Millennial Teaching

[netchaplain]

Millennium

This is a theological term, from the Latin mille (thousand), and annum (year). The Millennium indicates Christ’s future thousand-year reign—His kingdom rule over Israel (on the old and new earth—NC); Revelation 20. The disciples asked, “Lord, wilt Thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6).

Note: United Kingdom of Israel

“This kingdom existed from around 1020 to 922 BCE and was ruled by Saul, David, and Solomon. The tribes of Israel united to form the kingdom under the leadership of charismatic judges, and Saul was anointed as the first king” (Wikipedia—NC).


Premillennialism (true doctrine in my opinion—NC)

This scriptural teaching holds that Christ will return to earth (which begins the millennium, as they “lived and reigned with Christ” - Rev 20:4—NC), literally and bodily, before the millennial age begins and that, by His presence a kingdom will be instituted over which He will reign. In this kingdom Israel’s covenant will be fulfilled (Jer 31:31-33; Eze 36:25-27—NC). It will continue for a thousand years, after which the kingdom will be given by the Son to the Father (1 Corinthians 15:24) when it will merge with His eternal kingdom composed of the new heaven and the new earth.

Amillennialism

This error is most extant today, and claims that there will be no literal millennium on earth following Christ’s return. It is maintained that all prophecies concerning the kingdom are being fulfilled now by the Church (Preterism—NC). Augustine taught this theory, held to this day by Roman Catholicism. Their very structure of church government and their program of works depend upon this erroneous use of the Old Testament promises about the coming kingdom, as fulfilled in and by their church (attempting to receive Israel’s promises of an eternal kingdom on the new earth, i.e. New Israel, which is false; but Christians will inherit the new heaven—NC).

Many Reformed churches and Covenant theologians (Covenantism involves those who teach God has a Covenant with Christians, but the present Covenant is with the Father and Son and not with God and Christians. Christians are only recipients of the “Covenant of Redemption” - Heb 13:20, 21 - and are not covenanters in this Covenant. —NC), as well as Liberals also hold to amillennailism. Generally it is denied that Christ will literally rein on earth. Satan is conceived as bound at the first coming of Christ (during His time He spent on earth—NC). This present age is claimed to be the actual realization of the millennium. There are some differences as to whether the millennium is being fulfilled on earth (Augustine), or whether it is being fulfilled by the saints in heaven (Warfield—reformed). It is the idea that there will be no more millennium than there is now, and the eternal state immediately follows Christ’s second coming.

Postmillennialism

This hitherto discarded but now returning concept originated in the writings of one Daniel Whitby (1638-1726), a Unitarian controversialist of England. He held that the present age will end with a period of great spiritual blessing corresponding to the millennial promises, and that this will be accomplished by the preaching of the Gospel.

The whole world will be Christianized and brought to submission to the Gospel before the return of Christ (actually, the majority of mankind will perish - Mat 7:13, 14—NC). The theory is that Christ will return after the millennium, hence postmillennial. This teaching was at its peak prior to World War 1, pouring out glowing accounts of the triumphant progress of Christianity, recognition of the universal brotherhood of men, and the power of the church in world affairs.

The conflagration of the First World War brought these claims and aspirations to an abrupt halt. It finally became obvious that man was not adequate within himself as their humanism had contended. The day of a golden age, in which Christian principles should dominate the world after their postmillennial pattern, faded away. But now, a generation later, there is an effort to reestablish this error.

—John F Walvoord





MJS devotional excerpt for September 12

"The mistake with many saints in the present day is that they think because they can describe a truth, that therefore they have learned it. When a truth is really accepted, the conscience demands that there should be accordance with it.

"The Scriptures tell me what the Father gives me, but they do not give it to me. The Spirit applies the Word to me in its divine meaning, and then I possess what Scripture tells me is mine through God’s grace. For instance, the Word tells me that if I behold the Lord’s glory I shall be transformed. It doesn’t transform me, however clearly I may see what it states. It communicates to me a very great thing, that it is the Spirit who makes it experiential to me." –J B Stoney (1814-1897)

None But The Hungry Heart

 

[for_his_glory]

This is my understanding as I wrote this article.

Right after the seven vial judgments have been poured out on those who took the mark of the beast mystery Babylon will have been revealed and destroyed with fire as the kings of all the nations who took part in her will flee and bewail her destruction as well as those merchants who were made rich by her. Heaven and all those souls that have gone back to God while their physical bodies returned to the ground/grave will then rejoice as their blood will be avenged by God as the great city Babylon that has been revealed will be destroyed and the preaching of the Gospel will end as the door of Salvation will be closed forever as in Jesus was life and life was the light of men, but the darkness could not comprehend it, Rev 16-18, John 1:1-5.

Rev 19:1-6 begins with all those in heaven as they are rejoicing as God will have judged the great whore and destroys her in the end of days as even now she is corrupting the earth an causes much blood shed as she persecutes the saints of God to death. Rev 19:7-10 comes the timing of the marriage of the Lamb as the whore of Babylon and her city will have been destroyed and all those who are Christ asleep in the grave and alive at His coming have prepared themselves for the marriage of the Lamb as they being His Bride will sup with Him for eternity. Rev 19:7-9 mentions nothing of us being caught up to Him yet, but to us it will be granted that we being the Bride should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white for the fine linen is the righteousness of the saints.

The events that follow after heaven rejoices starting with Rev 19:11-21 is that Jesus returns with his army of warring angels (not the saints of God) from heaven that follow Him, as Jesus will then destroy the beast and false prophet casting them into the lake of fire and then will strike dead the remnant by the words of His mouth as the remnant are those who the beast uses to rule evil over the nations. Christ then sends an angel to bind Satan for a 1000 years so he can no longer deceive the nations (people) anymore until he is set loose for a time. A 1000 years in Rev 20 is not literal years, but only symbolic of a certain period of time as nowhere else in scripture other than Rev 20 does it mention a literal 1000 year reign of Christ here on earth, but symbolic as in Deuteronomy 7:9; 1Chronicles 16:15; Psalms 50:10; 90:4; 105:8 Ecc 6:6; 7:28; Daniel 5:1; 2Peter 3:8.

Rev 20:4-15 during this time of Satan being bound comes the resurrection of all, (as all means saints and those who are not of faith in God), who are asleep in the ground will hear the voice of Christ calling them to come forth as some will be resurrected to eternal life with the Father and others to damnation, John 5:28,29, 1Corinthians 15:51-58; 1Thessalonians 1:1-10; 4:13-18. When we are given our new glorified bodies Jesus will gather us to Him like a mother hen gathers her chicks under her wings for protection, Matthew 23:34-39. Satan will be loosed for a short time to go out and deceive the nations by gathering all those who are his own and then sends them to attack the camp of the saints, but God sends fire down from heaven and to devour them. Satan is then cast into the lake of fire followed by those who stand in Gods Great White Throne judgment and as their names are not written in the book of life will then be cast into the lake of fire and remembered no more.

Many teach that there are two resurrections, but that is not what scriptures says. There is only one resurrection, but two judgments of those who sleep in the grave, John 5:28,29. Everyone was created by God, but not all are found faithful to Him as many refused to Hear the word of God and turned away from Him and will continue to do so until the coming of the Lord. Then there are those like that of the parable Jesus gave in Matthew 25:14-30 and the judgment of the Gentiles in Matthew 25:31-46. We know Jesus comes with rewards as the rewards are different for each one.

Rev 6:9-11 and Rev 20:4 were only visions John was being shown as it is only the souls that are reigning with Christ in heaven as John 3:13 says no one other than Christ has ever ascended up to heaven. The only thing that goes back to God when this physical body dies and goes back to the dust of the ground is the very breath/spirit that made us a living soul as the soul can never die, Genesis 22:7; Ecc 12:7; Matthew 10:28. Those souls John was being shown are reigning with Christ in Heaven for a time until all of God's enemies become His footstool as Christ who sits at the right hand of the Father reigns with Him in heaven until the end comes on the last day, John 6:40, when Christ returns and establishes His kingdom here on earth and takes His seat on the throne of David in the New Jerusalem, Isaiah 66:1; Matthew 5:33-37; Hebrews 10:12,13.

Many look for a physical kingdom here on earth and read into Rev 20 that Christ will reign for a thousand years here on earth with His saints, but truth is that Christ has always reigned with God from before the foundation of the world and for eternity, John 1:1-4; 1Peter 1:18-23. It was Satan's pride that caused the nations to sin against God as Satan ruled evil over the nations, Isaiah 14:12-15; Ezekiel 28:13-17, but yet the nations have always been Gods kingdoms as in the end of days He will separate the sheep from the goats/wheat from the tares. In Rev 11:14-19 the kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign forever. What this means is that Gods longsuffering and patience will come to an end, 2 Peter 3:9, 10, as His great wrath is poured out on the earth. All His enemies will become His footstool, then will He send Christ and His army of angels to destroy all that is an abomination to Him casting it all into the lake of fire. Jesus will at that time establish His kingdom here on earth as God makes new the heaven and earth ushering down the new Jerusalem as we will then be with the Lord forever, Luke 19:12; 1Corinthians 15:20-26; 2Peter 3:10; Colossians 1:13; John 18:36, Rev 21:1.

Everything from Rev 11:14 that starts the third woe with the seventh trumpet sounding and continues through Rev 20:15 comes quickly in Gods timing, even though man tries to put a certain timing to the beginning and end of Gods great wrath. We inherit the kingdoms of God from the day of our Spiritual rebirth, John 3:3-6; Romans 10:9,10 as they have been prepared for us from the foundation of the world, Matthew 25:34. We reign with Christ here on this present earth as Gods grace gives us all power and authority through that of Christ Jesus for it is not our power and authority, but is Christ's that works in us and through us as a faithful servant as He is in us and we in Him.

IMO, I believe 1000 being a figurative number, not a literal number as in Deuteronomy 7:9; 1Chronicles 16:15; Psalms 50:10; 90:4; 105:8 Ecc 6:6; 7:28; Daniel 5:1; 2 Peter 3:8.