Notes And Quotes For Today
A-Millennialism And The Curse of Covenant Theology – IV
(The Present Day Prophetic Confusion)
The Answer to Amillennialism:
The true believers in Christ who comprise the church are the spiritual children of Abraham; as is given in Galatians 3:7 which reads, “…Even as Abraham believed God and it was accounted unto him for righteousness. Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.” and in verse 9 we read, “So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.” Which shows that believers in Christ have part in that spiritual kingdom. Bear in mind that believers in Christ were never referred to as “David’s children,” or “David’s seed,” David’s seed is always the natural seed- the nation of Israel. Christ is David’s’ seed according to the flesh as we see in Romans 1:3, “.….concerning his Son Jesus Christ which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh….”
David the king was the progenitor of Christ the king. And so as “Son of David”, Christ the king came to the nation of Israel. The promise and the prophecy that Christ would possess the throne of his father David and reign over the House of Jacob for ever has not yet been fulfilled, because of the Jews rejection and crucifixion of their king. But after the rapture of the church, and “the time of Jacob’s trouble,”– the Great tribulation when Christ returns to the earth with His church, “they will look on him whom they have pierced and mourn….” Zechariah 12:10. Then will they say, “Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord.” (Matthew 23:39); and will gladly accept Him as their king and Messiah- their Savior and Lord. Then , “….. He shall reign over the House of David for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.” (Luke 1:33)
Trying to confuse Christians who believe in the millennial ( The one thousand years) reign of Christ upon the earth, and to saw the seeds of doubt in their minds, one of the questions the A-millennialists ask is, “Show where Christ Himself said that He would reign on the earth for a thousand years?” Now, before we answer this we would like to put forth this rule; that whether the statements of Scripture are made directly by Christ Himself, or by the writers of the Old and New Testaments, they are all “God breathed,” and therefore are equally authoritative – 2nd Timothy 3:16; 2nd Peter 1:21
1.Luke 1:32-33, the angle Gabriel promised and prophesied saying, “... The Lord God shall give unto Him the throne of His father David: and He shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever.” This will come to pass in fulfillment of the covenant God made with David as in 2nd Samuel 7:8-17.
2.Luke 22:29-30 After the “Last Supper,” Just before the crucifixion Christ promised His disciples, this promise which reads, “ And I appoint unto you a kingdom as my Father hath appointed unto Me; that ye may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.” This takes place in Christ’s kingdom of which He is a king, that the apostles will have a specific authority over the twelve tribes of Israel.
Now, in Christ’s spiritual kingdom , “ there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female; for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:28). So the promise of Christ to the apostles as given in Luke 22:29-30, must of necessity apply to David’s literal coming kingdom on the earth. This was the kingdom that the mother of James and John refereed to in Matthew 20:21 when she said unto the Lord, “..Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on the right hand, and the other on the left in thy kingdom.” Also the kingdom the disciples referred to when, after Christ’s resurrection and just prior to His ascension they asked Him, in Act 1:6 which reads, “ …Wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?”
3.Acts 3:19-21 Peter speaking to the Jews said, “…repent ye therefore and be converted that your sins may be blotted out when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; and He shall send Jesus Christ who was before preached unto you, whom the heavens must receive until the restitution of all things which God has spoken by the mouth of the holy prophets since the world began.” What was the designated and appointed role of The Christ, the Messiah for Israel? He was to be their Savior and their king – and as such He will return.
4.Isaiah 9:6-7 we read, “For unto us a child is born, unto as a son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulder; and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” This speaks of a coming kingdom upon whose shoulder the government will be.
5.Jeremiah 23:3-8 we read, “behold the days come, siath the Lord, that I will raise unto David a righteous branch, and a king shall reign and prosper, and execute judgment and justice in the earth. In his day Judah shall be saved and Israel shall dwell safely; and this the name whereby He shall be called – THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.” Now, if this passage does not refer to Christ reigning in the earth (the King who shall reign and prosper and execute judgment and justice in the earth, when Judah is saved and Israel dwells safely) then words don’t mean anything.
6.Acts 15:14-17 We read, “….. And to this agree the words of the prophets; as it is written, After this I will return, and will build again the tabernacles of David, which is fallen down; and I will rebuild again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up….the residue of men might seek after the Lord and all the Gentiles upon whom My name is called , saith the Lord.” The apostle James was quoting this from the Old Testament Scripture the book of Amos 9:11-12; where Amos describes the return of the Jews to their land where they will rebuild their waste cities (Amos 9:13-15); and of the bountiful conditions of the earthly kingdom.
7.Revelation 5:9-10 reads, “ And they sang a new song… thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood…. and hast made us unto our God kings and priests and we shall reign on the earth.” This seen is in heaven before the throne of God, which takes place after the Rapture.
8. Revelation 20:4-6 In these verses we find the phrase “a thousand years”, which refers to Christs 1000 years of earthly kingdom.
- Verse 4, “And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them;…and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast,….upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.”
- Verse 5 reads, “But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished….”
- Verse 6 “Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection… that they shall be priests of God and of Christ , and shall reign with him a thousand years.”
As the promise and prophecy of Luke 1:32-33 that Christ will sit on the throne of His father David and reign over the House of Jacob for ever has not yet been fulfilled, the conclusion is that this specific “one thousand reign” of Christ on the earth with His saints is the forerunner of the eternal kingdom in the “new heaven and new earth” as given in Revelation 21:1
It was on the earth that the Christ of God was despised and rejected of men and crucified by the nation of Israel, and it is on the earth that He will be hailed as King of Kings and Lord of Lords, not only by the nation of Israel, but also by the Gentiles who today despise and reject Him.
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From The Peoples Gospel Hour Staff