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The Golden Age
A Treatise on the One Thousand Year Reign of Christ
on Earth
by
Arthur W. Pink
and
Luther C. Peak
The Golden Age is available from The Berea Baptist Bookstore. It is a 77 page paperback booklet. Click on the link below or picture above to order the book: "The Golden Age" book at the Berea Baptist Bookstore.
An Introduction by Milburn Cockrell
It is with great pleasure that I write the introduction to the republication of this book. It has not been seen or even heard of by many. Two distinguished men of a generation ago penned this book. Arthur W. Pink is a well know writer to most of us. Luther C. Peak is not so well known, but he too was a great theologian of the past. These two brethren put together what may be one of the most condensed and sound treatise on the thousand year reign of Christ ever printed.
Four churches are responsible for the republication of this booklet. First, there is Bethel Baptist Church, 113 Campbell, Pasadena, Texas 77502, and Pastor Billy A. Langford. Second, there is Landmark Sovereign Grace Baptist Church, 5618 Oak St, Fort Worth, Texas 76140, and Pastor Kelly Hinson. Third, there is Berea Baptist Church, 1441 E. Blanco Blvd., Bloomfiled, New Mexico 87413 and Pastor Richard L. Eckstein. Fourth, there is Berea Baptist Church, P.O. Box 39, Mantachie, Mississippi 38855 and Pastor Milburn Cockrell.
I sincerely pray that this book shall have a wide circulation among many of the Lord's people. It is sorely needed, as we see many brethren leaving premillennialism for amillennialism, the historic view of the Roman Catholic Church.
Milburn Cockrell January 18, 1994
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction
The Golden Age in Relation to the World
The Golden Age in Relation to Creation
FOREWARD
When The Golden Age
was last printed, the year was 1950. Most people who remember
those years look back to that time as one of relative peace and
prosperity. Prayer played an important part in the public school
systems. Abortion was properly viewed as murder and was punished
accordingly. Homosexuals were careful to keep their abominable
lifestyles "in the closet," and divorce was almost unheard of. Even with
conditions so seemingly favorable, Brothers Pink and Peak could see
indications of the end times. They eagerly anticipated Christ's imminent
return, which resulted in the writing of this book. If what they wrote
in the following pages was relevant then, how infinitely more timely it
is today.
Gang violence is no longer
restricted to large inner cities, but is commonplace in nearly every
town in America. The murder of unborn children has been given the
blessing of our government, and a push for special privileges for
sodomites is being advanced. Nearly half of all marriages today are
expected to end in divorce within ten years. Prayer in public schools is
not only unacceptable; but any mention of it all is met with angry
opposition.
Many unregenerate who still
retain a sense of morality have the insight to realize that "Things
cannot continue on like this." As believers, we have the assurance from
the Word of God that this is indeed true. As seemingly out of control
and chaotic as the world is, we know that we have a sovereign God Who is
in complete control of the situation.
It is our prayer that this
book will reaffirm the faith of mature Christians and offer hope and
peace to new believers. In the midst of all the turmoil, Christians can
have the comfort of knowing that Christ's return is not only very near,
but that He will reign supreme with His rod of iron for one thousand
years.
Greg Eckstein
Editor, The Historic Baptist
March 15, 1994
From the remotest antiquity
men have longed for and talked of a Golden Age, of an age in which
righteousness and peace shall prevail, and oppression and war shall
cease. None are satisfied with present conditions; all are hoping for
better and brighter days to come. But upon what are these hopes based?
To this question a variety of answers have to be returned. With the
majority of people, no doubt, the wish is father to the thought - they
desire to see the introduction of better conditions, and
therefore they look forward to the time when this desire will be
realized. But a hope grounded on nothing more than desire may prove to
be only a credulous fancy, a beautiful dream never to be materialized.
More over hope deferred maketh the heart sick" (Prov. 13:12). A desire
long cherished and which fails to be realized, ends in disappointment
and despair. But with each generation there is born afresh the impulse
to look toward the future with eager longing and with yearning for the
dawn of a better day. And so it is that all through the centuries there
has been preserved the well-nigh universal expectation of a coming era
of bliss, an era when the dark clouds of adversity and sorrow shall flee
away, and when the sun shall shine upon a scene of prosperity and joy.
Poets have sung of it, politicians have dreamed about it, reformers have
discussed it, and in all lands eager eyes have been turned toward it.
The only ground upon
which the intelligent Christian bases his hopes is the written Word of
God. He must have a "Thus saith the Lord." Faith cometh by hearing and
hearing by the Word of God (Rom. 10:17). All real faith rests upon the
Holy Scriptures. And surely this is not unreasonable. We know, and can
know, absolutely nothing about the future except what God has been
pleased to reveal to us. Outside of this all is but speculation
and guesswork, speculation which is worthless, and guesswork which is
futile. What does the wisest of men know concerning the morrow? He
knoweth not what a day may bring forth (Prov. 27:1). Before us all there
hangs an impenetrable veil which no mental acumen can pierce. Whenever
man attempts to forecast the future he does but expose his ignorance and
folly. During the last few years men have sought, again and again, to
turn prophets, but only to show their powerlessness to invade a sphere
of knowledge entirely beyond the reach of finite intelligence, and to
demonstrate by way of contrast the value of inspired prophecy.
When we turn to God's Word
we find much revealed concerning the Age to come. There we learn what is
to precede it and prepare the way for it. There we are told how it is to
be ushered in. There we discover the exact length of its duration. There
we have described its distinctive features, the principles of its
administration, the character of its economy. There is depicted its joys
and glories, its uniqueness and blessedness. And vastly different are
these from the conceptions and speculations of men. The Millennial era
is not to be the time of unbridled human selfishness. The Corning Age
will not witness the top-stone laid upon the successful achievements of
the proud schemes of the human heart. No, in that day the loftiness of
man shall be laid low and the Lord alone shall be exalted. In that day
men will realize their blessings and prosperity depend upon their
obedience to the Law which shall go forth from Jerusalem. In that day
the nations shall be made to know that the source of all blessings is in
subjection to the King that shall reign there.
The Millennium, or Kingdom
Age, is that era in the future history of the world when the Lord Jesus
shall receive from God the rule and government of the earth. This era is
to last one thousand years. No less than six times in the first seven
verses of Revelation 20, we find this expression "The thousand years."
They are, of course, to be understood literally, as defining the
duration of Christ's earthly reign. While it is true that Rev. 20 is the
only scripture which specifically mentions the thousand years, yet there
are many passages, both in the Old and New Testaments, that set forth
the character and describe the blessings of the Age to come. In fact, so
numerous are the scriptures which treat of and bear upon the Corning Age
that our chief difficulty is to classify them. It would seem that there
are more passages dealing, directly and indirectly, with the next
dispensation than with any other separate subject or period treated of
in God's Word. For almost three thousand years God has been directing
the eyes of His people toward the future, to teach them to walk
by faith and not to be occupied with the present things of sense and
sight. God would have us anticipate and appropriate the blessedness of
the things which He has been pleased to reveal, and revel in those
things which must shortly come to pass. Instead of being occupied,
unduly, with the evil around us, He would have us look forward to the
time when much of the evil shall be removed, and when the remainder
shall, largely, be held in subjection by the rule of the Iron Rod.
The Millennium is referred
in the Scriptures under various titles, each of which contributes its
own light to our understanding of its scope and character. In Matthew
19:28 the Millennium is spoken of as "The Regeneration." This
denomination views the earthward character of the Coming Age. The
earth is to be born again as it were: old things will pass away and
behold all things will become new. This planet, which for six thousand
years has groaned beneath its burden of sorrow, shall be rejuvenated.
This planet, which for sixty centuries has been but a giant graveyard,
shall be endued with new life, so much so that even the desert place
shall be made to rejoice and the wilderness blossom as the rose. The
force and aptness of this title also appears in that as every birth is
preceded by travail so it will be with the ushering in of the Coming
Age. It, too, shall be brought about by sharp travail. Indeed, this very
term is used by Christ when speaking of the Tribulation period which
shall immediately precede the Millennium - the literal rendering of the
Greek in Matthew 24:8 is "Au these are the beginning of the birth
pangs." Hence the appropriateness of styling the Age which issues forth
from the travail pangs of the Tribulation the "Regeneration."
The Millennium is Termed 'The Last Day" (John 6:40)
This denomination looks at
the dispensational place of the Coming Age. It will be the
closing Day of this earth's Week. It will, so far as this earth is
concerned, be the anti-typical fulfillment of the Sabbath. It will be
the time when creation, shall at last "rest" from its protracted
groaning. A hint of this was given at the beginning, when God, after six
days labour, rested from all the works of His hands. Viewing the seven
days of the first week in the light of that inspired word "One day is
with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as a day" (2 Pet
3:8) we gather that earth's history was to be completed in seven
thousand years. Six thousand years will have passed since the time when
the first Adam made his appearance on earth till the time when the last
Adam appears on earth in power and glory to reign in righteousness for a
thousand years. This thousand years reign will be earth's "Last Day."
The Millennium is Termed 'The Times of Refreshing" (Acts 3:19)
This denomination speaks of
the blessedness of the Coming Age. The Greek word here rendered
"Refreshing" is anapsu, and signifies "cooling." It tells of the blessed
reviving which shall be wrought in and on God's handiwork. It points a
contrast from the preceding Ages. It suggests the new life, and
fertility which follows a bountiful shower after a long drought. It
intimates the beneficent results which will succeed the removal of Satan
from the princedom of this world to the rule of the Lord of Glory in his
stead. It will be not only a time of refreshing for the earth itself,
but for Israel, for the nations, and may we not say, reverently, for God
Himself. Yes, the personal presence on earth of the Lord of Life, the
word of Jehovah Himself going forth from Jerusalem, the missionary
activities of Israel in that day, and the flowing out of the knowledge
of the Lord till the whole earth shall be covered by it as the waters
cover the sea, will indeed issue in "Times of Refreshing."
The Millennium is called 'The Times of the Restitution of all things,
which God hath spoken by the mouth of all His Holy prophets since the
world began" (Acts 3:21).
This denomination views the
results which will be brought about in the Coming Age, for of the
next age, be it noted, and not of the Eternal State, Acts 3:21 speaks.
It is the restitution only of those things spoken of by all God's
prophets. We call attention to this limitation because there have been
those who have quoted the first part of this utterance and have based
upon it a theory which ignores and sets aside the qualifying clause
which immediately follows, and which guards it against a perverted
application. The Old Testament prophets knew nothing of any future
"restitution" of Satan and the wicked. Universalism finds no Support in
the Scriptures of Truth. That which is to be "restored" in the
Millennium is the earth to a condition of fertility and blessedness
approximating to the Edenic state. Israel is to be "restored" to the
place of God's favor as His peculiar and covenant people. The duration
of human life will be "restored" to that which equals and surpasses the
longevity of the patriarchs before the Flood. The animal creation will
be "restored" to its state before the effects of the Curse were visited
upon it. The sun and moon shall be "restored," probably to their
pristine glory, for in the Age to come their light will be increased
sevenfold.
The Millennium is Termed "'The Dispensation of the Fullness
of Times" (Eph. 1:10).
This denomination marks the
relation of the Coming Age to God. It reveals the
connection between it and the Ages which have preceded it. It tells how
the Millennium is the goal toward which the other Ages have moved. It
points to the completion of the purpose of God concerning the earth. The
force of this expression may be gathered from the similar one found in
Gal. 4:4 - 'When the fullness of time was come God sent forth His Son."
The fullness of time signifies ripeness of opportunity and
consummation of need. The first advent of Christ and the proclamation of
His Gospel introduced a new era, but it also marked the climax of the
old. The world was prepared through long processes for the coming of the
One and the preaching of the other. From Eden to Bethlehem the centuries
were preparing for the advent of Immanuel. As the process of creation
prepared the earth for man, so all history prepared the way for the
birth of the Saviour. The Holy Scriptures focus the preparation in one
race, but all peoples shared in the process. Outside the elect nation,
God was at work, and all streams converged to one center. As it was in
connection with the first advent, so it is concerning the second. Just
as there was a definite and unmistakable movement in all history making
ready the way for the Dispensation of Grace, so there is a similar one
going on now making ready the world for the Dispensation of Glory. Just
as the world's urgent need was fully demonstrated before the
Saviour appeared among men so shall it be ere He comes back as the
Prince of Peace to take the government upon His shoulder.
The Millennium is known as "The Day of Christ" (Phil. 1:6)
This denomination calls
attention to the exaltation and glory of the King Himself. When
our blessed Lord was here before, He was despised and hated: He came to
His own and His own received Him not. And outside of the company of
God's elect, He has been despised ever since. At His birth there was no
room for Him in the inn, and ever since there has been no room for Him
in the schemes and plans of men. The interval of His absence from the
earth is known as "Man's Day" (1 Cor. 4:3). But Man's Day is not to last
forever. God has defined its limits, and has decreed that it shall be
followed by "The Day of Christ." Then shall the Holy One of God come
into His own. Then shall He enter into His possession. Then shall His
glory be displayed. Then shall His authority be universally owned. Then
shall His enemies be made His footstool. Then shall He reign as King of
kings and Lord of lords. For a thousand years all shall bow before His
scepter "And the Lord shall be King over all the earth: in that day
shall there be one Lord and His name one" (Zech. 14:9).
The Millennium is styled "The Kingdom of Christ" (Rev. 11:15)
This denomination has
reference to the personal dominion and majesty of our great God
and Saviour Jesus Christ. Long before the incarnation God made known
through His prophets that His Son should be the Head of a Kingdom. Not a
spiritual and heavenly kingdom, but a literal and earthly one. In Jer.
23:5 we read "Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise
unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and
shall execute judgment and justice in the earth." And again we
are told "And there was given Him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom,
that all people, nations, and languages, should serve Him: His dominion
is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and His kingdom
that which shall not be destroyed" (Dan. 7:14). The time when these
promises were to be made good had not arrived when Christ was here
before: then was the period of His humiliation; but when He returns it
shall be in power and glory. Satan offered to Him all the kingdoms of
the earth, but not from him would He receive them; nor had the appointed
time arrived; still less would He accept them on the terms named by the
great Adversary. But the hour is near when it shall be said "The kingdom
of this world is become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ: and
He shall reign for ever and ever" (Rev. 11:15 R.V.). The Kingdom over
which Christ shall reign is that which God "prepared" before the
foundation of the world (Matt. 25:34). It is known as "The Kingdom of
Heaven" (Matt. 3:2); the "Kingdom of the Son of Man" (Matt. 16:28); the
"Kingdom of God" (Luke 19:11); the "Kingdom of David" (Mark 11:10).
As to what will lead up to
and bring in the Millennium there has been wide difference of opinion.
Not that the Scriptures do not speak plainly on this point; they do. But
in many instances the plain teaching of God's Word is set aside by the
fancies and theorizing of men. Men of the world suppose that an Age of
prosperity and blessing can be produced by political legislation and
social reform. It is held that the present ills may be removed by man's
own efforts. We are told that our present troubles are the result of
ignorance and selfishness, and that what is needed to remove them is
education and the propagation and practice of nobler ideals. The theory
of evolution is applied to human history, and its advocates declare the
race is steadily climbing to a higher plane of existence. These apostles
of progress boast loudly of the advances of civilization. Attention is
called to the inventions of the last century, the discoveries of
science, the spread of knowledge, and the wonderful things man expects
to do in the near future. According to this view, all that is needed is
a wider belief in "the Brotherhood of Man" and a putting into practice
of the golden rule, and lo, the Golden Age will be here - ushered in by
man himself. But surely it needs little penetration of mind to see the
vanity of such a dream. Apart from Divine revelation, human observation
and experience refute this theory. God has given men six thousand years
to work out their schemes, and what are the results? Human selfishness
is as real, as apparent, as universal as ever it was. Greed and graft
are more noticeable now than ever before. Politics, instead of improving
as education advances, were never more corrupt. Crime is on the
increase, lawlessness abounds on every side, in the home, the churches,
and the State. Never was there less contentment. With all our inventions
and discoveries there is as much sickness and sorrow as ever before, and
death is just as prevalent and invincible.
But if this idle dream of
man bringing in the Millennium by his own efforts is dispelled by the
sober and solemn facts of life, still less it will bear examination in
the light of Scripture. Again and again is the question asked in the
Word of God, Can an evil tree bring forth good fruit? Can thorns produce
figs? Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? Can
an unclean thing bring forth that which is clean? The theory of
evolution and the dreams of reformers ignore the awful fact of human
depravity. Man is a fallen being. His heart is desperately wicked, and
no amount of education or reformation can improve it. The trouble is too
deep-seated for the hand of the creature to reach. Legislation may
sometimes regulate human actions, but it cannot change human nature.
Moreover, the preachers of human progress fail to take account of Satan.
How can there be any radical change in human affairs while the Devil is
at large? What hope is there for this poor world while Satan is its
Prince? What improvement is possible while the Evil One is blinding the
minds of those that believe not and leading them captive at his will?
No; if help is to come to man it must come from outside of himself. If
Satan is to be removed from these scenes, Divine interposition is
imperative. There can be no millennial era of blessing until Christ
returns to the earth and takes the government on His shoulder.
What will lead up to and
bring in the Millennium? One other theory must be noted ere we give the
answer of Scripture. Above we have looked at the answer returned by
leading men of the world, what then is the concept held generally by the
churches? On this point professing Christians are divided into two
parties, known as pre-millennialists and post-millennialists. By far the
greater number of preachers are post-millennialists. Post millennialists
believe that Christ will not return till after the Millennium.
They believe in a Millennium without Christ. They believe in a
Millennium brought about by missionary activities, by the preaching of
the Gospel, by the prayers of the saints, by the efforts of the
churches. They think that ultimately the Church will convert the world.
This theory of post-millennialism is expressed in different ways and
with various modifications and amplifications, but all the
post-millennialists are agreed that the Kingdom is to be brought in by
united efforts of the churches. They are also unanimous in interpreting
the Messianic prophecies in a non-literal sense. The Kingdom they look
for is to be a spiritual one, not a literal. Christ’s rule is to be
internal not external. The King is to govern from heaven and not to
reign on earth.
Post-millennialists imagine
they can see in present day conditions promise of the early realization
of their hopes. They believe that great progress has already been made
in the Christianizing of the world. They point to the enormous
development made in missionary activities during the past century. They
tell of the advances made in modern scholarship. They boast of the
spread of the spirit of liberalism now aboard in the churches, of the
breaking down of sectarian barriers, of the prospects of a united
Christendom. They call attention to the multiplication of our colleges
and seminaries, of the increase in church membership, and of the immense
wealth of the leading denominations. All these things are regarded as
good omens of the future. But all is not gold that glitters. The theory
of post-millennialism, like the theory of political and social
reformers, must be examined in the light of Holy Scripture. The things
we are asked to admire, and to regard as so many signs of an approaching
Millennium produced by the churches, must be weighed "In the balances of
the Sanctuary."
Close inspection of modern
religious conditions should soon convince any impartial inquirer that
things are far otherwise than our post-millennial friends would have us
believe. Instead of spiritual conditions being better now than they were
a few generations back, they are far worse. True, missionary activities
have greatly increased, but have they kept pace with the earth's
population? No, indeed. There are many millions more of human beings
alive on the earth today who have never heard the name of Christ than
there were a century ago. Moreover, an ever increasing number of those
who go out as missionaries, instead of preaching Christ as the alone
Saviour for lost sinners are, sad to say, preaching anything and
everything but this. And what of conditions at home? True, we have more
colleges and seminaries, but what is being taught in them? For the most
part, that which is directed against undermining the faith once
delivered to the saints. Those who are being prepared for the ministry
are, only too often, being taught to doubt the Divine inspiration and
authority of the Holy Scriptures. The neology and higher criticism of
Germany have been widely adopted in America and Britain. And what of
individual life? True, there is much boasting, much activity, and much
giving, but what of the things which are vital to spirituality? What of
the prayer life of our churches? What of the removal of the family altar
from thousands of our homes? What of the elimination of the Bible from
our day schools? And again, if present conditions are an advance on
previous ones and indicate further improvement in the near future, why
is it that thousands of earnest Christians are deploring the spiritual
lethargy in their churches, and are crying to God for a Revival!
But our final court of
appeal is not human observation and experience, but the inspired and
infallible teaching of the Word of God. Where in the Scriptures is there
any promise of the coming Age of Glory being ushered in by the efforts
of the church? Where in the Scriptures is there any declaration that the
church will convert the world? True, we are commanded to preach the
Gospel to every creature, but where are we told that the time shall come
when all men, or even a majority of men, will believe it? Instead of the
Scriptures setting before us such a prospect, they plainly foretell the
very reverse. The more sure Word of Prophecy warns us that this Age
is to end not with a worldwide outpouring of the Holy Spirit, but
with the outpouring of the vials of God's wrath. The Saviour Himself
taught that in the closing days of this Dispensation the love of many
would wax cold, that false christs and false prophets should arise and
deceive many, that there should be wars and rumors of wars, nation
rising against nation and kingdom against kingdom, that men's hearts
should fail them for fear and for looking after those things which are
coming on the earth. The same testimony was uniformly borne by the
apostles. Through them God made known that in the last days of this Age
perilous times should come, that "men should be lovers of their own
selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents,
unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false
accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God;
Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof" (2 Tim.
3:1-5). Thus we find that instead of present day conditions showing the
failure of God's purpose they only go to demonstrate that what He
foreknew and foretold has come to pass exactly as He declared. It is not
God but the professing church which has failed. Instead of the church
converting the world, the world has converted the church. And this
brings us, once more, to the point where we see that the only hope lies
outside of man.
The Millennium is to be
brought about by nothing else and nothing less that the personal return
of Christ to this earth. Nothing short of Divine intervention can bring
to an end the present age wherein abounds sin, selfishness and
suffering. It was the personal intervention of God which began the
Edenic Dispensation. It was the personal intervention of God which began
this Gospel Age. And it will be the personal intervention of God which
shall bring in the Kingdom Dispensation. Nothing less than the personal
return and presence of the Lord in manifested power and glory can remove
Satan from this scene, can lift the curse from the groaning creation,
can set up the Kingdom of God on earth, and can establish a reign of
righteousness, peace and blessing. There is no Kingdom where there is no
King, and there can be no Millennium without Christ, no reign of peace
without the presence of the Prince of Peace. It is view of this that
believers ought to cry with ever increasing earnestness. "Come Lord
Jesus." Come to Thy people who will welcome Thee eagerly, come to this
poor world that needs Thee so sorely; come to Israel who are so wretched
without Thee; come, and all creation shall break forth into praise and
thanksgiving - "Even so, come Lord Jesus."
As we have said, the
Scriptures which treat of the Millennium are very numerous, so much so
that our chief difficulty is to classify them. For purpose of
simplification we shall now consider the Millennium under seven heads,
namely, The Millennium in relation to Satan, to Christ, to the Church,
to Israel, to the World, to Creation, to Sin.
THE GOLDEN AGE IN RELATION TO SATAN
One of the greatest
mysteries of all centers around the person and work of Satan. That there
should be any evil in a world which has been created by the thrice Holy
God, and over which He still rules in absolute dominion has furnished a
problem which no human mind has ever fully solved. But that the Almighty
God should have an Adversary, that He should suffer one of His
creatures to openly defy Him, that He should allow him a protracted
freedom, that He should permit the Evil One to systematically and
continuously act in opposition to Him, that he should be the head of
organized hosts of other fallen Spirits, that God should give His
consent for Satan to go about as a roaring lion seeking whom he may
devour, tempting men, deceiving them, and leading them captive, at his
will; and above all, that the old Serpent, the Devil, should have been
given power to bruise the heel of the Christ of God is passing strange.
And yet this is precisely what Scripture reveals about the arch-enemy of
God and man. But the mystery deepens when we learn from the Word of God
that there is a Trinity of Evil, three awful persons who will yet
appear on the stage of human history in open revolt against the Father,
the Son, and the Holy Spirit, persons who, in the last book of the
Sacred Canon, are denominated the Dragon, the Beast, and the False
Prophet.
Into the origin of Satan we
shall not now enter, and regarding the position he has occupied and the
work in which he has been engaged during the past Dispensations, we
shall not here consider. But a few words will be in place touching his
future activities. In the twelfth chapter of the Revelation we are told
that shortly after the Rapture of the saints, and a few years before the
setting up of Christ's Kingdom, the Dragon and his angels are cast out
of heaven (v.9). The reference, no doubt, being the second heaven where
Satan as the "Prince of the power of the air" now has his headquarters.
On being cast out into the earth we read, "The Devil is come down unto
you, having great wrath, because he knoweth he hath but a short time"
(12:12). The later chapters of the Apocalypse, together with certain
prophetic portions in the Old Testament, make known to us the course
Satan follows and how he employs the "short time" left him ere he is
cast into the Bottomless Pit.
First we are told, "And
when the Dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the
woman which brought forth the man child" (Rev. 12:13). The "woman" here
(see context) is the Nation of Israel and particularly the remnant in
who are faithful to God, for even at that time the Lord will preserve to
Himself a testimony in the earth. Ever since the days of the patriarchs,
the Devil has waged relentless warfare against Abraham's seed. But
following his ejection from heaven he makes his final attempt to blot
out the name of Israel from under the sun, an attempt which will prove
no more successful than his previous ones, God once more thwarting him
by miraculously preserving a part at least, of Jacob's descendants.
The Beast or Antichrist
Next, we are told that the
Dragon gives "his power, and his throne, and great authority" to the
Beast (Rev. 13:2) who is the Antichrist, the second person in the
Trinity of Evil. Many are the Scriptures which speak of this mysterious
person, and here we can do little more than briefly refer to one or two
of them. The Antichrist to whom Satan "gives" his "power, and great
authority," just as God "gave" to His Son "all power in heaven and in
earth, (Matt. 28:18) is at every point the antithesis of the true
Christ. He is denominated "the Man of Sin, the Son of Perdition" (2
Thess. 2:3). Scripture contains hints which seem to show he will enter
this world by supernatural generation - the Devil's parody of the Divine
incarnation. This awful being, who will be a real man, yet also the
"seed" of the Serpent (Gen. 3:15). The son of Perdition, will, at
first claim to be the true Messiah of Israel, but later he will throw
off his mask and will stand forth as the opponent and defier of the Lord
Jesus. He will be the Antichrist. In him will be headed up all the
forces of wickedness. He will be "The Man of Sin."
He will be the "Lawless One," the personification of lawlessness, as the
Lord Jesus was the "Holy One of God," the personification of holiness.
He will be the man of Satan's counsels, his final and most powerful
instrument and agent.
The False Prophet
In addition to the
Antichrist, there will appear on earth at the End-Time another
mysterious person termed the "False Prophet" (Rev. 19:20), the third
person in the Trinity of Evil. He will be Satan's travesty of the Holy
Spirit. Just as the third person in the Blessed and Holy Trinity ever
delights in magnifying Christ, drawing out the hearts of the redeemed in
worship of the Saviour, so will the third person in the Trinity of Evil
cause men to yield submission to the Antichrist and to worship his image
(Rev. 13:11-15). This false Prophet will be endued with supernatural
powers being able to do great wonders, making fire come down from heaven
on the earth in the sight of men, and deceiving them by means of
miracles which he will perform. Inseparably connected with the
Antichrist and False Prophet will be the Devil himself, the first person
in the Trinity of Evil.
The climax of evil and the
climax in evil will be witnessed just before the Lord Jesus comes back
to earth and sets up His Kingdom. A determined attempt will be made to
prevent His return to earth. This attempt will assume the form of
a huge organized revolt against God and against His Christ. The first
part of the second Psalm refers to this. The kings of the earth will
assemble and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord, and
against His anointed One, and will say "Let us break Their bands
asunder, and cast away Their cords from us." But behind them inspiring,
and over them leading, will be the whole Trinity of Evil. In Rev.
16:13,14 we read "And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of
the mouth of the Dragon, and out of the mouth of the Beast, and out of
the mouth of the False Prophet. For they are the spirits of devils,
working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the
whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God
Almighty." This will be the battle of Armageddon. It is described in
particular in Rev. 19:19 - "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." The One that
"sat on the horse" is the Lord Jesus (Rev. 19:11), and those who
accompany Him are the saints "clothed in fine linen, white and clean"
(Rev. 19:14). The end of this revolt is not left in doubt. A short work
will our Lord make of the proud rebels. As well might a worm seek to
resist the tread of an elephant as the creature hope to succeed against
the Almighty. As well attempt to roll back the ocean as aim to frustrate
the counsels of the Most High: "For the Lord of hosts hath purposed, and
who shall disannul it? and His hand is stretched out, and who shall turn
it back?" (Isa. 14:27). And thus we are told "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 the Lake of Fire burning with brimstone. And the remnant were
slain with the sword of Him that sat upon the horse, whose sword
proceeded out of His mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their
flesh" (Rev. 19:19-21). This disposes of the second and third persons of
the evil trinity. But one still remains to be dealt with. Before the
Messianic Kingdom can be set up the great Usurper must first be cast
out.
There can be no thousand
years of righteousness and peace on earth while the great Enemy of God
and man is at large. As we have said before, post-millennialists who
expect the Kingdom to be brought in by the preaching of the Gospel plus
the activities of the Church, and peace idealists and social reformers
who look for a Golden Age to be established by legislation and
civilization all leave out of their account one dominating factor,
namely, the Devil. Behind all antichristian systems, back of all
the inveterate opposition to the Gospel, beneath the evil and wickedness
which stalks rampant through the earth is that old Serpent the Devil.
And nothing finite can remove him. None on earth can bind him. Man is
incompetent to cope with his mighty adversary. Legislation cannot reach
him, and the Church is powerless to rid the world of his awful presence.
The only One who is mightier than he is God - the Almighty, and there
can be no real and lasting blessing on earth until the Son of God
Himself returns in person and removes and imprisons the Arch-Foe.
The removal of Satan from
this earth is described in Revelation 20:1-3,
"And I saw an ~ come down
from heaven, having the key to 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 until the thousand years shall be
fulfilled."
Satan will be "bound" which
is the fulfillment of our Lord's word in Matt. 12:29 "How can one enter
a strong man's house and spoil his goods, except he first bind
the strong man? and then he will spoil his house." The "strong man" is
our Adversary, the Devil; his "house" is the children of this world, in
contradistinction from the children of God who are the "House" of Christ
(Heb. 3:6); the 'binding" of the Strong Man is described in the passage
quoted from Rev. 20; the "spoiling of his house" is the delivering of
his captives (see Isa. 42:7). Satan will be "cast into the Bottomless
Pit" which is the fulfillment of Isaiah 14 -
"How art thou fallen from
heaven, 0 Lucifer, son of the morning! How art thou cut down to the
ground which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine
heart, I will ascend into Heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars
of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides
of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be
like the Most High. Yet thou shalt be brought down to Hell, to the sides
of the Pit"
(verses 12-15)
Satan will be shut up in
the Bottomless Pit, and a "seal" shall be set upon him, which is God's
answer to that of which we read in Matt. 27:66, "So they went and made
the sepulchre sure, sealing the stone, and setting a "watch" -
what he has sown that shall he also reap. Thus will terminate
that struggle which has lasted for six thousand years, a struggle which
has been waged for the dominion of the earth.
---- FOOT NOTES ----
*** We believe this "angel"
to be the Lord Jesus Himself - the uncreated Angel of the Covenant (Mal.
3:1) If it should be asked, Why term Him an angel? the answer is, To
connect Him with Israel, the covenant and earthly people. See Gen.
22:15,16; 48:16; Ex. 3:2; and compare Rev. 7:2,3; 8:310:1. ***
---- END FOOT NOTES ----
At last the "roaring lion"
(I Peter 5:8) will have been overcome, overcome by the lion of the tribe
of Judah. The Man with the bruised heel will have crushed the Serpent's
head, and the words spoken in Eden will then be fully accomplished. And
who can describe or even imagine the blessed consequences! No more shall
the brethren be accused before God (Rev. 12:19). No more shall the
daughters of Abraham be "bound, lo, these eighteen years" (Luke 13:16).
No more shall Satan tempt and try, harass and hinder the saints of God.
For a thousand years the earth shall be rid of the Evil One, and his
place there shall come "Times of Refreshing from the presence of the
Lord." Then it shall be said:
"0 clap your hands, all ye
people; shout unto God with the voice of triumph. For the Lord most high
is terrible; He is a great King over all the earth. Sing praises to God,
sing praises; sing praises to our King, sing praises. for God is the
King of all the earth: sing ye praises with the understanding. God
reigneth over the heathen; God sitteth upon the throne of His holiness.
The princes of the people are gathered together, even the people of the
God of Abraham: for the shields of the earth belong unto God: He is
greatly exalted"
(Psa. 47).
THE GOLDEN AGE IN RELATION TO CHRIST
It has been Divinely
ordained that our Lord should fill three great offices - The Prophetic,
the Priestly, and the Kingly. As Prophet, He acts as God's Spokesman:
revealing God's mind, communicating God's will, unveiling God's heart.
As Priest, He acts as Mediator between God and men, and by means of His
atoning sacrifice He reconciles believers to God, represents His
people's interests before God, interceding for them and pleading their
cause. As King, He will reign over men, enforcing God's laws, and
upholding on earth the claims of His Throne. It is of Christ as King we
shall now speak.
Toward the close of David's
reign, the word of the Lord came to Nathan, bidding him to go to the
king, and among other things, tell him, "And when thy days be fulfilled,
and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy Seed after
thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels. And I will establish His
kingdom. He shall build an house for My name, and I will establish the
throne of His Kingdom forever" (2 Sam. 7:12-13). At a later date, in one
of the great Messianic prophecies, it was announced concerning our Lord
that "His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, 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 forever" (Isa. 9:6,7). Hence, the very
first verse of the New Testament reads, "The book of the generation of
Jesus Christ, the Son of David, (thus linking Him with Israel's
throne) the Son of Abraham," which connects Him with the land.
Just before our Lord was
born an angel appeared unto Mary and said, "And, behold, thou shalt
conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and salt call His name
JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest:
and the Lord God shall give unto Him the throne of His father David:
and He shall reign over the house of Jacob forever: and of His
Kingdom there shall be no end" (Luke 1:30-33).
Some time during our Lord's
infancy certain wise men, who were led by a star, came to Jerusalem (the
royal city), asking, 'Where is He that is born King of the Jews?" (Matt.
2:2). Our Lord, then, was born King of the Jews, but as the inspired
Word informs us, "He came unto His own, and His own received Him not"
(John 1:11). Israel would not own Him; instead, they cried, "We have no
king but Caesar" (John 19:15). And when Pilate wrote and inscription and
placed it over the Cross - "This is Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the
Jews," they desired him to alter it, and substitute "He said I am
King of the Jews" (John 19:21), which is further proof that the Jews had
rejected Him as their King.
It was announced then, in
Old Testament prophecy, and confirmed by the angel to Mary, that our
Lord should occupy the throne of David. In order to the fulfillment of
this, our Lord according to the flesh, sprang from one who was a lineal
descendant of David, and therefore, He was born "King of the Jews." But
as we have seen, Israel rejected their King and crucified Him. And what
we now desire to emphasize is, that, Jesus Christ has never yet
assumed His Kingship! On the contrary, He taught His disciples to
pray "Thy Kingdom come." Furthermore, He said, "A certain nobleman went
into a far country to receive for Himself a Kingdom, and to
return... And it came to pass that when He was returned, having received
the Kingdom" etc. (Luke 19:12,15). Christ's receiving of the Kingdom and
His return synchronize (cf. 2 Tim. 4:1). Christ, then, is not King
today, for He has not yet received the Kingdom, nor has He yet occupied
the throne of His father David. Nowhere in the Epistles do we find Him
denominated "The King of the Church." Jesus Christ is Saviour of the
Church, Lord of the Church, Head of the Church, but He in not King of
the Church, for He has not yet entered upon His Kingly office,
and He will not do so until the beginning of the Millennium. In the
Millennium Christ will rule and reign over the earth, not only as King
of the Jews, but as King of kings and Lord of lords. It is then that the
prophecy of Zechariah shall be fulfilled - "And the Lord shall be King
over all the earth: in that day (a yet future day - see the context)
shall there be one Lord, and His name one" (Zech. 14:9). Our Lord's
Kingship over all the earth leads us to the consideration of another
important line of truth.
When Adam was created God
said, "Let Us make man in Our image, and let them have dominion."
At the beginning, earth's scepter was committed into the hands of man
(see Psa. 8:4-8). But right on the scene of his creation came one who
disputed Adam's right to earth's sovereignty, and who succeeded in
wresting the scepter from his hands. Satan brought to bear upon him a
diabolical temptation: Adam succumbed, and falling, he forfeited his
dominion over the earth. As the consequence, Satan became "The Prince of
this world," and as such approached our Lord in the temptation, when he
took Him up into an exceeding high mountain, and "showeth Him all the
kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; And saith unto Him, All
these things will I give Thee, if Thou wilt fall down and worship
me" (Matt. 4:8,9). But on the Cross, the Lord Jesus regained the scepter
which Adam lost; and here is the key to Rev. 5.
In the 5th chapter of the
Apocalypse a remarkable scene is brought before us. The beloved apostle
sees a book - "written within and on the backside, sealed with seven
seals" - in the right hand of Him which sat upon the Throne. Then he
hears an angel saying, 'Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the
seals thereof?" Next we are told, "And no man in heaven, nor in earth,
neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look
thereon. And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and
read the book, neither to look thereon." Many have been the conjectures
concerning this mysterious "book," but by comparing scripture with
scripture we think there can be no doubt as to what is here in view. In
Jer. 32:5-15 we read of a field being bought and the receipt (the
"evidence") of the purchase is termed a 'book," and this book was
"sealed." It is to a similar transaction that Rev. 5 refers. The book
seen by the apostle contains the title deeds to this earth. These
title deeds which Adam lost have been recovered by Christ. They have
been recovered by "purchase," and the price paid by the precious blood
of the Lamb. In Matt. 13:44 we read of a Man who "goeth and selleth all
that he hath, and buyeth that field," and in verse 38 of the same
chapter we are told, "the field is the world." Hence it is that the
apostle was told, 'Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the
Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven
seals thereof" (Rev. 5:5). What is seen in vision in Rev. 5 becomes
actual fact when the Lord Jesus returns to this earth. It will be at
that time that the "purchased possession" - the earth - is "redeemed"
(Eph. 1:14). Hence, when He comes back, His first act will be to eject
Satan from it, establish His Kingdom upon it, and exercise
"dominion" over it.
Another scripture which
throws light upon the Millennium in relation to Christ is 1 Pet. 1:13.
Here the second coming of our Lord (to the earth) is termed, "The
Revelation of Jesus Christ." This is in contrast from the first
advent. When He was here before, His Divine glory was veiled, and much
of His power and majesty were concealed. But when He comes back again,
His Divine glory shall be fully manifested. Instead of appearing as the
gentle Lamb, He will come as the Lion of the tribe of Judah. Instead of
standing before human tribunals to be judged of men, He will summon all
nations before Him and sit in judgment upon them. Instead of appearing
in humiliation, weakness, and shame, He will be revealed in regal power
and majesty. Instead of coming to be the victim, He will return as the
Victor, to sit upon the Throne of His Glory. So, then, the Millennium is
the time when our Lord enters into the exercise of His Kingly office,
when He will reign in power and exercise dominion over all the
earth, and when His personal glory shall be fully manifested.
The full manifestation
on earth of the personal glory of Christ in the Millennium was
wondrously foreshadowed on "the holy mount." Many who have written of
the Transfiguration of the Lord Jesus have quite missed the point of its
meaning and teaching. The key to it is found in 2 Pet. 1 where we have,
in a brief word, God's own interpretation. The apostle tells us, "For we
have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you
the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were
eye-witnesses of His majesty. For He received from God the Father
honor and glory, This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased" (2
Pet. 1:16,17). The transfiguration, then, was a visible though
transitory showing forth of the glory of Christ in the Millennium.
Further proof of this is contained in the Lord's own words to His
disciples as recorded in Matt. 16:28 - 'Verily I say unto you, There be
some standing here which shall not taste of death till they see the Son
of Man coming in His Kingdom." The fulfillment of Christ's promise is
seen in the words which immediately follow - "And after six days Jesus
taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up in a
high mountain apart, and was transfigured before them." According to the
express declaration of our Lord, His transfiguration was the Son of Man
"coming in His Kingdom." That is to say, it was a foreshadowing
of that glorious event: it was a visible setting forth of it. The
details recorded of this blessed event all serve to confirm this
conclusion.
The Transfiguration; A Type of the Kingdom
First we note that the
Transfiguration was a seventh day scene. Matthew says it occurred
"after six days" (i.e. from the time Christ told His disciples they
could see the Son of Man coming in His Kingdom). Luke tells us it
was "About an eight days after these sayings" (Luke 9:28). This seventh
day carries us back to the seventh day of Gen. 2:2. The first Sabbath on
which God "rested" was, as said before, a type of the Millennial reign
of Christ, which is the great Sabbatismos (Heb. 4:9), the
Millennial rest.
"And His face did shine as
the sun, and His raiment was white as the light" (Matt. 17:2). During
the days of Christ's humiliation when He endured the contradiction of
sinners against Himself, we are told "His visage was so marred more than
any man, and His form more than the sons of men" (Isa. 52: 14), ~ but
here on the Mount His face did shine as the sun. The disciples were
favored with a glimpse of Him in His resurrection glory. It is thus the
Lord Jesus now appears in heaven, which is evident from the blinding
effects of His glory as manifested to Saul on the Damascus road. And it
is thus He will appear when He shall return to this earth arising as
"The Sun of Righteousness with healing in His wings" (Mal. 4:2).
"And, behold, there
appeared unto them Moses and Elijah talking with Him" (v.3). From the
fact that Moses (representative of the Law) and Elijah (standing for the
Prophets) were with Christ at this time, we may learn that the Old
Testament saints shall have their part and place with Christ in His
Millennial Kingdom. There is also another feat revealed here - precious
thought! - when our Lord returns to the earth He will be accompanied by
two classes of saints, here represented by Moses and Elijah, namely,
those who have passed through death and those who have been "changed"
and raptured to heaven without seeing death. The three disciples -
Peter, James, and John - may be regarded as representatives
of the Church, not, of course, the Church in its
Divine unity, but in individual capacity.
"While He yet spake,
behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the
cloud which said, This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased:
hear ye Him" (v.5). The mention of the "bright cloud" here is deeply
significant, the more so as it was out that the Voice of God was heard
speaking. This was the "Cloud" which had been withdrawn from Israel
centuries before but which now suddenly appeared again. This was the
"Cloud" in which Jehovah appeared of old - the Cloud of the Shekinah
glory. It was the "Cloud" which filled the Tabernacle - "Then a cloud
covered the tent of the congregation, and the Glory of the
Lord filled the Tabernacle" (Ex. 40:34). This was the "Cloud" which
guided Israel throughout their wilderness wanderings - "And when the
cloud was taken up from over the Tabernacle, the children of Israel went
forward in all their journeys: but if the cloud were not taken up, then
they journeyed not till the day that it was taken up" (Ex. 40:38,37).
This was the "Cloud" in which Jehovah appeared in the Holy of Holies
upon the mercy-seat (Lev. 16:2). This was the "Cloud" which filled the
Temple of Solomon (1 Kings 8:10). Little wonder then that the disciples
"fell on their faces and were sore afraid" (v.7)! The appearing of the
Shekinah "Cloud" on the Mount of Transfiguration was the intimation that
it shall be visible again to Israel in the Millennial Kingdom. That it
will be is further evident from the prophecy of Isa. 4:5 - "And
the Lord will create upon every dwelling-place of Zion, and upon her
Assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day, and the shining of a
flaming fire by night: for above all the Glory shall be a
defense" - the context here shows this has reference to the Millennium,
See further Ezek. 43.
"And when they had lifted
up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus only" (v.8). This touch to
the picture is a beautiful one. It tells us that in the Millennium our
blessed Lord shall be exalted high above all, that He shall occupy the
position of pre-eminence, that all human glory shall pale and disappear
before His. As it is written, "And the loftiness of man shall be bowed
down, and the haughtiness of men shall be made low; and the Lord
alone shall be exalted in that day" (Isa. 2:17).
The hour when the
Transfiguration occurred is significant From Luke's account we gather
that it happened at night, for, we read, "But Peter and they that
were with him were heavy with sleep" (Luke 9:32). Thus will it be
at the close of the long dark night of Israel's dispersion, - they will
look up and behold their Messiah returning in power and glory,
accompanied by ten thousands of His saints who will be on such terms of
holy familiarity with Him (compare "Moses and Elijah talking with Him")
that the world shall marvel at that wondrous grace which made them
"joint-heirs with Christ."
The Transfiguration also
revealed the blessedness of that time when Christ shall set up
His Millennial Kingdom. "Lord it is good for us to be here" (v.4) was
the exclamation that fell from the lips of the astonished Peter. Thus
will it be in the Millennium. "Lord, it is good for us to be here" will
well express the contentment and the joy of those who will be upon the
earth in those days. 0! what a time that will be. Satan removed, the
Antichrist destroyed, and all that opposes the Gospel swept from the
face of the earth. Israel penitent and restored, the heathen nations
then completely evangelized, and creation itself delivered from its
bondage of corruption. The saints "with Christ," wearing their glorified
bodies, and participating in His reign over an earth full of the
knowledge of the glory of the Lord. Christ Himself on the throne, the
Holy Spirit poured out upon all flesh, and outwardly God's will done
upon the earth as it is in heaven. Yes, then indeed, shall it be said,
"Lord, it is good to be here."
Striking indeed was the
vision vouchsafed to the three favored disciples. Remarkably full was
that manifestation of the glory of Messiah's coming Kingdom. But, the
sequel to the Transfiguration was equally wonderful in its typical
signification, and was needed to complete this spectacular
setting forth of the Redeemer’s return to the earth.
"And when they were come to
the multitude, there came to Him a certain man, kneeling down to Him,
and saying, Lord, have mercy on my son: for he is a lunatick, and sore
vexed: for oftentimes he falleth into the fire, and oft into the water .
. . . and Jesus rebuked the demon: and he departed out of him: and the
child was cured from that very hour" (vss. 14,15,18). What a sight was
this which confronted our Lord and His disciples as they came down from
the "holy mount"! What a picture of Israel in particular and of the
world in general! Thus will it be at the time of our Lord's return to
this earth. The first thing which the Saviour did after He had
given the disciples a vision of His glory in the coming Kingdom, was to
cast out a demon; and the first thing He will do when He returns to the
earth, will be cast out the Devil and secure him for a thousand
years in the Bottomless Pit (Rev. 20:2, 3). God hasten that blessed day!
THE GOLDEN AGE IN RELATION TO THE CHURCH
At the first stage of
Christ's second coming (which will be into the air) the Church is
removed from the earth, being raptured miraculously like Enoch and
Elijah. Hence, when the Saviour returns to the earth, the Church will
accompany Him. This is clear from Col. 3:4 and Jude 1:14 - 'when Christ,
who is our life, shall appear, then shall we also appear with Him in
glory". And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these,
saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of His saints."
Exactly what part the
Church will play during the Millennium it is not easy to say. Few
details are revealed. A moment's reflection will show why this is the
case. It is in the Old Testament that the Millennium receives the
fullest consideration, whereas the Church is a heavenly creation, and
has a heavenly citizenship and destiny (see Phil. 3:20; 1 Pet.
1:4). Nevertheless, one or two things are sure. The Church will be
with Christ throughout the Millennium, and not only so, the saints
will reign with Him - "And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art
worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for Thou wast
slain, and hast redeemed us to God by Thy blood out of every kindred,
and tongue, and people, and nation; and hast made us unto our God kings
and priests: and we shall reign on (or "over") the earth (Rev.
5:9,10). And again we read, "Blessed and holy is he that hath part in
the first resurrection: upon 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" (Rev. 20:6). Who can picture the blessed
accomplishment of this promise! For two thousand years the saints have
(more or less) lived as strangers and pilgrims on the earth. Many of
them have been maligned, ostracized, persecuted, and martyred. They went
forth unto Christ "without the camp. bearing His reproach" (Heb. 13:13).
But now shall they be richly rewarded. They suffered "with Him" and now
shall they also be "glorified together" (Rom. 8:17). And then will it be
fully manifested that "the sufferings of this present time are not
worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us"
(Rom. 8:18).
In the Parable of the
Pounds we have a scripture which sets forth one aspect of the reward
which shall be enjoyed by the faithful in that day - "And He (Christ)
said unto him, Well, thou good servant: because thou hast been faithful
in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities" (Luke 19:17).
This scripture seems to intimate that during the Millennium the saints
will occupy a prominent part in the government of the world. Yea, it is
written, "Do ye not know that saints shall judge the world?" (1 Cor.
6:2). Ah! How different things will then be. The first shall be last,
and the last first. Positions shall be completely reversed. Today the
children of God (that is, those who really walk as such) are despised
and hated by the world, but they shall be placed in authority over the
world. This is the promise of our Lord: "And he that overcometh, and
keepeth My works unto the end, to him will I give power over the
nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels
of a potter they shall be broken to shivers: even as I received of My
Father" (Rev. 2:26, 27). Yes, Christ's position, Christ's power,
Christ's prerogatives shall be shared by His people, for He and they are
one.
Again; it is during the
Millennium that the Unity of the Church - in contradistinction
from the innumerable sects in Christendom which now divide believers -
will be fully manifested, and our Lord's prayer of John 17:22, 23
fulfilled: "And the glory which Thou gavest Me I have given them; that
they may be one, even as We are One": I in them, and Thou in Me,
that they may be perfect in one; and that the world may know that
Thou hast sent Me, and hast loved them, as Thou hast loved Me. Not until
the "Day of Christ" will the world "know" these things, for then it is
that we shall all have come "in the unity of the faith, and of
the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of
the stature of the fullness of Christ" (Eph. 4:13). Yes, and then it is,
also that Christ shall come "to be glorified in His saints and
admired in all them that believe" (2 Thes. 1:10). In that day, the
Church will be an object of beauty, wonderment and admiration to all the
world. It will then be fully seen what great things the Lord hath done
for His Church, in giving it a higher place - a place nearer to Himself
than that which even the holy angels will occupy.
THE GOLDEN AGE IN RELATION TO ISRAEL
"And it came to pass, that,
when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold a smoking furnace, and a
burning lamp that passed between those pieces. In that same day the Lord
made a covenant with Abraham, saying, Unto thy seed Have I given this
land" (Gen. 15:17,18). Here the two great periods of Israel's history
were made known to Abram in figure. The vision of the smoking furnace
and the burning lamp intimated that the history of Abraham's descendants
was to be a checkered one. It was a prophecy in symbolic action; and
like all prophecy was to have a double fulfillment. The order was first
the sorrow and suffering, and then the glory and joy. There was first
the smoking furnace of Egyptian bondage, and then the burning lamp which
typified the brilliant reign of Solomon. After which there was the
furnace again, the furnace of the Babylonian captivity, and since Israel
crucified her Messiah the furnace has been seven times hotter than ever
before. Yet it is written, "For Zion's sake I will not hold my peace,
for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, until the righteousness thereof go
forth as brightness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp that
burneth" (Isa. 62:1).
A remarkable statement is
found in Deut. 32:8, which antedates the actual history of the Jews:
'When the Most High divided to the nations their inheritance, when He
separated the sons of Adam, He set the bounds of the peoples
according to the number of the children of Israel." Israel is here
seen to be present before the mind of God six hundred years before the
birth of their father Abraham. Yet, even at that remote period, God
assigned to the descendants of the then scattered sons of Adam, their
position in the earth according to the number of people which was not
then born. Here, then, we learn God's purpose concerning the
chosen nation -- Israel is God's earthly center.
In Gen. 13:14,15 we read,
"And the Lord said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him,
lift up now thine eyes and look from the place where thou art,
northward, and southward, and eastward and westward. For all the land
which thou seest to thee will I give it, and to thy seed forever."
And again in Gen. 15:18 we are told, "In that same day the Lord made
a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto they seed have I given this land,
from the River of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates." The
land of Palestine has been given unconditionally to Abraham and
his descendants, "for the gifts and calling of God are without
repentance" (Rom. 11:29). But these Divine promises have never received
anything more than a partial fulfillment. The patriarchs themselves were
but sojourners in a strange country, so much so, they needed to
purchase a burying ground in it for their dead. It is true that in
the days of Joshua Israel entered into possession of the promised land,
but it is to be particularly noted that they entered Caanan under the
Covenant of Law (see Deut. 27:1-3, 8-10; 28:1, etc.) and hence
their continued tenure of it was conditioned upon their obedience to
Jehovah. But, as is well known, they failed to walk in the Divine
statutes, and turned aside after false gods. And long did Jehovah bear
with their waywardness. Prophet after prophet was sent unto them,
calling them to forsake their sins and return unto the Lord and He would
abundantly pardon. But in vain. Ultimately the point was reached when
God's patience became exhausted, and in judgment upon them He sent them
into captivity, from whence nothing more than a remnant has ever
returned to their own land. It was to the descendants of this remnant
that the Lord Jesus came. To the "lost sheep of the house of Israel" He
was sent (see Matt. 10:5-7; 15:24). But He received no better
treatment at their hands than did the prophets who were before Him - "He
came unto His own and His own received Him not." He was despised and
rejected of men, and Israel disowned their King and put Him to a
shameful death. While their Messiah was hanging upon the Cross, "All
the people said, His blood be on us, and on our children" (Man.
27:25), and God took them at their word! A few years later Jerusalem was
besieged, captured and destroyed by the armies of Titus; hundreds of
thousands of Jews were slain, and the remainder of them carried into
captivity. Since that time they have been a homeless nation, and
wanderers on the face of the earth. Literally has the prophecy of Hosea
been fulfilled, "For the children of Israel shall abide many days
without a king" (Hosea 3:4). And yet, in spite of all, they have
preserved their national individuality, and have never been absorbed by
the other nations.
Now, it is evident that the
nation of Israel has been preserved for a purpose, and what that purpose
is God's Word makes known. A marvelous future awaits these descendants
of Abraham. Jerusalem is now trodden down of the Gentiles, but it is
only to continue thus "until the times of the Gentiles be
fulfilled" (Luke 21:24). The tabernacle of David, now fallen down, is to
be restored (Acts 15:16), and the one who had been for so long the sport
of the nations shall yet become their "head" (Deut. 28:13).
The restoration of Israel
occupies a most prominent place in the Scriptures of Truth, and three
things should be particularly noted in connection therewith. First, the
restoration of Israel cannot take place until after the Church has been
removed from the earth. Second, the restoration of the entire nation
will be a gradual one. Third, restored Israel will occupy a much more
exalted and glorious position than any it has held in the past, not
excepting the reign of Solomon. The first of these three statements is
based upon Acts 15:14-17 where we are expressly told that it was not
until "after" God has taken out of the Gentiles a people for His
name that He will return and build again the tabernacle of David. The
second and third statements above, will now be considered at more
length.
In Zech. 12:9, 10 we are
told, "And I will pour upon the House of David, and upon the inhabitants
of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall
look upon Me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for Him as one
mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for Him, as one
that is in bitterness for his firstborn." Here is the starting-point of
Israel's moral restoration, namely, the repentance of
Judah. Be it noted that this prophecy contemplates the House of David
and the inhabitants of Jerusalem only, for it is not until a later date
that God deals with the Ten Tribes. With the above scripture
should be linked 2 Cor. 3:15, 16 - "But even unto this day, when Moses
is read, the veil is upon their heart. Nevertheless when it (Israel)
shall turn to the Lord, the veil shall be taken away." One of the
first consequences of Judah's turning unto the Lord in repentance will
be the removal of the veil now upon their heart.
The restoration of the Ten
Tribes is brought before us in Ezek. 34 - the whole chapter should be
read: a new covenant:
"For thus saith the Lord
God; behold, I, even I, will both search My sheep and seek them out. As
a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day he is among his sheep which
are scattered; so will I seek out My sheep, and will deliver them out of
all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark days.
And I will bring them out from the people, and gather them from the
countries, and will bring them to their own land, and feed them among
the mountains of Israel by the rivers, and in all the inhabited places
of the country. I will feed them in a good pasture, and upon the high
mountains of Israel shall their fold be: there shall they lie in a good
field, and in a fat pasture shall they feed upon the mountains of Israel
I will feed My flock, and I will cause them to lie down, saith the Lord
God"
(vss. 11-15).
The Ten Tribes restored to
Palestine shall be united to the House of Judah and the two Houses
become one again:
"Thus saith the Lord God;
Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the heathen,
whither they be gone, and will gather them on every side and bring them
into their own land: And I will make them a nation in the land, upon the
mountains of Israel; and one King shall be king to them all and they
shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two
kingdoms any more at all: Neither shall they defile themselves any more
with their idols, nor with their detestable things, nor with any of
their transgressions: but I will save them out of all their dwelling
places, wherein they have sinned, and will cleanse them: so they shall
be My people, and I will be their God. And David My servant shall be
king over them; and they all shall have one Shepherd: they shall also
walk in My judgments, and observe My statutes, and do them. And they
shall dwell in the land which I have given unto Jacob My servant,
wherein your fathers have dwelt; and they shall dwell therein, even
they, and their children, and their children's children forever: and My
servant David shall be their prince forever. Moreover I will make a
covenant of peace with them: it shall be an everlasting covenant with
them: and I will place them, and will multiply them, and will set My
sanctuary in the midst of them forever more. My tabernacle also shall be
with them: yea, I will be their God, and they shall be My people. And
the heathen shall know that I the Lord do sanctify Israel, when My
sanctuary shall be in the midst of them forevermore"
(Ezek. 37:21-28).
With the restored and
reunited twelve tribes God will make a new covenant:
"Behold, the days come,
saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of
Israel, and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant that
I made with their fathers, in the day that I took them by the hand to
bring them out of the land of Egypt; which My covenant they brake,
although I was a Husband unto them, saith the Lord; But this shall be
the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; after those
days, saith the Lord, I will put My love in their inward parts, and
write it in their hearts, and will be their God, and they shall be My
people. And they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, and every
man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they shall all know Me, from
the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord: for I will
forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more"
(Jer. 31 :3l-45; cf: 32:37-40; Isa. 59:20, 21).
The position which restored
Israel will occupy in the Millennium, their distinct and wondrous
blessings, their relation to the other nations, the service the Lord
will entrust to them, and many other deeply interesting points, are
fully treated by the Old Testament prophets. A large volume might well
be written on these things, but sufficient here if we touch upon the
outstanding features.
The headquarters of the
Messiah on earth during the Millennium will be Jerusalem - "The City of
the great King" (Matt. 5:35). Jerusalem occupied a prominent place in
Judaism of old, but it shall hold a still more important position in the
days to come. Even now, signs are not wanting to show that in the near
future Jerusalem will be given a place among the leading cities of the
earth. More and more will Jerusalem come into prominence, and at the
time of the appearance of Antichrist the ancient capital of Palestine
will be the great center of the land. But at the close of his career,
when the false Messiah throws off his mask, he will seek to blot out
everything that bears witness to God. Just before Christ comes back to
earth the Man of Sin besieges Jerusalem (see Zech. 14:1, 2) and
virtually destroys it. But early in the Millennium Jerusalem will again
be rebuilt. This re-building of Jerusalem is referred to by the
prophet Jeremiah - "This saith the Lord; Behold, I will bring again the
captivity of Jacob's tents, and have mercy upon his dwelling-places; and
the city shall be builded upon her own heap (little hill), and the
palace shall remain after the manner thereof" (30:18, and cf. 31:38-40).
One of the early acts of
the King in the coming Age will be the erection of a magnificent Temple
- "Thus speaketh the Lord of Hosts, saying, Behold the man whose name is
The Branch; and He shall grow up out of His place, and He shall build
the temple of the Lord: Even He shall build the temple of the Lord; and
He shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon His throne; and He
shall be a Priest upon His throne" (Zech. 6:12,13). This Temple which is
fully described in Ezek. 40 and 41 will be an imposing structure of vast
dimensions, upwards of a mile in extent. Into the Temple shall the
Shekinah Glory enter, and from which it will irradiate the whole earth -
"And, behold, the Glory of
the God of Israel came from the way of the east: and His voice was like
a noise of many waters: and the earth shined with His ....... and the
Glory of the Lord came into the house by the way of the gate whose
prospect was toward the east. So the spirit took me up, and brought me
into the inner court; and, behold, the Glory of the Lord filled the
house"
(Ezek. 43:2, 4, 5).
From Ezekiel chapters 45
and 46 we learn that there will be a restoration of Jewish sacrifices,
though with certain modifications. It is to this that Jer. 7:26 refers:
"And they shall come from
the cities of Judah, and from the places about Jerusalem, and from the
land of Benjamin, and from the south, bringing burnt offerings, and
sacrifices, and meat offerings, and incense, and bringing sacrifices of
praise, unto the house of the Lord."
The sacrifices and feasts
as instituted by God in Old Testament times were anticipative,
those offered and celebrated in the Millennium will be commemorative.
It is unto this Temple the nations shall go to worship the Lord of
Hosts, (Zech. 14:16-19.) We would point out in passing that there will
be no "Ark" in the Millennial Temple. This is in striking accord with
Jer. 3:16 - "And it shall come to pass, when ye become multiplied and
increased in the land, in those days, saith the Lord, they shall say no
more, The ark of the covenant of the Lord: neither shall it come to
mind; neither shall they remember it; neither shall they visit it;
neither shall that be done any more. The reason why there will be no
"Ark" in the Millennial Temple is given in the verse which follows - "At
that time they shall call Jerusalem the throne of the Lord: and
all the nations shall be gathered unto it, to the name of the Lord, to
Jerusalem" (Jer. 3:17).
Out from this Temple shall
flow a wonderful river about which not a little is told us. In Ezek. 47
we read:
"Afterward he brought me
again unto the door of the house; and, behold, waters issued out from
under the threshold of the house eastward: for the forefront of the
house stood toward the east, and the waters came down from under, from
the right side of the house at the south side of the altar... afterward
he measured a thousand; and it was a river I could not pass over: for
the waters were risen, waters to swim in, a river that could not be
passed over"
(vss. 1, 5).
And again in Zech. 14:8 we
read:
"And it shall be in that
day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward
the former sea, and half of them toward the hinder sea: in summer and in
winter shall it be."
The Psalmist rejoiced in
spirit as he contemplated this river: "There is a river, the streams
whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the
tabernacles of the Most High" (Psa. 46:4). The fertilizing value of this
river and its beneficent effects are also mentioned by the Psalmist:
"Thou visitest the earth
and waterest it: Thou greatly enrichest it with the river of God, which
is full of water: Thou preparest them corn, when Thou hast so provided
for it Thou waterest the ridges thereof abundantly: Thou settlest the
furrows thereof: Thou makest it soft with showers: Thou blessest the
springs thereof Thou crownest the year with Thy goodness; and Thy paths
drip fatness. They drop upon the pastures of the wilderness: and the
little hills rejoice on every side. The pastures are clothed with
flocks; and the valleys also are covered over with corn; they shout for
joy, they also sing"
(Psa. 65:9-13).
The beneficent effects of
the river are also seen in that its waters will heal the Salt (or
"Dead") Sea:
"Now when I had returned,
behold, at the bank of the river were very many trees on the one side
and on the other. Then said he unto me, These waters issue out toward
the east country, and go down into the desert, and go into the sea:
which being brought forth into the sea, the waters shall be healed. And
it shall come to pass, that everything that liveth, which moveth,
whithersoever the rivers shall come, shall live: and there shall be a
very great multitude of fish, because these waters shall come thither:
for they shall be healed, and everything shall live whither the river
cometh. And it shall come to pass, that the fishers shall stand upon it
from Engedi even unto Eneglaim; they shall be a place to spread forth
nets; their fish shall be according to their kinds, as the fish of the
great sea, exceeding many. But the miry places thereof and the marshes
thereof shall not be healed; they shall be given to salt And by the
river upon the bank thereof, on this side and on that side, shall grow
all trees for meat, whose leaf shall not fade, neither shall the fruit
thereof be consumed: it shall bring forth new fruit according to his
months, because their waters they issued out of the sanctuary: and the
fruit thereof shall be for meat, and the leaf thereof for medicine"
(Ezek. 47:7-12).
The City of David will be
the Metropolis of the whole earth:
"But in the last days it
shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be
established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above
the hills, and people shall flow unto it. And many nations shall come,
and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and to the
house of the God of Jacob; and He will teach us of His ways, and we will
walk in His paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of
the Lord from Jerusalem"
(Micah 4:1, 2).
Great topographical changes
will usher in the Millennium, one of which will be the literal elevation
of Jerusalem above the level of the rest of the land, and possibly to
the highest point in whole earth, which may have been leveled during the
Tribulation Period (see rev. 6:14). One of the topographical changes is
described in Zech. 14:
"And His feet shall stand
in that day upon the Mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the
east, and the Mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward
the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley;
and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it
toward the south ... all the land shall be turned as a plain from Geba
to Rimmon south of Jerusalem: and it (Jerusalem) shall be lifted up, and
inhabited in her place, from Benjamin's gate unto the place of the first
gate, unto the corner gate, and from the tower of Hananeel unto the
king's winepresses"
(Zech. 14:4, 10). Further reference to this is also
made by the Psalmist - "Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole
earth, is Mount Zion, on the sides of the north, the city of the great
King. (Psa. 48:2).
During the Millennium the
land of Palestine will be apportioned equally among the Twelve Tribes, a
separate section being set apart for the priests and Levites - see Ezek.
47 and 48 - and upon thrones shall sit twelve apostles judging the
twelve tribes of Israel: "And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto
you, That ye which have followed Me in the Regeneration (i.e. the
Millennium) when the Son of Man shall sit in the throne of His glory, ye
also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel"
(Matt.19:28). Apparently it was to this that Isaiah referred when he
wrote - "Behold, a King shall reign in righteousness, and princes
shall rule in judgment" (Isa. 32:1).
Many are the passages which
describe Israel's Millennial glory and blessedness. The last six
chapters of Isaiah are occupied more or less with this theme, and from
them we quote a few portions. After speaking of the Redeemer's return to
Zion (Isa. 59:20, 21), the prophet cries - "Arise, shine; for thy light
is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee" (Isa. 60:1). The
prophet continues - "And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and the
kings to the brightness of thy rising... surely the isles shall wait for
Me, and the ships of Tarshish first, to bring thy sons from far, their
silver and their gold with them, unto the name of the Lord thy God, and
the Holy One of Israel, because He hath glorified thee. And the sons of
strangers shall build up thy walls, and their kings shall minister unto
thee: for in My wrath I smote them, but in My favor have I had mercy on
thee. Therefore thy gates shall be open continually; they shall not be
shut day or night; that men may bring unto thee the wealth of the
Gentiles, and that their kings may be brought. For nation and kingdom
that will not serve thee shall perish: yea, those nations shall be
utterly wasted. ... The sons also of them that afflicted thee shall bow
themselves down at the soles of thy feet; and they shall call thee, the
City of the Lord, the Zion of the Holy One of Israel. Whereas thou hast
been forsaken and hated, so that no man went through thee, I will
make thee an eternal excellency, a joy of many generations. ...
Thy sun shall no more go down; neither shall thy moon withdraw
itself: for the Lord shall be thine everlasting light, and the days of
thy mourning shall be ended. Thy people also shall be all righteous:
they shall inherit the land forever, the branch of My planting, the work
of My hands, that I may be glorified" (Isa. 60:3, 9-12, 14, 20, 21). The
Lord shall "appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them
beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for
the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of
righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He might be glorified. And
they shall build the old wastes, they shall raise up the former
desolations of many generations. And strangers shall stand and feed your
flocks, and the sons of the alien shall be your ploughman and your
vinedressers. But ye shall be named of the priests of the Lord: men
shall call you the ministers of our God: ye shall eat the riches of the
Gentiles, and in their glory shall ye boast yourselves" (61:3-6). And
again, "And the Gentiles shall see thy righteousness, and all kings thy
glory: and thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of the
Lord shall name. Thou shalt also be a crown of glory in the hand of the
Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God. Thou shalt no more be
termed Forsaken; neither shall thy hand any more be termed Desolate: but
thou shalt be called Beulah (Married): for the Lord delighteth in thee,
and thy land shall be married" (62:2-4).
Not only will Israel enjoy
glorious blessings themselves, but, in the Millennium they shall be a
blessing to "all families of the earth" (Gen. 12:3). Then will be
fulfilled that word, "He shall cause them that come to Jacob to take
root: Israel shall blossom and bud, and fill the face of the world
with fruit" (Isa. 27:6). And further we are told, "And the remnant
of Jacob shall be in the midst of many people as a dew from the Lord,
as the showers upon the grass" (Micah 5:7). Thus will be realized
the eternal purpose of Him Who worketh all things after the counsel of
His own will. Thus will be vindicated God's righteousness dealings with
His ancient people. Thus will be wrought out the counsels of the Most
High who separated unto Himself Abraham and his descendants to be a
lasting object lesson to the other nations of the earth, to be the
outstanding witness of His sovereign favors, and to be the instrument
for bringing, ultimately, blessing to all peoples. Thus will be
displayed the faithfulness of Jehovah by fulfilling, literally and
completely, the many promises made of old to the patriarchs and
prophets. Thus will be seen the great reason why the Almighty has kept
the Jews through all their strange vicissitudes and preserved them
through all these many centuries. Thus will end the long dark night of
Israel's sorrow, to be followed by the morning without clouds. Thus will
be manifested the matchless grace of the God of Jacob who will yet take
the very people who rejected and crucified His beloved Son and make them
"the head of the nations, and no longer the tail," and who will bless
them with blessings before which even the prosperity and glories of
Solomon's reign shall seem as nought.
THE GOLDEN AGE IN RELATION TO THE WORLD
The Millennium will be the
time when, instead of Satan being the world's "Prince," Christ shall be
its King. Then it is that the government shall be upon His shoulder.
when He was on earth before, the Devil had the effrontery to offer Him
all the kingdoms of the world, but not from the great Adversary would He
receive them. And again we read, "when Jesus therefore perceived that
they would come and take Him by force, to make Him a king, He
departed again into a mountain Himself alone" (John 6:15) - the time for
this had not arrived. But when He comes back again then shall God say to
Him, "Ask of Me, and I shall give Thee the heathen for Thine
inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for Thy possession"
(Psa. 2:8). Then it is "The kingdoms of this world are become the
Kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ; and He shall reign forever and
ever" (Rev. 11:15). This Kingdom of Christ will be a literal and
external one. From Zion shall He reign in visible majesty, and not
unseen in the hearts of men.
Perhaps at this point it
would be well if we endeavored to meet a difficulty which many inquirers
experience in connection with the Millennium. It may be stated thus: If
the saints are all caught up to meet the Lord at His descent into the
air, and the wicked are all destroyed during the Tribulation period, who
will be left to inhabit the earth during the Kingdom Age? The answer is
simple. It is a mistake to suppose that all who are left behind
at the Rapture will be subsequently destroyed by God's judgments. It is
true that "the slain of the Lord will be many," yet the earth will not
be entirely depopulated. This is evident from Matt. 25:31, where we read
that at our Lord's return to the earth and when He is seated upon the
throne of His glory that then shall be gathered all nations before Him.
It is also true that "all" who now believe not the truth will "perish"
during the Day of God's vengeance (see 2 Thess. 2:10- 12), yet
many of the children of these unbelievers will be spared. Not all of
those who will be gathered together for the battle of the great day of
God Almighty will be slain, as is clear from Isa. 66:19, where we read
of "those that escape." The slaughter at Armageddon will be
inconceivably dreadful, for from that battlefield will flow a river
of blood two hundred miles in length and several feet in depth, yet
we know from Zech. 14:18 that a "remnant" will be spared - "And it shall
come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations
which came against Jerusalem, shall even go up from year to year to
worship the King, the Lord of hosts." Finally; there will be a Jewish
remnant miraculously preserved by God (Rev. 12) and these, together with
their resurrected brethren who were slain by the Antichrist (Rev. 20:4)
will form the nucleus from which will spring the Millennial Israel.
The Form of Government
The form of Christ's
government will theocratic, not democratic - "And the Lord shall be King
over all the earth: in that day shall there be one Lord, and His name
one" (Zech. 14:9). Many have been the experiments of politicians and
reformers for the establishing of a government that should be equitable,
stable, and pure; but all have been in vain. Ever since the flood, four
thousand five hundred years ago, God has allowed man every opportunity
to develop his schemes, but ancient and modern, Oriental and Occidental,
monarchies and republics, all have served only to demonstrate that man
is a colossal failure. The record of human government is tyranny and
oppression, greed and discontentment, war and bloodshed. How all this
serves to show the crying need for One who has all power and yet all
compassion, One who is God and yet Man. Under the rule of Christ shall
be solved every problem of capital and labor, wealth and poverty, war
and peace.
The Scope of His Government
The scope or range
of Christ's government will be worldwide. Mankind will still be divided
into nations, each having their own separate and responsible heads, but
all the Gentile rulers shall be directly subject to the King of kings -
"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" (Psa. 72:8-11).
The Seat of His Government
The seat of Christ's
government will be Jerusalem, not London or New York or Paris - "And it
shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord's
house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be
exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow into it. And many
peoples shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of
the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and He will teach us of His
ways, and we shall walk in His paths: for out of Zion shall go forth
the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem" (Isa. 2:2,3). And
again we read concerning the capital of Palestine, "The name of the city
from that day shall be, The Lord is there" (Ezek. 48:35).
The Character of His Government
The character of
Christ's government is brought before us in Isa. 11:3-5 - "And He shall
not judge after the sight of His eyes, neither reprove after the hearing
of His ears: but with righteousness shall He judge the poor, and
reprove with equity the meek of the earth: and He shall smite the earth
with the rod of His mouth, and with the breath of His lips shall He slay
the wicked. And righteousness shall be the girdle of His loins,
and faithfulness the girdle of His reins." Think of a Kingdom
under the absolute control of a Monarch so wise as never to make a
mistake, so righteous as never to dispense, impartially, strict justice
to all; so holy and benevolent that He will seek no other object than
the glory of God and the blessing of His creatures; so powerful as to
secure the complete and prompt submission of every subject in His
dominions! Ah, what a Kingdom that will be!
The Results of His Reign
We turn now to consider
some of the results of Christ's government. During the Millennium
our Lord will rule as the Prince of Peace. For the first time
since the Flood the earth will be completely delivered from the horrors
of war. Then it will be seen that "He maketh wars to cease unto the ends
of the earth" (Psa. 46:9). The Kingdom age will be a time of universal
peace - "And they shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their
spears into pruning hooks: nation shall not lift up sword against
nation, neither shall they learn war any more" (Isa. 2:4).
During the Millennium there
shall also be universal blessing. An exceedingly sublime picture of the
conditions that will then obtain is to be found in Isa. 35:5-10:
"Then the eyes of the blind
shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf will be unstopped. Then shall
the lame man leap as a hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the
wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert And the
parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of
water: in the habitation of dragons, where each lay, shall be grass with
reeds and rushes. And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall
be called the way of holiness: the unclean shall not pass over it; but
it shall be for those: the wayfaring man, though fools, shall not err
therein. No lion shall be there, nor any ravenous beast shall go up
thereon, it shall not be found there. And the ransomed of the Lord shall
return, and come to Zion with songs, and everlasting joy upon their
heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall
flee away."
And again we read, "And in
this mountain shall the Lord of hosts make unto all peoples a feast of
fat things, a feast of wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow,
of wines on the lees well refined. And He will destroy in the mountain
the face of the covering cast over all peoples, and the veil that is
spread over all nations. He will swallow up death in victory; and the
Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of His
people shall He take away from off all the earth: for the Lord hath
spoken it" (Isa. 25:6-8).
At the beginning of the
Millennium there shall be a universal worship of Christ - "And it shall
come to pass that every one that is left of all the nations which came
against Jerusalem, shall even go up from year to year to worship the
King, the Lord of hosts" (Zech. 14:16). Then shall idolatry be made to
cease entirely - "The Son of Man shall send forth His angels, and they
shall gather out of His Kingdom all things that offend, and them which
do iniquity, and shall cast them into a furnace of fire" (Matt. 13:41,
42). And again we read, "And the loftiness of man shall be bowed down,
and the haughtiness of men shall be made low; and the Lord alone shall
be exalted in that day. And the idols He shall utterly abolish" (Isa.
2:17, 18).'!' the Millennium God alone shall be worshipped - 'Yea, many
people and strong nations shall come to seek the Lord of hosts in
Jerusalem, and to pray before the Lord" (Zech. 8:22).
What a glorious time the
Millennium will be for our poor sin- cursed earth! Universal
righteousness, universal peace, universal blessing, and universal
worship! Surely we have reason to pray "Thy Kingdom come."
THE GOLDEN AGE IN RELATION TO CREATION
The Millennium will witness
not only great and blessed changes in the government of the world, but
it will also bring innumerable blessings to the individual. The span of
human life will be immeasurably increased. There will be a return to the
conditions which prevailed during the early days of human history. The
longevity which was obtained among the patriarchs will be granted unto
many who live during the Kingdom Age. And every death will then be the
exception rather than the rule. A verse in Isaiah brings this out
clearly, "And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in My people: and the
voice of weeping shall no more be heard in her, nor the voice of crying.
There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that
hath not filled his days: for a child shall die an hundred years old;
but the sinner being an hundred years old shall be accursed" (Isa.
65:19, 20). The continuation of this same passage gives us a beautiful
prophetic picture which describes the happy conditions that will obtain
on earth in the days to come:
"And they shall build
houses, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the
fruit of them. They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not
plant, and another eat: for as the days of a tree are the days of My
people, and Mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands. They
shall not labor in vain, nor bring forth for trouble; for they are the
seed of the blessed of the Lord, and their off- spring with them. And it
shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they
are yet speaking I will hear. The wolf and the lamb shall feed together,
and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock: and dust shall be the
serpent's meat They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain,
saith the Lord"
(vss. 21-25).
And again we read, "Then
the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be
unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of
the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out and streams
in the desert" (Isa. 35:5, 6).
But the blessings which
will be brought to the world upon the establishment of the Messianic
Kingdom will not be confined to the human family, but will be extended
to all creation. The Curse which was pronounced by God upon the ground
in the day of Adam's fall, and which has issued in a creation that has
groaned and travailed ever since, is yet to be revoked. Creation is not
to remain in bondage forever. God has set a hope before it, a
hope which, like ours, centers in the personal return of Christ. Mention
of this is made in Rom. 8:19-21, "For the earnest expectation of the
creation waiteth for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation
was subjected to vanity, not of its own will, but by reason of Him who
subjected it, in hope that the creation itself also shall be delivered
from the bondage of corruption into the liberty of the glory of the
children of God" (R.V.). A passage closely connected with the one just
quoted is found in Psa. 96 - "Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth
be glad; let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof. Let the field be
joyful, and all that is therein: then shall all the trees of the wood
rejoice before the Lord: for He cometh, for He cometh to judge the
earth: He shall judge the world with righteousness, and the people with
His truth" (vss. 11-13). This scripture portrays the joy of all Nature
consequent upon the Advent of its Creator to the earth. No longer shall
the earth bring forth thistles and thorns, but "Instead of the thorn
shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the briar shall come up the
myrtle tree: and it shall be to the Lord for a name, for an everlasting
sign that shall not be cut off' (Isa. 55:3). And again we read, "Then
shall the earth yield her increase; and God, even our own God, shall
bless us" (Psa. 67:6). How far these conditions apply to all the earth
is difficult to say, most noticeably will they prevail in Palestine. Of
Israel's land it is said, "For the seed shall be prosperous; the vine
shall give her fruit, and the ground shall give her increase, and the
heavens shall give their dew; and I will cause the remnant of this
people to possess all these things" (Zech. 8:12). And once more we are
told, "Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that the plowman shall
overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him that soweth seed: and
the mountains shall drop sweet wine, and all the hills shall melt" (Amos
9:13). A further hint of the botanical conditions which will be enjoyed
in the Millennium is found in Ezek. 47:12 - "And by the river upon the
bank thereof, on this side and on that side, shall grow all trees for
meat, whose leaf shall not fade, neither shall the fruit thereof be
consumed: it shall bring forth new fruit according to his months,
because their waters they issued out of the sanctuary: and the fruit
thereof shall be for meat, and the leaf thereof for medicine." During
the Millennium in the Holy Land at least, there will be no fading leaf,
no killing frost, no withering blight, and no cessation of fruit.
Another illustration of the
Curse being removed from the ground is found in Isa. 35:1, 2, "The
wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert
shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose. It shall blossom abundantly, and
rejoice even with joy and singing: the glory of Lebanon shall be given
unto it, the excellency of Carmel and Sharon; they shall see the glory
of the Lord, and the excellency of our God." This is further amplified
in Isa. 41:17-20 - 'when the poor and needy seek water, and there is
none, and their tongue faileth for thirst, I the Lord will hear them, I
the God of Israel will not forsake them. I will open rivers in high
places, and fountains in the midst of the valleys: I will make the
wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water. I
will plant in the wilderness the cedar, the shittah tree, and the
myrtle, and the oil tree; I will set in the desert the fir tree,
and the pine, and the box tree together: That they may see, and know,
and consider, and understand together that the hand of the Lord hath
done this, and the Holy One of Israel hath created it."
Not the least of the
beneficent changes introduced during the Millennium will be the
restoration of the animal kingdom to its Edenic state. The
present ferocity of the wild beast is abnormal and due to the fall of
man. It is very clear from Gen. 2 that, originally, man had full
dominion over all the animal kingdom, but this was forfeited when he
rebelled against his Maker. In the Kingdom Age the fierce nature of the
beast will be subdued, for in that day:
"The wolf also shall dwell
with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf
and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall
lead them. And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall
lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw as the ox. And the
suckling child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child
shall put his hand on the cockatrice' den. They shall not hurt nor
destroy in all My holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the
knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea" (Isa.
11:6-9).
Not only shall there be
great physical changes in the earth, the removal of the curse from the
animal creation, but there will be wonderful astronomical changes
as well. In Isaiah 30:26 we read, "Moreover the light of the moon shall
be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold,
as the light of seven days, in the day the Lord bindeth up the breach of
His people, and healeth the stroke of their wound": note it does not say
the heat of the sun shall be increased, but its "light"; thus the
night at full moon would be almost as bright as our day now is. And
again we are told, "And it shall come to pass in that day, that the
light shall not be clear nor dark: but it shall be one day which shall
be known to the Lord, not day, nor night: but it shall come to pass,
that at evening time it shall be light" (Zech. 14:6, 7).
By comparing Scripture with
Scripture it would appear that during the Millennium there will be no
earthquakes, nor tornadoes, no storms at sea, but all Nature will be at
rest and shall share in the general blessing which the personal presence
of Christ will bring. And yet, there will be droughts and plagues on the
rebellious and disobedient (see Zech. 14:18, 19), which brings us
to the next division of our subject, namely, the Millennium in relation
to Sin.
THE GOLDEN AGE IN RELATION TO SIN
In spite of the fact that
Satan will have been removed from the earth, and that Christ reigns in
person over it, yet conditions here will not be perfect even in the
Millennium. Unregenerate human nature will remain unchanged. Sin will
still be present, though much of its outward manifestation will be
restrained. Discontent and wickedness will not be eradicated from the
hearts of men, but will be kept beneath the surface by means of the "rod
of iron." Multitudes will yield to Christ nothing but a "feigned
obedience" (Psa. 18:44, margin). This "feigned obedience" will be the
product of power, not of grace; it will be the fruit of fear, not of
love. In Psa. 72, which gives a graphic picture of millennial
conditions, we read, "They that dwell in the wilderness shall bow before
Him; and His enemies shall lick the dust" (v.9). Again, we are
told in Psa. 149, wherein the children of Zion are bidden to "be joyful
in their King, we are told that His saints shall "execute vengeance upon
the heathen, and punishments upon the people; To bind their kings with
chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron; To execute upon them the
judgment written: this honor have all His saints. Praise ye the Lord"
(vss. 7-9). In Micah 5, where we have another description of the
judgments which the remnant of Jacob will execute upon the Gentiles, we
are told, "And the remnant of Jacob shall be in the midst of many
people, as a lion among the beasts of the forest, as a young lion among
the flocks of sheep: who, if he can go through, both treadeth down, and
teareth in pieces, and none can deliver. Thine hand shall be lifted up
upon thine adversaries, and all thine enemies shall be cut off' (vss.
8-10). These verses do not conflict with those Scriptures which speak of
great blessings, spiritual as well as temporal, coming upon the Gentiles
during the Millennium, but warn us that the Kingdom age is not the
perfect state, and that while most if not all will worship outwardly,
yet at heart many are still the enemies of the Lord.
In perfect accord with the
above Scriptures - and in what striking harmony! - we read that though
in the Millennium the Curse will be removed from the animal creation,
"And the wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat
straw like the bullock: they shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy
mountain saith the Lord," yet we are also told "and dust shall be the
serpent's meat" (Isa. 65:25). Thus does God leave before the eyes of
men a perpetual reminder of that which introduced sin, namely, yielding
to the Serpent; as well as a symbolic warning that the Kingdom Age will
end with the liberation and manifestation of Satan on earth again.
At the close of the
Millennium, Satan will be temporarily released from his prison in order
to test humanity:
"And when the thousand
years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, and shall go
out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth,
Cog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is
as the sand of the sea. And they went upon the breadth of the earth, and
compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city"
(Rev. 20:7-9).
Thus will be fully and
finally demonstrated the incurable evil of the human heart. Even a
thousand years of millennial blessedness, with Satan away from the
earth, will not effect any change in man. Let Satan be loosed and
allowed to go forth once more and deceive the nations, and it shall be
seen that the carnal mind is still at enmity against God, and prefers a
murderer to the Lord Jesus. Nothing avails short of a new creation.
Miracles, a beneficent environment, temporal blessings - nothing
without, can alter fallen and depraved human nature. "Except a man be
born of water (the Word) and the Spirit, he cannot enter the
kingdom of God" (John 3:5).
The final revolt of man
under the leadership of the Devil will meet with swift judgment - "And
fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them" (Rev. 20:9).
What follows is told us in few words. Satan himself is cast into the
Lake of Fire where the Beast and False Prophet are, and all of the
unsaved dead from Cain onwards will be raised from their graves, to
stand before the Great White Throne and be judged according to their
works. The purpose of this judgment is to determine their respective
sentences, for there will be degrees of punishment among the lost, as
there will be degrees of glory among the redeemed. "And whosoever was
not found written in the book of life was cast into the Lake of Fire"
(Rev. 20:15). Oh, my reader, is your name written in the book of
life? If it is not, there is nothing before you but a hopeless and
endless eternity of suffering, so fearful that no human pen or tongue
can adequately depict it.
"And whosoever was not
found written in the book of life was cast into the Lake of Fire."
Unsaved reader, what an awful prospect is thine! The day of
reckoning fast hastens on. God is yet going to call you to account and
take full satisfaction to His justice. Long have you defied Him, but
soon He will put forth His power and deal with you in judgment. What He
has threatened, that He will most surely perform. The Lake of Fire!
Eternal suffering! Tormented day and night, forever and ever! Such a
portion will be unendurable, and yet it will have to be endured
by every Christ- rejecter, and endured forever and ever. "Can
thine heart endure, or thy hands be strong, in the days that I shall
deal with thee? I the Lord have spoken it, and will do it" (Ezek.
22:14).
Following the Great white
Throne judgment and the casting of the lost into the Lake of Fire,
Christ will deliver 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. And when all things
shall be subdued unto Him, then shall the Son also Himself be subject
unto Him that put all things under Him, that God may be all in all" (I
Cor. 15:24, 25, 28; and see further Rev. 21:1-5).
PREMILLENNIAL TRUTH IN ITS PRACTICAL APPLICATION
In the preceding pages, we
have set forth from the Scriptures, the glorious truth of the Golden
Age, this is indeed the hope of mankind, although there be few who have
entered into it. The great mass of mankind has never entered into
fellowship with the Creator by faith. All men are not the children of
God. God is the Creator of all men, He is the Father only of
those that believe. "As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good
unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of
faith." (Gal. 6:10).
It is a current and popular
doctrine that God is the Father of all men, and that all men, regardless
of race, color or creed are spiritual brothers. This doctrine is of the
enemy. It is Satan's propaganda to prepare the way for the coming World
Church, which will become the bride of Antichrist. It violates both the
letter and the spirit of the Word of God, from Genesis to Revelation.
From old, even from the
beginning, only those souls who entered into fellowship with God by
faith in the promised Messiah have been His children. Abel, Enoch, and
others before the flood. Noah and his sons at the time of the deluge.
Shem and his descendants following the flood. Then the patriarchs:
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The children of Jacob (spiritual Israel);
Moses and the people of Israel, and that spiritual remnant through the
centuries. "For they are not all Israel which are of Israel, neither
because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children, but in
Isaac (Christ - Messianic faith) shall thy seed be called." (Rom.
9:6-7).
Read the 11th chapter of
Hebrews and follow the "faith line" from righteous Abel into the New
Testament period and the Apostolic Age, and it is seen at once, that
only those who walk the highway of faith are the children of God.
"Therefore, we both labor and suffer reproach, because we trust in
the Living God, who is the Saviour of all men (if they will believe)
especially of those that believe." (I Tim. 4:10). Speaking to the
religionist Nicodemus, Jesus said, 'Ye must be born again." See
John 3. This alone would enable him to enter into the household of
faith. Speaking to the unbelieving Pharisees, Jesus said: 'Ye are of
your father, the Devil." (John 8:44).
Thus while we move forward
toward the Golden Age, the mass of mankind sees nothing but chaos,
destruction, atomic wars ahead. Of course, we have a few optimists
scattered about, who like the ostrich, hide their heads in the sands and
refuse to see anything to be alarmed about, but realists know better.
Outside of a Divine, Supernatural intervention in the affairs of this
world, civilization is doomed and the planet itself may become
uninhabited and uninhabitable.
What of the Faith of Those who Are the Children of God?
Alas, we would that we
could answer that every one of God's children had his heart firmly fixed
upon the coming Golden Age, as the Spirit would have it. Among God's
people, Satan has done his work also. He has attacked the Truth of our
Lord's Return, in every conceivable way. He has misrepresented it. He
has built fanatical doctrines upon it and about it. He has abused those
who preach it and teach it among the people.
Broadly speaking, among
God's people there are three groups today with respect to the Second
Coming of Christ and the Golden Age. These are (1) the Postmillennial,
(2) the Premillennial, and (3) the Amillennial.
The Amillennial
(non-millennial) view is a denial that the Scriptures teach any
Millennium at all. The reader, after the preceding chapters, is well
qualified to judge as to the baseless claims of those who maintain this
view. It is to be classed, along with the denials of modernists who
reject the verbal inspiration of the Scriptures, the Atonement of Christ
and the Resurrection, for it actually amounts to infidelity, although
claiming to be Christian. This leaves only two views: the Premillennial
and the Postmillennial, which we shall now compare.
Premillennialism and Postmillennialism Contrasted
These two views of the
Second Coming of Christ are poles apart, and in order to
thoroughly understand the issues involved, we must clearly define each
of them.
Postmillennialism teaches
that the world is getting better and better, morally, materially, and
spiritually in every phase of its development. Postmillennialists
believe that Christianity will prevail, in this age, in overcoming and
conquering the world, before Christ comes back again, hence the term,
"postmillennial" which means after the millennium, Christ will
come. Postmillennialists believe that the Gospel will permeate the world
in this age, until we have a converted world, and that this converted
state will continue for a thousand years, before Christ comes back
again.
Postmillennialists believe
that in addition to preaching the Gospel, it is our business to clean up
the world, making it a better place in which to live. Thus they are
working through pacifist organizations to eliminate war. They hope by
medical science and hospitalization to eliminate disease. They hope to
banish ignorance and illiteracy by education. Thus they couple up with
the Gospel all social and governmental projects for the social and
economic welfare of social and so-called "social gospel" is the result.
Premillennialism on the
other hand, is just what its name implies. Premillennialists believe
that the world is under the curse of God. We believe that this world
will continue to get worse and worse, until at last, this age is
concluded in dreadful sin and apostasy. We believe that terrible wars
will sweep across the world until it is wrecked and ruined. We believe
that as the age draws to a close, earthquakes, famines, sea disasters
and plagues that defy description will mark its ends.
Premillennialists believe
that the only hope is the "Blessed Hope" (Titus 2:13) of our Lord's
return. We believe that the only business of the church of the Lord
Jesus Christ, is not to regulate politics, abolish war, educate the
world, clean up and reform society, but to preach the Gospel of God's
redeeming Grace to lost sinners, to win souls, to baptize them and to
indoctrinate them in the Word of God. Premillennialists believe that it
is the business of the
Christian to be ready to
meet Jesus when He comes.
Premillennial truth
emphasizes uplifting the sinner; postmillennial error puts the emphasis
on law.
Premillennial truth puts
the emphasis on witnessing unto Christ; (rightly dividing the word of
truth) postmillennial error emphasizes systematizing theology.
Premillennial truth puts
the emphasis on building Bible Institutes to train preachers and
missionaries in rightly dividing the Word of Truth and in winning souls;
postmillennial error puts the emphasis on building theological
seminaries, to train a ministry to put on, support and maintain a
denominational program.
Premillennial truth puts
the emphasis on crowning Christ King; postmillennial error puts the
emphasis on crowning human leadership.
Premillennial truth has
produced the fundamentalists of today; postmillennial error has produced
the modernists.
The premillennial program
is destined to a glorious success; all postmillennial programs are
destined to complete and utter failure.
Premillennial Truth as Revealed in the Bible
Fundamentalists believe the
Bible. To them, the Bible is the only final authority on all matters of
faith and practice. Therefore, when it comes to a discussion of the
Second Coming of Christ, as on all other doctrinal discussions, the all
important question is, 'What does the Bible say?" if the Bible teaches
that the world is going to get better and ultimately reach a converted
state, before Christ comes, then let us believe and preach that; but if,
on the other hand, the Bible teaches that Jesus may come at any moment,
that we are to witness to every soul upon the earth in our generation of
the power of Christ to save, then let us be through with man made plans,
programs, drives, institutions, etc., and be up and about our Master's
business.
W.E. Blackstone of immortal
and blessed memory has pointedly summarized the teaching of the Word of
God on this very important and timely subject We are quoting all
Scripture references in order that all who so desire may go to the Word
of God themselves and settle, to their own satisfaction, the question as
to what the Bible teaches about the Second Coming of Christ
1. He shall come Himself. 1 Thess. 4:15.
2. He shall shout. 1 Thess. 4:16
3. The dead will hear His voice. John 5:28.
4. Believers will be caught up to meet Him in the
air. 1 Thess. 4:17.
5. He will receive them unto Himself. John 14:3.
6. He will minister unto His watching servants.
Luke 12:37.
7. He will come to earth again. Acts 1.11.
8. He will come to the same Mount Olivet from which
He ascended. Zech. 14:4.
9. He will come in flaming fire. 2 Thess. 1:8.
10. He will come in the clouds of heaven, with
power and great glory. Matt 24:30; 1 Peter 1:7; 4:13.
11. He will come and stand upon the earth. Job
19:25.
12. His church, the saints, will come with Him. 1
Thess. 3:13; Jude 14.
13. Every eye shall see Him. Rev. 1:7.
14. He shall destroy the Antichrist 2 Thess. 2:8.
15. He shall then sit in His throne. Matt. 25:31;
Rev. 5:13.
16. All nations will be gathered before Him and He
shall judge them. Matt. 25:32.
17. He shall occupy the throne of David. Luke 1:32;
Isa. 9:6,7
18. He shall have a kingdom. Daniel 7:13,14.
19. It will be upon the earth. Jer. 23:5,6.
20. He shall rule over it with His saints. Dan.
7:18-22; Rev. 5:10.
21. All kings and nations shall serve Him. Psa.
72:11; 49:6,7; Rev. 15:4.
22. The kingdoms of this world shall become His
kingdom. Zech. 9:10; Rev. 11:15.
23. The people shall be gathered to Him. Gen.
49:10.
24. Every knee shall bow before Him. Isa. 45:23.
25. They shall come and worship the King. Zech.
14:16; Psa. 86:9.
26. He shall build up Zion. Psa. 102:16.
27. His throne shall be in Jerusalem. Jer. 3:17;
Isa. 33:20,21.
28. The Apostles shall sit upon twelve thrones,
judging the twelve tribes of Israel. Matt. 19:28; Luke 22:28-30.
29. He shall rule all nations. Psa. 2:8,9; Rev.
2:27.
30. He shall rule with judgment and justice. Isa.
9:7.
31. The Temple in Jerusalem will be rebuilt Ezek.
40-48.
32. The glory of the Lord shall be revealed. Isa.
40:5.
33. The wilderness shall be a fruitful field. Isa.
32:15.
34. The desert will blossom as a rose. Isa. 35:1,2.
35. His rest will be glorious. Isa. 11:10.
Here is a very simple
outline of the teaching of the Word of God on the Second Coming of
Christ which Fundamentalists believe, exactly as revealed in the Bible.
Postmillennialism, A Modem Religious Fad
Premillennialism, An Age Old Truth
Postmillennialism is
comparatively of modern origin and is rightly classified as modernism,
for indeed, it is a system, which if followed out to its logical
conclusion, leads to the fullest endorsement of modernism in its rankest
form. It was brought forward by Daniel Whitby about two hundred years
ago in order to give the Roman Catholic church a doctrinal basis for its
church-kingdom theory. The similarity between postmillennialism and
evolution is quickly noted. Indeed, they are inseparably connected in
that they both agree that the world is progressing steadily forward. It
is also a matter of note that modern evolutionists are without exception
postmillennialists, while you never find a premillennialist who is an
evolutionist.
Some postmillennialists
with an air of intellectual superiority convey the idea, to all who
listen to them, that premillennialists are to be classified with the
great group of religious cultists and faddists of our day, such as
Russelites, Seventh Day Adventists, etc. They exhibit amazing and
colossal ignorance, to be men of education, to say the least. Not only
does the Bible, as has been shown, clearly and unequivocally teach the
personal, imminent and premillennial return of Jesus Christ to this
world, but great and good
men, in every age since the days of the apostles have so understood and
taught.
The Church Fathers Were
Premillennialists
Polycarp
who was a convert of the Apostle John, was born 69
A.D. He was burned at the stake in 167 A.D. after a most tremendous and
blessed ministry and when he was urged to renounce his Christian faith
by his persecutors he replied, ('Four score and six years have I served
Christ and He never did me any harm; how then can I blaspheme my King
and Saviour? If we obey Christ and please Him in this present age, we
shall receive the age to come. He will raise us up from the dead and we
shall live and reign with Him. The saints shall judge the world.
Justin Martyr
was born in 89 A.D. and converted in 132 A.D. He
was put to death for his testimony in 163 A.D. but before he died in
triumphant faith, he wrote, "I and whatsoever Christians are orthodox in
all things, do know that there will be a resurrection of the flesh
and a thousand years in the city of Jerusalem, built, adorned and
enlarged according to the prophets."
Clement
was put to death in 100 A.D. He was a man of great
influence, a devout Christian, a scholar who carefully spent most of his
life in research, investigation and study. About 116 A.D. he wrote "A
Narrative of the Sayings of Our Lord." In this book, he says, "If I met
with any that had been conversant with the elders, from him I diligently
inquired what were the sayings of the elders - The elders who had seen
St. John, the disciple of our Lord, taught concerning these things, (the
thousand years), and said 'The days come when the vine shall bring forth
abundantly - and all the fruits - and all the animals shall become
peaceful and harmonious, one to the other, being perfectly obedient to
man. But these are credible only to those who have faith.' Then Judas,
the betrayer, not believing and asking how much fertility should be
brought about, our Lord said, 'They shall see who comes to these times."
On another occasion, Papias said, There will be a millennium after
the resurrection from the dead, when the personal reign of
Christ shall be established on the earth."
Irenaeus
wrote about 178 A.D. He heard Polycarp preach many,
many times and it will be remembered that Polycarp was a disciple
of the Apostle John, who leaned upon the very breast of the Lord Jesus,
Himself. Irenaeus says: "But when this Antichrist shall have devastated
all things in the world, he will reign three years and six months and
sit in the temple at Jerusalem, and then shall the Lord come from heaven
in clouds, in the glory of the Father, sending this man and those that
follow him into the Lake of Fire, but bringing for the righteous the
times of the Kingdom, that is, the rest, the hallowed seventh day and
restoring to Abraham the promised inheritance in which Kingdom the Lord
declared that 'many shall come from the east and the west and shall sit
down with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob."'
Tertullian
is another one of the church fathers who lived from
about 160 A.D. to 240 A.D. He was a very prolific writer and is
described as "one of the most eminent Christians of that age."
Concerning the coming of Christ and his Kingdom he said, 'We profess
that a Kingdom is promised us on earth, before that in heaven, but in
another state, namely - after the resurrection, for it will be one
thousand years in a city of divine workmanship, even Jerusalem, brought
down from heaven; and this city, Ezekiel knew and John saw. This is the
city provided to receive the saints in the resurrection wherein to
refresh them with an abundance of all spiritual good things, in
recompense of those, which in the world we have either thought lightly
of or lost"
Cyprian
wrote from 220 A.D. to 250 A.D. and was put to
death in 258 A.D. As he was led to the block to be beheaded, the
people lamented and wept, crying "Let us also be beheaded with him."
This faithful servant of God, who paid for his faith with his life,
wrote, 'lit were a self contradictory and incompatible thing for us,
who pray that the Kingdom of God may quickly come, to be looking for a
long life here below. Let us, in anxiety and cautiousness be waiting the
second advent of the Lord, for those things which were foretold are
come to pass, as also those things will follow, which are promised; the
Lord Himself giving assurance and saying, When you see these things come
to pass, know that the Kingdom of God is near at hand."
Lactantius
was one of the most learned of the church fathers.
In about the year 300 A.D. he wrote: "It is so arranged by God,
that the same Christ should come to earth twice, once to
announce to the nations the one God, then again to reign. Then
the Heaven will be opened in a tempest and Christ shall descend with
great power and there shall go before Him a fiery brightness and a
countless host of angels, and all that multitude of the wicked shall be
destroyed and torrents of blood shall flow. But the nations shall not be
entirely extinguished, but some shall be left as victory for God. About
the same time also, the Prince of the Devils shall be bound with chains
and shall be imprisoned during the thousand years of heavenly rule of
righteousness which shall reign in the world. They who shall be
raised from the dead, shall preside over the living as judges.
Throughout this time, the beasts shall not be nourished by blood, nor
birds by prey. The King and Conqueror shall Himself reign with the
saints on the earth and will build the Holy City and this Kingdom of the
Righteous shall be for a thousand years."
Leaders of the Reformation Were All Premillennialists
When the Roman Catholic
Church arose and withheld premillennial truth from the masses of people,
the Dark Ages were the result. Premillennial truth was preserved in this
period by such "sects" as the Waldenses, Paulicians, Novations,
Albigenses, etc. At last, when Martin Luther, John Huss, John Wycliff,
William Tyndale, John Calvin, and Zwingli broke away from Catholicism in
an effort to restore New Testament Christianity, it is not all
surprising to note that many of them were strong premillennialists.
John Wycliff
who is called "the morning star of the Reformation"
wrote a book in which he discussed the reign of Christ on earth. Among
other things, he said, "The Redeemer's return is the object of hope and
constant expectation of the church of God."
Martin Luther
who was the most famous of all the reformers says:
"Some say that before the latter days, the whole world shall become
Christian. This is a falsehood forged by Satan."
John Knox
who prayed in great agony of soul, "Oh God, give me
Scotland, or I’ll die," and who led the great Scottish reformation,
answered, "It never was, nor yet shall be, till the Righteous King
and Judge appears for the restoration of all things. But we know
that He shall return and that with expedition."
William Tyndale,
who because of his translation of the Bible, was
first strangled, then burned at the stake, said: "We are commanded to
look every hour for that day. Christ and His Apostles taught no other,
but that we should look for His coining again every hour."
Most Outstanding Men, Pastors, Evangelists, Missionaries and
Bible Teachers of Christian History Were Premillennialists
The most illustrious men in
all ages of Christianity have been premillennialists. Likewise, the men
who are doing most today to win souls, build New Testament churches and
teach the Word of God are premillennialists. Here is a list of more than
one hundred men, all prominent Christians, who were or are
premillennialists.
Martin Luther
Peter Lange
Paul De Godet
John F. Paton
Lorenza Dow
Cotton Mather
Increase Mather
Charles Hodge
Archbishop Usher
Matthew Henry
Charles H. Spurgeon
T. Dewitt Talmadge
D.L. Moody
Billy Sunday
Gypsy Smith
Mark A. Matthews
W.H. Griffith
Herman Olhaussen
Bishop H.C.G. Moule
Horatius Bonar
Andrew Bonar
Baptists and Premillennial Truth
It is one thing to be a
Christian. It is quite another thing to be a New Testament Christian.
Acceptance of Christ as a personal Saviour makes a Christian, but to walk in
the full light of the Truth of the New Testament makes a New Testament
Christian; or a Fundamental and Premillennial Baptist. All three of these
words are descriptive adjectives: Fundamental means "pertaining to the
fundamentals" or "foundational principles." By this, is meant the
Fundamentals of the Christian Faith, or the great theological doctrines of
the Bible. Premillennial has been defined in this chapter. Baptist means
"Baptizer" and is definitely not a name, but a descriptive term for those so
described today, as it was for John the Baptizer of the Baptist, in the New
Testament.
The order of New Testament
believers, has continued from the day of John until now. In fact, the
ministry of the Gospel for this Dispensation began with John, as is seen
from a number of Scriptures, such as the following:
"The beginning of the
Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, as it is written in the prophets:
Behold I send my messenger before my face, which shall prepare the way
before thee. The voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare ye the way
of the Lord: make his paths straight. John did baptize in the wilderness and
preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins."
Mark 1:1-4.
Readers will note from the
above Scripture, that this preaching and baptizing ministry of John the
Baptist (Baptizer) was "the beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ." It
will be further noted that the baptism that John administered was a baptism
"of repentance for the remission of sins" which is identically the same
baptism as was administered by the first church at Jerusalem, for Peter, in
baptizing the multitude on Pentecost said: "Repent and be baptized, every
one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins and
ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost" (Acts 2:38).
There are not many water
baptisms in the Word of God. There is only one. The baptism that John
administered was identical with the baptism administered by Jesus and His
disciples. Jesus Himself received it from John, and then called twelve of
John's disciples as His own disciples. Through them, Jesus baptized the
converts that He made (John 3:23) and after His ascension to glory, the
early church elected one to take the place of Judas, who by transgression
fell that he might go to his own place, and the stipulation was that whoever
was elected must be one "Beginning from the baptism of John." Acts 1:22.
These followers of the Way,
of New Testament times met in visible congregations, at regular times and
for specific purposes. These assemblies were called "churches" or
assemblies. Since there was only one kind of assembly in existence, it was
not necessary for these bodies to wear any distinguishing labels, for there
was nothing to be distinguished from. Thus in the New Testament, we read
simply of "the church which was at Jerusalem;" "the church which was at
Antioch"; the church which was at Colosse" and so on.
These were premillennial in
faith, as we have shown from the quotations from the early church fathers,
who were converted under the ministry of the Apostles themselves. Gradually,
however, error began to creep in, and ritualism began to develop in the body
of professing Christianity, as has been true in every age. By the fourth
century, Catholicism as a system reared its ugly head. Persecution of those
who remained true to the Word and work of our Lord soon began. Then it was,
that in order to survive they went underground. The Dark Ages followed, and
during this period of several hundred years, they were known by various
names:
Paulicans, Novations,
Albigenses, Waldenses, Bogomils, etc.
When the Dark Ages passed
and the Reformation took place, Martin Luther, John Calvin, Huss and Zwingli
broke the power of Roman Catholicism, by swinging large segments away from
Rome, and Protestantism was born. It was so called, because it was a
movement of Protest against the corruption of the Roman system.
when this took place, these "sects" which had survived from the Apostolic
period came out of their hiding, still holding to their faith.
Because they were
uncompromising on the point of baptism, they were dubbed Anabaptists by both
Catholics and Protestants. "Ana" means "re," thus they were called
"rebabtizers" because of their practice of rebaptizing all who came to them,
insisting that they must receive the ordinance as it had been committed to
them, from the Apostles, who had received it from John and which had been
commanded by Christ.
In time, the prefix was
dropped and they came to be known simply as Baptists. In comparatively
modern times, denominationalism has arisen among us, which is opposed to the
Premillennial Coming of Christ, and which fosters a postmillennial program,
but it is a matter of record that outstanding preachers and theologians and
preachers among us, have been premillennial in their faith.
Charles Haddon Spurgeon,
illustrious Baptist preacher of London, universally
acknowledged as the greatest preacher of the Gospel since the days of the
Apostle Paul, said: "I do look for His premillennial advent and expect He
will come here again. Jesus, our Lord is to be King of all the earth and
rule all nations in a glorious personal reign."
John A Broadus,
one of the founders of the Southern Baptist
Theological Seminary of Louisville, Kentucky and one of the world's greatest
New Testament scholars and preachers, says in his commentary on Matthew,
chapter 24, "It follows that our Lord's Coming certainly cannot be at the
end of a thousand years of universal and perfect piety, for in that
case, all would know the exact time and all would be devoutly and eagerly
expecting the event."
Dr. E.Y. Mullins,
world famous as a theologian and philosopher,
perhaps the greatest in his field in the past century, in his book,
"Christianity; It's Doctrinal Expression" says on page 471, "Christians
should cultivate the New Testament attitude of expectancy. We should ever be
as men who look for their Lord, because He commanded it. The
postmillennialist certainly has an impossible task in trying to find a place
in his conception of the future, for the New Testament attitude is of
expectancy for the Coming of Christ"
Dr. EC. Dargan
says concerning Revelation 20:1-10, "The passage
itself seems to mean that the millennium will follow the arrival of our
Lord and at the close of that period, will be the judgment day."
Dr. J.B. Gambrell
said, "I don't mind telling a secret I mildly lean
to the Pre theory. That looks like it might be so, more than the
other." (Baptist Standard, October 3rd, 1918).
Premillennial Truth and Present Day Baptist Programs
With the rise of German
rationalism and the development of modern, present day interdenominational
endeavor, postmillennial ism, that most subtle and dangerous type of
modernism, has increasingly wielded much influence in the official life of
Baptists. Baptist people as a whole, are today, strongly premillennial, but
there is a little clique who have succeeded in putting a postmillennial yoke
upon the churches in the form of the "program."
Not only is the program
postmillennial, but they are injecting this modernistic poison into the very
veins of Baptist life. Preachers are being trained in postmillennial
colleges and seminaries and taught how to explain away and "spiritualize"
the Word of God. Postmillennialism is being written into the Sunday School
literature. Thus the whole stream of Baptist thought and life is being
polluted, poisoned, and contaminated by this unscriptural teaching.
And what is the result of
this appalling departure from the truth? The emphasis has been taken off of
personal work and put on programs. So called "social service" is slowly but
surely supplanting the old time Gospel, revival meetings and soul winning
effort.
No preacher, evangelist,
pastor, missionary, Bible teacher or individual Baptist can be a consistent
premillennialist, and at the same time support postmillennial programs.
There are hundreds of premillennialist who face this question. They see that
it is a departure from the faith. They see that it is a departure from the
Word of God. What to do? That is the question.
The Revival of the Age-End Preparing For The Golden Age
Just as God preserved His
true churches through the long, dark night of the Middle Ages when "they
wandered in deserts and in mountains, and in dens and in caves of the earth"
(Heb. 11:38) 50 He has preserved them in this day of modernism.
All over the world, there
is a coming out of believers; there is a coming out of those who
desire to gather themselves into New Testament assemblies. Thousands are
coming out from all denominations; Catholic, Presbyterian, Methodist,
Episcopalian, Denominational Baptist, Church of Christ, Christian, and many,
many others. These newly organized churches have come to be known, as
Fundamental Baptist Churches. They would be quite content to simply be
called churches, as in the New Testament, if necessity did not demand
otherwise, to distinguish themselves from the existing confusion on every
hand, in the religious world.
There are now,
individuals who have become Fundamental Baptists in faith, who are yet
in various denominational systems. They cannot come out as yet, for there is
no New Testament assembly for them to affiliate with. But they are awaiting
the hour, when the Spirit of God shall raise up a testimony to which they
might attach themselves. This coming-out of thousands of God's children, and
the formation of New Testament churches has produced a revival, at home and
abroad. Multiplied thousands of souls have been and are being saved in these
Scriptural assemblies.
In the midst of the
modernism, socialism, evolution, worldliness, communism and infidelity that
characterizes present day Christendom, these independent congregations of
New Testament believers bear their testimony, to all of the Fundamentals of
the historic Christian Faith. Premillennial in faith, they preach and teach
the word of Prophecy (II Peter 1:19) knowing the Golden Age is nigh, even at
the doors. |
