It must be considered as one of the most unfortunate facts of Christian history that something which appears to have been unworthy of mention by our Lord Jesus Christ, or by Peter and Paul the Apostles, should have become a central article of faith, and even a measure of orthodoxy, by many in the Christian church today, especially in the USA.
The question does really need to be asked as to why, if the millennium was a real possibility, it was totally ignored in the teaching of our Lord Jesus Christ, something in which He was closely followed by the Apostle Paul. He clearly did not consider it worthy of mention. We must incidentally distinguish New Testament teaching on the second coming of Christ from teaching about the Millennium, for while in the New Testament the former is found everywhere, the latter is found nowhere.
The truth is that the idea of an earthly Millennium is unknown to the New Testament, and is based largely on a total misinterpretation of Revelation 20. It was held for a brief period by a number of Christians in 2nd century AD, mainly on the basis of a rare Jewish tradition, and was then consigned to oblivion as heresy when the church recognised that it was contrary to the teaching of Jesus Christ and His Apostles, until it was resurrected by two Roman Catholic scholars and then reintroduced in 19th century AD by such men as Newton, Darby and Kelly, who were members of the Exclusive Brethren, and none of whom were recognised Bible scholars.
One would have thought that a total lack of even a remote mention of it in the New Testament, outside of the dubious interpretation of a chapter in Revelation, would have been sufficient to make it quite clear that it could not be labelled as genuine Christian teaching, but of course the fact that it adds an exciting element into popular theology (and has spawned a large number of books very profitable to their authors) is what makes it acceptable to many people. It is in fact the product of a supposed literalistic method of interpreting the Old Testament, which then goes on blandly to avoid having to be too literal whenever it does not suit, and ignores the way in which the New Testament interprets such Old Testament ideas.
Consider for example the problem that most Millennialists have with the question of animal sacrifices. They recognise that their literal approach to the Old Testament requires that if there is a Millennium animal sacrifices will be offered in it, but they also recognise that such sacrifices could not be offered on the basis described in the Old Testament, because that has been done away by the sacrifice of Christ. So they invent a category of sacrifices totally unknown in the Old Testament which they call ?memorial sacrifices?, ignoring totally the fact that taken literally the Old Testament NOWHERE mentions such sacrifices. What the prophets prophesied were NOT memorial sacrifices. they were sacrifices purportedly to be offered on the same basis as all other Old Testament sacrifices. To turn them into memorial sacrifices is not to take the Old Testament literally. Thus they go against their own premises when it suits them.
But let us consider one further problem with their memorial sacrifices. Most Millennialists would agree that Isaiah 11.6-9 is a description of the Millennium. It reads as follows:
?The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid, and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them. And the cow and the bear shall feed, their young ones shall lie down together, and the lion shall eat straw like the ox, and the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain. for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.?
BUT LOOK OUT ALL YOU LAMBS, COWS AND OXEN. THE BUTCHERS ARE COMING FROM THE TEMPLE TO KILL SOME OF YOU AS MEMORIAL SACRIFICES. THEY ARE THE ONLY ONES IN THE WHOLE OF CREATION WHO NOW HURT AND DESTROY IN ALL GOD'S HOLY MOUNTAIN, AND TURN THE IDEALISTIC PICTURE INTO A BLOODBATH.
And the dangerous fact is that by this doctrine we suggest to people that there is a second chance after Christ?s taking up of His people, a second chance which is in fact also a myth and does not exist.
Will There Be A Great Tribulation? ---------- In pdf
The Woman Clothed With The Sun
The Child Of One Hundred Years (Isaiah 65.17-19)
The Little Apocalypse - A Collation Of Matthew 24; Mark 13 and Luke 21.
What Is The Gospel Of The Kingdom?
One question that is important in considering the interpretation of the Old Testament is as to whom God sees the promises to Abraham now applying. In the Old Testament it was made clear that a large section of Israel would be cast off and God's blessing would come to the remnant. In 1st century AD the Jews divided into two groups, a large segment who followed Jesus Christ and incorporated Gentile proselytes into 'the congregation of Jesus Christ', and an even larger segment who also incorporated Gentile proselytes into Judaism but who refused to follow Jesus Christ. We must therefore ask which of these two bodies of Jews were seen by God as the true Israel? That is why we ask:
One further word should be said. Nothing that is said above should be seen as attacking the godliness and genuineness of many who believe the ideas that we are refuting. It is the ideas that we refute and not the people. We have no doubt that one day we will meet many of them in Heaven and they will shake their heads in wonder and say, 'how could we ever have been so deceived?' And what is more we doubt not that many of their crowns will be more glorious than our own. Nevertheless we have to stress that the teaching that they favour has robbed Christians of many parts of Scripture beause they consign it to an age outside of current experience, and fail to see its full significance and application for ourselves. And thereby they do the church a great disservice.
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