessman Dwight Lyman Moody in 1886. Historically, MBI has maintained positions that have i ...

in January 1986.

Writings

Pentecost is possibly best known for his published writings, which are predominantly focused on issues of Christian living and the

eschatological Eschatology (; ) concerns expectations of the end of the present age, human history, or of the world itself. The end of the world or end times is predicted by several world religions (both Abrahamic and non-Abrahamic), which teach that negati ...

scriptures. Pentecost took a

Premillennial Premillennialism, in Christian eschatology, is the belief that Jesus will physically return to the Earth (the Second Coming) before the Millennium, a literal thousand-year golden age of peace. Premillennialism is based upon a literal interpretat ...

and Pretribulational view of the unfulfilled prophetic passages of the apocalyptic biblical literature. He had a

Dispensationalist Dispensationalism is a system that was formalized in its entirety by John Nelson Darby. Dispensationalism maintains that history is divided into multiple ages or "dispensations" in which God acts with humanity in different ways. Dispensationali ...

position, however, and his ''Things to Come'' (1958) is characterized by a comprehensive review of almost every view on the biblical prophetic subject matter that has any form of prominence.Prophetic writing elements

Bibliography

* ''Things to Come'', Zondervan, 1958 * ''Prophecy for Today : God's Purpose and Plan for Our Future'', Zondervan, 1961 * ''Will Man Survive?'' * ''The Parables of the Kingdom'' * ''Pattern for Maturity'' (since retitled ''Designed to Be Like Him'') * ''The Joy of Intimacy with God : A Bible Study Guide to 1 John'', Discovery House * ''Faith That Endures : A Practical Commentary on the Book of Hebrews'', 2000 rev. ed. * ''The Divine Comforter : The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit'', Kregel, 1963 * ''Designed to be Like Him : Understanding God's Plan for Fellowship, Conduct, Conflict, and Maturity'', 1966 * ''Your Adversary, the Devil'', 1969 * ''Life’s Problems-God’s Solutions : Answers to 15 of Life's most Perplexing Problems'', 1971 * ''The Joy of Living : Study of Philippians'', Kregel 1973 * ''Profecías para el Mundo Moderno'' 1973 * ''Design for Living : Lessons on Holiness from the Sermon on the Mount'', Kregel, 1975 * ''The Sermon on the Mount : Contemporary Insights for a Christian Lifestyle'', Multnomah Press, Portland, 1980 * ''The Words and Works of Jesus Christ : A Study of the Life of Christ'', Zondervan, 1981 * ''A Harmony of the Words & Works of Jesus Christ'', Zondervan, 1981 * ''The Parables of Jesus : Lessons in Life from the Master Teacher'', 1982 * ''Thy Kingdom Come : Tracing God's Kingdom Program and Covenant Promises Throughout History'', Kregel, 1995 * ''Things Which become Sound Doctrine : Doctrinal Studies of Fourteen Crucial Words of Faith'', Kregel, 1996 * ''Design for Discipleship : Discovering God's Blueprint for the Christian Life'', Kregel, 1996 * ''New Wine: A Study of Transition in the Book of Acts''.Kregel, 2010

Notes

References

* * *

External links

Photo and booklist.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pentecost, J. Dwight 1915 births 2014 deaths American theologians Christian writers Dallas Theological Seminary faculty Hampden–Sydney College alumni Dallas Theological Seminary alumni