~ by James Fire
While there are more subtle references to the Millennium and related events recorded in New Testament Scripture, being of a more obscure nature, I decided that I’ll address these verses I have included here.
What we have seen thus far, in most respects are clear and insightful declarations of truth that incontrovertibly indicate that the kingdom of Israel, with a ruling king, governing over the nations is a plan that GOD intends on fulfilling.
Israel was not ultimately rejected (though for a time they were: see HOS 1:9-10; 2:23; ROM 11:17-23) but given a sort of ‘time out’ and are blinded generally speaking concerning the Gospel of Jesus Christ, their Messiah – while we Gentiles are given the opportunity to receive salvation, known in the Scripture as the fulness of the Gentiles (ROM 11:25), and once the church is completed (“fulness”) then GOD will turn all of His attention back to Israel and at the conclusion of His chastening (Daniel’s 70th week), “all Israel shall be saved” (ROM 11:26) when the king of Israel returns, who will then establish His reign for 1,000 years:
This covenant with Israel, established with Abraham in GENESIS Chapter 15 is an unconditional covenant that depends solely on GOD’s faithfulness, not Abraham’s – or Israel’s, and it’s fulfillment as far as GOD is concerned, is ‘a sure thing’!
ROMANS 11:27-33
27 For this is My covenant with them, When I take away their sins. 28 Concerning the gospel they are enemies for your sake but concerning the election they are beloved for the sake of the fathers. 29 For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. 30 For as you were once disobedient to God, yet have now obtained mercy through their disobedience, 31 even so these also have now been disobedient, that through the mercy shown you they also may obtain mercy. 32 For God has committed them all to disobedience, that He might have mercy on all. 33 Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!
2 Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters? 3 Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?.
The apostle Paul is chiding the saints at Corinth because they couldn’t resolve their disputes among themselves, but rather sought counsel outside of the church to judge matters they should have been capable of judging.
He points out that we saints will one day judge the world – and not only that, but the angels as well. When do these things transpire? It would seem evident that we, as the bride of Christ, will stand in agreement with our LORD as He renders judgment upon all of fallen creation – both man and angels.
In REVELATION, this doesn’t happen until REV 21:11-15. Is this a figurative judgment; are these five verses merely allegory?
It wouldn’t seem to, according to the words of the LORD Jesus Christ concerning Satan who will be judged:
JOHN 12:31
Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out.
REVELATION 20:10
The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
Isaiah has some choice words on the matter too:
ISAIAH 14:15-16
Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, To the lowest depths of the Pit. 16 Those who see you will gaze at you, And consider you, saying: 'Is this the man who made the earth tremble, Who shook kingdoms?’
Is the devil allegorical? And hellfire?
Biblical Christians would have to answer in the negative; it seems strange then how the events preceding these would be taken as allegory or figurative.
I believe REVELATION 20 from first verse to last is entirely literal, and yet future, which we will witness with our very own glorified eyes!
1 CORINTHIANS 15:22-26
22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. 23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming. 24 Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. 25 For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.
Note what is stated: “He [that is Christ] must reign until He has put all enemies under His feet” What is the last enemy to be put under the feet of Christ? Vs. 26 states it clearly: “…death.” Yet according to Scripture, while death will be rather uncommon, it will still be around during this time foretold by Isaiah:
ISAIAH 65:20
No more shall an infant from there live but a few days, Nor an old man who has not fulfilled his days; For the child shall die one hundred years old, But the sinner being one hundred years old shall be accursed.
The verses following describe the exact same conditions as elsewhere recorded in Scripture (such as ISAIAH 35; PSALM 34) commonly held as passages portraying the Millennium. Yet there will still be death – during this thousand year period, this is the one enemy that will not be underfoot of Christ. This doesn’t happen until afterwards when He will deliver the kingdom to GOD (the Father); then the last enemy will be defeated.
This tells me that there must be a time, when every enemy is defeated (See HEB 2:8; Satan, his followers, world governments opposed to GOD and the Bible) but one. This can’t be the eternal kingdom because then, there will be no more death. This makes plausible this interim period of 1,000 years when “[Christ] must reign” and there are no enemies ruling, except the nominal rule of death,
GALATIANS 4:22-28
22 For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman. 23 But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise. 24 Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar. 25 For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children. 26 But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all. 27 For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband. 28 Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise.
All deeds ever done by mankind will be judged of GOD and classified either as a work of the flesh (man’s own work, by his own effort, intellect, plans and endeavors) or as a work of the Spirit (those that are in accord with and empowered by the Spirit of GOD).
Hagar was given to Abram by Sarai so that he may produce a son through her; the couple was trying to ‘help’ GOD fulfill His promises to Him – always a mistake! This is a mistake that has endured for thousands of years and still a thorn in Israel’s side today!
Yet the son of promise, Isaac, was a work of GOD, according to His Spirit.
Paul the apostle likens the son of the bond woman and the son of the free as two allegories for the two covenants: Sinai which is where the Law was given and engendered bondage – from which we are free by the law of liberty in Christ (GAL 5:1-4) and Jerusalem, the city of peace, the city of the great king, also known as Zion (PSALM 48:1-3,8,11).
Paul is making the association between Isaac and the saints – just as he was the child of promise, so too we are all children of promise, that (like Isaac – and his father and his son) look forward to Zion where the King will reign:
PSALM 2:6-9
6 Yet I have set My King On My holy hill of Zion. 7 I will declare the decree: The LORD has said to Me, You are My Son, Today I have begotten You. 8 Ask of Me, and I will give You The nations for Your inheritance, And the ends of the earth for Your possession. 9 You shall break them with a rod of iron; You shall dash them to pieces like a potter's vessel.
2 TIMOTHY 2:11-12
It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him: 12 If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us:
The reign over Israel was promised to the mother of the King, Mary the wife of Joseph of the house of David (LUKE 1:31-32); He is the Son of the Father, that is accounted worthy of rule (PSALM 2:7-12; note that He rules with a rod of iron in vs. 9) and shall commence when the Father deems the time is right (ACTS 1:7). Those who overcome in the Holy and Almighty Name of Jesus the Christ shall share in this rule over the nations, also with the rod of iron:
REVELATION 2:26-27
26 And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations. 27 He shall rule them with a rod of iron; ‘They shall be dashed to pieces like the potter's vessels' as I also have received from My Father;
Being faithful and keeping His works to the end by overcoming, and willingly suffering for His name’s sake will grant us the authority to rule. This ruling will certainly extend into the eternal kingdom, but that kingdom begins where those of man’s ends – at the end of the age of wickedness when the one world leader along with his false prophet are consigned to Gehenna, and the father of lies is incarcerated in the deep abyss for 1,000 years.
At the end of such time, he is released for a little while, and he rallies together all of the unrighteous – those who’ve resented having to live under the reign of King Jesus. The final rebellion of all the ages of man is answered by fire from our Father Who is in heaven, and amen – hallowed be His name!
HEBREWS 8:7-13
7 For if that first covenant had been faultless, then no place would have been sought for a second. 8 Because finding fault with them, He says: "Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah-- 9 "not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they did not continue in My covenant, and I disregarded them, says the LORD. 10 "For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 11 "None of them shall teach his neighbor, and none his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' for all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them. 12 "For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more." 13 In that He says, "A new covenant," He has made the first obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.
The Old Covenant and the Holy Law that it tried to enforce over the people of Israel failed – not because of the Law, but because of the weakness of the flesh (ROM 7:10-14; 8:3) – it was only temporary: it was a learning tool to prove that there is nothing good in mankind (ROM 7:18; 3:10) and incite in us the cry for mercy and grace to help in our time of need (HEB 4:16). The new covenant was then introduced, with salvation solely by grace, apart from the Law, apart from trying to earn merit with GOD, based exclusively on the shed blood of Christ on Calvary’s Cross. The resulting indwelling of the Holy Spirit to all who by faith trust in the LORD for their redemption would be the empowering factor that would instill in us the fruit of faithfulness (GAL 5:22 “faithfulness”) to GOD and producing good works (EPH 2:10; TITUS 2:14).
This is the promise to Israel, as well as to the Gentiles, all of which must be born again in order to enter into the Kingdom of GOD (JOHN 3:3,5). We have witnessed this marvel among the nations, which have those called out whom GOD has ordained to eternal life, yet we haven’t seen this in the nation of Israel (10 "For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 11 "None of them shall teach his neighbor, and none his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' for all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them), even though it’s expressly promised:
EZEKIEL 36:26-27
26 "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 "I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.
ROMANS 11:26-27
26 And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: "The Deliverer will come out of Zion, And He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob; 27 For this is My covenant with them, When I take away their sins”.
This is a promise yet unfulfilled, but everything we have seen in the Old Testament Survey as well as what we’ve seen in the New Testament Survey declares that GOD does have a plan for the nation and will fulfill it, granting them the indwelling Spirit just as He has the church. I see this perfectly fulfilled, not while Israel is under “the times of the Gentiles” (LUKE 21:24) but in the Millennial Reign.
1 PETER 2:7
Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who are disobedient, "The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone,
We have addressed this idiom before regarding the cornerstone, which presents the principle of ‘establishment of the kingdom’ which is not initiated by the church, but by the King Himself, the LORD Jesus Christ, the stone cut without hands is also the cornerstone.
It demolishes the old kingdoms and establishes GOD’s own; just as the old existed in this world, likewise the new shall do so. Remember what we looked at before?
JOHN 18:36
Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence.
Many have made what seems to be a good argument for amillennialism based on this verse. However, Christ also was “not of this world” and as He prayed to the Father, He testified that His Apostles were likewise “not of this world” – obviously both were in this world, nonetheless. So while the Kingdom of GOD will not rise up “from” our midst, not being part of this world, it shall come to this world when Christ the King Himself arrives the second time, and this is essentially what we refer to as the Millennium.
For more about the Cornerstone, check out FROM the MIND of FIRE article that deals with the foundations of GOD’s Kingdom and Satan’s.
When we call people to salvation, we are not only calling them to salvation from hellfire and damnation, nor are we only calling them to salvation for heaven and glory. We are calling them to the kingdom of Christ which will replace the corrupt kingdoms of this world with His own, entirely incorruptible, and holy:
2 PETER 1:10-11
10 Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; 11 for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
REVELATION 5:1-10
1 And I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a scroll written inside and on the back, sealed with seven seals. 2 Then I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, "Who is worthy to open the scroll and to loose its seals?" 3 And no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll, or to look at it. 4 So I wept much, because no one was found worthy to open and read the scroll, or to look at it. 5 But one of the elders said to me, "Do not weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals."
6 And I looked, and behold, in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as though it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent out into all the earth. 7 Then He came and took the scroll out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne. 8 Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. 9 And they sang a new song, saying: "You are worthy to take the scroll, And to open its seals; For You were slain, And have redeemed us to God by Your blood Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, 10 And have made us kings and priests to our God; And we shall reign on the earth.
If after the ascension of the LORD Jesus Christ He was done with this world, there would be no need to redeem the Earth itself, only the souls that resided there. Yet what we see in REVELATION 5 is the title deed for the Earth itself in the right hand of the Father, which no one was worthy to take (REV 5:2-3), except One: The LION of the TRIBE of JUDAH Who is also the LAMB of GOD as though it had been slain (vs. 5-6) Who is also the Root of David.
We know that this is a title deed of the Earth for two reasons: every time one of the seals is opened, there is an effect on the Earth, or a response from Heaven concerning something that occurred on the Earth (in the fifth seal, the martyrs are inquiring about GOD’s judgment upon the persecutors that tormented them while on Earth). Or with the seventh seal, there is silence in heaven, as well as preparation for the seven trumpets which will bring judgment upon ‘the earth dwellers’.
The other reason why we see this scroll as a title deed for the Earth is because it has writing on it on the front as well as the back (REV 5:1). So, this represents a purchased possession. Scrolls typically had writing on one side only; the exceptions were legal documents, such as a title deed.
It’s because of this title deed, that the LORD Jesus Christ fully intends on occupying that which He purchased by His blood (MATT 13:38,44; in this parable, the Earth is represented by “the field” which is bought with a price); for He has authority both in Heaven and on Earth (MATT 28:18) as both LORD and Christ (ACTS 2:36)!
It’s worthy of noting that since these saints, who at this time are in heaven, declare that they shall reign on the Earth, it only seems fitting that their LORD should reign there as well!
The wrap up on this series ends at the 20th chapter of REVELATION, and as we already did a study on this chapter in the expositional study on REVELATION, I have included the link here.
There will of course be those who, having read through these articles, will still deny a literal, physical fulfillment of a Millennial Reign of Christ, and to these may I simply say, that as one who takes the Bible seriously – meaning that this Book means what it says by specific verbiage – and there is no need whatsoever to take anything allegorically unless it’s expressed as such in the text; no one may take liberties to even suggest that the Bible means something that it doesn’t.
For the rest of us, if I may repeat myself:
It’s a constant comfort to me that on that glorious day when the LORD descends from heaven with a shout, and the dead in Christ shall rise first and we who are living will join them in the air- that this will be the last time ever that our feet will walk in a world governed by Satan!
By the time we return to Earth (seven years later), this weary world will be rejuvenated, the old management will be tossed out, the globe will be ruled in justice and truth, mercy and grace, love and wisdom by none other than our precious LORD Jesus Christ, the Messiah-King of Israel!
War will be no more – not even so much as an argument will be found anywhere on the planet! There will be plenty and peace, riches and rest, joy and jubilation and we will know adventure every moment of every day as we the church, the bride of Christ, will rule alongside our bridegroom, the Holy One of Israel!
So as this satanic darkness encroaches upon us, let’s understand and do the following:
ROMANS 13:11-14
11 And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. 12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness and let us put on the armor of light. 13 Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy.14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.
This concludes this five part series on The MILLENNIUM: REIGN of the MESSIAH.
You can find both the Old and New Testament Surveys on the Millennium under the TTUF Bible Study tab or by going here to access the entire series.
May the LORD greatly bless you as you continue in your discipleship, learning of the LORD Jesus Christ, the KING of ISRAEL and Bridegroom of the Church!
And remember – Keep your eyes on the skies and don’t believe the lies! The LORD Jesus Returns Soon from On High!
No comments:
Post a Comment