While not typically found as an entry in most online Bible dictionaries, “prophetic postponement” is a theological concept central to dispensationalism. It refers to the belief that the earthly kingdom promised to Israel by the Old Testament prophets was offered by Jesus during his first coming, but because of Israel’s rejection of him, the establishment of that kingdom was postponed.
Core tenets of prophetic postponement
A genuine offer: Dispensational theology teaches that Jesus made a real offer of the Messianic kingdom to the Jewish people, who were expecting a king to establish a physical, political empire.
The rejection: Israel’s national leadership rejected Jesus as the Messiah, which, from this perspective, created the conditions for the postponement.
The “parenthesis”: With the kingdom postponed, God began a new dispensation or age—the “church age.” Dispensationalists sometimes describe this as a temporary “parenthesis” in the prophetic timeline. The church was not revealed in the Old Testament but serves as an interim plan until God’s focus returns to Israel.
Future fulfillment: According to this view, the prophecies concerning Israel’s earthly kingdom will be fulfilled literally in the future, often associated with Christ’s second coming and the establishment of a millennial kingdom.
Supporting arguments
Proponents cite several biblical passages to support this idea:
Repentance-based delays: The concept is supported by biblical precedents in which God temporarily delayed or modified his plans based on human repentance or unfaithfulness. Examples include God postponing judgment on King Ahab (1 Kings 21) or granting King Hezekiah a longer life (2 Kings 20).
John the Baptist and Elijah: Some dispensationalists interpret the ministry of John the Baptist as contingent on Israel’s acceptance of Jesus. Matthew 11:14 suggests that John “is Elijah who was to come” if the people had accepted Jesus, implying a postponement when they did not.
Points of contention
The concept of prophetic postponement has been a major point of debate among Christian theologians, and it is largely rejected by non-dispensationalists.
The kingdom is now: Covenant theologians and many other non-dispensationalists believe that the kingdom of God was inaugurated in the first century and is currently present through the church. They reject the idea that the kingdom was postponed.
Timed prophecies cannot be postponed: Critics argue that if certain Old Testament prophecies were time-specific, as in Daniel’s 70 weeks, they cannot simply be put on hold without failing entirely.
Rejection was foreseen: Opponents point out that the rejection and crucifixion of Jesus were part of God’s sovereign plan from the beginning, not an unforeseen event that required a new plan.
A different kind of kingdom: Another argument is that Old Testament prophecies about an earthly kingdom were not meant to be taken literally. Instead, they were fulfilled figuratively and spiritually in Christ and his heavenly kingdom, which the church embodies.
Prophetic postponement is a theological concept, central to Dispensationalism, that posits God’s plan for the future kingdom of Israel was put on hold after the Jewish people rejected Jesus as their Messiah. According to this view, the church age is a temporary period—a “parenthesis” in prophecy—that fills the gap between Jesus’s first and second comings.
The concept explained
Original plan: Dispensationalists believe that the Old Testament prophets described a future earthly kingdom for Israel, which was offered by Jesus to the nation of Israel at his first advent.
National rejection: After Jesus performed miracles and the Jewish leaders accused him of casting out demons by Satan’s power, Israel as a nation definitively rejected him as their king.
Postponement of the kingdom: Because of this rejection, the offer of the earthly kingdom was withdrawn and its fulfillment postponed until a later date. It was not a denial of the kingdom, but a deferral.
The church age: The current era, the church age, was not explicitly prophesied in the Old Testament, but was revealed as a mystery in the New Testament. It is a transitional period for God’s work in the world.
Future fulfillment: God’s prophecies to Israel will be fulfilled literally during Christ’s second coming, when the earthly kingdom will finally be established.
Biblical support and counter-arguments
Proponents of prophetic postponement find support in several passages:
Matthew 12: Jesus’s confrontation with the religious leaders over healing on the Sabbath and their accusation of his being controlled by Satan is seen as the decisive moment of national rejection, leading to the postponement of the kingdom.
Matthew 13: The parables of the kingdom of heaven are sometimes interpreted as describing the nature of this interim, “postponed” age, which is different from the kingdom of prophecy.
Acts 3:19–21: Peter tells the Jews to “repent… so that he may send Jesus.” Dispensationalists interpret this as another conditional offer of the kingdom, which was not accepted.
The concept is heavily debated among theologians. Some who hold to other interpretations of prophecy, such as covenant theology or preterism, reject the notion of prophetic postponement. They argue that Jesus inaugurated a spiritual kingdom in the first century, which exists today.
Examples of postponement in the Bible
Beyond the kingdom, the Bible provides other instances where God delayed promised actions, which proponents cite as evidence of his sovereign prerogative to postpone events:
Jonah and Nineveh: The city’s destruction was postponed after its people repented.
King Hezekiah: God delayed his death by 15 years in response to his prayer.
Kadesh Barnea: The Israelites’ entry into the Promised Land was postponed for 40 years because of their unbelief.
Habakkuk 2:3: This verse speaks to the certainty of prophecy but also acknowledges that there can be a delay.
These examples demonstrate that biblical delays are often temporary and conditional, and do not negate the eventual fulfillment of the promise.