Eschatology: The Millennium - the Thousand Year Reign of Christ.

Notes from Willmington - the Doctrine of Prophecy.

1. The Fact of the Millennial Reign.

The word “millennium” is a Latin Term which signifies “one thousand years”.

Note Revelation

Rev 20:4  Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshipped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. Willmington p.851

In the first seven verses of Rev.20 the Apostle John mentions ‘one thousand years’ period no less than six time. So think that since this number is found in only one NT Passage of the Bible, one cannot insist the the “one thousand year Reign” will really come to pass. They also mention  2Pe 3:8  But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. This same group that try to shrink the "one thousand years into one day”  they also expand the six days of Creation in thousands of years. One is tempted to ask, “Why can’t God mean what He says.”

Dr Rene Pache in “the Return of Christ”, writes:

“Let us notice this Fact: the teaching of the Old Testament concerning the Millennium is so complete that the Jews in the Talmud succeeded in developing it entirely themselves, without the gifts furnished later by the new testament. For example, they had indeed affirmed before the Apocalypse THAT THE MESSIANIC KINGDOM WOULD LAST ONE THOUSAND YEARS..One should not therefore claim that without the Passage in Rev. 20 :1-10 the doctrine of the Millennium would not exist. “The Return of Christ “p.380

Throughout Church History Christians have held to three major views concerning the Millennium.

1. Post-millennialism.

This theory says that through the preaching of the Gospel of Christ the worlds will eventually embrace Christianity and become a universal “society of saints”. At this point Christ will be invited to assume command and reign over man’s peaceful planet. Though they believe in the literal ‘one thousand year reign of Christ’, their position is False, for the Bible clearly teaches that the world situation will become worse and worse prior to the Second Coming of Christ -not better and better.

Note: 1Ti 4:1  Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons,

1Ti 4:2  through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared,

1Ti 4:3  who forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth.

2Ti 3:1  But of this be assured: in the last days grievous times will set in.

2Ti 3:2  For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, haughty, profane. They will be disobedient to parents, thankless, irreligious,

2Ti 3:3  destitute of natural affection, unforgiving, slanderers. They will have no self-control, but will be brutal, opposed to goodness,

2Ti 3:4  treacherous, headstrong, self-important. They will love pleasure instead of loving God,

2Ti 3:5  and will keep up a make-believe of piety and yet live in defiance of its power. Turn away from people of this sort.

Daniel Whitby (1638-1726) popularised this teaching which endured until the First World War. Finally it was laid to rest in the midst of Hitler’s gas ovens.

2. Amillennialism,

This view teaches that there will be no millennial reign of Christ at all, and that the NT Church inherits all the spiritual promises AND PROPHECIES of OT Israel.   In this view Isaiah’s beautiful prophecy of the bear and the cow lying down together and the lion eating straw like an ox simply doesn't mean what it says. Isa 11:7  Cows and bears will share the same pasture; their young will rest side by side. Lions and oxen will both eat straw. CEV

If the 11th chapter of Isaiah can be taken away why not the 53rd chapter as well. This allegorization of Scripture makes no sense.

3. Premillennialism

This view teaches that Christ will return just prior to the Millennium and will personally rule during the His Glorious One Thousand Year Reign. This Scriptural View is the only true one and is the oldest view of the Three. This was held by the Church Fathers. However as the Roman Catholic church began to grow she began to teach that she was the instrument that God would use to usher in the Millennial reign of Christ

Only in recent centuries has Premillennialism been restored to the Church through men such as Alford, Seiss, Darby and Scofield and many others.

Eschatology: The Second Coming of Christ: Judgment of Fallen Angels.

1Co 6:3  Do you not know that we are to judge angels? How much more, then, matters pertaining to this life!

All fallen angels are included in this judgment. There may be two categories: Chained and Unchained.

1. Unchained Fallen Angels.

Luk 8:30  Jesus then asked him, "What is your name?" And he said, "Legion," for many demons had entered him.

Luk 8:31  And they begged him not to command them to depart into the abyss.

Eph 6:12  For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

These fallen angels (demons) have free movement and can posses both men and animals. Their main sin was following Satan in his wicked rebellion against God.

See Isaiah 14:12-17 and also Ezekiel 28 :12-19

b. Chained fallen Angels.

1Pe 3:18  For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit,

1Pe 3:19  in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison,

1Pe 3:20  because they formerly did not obey, when God's patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water.

2Pe 2:4  For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment;

Jud 1:6  And the angels who did not stay within their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great day—

According to these passages these fallen angels do not have freedom that the previous angels have. They are right now in “solitary confinement:” They are awaiting the Judgment at the end of the Tribulation.

Why the difference?

Many believe that this group were guilty of two grievous sins - not only did they join in Satan’s revolt, but they also committed sexual perversion. “with the daughters of men. Willmington p.851

I do not believe that this is possible as jesus said that angels neither marry nor are given in marriage. They have no sexual relations.

Mat_22:30  For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.

Mar_12:25  For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.

Those in Genesis 6:2 are the line of Seth “the sons of God”.

Eschatology: The Resurrection of Old Testament and Tribulation Saints.

(Notes from Willmington p. 850)

It is believed by this study Guide that at the Resurrection  at the time of the rapture, only those believers who have been saved from Pentecost till the Rapture will rise. All other believers will rise at the end of the Tribulation just prior to the Millenium.

Note these passage from the Scriptures.

Job 19:25  For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth.

Job 19:26  And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God,

Psa 49:15  But God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol, for he will receive me. Selah.

Isa 25:8  He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the LORD has spoken.

Isa 26:19  Your dead shall live; their bodies shall rise. You who dwell in the dust, awake and sing for joy! For your dew is a dew of light, and the earth will give birth to the dead.

Dan 12:2  And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.

Dan 12:3  And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.

Hos 13:14  Shall I ransom them from the power of Sheol? Shall I redeem them from Death? O Death, where are your plagues? O Sheol, where is your sting? Compassion is hidden from my eyes.

Joh 5:28  Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice

Joh 5:29  and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment.

Heb 11:35  Women received back their dead by resurrection. Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life.

Rev 20:4  Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.

Rev 20:5  The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. This is the first resurrection.

1Co 15:19  If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.

1Co 15:20  But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.

1Co 15:21  For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead.

1Co 15:22  For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.

1Co 15:23  But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ.

The Second Coming of Christ will see all the Non-church related saints(or the OT Saints) rise from the dead. For many long centuries Father Abraham has been patiently waiting for’that City whose Builder and Maker is God. Heb 11:10. God will not let him down. This will surely come to pass.

Eschatology : The Binding of Satan at the End of the Tribulation.

Rom 16:20  And before long, God, the Giver of peace will crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you! WNT

Rev 20:1  Then I saw an angel coming down from Heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit, and upon his arm he carried a great chain.

Rev 20:2  He laid hold of the Dragon--the ancient serpent--who is the Devil and the Adversary, and bound him for a thousand years, and hurled him into the bottomless pit.

Rev 20:3  He closed the entrance and put a seal upon him in order that he might be unable to lead the nations astray any more until the thousand years were at an end. Afterwards he is to be set at liberty for a short time. WNT

We have here, I. A prophecy of the binding of Satan for a certain term of time, in which he should have much less power and the church much more peace than before. The power of Satan was broken in part by the setting up of the gospel kingdom in the world; it was further reduced by the empire's becoming Christian; it was yet further broken by the downfall of the mystical Babylon; but still this serpent had many heads, and, when one is wounded, another has life remaining in it. Here we have a further limitation and diminution of his power. Observe, 1. To whom this work of binding Satan is committed - to an angel from heaven.

2. The means he makes use of in this work: he has a chain and a key, a great chain to bind Satan, and the key of the prison in which he was to be confined. Christ never wants of proper powers and instruments to break the power of Satan, for he has all the powers of heaven and the keys of hell.

3. The execution of this work, Rev_20:2, Rev_20:3. above

(1.) He laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the devil, and Satan. Neither the strength of the dragon, nor the subtlety of the serpent, was sufficient to rescue him out of the hands of Christ; he caught hold, and kept his hold. And, (2.) He cast him into the bottomless pit, cast him down with force, and with a just vengeance, to his own place and prison, from which he had been permitted to break out, and disturb the churches, and deceive the nations; now he is brought back to that prison, and there laid in chains. (3.) He is shut up, and a seal set upon him. Christ shuts, and none can open; he shuts by his power, seals by his authority; and his lock and seal even the devils themselves cannot break open. (4.) We have the term of this confinement of Satan - a thousand years, after which he was to be loosed again for a little season. The church should have a considerable time of peace and prosperity, but all her trials were not yet over. Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible

Eschatology: The Separation of the Sheep and Goats.

Matthew 25

SUMMARY.--The Ten Virgins. The Foolish Who Took No Oil. The Bridegroom Comes. The Doors Shut on the Foolish Virgins. Watch Therefore. The Parable of the Talents. The Manner of Using. The Reckoning When the Lord Comes. The Day of Judgment Portrayed. The Gathering of the Nations. The Great Separation. The Blessedness of Those on the Right Hand. The Awful Fate of Those on the Left. The Ground of the Separation. The Everlasting Punishment and Life Eternal.

Mat 25:31  "When the Son of Man comes in his glory and all his angels are with him, he will sit on his glorious throne.

Mat 25:32  The people of every nation will be gathered in front of him. He will separate them as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.

Mat 25:33  He will put the sheep on his right but the goats on his left.

Mat 25:34  "Then the king will say to those on his right, 'Come, my Father has blessed you! Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world.

Mat 25:35  I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat. I was thirsty, and you gave me something to drink. I was a stranger, and you took me into your home.

Mat 25:36  I needed clothes, and you gave me something to wear. I was sick, and you took care of me. I was in prison, and you visited me.'

Mat 25:37  "Then the people who have God's approval will reply to him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you or see you thirsty and give you something to drink?

Mat 25:38  When did we see you as a stranger and take you into our homes or see you in need of clothes and give you something to wear?

Mat 25:39  When did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?'

Mat 25:40  "The king will answer them, 'I can guarantee this truth: Whatever you did for one of my brothers or sisters, no matter how unimportant they seemed, you did for me.'

Mat 25:41  "Then the king will say to those on his left, 'Get away from me! God has cursed you! Go into everlasting fire that was prepared for the devil and his angels!

Mat 25:42  I was hungry, and you gave me nothing to eat. I was thirsty, and you gave me nothing to drink.

Mat 25:43  I was a stranger, and you didn't take me into your homes. I needed clothes, and you didn't give me anything to wear. I was sick and in prison, and you didn't take care of me.'

Mat 25:44  "They, too, will ask, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or as a stranger or in need of clothes or sick or in prison and didn't help you?'

Mat 25:45  "He will answer them, 'I can guarantee this truth: Whatever you failed to do for one of my brothers or sisters, no matter how unimportant they seemed, you failed to do for me.'

Mat 25:46  "These people will go away into eternal punishment, but those with God's approval will go into eternal life."

1. Note the False Views of this Judgment.

1. That this ‘sheep and goats’ judgment is the same as the GREAT WHITE THRONE judgment of Rev 20 :11-15. They are not the same for one takes place at the end of the Great Tribulation but the Great White Throne takes place at the end of the Millenium.
2. That the ‘Sheep and Goats’ Judgment deals only with entire nations. Some have imagined the nations of the world lined up before God. At God’s command Russia steps up then South Africa. No, God is dealing with the Gentiles..

     

     b.  The Basis for this Judgment    

The test:  How those gentiles who have survived the tribulation have treated faithful Israel. (Here referred to by Christ Himself as “My Brethren”)

Bert and Anne Bochove, who hid 37 Jews in their pharmacy in Huizen, an Amsterdam suburb, pose here with their children. The two were named "Righteous Among the Nations." The Netherlands, 1944 or 1945.

In Nazi Germany, during World War II escaping Jews were on a Number of Occasions befriended and protected by German Families who, in spite of their nationality, did not agree with Hitler and his ‘final solution’.Apparently the same thing will take place during the Tribulation. believing gentiles will , at the risk of their lives, protect and the Messengers.

German-occupied Denmark was the site of the most famous and complete rescue operation in Axis-controlled Europe. In late summer 1943, German occupation authorities imposed martial law on Denmark in response to increasing acts of resistance and sabotage. German Security Police officials planned to deport the Danish Jews while martial law was in place. On September 28, 1943, a German businessman warned Danish authorities of the impending operation, scheduled for the night of October 1–2, 1943. With the help of their non-Jewish neighbors and friends, virtually all the Danish Jews went into hiding. During the following days, the Danish resistance organized a rescue operation, in which Danish fishermen clandestinely ferried some 7,200 Jews (of the country's total Jewish population of 7,800) in small fishing boats, to safety in neutral Sweden.

Irena Sendler - Justa de las Naciones

Irena Sendler changed the fate of over 2,500 Jewish children during the Holocaust. She and her colleagues falsified over 3,000 documents to help Jewish families escape. In 1943, Sendler was arrested and was sentenced to execution by firing squad. After a final torture session, where they broke her arms and legs, Irena regained consciousness to find that a Guard had been bribed by her friends within Zegota. The guard marked her off as executed and left her in the woods to be resc