John Dwight Pentecost (April 24, 1915 – April 28, 2014) was an American Christian theologian, 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[1] and Gwendolyn Ann Pentecost Arnold.
Pentecost was Distinguished Professor of Bible Exposition, Emeritus, at Dallas Theological Seminary, one of only two so honored.[2] He held a B.A. from Hampden-Sydney College (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; Dallas Theological Seminary, 1955-2014). His nearly twenty books are written mostly for the general Christian reader. His pastoral career continued through this period.[3]
- 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.[4][5] A Festschrift, 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 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 scriptures. Pentecost took a Premillennial and Pretribulational view of the unfulfilled prophetic passages of the apocalyptic biblical literature. He had a Dispensationalist 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.[6]
