Spurgeon's Pre-Millennialism

Charles Haddon Spurgeon, while being a gifted preacher, was not without his flaws. He apparently had a dramatic flair that offended many; pacing the platform, acting out biblical stories, and filling his sermons with sentimental tales of dying children, grieving parents, and repentant harlots. Referred to as "the pulpit buffoon," Spurgeon replied, "I am perhaps vulgar, but it is not intentional, save that I must and will make people listen. My firm conviction is that we have had enough polite preachers."

Spurgeon was apparently an energetic and oratorical individual. As gifted as he was at preaching, nevertheless he was not God. Everything he spoke or wrote was not golden, nor was it the Gospel truth. Even Spurgeon held to some erroneous beliefs, such as his position on baptism and his belief in a millennial kingdom and restoration of national Israel.

Spurgeon believed in two separate physical resurrections separated by 1,000 years based on Revelation 20:1-5. The resurrection of the just first, and the resurrection of the unjust last.

We expect a reigning Christ on earth; that seems to us to be very plain, and put so literally that we dare not spiritualise it. We anticipate a first and second resurrection; a first resurrection of the righteous, and a second resurrection of the ungodly, who shall be judged, condemned, and punished for ever by the sentence of the great King.¹

You have perhaps imagined that all men will rise at the same moment; that the trump of the archangel will break open every grave at the same instant, and sound in the ear of every sleeper at the identical moment. Such I do not think is the testimony of the Word of God. I think that the Word of God teaches, and teaches indisputably, that the saints shall rise first. And be the interval of time whatever it may, whether the thousand years are literal years, or a very long period of time, I am not now about to determine; I have nothing to do except with the fact that there are two resurrections, a resurrection of the just, and afterwards of the unjust,—a time when the saints of God shall rise, an after time when the wicked shall rise to the resurrection of damnation.²

Despite his giftedness at preaching, Spurgeon apparently failed to pay attention to the entire context of Revelation 20 and to compare the whole of Scripture. Let us look at the various fatally systemic flaws of Spurgeon's view (Pre-Millennialism).

Resurrection of Just → Millennial Reign → Resurrection of Unjust

First problem: When does Christ's judgment take place? Before or after the millennial reign? If before, then how do men escape His judgment? If after, what was the point in coming and waiting?

Second problem: After the 1,000 years, only unjust individuals are resurrected. Does that mean that there were no just individuals living during this time period? What happened to this kingdom of righteousness?

Third problem: Does nobody die during the millennial reign? If so, this sounds awfully similar to the age to come, which is eternity. Only in the age to come does nobody die.

The first sentence of the second citation is in stark contrast to the words of Christ in John 5:28-29, where He said, "Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs will hear His voice, and will come forth; those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment." To imagine that there are two separate resurrections here is problematic to the judgment seen in Matthew 25:31-46. Two separate resurrections separated by 1,000 years would require two days of the Lord and two judgments. Scripture only ever mentions one judgment!

When Christ returns, He is coming as Judge. He will judge both the living and the dead. In order to do so, the dead have to be resurrected. Resurrection reverses the power of death. Both the just and unjust will be resurrected and changed. In order to be tormented for all eternity, one's body needs to be immortal and imperishable. Sin and death will be defeated at Christ's Second Coming and all will be judged. Separating all of this creates a huge problem.

According to Matthew 25:31, after Christ returns in His glory, He executes judgment by separating the sheep from the goats. You cannot do this if everyone is not accounted for. Job 14:12 says that man will be resurrected when “the heavens be no more.” Jesus said “Heaven and earth will pass away…but of that day…no one knows…but the Father alone” (Matt. 24:25-26). In 2 Peter 3:10-12, Peter states that “the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up.” Jesus declares four times in John 6:38-40, 44-45 and 54 that the righteous will be resurrected “on the last day.” First Corinthians 15:23-26, 50-54 states the same truth: “But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ's at His coming, then comes the end.” In John 11:24, Martha acknowledged that Lazarus, a Jew, would be resurrected “on the last day.” Jesus stated in John 5:28-29 that there is “a” resurrection of “both” the just and unjust. Daniel 12:2 concurs with this truth, as does Acts 24:15. One resurrection! Not two!

A plain reading of Revelation 20:1-5 would seem to support Spurgeon's theories. However, he apparently missed verse 6, 14, and 21:8. In verse 4, who does John see sitting on thrones in judgment, reigning with Christ? "The souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God." Not bodies! Souls! They are not reigning with Christ on Earth. As Anthony Hoekema points out,

"There is no indication in these verses that John is describing an earthly millennial reign. The scene…is set in heaven. Nothing is said in verses 4-6 about the earth, about Palestine as the center of this reign, or about the Jews. Nothing is said here about believers who are still on earth during this millennial reign – the vision deals exclusively with believers who have died. This millennial reign is not something to be looked for in the future; it is going on now, and will be until Christ returns."³

In verse 5, it says, "The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were completed." That sounds like a second resurrection of the unjust. But what does verse 6 say? "Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no power." The second death has no power over those who participated in the first resurrection. What is the second death? Verse 14 says, "This is the second death, the lake of fire." Revelation 21:8 says that all sinners will "have their part in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death."  The lake of fire, then, is the second death. What kind of death is this? Physical? Or spiritual? It is spiritual! The first death is physical. If the second death has no power over those of the first resurrection, what kind of resurrection is it? Physical? Or Spiritual? It is spiritual! It is the new birth! The second resurrection is physical.

In Psalm 50:10 we are told that God owns the cattle on 1,000 hills. Is this literal or symbolic? Does He not own the cattle on the 1,001st hill? To the 2,000th hill? In Deuteronomy 7:9 we are told that God extends mercy to 1,000 generations. Is this literal or symbolic? Does He not extend mercy to the 1,001st generation? To the 2,000th generation? So what does “1,000” represent in these passages? What does “1,000” represent in Revelation 20:1-5?

“And I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, and threw him into the abyss, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he should not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were completed; after these things he must be released for a short time. And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of the testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark upon their forehead and upon their hand; and they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were completed. This is the first resurrection.” (Rev. 20:1-5)

In Jude, Michael the archangel would not dare bring an accusation against Satan. Obviously Satan was created as a more powerful being than Michael was. Therefore, you need someone with more authority and more power in order to deal with Satan. Michael concurred with this by saying, “The Lord rebuke you.” If we look elsewhere in Scripture, we find that it is the Lord Jesus who has keys in his possession (Rev. 1:18; 3:7). This “angel” is either none other than the Lord Jesus Himself or, which is more likely, an angel to whom He has given the key to. Now, is the “key” in his hand a literal key or a symbolic key? When Jesus handed the keys to the kingdom over to Peter in Matthew 16:19, were they literal keys or symbolic keys? What did they look like? How did Peter use them? When Jesus spoke of a “key of knowledge” in Luke 11:52, was this a literal key or a symbolic key? Would Matthew 23:13 provide an answer?

Is the “bottomless pit” literal or symbolic? If it is literal, we would need a pit that goes from here straight through to China. Is the “great chain” literal or symbolic? In Mark 5:1-20, the demon-possessed man could not even be bound by literal chains. Since angels do not have physical bodies, what good would a literal chain do? 2 Peter 2:4 and Jude 6 inform us of demons that have been put in everlasting chains. Once again, since demons do not have physical bodies, can these be literal chains? “Dragon” is clearly symbolic because the text goes on to tell us who it is.

So, since everything we have just looked at is obviously symbolic, it stands to reason that the “1,000 years” is also symbolic. There is no reason or justification for interpreting it as a literal 1,000 years. To do so would do violence to the text. If everything before and after is symbolic, we cannot pick one aspect of the text and decide to translate it as being literal. That is poor hermeneutics and exegesis. We must be consistent. The 1,000 years is symbolic for a long period of time. Period. It is a hyberbole—a rhetorical figure of speech in which statements are exaggerated.

Just because Spurgeon held to a particular belief does not make it true or biblical! Spurgeon is not God!

The only way that Jews can be saved is by incorporation into the Church. Jews were the first members of the Church, so interpreters who look at the Church like it is some kind of bad word are in the wrong. It was the true Israel (believing Jews) who first made up membership of the Church. Then believing Gentiles were added in with them. The Church is the only body, the only nation, of God's true covenant people. The New Covenant was not just made with Israel and Judah (the north and south kingdoms). Everything written in the New Covenant is what every Christian experiences, whether Jew or Gentile. There are not two New Covenants; there is only one New Covenant, and it applies to God's true people—believing Jews and believing Gentiles alike. Any theology that separates the Church from the end of things is an aberrant, heretical, and godless theology. Restoration Theology wants to see a distinction between Israel and the Church, but salvation offers no such distinction. The Church comes out of all that was Israel and consists of true Israel (believing Jews). Christianity is not a new religion. Its foundations were Judaism (without all the Pharisaical additions and false interpretations). Jesus and the Apostles corrected the misinterpretations and shaped the Church around its true religion. The twelve added nothing to what Paul was doing. The first 5,000+ members of the Church were Jewish. The old practices under the Law have been done away with. There is no returning to them. They were types and shadows. The Church is the new temple of God. God does not dwell in places built by human hands, but within us. The promises were for Christ and all who belong to Him, having a faith like Abraham's. To deny all this is to be willfully ignorant (dumb on purpose). The entire New Testament makes it painfully obvious.

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¹ Charles Spurgeon, "Things to Come," MTP, 15:329.

² Charles Spurgeon, "The First Resurrection," MTP, 7:346.

³ Anthony Hoekema, The Bible and the Future, 235.

Jewish Restoration Theology

Whether Zionist, Dispensationalist, or Pre-Millennialist, there seem to be a number of individuals who believe in Restoration Theology. They do this in ignorance and defiance of the clear evidence Scripture provides to the contrary. These individuals have turned the nation of Israel into an idol of worship and elevated this nation above Christ Jesus. They make the Scriptures to be about Israel rather than about the Lord Jesus. Restoration Theology is not only unbiblical, it it godless!

Restoration eschatology dies hard, notwithstanding fatal systemic flaws. Restoration Theology has been demonstrated to be fundamentally in error in terms of exegetical failings and theological expression. The writings of Restorationists are constantly and consistently laced with error, misinformation, inferences, presumptions, assumptions, conclusions drawn on assumptions, pretext, front-loading, and eisegetical interpretations based on his feelings and opinions. They cannot even attempt to respond to the major thrust of the argument.

In order to arrive at the belief of Restorationism, you must ignore the historical context of the Scriptures, as well as every other context your passages fall under. You must also ignore the words and teachings of Christ Jesus Himself, as well as everything taught in and by the entire New Testament. In so doing, Restorationists willfully call Jesus and His Apostles liars!

Restorationism believes in a literal 1000-year kingdom. They believe that national Israel will rule over every other nation, that the physical temple will be rebuilt, that Jesus will sit on a physical throne, that sacrifices will be re-instituted, and a bunch of other problematic beliefs. All of these beliefs must reject the natural, contextual, exegetical interpretation of numerous passages of Scripture.

Restoration Theology was first developed late in Judaism. It was revived by the heretic Cerinthus just prior to the deaths of all the Apostles. The Apostle John had even condemned Cerinthus over these beliefs. The majority of the early Jewish church did not believe in Restorationism and all it entails. The majority of the church for the past 2000 years, although the term is relatively new, were Amillennialists. Amillennialism is the only position that makes the most sense out of all the passages of Scripture without having to ignore and rip passages from their immediate contexts.

Restoration Theology believes:

1. There will be a restoration of all things Jewish.
2. There will be a literal 1000-year kingdom.
3. There will be a rebuilt physical temple.
4. There will be a return to sacrifices.
5. The throne Jesus sits on is a literal, physical throne.

 Second Peter 3:10-13 says:

But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up.
Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat! But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.

The coming like a thief can only refer to one thing. Either it refers to the mythical "Rapture," or it refers to the Second Coming of Christ Jesus. In either case, it presents a colossal problem for all Restorationist theologies. Both Dispensationalism and Pre-Millennialism fail and die in light of this passage. If the coming like a thief refers to the "Rapture," then immediately after this happens, "heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up." So much for the "7-year Great Tribulation" and the "1000-year Millennial Kingdom." If the coming like a thief refers to the Second Coming, then immediately after this happens, "heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up." So much for the "1000-year Millennial Kingdom."

Restorationists must explain this passage away and make its simple interpretation more difficult in order to support their system of unbiblical and godless theology. Restoration Theology turns national Israel into an idol of worship and make the Scriptures to be predominantly about Israel rather than about Christ Jesus.

Contending against the unbiblical and godless interpretations of Restoration Theology are these truths of Scripture:

1. The Cursed Fig Tree
2. True Israel
3. Will There Be A 1000-Year Kingdom?
4. The Temple
5. What Kind of Throne Was It?
6. Romans 11:17-24 
7. Expansion Theology
8. The Mystery of the Gentiles
9. The Land Promise
10. History and Truth of the Land 

Restorationists cannot and will not attempt to answer these because they are not up to the task. Until they acknowledge the proper historical context of the various passages of Scripture they attempt to use as their "proof texts," and accept what the Bible (especially the New Testament) has to say, their interpretations will continue to deviate from the truth and indoctrinate people with lies.

Scripture is not about the nation of Israel. It never was! From Genesis to Revelation, Scripture is wholly, entirely, and completely about Christ Jesus! Those who put Israel at the center of history and make Scripture Judeo-centric are ignoring clear passages of Scripture and calling the Lord Jesus a liar! You think the promises made to Abraham concerning his see were made to national Israel. They were and they were not. Paul makes it clear in Galatians that the "seed" refers to Christ and not to the physical descendants! And that the promises belong to those who have the same faith as Abraham, whether Jew or Gentile. When the Jews referred to Abraham as their father, Jesus made it clear that God could make children for Abraham from the stones, and even said that the Devil was their father. But Restorationists ignore everything taught in the New Testament and focus on a wrongly dividing false interpretation of the Old Testament that the Pharisees held to. Jesus even corrected them on their many falsely held beliefs, yet Restoration Theology aims to repeat those same errors.

As I have said before, the more I realize just how sloppily Restorationists interpret the Scriptures, their method being eerily similar to that of the Jehovah's Witnesses (ripping randomly isolated verses of Scripture from their immediate contexts and tying them to other randomly isolated verses of Scripture ripped from their immediate contexts), the more difficult I find it to call them "my brother in Christ" and "a Christian." Would a Christian distort Scripture to the extent that Restoration Theology has done? Revelation 22:18-19 warns, "I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues which are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his part from the tree of life and from the holy city, which are written in this book."

If you believe in Restoration Theology, you have made national Israel an idol, and you worship it as your god through your theological beliefs. You reject and deny what the Saviour Jesus had to say, calling Him a liar. You willfully and deliberately ignore, reject, and deny the plain teachings of Scripture. Repent today and believe the Lord Jesus!

Work and the Christian

Many people view work as a curse, swearing under their breath every day that they have to go in to their job. But did you know that man was created to work? "Then the LORD God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it" (Gen. 2:15). God worked when He made creation. Work is rooted in God's good creation, and it reflects the glory of God. Work only became a burden through the presence of sin. The curse of sin made work itself more difficult: "Then to Adam He said, 'Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you, saying, "You shall not eat from it"; cursed is the ground because of you; in toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you; and you will eat the plants of the field; by the sweat of your face you will eat bread, till you return to the ground, because from it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return'" (Gen. 3:17-19). There are three common temptations that you will face at some point in your life in and with your work.

1. You will be tempted to worship work.
   Has work become your idol? Do you gladly serve it with long hours, bowing down to its demands despite the destruction that it causes to you and your family?
    
2. You will be tempted to reject work.
   Working can be stressful and difficult. Deadlines; conflict with co-workers or management; not being compensated well for the work you do. Do you feel tired and defeated? Do you find work too challenging? Do you struggle with laziness? Has rest and leisure become your idol or worship? These may cause you to have a desire to reject work outright?
    
3. You will be tempted to twist work.
   Are you tempted to alter numbers on your quotas? Have you been tempted to take money 'under the table' in order to finalize a deal or make a deal go through quicker? No matter the kind of work you do, at some point in your life you will be tempted to twist it with sin.

There is nothing wrong with automating tasks or outsourcing responsibilities, but you will need to work yourself in some way, shape, fashion, or form. As a Christian, there are three things you need to remember about work.

1. Jesus is your boss.
   "Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve." —Colossians 3:23-24
    
2. God works through your work.
   "Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us; and confirm for us the work of our hands; yes, confirm the work of our hands." —Psalm 90:17
    
3. Trust God with your work.
   "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight." —Proverbs 3:5-6
   
   "Commit your works to the LORD and your plans will be established." —Proverbs 16:3
   

The Lord Jesus is redeeming everything to Himself—including work: "He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities--all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything. For it was the Father's good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven" (Col. 1:15-20). It will be as it was intended in the Garden.

Do you have a boss who is similar to the character Bill Lumbergh in the movie Office Space (1999)? If you do, more than likely you feel frustrated, angry, and not compelled to do your job. I have been there a couple times in my own life. If this is the situation you find yourself in, take a moment to pray, seek God's grace in Christ, and remind yourself that it is Jesus Whom you are really working for. Do not try to impress men with your work. Do not even give them a second thought. Do all that you do for the Lord Jesus. As you work, ask yourself if Jesus would be proud of your efforts. It is Him you should be pleasing in all that you do.

What Kind of Work Ethic Ought a Christian to Possess?

"You shall not oppress a hired servant who is poor and needy, whether he is one of your countrymen or one of your aliens who is in your land in your towns." —Deuteronomy 24:14

"Go to the ant, O sluggard, observe her ways and be wise, Which, having no chief, officer or ruler, prepares her food in the summer and gathers her provision in the harvest. How long will you lie down, O sluggard? When will you arise from your sleep? 'A little sleep, a little slumber, A little folding of the hands to rest'—Your poverty will come in like a vagabond and your need like an armed man." —Proverbs 6:6-11

"Poor is he who works with a negligent hand, but the hand of the diligent makes rich." —Proverbs 10:4

"He who tills his land will have plenty of bread, but he who pursues worthless things lacks sense." —Proverbs 12:11

"The hand of the diligent will rule, but the slack hand will be put to forced labor." —Proverbs 12:24

"The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, but the soul of the diligent is made fat." —Proverbs 13:4

"In all labor there is profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty." —Proverbs 14:23

"Commit your works to the LORD and your plans will be established." —Proverbs 16:3

"Laziness casts into a deep sleep, and an idle man will suffer hunger." —Proverbs 19:15

"The sluggard says, 'There is a lion outside; I will be killed in the streets!'" —Proverbs 22:13

"I passed by the field of the sluggard and by the vineyard of the man lacking sense, and behold, it was completely overgrown with thistles; its surface was covered with nettles, and its stone wall was broken down. When I saw, I reflected upon it; I looked, and received instruction. 'A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest,' then your poverty will come as a robber and your want like an armed man." —Proverbs 24:30-34

"Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might;" —Ecclesiastes 9:10a

"He who steals must steal no longer; but rather he must labor, performing with his own hands what is good, so that he will have something to share with one who has need." —Ephesians 4:28

"But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever." —1 Timothy 5:8

"For even when we were with you, we used to give you this order: if anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat, either. For we hear that some among you are leading an undisciplined life, doing no work at all, but acting like busybodies." —2 Thessalonians 3:10-11

Paul's Work Ethic as an Example

"After these things [Paul] left Athens and went to Corinth. And he found a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, having recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to leave Rome. He came to them, and because he was of the same trade, he stayed with them and they were working, for by trade they were tent-makers." —Acts 18:1-3

"You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my own needs and to the men who were with me. In everything I showed you that by working hard in this manner you must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'" —Acts 20:34-35

"Now as to the love of the brethren, you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another; for indeed you do practice it toward all the brethren who are in all Macedonia. But we urge you, brethren, to excel still more, and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and attend to your own business and work with your hands, just as we commanded you, so that you will behave properly toward outsiders and not be in any need." —1 Thessalonians 4:9-12

How Ought a Christian to Deal with Work Problems?

"Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, But he who hates reproof is stupid." —Proverbs 12:1

"Deceit is in the heart of those who devise evil, But counselors of peace have joy." —Proverbs 12:20

"So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." —Matthew 6:34

"But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men." —Luke 6:35

"Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them;" —Ephesians 5:11

"But we urge you, brethren, to excel still more, and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and attend to your own business and work with your hands, just as we commanded you, so that you will behave properly toward outsiders and not be in any need." —1 Thessalonians 4:10b-12

Christians Working in the Church

"And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ;" —Ephesians 4:11-12

"So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith." —Galatians 6:10

"But we request of you, brethren, that you appreciate those who diligently labor among you, and have charge over you in the Lord and give you instruction, and that you esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Live in peace with one another." —1 Thessalonians 5:12-13

"It is a trustworthy statement: if any man aspires to the office of overseer, it is a fine work he desires to do." —1 Timothy 3:1

"Therefore, I exhort the elders among you, as your fellow elder and witness of the sufferings of Christ, and a partaker also of the glory that is to be revealed, shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not for sordid gain, but with eagerness; nor yet as lording it over those allotted to your charge, but proving to be examples to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory." —1 Peter 5:1-4

Will There Be A 1000-Year Kingdom?

Where did the belief in a 1000-year millennial kingdom come from? Well, the theory of a millennial reign proceeded from Judaism, where the Jews believed that the Messiah would establish a literal, physical earthly kingdom. However, as Philip Schaff wrote:

Nowhere in the discourses of Jesus is there a hint of a limited duration of the Messianic Kingdom. The apostolic epistles are equally free from any trace of Chiliasm.

At the beginning of Jesus' ministry, He announced, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand" (Mark 1:15). What time is He referring to? For the good student of the Word, the answer is simple. Daniel had predicted four empires: Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome. Then, "in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom" (Dan. 2:44). In the days of which kings? In the days of the Roman kings. Jesus later said, "There are some of those who are standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of god after it has come with power" (Mark 9:1). When the Pharisees asked Jesus about this kingdom, He stated clearly to them, "The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed" and "behold, the kingdom of God is in your midst" (Luke 17:20-21). He said to Pilate, "My kingdom is not of this world" (John 18:36).

As Karl Hagenbach wrote:

There is no trace of a Millennium in: Clement of Rome (died in 101), in Ignatius of Antioch (died in 115), in Polycarp of Smyrna (died in 155). Iranaeus says that Polycarp taught the things which "he had learned from the Apostles and which the church handed down."

Quite clearly, early Christians did not believe in a millennial kingdom. So where did this unbiblical theory and doctrine of a "1000-year millennial kingdom" come from? This Jewish myth was revived by the ungodly heretic Cerinthus, even before the deaths of all the Apostles. As John Egerdahl writes:

In Eusebius' Ecclesiastical History is preserved a fragment of the writings of Caius, who lived during the close of the second century. This excerpt gives us the following account of Cerinthus' heresy: "But Cerinthus, by means of revelations which he pretended were written by a great apostle, also falsely pretended to wonderful things, as if they were shown him by angels, asserting, that after the resurrection there would be an earthly kingdom of Christ, and that the flesh, i.e., men, again inhabiting Jerusalem would be subject to desires and pleasures" (Eusebius, bk. III, chp. 28). Eusebius says of Cerinthus, "Being also an enemy to the scriptures, with a view to deceive men, he said, 'that there would be a space of a thousand years for celebrating nuptial festivities. One of the doctrines that he taught was that Christ would have an earthly kingdom'" (Ibid.).
Irenaeus, who was born circa A.D. 120 and who was acquainted with Polycarp, the disciple of John, states that while John was at Ephesus, he entered a bath to wash, but when he found Cerinthus was there he refused to bathe there, left the building, and exhorted those with him to do the same, saying, "Let us flee lest the bath fall in, as long as Cerinthus, the enemy of truth is within" (Ibid., bk. V, chp. 24). Riggle states, "Let this be a rebuke to modern millennial advocates. They claim their doctrine is well founded in the revelation of John. But John called the founder of their theory, 'that enemy of truth'" (Riggle 1899, p. 26).

William Shedd writes:

Premillenarianism was the revival of the pseudo-Jewish doctrine of the messianic kingdom, as this had been formed in the later periods of Jewish history by a materializing exegesis of the Old Testament (see Neander, History 1.650-51). Its most flourishing period was between 150 and 250. Its prevalence in the church at that time has been much exaggerated. That it could not have been the [universal] and received doctrine is proved by the fact that it forms no part of the Apostle's Creed, which belongs to this period, and hence by implication is rejected by it. "Chiliasm," says Neander (1.651), "never formed a part of the general creed of the church. It was diffused from one country [Phrygia] and from a single fountainhead." In the preceding period of the apostolic fathers, 100 to 150, it had scarcely any currency. There are no traces of it in Clement of Rome, Ignatius, and Polycarp. In Barnabas, Hermas, and Papias it is found; but these are much less influential names than the former. The early apologists Tatian, Athenagoras, and Theophilus do not advocate it. Alford (on Rev. 20:4-5) is greatly in error in saying that "the whole church for three hundred years from the apostles understood the two resurrections in the literal premillenarian sense."

John Calvin even wrote:

Not long after [the days of Paul] arose the Millennarians, who limited the reign of Christ to a thousand years. Their fiction is too puerile [childish] to require or deserve refutation.

So which view is consistent with the biblical record?

Post-Millennialism:

This view is the quickest and easiest for us to dismantle. There are two different groups of post-millenarians. The first group believes that the 1000 years are literal and yet future, and that there will be 1000 years of peace and righteousness prior to the second coming of Christ Jesus. The second group believes it is symbolic for a long period of time, which will gradually get better and better before the second coming of Christ Jesus. However, there is nothing in Scripture that depicts or hints at the world getting better before the return of Christ. In fact, there is much evidence to the contrary. Jesus asks the question, “When the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:8). Scripture informs us that men will grow more and more wicked (1 Tim. 4:1-3; 2 Tim. 3:1-3, 4:3-4). Paul tells us that the day of the Lord will not come until the apostasy takes place (2 Thess. 2:3). So this view is a fail.

Pre-Millennialism:
Historic pre-millennialism and pre-tribulational pre-millennialism both fall together. First, you need to establish whether the only text that speaks of 1000 years is supposed to be literal or symbolic. Second, if there is a literal 1000-year Millennial Kingdom, we have certain passages that we need to deal with. When Jesus Christ returns, He is going to judge the world in righteousness (Acts 17:31), dividing the sheep from the goats (Matt. 25:31-46), and casting the wicked into Hell. There will be nobody that bypasses this judgment, except for the Lord’s elect who will inherit the kingdom. Flesh and blood cannot enter or inherit this kingdom (1 Cor. 15:50). The wicked cannot and will not enter or inherit this kingdom (1 Cor. 6:9-10; Gal. 5:19-20; Eph. 5:3-6).
Only God’s children will inherit and enter this kingdom, which means there is only righteousness in this kingdom, as the Scriptures teach. Because there is nobody except the righteous in this kingdom, the concept of there being a rebellion against Christ at the end of it is extremely problematic. You end up with a second fall of man—glorified man—into sin: the righteous, redeemed, blood-bought saints of the Lord Jesus rebelling against their redeeming Lord and Saviour. This implies that His blood was not sufficient enough to cleanse us from our wickedness, even with our glorification, and implies that God is not powerful enough to keep us. This is heresy! So this view is a fail.

Amillennialism:
This view is the most consistent with what the Scriptures reveal. It is also the view that has been predominantly held by the church throughout her history, seconded only by historic pre-millennialism, although "Amillennialism was not recognized as a distinct position until around the turn of the twentieth century. Until then, amillenarians called themselves post-millennial because they believed Christ would come back after the millennial age, but they were different from traditional postmillenarians in that they did not believe in an earthly millennial age yet to dawn." (Kim Riddlebarger, A Case for Amillennialism, p.31)
Apart from Revelation 20, there is not a single passage in Scripture that describes a 1000-year kingdom here on Earth. When we look at the language of Revelation 20, we may note that everything in that passage is symbolic. We cannot translate the first bit symbolically and the last bit symbolically but choose to translate the 1000 years as literal. It does not work that way. Since Scripture does not support a literal 1000-year kingdom, this view would be the correct one.
Lewis Sperry Chafer argues, "This view interprets many passages in the Old and New Testaments that refer to the millennial kingdom as being fulfilled in a nonliteral way." No, Amillennialism interprets them in a very literal way, a way the Dispensationalist is incapable of doing in their literalistic approach because they deny the literal fulfillment in place of their fictionalization. To recapitulate, it is taught by Dispensationalists that Ezekiel 40-48 refer to the Millennial Kingdom and the Millennial Temple; but the literal and correct interpretation is that these chapters spoke in regard to the times and temple that would come after their Babylonian captivity.

If Dispensationalists, Zionists, Pre-Millennialists, and Jewish Restorationists bothered to do their homework and research things correctly, paying attention to not only Scripture, but also history, they would not make such colossal blunders in their belief systems. The Pro-Judaic Restoration theology is unbiblical and anti-Christ. This does not consent to hating the Jews, from whom salvation came through Christ Jesus, a Jew. Scripture makes it abundantly clear that both Jew and Gentile are come to salvation by faith in Christ the exact same way. If Jew and Gentile do not come through Christ, then they are condemned to eternity in Hell. Scripture is Christ-centric—not Judeo-centric. It was never about Israel; it was always about Christ Jesus!

Tuck Tail and Run

Twenty years ago, I encountered a site called Ex-Christian.net. It claimed it was a "support group" for those coming out of Christianity and other religions. It  was really a place to bash, mock, and ridicule God, Christianity, and the Bible. At that time, I had not yet attended Bible college and did not possess the knowledge that God has since blessed me with. Nevertheless, I would read the posted arguments and claims and then I would challenge them. They would make claims that the Bible was full of contradictions and the like, I would challenge them on it, and then they would provide their "proof." At first glance, what they provided seemed to contradict. But after some research, I was able to explain their supposed "contradictions." Once I provided an in-depth response against them, they were unable to answer me further. Eventually, the owner of the site e-mailed me privately and asked me to stop posting on the site. Obviously I was a thorn in his side, and quite possibly, through the Spirit, making some of the members question their atheism and maybe even turn back to God.

This was my first taste of Apologetics (defense of the faith), and I was very much at ease with it. It is something that I absolutely love to engage in. I share that story because I still get the same responses today when I challenge false beliefs.

There is a commonality amongst all Dispensational ministry websites. If you are a young, ignorant, pliable, gullible, and manipulable mind who will easily believe whatever they tell you without question, they love to talk with you and answer your questions because they want you to buy what they are selling. But if you truly think for yourself, read and study Scripture correctly in its appropriate contexts, and challenge them on their pre-conceived notions and beliefs of Scripture, all of a sudden answering the facts of what Scripture actually has to teach becomes too much of a burden for them, and so they tuck tail and run.

I have had this experience in the past with both Tim LaHaye and Thomas Ice, among others, and have recently had this experience again with Barry Horner (author of Future Israel and Eternal Israel). It is extremely ironic considering Mr. Horner's books on Israel advertise a "[push] back against replacement and supersessionist theology." Well, I do not believe in "Replacement" theology, of which the term "Supersessionism" is just another fancy name. What I believe is Expansion Theology. Seriously! You cannot miss it (unless you are spiritually blind). The Gentile Inclusion was prophesied in the Old Testament and revealed in crystal clarity as clear as daylight in the New Testament. So I challenged him on that. I told him:

"When the whole counsel of the Word of God is taken into consideration and paid extremely careful attention to, the biblical eschatological truth is this: the true Israel becomes the Church of Christ and the Church of Christ emerges as the true Israel. There is no escaping this fact. The true Israel consists of believing Israel and believing Gentiles. There is one body. Unbelieving Israel are not true Jews (Rom. 2:28-29) and do not belong to Israel (Rom. 9:6-8). If they repent and turn to Christ, they can be grafted back in, which makes them part of true Israel, believing Israel, spiritual Israel. True Israel and the Church are one. For the first two centuries, the members of the church were mostly Jewish. Believing Jews and believing Gentiles form the one body of Christ, the Church, which makes them all true, believing, spiritual Israel."

In Mr. Horner's response, apart from the usual accusations and use of fallacious arguments, he asked me how I would exegete Matthew 19:27-28. Simple! Since we know that there will not be a future millennial kingdom (Jesus denied such a kingdom, the passages in Revelation are highly symbolic, 2 Peter 3:10 leaves no room for anything after the Second Coming of Christ, and the early church denied and rejected such notions), it is quite obviously in reference to the new heavens and the new Earth. In verification of this, here is Matthew Poole's commentary on the verses:

Mark and Luke repeateth the words of Peter in part, but neither of them have this part of our Lord’s answer, particularly respecting his apostles. We heard before, chap. iv. 18-22, of Peter, and Andrew, and James, and John, forsaking all and following of Christ, when he called them; the others doubtless did the same. Peter observing that our Saviour laid not the stress of men’s salvation either upon riches or poverty, but upon the frame of men’s spirits, their humility, self-denial, their obedience to and readiness to follow him; rejoins these words, and saith, We have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have? Some think that he had an expectation of something in this life, according to the notion which the other Jews had, and it is apparent the disciples had some tincture of a secular kingdom, which the Messias should exercise. But considering our Lord’s former discourse could not be so interpreted, and the disciples question, Who then can be saved? I cannot agree that. And for the same reason I cannot agree, that the coming of the Son of man in his glory, mentioned ver. 28, should be understood of his coming in his mediatory kingdom, (as some would have it), but of his last coming, which is most properly called the coming of the Son of man in his glory, mentioned 1 Thess. iv. 15-17; Jude 1:14; and that the thing here promised to the apostles, is not a preference in the church, but a further degree of honour and glory in the day of judgment. Ye which have followed me in the regeneration; that is, at this time, while I have been by my doctrine reforming the word; in the regeneration of my church, while I have been putting it into a new state. Some make those words, in the regeneration, to refer to the next words. In the regeneration; that is, in the day of judgment, when Christ shall come in his glory. The apostle indeed, Acts iii. 21, calleth that day, the times of restitution of all things. And the prophet speaks of it as the time of the new heavens and new earth, Isa. lxvi. 22. So doth the apostle, 2 Pet. iii. 13; and John, in Rev. xxi. 1. It is not much material to which part we apply the term. Ye which have followed me; that is, who have followed and shall go on and follow me, for this promise cannot belong to Judas, the son of perdition. Ye shall sit upon twelve thrones. Judges and princes use to have assessors, that sit with them in judgment. He mentions twelve thrones, because he had now twelve disciples, his apostles; and though afterward Judas fell away, yet Matthias succeeded, Acts i. 26; so as the twelve thrones shall not be empty, but filled up with twelve that followed Christ, for such a one was Matthias, Acts i. 21. Judging the twelve tribes of Israel. Though the tribes were thirteen, yet they usually went under the notion of twelve, because Levi was not counted, as having no particular possession. That is, judging the Jews for their unbelief, and not reception of me: judging others also; but judgment shall begin at the house of God. Doubtless this promise imports, that the apostles shall have a higher place in glory at the great day than ordinary believers: yet the apostle saith the saints shall judge the world, 1 Cor. vi. 2.

Mr. Horner, like most Dispensationalists, Zionists, Pre-Millennialists, and Jewish Restorationists, wants to interpret these verses to mean that in a future "1000-year millennial kingdom," the Apostles will reign with Jesus over the twelve tribes of Israel. That interpretation is sheer nonsense. Pre-millennialism is untenable, as is every aspect of Dispensationalism. I challenged him on Expansion Theology, The Mystery of the Gentiles, What Kind of Throne Was It, The Land Promise, and The Temple. (I could have challenged him on several other things, including The Rapture, but the subject of this challenge was everything associated with the so-called "Millennial Kingdom," which I will address in my next blog article.) Mr. Horner provided very little in the way of so-called "push back" against my challenges to his theology. The reason is simple: he cannot actually do so. When it comes to actually examining what the Scriptures have to teach, admitting it and consequently submitting to it and conforming one's beliefs accordingly, like Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons, and all other cults, Dispensationalists try to argue their position for a brief moment and then tuck tail and run. It is a matter of pride.

I was raised under Dispensational theology. The more I realize just how sloppily they interpret the Scriptures, their method being eerily similar to that of the Jehovah's Witnesses (ripping randomly isolated verses of Scripture from their immediate contexts and tying them to other randomly isolated verses of Scripture ripped from their immediate contexts), the more difficult I find it to call them "my brother in Christ" and "a Christian." Would a Christian distort Scripture to the extent that Dispensationalists have done? Revelation 22:18-19 warns, "I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues which are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his part from the tree of life and from the holy city, which are written in this book."

Many Dispensational ministries I have written to and challenged concerning their beliefs, they attempt a brief response against me (coupled with accusations and fallacious arguments), and then quickly tuck tail and run, refusing to dialogue further. The reason is simple: in today's day and age, with every e-mail they write, as it is demonstrated that they cannot provide a reasonable answer against you and give an adequate explanation as to why the Scriptures they cite contradict their interpretation when looked at in their immediate contexts, they know that this can be used against them, which loses them adherents and followers. When others see that they cannot defend their position, they will quickly jump ship, and rightly so. I am no great man, but when these individuals examine my site to see what I am about and see the kind of depth and evidence I provide in my arguments, they know that they cannot contend with that. But that is not because of anything in me. I give that glory to God, because He is the One Who has blessed me with the wisdom, understanding, and discernment that I have daily prayed for over the past 25 years. Without Him, I would be nothing.

Dispensationalists and Their Fallacies

Lies and fallacious arguments from Pre-Tribulationists:

The PTRC (Pre-Trib Research Center) stresses three practical implications that flow from the rapture teaching:

• Pretribulationism leads to godly living in an unholy age.
• This New Testament teaching promotes a strong emphasis upon evangelism of the lost.
• When believers come to understand this eternal perspective, it leads to a zeal for worldwide missions.

Do you see the fallacy that the PTRC is delivering in the above? Actually, there are a number of them, such as Poisoning the Well and Wishful Thinking. They are claiming that only the Rapture teaching leads to godly living, emphasizes evangelism, and leads to a zeal for worldwide missions. This, of course, is a lie!

The gullible individual reading that will think that if they do not believe the Rapture teaching, then they are guilty of those things, and thus be manipulated into believing a false and bankrupt theology. John Walvoord pulled the same trick in his book The Rapture Question, where he essentially said that anyone who does not believe in the Rapture teaching is worshiping the Devil (not those exact words, but something to that effect).

It was another fallacy. The reader would come across that argument and because they do not want to be known as doing such, would be manipulated into believing something that is simply and completely untrue. If you pay careful attention to Dispensational writings, you will discover that they engage in the use of fallacies quite a lot. Do not be fooled by them! Read your Bible! Learn your Bible and the historical timeline of when the writers lived and what events were happening around them! When you know this, Dispensationalists cannot lie to you about the prophetic fulfillment of certain passages. While you are at it, make sure you familiarize yourself with what the epistle of Hebrews has to say, because it is quite damaging to much of the belief system of Dispensationalism.

Furthermore, how can the PTRC claim that the Rapture teaching leads to godly living when Dispensationalists do not believe in repentance, obedience, or even holiness? It is impossible to live a godly life if you are not daily repenting, walking in obedience, and living in holiness. As much as you may not like to hear it, the likes of C. I. Scofield, Lewis Sperry Chafer, John Walvoord, Charles Ryrie, Dwight Pentecost, Tim LaHaye, Thomas Ice, etc., are up there alongside Charles Finney. Their interpretational practices are akin to that of the Jehovah's Witnesses, citing randomly isolated verses of Scripture ripped from their various contexts and joined together with other randomly isolated verses of Scripture ripped from their various contexts.

Do not let Dispensationalists act like the Catholic church for your beliefs. Read the Bible for yourself. Pray (before you open your Bible) that God would give you wisdom, understanding, and discernment, and to teach you according to His Word. Remember that chapters and verses were not part of the original writings of Scripture. Pay attention to the surrounding context of a verse, and do not rip it out of that context. Yield to the whole counsel of the Word of God. Compare Scripture with Scripture, allowing Scripture to interpret itself. Learn the historical timeline of the authors of Scripture, the characters of Scripture, and the events in Scripture.

Future Israel?

Individuals subscribing to Dispensationalism, Zionism, Pre-Millennialism, and Jewish Restorationism are extremely ignorant of Scripture. Because they fail to pay attention to and understand Scripture, they argue against the strawmen of "Replacement Theology" and "Supersessionism," when what the Bible teaches is Expansion Theology. These individuals argue that any biblical hermeneutic that is not Judeo-centric is "anti-Semetic." Sorry, but you can only be anti-Semetic if you are prejudiced against Jewish people. Stating certain facts as presented and revealed in Scripture is not being "anti-Semetic." We are not to hate the Jews, but neither are we to worship them (see Concerning Jews).

Was Jesus anti-Semetic? Jesus was a Jew, yet He made certain statements concerning physical, national Israel that cannot be ignored—or denied. The parables in Matthew 21:33-46; 22:1-14; and Mark 12:1-12 (see also Matt. 8:11-13; Luke 13:28-29) all speak toward the kingdom of God being taken from the Jews (who were chosen by God to be His representatives to all other nations) and given to a nation producing the fruit of this kingdom. "You are A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR God's OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light" (1 Pet. 2:9). This was spoken to Christians; Christ's church, which consists of Jewish believers and Gentile believers, Old Testament saints and New Testament saints! The church is the new nation producing the fruit of God's kingdom.

Individuals who try and argue a future for physical, national Israel usually do so from a Pharisaical interpretation of the Old Testament based on a Judeo-centric hermeneutic derived from reading Scripture eisegetically rather than in its historical and theological contexts. Let us look at a couple examples.

EXAMPLE #1: The Land Promise

God promised Abram a land (Genesis 12:7; 13:14-15; 15:18-21; 17:8).

God promises Isaac the land (Genesis 26:2-5).

God promises Jacob the land (Genesis 28:13-15).

Joseph encourages his brothers with God's promise to give them the land (Genesis 50:24).

God promises to bring the Israelites to the land he promised Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Exodus 6:8).

Joshua says they took the land (11:23).

Joshua also says that God gave them the land as He had promised and they possessed it (21:41-45). Promise FULFILLED!

Both Solomon and Nehemiah claim that God gave them the land as promised and they possessed it (1 Kings 4:20-21; Nehemiah 9:12-25).

God promises blessings upon Israel for their obedience (Deuteronomy 28:1-14) and curses upon Israel for their disobedience (vv.15-68). If they obeyed, God promised to prosper them in the land (v.8). If they disobeyed, God promised to remove them from the land (vv.21, 36, 63).

They disobeyed.

God promises that if Israel returns to Him with their whole heart and soul, then God will restore them (Deuteronomy 30:1-10).

There is one return to the land promised in Scripture—not two!

"So it shall be when all of these things have come upon you, the blessing and the curse which I have set before you, and you call them to mind in all nations where the LORD your God has banished you, and you return to the LORD your God and obey Him with all your heart and soul according to all that I command you today, you and your sons, then the LORD your God will restore you from captivity, and have compassion on you, and will gather you again from all the peoples where the LORD your God has scattered you." Deuteronomy 30:1-3

What captivity could this passage possibly be speaking of? The Babylonian captivity.

What could it possibly mean by reference to "nations" where they were banished? The northern kingdom was taken captive by Assyria. The southern kingdom was taken captive by Babylon. Assyria and Babylon account for "nations." There is nothing that says the use of "nations" refers to, or must refer to, all nations.

Zionists/Dispensationalists claim that there are two returns to the land, quoting passages like Isaiah 43:5-6; Jeremiah 16:14–15; 23:3, 7–8; 29:14; and 31:7–8. They read into the Isaiah passage something that is not there. "Ends of the earth" does not need to mean "from everywhere on the planet," but "from the ends of the known world," to where they were dispersed.

In the Jeremiah passages of 16:14-15 and 23:7-8, does "Israel" mean all of Israel, or is it speaking strictly of the northern kingdom? In these passages, it mentions "Israel" and bringing them back from "the north," which is where the northern kingdom was taken captive by Assyria. Paying attention to the context of 29:14, you know that this return is from the Babylonian captivity (v.10).

The creation of Israel as a nation and the return of Jews in 1948 was not a fulfillment of any prophecy! This act was not from God. Deuteronomy 30:1-3 states matter of factly that in order for them to return to their land, they would have to repent and return to God with their whole hearts. What would that returning look like today? They would have to accept and embrace Christ Jesus as the Messiah. This has never happened!

This making Israel a nation again and encouraging Jews to return to their land was an act of Zionists in attempt of a self-fulfilled prophecy based on the erroneous and bankrupt theology of Dispensationalism. All the prophecies about being brought back to the land were speaking with regard to AFTER the Babylonian captivity, which has already been FULFILLED. No other such prophecy of a return exists!

There is one and only one return prophesied in Scripture, and it already happened.

Syria was north of Israel. Assyria was north-east of Israel. Babylon was east of Israel. Egypt was west and south of Israel.

The promises were spoken to Abraham and his Seed—Jesus the Messiah (Galatians 3:16).

The land Abraham was looking forward to was not a patch of land in the Middle East (Hebrews 11:8-10,13-16).

 EXAMPLE #2: The Temple

David wanted to build a temple for God (2 Samuel 7:1-17), but God said that Solomon would be the one to do so (v.13).

The first temple was built by Solomon (1 Kings 5-9). It took 7 years.

Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem (Jeremiah 52), and set fire to the temple (v.13).

The first temple was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar.

The captivity of the Jews in Babylon for a period of 70 years took place.

Daniel lived during the captivity.

Over 100 years before he was even born, Cyrus was prophesied to rebuild Jerusalem—by name (Isaiah 44:28-44). He gave the command to rebuild the temple (Ezra 1:1-4) and restored all the temple vessels (vv.5-11).

The second temple was built under the prophets Ezra and Nehemiah. It took 49 years (Daniel 9:25).

The Jews said it took 46 years to build (John 2:19-21).

Jesus predicted the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple (Matthew 24:1-14; Mark 13:1-32; Luke 1-24), prophesying over Jerusalem that their temple was being left to them desolate [lonesome, waste, desert, empty] (Matthew 23:37-39). God would no longer be found in that place.

Titus and the Romans destroyed Jerusalem and the temple in A.D. 70.

No prediction was ever made of it ever being rebuilt ever again in the future.

If another temple was ever to be built again, it would be in vain because God would not inhabit it. Re-instituting sacrifices would be in vain because Hebrews makes it clear that Jesus was the sacrifice to end all sacrifices and that the former sacrifices were merely types and shadows of Christ. The passages quoted for support of these supposed re-instituted sacrifices are all past-history passages, specifically stating "to make atonement." There's nothing stated about "memorials."

Various passages in the Old Testament, Zionists/Dispensationalists attempt to quote and apply to a future third temple. No such prophecies were ever made. If you look at history, when these men existed and what took place at that time, and you see who their contemporaries were, they are all speaking with regard to the second temple. After the Babylonian captivity, God would call them back to the land, when they had repented with their whole hearts, and they would rebuild the temple. Period!

Joel, Hosea, Amos, Isaiah, Micah, Nahum, and Zephaniah (in that order) all wrote prior to the Babylonian captivity. Any prophecies about returning to the land and rebuilding the temple had to do with AFTER this period.

Jeremiah lived prior to and during the Babylonian captivity. Any prophecies about returning to the land and rebuilding the temple had to do with AFTER this period.

Daniel, Ezekiel, and Obadiah were written during the Babylonian captivity. Any prophecies about returning to the land and rebuilding the temple had to do with AFTER this period.

Ezra wrote during Cyrus' reign, before and during the rebuilding of Jerusalem.

Haggai, and Zechariah wrote during Darius' reign, before or during the rebuilding of Jerusalem.

Nehemiah wrote during and after the rebuilding of Jerusalem.

Amos 9:11 says, "In that day I will raise up the fallen booth of David, And wall up its breaches; I will also raise up its ruins And rebuild it as in the days of old." Amos was written BEFORE the Babylonian captivity. This prophecy has to do with the building of the SECOND temple. However, James quotes this passage in Acts 15:15-17 in connection with something Peter had said. In 1 Peter 2:4-5, Peter clearly acknowledges the church as the temple of God.

Ephesians makes it clear that we, the church, are the new temple (vv.19-22). God does not dwell in temples made by human hands (Acts 7:48; 17:24). He indwells us.

There will never be another physical God-ordained temple!

EXAMPLE #3: The Kingdom

At the beginning of Jesus' ministry, He announced, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand" (Mark 1:15). What time is He referring to? For the good student of the Word the answer is simple. Daniel had predicted four empires: Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome. Then, "in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom" (Dan. 2:44). In the days of which kings? In the days of the Roman kings. Jesus later said, "There are some of those who are standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of god after it has come with power" (Mark 9:1). When the Pharisees asked Jesus about this kingdom, He stated clearly to them, "The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed" and "behold, the kingdom of God is in your midst" (Luke 17:20-21). He said to Pilate, "My kingdom is not of this world" (John 18:36). Yet Dispensationalists and Zionists are still looking for the coming of a physical kingdom to be preceded by signs. Talk about willful ignorance and deliberately ignoring or denying what Jesus said. Wow!

These individuals think that Jesus will be sitting on a literal, physical throne, when Scripture teaches no such thing. If they bothered to pay attention to what their Bible has to say, they would see exactly what kind of throne it was. When you get right down to it, these individuals are incapable of putting two and two together. They rip Scripture out of context and then force their own future agenda upon their randomly isolated verses.

The miracle of the cursed fig tree (Matt. 21:18-22; Mark 11:12-14) and the parable of the fruitless fig tree (Luke 13:6-9) all have to do with the physical nation of Israel. God was seeking fruit from them, since He chose them as a nation and gave them His statutes. They were supposed to be salt and light to the other nations. But Israel failed time and time again, rejecting God and chasing after false idols.

When Peter asked Jesus how many times he was to forgive his brother, and Jesus responded with "seventy times seven times," He was addressing something deeper and making a point. Seventy times seven is 490. Daniel was told that 490 years had been determined upon the physical nation of Israel. In the middle of the 70th week, they crucified their Messiah. At the end of the 70th week, they stoned Stephen to death. The Jews had finally and utterly rejected their Saviour. Since bringing Israel out of captivity and back into their land, God had been forgiving Israel for 490 years while they never learned their lesson and continued to turn their back on God.

These ignorant individuals who today want to revere the physical nation of Israel and put them on some kind of pedestal, need to educate themselves. Concerning the religion of the Jews today, Herman Wouk writes:

“The Talmud is to this day the circulating heart's blood of the Jewish religion. Whatever laws, customs or ceremonies we observe—whether we are Orthodox, Conservative, Reform or merely spasmodic sentimentalists—we follow the Talmud. It is our common law.”

Here are just some of the kinds of things you will find written in the Talmud:

“Jesus seduced, corrupted, and destroyed Israel.” Sanhedrin 107b

In Zohar III:282, the Talmud says that Jesus is buried in that:

“dirt heap ... where they throw the dead bodies of dogs and asses, and where the sons of Esau and of Ishmael [Turks], also Jesus and Mohammad, uncircumcised and unclean like dead dogs, are buried.”

“Jesus is in hell and is being punished by being boiled in hot semen. Christians are boiled in dung.” Gittin 57a

“Jesus fornicated with his jack ass.” Sanhedrin 105a-b

“For murder, whether of a Cuthean (Gentile) by a Cuthean, or of an Israelite by a Cuthean, punishment is incurred; but of a Cuthean by an Israelite, there is no death penalty” Sanhedrin 57a

“A heathen is executed on the ruling of one judge, on the testimony of one witness, without a formal warning, on the evidence of a man, but not of a woman, even if he [the witness] be a relation.” Sanhedrin 57b

“Murdering Goim is like killing a wild animal” Sanhedrin 59a

“Whatever a Jew obtains from robbery of a Gentile, he may keep” Sanherin 57a

“A Goi who pries into the Law must be killed ...” Sanhedrin 59a

“When a grown man has intercourse with a little girl, it is nothing, for when the girl is less than three years old, it is as if one puts a finger into the eye - tears come to the eye again and again; and so does virginity come back to the little girl under three years” Kethuboth 11b

“…but when a small boy (less than nine years of age) has intercourse with a grown-up woman he makes her as 'a girl who is injured by a piece of wood (masturbating).” Kethuboth 11b

“When a grown man has had sexual intercourse with a little girl less than three years old or when a small boy less than nine years of age has intercourse with a grown up woman, or when a girl was accidentally injured by a piece of wood [during masturbation] ... there is in regard to them no charge of non-virginity” Kethuboth 11a

The reader should consider that Kethuboth 11a-b are part of the Mishnah or “Core Doctrine” of the Talmud.

“Rab said: Pederasty with a child below nine years of age is not deemed as pederasty with a child above that. Samuel said: Pederasty with a child below three years is not treated as with a child above that” Sanhedrin 52b

“A Jew may sodomize a child as long as the child is less than nine years old” Sanhedrin 54b

“MISHNAH. A GIRL OF THE AGE OF THREE YEARS AND ONE DAY MAY BE BETROTHED BY INTERCOURSE; … IF SHE WAS MARRIED TO A PRIEST, SHE MAY EAT TERUMAH.” Niddah, 44b

“GEMARA. … R. Joseph said: Come and hear! A maiden aged three years and a day may be acquired in marriage by coition, and if her deceased husband's brother cohabits with her, she becomes his.” Sanhedrin 55b

Is it not ironic how much of these quotes are extremely similar to the same filth we find written in the Qur'an and other Islamic sources? These quotes are part of the heart of Jewish religion today. Therefore, it is irrefutable proof that God was not behind Israel becoming a nation again in 1948! Why?!? Because Scripture makes is abundantly clear in Deuteronomy 30:1-10 that in order for God to bring physical, national Israel back into the land, they would have to turn back to Him with their whole hearts. What would that look like?!? They would have to embrace Christ Jesus as their Messiah and Saviour!

Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and said, "It was necessary that the word of God be spoken to you first; since you repudiate it and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles. For so the Lord has commanded us, 'I HAVE PLACED YOU AS A LIGHT FOR THE GENTILES, THAT YOU MAY BRING SALVATION TO THE END OF THE EARTH.'" When the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord; and as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed. (Acts 13:46-48)

Jesus commanded His disciples to start in Jerusalem and then go to all the world. In every place they went to, they were to go to the Jew first and then to the Gentile. If you desire to learn the truth as presented in the Bible concerning the Mystery of the Gentiles, then learn your Bible and its timeline in history well. Individuals of the Dispensational/Zionist persuasion tend to ignore the New Testament and read the Old Testament in the same manner in which the Pharisees did, which is what lead to them missing the first coming of Christ and not understanding His kingdom in the least.

There is no physical kingdom!

There is no "thousand-year" millennial kingdom! 

There is no promise(s) yet to be fulfilled!

There is no rebuilt temple!

There is no returning to sacrifices!

READ your Bibles!!!

Make no mistake about it, there is a future for Jews. Paul addresses this in Romans 11:1-10. He says in verse 5, "In the same way then, there has also come to be at the present time a remnant according to God's gracious choice." The same can be said today. Each and every single Jew will not be saved, but throughout all time God has kept a remnant of Jews for Himself, who believe the Gospel and trust in Christ as their Messiah Saviour. God has not forgotten them.

The Bible's eschatology is Christ-centric—not Judeo-centric! There is no future for physical, national Israel. The New Testament has made this abundantly clear for those who have eyes to see, ears to hear, and minds to understand. The physical nation of Israel is not going to sit in judgment over other nations; the church is! The church will also judge angels! The true Israel is the church, and the church is spiritual Israel.

Should Christians Obey the Ten Commandments?

Does the Law of the Ten Commandments have a place in the Christian life? Many professing Christians argue that the Law, in any form, has no barring on their life and that they are not required to obey it. Let us examine this Law:

1. You shall have no other gods before Me.
2. You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.
3. You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain.
4. Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath of the LORD your God; in it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter, your male or your female servant or your cattle or your sojourner who stays with you. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day and made it holy.
5. Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be prolonged in the land which the LORD your God gives you.
6. You shall not murder.
7. You shall not commit adultery.
8. You shall not steal.
9. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
10. You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife or his male servant or his female servant or his ox or his donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbor.

By saying that a Christian is not required to obey the Ten Commandments, are these professing Christians saying that it is perfectly fine for a Christian to then lie, steal, cheat, or murder, because "you are not under law but under grace" (Rom. 6:14b)? Many Christians misunderstand what this verse is saying, and have been highly misinformed by their pastors and/or teachers.

Jesus was asked, "Which is the greatest commandment of the Law?" His response was this:

"The greatest and foremost commandment is, 'HEAR, O ISRAEL! THE LORD OUR GOD IS ONE LORD; AND YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH.' The second is like it, 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.' There is no other commandment greater than these. On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets." (see Matt. 22:36-40; Mark 12:29-31)

For the professing Christian who is ignorant of what Jesus is teaching with these two commandments, allow me to provide you with some understanding. These two commandments sum up the entire Ten Commandments. Not only that, but "the whole Law and the Prophets" depend on these two commandments. That is all the writings of Moses and the writings of the Prophets. The entire Old Testament! Some professing Christians will attempt to argue this fact, saying that these two commandments have nothing to do with the Ten Commandments whatsoever, so let us allow Scripture to further educate us on this issue.

"Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. For this, 'YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY, YOU SHALL NOT MURDER, YOU SHALL NOT STEAL, YOU SHALL NOT COVET,' and if there is any other commandment, it is summed up in this saying, 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.' Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law." (Rom. 13:8-10)

The Apostle Paul just quoted four (4) of the Ten Commandments and said that they were summed up in the saying, "You shall love your neighbour as yourself." You, professing Christian, would you care to attempt to argue further with Scripture? Would you care to deny the truth of Scripture further, for some lie that some pastor or teacher has fed you?

Love is the fulfilling of the Law. There are two commandments of love: (1) Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength; and (2) Love your neighbour as yourself. These two commandments sum up the entire Ten Commandments. The whole of the Law and the Prophets depend upon these two commandments.

"Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails." (1 Cor. 13:4-8a)

Faith, Works, & Law: The True Distinction

"For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law." Romans 3:28

"You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone." James 2:24

"You have been severed from Christ, you who are seeking to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace." Galatians 5:4

This is the differentiation, brothers and sisters in Christ! Do you see the difference between these verses? Do you understand the difference? A man is not justified by good deeds. A man is not justified by works of the Law. A man is not justified by the Law. A man is justified by faith and by works of faith (faith in action; living faith)—together! Inseparable! "You see that faith was working with his works, and as a result of the works, faith was perfected/completed" (James 2:22).

An illustration I am fond of using to demonstrate this reality is this: Imagine you are hanging from something high up and the fall will hurt you severely. I come beneath you and tell you, "Let go and I'll catch you." It does not matter how much you believe that I will catch you if you do not let go. Your belief in my catching you is useless, worthless, dead, and in vain at that point. The moment you release your grip, your action completes and perfects your belief. Every instance of faith has a corresponding action that must go hand-in-hand with it in order to complete it. If you believe that a chair will support your weight when you sit in it, you actually have to sit in the chair to prove your faith true.

If you do things merely to get right with God and try to earn His favour, then you are engaging in legalism. Nothing you do will ever earn you favour with God and set your right with Him. You repent because God commands and demands you to repent. You obey because God commands and demands you to obey. You do not "repent" and "obey" in order to get right with God and earn favour from Him. If that is your thinking, then you are already damned to an eternity in Hell. You are saved by the merits of Christ alone and by trusting completely and wholeheartedly in what He has done! He has done it all. He was the only one able to please His Father by doing everything right, having never committed sin. He was the perfect sacrifice, being offered on our behalf.

If you do not accept what Christ did, trusting in His life, work, and merit alone, then you are doomed to spend eternity in Hell. Nothing you do, no matter how good you might attempt to be, will ever earn you favour with God and put you in right standing with Him. That does not mean that there are not things that you are still required to do (such as repenting, obeying, and striving to live a life of holiness), but that by doing such things you can never and will never earn God's favour or be in right standing before Him. You are only seen spotless and clean when God looks at you and sees Christ.

Professing Christians who think that all they have to do is "have faith," and that they do not have to do anything else (repent, obey, be holy, etc.) are merely deceiving themselves. They would benefit greatly from reading the entire New Testament and taking note of how many commands are given to the Christian. The New Testament paints a certain picture of what a genuine born-again believer actually looks like, and if you do not measure up, then you are nothing more than a false convert! You might not measure up because you are a babe in Christ, but if you have supposedly been a Christian for 10, 20, 30, 50 years, you are not a "babe" in Christ, but a false convert! Just as it is impossible to remain a physical baby for years, or even your entire life, so too is it impossible to remain a spiritual baby for years, or even your entire life.