• Millennial Kingdom

    by Published on 06-02-2015 01:24 AM     Number of Views: 1480 
    1. Categories:
    2. Millennial Kingdom

    [Rev 21:1-8 KJV] 1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. 2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God [is] with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, [and be] their God. 4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. 5 And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. 6 And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. 7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. 8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

    Revelation 21.5-8 The Difference between the Saved and Those Who Perish


    Even though this subdivision is closely related to the preceding one (vv.2-4), the people in verse 6b are nonetheless quite different from those in verse 3.

    21.5 The one who sits on the throne is most likely God.

    The word “write” means to have it written in this book. Such a command reveals the great significance of this subdivision.

    21.6 “They are come to pass” [ASV]—Whatever is recorded in this book must come to pass. God will bring heaven and earth to His original design. He is the Alpha and the Omega, therefore all shall be fulfilled.

    21.7 The “overcometh” here is not the same as that of chapters 2 and 3, for in chapters 2 and 3 it is an overcoming by works, that is, an overcoming that involves a comparing of believers with believers; whereas here it is an overcoming that involves a comparison of believers with the unbelieving world (cf. 1 John 5.4 which mentions overcoming the world through faith).

    In what respects are the people spoken of in 21.6-8 different from the people who appear in verses 2 and 3? Please note the following observations.

    (1) From 21.3 we learn that John saw in a vision that the tabernacle of God is with men, that is to say, God is dwelling with the many peoples on earth. The people mentioned in 21.6b are said to be those who are athirst after they have heard the good news described above.

    (2) The men shown in verses 2 and 3 are God’s peoples who dwell on the new earth, while those shown in 21.7 are God’s sons who live in the city.

    (3) The men mentioned in 21.3 are simply those peoples on earth who share together the common blessings; but the men referred to in 21.7 are not only sons of God, they are also God’s servants and kings unto Him (22.3,5).

    (4) “They shall be his peoples” (21.3) signifies something corporate and common; “He shall be my son” (21.7) represents something personal and intimate.

    (5) “They shall be his peoples” (21.3) is that which appears to be spoken in the third person, whereas “I will be his God, and he shall be my son” (21.7) seems to be a direct way of speaking.

    (6) The men spoken of in 21.3 dwell on God’s earth, but those mentioned in 21.7 live in God’s house.

    Positional difference among Christians is limited to the time of the millennial kingdom. In the new heaven and new earth, all believers are equally positioned.

    21.8 “The fearful”—these are those who know they can be saved if they believe, yet dare not believe for fear of men. “Unbelieving”—these are those who just do not believe. “Abominable”—a reference to not only those who worship idols but also to those who worship celestial bodies. “Sorcerers”—those who have communications with demons.

    “The lake that burneth with fire and brimstone”—In the new heaven and new earth there is no sea, yet there will still be the lake of fire.
    by Published on 01-27-2015 11:21 PM     Number of Views: 2052 
    1. Categories:
    2. Millennial Kingdom,
    3. Partial Rapture

    The City of Peace - The Lord's Future Reign in the Millennial Kingdom

    Isaiah 1.1 The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. 2 And it shall come to pass in the last days, [that] the mountain of the LORD'S house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. 3 And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. 4 And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.

    There is no more war in the millennial kingdom. This agrees with Rev. 20: "And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, 3 And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season" (v.2,3).

    Amillennialists will tell you this passage means something else, but it is clear during the future reign of Christ when He returns to earth, the wars will end and no more wars for a 1000 years till Satan is loosed for a little season out of the pit at the end of the millennial kingdom.


    The Day of the Lord - A Warning of Judgment!

    Isaiah 2.5-22 Come, descendants of Jacob, let us walk in the light of the LORD! 6 For the LORD has rejected his people, the descendants of Jacob, because they have filled their land with practices from the East and with sorcerers, as the Philistines do. They have made alliances with pagans. 7 Israel is full of silver and gold; there is no end to its treasures. Their land is full of warhorses; there is no end to its chariots. 8 Their land is full of idols; the people worship things they have made with their own hands. 9 So now they will be humbled, and all will be brought low--do not forgive them. 10 Crawl into caves in the rocks. Hide in the dust from the terror of the LORD and the glory of his majesty. 11 Human pride will be brought down, and human arrogance will be humbled. Only the LORD will be exalted on that day of judgment. 12 For the LORD of Heaven's Armies has a day of reckoning. He will punish the proud and mighty and bring down everything that is exalted. 13 He will cut down the tall cedars of Lebanon and all the mighty oaks of Bashan. 14 He will level all the high mountains and all the lofty hills. 15 He will break down every high tower and every fortified wall. 16 He will destroy all the great trading ships and every magnificent vessel. 17 Human pride will be humbled, and human arrogance will be brought down. Only the LORD will be exalted on that day of judgment. 18 Idols will completely disappear. 19 When the LORD rises to shake the earth, his enemies will crawl into holes in the ground. They will hide in caves in the rocks from the terror of the LORD and the glory of his majesty. 20 On that day of judgment they will abandon the gold and silver idols they made for themselves to worship. They will leave their gods to the rodents and bats, 21 while they crawl away into caverns and hide among the jagged rocks in the cliffs. They will try to escape the terror of the LORD and the glory of his majesty as he rises to shake the earth. 22 Don't put your trust in mere humans. They are as frail as breath. What good are they?

    The hiding in caves occurs during the day of the Lord, that is, the Great Tribulation, but interestingly before the Tribulation starts there will already have been people hiding in caves in Rev. 6.15, "Then the kings of the earth, the nobles, the military commanders, the rich, the powerful, and every slave and free person hid in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains."

    This judgment as you can see is not on just the Gentile nations but on Israel as well for rejecting the Lord.

    During the Tribulation of 7 years, in the middle for 1260 days, a remnant of Israel (Rev. 7.1-8) will be in hiding. Rev. 12.6, "The woman [remnant of Israel] fled into the wilderness, where she had a place prepared by God, to be fed there for 1,260 days." "The dragon stood in front of the woman [eternal will of God] who was about to give birth, so that when she did give birth he might devour her child" (v.4). Satan attempts to go after the overcomers in the Church in verse 4, but when He fails to get them because they are raptured alive ("caught up to God" v.5), He goes after Israel, and Israel is overrun during the Great Tribulation. Yet a remnant of the Jews finds protection likely in some caves. The woman initially presented is the eternal will of God who desires to rapture overcomers at the first rapture before the Tribulation starts, but when Satan fails to capture them, He goes after Israel, so the woman reverts to being a remnant of the Jews of Israel. She is clothed with the sun above her head representing God's grace and stands above the moon, representing God's laws. The 12 stars above her head are the 12 Patriarchs.
    by Published on 08-31-2014 02:14 PM     Number of Views: 6419 
    1. Categories:
    2. Millennial Kingdom

    Quote Originally Posted by soterion
    Mark 1:14-15 teaches that the time for the kingdom to be established was fulfilled and that it was at hand when Christ first came, not 2,000+ years later when He will someday return.

    Acts 2:22-36 teaches that Jesus was seated on the throne of David when He was resurrected and exalted to the right hand of God.

    1 Corinthians 15:20-28 teaches that when Christ returns, He will deliver up the kingdom to God. The kingdom will not begin on earth when He comes back; rather, it's existence on the earth will end.
    How do you know the "gospel of the kingdom of God" is the 1000 years where Satan "should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled" (Rev. 20.3)? Are not the nations deceived still now with wars and rumors of wars? Whereas “the kingdom of God is righteous and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Rom. 14.17). "And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison" (Rev. 20.7). Was Satan in prison prior to Jesus? or is Satan in prison now with 10,000 children dying every day due to starvation? Overcomers in Christ "shall reign with him a thousand years" (v.6). Who is reigning over the nations now in the highest positions of government (2.26,27) certainly not believers? Could it be Jesus at the right hand of the Father does not mean He is reigning on earth for 1000 years right now?

    Let us review the things we have already seen previously concerning the kingdom of heaven. After the birth of Christ, there comes one who prepares the way for Him. His name is John, and he proclaims that the kingdom of heaven is at hand. The Lord, together with the apostles whom He sends forth, announce the same news. What does it mean? Later on, as noted in chapters 8 and 9, we see that the Lord heals the sick and casts out demons, and that all these are closely related to the nearness of the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5-7 speaks of the nature of the kingdom of heaven: which is, that those who belong to this kingdom are absolutely righteous towards themselves, absolutely gracious towards others, and absolutely pure towards God. In Matthew 10 we learn that the Lord sends out His apostles. And in Matthew 11-12 we see that a great transition begins occurring, as though the kingdom of heaven is now being taken away from the Jews.

    Now with regard to the kingdom of heaven found spoken of in Matthew 13, some interpreters have asserted that the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven are the kingdom of heaven in mystery. Such an assertion is logically unsound when it is held up against all the things which we have just seen: how that both John and the Lord as well as His disciples proclaim that the kingdom of heaven is at hand, how that the Lord then announces the nature or character of this kingdom, and how after He is rejected by the children of Israel He in the thirteenth chapter is found declaring only the outward boundary of this kingdom (what we see in this age being but the outward appearance). So that chapter 13 does not deal with the character or nature of the kingdom of heaven, for this has already been described in Matthew 5-7.

    Some, on the other hand, contend that all who desire to enter the kingdom of heaven mentioned in chapter 13 must possess the character of the kingdom of heaven as laid down in chapters 5-7. This interpretation again is impossible to accept, since in chapter 13 we have presented the tares, the leaven, and so forth as being in the kingdom of heaven. So that this chapter presents to us nothing but the outward appearance of the kingdom of heaven.

    The kingdom of heaven is not the millennial kingdom; it is the reigning in the millennial kingdom. Let us see that the kingdom of heaven has three different aspects.

    (1) An outward appearance, boundary, or scope as is shown to us in Matthew 13.

    (2) A spiritual reality, that is to say, a kind of spiritual conduct which is formed as a result of learning righteousness and grace progressively under the authority of God and which is elucidated for us in Matthew 5-7; and

    (3) A reigning with Christ in the future millennial kingdom as revealed in the fact of our future reward as told to us in Matthew 5-7.

    Accordingly, we must first of all enter into the sphere or boundary of this kingdom of heaven by being sons of the kingdom; then secondly, we need to have the kind of conduct described for us in Matthew 5-7 – which is to have real spiritual conduct; and lastly, as a consequence we may reign with the Lord.

    Today there are three different kinds of people:

    (1) those who have entered within the sphere of the kingdom of heaven and yet unsaved; these are represented by tares.

    (2) those who have been saved and are in the domain of the kingdom of heaven, ye they fail to keep the teaching of Matthew 5-7.

    (3) those who are saved and also keep the teaching of Matthew 5-7; they truly overcome, and therefore in the future they shall reign with the Lord in the third stage or aspect of the kingdom of heaven.

    A Comparison Between the Kingdom of Heaven and the Kingdom of God

    The kingdom of heaven and the kingdom of God are distinguishable but are not separable. Let us consider in some detail these two descriptive phrases found in Scriptures.

    (1) With certain parables Matthew employs the statement “The kingdom of heaven is likened unto . . . “; but Luke uses the words “The kingdom of God is like. . . . “ for the same parables – thus indicating that the kingdom of heaven and the kingdom of God are one and the same. Both the kingdom of God and the kingdom of heaven in these parallel instances refer to the outward domain of the kingdom. On this level, it can be said that the outward appearances of both the kingdom of heaven and the kingdom of God are alike. Parables such as that of the leaven belong to this category.

    (2) Yet the kingdom of heaven and the kingdom of God are not synonymous with respect to the second aspect of the kingdom of heaven, inasmuch as what is described in Matthew 5-7 speaks of actual overt behavior whereas “the kingdom of God is righteous and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Rom. 14.17). The one stresses spiritual conduct; the other inner spiritual condition.

    (3) Even so, in the third aspect of the kingdom of heaven is again similar to the kingdom of God since both refer to the matter of reigning during the millennial kingdom.

    Though the kingdom of God and the kingdom of heaven are similar as regards the first aspect, the kingdom of God covers also the time of which the prophets in the Old Testament speak – for whenever the sovereignty of God is present, His domain is there at the same time. But this characteristic is not applicable to the kingdom of heaven.

    With regard to the third aspect, it is true that the kingdom of God is the same as the kingdom of heaven in that both refer to ruling with Christ in the millennium; yet the kingdom of God extends further on into eternity since in eternity God also reigns – but by that time the kingdom of heaven will have passed away. With respect to the third aspect, therefore, the kingdom of God exists longer than the kingdom of heaven.

    In certain sense it can be said that the kingdom of God includes the kingdom of heaven, but not vic versa.

    So far as the outward official history of the church on earth goes today, there can be said to be the Roman Catholic Church, the national churches, and the private churches. The Roman Catholic Church claims that the entire world is under her domain and that no national church is therefore allowed. The national church such as the Anglican Church asserts that every citizen of the nation belongs to the Church. But due to dissatisfaction with the national churches, there came into being the so-called private churches.

    As regards to the outward sphere, as long as people say they are Christians, no one can drive them out of the kingdom of heaven; for the Lord has not promised to weed out the tares today. At communion or the Lord’s Table or the breaking of bread, however, the church may indeed weed out or separate the unsaved and the wicked from the saved ones. So that in the outward appearance of the kingdom of heaven, such as in a national church, unbelieving people may be included therein, but in the sphere of the believing assembly an unsaved person may be excluded from fellowship. This clarifies the two totally different spheres: that of the outward appearance of the kingdom of heaven and that of the church. Within the boundary of the outward appearance of the kingdom of heaven there may be tares; but within the churches the body of Christ there is only wheat no tares.
    by Published on 10-03-2011 02:45 PM     Number of Views: 2072 
    1. Categories:
    2. Regeneration,
    3. Millennial Kingdom

    My favorite reasoning is all those verses that speak of Jesus returning with saints (e.g. Jude 14,15) to reign, it wouldn't make much sense for overcomers to return with Christ to earth only to plop back up to heaven. They are going to stay around for 1000 years to reign with a rod of iron (Rev. 12.5) over the nations (2.26), not in some fantasy amillennial way, before the New City and New Earth commence.

    "In the regeneration"
    (Matt. 19.28)—This word "regeneration" is used twice in the Bible: once in Titus 3.5 where it points to personal recovery—which is a being born again, and here in this verse 28 where it refers to the recovery of the world—the consequence of which is the millennium (see also Rom. 8.19-23 and Is. 11. 6-9). From Adam until Moses sin was in the world (Rom. 12.14), and from Moses until the Lord Jesus sin reigned (see Rom. 5.12-14, 21). All who are born again in this age are delivered from the power of sin, but not delivered from the presence of sin. Likewise in the regeneration of the world, first comes the deliverance from the power of sin (for Satan is bound for a thousand years—the period of the millennial kingdom—which is done by the Lord and not through any social reform done by men), and then shall come the new heaven and the new earth with deliverance from the presence of sin.

    Revelation 20.3 says the nations won't be deceived in the 1000 years, so obviously it is not happening now. Rev. 2.26, 12.5, 20.4-6 say.

    Zech. 8.2 "'I am zealous for Zion with great zeal; With great fervor I am zealous for her.' 3 "Thus says the Lord: 'I will return to Zion, And dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. Jerusalem shall be called the City of Truth, The Mountain of the Lord of hosts, The Holy Mountain.' 4 "Thus says the Lord of hosts: 'Old men and old women shall again sit In the streets of Jerusalem, Each one with his staff in his hand Because of great age. 5 The streets of the city Shall be full of boys and girls. 8. Playing in its streets.' 6 "Thus says the Lord of hosts: 'If it is marvelous in the eyes of the remnant of this people in these days, Will it also be marvelous in My eyes?' Says the Lord of hosts. 7 "Thus says the Lord of hosts: 'Behold, I will save My people from the land of the east And from the land of the west; 8 I will bring them back, And they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem (Matt. 24.31 "elect"). They shall be My people And I will be their God, In truth and righteousness.'
    by Published on 10-14-2010 04:33 PM     Number of Views: 2043 
    1. Categories:
    2. Millennial Kingdom

    Let's go through the calculation again. There is a 5% chance that there would be two Total Lunar Tetrads, each occurring on passover, tabernacles, passover and tabernacles, in the 20th century.

    There is a 2% chance one of those two Tetrads fall on 1949/50 and a 1% chance the one remaining falls on the other date of 1967/68. That is a 1 in 100,000 chance. Praise the Lord!

    You could take it one step further and ask what is the probability the 21st century is the century with the most Tetrads (eight of them) in the five thousand years from 2000 BC to 3000 AD? Since it has only happened four times, that is 4/50. 4/50 x 1/100,000 = 1 in 1,250,000.

    I don't recall anyone in history ever having such an amazing proof as this. What you would have to do is show something comparable in the past where a prediction was made with as amazing probabilities as this.

    You shouldn't blame this proof because of numskulls in the past who blather off any old prediction. Do you see that approach would be illogical?

    So this is a 99.999% or 99.9999% chance the Tribulation will start on Sept. 14, 2015 and conclude Aug. 7, 2022 when Jesus steps down on the mount of olives.

    Now if I am wrong it is not because of the math, but because of some other reason. I am the first to admit I am wrong if I have overlooked something, but as far as the math is concerned, clearly Jesus will return on Aug. 7, 2022 which also commemorates the destruction of the 1st and 2nd Temples.

    "And his [Jesus] feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which [is] before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, [and there shall be] a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south" (Zech. 14.4).

    "Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven" (Acts 1.11).

    "Prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard [speeches] which ungodly sinners have spoken against him" (Jude 14,15).

    "Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they [also] which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen" (Rev. 1.7).

    What are you going to change the name of your website to since all atheist sites will be taken down with a rod of iron when Jesus returns?

    "And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God" (Rev. 19.15).
    by Published on 10-11-2010 11:53 AM     Number of Views: 2262 
    1. Categories:
    2. Millennial Kingdom

    Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so on earth. Matthew 6.10

    We are to pray this: "Thy kingdom come!" If his kingdom would come of itself, we would not have been given that command. But God's people are to pray, for his work is done in response to their cry, "Thy will be done!" Yes, but where? "On earth," for this is the only place where today God's will is not done.

    Then how can God's kingdom be brought down here? By the created will, in union with the Uncreated Will, seeking the displacement of the rebellious will of the devil. For prayer is always three-sided. It involves someone prayed to, someone prayed for, and someone prayed against; and on earth there is someone to pray against-a will that is opposed to God's.

    Against that rebellious will, God will not act alone. He awaits our prayers. The Lord's Prayer is not just a model of prayer for me; it is the revelation of God's heart.