THE TRIUMPHANT RETURN AND THE KINGDOM
From the book by Grant R. Jeffrey (published in 2001)
The Second Coming of Christ Will Be Premillennial
The Millennial kingdom of the coming Messiah is perhaps the
most misunderstood subject in the whole field of prophecy. The
nature of the Millennium is the issue that has divided Christian
scholars and prophecy writers into three great positions:
amillennial, postmillennial, and premillennial.
The premillennial position teaches that Christ will actually
return to establish his millennial kingdom. It is the oldest of
the three views and was taught consistantly by the leaders of the
early Church. The premillennial return of Christ is the only view
consistent with the literal interpretation of the prophecies of
the Old and New Testament.
The amillennial position suggests that the Millennium is
only symbolic and that it refers to Christ spiritually ruling the
kingdom of God from heaven. This amillennial view was popularized
by Augustine (A.D.354-430) and gradually replaced the teaching of
the premillennial return of Christ throughout the medieval Church
for over a thousand years. Amillennialists teach that Christ will
only return after the Church has Christianized the population of
earth.
The third view, the postmillennial position, is somewhat
similar to amillenialism in that it teaches that the Millennial
Kingdom will occur as a result of the conquest of the Church over
the secular world. The postmillennial view was first introduced
only two centuries ago by Daniel Whitby in 1800 and teaches that
Christ will not return until after the Church establishes the
Millennial Kingdom on earth for a thousand years. These two
theories are contradicted by numerous prophecies throughout the
Scriptures. An excellent comprehensive presentation of the three
millennial views and a very persuasive case for premillennialism
is given by Dwight Pentecost in his book "Things to Come."
The Scriptures teach that Jesus Christ, who suffered
crucifixion at His first advent, "shall come in his glory, and
all his angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his
glory" (Matthew 25:31). The New Testament contains a great number
of specific predictions about the future kingdom of God that have
not yet been fulfilled. For example, the prophecies declare that
the Second Coming of Christ will usher in an unprecedented time
of universal righteousness and true peace on earth. After this,
the prophecy of the book of Revelation will finally be fulfilled,
"And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in
heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the
kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for
ever and ever" (Revelation 11:15).
If we are to understand the hundreds of specific prophecies
about the divine plan of God to establish His kingdom on earth,
we must first attempt to understand the fundamental biblical
truth regarding the Second Coming and its relation to the time of
the coming Millennium. For example, King David wrote about the
future global rule of the coming Messiah over all nations using
the words "all nations shall serve him." David declared:
He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from
the river unto the ends of the earth. They that dwell in the
wilderness shall bow before him; and his enemies shall lick
the dust. The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall bring
presents: the kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts.
Yea, all kings shall fall down before him: all nations shall
serve him. (Psalms 72:8-11)
If we carefully examine God's plan for the redemption of the
earth and a lost humanity, we will see that the prophecies of the
Scriptures encompass the vast panorama from paradise lost in the
Garden of Eden to paradise restored in Revelation's astonishing
visions of the future triumph of Christ.
The word "millennium" is derived from the Latin word "mille"
for "one thousand" and the word "annum" for "year." The Greeks
used the word "chiliast," meaning "one thousand" to describe the
period of one thousand years that John described in Revelation
20. Ultimately, the word "millennium" became the common term used
to describe the period of one thousand years during which Jesus
Christ would rule the earth from His throne in Jerusalem. Charles
Ryrie described the basic principles of premillennialism: "Its
duration will be 1,000 years; its location will be on this earth;
its government will be theocratic with the personal presence of
Christ reigning as King; and it will fulfill all the
yet-unfulfilled promises about the earthly kingdom."
While virtually all Christians in the early Church, as well
as in later centuries, acknowledge that the apostle John taught
about a period of one thousand years under the rule of Christ,
there is a great deal of controversy regarding the meaning,
duration, and the point in time when this prophesied Millennium
will occur. It is interesting to note that the very popular
medieval hymn "Te Deum" included these words, acknowledging that
Jesus Christ will come to the earth in the future to establish
His rule over the nations: "We believe that Thou shalt come to be
our Judge."
The ancient prophets of Israel taught that the Messiah would
come to establish His kingdom on earth forever. The prophet
Isaiah declared:
For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name
shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The
everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of
his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the
throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to
establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth
even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform
this. (Isaiah 9:6-7)
The Scripture's promise has ultimately focused on the
prophecy about the kingdom of God on earth under the rule of the
Messiah. From the moment the Lord made His first covenant with
Abraham, He confirmed His covenant with humanity to establish a
theocratic kingdom on earth where man would ultimately enjoy the
restoration of the state of paradise, which was lost after the
rebellious sin of our first parents, Adam and Eve. Through all of
the generations from the patriarch Abraham to the time of Jesus
of Nazareth, Israel longed for the coming of their Messiah and
the establishment of His glorious rule from the throne of David
in Jerusalem.
According to the Word of God, an evil world empire will be
established under the satanic rule of Antichrist in the last
days. Then Jesus Christ will return to earth as the conquering
Messiah. He will descend from heaven with a powerful army of
resurrect saints and angels and will destroy the Antichrist and
His enemies forever (Revelation 19:11-21). The Church will not
defeat this evil world system. The role of the Church is to
preach the Gospel to everyone so that the Holy Spirit will call
out a remnant of souls who will repent and find salvation through
the forgiveness of Christ.
The prophet Daniel was given a divine interpretation of the
dream of Nebuchadnezzar, the King of Babylon, regarding the
future of gentile world political rule. The Lord provided Daniel
with a detailed prophetic outline that predicted the history of
the last twenty-five hundred years of gentile world empires.
Daniel recorded that four Gentile world empires would succeed
each other in the course of human history until a final crisis
when
Jesus Christ would return to defeat the final revived Roman
Empire under the tyrannical rule of the Antichrist.
According to the prophecy, the fourth world empire, Rome,
will be revived in a unique political form of a ten-nation
superstate in the last days and will be led by the world
dictator, the Antichrist. Daniel declared that Christ will appear
from heaven and will suddenly destroy this empire. The stone in
Daniel's vision (Daniel 2:40-45) represents the Second Coming and
the millennial "kingdom of God" under Christ's rule. Jesus will
suddenly destroy the world empire of the Antichrist when He
returns to the earth to save Israel from the armies of the
Antichrist during the Battle of Armageddon. "The Lord will then
judge the nations in the Valley of Jehoshaphat [the valley where
Jehovah judges)" (Joel 3:2,12). This judgment by Christ of the
Gentiles will follow the Battle of Armageddon and the Gentile
survivors will be judged on the basis of their treatment of His
chosen people, Israel and the tribulation saints.
Interestingly, the beliefs about the literal Millennium were
held by orthodox Jewish believers centuries before and after the
life of Christ. Hundreds of years before John wrote the
Apocalypse, the Jewish sages taught that the Scriptures revealed
God's plan to set up a messianic kingdom under the rule of the
Son of David that would endure for one thousand years. This
Jewish doctrine of a future Millennium rest, under the rule of
the Messiah king, was obviously related to their acceptance of
the tradition of the "Great Week of Human History" in which the
Messiah would rule during the last Sabbath day - lasting "one
thousand years," before the end of this age. Anyone who examines
the Scriptures will be impressed with the fact that there are
many divisions of time into sevens and into "weeks" of years in
the Word of God, beginning with the week of Creation in Genesis
and concluding with the various sevenfold divisions in the
Apocalypse. God's command to Israel to honor the weekly Sabbath
day of rest is derived from the original week of Creation and
God's rest on the seventh day. Even the Feast of Pentecost is
based on a week of weeks (forty-nine days) interval between the
Feast of Firstfruits and the day of Pentecost.
The Year of jubilee was based on a cycle of forty-nine years
(seven sevens) and the fiftieth year of rest and restitution that
followed.
It is important to note that this widely held view of the
Great Week of History that was taught by some Jewish and
Christian writers does not provide any basis for any
"date-setting" regarding the time of the return of the Messiah.
Numerous calendar changes make this impossible. This view
simply points generally to our time as the generation when we
should see prophetic signs pointing toward the Second Coming and
the approaching Millennial Kingdom.
It is obvious that a sacred cycle of sevens governs the laws
and religious life of ancient Israel. That is why the inspired
writer of the book of Hebrews referred to the coming Millennium
using the term Sabbath, or rest. Speaking of the prophesied
Sabbath, the book of Hebrews declared, "There remaineth therefore
a rest to the people of God. For he that is entered into his
rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from
his. Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any
man fall after the same example of unbelief" (Hebrew 4:9-11). The
context makes it clear that this biblical reference in Hebrews is
related to the Jewish anticipation of the coming
one-thousand-year Sabbath "rest to the people of God."
(It is certainly pointing to the future "rest" of God, but it is
also pointing very clearly to the fact that the weekly Sabbath,
symbolizing that rest of God, is a holy day that is still very
much to be observed, that is the people of God are still to
observe the 7th day Sabbath - Keith Hunt)
In the book of Psalms, King David prophesied, "For a day in
thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a
doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of
wickedness" (84:10). In another passage the Psalmist refers to
this important principle that God views time differently than we
do. "For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when
it is past, and as a watch in the night" (90:4). This widely held
ancient Jewish belief in a Great Week of God's dealing with
humanity that would conclude with a Sabbath rest of one thousand
years was reinforced in the New Testament in the prophecy of the
apostle Peter. "But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing,
that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand
years as one day" (2 Peter 3:8). Peter's prophecy is given in the
context of our anticipation of Christ's return.
(Peter here is NOT teaching a 7,000 year plan of salvation by God
for mankind. Peter is simply reminding you that "time" in God's
eyes should not be thought of as like "time" in human eyes. God
can "stretch-out time, or He can "condense-time," as He wills. To
God he can make one day into a thousand years, or make a thousand
years become one day. The Jews may have had a belief that God was
working a 7,000 year plan on this earth, BUT such a doctrine CAN
NOT be found in the Scriptures, only in the fancy mind-set of
humans. It is now a proven fact that man has been on this earth
for MORE than 7,000 years ... and we STILL await the coming of
the triumphant return of Christ. It WILL come, but that coming is
entirely in the control of the Father. He can decide to shorten
the days or lengthen the days for Christ to return - Keith Hunt)
The Jewish belief in the coming millennial reign of the
Messiah was espoused by many of the greatest orthodox Jewish
rabbis. These rabbis recorded their work in the Oral Law - the
Talmud, composed over a period of five hundred years (from 100
B.C. to A.D.400). The Talmud confirms that these religious Jews
looked expectantly for the Messiah to establish a period of
righteousness on earth that would last one thousand years. The
German scholar H. Graetz notes in his book "Geschichte der Juden"
that during medieval debates with Christians, the Jewish scholars
of Spain argued that Jesus could not have been the promised
Messiah because according to their traditional Jewish
interpretation of the Messianic passages in the Bible the Messiah
would not appear until the seventh millennium. In his book
"Contra Judaeos," the Christian writer Julian of Toledo,
described the rabbis' interpretation at great length. This
evidence suggests that the Jewish concept of the Messiah's
appearance in the seventh millennium must have been fairly widely
held.
(Maybe it was, but that belief does not make it a fact that God
is working on a 7,000 year plan of salvation for this earth and
for mankind - Keith Hunt)
There is an ancient Jewish millennial tradition attributed
to a famous rabbi named Elias, who lived two centuries before the
birth of Jesus of Nazareth. The Talmud records that Rabbi Elias
declared that God's great plan for man involved a great Sabbath
Week concluding with a thousand years of peace. "The world
endures six thousand years: two thousand years before the Law;
two thousand years under the Law and two thousand under the
Messiah. This period is called Yemoth ha-Mashiah."
Another ancient rabbi, Rabbi Ketina, is referred to in a
commentary upon the Talmud: "The world endures six thousand
years, and one thousand it shall be laid waste, [that is the
enemies of God shall be destroyed,) whereof it is said, (Isaiah
2:11) 'The Lord alone shall be exalted in that day.'" The Jewish
tradition about Rabbi Ketina declares that he taught that "as out
of seven years every seventh is the year of remission, so out of
the seven thousand years of the world the seventh millennary
shall be the millennary of remission, that God alone may be
exalted in that day."
(What Jewish rabbis taught about 7,000 years does not make it so.
It is nice to look at the seven day week and the 7th day being
the Sabbath of rest, and come up with an idea that God is working
on a 7 thousand year plan, but that does not make it so. We are
now passed the mark of the beginning of the start of the 7th one
thousand years IF you beleive Adam was created in 4004 B.C. as
Usher figured it. No where does the Bible teach God is working on
a 7 thousand year plan for this earth - Keith Hunt)
The Early Church and the Premillennial Return of Christ
It was to Jews who shared this widely held belief that Jesus
brought His unique message about His coming kingdom. It is
inconceivable that Jesus would have departed from the orthodox
Jewish biblical teaching. He supported the Old Testament's
scriptural law as it related to the Jews on many occasions. Jesus
only broke with the religious leaders when their teachings had
strayed from God's intentions. As Matthew recorded, Jesus plainly
stated, "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the
prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. For verily I
say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle
shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled"
(Matthew 5:17-18). Likewise, it is inconceivable that all of the
teachers of the early Church would have taught the premillennial
return of Christ if Jesus and the apostles had not clearly taught
this doctrine.
We have testimony from many writers in the early Church that
support the premillennial Second Coming of Christ to set up the
Kingdom of God.
Papias
Papias (60--130) was a disciple of the apostle John. He
often sat at the foot of the beloved disciple and other saints
who had personally met Jesus. Papias recorded their statements
from memory. Tragically, his five known books have been lost to
history, so we are limited to those few portions of his writings
recorded by the Church historian Eusebius. Eusebius reported in
his "Ecclesiastical History" that Papias wrote, "There will be a
millennium after the resurrection of the dead, when the personal
reign of Christ will be established on earth." Papias' statement
provides clear evidence of the very early teaching of the
premillennial doctrine in the apostolic Church within a few years
of John writing his Apocalypse in A.D.96.
Barnabas
An early Christian writer, Barnabas (not the Barnabas of the
New Testament) wrote a fascinating epistle in the early second
century (i00-120) that clearly taught the premillennial return of
the Lord. The "Epistle of Barnabas," though it was never part of
the canonical New Testament, is historically valuable as
extrabiblical evidence concerning the early Christian teachings.
Many important early Church leaders, including Origen and Jerome,
believed this document was authoritative and quoted from it.
In his epistle, Barnabas wrote about the creation account
recorded in Genesis:
And God made in six days the works of His hands; and He
finished them on the seventh day, and He rested on the
seventh day and sanctified it. Consider, my children, what
that signifies, He finished them in six days. The meaning of
it is this: that in six thousand years the Lord God will
bring all things to an end. For with Him, one day is a
thousand years; as Himself testifieth, saying, behold this
day shall be as a thousand years. Therefore children, in six
days, that is, in six thousand years, shall all things be
accomplished. And what is it that He saith, and He rested
the seventh day; He meaneth this; that when His Son shall
come, and abolish the season of the wicked one [the
Antichrist], and judge the ungodly; and shall change the sun
and the moon, and the stars, then He shall gloriously rest
in that seventh day.
This statement provides compelling proof of the widespread
acceptance of this premillennial doctrine regarding Christ's
return as taught in the early decades of the second century.
(The basic truth of the return of Christ to establish the Kingdom
of God on earth is very Scriptural. Barnabas here does not prove
from Scripture that God is working on a 7 thousand year plan. He
uses the "week" as did the Jews, from their own imagination, not
a "thus says the Lord" for the Lord has never said it. He uses
the "one day is a thousand years" from Peter, out of context of
Peter and does not quote the rest of the verse that "a thousand
years as one day" as Peter said it all (2 Peter 3:8). Peter was
not teaching a 7 thousand year plan of God for mankind. Peter was
telling us that Christ will return but we better remember that
God looks at "time" in His way, not ours, He can stretch it out
or shorten it up. Today we know for a fact, from history and from
chronology, that mankind has been on this earth for more than
6,000 years. It is still not in "time" for the Father to send
Jesus back to establish the Kingdom of God on earth - Keith Hunt)
Irenaeus
The respected early Church scholar, Irenaeus (A.D.120-202),
who supported the late authorship of Revelation, also taught
about the Second Coming and a literal Millennium. In his "Against
Heresies," he declared the truth of the one thousand years known
as the Millennium in his reference to the great week of God's
plan of redemption for humanity. "This is an account of the
things formerly created, as also it is a prophecy of what is to
come. For the day of the Lord is as a thousand years; and in six
days created things were completed; it is evident, therefore,
that they will come to an end at the sixth thousand years."
(Once more the ideas of men as to God working on "week" of 7,000
years. It is nice to have such ideas when you have a few thousand
years to go to be proved wrong. But okay the guy was teaching a
thousand year millennium of the Kingdom of God on earth - Keith
Hunt)
In another passage about the future Tribulation period,
Irenaeus wrote:
When Antichrist shall have devastated all things in this
world, he will reign for three years and six months, and sit
in the temple at Jerusalem, and then the Lord will come from
heaven in the clouds, in the glory of the Father, sending
this man to the lake of fire, but bringing in for the
righteous the times of the kingdom, the rest, the hallowed
seventh-day, and restoring to Abraham the promised
inheritance in which kingdom the Lord declared, that 'many
coming from the east and from the west should sit down with
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.'"
(Irenaeus got a few things right. You will notice nothing about a
7 year treaty with the Jews, a rapture of the saints, and then a
great tribulation. He did have him sitting in the temple at
Jerusalem, which is a miss-understanding of prophecy. And he was
into this "week" and "seventh-day" millennium, which today has
proved to be wrong. But the fellow got some things right - Keith
Hunt)
This passage confirms both the doctrine of the Millennial
Kingdom and belief in the Antichrist's evil tyranny will endure
in the last three and a half years of the Great Tribulation.
(Yes, three and a half years remember, or 42 months, or 1260
days, all mentioned in the book of Revelation, which says nothing
about 7 years or 84 months - Keith Hunt)
Justin Martyr
Justin Martyr (A.D.110--165) was an important Church leader
during the second century. Justin wrote "Dialogue with Trypho,"
which recorded his extensive debate about Christian beliefs with
the pagan philosopher Trypho in Ephesus. In addition to his
statement confirming that the apostle John wrote the Apocalypse,
Justin also taught the premillennial return of Christ and the
resurrection of the righteous before the beginning of the
thousand-year kingdom that will conclude with the resurrection of
the wicked dead for final judgment at the Great White Throne.
Now we have understood that the expression used among these
words, "According to the days of the tree [of life] shall be
the days of my people; the works of their toil shall abound"
obscurely predicts a thousand years. For as Adam was told
that in the day he ate of the tree he would die, we know
that he did not complete a thousand years. We have
perceived, moreover, that the expression, "The day of the
Lord is as a thousand years," is connected with this
subject. There was a certain man with us, whose name was
John, one of the apostles of Christ, who prophesied by a
revelation that was made to him, that those who believed in
our Christ would dwell a thousand years in Jerusalem and
that thereafter the general, and, in short, the eternal
resurrection, and judgment of all men would likewise take
place.
(Well good for Justin boy, he could read what John had written in
the book of Revelation - Keith Hunt)
In this debate, Justin also confirmed that he and other
"right-minded Christians" believed in the literal doctrine of the
thousand-year reign of Christ in the Millennium. "But I and
others, who are right-minded Christians on all points, are
assured that there will be a resurrection of the dead, and a
thousand years in Jerusalem, which will then be built, adorned,
and enlarged, [as] the prophets Ezekiel and Isaiah and others
declare."
(Well now, the prophets of old told about the Messiah ruling the
world, it was only John who was inspired to say it would be for a
1,000 years - Keith Hunt)
Tertullian
Tertullian (145-220) was a prominent Church theologian in
North Africa at the beginning of the third century. In his book
"Against Marcion," Tertullian wrote about the Millennium and the
New Earth that will follow the renewal of the earth by fire:
But we do confess that a kingdom is promised to us upon the
earth, although before heaven, only in another state of
existence; inasmuch as it will be after the resurrection for
a thousand years in the divinely-built city of Jerusalem,
'Let down from heaven,' which the apostle also calls 'our
mother from above;' and while declaring that our
citizenship, is in heaven, he predicates of it that it is
really a city in heaven. This both Ezekiel had knowledge of
and the Apostle John beheld.
This extraordinary statement from the early Church affirms
the literal reality of both the thousand-year kingdom of Christ
on earth as well as the reality of the New Jerusalem as "really a
city in heaven."
(Nice, well done Tert man, you could read the prophets also -
Keith Hunt)
Commodianus
Commodianus was a bishop in North Africa (240) who taught
about the Millennium in his book entitled "Instructions of
Commodianus." He wrote about God's final judgment on His enemies
at the end of this age: "Flames on the nations, and the Medes and
Parthians burn for a thousand years, as the hidden words of John
declare. For then after a thousand years they are delivered over
to Gehenna; and he [Satan] whose work they were, with them burnt
up."
(Well done Commy fellow, you could read also what is written in
Revelation 20 - Keith Hunt)
Lactantius
Lactantius (A.D.260-330) was a great Christian scholar who
lived just prior to the Council of Nicea (325). He personally
tutored the son of the Roman emperor Constantine after the
remarkable conversion of the emperor. Lactantius wrote about the
future Millennium in his seventh "Book of Divine Institutions":
Therefore, since all the works of God were completed in six
days, the world must continue in its present state through
six ages, that is, six thousand years. For the great day of
God is limited by a circle of a thousand years, as the
prophet shows, who says, 'In Thy sight, O Lord, a thousand
years are as one day'. . . And again, since God, having
finished His works, rested the seventh day and blessed it,
at the end of the six thousandth year all wickedness must be
abolished from the earth, and righteousness reign for a
thousand years....
(Hummmm, here we go again with part quote from Peter and/or a
"not correct" quote from Ps.90:4; also the "week" idea again,
which 6 days of a thousand years each, has now come and gone. But
okay he was teaching a thousand year Messiah millennium - Keith
Hunt)
The Council of Nicea (325)
After three centuries of savage pagan imperial persecution,
the Church was finally relieved of torment by the unusual
conversion of the Roman emperor Constantine, who became a
Christian in 312. He called all of the bishops of the Christian
Church throughout the Roman Empire to participate in an
ecumenical Church council in the city of Nicea in 325. His goal
at this meeting was to refute the heresies that had gradually
arisen and to confirm the true apostolic Christian faith as it
had been handed down through three centuries since Christ's death
and resurrection. Those who wish to understand what the whole
Church believed and taught at that critical moment when
Christianity was transformed from being a persecuted faith in
hiding to becoming the publicly supported state religion
throughout the Roman empire should find the following statement
of tremendous interest.
(Constantine becoming a "Christian" - that is far from the truth,
maybe a Roman Christian, but an apostolic [from the apostles]
Christian, that was far from what he was - Keith Hunt)
Gelasius Cyzicus, a Greek historian in the fifth century
(A.D.476), was fortunately able to gather together the
historical records of the teachings endorsed by the Council
of Nicea. Cyzicus published a history of the council that
demonstrated the Church's adherence to the doctrine of the
resurrection and the premillennial return of Christ. Despite
years of attacks on the doctrine of the Millennium and the
authority of John's Apocalypse by the new teachers of the
allegorical interpretation (supported by the Gnostics and
Origen's school at Alexandria), the orthodox bishops of the
Council of Nicea (representing the churches of the Western
and Eastern Roman Empire) strongly endorsed the book of
Revelation as canonical, including its teaching on the
coming Millennium. Cyzicus demonstrated that the pastors and
bishops throughout the Roman Empire prepared the following
Ecclesiastical Form known as the "Diatyposis." It would be
read in every church.
This statement of the genuine faith of the early church, the
"Diatyposis," was confessed by the orthodox believers as well as
ministers. It was widely taught throughout the Church, confirming
belief in the coming literal Kingdom of God in "the land of the
living." It reads as follows:
We expect a New Heaven and Earth, according to the
Scriptures, when the Appearing and Kingdom of the
great God and our Saviour, Jesus Christ, shall have shone
forth. Then, as Daniel says, the saints of the Most High
shall receive the Kingdom. And the earth shall be pure and
holy, a land of the living and not of the dead, which David,
foreseeing, exclaimed: 'I believe I shall see the goodness
of the Lord in the land of the living, land of the meek and
humble.' For, 'Blessed,' says Christ, 'are the meek, because
they shall inherit the earth.' And the prophet says: 'The
feet of the meek and humble shall tread it.'
(True enough the point of all this is to show many somewhat
famous names of the past, could read the Bible and did understand
it taught a rule of God (via Christ the Messiah) on the earth as
the prophets had declared, and was 1,000 years, as John was
inspired to tell us in Revelation - Keith Hunt)
Abandonment of Premillennialism After Origen and Augustine
It is very difficult to imagine how all of the early Church
teachers, many of whom were personally taught by the apostles or
by those who had sat at the feet of apostles, could be totally
mistaken about the correct interpretation of the prophecies.
Surely, if these first, second, and third-century teachers had
misunderstood the correct prophetic doctrine of the apostles,
there would be ample evidence in the writings of the Church
regarding a strong debate between those who espoused
premillennialism and those who opposed it (such as we find
written against false teachings such as Gnosticism, Docetism, and
Donatism). However, even those who deny the premillennial return
of Christ have been unable to find any historical evidence that
anyone denied this premillennial doctrine during the early
centuries of the Church Age.
The first major Christian teacher who rejected the
premillennial doctrine was the theologian Origen, as discussed in
earlier chapters. Despite the respect Church leaders had for
Origen's scholarship, the major councils of the Church - the
Council of Nicea (325) and the Council of Constantinople
(381)--rejected his allegorical interpretation of Revelation 20.
However, during the centuries following Origen, there was a
gradual and widespread institutionalization of his allegorical
method of biblical interpretation. The teaching of St.Augustine
and his important book "The City of God" (greatly influenced by
Origen and Ambrose) dominated the doctrine of the Church for the
next thousand years. The medieval Church often ignored the
literal promises of Christ's coming kingdom on earth.
Consequently, as the Church formed powerful alliances with
the kings of Europe, it lost interest in the literal prophecies
about Christ's coming Kingdom. The Church began to focus
primarily on the role of Christ as the head of the Church, and
leaders of the medieval Church set out to change humanity and to
rule the world themselves and in alliance with Christian rulers.
Because most Christians, both laymen as well as clergy, could not
read the Scriptures in their own language (for they were written
in Latin) and because the Bible was unavailable to the vast
majority of believers, it was very difficult to counteract the
unscriptural teaching that rejected the truth of the Second
Coming and the Millennium.
Significantly, the Protestant Reformation, which reached a
boiling point when Martin Luther posted his Ninety-five Theses in
1520, produced a powerful "back to the Bible" movement within
Christendom. The invention of the Gutenberg Press greatly
facilitated the distribution of printed Bibles, liberating the
Christians of Europe to discover God's Word and read His
prophecies for themselves. It produced a spiritual revolution
that is still having profound consequences throughout the world
as billions now read the Word of God. This spiritual reformation
movement was characterized by the widespread printing and
distribution of the Scriptures in the common language of the
people of Europe. For the first time in a thousand years, most of
the Christians of Europe could read the Scriptures in their own
language and determine what the Bible actually taught. It is no
coincidence that as people read the prophecies for themselves,
the doctrine of premillennialism re-emerged. Where would the idea
have come from if not from the Word of God itself? In the
centuries that followed the Reformation, millions of Christians
in many denominations throughout the nations rediscovered the
ancient prophetic teaching as it had been taught by the early
Church; Christ clearly promised that He would return to establish
His kingdom on earth for a thousand years.
The New Testament Teaches the Premillennial Return
If the Scriptures truly taught the postmillennial view that
the Millennium was to occur during the age of Grace, before the
return of Jesus Christ from heaven, one would expect to find
numerous biblical references to such an important doctrine. The
lack of scriptural texts about a Millennium appearing prior to
the Second Advent indicates that this postmillennial view was not
the teaching of the New Testament. In addition, no one ever
taught this theory until Daniel Whitby first proposed his "New
Hypothesis" in 1800.
In a similar manner, the amillennial view that rejects the
literal millennial kingdom is directly contradicted by numerous
scriptural prophecies regarding a literal Kingdom of God on
earth. Despite the attempts of many amillennialists to find
biblical support for their position, they have failed. Surely, if
Christ and His apostles believed that the Church would succeed in
converting the world's population to Christianity before His
return in glory, we would find ample evidence for this doctrine
prominently displayed in the writings of the New Testament.
However, we find nothing of the kind. There is not one
passage that clearly teaches that the world will be converted to
the Kingdom of God before the return of our Lord to this earth.
Growing Opposition to Christians Before His Return
Jesus warned His disciples about the growing religious
opposition to their proclamation of the Gospel message. Rather
than prophesy that the Church would triumphantly usher in the
coming Kingdom of God on earth, Jesus foretold the final apostasy
and growing iniquity within the Church and the waning love for
God and others that would characterize the saints. He prophesied
that "the love of many shall wax cold" and that "iniquity shall
abound" in the last days. In fact, the state of apostasy will
become so prevalent in the last days that Christ warned the
saints that they would "be hated of all men for my name's sake:
but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved"
(Mark 13:13). Christ's message indicates that the Church will be
involved in a profound spiritual crisis at the end of this age
when He will return in glory. In Christ's prophecy to His
disciples regarding the events to transpire in the final crisis
of the last days, Jesus declared, "And this gospel of the kingdom
shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all
nations; and then shall the end come" (Matthew 24:14). These
passages and their proper interpretation will be dealt with
later.
The Bible does not state that there will be an extended
period of global triumph of spiritual righteousness led by the
Church before Christ's return in glory. In fact, the New
Testament repeatedly and positively affirms that Christ's return
from heaven is imminent. Furthermore, His imminent return is held
forth as an ever-present hope and earnest expectation of the
saints. It is significant that the return of Christ in glory is
constantly connected with the Scripture's affirmation of the
introduction of His kingdom on earth. The critics of the
premillennial return of Christ teach that a thousand years of
Christian domination and spiritual victory by the Church over
evil throughout the earth will precede His return. However, this
concept is clearly contradicted by Christ's own proclamation:
For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so
cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say,
Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them,
as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not
escape. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day
should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of
light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night,
nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as do others;
but let us watch and be sober. (i Thessalonians 5:2-6)
Canon Ryle, one of the evangelical leaders of the Church of
England, considered the implications of the promises of the
Scriptures concerning the coming Millennium. He suggested, "I
believe, finally, that it is for the safety, happiness, and
comfort, of all true Christians to expect as little as possible
from churches, or governments, under the present dispensation, to
hold themselves ready for tremendous conversions and changes of
all things established, and to expect their good things only from
Christ's Second Advent."
Jesus Christ will Defeat Antichrist Before the Millennium
The Scriptures clearly teach that Christ will return from
heaven to defeat Satan's Antichrist. John taught in the
Apocalypse that Jesus will descend with His heavenly army of
resurrected saints to destroy the armies of the Antichrist,
casting him and the False Prophet (Now remember the anti-christ
IS the false prophet, and it is he with the "beast" man, who are
both cast into the fire - Keith Hunt) into the Lake of Fire.
And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white
horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. ... And I
saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies,
gathered together to make war against him that sat on the
horse, and against his army. And the beast was taken, and
with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him,
with which he deceived them that had received the mark of
the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both
were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.
(Revelation 19:14,19-20)
Only two verses later, John continues his prophecy by
telling us about the commencement and nature of the coming
Millennium. Therefore, it is clear that Christ premillennially
comes to earth first and then establishes His millennial kingdom.
This sequence of events is so definite that those who deny the
doctrine of the premillennial return of Christ are forced to
allegorize or spiritualize the language of this prophecy to evade
its clear statement. The disciple Matthew recorded Jesus'
prophecy of His Second Coming, stipulating the sequence of
prophetic events including the premillennial return of Christ to
establish His kingdom. Here Jesus declares that His coming will
occur immediately after the Tribulation:
Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the
sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light,
and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the
heavens shall be shaken: And then shall appear the sign of
the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of
the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in
the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. (Matthew
24:29-30)
Christ's Prophecy of the Wheat and the Tares
Jesus taught about this kingdom of God in a number of
parables. In His famous parable of the wheat and the tares,
Christ spoke of a farmer whose enemy secretly planted "tares"
(weeds, representing evil) within his fields of wheat.
He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants
said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?
But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root
up also the wheat with them. Let both grow together until
the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the
reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them
in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.
(Matthew 13:28-30)
In this prophecy Jesus directly affirmed that the "tares,"
representing evil, will continue growing side by side with the
"wheat," representing the saints, "until the harvest," God's
final judgment of humanity. Therefore, since Christ taught that
evil will continue to flourish until the end, it is impossible
that the Millennium of one thousand years of peace, holiness, and
justice could occur before the final harvest judgment of God.
Logically, Christ's teaching of the "wheat and the tares"
indicates that His return must be premillennial. It is
significant that while we are never told to look expectantly for
the coming Millennium, the Scriptures continually command
believers to wait with anticipation for the imminent return of
Christ.
The Bible's Teaching about the Resurrection
A careful analysis of the Scripture's teaching about the
first resurrection of the saints and the second resurrection of
those who have rejected God's offer of salvation provides
overwhelming evidence that the Millennium will occur after the
first resurrection of believers, which will occur before Christ's
Second Coming with the saints at Armageddon. The apostle Paul
taught that God's plan involves a distinct order of several
resurrections that began with the rise of Christ from the tomb
two thousand years ago.
For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made
alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the
firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming.
Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the
kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down
all rule and all authority and power. For he must reign,
till he hath put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy
that shall be destroyed is death. (1 Corinthians 15:22-26)
After describing the resurrection of the saints ("they that
are Christ's at his coming"), Paul revealed that "then
[afterwards] cometh the end" referring to the last resurrection
(of the wicked; Revelation 20:11-15) "when he shall have
delivered up the kingdom to God."
In Paul's first epistle to the church at Thessalonica, he
taught that the resurrection of the saints would be separate from
and prior to the resurrection of the unrepentant sinners. The
apostle confirmed that "the dead in Christ shall rise first" and
immediately be followed by the resurrection of all living
believers (I Thessalonians 4:16).
Finally, in the Apocalypse, John clearly taught that the
Millennium will take place in the interval between the first
resurrection of the living and departed saints (Rapture) and the
final resurrection of the wicked dead (the Great White Throne
judgement).
And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was
given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were
beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God,
and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image,
neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in
their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a
thousand years. But the rest of the dead lived not again
until the thousand years were finished. This is the first
resurrection. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the
first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power,
but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall
reign with him a thousand years. And when the thousand years
are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison.... And
I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from
whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was
found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and
great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and
another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the
dead were judged out of those things which were written in
the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the
dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the
dead which were in them: and they were judged every man
according to their works. And death and hell were cast into
the lake of fire. This is the second death. (Revelation
20:4-7, 11-14)
This passage clearly describes the fact that the thousand
years of Christ's millennial kingdom will occur between the first
and the second resurrection.
It is interesting to note that the phrase "the second death"
appears in four passages in the Apocalypse (Revelation 2:11,
20:6, 20:14, 21:8). This phrase also appears in the "Targum of
Jonathan Ben Uzziel," an ancient Jewish paraphrase or Aramaic
commentary of Deuteronomy 33:6: "Let Reuben live, and not die."
It reads, "Let him not die the second death by which the wicked
die in the world to come." This ancient Jewish acknowledgment of
the fact that the "second death" resurrection is different than
the resurrection of the righteous saints supports Revelation's
teaching that the two resurrections, that of the saints and that
of the wicked, occur at different times (separated by the
Millennium).
Christ's Command to Watch for His Second Coming
The New Testament is filled with commands to obediently
watch for the imminent return of the Lord. This command to watch
encourages us to study the prophecies about His return and to be
motivated by His Second Coming, to walk in holiness as well as to
witness with urgency in light of the nearness of His advent. In
His great Mount of Olives prophecy about the events that will
transpire in the last days, Jesus declared, "Watch therefore: for
ye know not what hour your Lord doth come" (Matthew 24:42). Then
He announced, "Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor
the hour wherein the Son of man cometh" (Matthew 25:13). Finally,
Jesus concluded the New Testament with the book of Revelation
that foretold the millennial kingdom that would follow His
triumphant return in glory to defeat Satan's Antichrist. Christ
promises a blessing on all those Christians who obediently watch
for His imminent return. "Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is
he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked,
and they see his shame" (Revelation 16:15). This statement
regarding the need for constant vigilance regarding His return
appears to be an allusion to the punishment that was given to a
night guard in the Temple who fell asleep at his post. Rabbi
Elieser ben Jacob declared that his uncle was punished for
falling asleep by having the captain of the Temple guards
actually set his clothes on fire.
Christ's command to constantly "watch" for His return from
heaven contradicts the position of those who suggest that a
thousand years or more of millennial peace will intervene before
His return. The only logical and consistent interpretation of
Christ's repeated commands to watch for His return is to believe
that He will return to earth and establish His millennial kingdom
as the early Church taught during the early centuries.
Answering the Critics' Objections to Premillennialism
Many critics of the Millennium deny that the apostolic
Church believed in and looked expectantly for the imminent
premillennial return of Christ. For example, the preterist and
postmillennialist theologian David Chilton wrote in his book
"Days of Vengeance" the following astonishing and incorrect
statement:
In this objective sense, therefore, orthodox Christianity
has always been postmillennialist. That is to say,
regardless of how 'the Millennium' has been conceived
(whether in a heavenly or an earthly sense)- i.e.,
regardless of the technical exegesis of certain points in
Revelation 20--orthodox Christians have always confessed
that Jesus Christ will return after ('post') the period
designated as 'the thousand years' has ended.
David Chilton then falsely stated that the orthodox Church
never taught the premillennial return of Christ. Chilton wrote:
The historic Church has always rejected the heresy of
Millenarianism (in past centuries, this was called chiliasm,
meaning thousand-year-ism). The notion that the reign of
Christ is something wholly future, to be brought in by some
great social cataclysm, is not a Christian doctrine. It is
an unorthodox teaching, generally espoused by heretical
sects on the fringes of the Christian Church.
However, the unanimous evidence of the New Testament and of
the extensive writings of the Early Church is that the Scriptures
and the apostolic Church repeatedly taught that the premillennial
Second Coming (although it could be delayed) was always imminent.
The apostle Paul encouraged the Christians in the church at
Corinth to wait expectantly for Christ's return: "So that ye come
behind in no gift; waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus
Christ" (1 Corinthians 1:7). In another passage Paul taught that
we should "wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the
dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come" (1
Thessalonians 1:10). This prophecy reveals that the return of
Christ at the Rapture (the word "rapture" is often used by the
fundamental prophets to mean "resurrection" of the saints - Keith
Hunt) will deliver the living Christians in the last generation
from "the wrath to come" (a reference to the wrath of God upon
unrepentant sinners during the seven-year Tribulation that will
follow the Rapture of the Church).
(WooooTooooLoooo....this is fundamentalism theology thrown in
here. The prophecies speak nothing about a 7 year Tribulation
that follows the "rapture" or resurrection of the saints. This is
all funadamental folly by the fundamental prophets. You need to
make sure you study the studies on this Website on Daniel's 70
Week Prophecy and The Rapture - Keith Hunt)
The critics suggest the Millennium is only a symbolic
picture of the triumphant and spiritually victorious Church that
will precede the Second Advent. However, this is directly
contradicted by the Bible's prophecies that the establishment of
the Millennial Kingdom will occur at the Second Coming of Christ
when He destroys the Antichrist. The New Testament contains many
prophecies by Jesus and the apostles that declare that the
cataclysmic events of the Great Tribulation will precede His
return to set up His kingdom. For example, the Gospel of Luke
records:
And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in
the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with
perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; men's hearts
failing them for fear, and for looking after those things
which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven
shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man
coming in a cloud with power and great glory. And when these
things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your
heads; for your redemption draweth nigh. (Luke 21:25-28)
Jesus' words describe His Second Coming as occurring at a
time of massive global crisis in which there will be chaos on
earth and sea with "distress of nations" and even the heavens
being "shaken." None of these detailed prophecies were fulfilled
at the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D.70 as preterists claim.
This prophecy also totally contradicts both the amillennial
and postmillennial positions. His prophecy is, however,
completely consistent with the premillennial return of Christ.
One of the most powerful prophetic passages in the Word of
God is quite specific about Christ's return.
But those things, which God before had shewed by the mouth
of all his prophets, that Christ should suffer, he hath so
fulfilled. Repent ye therefore, and be converted,
that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of
refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; and he
shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you:
Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution
of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his
holy prophets since the world began. (Acts 3:18-21)
Luke began by pointing out that the prophecies of Christ's
first coming were genuine, literally fulfilled, and accurate.
Then he encourages his readers to accept salvation while there is
still time before "the times of refreshing shall come from the
presence of the Lord." In addition to this definite statement
describing the sequence of events, the passage concludes with the
absolutely clear statement, "he shall send Jesus Christ ... whom
the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all
things." One could hardly ask for a more definite statement that
Jesus' second advent will usher in the long-awaited millennial
kingdom, "the times of restitution of all things" that has been
the goal of God's plan of redemption for humanity "since the
world began."
(Very true, indeed it is so - Keith Hunt)
It is important to note that our Lord commanded Christians
to pray the Lord's Prayer, composed of these words, "Thy kingdom
come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven" (Matthew
6:1o). The truth about the Second Coming is so fundamental to the
Church that Jesus Christ commanded His followers to acknowledge
His coming millennial kingdom every time they celebrated the
Lord's Supper at Communion. The Lord declared during the Last
Supper, "For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup,
ye do show the Lord's death till he come" (1 Corinthians 11:26).
The apostle Johns Apocalypse begins with the promise of the
imminent Second Coming: "Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every
eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all
kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen"
(Revelation 1:7).
Significantly, Christ's final prophetic message to His
Church concludes with this message:
"Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus"
(Revelation 22:20).
The critics suggest the Millennium will take place on earth
during the Church Age before the Second Coming. This is clearly
contradicted by the New Testament. The Scriptures contain
numerous passages in which Jesus Christ confirmed that He will
finally return to earth at His return to defeat Satan's
Antichrist and establish His millennial kingdom on earth. Jesus
Himself repeatedly prophesied to His disciples and followers that
He would return at some future time that was imminent but
unknowable to us.
Jesus declared, "Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour
your Lord cloth come" (Matthew 24:42). The writer Luke recorded
another prophecy of Christ, "And then shall they see the Son of
man coming in a cloud with power and great glory" (Luke 21:27).
Why would Christ prophetically announce, "Watch therefore, for ye
know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh"
(Matthew 25:13) if His plan were to gradually introduce the
kingdom of God on earth over the centuries?
Obviously, there are numerous biblical prophecies that
describe a very literal return of Christ to defeat the Antichrist
and to establish His kingdom on earth. These predictions totally
contradict the amillennialist and postmillennial doctrines that
suggest the Millennium is to be interpreted allegorically as an
indefinite period when the Church has finally prospered over the
forces of evil and established a Christian dominated world
government.
One of the critics' main objections to the biblical doctrine
of the Millennial Kingdom is their claim that the Millennium was
only taught in one short passage in Revelation, Chapter 20.
Furthermore, the critics argue that the symbolic nature of many
of the prophecies in the Apocalypse should dissuade us from
taking the prophecy about the Millennium literally. But the
apostle John was given a very detailed vision about the future
Millennium recorded in Revelation, and he was inspired to
describe the kingdom of God as lasting precisely "one thousand
years" six times in this passage. This strongly suggests that the
number of years is an accurate measurement.
And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of
the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he
laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the
Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, And cast
him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal
upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till
the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he
must be loosed a little season. And I saw thrones, and they
sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw
the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of
Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped
the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark
upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and
reigned with Christ a thousand years. But the rest of the
dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished.
This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he that
hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second
death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of
Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years. And when
the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of
his prison. (Revelation 20:1-7)
One of the clearest prophetic teachings about the Second
Coming and the setting up of His kingdom is found in the book of
Acts. Luke wrote:
Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be
blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from
the presence of the Lord; and he shall send Jesus Christ,
which before was preached unto you: Whom the heaven must
receive until the times of restitution of all things, which
God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since
the world began. (Acts 3:19-21)
This prophecy clearly connects the Second Coming with "the
times of restitution" (the promised millennial kingdom of God).
The immediate connection between Christ's return and His
establishment of His Kingdom is revealed in Paul's epistle to
Timothy: "I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus
Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing
and his kingdom" (2 Timothy 4:1).
..................
NOTE:
I've had a little fun with some of the old fellows here and
there, seeing how they could read the Bible, and get some truth
from it.
BUT THE BOTTOM LINE IS: It makes no difference what this guy or
that guy wrote or said, back when, or even today. THE WORD OF THE
LORD IS THE FINAL AUTHORITY. GOD IS VERY CLEAR ON THE TRUTH THAT
THE MESSIAH CHRIST WILL TRIUMPHANTLY RETURN TO EARTH TO ESTABLISH
THE KINGDOM OF GOD ON EARTH. JESUS WILL RULE WITH THE SAINTS FOR
ONE THOUSAND YEARS. THEN THE FATHER AND THE HOLY CITY, HEAVENLY
JERUSALEM WILL COME TO THE NEW EARTH. JESUS WILL HAND THE KINGDOM
OVER TO THE FATHER, AND ALL THAT IS WRITTEN IN REVEALTION 21 AND
22 WILL BE FULFILLED.
Keith Hunt
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