Israel And The Millennium

GENERAL CURRENT BELIEFS

The purpose of the Abrahamic Covenant is set out clearly in Galatians 3:14, "In order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we all (Jew and Gentile) might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith". Paul was including the Gentiles with believing Jews in the benefits of this Covenant. He says “we” and he was a Jew who was writing to the church in Galatia that consisted of Jews and Gentiles who believed in Christ. In verse 9, “Those who believe are blessed with Abraham who believed”. The promise of the Spirit comes to those who have faith in Jesus Christ and the redemption He procured for believers on the cross. There He became a curse for us so that righteousness or justification can be credited to us who believe as it was to Abraham.

Abraham was to be a father of many nations. All nations of the earth were to be blessed through him. His descendants would be as numerous as the stars in the sky, a spiritual people and as the sand on the seashore, a national people. The purpose of God was to bring about the fulfilment of Genesis 3:15, "And I will put enmity between you and the woman and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head; and you will strike his heel." This was the great evangelical promise of the Christ, who as the Seed, would make it effective. God’s plan centered around this promise. It did not centre around a small nation, i.e. Israel. He said in Isaiah 49:6, "It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the earth." This salvation is a Person, the Lord Jesus Christ. He Himself said, John 5:39, "You search the Scriptures, because you think that in them you have eternal life, and it is they that bear witness about me." The central figure of history, is the Lord Jesus Christ. The theme of the Old Testament, is the Lord Jesus Christ, not Israel, not believers but the Lord Jesus Christ. By the grace of God we who believe, Jew and Gentile, are placed in Him. The covenant with Abraham, is written in the book of Genesis, by Moses. Jesus said in John 5:40, "If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote of me". In all the sermons, all the teaching and all the books that one hears and reads, there is never an emphasis on the Lord Jesus Christ. Such an emphasis would be Spiritual, whereas the emphasis on "End Time Prophecy" is carnal, a carnal people, a present world, a national people (Israel) and earthly posturing. The book of Hebrews clearly states that the Old Testament had a people and worship that was not spiritual, rather carnal. Hebrews 9:1, "The first covenant did indeed have its ordinances for dealing with divine worship, and its sanctuary – a sanctuary, however, which had its home in this world". Other translations, "Now even the first covenant had regulations for worship and an earthly place of holiness"; Or "its own ceremonial observances and a sanctuary belonging to this material world" or "the earthly holy place" Or "a mundane sanctuary". Or "and its Holy Place was in the world". Also, Hebrews 10:1, "For since the law has but shadow of the good things to instead of the true form of these realities". The Spiritual people of God are outlined in Revelation 7:9,10, "A great multitude from every nation, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, robed in white with palm branches in their hands. They cried out in a loud voice, saying, ‘Salvation belongs to our God who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb". This cannot be spoken about people on this earth. They are in heaven, in the presence of God and of the Lamb.

If we are to consider well this verse, we have to come to a certain conclusion. It is that the blessing promised to Abraham, having seen some of it worked out in the Old Testament through the nation of Israel, now is to be worked out differently under the New Testament. All of it now is fulfilled in a spiritual way. It becomes the promise of the Spirit. Those who have the faith of Abraham are blessed with him. These blessings come through the Spirit. Jesus was totally filled with the Holy Spirit during His ministry. He “through the eternal Spirit offered Himself unblemished to God”, Hebrews 9:14. He was raised from the dead by the Spirit of Holiness. He works His salvation out in us through the Spirit. We are born again of the Spirit. We are to be filled with the Spirit. The Spirit living in our spirits will bring immortality to our mortal bodies. We will enter heaven with the Spirit controlling each one of us. God will dwell in the midst of us forever, He who is Spirit.

With this understanding that clearly is projected in this verse, we must say “Good-bye” to all our presently-held pet theories of any fulfilment to come about in a national Israel on this earth, in the city of Jerusalem below. We belong to the heavenly Jerusalem above. There is no promise in the New Testament concerning any natural Jerusalem. The nation of Israel can not naturally be given a second chance. It did fail the first one. There can be no reign of Christ from the geographical city of Jerusalem. There can be no scripturally based attraction to any teaching that exalts natural Israel, its situation as a natural nation, a restoration of any Temple or any such rituals. There can never be a period of 1,000 years during which such a nation would be evangelized with “another gospel”. Where is the promise of the Spirit in those things? They are all natural, not spiritual and as Paul says in Hebrews 10:1, “carnal (or earthly and natural)”.

We do well to look at these verses that the Spirit has written for our information regarding Jew and Gentile. Romans 2:9-11, Tribulation and distress will come upon every human soul that does evil, upon the Jew first, and then upon the Greek (Gentile), whereas there will be glory, honour, and peace for everyone who does what is good, for the Jew in the first instance, and then for the Greek. There are no human preferences with God”. This is written for the End-time, the period of the gospel that ends when heaven for the redeemed commences as we see from Romans 1:1-3, “Paul, set apart for the gospel of God, which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy scriptures, the gospel concerning his Son”. He wrote verses 9-11 for this period.

To accept the Millennium/Jewish Nation view is to repudiate a multitude of verses in the New Testament. We should note that the promise of land to the descendants of Abraham was fulfilled when Solomon did have possession of it, 1 Kings 4:21, “Solomon was sovereign over all the kingdoms from the Euphrates to the land of the Philistines, even to the border of Egypt”, and as we see in Nehemiah 9:7, 8, “Thou are the Lord … and didst make with him the covenant to give to his seed the land … and thou has fulfilled thy promise”.

Rev. John Hagee of Texas has stated that “Israel is the focus of the Old Testament. Israel is the focus of the New Testament”. I beg to point out that error as being Anti-Christ. That can only be said to be a lie. It is not part of the Truth. Israel in the New is never projected as a natural nation but rather as the Spiritual people of God. Jesus Christ is the focus of the Old Testament. He is the embodiment of all the types and all the shadows. Jesus Christ is the focus of the New Testament. “God in these last days has spoken to us by His Son”, Hebrews 1:3.

The teaching that Jesus Christ is to come and stand on the Mount of Olives to begin His thousand hear rule is tantamount to saying what the Pharisees and the Jews said when Christ was ministering. They expected their Messiah to have an earthly kingdom with a thousand year reign. It seems that the Church of Jesus Christ has fallen into the same trap that they pursued. They ended in such a rejection of their Messiah that they crucified Him. The Church also is rejecting the claims of their Messiah that His Kingdom is not of this world.

All these teachings promoted by Darby, included that of Seven Dispensations, the last one being the so-called Millennium. I myself studied that subject with A.O.G., Springfield, Missouri, U.S.A. over fifty years ago, receiving a Certificate for same. It is error. There are not any dispensations stated as such in the whole Bible. It is a man-made and imaginative theory. The word “dispensation” meaning as is said, “a period of time or era during which God judges on a specific dimension” is never used. The word “dispensation” that we have in our English Bibles means “ministry of”. Paul was given a dispensation of the grace of God to proclaim the gospel.

Something else that needs to be considered is the genealogy of Jesus set out in Matthew 1. There is a wonderful truth contained therein. It is about Jesus Christ. There are three periods of fourteen years mentioned. The first, from Abraham to David. Then from David to the Exile. Lastly, from the Exile to the birth of Christ in a supernatural way. The covenant with Abraham, Genesis 12:2, is fulfilled in Christ. That with David, 2 Samuel 7:8-16 is fulfilled in Christ, forever. The exile culminates in the return of the remnant to Jerusalem. The remnant inherit the blessings of the covenant, obviously so as to be in tune with the whole plan that finds its fruition in Christ. Christ is the One in Whom everything is centred. It is not a Jewish nation. Then the birth of Christ comes about. No more descendants. No more nation of Israel. All ends in Christ. However, He has spiritual descendants, according to Isaiah 53:10 , “He will see His seed” and Hebrews 2:13, “I and the children whom God has given Me.” What Christ brings is the key. He brings salvation and eternal life. He starts a new people, 1 Peter 2:8,9, “They (the Jews) stumble because they disobey the message – which is also what they were destined for (note: not destined to be restored as a nation on earth). But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God”. He is speaking about the church, who is to be the Bride of Christ, comprising all believers in Him, both Jew and Gentile. To ignore these scriptures is to be carnal and disobedient.

Galatians 3 outlines the faith of Abraham and God's covenant with Him to be fulfilled in His offspring, Christ. It shows that Law was added as a disciplinarian until Christ came to bring all Jews and Gentiles who believe in Him, to justification by faith. This is the gospel. It is the only gospel. If anyone looks to another gospel, says Paul, “let him be accursed”. There will never be another gospel preached by the command of God.

The Bible from start to finish, is an ongoing revelation that increases from century to century in the light of such revelation. The purposes of the Old Testament are shown to be in Christ and the gospel. The climax for believers and the church, with indeed all mankind, is found in the last chapters of the book of Revelation. In this book we find God through Christ and His Spirit, acting throughout the whole of the church period until the end. That is the time so wonderfully spoken about when the glorious bride, the church, and Christ Himself, enter into that heavenly marriage supper. She is endued with lustre and glory as God dwells in the midst of her forever.

Many say that secular Israel is still in the plan of God. Its fulfilment, they say, will take place in history during a millennium. However, there is no revelation of such a thing in the whole of the New Testament. To follow that belief is to go back in time. It is to go back to revelation found in the Old Testament. This means that we would have to deny that the Bible is an ongoing revelation. More to the point, Galatians 3:16-22 shows clearly that the promises to Abraham are fulfilled in Jesus Christ and not in the secular nation of Israel. It then reveals that all this is for those who have faith in Jesus Christ, those who believe in Him. The criterion to participate in all the promises given to Abraham, is not to be a natural Jew but to be a believer in Jesus Christ, Jew or Gentile.

The Spirit, in salvation and infilling, for Jew and Gentile is the inheritance. The cross was the means. It is stated as beginning in this present time of the Gentiles who are being brought into the gospel, with believing Jews. This is declared by Paul in Ephesians 3:3-6, part of which says, “my understanding in the mystery of Christ… that is, the Gentiles have become fellow heirs, members of the same body and sharers in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel”. Christ on the cross effected this. It culminates as salvation of the body and spirit with glory for all eternity. This is for all believers in Christ, both Jew and Gentiles. There is no mention of any different inheritance for the Jew. The first instalment of that eternal inheritance promised for us is received now before Christ returns. It can never be changed to something else in a suggested Millennium, moreover something never hinted at by Christ or the apostles.

May we ask that the reader follow this writing while turning to the Bible? It should be done with concentration, open-mindedness, Holy Spirit illumination and a "handling aright the Word of God."

There is a general belief about End-time events that can be summed up simply as follows: -

Jesus Christ is coming again for His church. This is called the Rapture. Its time is unknown but the belief towards the end of the twentieth century was that it had to be around the year 2000 A.D., which is the end, as believed, of the 6,000 years of man's history. This belief follows what the Brethren many years ago taught. I myself read a book/chart by a Brethren in my teen years. It sets out the periods of human history as following the seven days of creation. God made the world in six days and on the seventh day He rested. Therefore, as according to this belief, Peter says 1,000 years is “as one day and one day as a thousand years in God's sight”, man's history will last for a period of 6,000 years followed by a millennium, the Sabbath rest that is to be specifically for the Jews. During the Millennium it is said that Jesus Christ will physically sit on the throne of David in Jerusalem, after He has descended from heaven with His church of translated believers. The 6,000 years have actually passed, ceasing around 1996 A.D.! As the whole doctrine is based on this opinion, one would think that the fact 6,000 years have come and gone would alert its followers to see that if the foundation of belief failed the total edifice toppled to the ground.

After the rapture, the Church will be in heaven for seven years at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. This rapture fulfils 1 Corinthians 15:52,52 and 1 Thessalonians 4:16. During that time there is to be the time of Great Tribulation, Jacob’s Troubles, on the earth. There is a period of seven years that have been calculated. Many differ regarding this period. Some believe there will be tribulation for 3 1/2 years while others, 7 years. Still others believe the Rapture will take place, not in the middle of the Tribulation (after 3 1/2 years) or at the beginning of the Tribulation (before 7 years) but after the Tribulation 7 years). Also, it has been taught that when Jesus said at the Last Supper, Matthew 26:29, "I tell you, I will not drink the fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it anew with you in my Father's kingdom", He was referring to the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. That will be in heaven. Where will literal "fruit of the vine" come from there?

"Fruit of the vine" above can only be a figure of something spiritual. His Kingdom is not of this earth. It is a spiritual kingdom. See also John 17:20,24. Jesus had been speaking of the Kingdom of His Father, Matthew 16:28; 25:31,34. It is clear that His Father's Kingdom is in heaven and not of this earth, with its physical endowments, such as the vine growing in the field.

Regarding the belief that Jesus Christ will return to earth after the Great Tribulation, it is said that this time He will stand on the Mount of Olives which will split in two. (I have never heard a single person say how the Church will descend - with Him then, or after, or when it will do so!). Jesus will appear as the Messiah to the Jewish Nation. They will accept Him. Jesus will sit on the throne of David in Jerusalem. He, with the raptured saints then on earth, will reign for 1,000 years over the whole of humanity remaining after the Great Tribulation, the Anti-Christ reign and the Mark of the Beast. The Jews will evangelise the world with the Gospel of the Kingdom. Multitudes will believe that new gospel. This will include some of the Christians who are still alive after all the tribulation and who never made it in the Rapture. There is to be a new chance for them. This is rather strange! They had believed the first gospel and now they must accept another one! Adherents of these ideas follow the idea of two gospels!

Belief in the millennium continues as follows. People will live for centuries; the animal kingdom will no longer have enmity, one kind with another or against humanity. At the end of the 1,000 years, there is to be a Battle of Armageddon (in one valley) in Palestine, Revelation 16:16. The carnage will be terrible, taking seven years to clean up! After that, Satan, who was shut up for 1,000 years and released to bring on the Battle, will be judged and thrown into the lake of fire. Then all the wicked will appear before the White Throne Judgment of God - to end up in the lake of fire.

The above concisely sets out the common beliefs of the Fundamentalists, Evangelicals and Pentecostals. They subscribe to Revelation chapters 1-3 being the church on earth and that from chapter 4 on, the church is in heaven, while on earth the Great Tribulation takes place. In heaven, some say the saints will face the Judgment Seat of Christ at that time, 2 Corinthians 5:10. It has been said that saints will be given areas of government over the earthly nations, according to the parables, Matthew 25:19-23,31-34; Luke 19:17-19; and Revelation 20:4, with the gospel of the kingdom being "proclaimed throughout the world as a testimony to all the nations", Matthew 24:14 by the Jews. However, a parable is an earthly story with a heavenly meaning, not an earthly meaning! ! Also, it is said we are to judge the world and angels, supposedly in the Millennium, 1 Corinthians 6:2,3. After the above occurrences, the millennium finishes with the Battle of Armageddon. Then there is to be the Great White Throne judgment, the wicked thrown into hell and heaven begins. These things are all part of this End-time eschatology.

In relation to judging the world, as this is the only passage in the Scriptures where that statement is made, it cannot be the basis of any doctrine. In addition, it does not mention “millennium”, that being man’s concoction. To judge the world would mean the world’s system with its evil as Wuest says. We do that already, according to 2 Corinthians 2:15,16, “For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those you are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life.” This is the effect that the gospel has on the two classes of people, the saved and the unsaved. The real meaning of judging the world with its people, is that we are and shall be instruments or a rule of judgment because of the aroma that we are. We believe on Him. Others do not believe on Him and therein lies the rule of judgment. The Scriptures say that Christ is the Judge, “as the Father has committed all judgment into His hands”, John 5:22. As regards angels, there is no clear indication in Scripture as to when this will be and as to what it will be. Also, which angels? There is a verse in Ephesians 3:10, “So that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places”. This would mean the good angels and even the supposed Gnostic ones. Paul did deal with evil Gnosticism in the church, as did John. This wisdom shows the different aspects of God’s redemption for us.

The abovementioned beliefs about the book of Revelation sadly undermine the whole purpose of the book for us today. It is the last message of the last of the apostles to the whole church of Jesus Christ. The former messages of apostles are found in the rest of the New Testament. We do a great injustice to what God is saying through Jesus Christ when we simply say, "It is hard to understand and it will be fulfilled in the future".  It should bolster our faith in trying times, when we read and discover the troubles of earth are all foretold in this wonderful Revelation.

"Blessed is he who reads and hears the words of this prophecy", says the Lord. We should be reading it to obtain its spiritual messages for now, in our day and in our generation, as it is for every generation. It shows us heaven's view of what is happening on earth, in the purposes of God, throughout the whole world and in every kingdom, democracy or state, good and bad, throughout history. Heaven's view is that most of the time, judgment is on the nations. The gospel is being proclaimed and souls are being saved, despite the persecution and allurements of the world and Satan's opposition. For the church, there is hope, faith and joy in the knowledge that all is in God's hand according to His plan. The church has the consolation of the presence of Christ, knowing that it is centred in heaven, Hebrews 12:18-22. Heaven is operating for and in the church. Victory is determined and certain. The ultimate victory occurs for the church at the end of the book. Then the wicked who have opposed Christ and the church are thrown into Hell. The just who live by faith, will find their entrance into the eternal heaven on the new heaven and new earth.

What exactly do the Scriptures say about the times of the end of the world? Can we understand simply and clearly or do we have to be Bible Scholars and mathematicians to work it all out? Let us look at it.

We should bear in mind that the Old Testament points to the New and is to be fulfilled in the New. Sin and Satan that make their first appearance in Genesis, in the Old, have complete defeat in the New, with Satan thrown into the lake of fire and sin totally gone and a perfectly holy people in heaven. The new Eden is shown forth in the New, in the book of Revelation in particular, to be heaven. God gives a promise in the Old to Abram, that all peoples will be blessed with the promise of the Seed, the Messiah. Even Abraham looked for a city, heaven. It is heaven itself that is proclaimed as the final fulfilment in the New Testament. Redemption out of Egypt is a type of our redemption bought by Christ in the New. The Mosaic Law leads to Christ. All the offerings under the Aaronic priesthood are types of Christ, dying and accomplishing salvation for us. Their fulfilment began on Calvary, on earth but the completion is in heaven. Each of the four offerings related to sin,  the need for a sacrificial offering and the shedding of blood.  Each was to be a covering for sin pointing to peace with God and service with consecration and worship to Him.  Each offering pointed to the sacrifice of Christ on the cross and showed the different aspects of it in His Person.  He was to be both sacrifice and priest.    Jesus Christ is our High Priest according to the Melchizedek priesthood, centred in heaven. Hebrews 7:17 states "You are a priest for ever, in the order of Melchizedek". This is understood to be in heaven.  He is not a High Priest according to the Mosaic on earth.  This leaves no room for Christ to be on earth in any millennium.  He is High Priest forever, in heaven, never to leave there for an earthly centre or abode.

The Old Testament prophecies relating to Israel can only be types of what is to happen under the New Testament whose real and final locations of blessing, are not earth but heaven. Their fulfilment has to be heavenly and Spiritual, in order to follow the pattern set out by the Spirit in the Old Testament, in relation to every part of our redemption.  Everything in the Old Testament points to us at the end of the age, i.e. the New Testament church here having great regard to the fact that it comprises a heavenly people whose citizenship is in heaven and not of this earth. The fulfilment of everything regarding the church found in the Old always has a heavenly basis in the New Testament.  Even Christ on earth, was God from heaven and in heaven, Immanuel with us.  He was the Lamb “slain from the foundation of the world”.  The cross was on Calvary, on earth, on which He died.  However, its effect was heavenly and in and from heaven.

With these things in mind we should be able to understand all the better, the purposes of God when the Spirit of Christ inspired the prophets to write as they did about Israel. We can only understand properly if we do bear these things in mind.

A notable verse to consider in this context is Luke 16:16, “The law and the prophets were in effect until John came; since then the good news of the kingdom of God is proclaimed”. This being what Jesus Himself said, it is obvious that the law and the prophets now are not in effect to be able to point to the nation of Israel giving prophecies to be fulfilled in our day and in the future.

What is to be our expectation? The believer is shown in the Scriptures that "we are looking for the city that is to come," Hebrews 13:14, that "in accordance with his promise, we wait for new heavens and a new earth, where righteousness is at home", 2 Peter 3:13. His hope is in the fact that "Christ … will appear a second time, not to deal with sin, but to save those who are eagerly waiting for Him", Hebrews 9:18. We are to be "waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God", 2 Peter 3:12. We are to be saying, "Maranatha", meaning, "Our Lord is coming", 1 Corinthians 16:22. We are to "encourage one another" with the words, "For the Lord Himself, with a cry of command, with the archangel's call and with the sound of God's trumpet, will descend from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up in the clouds together with them to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will be with the Lord forever", 1 Thessalonians 4:15-18. This is never said to be a "rapture". It is said to be connected with His Coming, that is rightly called "the second coming". "Maranatha" conveys the word "Come". Therefore when He comes, it is a "coming" and not a "rapture".

The verses above that include "so we will be with the Lord forever" are generally used without any importance being given to that phrase. It is part of the verses. We do well to include it in our reading of same. It is obvious here that after we are caught up in the clouds to meet Jesus in the air that "we will be with the Lord forever". That leaves no suggestion that we might descend to earth later. In fact, it obviates such a happening. We will be caught up to be with the Lord forever, praise God.

Nowhere in the Scriptures is the believer exhorted to wait for a Millennium or even to anticipate any "Millennium". As the apostle Paul says in Philippians 3:20,21 "But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Saviour from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body". He says explicitly what we wait for and it has nothing to do with a Great Tribulation, Millennium or physical "Battle of Armageddon". There is no place for such things. The Scriptures in the last paragraph are centered on the coming of the Lord, the great change and new heavens and a new earth and not on any Millennium. Jesus, Peter or Paul have never indicated we are to look for a Millennium and none of them ever mentioned such a period. We should ask ourselves why this is so. We need to have open minds and hearts to Truth and shut out teachings of men we may have heard that have no real or actual basis in the Word of God.

According to the above Scriptures, contrary to what some preachers declare,  we do not have the right to look for a time on this earth reigning with Christ in a millennium.

Then there is the matter of the White Throne Judgment when all the wicked will be cast into hell. One has to wonder when did all the millions of earth at the final scene there, die, before they came to this judgment? The theories say that during the millennium, people will live to a very ripe old age, then presumably die. After the millennium and the great Battle, there is the question as to what will happen to all the millions still living because they accepted the Messiah, How and when will they receive immortal bodies? In relation to those who did not, will they automatically all die at once? At last they say, the judgment. When will the dead of the Millennium be raised to face the judgment? What will happen to those unbelievers still alive at the end of the Millennium. What of the believers who are still living? There seems to have been no attempt by present-day teachers to look into this matter. This being so, this whole matter should be a deterrent to accepting easily these theories regarding the End-Time rapture, tribulation, millennium and so on. Let us instead, quickly "Maranatha", "Even so, come Lord Jesus" as we await His re-appearing in the air.

Many teachers form theories from the Scriptures by stringing together certain verses out of the Word. The individual places of such verses in the Word are generally isolated from the text to be included as part of the theory. Men are prompted to put a meaning into such a verse that takes it out of context. Instead it becomes a part of the teaching or revelation many teachers desire to embrace and promulgate. In this way some teachers formulate what is in actuality, false doctrine. An idea based on a verse or two is firmly grasped. Then verses from elsewhere are added so that they can be made to fit such a doctrine. Such stringing together of verses of Scripture has occurred in the teachings about the expected millennium. We should ask ourselves, "Is there a real basis in the Word of God for such teachings?" If so, we must embrace them. If not, we should discard them, despite our desire to cling desperately to what we have listened to for many years and to the books we have studied about these teachings. Are they right or wrong?

"Millennium" means "a thousand". The term, "a thousand", is used in Scripture "to denote something abundant, extensive or unlimited". We see this in Job 9:3, "a thousand times"; in Psalm 50:10, "a thousand hills"; Psalm 84:10, "A day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere"; Psalm 90:4, "For a thousand years in your sight are like yesterday"; Psalm 91:7, "A thousand shall fall at your side"; Psalm 105:8, "the word He commanded for a thousand generations"; Job 9:3 "one could not answer him once in a thousand"; Job 33:23, "a mediator, one of a thousand"; Micah 5:2, "little among the thousands of Judah"; Micah 7:2 "thousands of rams and ten thousand of rivers of olive oil"; Isaiah 30:17, "One of them will chase a thousand of you"; Isaiah 60:2, "The smallest shall become a thousand" (another translation - "the least one shall become a tribe"); Amos 5:3, "the city which used to put a thousand in the field will be left with a hundred"; Song of Solomon 4:4, "Your neck is like the tower of David, on it hang a thousand bucklers"; Ecclesiastes 7:28, "I have found one man in a thousand worth the name"; Ecclesiastes 6:6, "Though a man lives a thousand years".

It is obvious from all the above verses that when the term "thousand" is used in such a manner it is not to be taken literally or definitely. It has an indefiniteness about it, which means it is unlimited. It is not exact and it is to be taken figuratively. It indicates a very large number or a very long period of time.

Therefore, the term "a thousand years" found a few times in Revelation 20 is not to be taken literally or definitely. Rather it represents "a period of indefinite time, that can be unlimited". The language of Scripture is not a language used in heaven. The Spirit of God speaks through men and they utter His message in their own particular language and form of words and expressions.

One could ponder on this question. Why are millions today following Darby and Schofield (Plymouth Brethren) who lived as late as the nineteenth century? The current teachings originated with them. Schofield’s Bible, published the first time in 1909, has influenced millions. Should not all be following, our Apostle, Prophet, King and Saviour, Jesus Christ, along with the Apostle Paul and the early church in their teachings? Their teachings are a gross distortion of the Scriptures. The apostle Peter warns us against doing this in 2 Peter 3:16. In chapter 1 he was careful not to follow myths, such as the Jewish one regarding the reign of Christ in the material world that we have. Then he says, “After all, if we told you about the power possessed by our Lord Jesus Christ and his future return, our procedure was not that we followed up artfully designed fables.” He says “There is no prophecy in Scripture which should be considered a matter of private interpretation”. He certainly did not interpret the Old Testament prophets as Darby and Schofield do. We should be warned.

There is a present day teaching on Bible Prophecy by the Christian Right (Fundamentalists, Pentecostals and Charismatics) in the U.S.A. that is quite new. Until at least fifty years ago, the general understanding in all the Millennial teaching was that the Lion mentioned in the Old Testament was Great Brittain and that U.S.A. was a little lion. Today, through this Christian Right that has powerful and popular leaders like Baptist Rev. Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson of Television the emphasis totally excludes Great Britain and centres on the U.S.A.

The present idea is that God will keep U.S.A. as His special nation. She is to be used to back Israel because for one reason, the Arab surrounding nations can never be at peace with Israel. They say that is in the Bible. I might say I have never read such a thing! It seems that as history unfolds, dramatic changes are made to the theories regarding Bible Prophecy, so-called, all in line with what takes place at particular times. President Bush Jnr., believes he has a special mandate from God as head of that nation, second term, 2005.

 He took his nation and others into war with Iraq. The power and strength of these present day views regarding the End Time in the U.S.A., to certain of us as believers, is frightening, overwhelming and staggering. Where did God say in the Scriptures that He would raise up the U.S.A. to do His work, on their own, viz. to see Israel as a natural nation, restored. All this is supposedly in preparation for the reign of Christ in the millennium! Does God need the nation of the U.S.A. to implement plans to do His work? Never. (I happen to admire somewhat, certain aspects of the U.S.A. but not to the extent of placing her on a pedestal, in contradiction to the Word of God).

In addition, for much of the last century most writers on the subject pointed from their ideas of Scripture, to the revival of the Roman Empire. These people today, seem to be emphasizing a revival of the Babylonian Empire. That idea I saw promulgated years ago, in a book by a Baptist and that was the only book I saw whereas the other belief won in popularity. Now, due no doubt to what has been happening in Iraq, ancient Babylon, the latter emphasis seems to be the favourite!

The fact that the book of Revelation was primarily and importantly written for the church of its day is overlooked.

There is an amazing prophecy in chapter 17 regarding the harlot and the beast. They represented the then Roman Empire.

The fulfilment has been missed by many. Verse 9 indicates the city of Rome, on seven hills, not in relation to some day future from ours but with regard to some day future from the days of those believers living at the time of that chapter.

Verse 10 says, “They are also seven kings, five of whom have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come, and when he comes he must remain only a little while”. The five emperors of the Roman Empire, appointed by the Senate were – Augustus, Tiberias, Gaius, Claudius, Nero and Vespasian.

The one “yet to come” and remaining “only a little while” was Titus. His rule was short as it commenced in 79 A.D., ending in 81 A.D.

Verse 11 reads, “As for the beast that was and is not, it is an eighth but it belongs to the seven, and it goes to perdition”. This one was Domitian who severely persecuted the Christians.

Then, Verse 12 “And the ten horns that you saw are ten kings who have not yet received royal power, but they are to receive authority as kings for one hour, together with the beast” (The beast being the Roman empire which the kings spiritually connected to). These ten amazingly are found in the Holy Roman Empire, not the Holy Roman Catholic Church. They were Charlemagne, Francis II, Otto I, Frederich Barbarossa, Henry VI, Frederich II, Rudolf I, Frederich III, Maxmillium I and Charles V.

Strangely, most Bible Scholars have failed to discern the above. Those who follow Millennium teaching are looking for these kingly figures to appear in the future. What a wonderful fulfilled prophecy!

To look for future fulfilments of Revelation during the so-called seven years’ Tribulation is a contradiction of what appears so clearly in the above verses.

*It is becoming more obvious that (as a growing number of scholars now admit) the book of Revelation was probably written prior to 70AD and thus preceding the destruction of Jerusalem by Titus in 70/71 who was “yet to come” as emperor.
 

LOOKING AT HISTORY

It is a matter of history that a churchman considered a pseudo-apostle, named Cerinthus, in the first half of the second century, was the originator of the doctrine of the millennium. He was in Asia Minor.

Three major doctrines are attributed to him: -
    1. A dualistic cosmology suggesting a being subordinate to the Father, created the world.
    2. A Docetic Christianity wherein the Holy Spirit is supposed to have descended on Jesus at his baptism and abandoned him at his death.
    3. He promoted an eschatology (the end-time) that included a millennium. After the general resurrection, he said Christ would appear to establish an earthly kingdom. He was a Judeo-Christian leader who was a Gnostic and Judaizer. This is not a valid basis for believing in a millennium doctrine as presently taught.

Exponents of the popular "Millennium" View refuse to take anything figuratively but state all must be taken literally. Yet Jesus used figurative language, as enunciated clearly by Him in John 16:25, New International Version, "Though I have been speaking figuratively, a time is coming when I will no longer use this kind of language but will tell you plainly about my Father".

The book of Revelation is written in figurative and generally not literal language. Mention regarding Jesus coming out of heaven on a white horse with a sword in His mouth is a case in point and the Millennium is another. Moreover, we notice that the book of Revelation shows that there are thrones during this thousand year reign, that this is in heaven (not on earth) and that those reigning in heaven (not on earth during the supposed "Millennium") have souls and not bodies. It can only be understood to be before the resurrection, whereas followers of the popular Millennium for the Jew beliefs think it is after the resurrection and on earth.

When does the first resurrection occur? It has to be when the believer participates by the experience of salvation in the resurrection of Jesus Christ, Colossians 3:1; Galatians 2:19,20; Romans 6:4,11. He may later die physically when his spirit is translated to heaven as part of the first resurrection. According to 2 Corinthians 5:1,2 there awaits believers who die, a "house, eternal in the heavens", that has to be some kind of a covering or clothing for the spirit released from its earthly habitation. At the second resurrection, his body will arise out of the grave or be changed. It must mean that Satan is in prison during this present thousand years, meaning he does not have such absolute power over nations that the gospel is barred from them all. Satan was bound on the Cross.

What a wonderful thing it is that now, "we reign in life", Romans 5:17 and that at death, believers enter heaven to reign with Christ for the rest of the "thousand years", in heaven, until His Second Coming for the resurrection of the saints to receive their resurrection bodies.

We cannot take all the Old Testament promises concerning natural Israel, Jerusalem, Temple and the land and transfer them for fulfilment as supposed in the book of Revelation, without taking into consideration certain factors. These are firstly, that Jesus was born and came to "His own who received Him not". Secondly the whole of redemption through His death and resurrection as explained specifically by Paul must be viewed not as an interjection in Jewish history but as having vital importance in explaining the prophecies of the Old Testament with regard to the New Testament. These considerations must be embraced wholly as affecting our understanding of how the promises are to be fulfilled.

The Old Testament prophecies and hopes of the Jews were fulfilled in Jesus Christ. The sacrifices pointed to the Cross. The feasts were fulfilled at the Cross and the outpouring of the Spirit. The temple looked for became the temple of His body and His church is now the "temple". The covenant became the New Covenant. The promised King, son of David, was Jesus. The people of God became Jew and Gentile believers in Jesus Christ. The "holy city" became no longer holy and gave place to a heavenly Jerusalem, the heavenly Zion replacing the temple mount, Galatians 3:23,25; Hebrews 12:22,23. A spiritual kingdom was inaugurated by the announcements of Jesus Christ Himself, Mark 1:14. The gospel of the Kingdom is going out into all the earth, now. The "remnant" promises have been and are being fulfilled. The following will prove all this and more, from the Scriptures themselves.

Ezekiel 16:60,61 shows God will remember that He did make a covenant with them, through Abraham. Although He casts off the Jews, because they broke the covenant, (called thy covenant), He will make a new covenant, an everlasting one. This covenant would have as its Surety, His Son, Jesus Christ who fulfilled the Law and He will never break that covenant. Then God speaks about the bringing in of the Gentiles, who were their "older" sisters, those before the Jews were called and their "younger" sister, those after the Jews were cast off. These Gentiles who believe the gospel will be given to Israel, not as sisters but as daughters. They come in as branches grafted in, supported by the Israelites, Romans 11:13-21 (that could be said to be an exposition about Ezekiel above). Also see Romans 4:16, "the promise comes by faith not only to those who are of the law but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham".

The Jews and Gentiles who believe will be under this new everlasting covenant of God's grace. The basis is not on the covenant they were under and which they broke, but the new covenant, Galatians 4:24, Hebrews 8:13.

Such factors alter our previous views on what is called "The Millennium". Another thing is that nowhere does the Bible speak explicitly of a "secret" Second Coming of Christ. The Second Coming itself is portrayed as a vital hope. Until now, the hope of the church has always been "Maranatha", "Our Lord is coming". It appears that the present hope has been re-defined. Recently, a Preacher from the Charismatic Move, said in a Pentecostal Church, "We are waiting for the coming of the Lord and the Millennium". That was not the hope of the Early Church or of the Church in its existence last century - until now. Believers are more concerned with what is going on in the nation of Israel in preparation for the supposed Reign of Christ there, and in being prosperous in this life, than in expecting and hoping for His coming for His church.

The fact that some Bible Expositors have measured Time into Seven Dispensations has given rise to false ideas. Their seventh dispensation is the "thousand year reign of Christ", on this earth. They have overlooked Joel 2:28, Acts 2:16,17 and Hebrews 9:26. The verses in Joel and Acts relate to the outpouring of the Spirit in "the last days". We are in those "last days" and have been for nearly two thousand years, or there would not be any outpouring of the Spirit.

The Greek text of Hebrews 9:26 reads "the completion of the ages" (Wuest translates it "the consummation of the ages"). This is in relation to the sacrifice of Christ on the Cross. He made that sacrifice in "the last days" or in "the consummation of the ages". The "consummation" or indeed "last days" reflects the grand truth that the Church is living in the last days and experiencing salvation through that sacrifice. In Scripture, there is no age to come or days to come after this "consummation" on this earth. That immediately removes the possibility of another dispensation, i.e. the Millennium, as "the consummation of the ages".

The "Age to come" is not of this earth and does not include any millennium. It is clear from Hebrews 6:5 that the "age to come" is eternity or the continuation of the Church in heaven. Of course, John saw the Holy City (the Bride) coming down from heaven to earth, the new heavens and the new earth. The age to come has no reference to any age covered by a Millennium. Ephesians 3:21 mentions "forever and ever through endless ages" (Tay), "to all ages forever" (Beck) or "even to all the generations of the age of ages" (Con). This has the obvious meaning that those future ages are in eternity.

Revelation 4:1 is taken by the followers of the doctrine as set out at the beginning of this writing, to mean that the Church is in heaven from this verse until chapter 19, and that in chapter 20 is the final Battle of Armageddon on earth. It is well to note that Jesus Christ appeared to John in chapter 1 as being in the midst of the lamp stands or the seven churches. That was the vision and nowhere does it suggest that Jesus left His position in the midst of the lamp stands. In chapter 1:10 with a loud voice like a trumpet, Jesus announced His presence. The same Jesus is still speaking to John with "a voice" in chapter 4 verse 1. The vision still remains, with Jesus speaking. He is still speaking about the Church in heaven and on earth, Hebrews 12:22,23. This follows His special messages to the seven churches that were actually in Asia Minor. Those churches are a representation of the Church in the whole of this Dispensation.

Revelation 4:1 cannot be the Second Coming of the Lord to take His church up to heaven as is generally taught. Nowhere does John represent the church. John is he who testifies of all that he heard and saw, Revelation 1:2 and in Revelation 4 his role has not been changed. He is still testifying because he hears, verse 1, "Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this". He is then in the Spirit and he saw into heaven, as he was in the Spirit. He was not there in body. For these chapters to concern the Church after its translation, he would have been there in body to be a type of that Church that will be taken up with immortal bodies. He is not. Further, Enoch and Elijah were translated while still in their bodies. They are the types of the church to be caught up and translated. John cannot be such a type. In fact, the New Testament does not give types as did the Old with its many typical institutions and other references, as for instance, Jonah in the belly of the whale, explained by Jesus. The New is indeed the fulfilment of the Old.

John says in verse 4, "Around the throne are twenty-four thrones". He is not speaking in the future tense of something that will happen when the church is translated. For him it was happening, it was present tense. For us, it is now. All the way through the chapter he says, "are" and not will be. If those elders in white robes with golden crowns on their heads were the saints after the church is translated, he would have said, "will be". He is giving us a revelation that for him was happening then, not in the future. It represents a continuous event, happening then as he saw it and happening all through the centuries until the coming of the Lord, i.e. before such coming. When John saw the vision, Old Testament saints and many saints of the New Testament who had already died, would have been in heaven.

It is wonderful to note that in Revelation 7:15-17, saints are before the throne of God, serving him day and night in his temple. It is declared they shall hunger no more neither thirst, that the sun shall not strike them and that the Lamb is in the midst of them, with God wiping all tears away from their eyes. It is not for the seven years the millennium doctrine teachers say the church is in heaven after the Rapture. There is no place in these scriptures for such a belief. These were promises of Ezekiel 37:27, Isaiah 49:10 and 25:8. These declarations are repeated in Revelation 22:1,3, and 21:1-4 (of heaven) "He will wipe away every tear from their eyes” and “for the former things have passed away". The verses picture the worship of saints in heaven, after dying to be with the Lord as well as after the Second Coming – forever. Isaiah 49:10, “they shall not hunger or thirst”, etc. while used in the book of Revelation twice as picturing heaven, is a prophecy used by Millennialists and the pro-Israel as a restored nation, in the middle of other verses particularly verse 12, “Behold these shall come from afar and behold, these from the north and from the west”, and verse 22,23 “Behold, I will lift up my hand to the nations, and raise my signal to the peoples, and they shall bring your sons in their bosoms, and your daughters shall be carried in their bosom”. These verses were used as far back as the time when Israel became a nation. The book of Revelation itself, chapters and verses above, shows the application to heaven. 

It cannot be that the church is "caught up" in this verse, as the millennium teachers say. John in the Spirit had a view of saints’ occupation in heaven with no connection with any Rapture. Indeed, when the church is caught up at the Second Coming she is to be forever with the Lord. When, "God will be all in all", 1 Corinthians 15:28.

The scenes John sees in heaven show Him not yet as "all in all". He saw scenes proving otherwise. Demonic forces were still working mightily on earth throughout those chapters. The time for their final overthrow had not yet come. In 2 Thessalonians 1:9,10 there is to be vengeance and eternal destruction "when He comes to be glorified by His saints on that day". John is not setting such a day.

Another thing as stated is that John was in the Spirit when he was told to "Come up here". This cannot typify or exemplify the catching up of the Church. When that takes place the Church believers will not be "in the Spirit". They will be "in the spiritual body bearing the image of the man of heaven", 1 Corinthians 15:44,49. John, who was caught up in the Spirit, bore no resemblance to any believer caught up in the Second Coming. Therefore, the theory that chapters 4 to 19 are about the church in heaven after the Second Coming is proven wrong.

Some early theologians and many today, had the idea that a Six day period of creation with a following Seventh day of rest meant the world would exist for seven thousand years. They considered six thousand years would be followed by a thousand years of "rest" or Millennium. They based this on the fact that Peter said "A thousand years is with the Lord as one day", 2 Peter 3:8. They thought that this gave credence to the belief that the world would exist as is for six thousand years and that the seventh thousand (millennium) would be for the Jew. Peter says "as" and not "is". He does not say "A thousand years is with the Lord, one day". It is "as" or "like".

The Epistle of Barnabas that is not considered part of the Canon of Scripture mentions the Millennium. However, the hope of an earthly "Millennium" is based from such beliefs found in Phrygia, Asia Minor. Eusebius wrote in the early fourth century that Cerinthus, a Judeo-Christian leader of apparent Gnostic beliefs, was active in teaching this about 100 AD. Iraneus says that Papias, a disciple of John, taught an "earthly, sensual" picture of the coming kingdom of Christ in a Millennium. 

Papias had something to say about the supposed influx of the whole human race going to Jerusalem yearly for the Feast of Tabernacles. He says, 100 A.D., “A grain of wheat will produce ten thousand heads, and each head will bear ten thousand grains, and each grain will yield ten pounds of clear white flour”! A miracle in growth in order to feed the billions? One wonders where all the “booths” to house this multitude are to fit! Are those following this belief of the Feast actually doing any thinking?

Hippolytus in the third century promoted the idea of the end of the world coming about 500 years after the birth of Christ, at the conclusion of the sixth millennium of created history. He then says there would be a thousand-year "Sabbath" on earth for the saints, as described in Revelation, before the creation of a new cosmic order.

It is obvious that these then errant ideas as far as the bulk of the Church was concerned, disregarded the full meaning of the whole tenor of Scripture in relation to God's plan of redemption to reach out to the whole world.

We were, in 1996, at the end of the first six thousand years. Christ had not yet returned. Surely those believers who rest on the Scriptures can see that something is wrong with the beliefs current amongst Brethren, Baptists, Fundamentalists, Pentecostals and Charismatics for over one hundred years. They have to be wrong.

MATTERS TO BE CONSIDERED

I began to write on this subject of the Millennium over ten years ago.
Immediately as shown, we can discount the millennium as being an exact period of a thousand years. This throws out our preconceived ideas on a supposed Millennium of a thousand years after the Second Coming of the Lord. Some of these ideas are set out below. I have heard all of them in the Pentecostal churches.

Many years ago, I realised that the common interpretation of Matthew 24:37-41 was incorrect. It is taught they were taken by the "Rapture". What happened in the days of Noah? The flood came and took all the wicked away. Jesus was teaching on the coming of the Son of Man. He said the wicked world was eating and drinking and marrying until Noah entered the ark, "and they knew nothing until the flood came and swept them all away." He said the coming of the Son of Man would be the same. Many will be swept away, one taken out of the field and the other left in safety and one taken from work into judgment and the other kept safe. It is not the believers taken away at the rapture as has been taught.

This portion of scripture clearly speaks of judgment coming upon the ungodly in Noah's day and of their being swept away or taken by catastrophe from God. Those "taken away" as Jesus said are therefore those not caught up by the Lord. That started me on the search for truth.

Have the exponents of the generally accepted End-time views of the Rapture, the seven years' tribulation and the Millennium followed by the Battle of Armageddon, considered these verses? Firstly, look at Philippians 3:20,21, "For our country is in the heavens", or "the State of which we are citizens is in Heaven" or "the commonwealth to which we belong is in heaven", followed by "When He comes back He will take these dying bodies of ours" and "that it may be conformed to the body of his glory". It is clearly shown that we belong then to heaven and never again to this earth. Also, having bodies conformed to "the body of his glory" our future environment and situation could never be again on this present earth.

Secondly, there is 2 Corinthians 5:1, "For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens". Other translations say, "a house not made by human hands, eternal, and in heaven". Or, "God will provide me a building in heaven to live in, not built by human hands but eternal". It is obvious that the Scriptures declare that we will be in heaven after the coming of the Lord. Being in heaven, how could we ever be on earth, coming back to earth for a thousand years as they say? Matthew 17:2 is a preview of this body of transformation, face shining like the sun and garments as white as light; such bodies could not mix with earthlings.

Also, the verses state clearly our new body is "eternal". The place where the eternal lives is never on this earth. It is in heaven. Again, we see it is an impossibility according to the Word of God for the changed saints, with these new and immortal bodies, to ever come back to this earth and world. Another thought is this. How could those who have entered the timeless and eternal sphere of life ever come back to living in the sphere of time, which is what this earth is in.

After consideration of the facts presented, one has to state that the teaching of the Millennium as generally taught is not in the Bible. There are many reasons that lend support of this view.

Jesus Christ is now glorified. The angels of God worship Him. He was seen by John in Revelation 1 in such a way that John himself fell to the ground. Can this Person, this Son of God, come down to a situation on our present earth to reign? Firstly, men could not stand in His presence. Secondly, He would not fit into our present earthly environment. See Hebrews 1:3-8; Revelation 1:13-17. How could this glorified Christ mingle with mere men on earth in an every-day situation? A look at Daniel 7:13 and Matthew 24:30 will show that according to the former, Jesus Christ has already come as the Ancient of Days and is already seated upon His throne in glory. All would agree to this. It is clearly shown in Ephesians 1:20. The former verse, according to the Greek, Young's Literal Translation and the NRSV, "sky" should be translated "heaven". Jesus said they would see the sign of the Son of Man (Himself the sign) in heaven. He is referring to Daniel 7:13. It has happened in heaven. The disciples listening to Him, He said, would see this "coming" of His, who is in heaven, in judgment on Jerusalem and in salvation for them, Psalm 104:3; Isaiah 19:1; Nahum 1:3. He said all the tribes of the "earth" or "land" would mourn. Both these words are shown as the dictionary meaning of the Greek word. "All the tribes of the land will mourn" means the tribes of Israel will mourn.  It related to the capture of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. Those two verses thus have nothing to do with a coming of Christ a second time to reign on this earth for a millennium.

In Matthew 27:51 the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom, when Jesus died on the Cross. This showed that God had put an end to the Old Testament order of temple worship, temple sacrifices and temple ritual. Therefore these things will never be instituted again. How can we then expect a temple to be rebuilt in Jerusalem with temple worship recommenced?

Hebrews 6:6 confirms this by showing what sinfulness it would be to fall away to sacrificial worship, "For they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame", it would be to "trample underfoot the blood of Christ". Hebrews does not teach us, "Follow Christ now. Do not go back to temple worship - until the Millennium"! It teaches us we cannot go back to what God has declared is finished. The sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the Cross is a sacrifice, "once", Hebrews 10:10. Verse 9 states "when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down." Atonement for sin was made on the Cross and no further sacrifices are required. Millennium sacrifices would desecrate the cross. To believe in the Millennium, one must believe that Ezekiel's Temple is literal, with literal sacrifices, Ezekiel 43:17-27, as many do. Certain Jews have even recently discovered a "red" heifer, as spoken of in Leviticus. For centuries there have been no red heifers. The Jews are looking forward to a Temple, the Messiah and sacrifices. We believe the Cross has happened, the Messiah has come. Christ's sacrifice is sufficient.  It is a sacrilege against the precious blood of Christ to think or mention that there could come a time when animal sacrifices would be re-introduced.  His Blood cleanses and purifies all who come to Him.

Therefore there can never be a return to the building of a Temple and its worship in any future millennium.

Ezekiel’s prophecy contains both a spiritual fulfilment and a natural one where use is made of the instructions for a future building. To understand the spiritual meaning of the vision of Ezekiel of the Temple to be built in future days, we must consider that he prophesied by using typology. This kind of prophecy indicated the need to use forms and pictures. It is to be interpreted accordingly and not as prophecy in verbal, literal form would be. In the latter case, such would need to be interpreted literally for a future time, as is done with many Old Testament prophecies, particularly those concerning the birth and death of Christ. Such prophecies were fulfilled literally.

A clear understanding of Ezekiel's vision of the Temple must be based on the knowledge that the Jews were in captivity in Babylon. The temple and city of Jerusalem were destroyed. In Ezekiel 10:18; 11:22-25 they were to understand that the Glory of God was no longer in Jerusalem or the old Temple. Therefore, they would realise that this Temple was indicative of a future time. A remnant of them was to return from captivity and exile. This is a type of the gospel church, outside of the Covenant of God but now under the New Covenant.

Consideration needs to be given to the historical fulfilment of the building of a Temple according to Ezekiel’s vision. Josephus, that famous Jewish historian, shows the evidence of such a building. It was the one built by Herod, a building that was the jewel of the Roman Empire. The disciples of Jesus pointed to its splendour before the crucifixion. Josephus, the famous Jewish historian, relates that it was built according to “Piety”. This indicates that Herod followed the architecture as laid down by God. Scholars declare he used Ezekiel’s Temple as the basis of its structure. This is the historical and natural fulfilment of the Temple. It already has been built and will never be built again.

Then He gave promise of a future Temple. Ezekiel 43:1-7; 48:35 showing it was the place where God would dwell forever, Revelations 21:1,3,22. This is its meaning according to typology. The building of the new temple in Ezekiel 43:10-12, given from heaven, is to bring in the New Age, Eternity, after all evil is removed. It is to be noted that in Deuteronomy 12:11 God promised a dwelling for His name, when they finally reached the Land of Promise. This happened, not under the Tabernacles of either Moses or David, but at the time of Solomon's Temple. Then the glory as in Exodus 48:34-38 filled the Temple of Solomon, 1 Kings 8:11. God's Presence left as the Temple was destroyed. The second Temple, as in Ezra, Nehemiah and Haggai did not house the Presence of God. The Presence had departed for good until Ezekiel's Temple comes into being as a fulfilment of its typology. This relates to the Church of Jesus Christ, now, that collectively and individually, in heaven and on earth, has become the Temple of His glory, 1 Corinthians 3:16,17;6:19;2 Corinthians 6:16; Hebrews 12:22.

Ezekiel was given in a form understandable to him in that day, a vision of the spiritual temple that was yet to be built. God is the Builder and He brings about a new beginning. In these chapters of Ezekiel there is no mention of the Messiah. In Ezekiel 47:1-12 the new earth becomes the equivalent of the Garden of Eden, the Promised Land, for the people of God who will live there forever with God in the midst, Revelation 21:1-4, Ezekiel 43:7. Ezekiel shows by a form known to him and to Israel, that the New Testament named people of God, Jew and Gentile, Ephesians 2:19;1:10, will live forever.

In the natural Temple built by Herod, Josephus says that water gushed out.  We can point out the beginning of the spiritual flow of the “river”. Jesus Himself, stood in that place, in John 7:38,39, on the last day of the Feast of Tabernacles before the last Passover Week. He shouted out, “If any man thirst, let him come unto Me and drink and out of His innermost being will flow rivers of living water. This spake He of the Holy Ghost which they who believed on Him were to receive”. Here in this Temple built according to Ezekiel’s plan, the Saviour announces the spiritual beginning of the river in Ezekiel.

The actual occurrence of the beginning of what Ezekiel saw in his vision took place in the natural Temple, Ezekiel 47:1, “Then he brought me back to the door of the house and behold, water was flowing from under the threshold of the house toward the east, for the house faced east. And the water was flowing down from under, from the right side of the house”. In this chapter, Ezekiel reveals the vision of the water reaching to the ankles, the loins and water to swim in. It was there the disciples met in an upper room when the Holy Ghost descended upon them from heaven, as in Acts chapter 2.

To this day, the water of the Holy Spirit has been flowing in the church of Jesus Christ.

The oil within the Candlestick there has been replaced by the anti-type, Jesus Christ, Who is the Light and Who fills us with the oil of His Spirit today. We, or the Jewish nation, will never need a rebuilt temple on earth. Christ is the Light of the world. The church will never need a light in a re-built temple on earth. This church includes the "remnant" of the Jewish nation, Romans 9:29.

Romans 11:7 states emphatically, “What Israel (the nation) sought so earnestly it did not obtain but the elect did.” Who are the elect? Obviously not the nation of Israel. Clearly the elect comprise the remnant of Israel, those who believe in Christ and the multitude of Gentiles who believe in Christ. They are the elect. The nation of Israel no longer has any position before God. There is a new nation, 1 Peter 2:9, “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God”, as in 1 Peter 1:1, “God’s elect” These are those “chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood”. The Jews crucified Jesus. They rejected Jesus. To this day, Jewry rejects Jesus as the crucified Saviour of those believing fellow-countrymen and Gentiles in Christ, who are under the New Covenant and not under the Law or really any part of the Old Covenant. To say, as proponents of present-day eschatology do, is a wrong belief that there will be another gospel, another message, another kingdom and another chance for natural Israel. There is no hint of this in the Scriptures.

Romans 8:25-29 pursues the same thought regarding believers in Christ, the elect, “Called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined, he also called, those he called, he also justified, those he justified, he also glorified”. God has a new people, a reconstituted Israel, a new nation, a new separated people – those called and believing in Christ according to the gospel – whether Jew or Gentile.

As Jesus told Israel in Matthew 21:41, “Therefore I say unto you, The Kingdom of God shall be taken from you and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof”. Israel as a nation is no longer a Theocratic kingdom of God. She has lost out. She will never be taken in again, as a special nation under God, according to all the Scriptures. There is not one promise by Jesus, Peter, Paul, James, Jude or John, that the nation of Israel will be restored. This being the case, the popular interpretation of the Old Testament in connection with a future restoration of Israel as a nation at the head of all the others, a natural nation to be ruled by a Messiah, is false, is wrong, is deception and a delusion.

Paul clearly states who are now those who can claim to be in “Israel”, “the Israel of God”, Galatians 6:16, these are the verses:-

Romans 2:28, 29 “A man is not a Jew if he is only one outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical. No, a man is a Jew if he is one inwardly, and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code”.

Colossians 1:11,12, “In him (Christ) you were also circumcised, in the putting off of the sinful nature, not with a circumcision done by the hands of men, but with the circumcision done by Christ, having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God”. Jesus said, “I have a baptism to be baptized with” in speaking of His death. We were baptized with Him, as in Romans 6:8, “Now if we died with Christ”. Galatians 2:20, “I have been crucified with Christ”.
Philippians 3:3, “For we are the circumcision, we who worship by the Spirit of God, who glory in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh”.

Galatians 3:26-29, “You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For all of you who were baptized into Christ (into His death as above) have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.”

Is this not very clear? Particularly would this be so to those not prejudiced or brain-washed by the eschatology taught in a majority of churches, as I was once.

I am truly amazed and shocked that for about one hundred and eighty years, scholars, Bible Schools and Pastors have been so blind that they cannot give a correct exposition of Romans chapters 9 through 11. A clear understanding of these chapters is a refutation of Darby’s scheme of Eschatology. In fact, it decries it as heresy. This is a case of the “blind leading the blind” that has been occurring all these years. Today, his doctrine in extended or diluted forms, is a major force in evangelical, fundamental, Pentecostal and Charismatic churches world-wide.

All this is borne out clearly in Hebrews 13:14, "For here we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come", the city that Abraham looked for in Hebrews 11:10, "For he was looking forward to the city with foundations whose architect and builder is God", verse 16, "Instead, they were longing for a better country - a heavenly one." The Glory of God is in Heaven's Temple. Almighty God and the Lamb are the Temple. The Lamb is its lamp there with no need of a sun, Revelation 21:22-27. The final meaning of Ezekiel's temple is in heaven.

In case someone says that Jerusalem and its Temple are to be rebuilt for the Jews, let us note that the above three verses in the Book of Hebrews were written to the "Hebrews", i.e. Jews. There is no indication in that book of any plan in the mind of God to rebuild an earthly Jerusalem and Temple. The plan is for a heavenly one but one finally to be placed on a renewed earth.

As the Divine Word, "He became flesh, and dwelt (tabernacled) among us", John 1:14. The flesh of Jesus, though literally flesh of our flesh, yet being created and sanctified in the womb of Mary by the power of the Holy Ghost, Luke 1:14, possessed in it "the whole fullness of the Godhead bodily", Colossians 2:9. "Bodily" in the Greek means "as a bodily receptacle or habitation". This was while He was on earth and now that He is in heaven. His body did not see corruption. It is not possible that the whole fullness of the Godhead came into Him at His resurrection or after His ascension into heaven. In John 2:19 He showed clearly the same body or temple He had on earth would be raised up again - "this body", He said. His body held all pre-eminence over other flesh. His flesh was the root of all flesh to be yet redeemed. In Him the whole of elect humanity stands as its living Head, and therein finds fellowship with God. As the fullness of the Godhead dwells in Christ, He also dwells in the Church of true believers as His fullness. Christ as this Divine temple or tabernacle, in which we are incorporated, 1 Corinthians 12:12, was to replace any temple built on earth by the hand of man. At any future time there would never be the need for any other kind of temple.

When Jesus ascended into heaven He entered a very different sphere with a body suited for it. In His exaltation, His body is not suited to live in this present sphere of earth. Neither will ours be.

It should also be noted that in John 2:19, Jesus made it plain that the old temple was finished. His body had now become what the temple had been previously. There would never be any other temple on earth. His body was sufficient as the temple, in Whom we believers are placed. The great ideas typified by the Old Testament temple were now embodied in His person. He is the temple and when He died on the cross, the veil in the temple in Jerusalem was torn in two from top to bottom by the hand of God, Mark 15:38. His raised body of the resurrection was to be the eternal seat and centre of the kingdom of God, as its temple. The older type of temple, built on earth, forever lost any significance at the resurrection of Christ.

Zechariah 6:12 says that the Branch (the Messiah) would build the temple of the Lord. Obviously Jesus Christ would not build a literal temple of stone in Jerusalem. He Himself spoke of His body as the Temple, John 2:19,20. The Temple He is building now is of living stones, Ephesians 1:22,23; 2:28-22; 1 Peter 2:5, "as living stones are built up into a temple". The future temple is in the Holy City that John saw descending from heaven to earth, the new earth created by God, Revelation 21:1,2; 2 Peter 3:10,13. The church is the Holy City. John saw it descend from God. It came on to a new earth. He never saw the church descending with a supposed return of Christ to rule and reign for a thousand years! Why not? Because there is only one descent. The church comes down to the new earth, from God Himself.

BACKGROUND OF PRESENT DAY BELIEFS

The Brethren, through Darby, promulgated this teaching of the millennium and the eschatology widely believed. Schofield took Darby's teaching, even though he was not a theologian, and incorporated it into the Schofield Bible. This Bible found its way into millions of homes. People gave importance to these teachings because they were footnotes in a Bible and thus considered as reliable as the Bible itself. Schofield was a medical doctor. I had one of his books in which he stated that people who speak in tongues are fit for an Insane Institution.

Darby and his followers, the Plymouth Brethren, have violently opposed speaking in tongues, saying it is of the Devil. They also taught that God's purpose of the cross of Christ would not have happened had the Jews not rejected Jesus as their Messiah. They say the Cross became necessary because of Jewish unbelief. They say that the church period then became a parenthesis only, because God's real purpose is with the Jews. This is heresy. Jesus Christ is the "Lamb slain from the foundation of the world" – not a parenthesis.

God's purpose is the salvation of the world, Genesis 12:3; and the process was begun in the Garden of Eden, Genesis 3:16. The nation of Israel was given the Promised Land, crossing over Jordan and into the "rest" which was a type of the real "rest", Hebrews 3:7-11;4:8-11. John the Baptist summoned the nation to repentance, baptism in Jordan and entrance into the New Covenant, for a new Promised Land (heaven), Matthew 3:8-12, but he knew judgment would be upon the chaff, separated from the wheat (the remnant). As a nation, they rejected Christ, 1 Peter 2:4-8,9,10;1 Thessalonians 2:16 and God, according to His plans laid before the foundation of the world, reformed His nation, to include all believers. Romans 9:27 shows God's purposes were that, "Though the number of the children of Israel were like the sand of the sea, only a remnant of them will be saved". Paul is quoting from Isaiah 10:22 where Isaiah prophecies regarding the return of a remnant of Israel from Babylon. Paul uses the word "saved" instead of "return", showing that the first fulfilment was historical and the second and final fulfilment is spiritual, occurring in those of Israel, the remnant, who find salvation through Jesus Christ and His gospel.

Strangely, the verses that point out God’s anger against the Jews are never quoted or used as sermon material. This is what Paul says about it – 1 Thessalonians 2:15,16 “Of the Jews, I say: of the men who put the Lord Jesus and the prophets to death, who are persecuting us cruelly, who incur the displeasure of God, and who show themselves to be the enemies of all mankind, seeking to hinder us, as they do, from preaching to the Gentiles, that they might obtain their salvation. And so it is that they must ever be filling up the measure of their sins. Still, the judgment expressing God’s anger has now overtaken them for good and all”.

*This is the translation by Cassirer, of Hebrew descent and a Jewish classicist and Philosopher. He taught for many years at Glasgow University and at Corpus Christi, Oxford. It is very interesting that in the face of who he was and what he was that he has given us such a clear and striking translation.

*Paul was referring to the Fall of Jerusalem and the gruesome and horrific judgments that came upon the nation as they gathered in Jerusalem. The false prophesies at the time were proven wrong.

The “abomination of desolation” which desolated the city of Jerusalem was the greatest calamity and orgy of destruction and death that has ever occurred to any other city; in which the vast majority of the two million inhabitants and refugees died and the rest were taken into captivity to foreign lands. A great many of them were killed by each other either directly due to sectarian infighting or by way of food stealing during the siege.

In line with their rejection of the Messiah Jesus they heeded their many false prophets. This kept them bound to consistently reject the merciful appeals to surrender by both Titus and Josephus. Josephus was a king of the Jews who had previously been defeated and who had capitulated to Vespasian upon defeat and recognised by the prophet Daniel the fate that was coming to Jerusalem at the hands of Titus. Vespasian was the father of Titus who was his heir apparent. and was Emperor of Rome at the time of this judgement of God on Jerusalem and the Jews.

The Christians escaped this judgment and wrath of God because they obeyed the words of Jesus who had instructed them to flee.

It would appear our attachment to the idea that Israel will be favourably looked upon by God as a nation in a future millennium is rather misplaced! It can never be. Let me quickly state that I am not anti-Semitic, far from it.

It was necessary for the Jewish nation to fail, so that the Gentiles could be brought in. For that reason, God hardened Pharaoh's heart and the hearts of the people of Israel, Exodus 7:3; Romans 9:17,22,23; Isaiah 6:9,10; 63:17; 65:2,9; 66:8-20,45: 22,23; 42:6; 49:6. See also John 12:40,41; Romans 11:7-11; Matthew 23:37,38; 21:43. God turned away from the nation of Israel for all time, so that His purposes of salvation for the remnant Jews and believing Gentiles would be fulfilled. Most of the Christian Jews in the New Testament never went outside of their Jewish orthodoxy, as Paul clearly shows. It was not possible that a pure gospel from such could be extended to the world of sinners. Paul, a chosen vessel, was called in the womb of his mother to receive the Mystery of the Gospel and to convey it.

God ordained that "Those who were not my people I will call my people". Of those who were not His natural, national people, He said, "They shall be called the children of the living God". Isaiah 6:10 shows that at that time a remnant only of Jews shall be included in His people. The prophet speaks of the "holy seed" who consist of all who believe on Jesus Christ. In Isaiah 53:10 he declares of Him who makes His life an offering for sin, "He shall see his seed (offspring)", verse 11 "He shall make many righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities". This is the Lamb of God who took away the sin of the world.

Jesus was the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world. God loved the world, not just the Jews and purposed that the Gentiles (heathen) would be included in His plans made before the foundation of the world. Can we rely on the judgment of the Plymouth Brethren in relation to events of the end time? Hosea 2:23; Deuteronomy 32:21b; Isaiah 42:1,4,6,12; 45:22; 49:6; 51:5; 56:7; 60:3; 65:17-28.

THE TRUE ISRAEL OF GOD

According to millennium beliefs, 2 Thessalonians 2:6 indicates the Holy Spirit will be removed out of the world, He being the One who restrains until the coming of Christ to take us to heaven. If so, how can millions of Jews be saved during the Millennium as is taught, when the Holy Spirit has left? Or will He also come back again? According to Romans 7:6 "we have been released from the Law so that we may serve God in the Spirit". This principle will apply always for those who come to Christ while on this earth. Were Jews in Israel to come to Christ in a millennium, how could they follow this Scripture?

This Millennium is supposedly to be for the blessing of the Jewish people who are to occupy the land of Israel, with Jesus Christ sitting on the Davidic throne.

Who actually are "Jews", or "Israelites"? Are not we Jews, the church of Jesus Christ, consisting of both natural Jew and natural Gentile? See Romans 2:29, “A man is a Jew if he is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart by the Spirit”. We who believe are all the children of Abraham, Galatians 3:16; 2 Corinthians 1:20; 6:16-18; Hebrews 13:5,6 (the obedience of faith). Galatians 6:15,16, "For in Christ Jesus, it doesn't make any difference now whether we have been circumcised (i.e. Jews) or not; what counts is whether we really have been changed into new and different people. Now peace and mercy be on all who walk by this rule; that is, on the true Israel of God".

The true Israel of God does not consist of Jews according to the flesh.  It comprises  those of every nation, Jew and Gentile, who have been born again by the Spirit of God. Earthly Israel is cast out, Galatians 4:30; 5:6; Ephesians 2:14,15, Deuteronomy 28:58-62. "They are not all Israel, who are natural descendants", Romans 9:6,8. This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as "descendants".

Those in  spiritual Israel, inherit all promises, including the land, given to Abraham in Genesis 13:15. This is translated "forever" in Genesis. It is the word "olam" that also means "time", "a life-time" or "an age". Israel was never given the land as an everlasting possession. In Hebrews 11:9,10 Abraham looked for a "city whose builder and maker is God". He had his eyes on his eternal inheritance in heaven. He took far more account of that promise. God gave it to him in Genesis 17:8 where he recognized that being eternal, it had to be the heavenly land. That is where his vision was. This "land" for spiritual Israel will be the "new heavens and the new earth" with the "Holy City" coming down from heaven for its situation there, 2 Peter 3:13; Revelation 21:1-4. The idea of the millennium is based on the above assumption and on the wrong translation.

Let us note that "Olam" is used of God, "El Olam", first in Genesis 21:33, where it is translated "the Everlasting God". It rather shows Him as the God of "times and seasons". He works in these times and seasons that "wax old and are vanishing away", Hebrews 8:13; Ephesians 3:10,11.

The word "olam" is translated "for ever" in Psalm 77:7,8; Isaiah 45:17; Daniel 9:24; Exodus 21:6; Leviticus 25:46; 1 Samuel 1:22,28; Deuteronomy 28:45,46 (re curses); 23:6; 1 Samuel 27:12 (of David, who later died). "Olam" is translated "time" or "old time" in Leviticus 25:32; 1 Samuel 27:12; Joshua 24:2; Ecclesiastics 1:10; Ezekiel 26:20; Psalm 143:5; Genesis 6:4; Deuteronomy 32:7; Isaiah 42:14; 51:9. In one place "olam" is translated "world", meaning "in this present age" or "life-time", Psalm 73:12, "who prosper in this 'world'", meaning 'in this present age'. However, "olam" can mean of indefinite future, as e.g. in Exodus 29:28. Common sense and the book of Hebrews tell us that Aaron's sons were not to participate in an everlasting (eternal) service.

Therefore, to base the idea that Israel will be returned to the land promised to Abraham, because of the translation "everlasting" cannot be correct. In any case, earth will cease and so will that land promised.

There is a general misunderstanding regarding this verse, "All Israel (the true Israel consisting of born-again Jew and Gentile) will be saved", as is shown in Romans 11:26. Let us look at it.

Who this Israel is can be seen clearly in Ephesians 2:13-20. Paul states there is "one body" and that we Gentiles are now joined to the Jews, "to create in Himself one new man", verse 15. The church of Jesus Christ includes both Jew and Gentile and both are now in the true Israel of God. Considering this fact, there is no basis for thinking that the Church, Jew and Gentile, is raptured. It is not logical that at a later period, Christ will have to take believers to heaven from a natural Jewish nation who will be given the "Gospel of the Kingdom" and brought to Christ during a millennium. According to prevalent belief today, this number could include backslidden believers who had been left behind but who would repent again during the millennium! If this were to happen, there would still remain for them, the question of the resurrection body given for all believers to dwell in during an eternal heaven. When would they receive theirs? The rapture is past. The resurrection of the body for believers has taken place!

In actuality, if some have been taken up to heaven, the door of the "raptured" church would be closed for any further body of people to enter in, e.g. Jews or people on earth given a second chance. How can Jews or others during a Millennium come to faith in Christ, on a natural earth, and then be joined to a heavenly body of people, who are said to be on earth reigning with Christ? This is an impossibility without a change made in their bodies. When would this occur? Let us think about it. Say the Rapture and Second Coming have already taken place, according to what we hear taught. Then during the millennium multitudes of Jews and others are converted. Under the scriptural scheme of things, these Jews and those others repenting, would all have to die and be taken to heaven – without a Second Coming. Has anyone thought of this strange anomaly, where Jews and others come to Christ during a Millennium and that all must be translated if they do not die?

There are two Israels in the whole passage of Romans 9-11. In Romans 9, Paul speaks of "not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel", verse 6. Again in verses 8, 16, 22 and 23 and also in verse 27 it is clearly shown that there is a natural or national Israel and a spiritual Israel. The latter consists of believing Jews and also Gentiles.

Romans 11:5,6 indicates a remnant by grace and not by race. Verse 17 shows "Some of the branches (of Israel) were broken off", leaving a remnant to which are added believing Gentiles, all making up the re-formed Israel that is totally spiritual. Verse 26 mentions "all Israel shall be saved", referring to the remnant of natural Jews who believe in Christ and the believing Gentiles.

Verses 17-24 give a picture of Jew and Gentile in the church, the true Israel, by a process of grafting. In the last paragraph mention is made of a remnant, a cultivated olive tree, after some of the branches have been broken off. Others have been grafted in, with the root supporting such branches. In ordinary grafting, the new is grafted into the wild root and stem. They become a "vital or indissoluble union". God did something unnatural, according to the allegory Paul uses, verse 24. It was supernatural.

If the grafted branches die, so does the root. If the bringing in of the Gentiles fails, the whole root will wither and die, i.e. the remnant who believe. This is supported by Hebrews 11:39, 30 that shows the plan of God is for both believing Jew and believing Gentile, neither without the other, Romans 9:23,24, and vv. 26-29. God's ways are supernatural even in the case of Abraham, whose son after the flesh was not the heir. The heir was Isaac, the son of promise, who was born because of the supernatural acts of God, see Galatians 4:22-31.

These verses are a revelation of the situation in the church in Rome, consisting of Jewish and Gentile believers. Each was a faction, one against the other. The former were proud of their Jewishness and the latter arrogantly thought that as believers, they had a more special place because the "branches were broken off because of unbelief". Paul in his book rebukes both parties. If we understand this we will then know his real meaning.

Romans 11:32 shows "God has bound all men (Jew and Gentile) over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all". In the showing forth of His mercy in salvation through Jesus Christ and His cross, both Jew and Gentile are shown to be on even ground and to be needful recipients of the gospel.

This reveals God's plan for the world, which is that "all men" are consigned to disobedience (Jews and Gentiles) so that He may "have mercy" not only on Jews who believe on Christ, but also on Gentiles who believe. Ephesians 2:12-22 is an exact portrayal of the situation. Jesus Christ has "in Himself one new man out of the two". Gentiles are "fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household" viz. His Old Testament people, the remnant. Thus, Jews have no place of precedence or prominence over Gentiles in the New Testament revelation. The same applies to the Gentiles. They cannot boast against the Jews.

THE SECOND COMING

The Bible speaks of "the coming of the Lord", 1 Thessalonians 2:10; 3:13; 4:15 ("remain unto the coming of the Lord"); James 5:7,8; 2 Peter 3:4. "The" identifies the fact that there is "one" coming, not two. When Jesus comes again the second time, we will be changed. His first coming was at His birth.

According to current teaching on the millennium, there is first of all a "secret Rapture" when the Lord is to return secretly to "catch away" the saints in a fashion that is not visible to the rest of the world, 1 Thessalonians 4:16, 1 Corinthians 15:52 also Revelation 3:3. This latter verse cannot be applied to any "secrecy", supposedly meaning that a thief comes so secretly that no one knows. That meaning concerning a thief is also incorrect. The meaning is that it is "unexpected" in that no one anticipates a thief will come at that particular time. When a thief intrudes, quite often he is seen and the neighbourhood awakened at the call of the householder. This negates all time setting. Revelation 3:3, "I will come like a thief and you will not know at what hour I will come upon you" verifies that this unexpectedness is the meaning, indicating clearly that His coming is not secret. Another point is that the word "Rapture" is not found in the Bible.

Then there is to be the second coming of the Lord, after the church has been in heaven for seven years. This is based on 1 Thessalonians 5:2,4; Zechariah 14:3; Luke 21;34; 2 Peter 3:10; Luke 21:35,"it will come upon all those who dwell on the face of the earth", However, these verses refer mainly to the "Day of the Lord" which is a day of darkness and judgment.

That is when we supposedly come back to earth again and reign with Christ on this earth for a thousand years. How could millions of believers with glorified bodies, who are then like Christ, mingle with earthly humans? See 1 Corinthians 15:49,50, where it states we shall have a body like Christ's and shall "bear the stamp of heaven". Verse 50 reads, "An earthly body made of flesh and blood cannot get into God's kingdom". His kingdom is not centered to earth. 1 John 3:2, "like Him"; Philippians 3:21, "that it may be conformed to" make it obvious that in such glorified and immortal bodies it would be strange to be among people in this present world and to reign over such. 1 Corinthians 15:42-49. Our resurrected bodies are "spiritual".

This being so, how is it possible that in our resurrected bodies, we could ever inhabit this present world for one thousand years? Where would we all live – the hundreds of millions of us? Will Jesus be living in a palace in Jerusalem? It would be well to really think about these things. Our bodies will be immortal. Immortality can never fit into an earth inhabited by any mortals, which according to the general doctrine held, will be the case. Mortals, they say, Jews in particular, will be here – all still mortal!

The last enemy to be destroyed is death, verses 24-26. Death is destroyed for us at His Second Coming when we receive "the body of His glory"; 1 Corinthians 15:49; "we shall some day have a body like Christ's". At that time the last enemy, death, is destroyed.

In a millennium, as presently taught, the world would be full of still sinful, carnal and mortal men subject to death. In that case, death would not have been destroyed at the Second Coming. Also, how is it possible for glorified saints to live back again amongst this environment, on earth. According to the teaching we are dealing with, the Millennium follows the rapture (as some believe) and then the Second Coming of Christ.
Looking at these scriptures in 1 Corinthians 15, the "parousia", the scriptural time of the Second Coming, it must be considered the end, the time when the Messiah will surrender the kingdom to God, 1 Corinthians 15:24a, 27,28, "Then comes the end", "When all things are subjected to him, then the Son …be subjected to the One …God all in all".

At that time, i.e. the Second Coming, death is destroyed, all His enemies are put under His feet, completing His present reign at the right hand of God. See Psalm 110:1 (Christ, the last Adam), "The Lord says to my Lord, 'Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies my footstool'"; and 8:6 "You made him (man) a little lower than (Elohim) God" and "you gave him dominion over the works of your hands". See also Genesis 1:26-28; Romans 8:34,38,39; Ephesians 1:20; Philippians 3:20,21; Hebrews 1&2, Daniel 7:9,13, "an Ancient One took his throne"; "one like a human being …And he came to the Ancient One and was presented before him. To him was given dominion and glory and kingship …and everlasting dominion …his kingship is one that shall never be destroyed".

"Except a man be born again he cannot see the Kingdom of God", John 3:3. Believers now are born again by the Spirit of God. If the Spirit of God has been taken out of the earth, as is taught with this Millennium doctrine, how can anybody then experience the new birth? For Old Testament saints in their day, God passed over their sins and by the Spirit who came upon them, they had a lower type of experience in the new birth. Since the Day of Pentecost, we experience the new birth in the form as taught by Jesus.

God always takes His people onwards and makes His revelation progressive. There is always an ever-widening progress in the plan of God throughout the whole Bible. This started with creation, to the Garden of Eden, to the Patriarchs, to the Law, to the Kings, to the Prophets and then through to John the Baptist and finally to Jesus Christ and the Gospel. There is never a regression to a former state. With a Millennium, there would be a going back and such would be out of harmony with God's ways.

MENTION OF 'MILLENNIUM'

Every doctrine in the Word of God must be sustained by a few verses. 2 Corinthians 13:1 states, "In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established". This is a quotation from Deuteronomy 19:15. God always gives more than one witness in the Scriptures concerning Truth. Regarding the "Millennium", the doctrine taught is based on one passage, in Revelation 20. That in itself makes the doctrine taught, unreliable.

According to popular end-time theory, Satan will be bound during the "Millennium" and at the end of this period will be released to gather the nations to battle at Armageddon. The current belief is that evil is revealed during the last great battle, Revelation 20:7-10. This proves that multitudes of people who might be living during a millennium still have not been released from their sinfulness. Yet Jesus Christ supposedly had reigned over them for a thousand years! In any case, how can this be when according to Luke 1:32, 33 He is to reign over the House of David (redeemed) forever.

Any thought of a literal war, with literal forces of war in the army of Christ against literal forces of war and the army of Satan, cannot rightly be entertained, Revelation 19:11-21; 20:7-10. One look at the scene in the Garden of Gethsemane, when Peter used a sword and the subsequent action and words of Jesus, shows how contradictory such a literal war would be. Matthew 26:52,53, "Put your sword back into its place, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword. Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels?"

In the same portion of Revelation, we are said to "live and reign with Christ a thousand years". We now reign in life in Christ Jesus, Romans 5:17. In Revelation 3:21 he who conquers will be given a place with Him on His throne. Here Revelation 3:12 shows He is talking about heaven, "the new Jerusalem" coming down out of heaven. There is nothing in chapters 2 and 3 for the victors, except rewards in heaven and not on this earth. 1 Corinthians 6:3 says we are to judge angels. 1 Corinthians 6:2 says we are to judge the world and not to rule in it. See Acts 17:31.

The faithful in the Church continually reign in life throughout the whole Church Age, spoken of as being "a thousand years". Such an idiom, "a thousand years" is an indeterminate period of time. Christ went into the "strong man's" house and has bound Him. Satan is bound, Matthew 12:29; Mark 3:20-30, Luke 11:29, or paralysed, (Rhm), neutralised, (Ber), as Hebrews 2:14. See Colossians 2:15; Revelation 20:2. Satan's power over nations is broken to such an extent that believers can enter heathen countries and multitudes of heathen are released from his power. They hear the gospel and believe in Christ as Saviour from their sin.

Despite the fact that Satan is bound by the work of Christ on the Cross, and that we have been translated out of the kingdom of Satan into the kingdom of the Son, we still suffer in this world, sinfulness, sorrow, sickness and death. In this manner also we can believe that Satan is bound for this "thousand years" as he does not have complete control in this area that still afflict us all. Nowhere does it say he is bound in Hell. At the end, he is confined to the lake of fire prepared for him and his angels.

The belief is that a battle will take place in one small valley of Armageddon. With all of our modern weapons and large, modern armies, how could this be? They say a period of a literal seven months will be needed to bury the dead and use Ezekiel 39:11,12 and Revelation 19:17. The corpses, numbering many millions, would be rotten, disease producing and stinking. It is all a physical impossibility. I suggest that the language used in the books of Ezekiel and Revelation is symbolic and concerns great and wonderful things willed and allowed by God, now taking place on this earth.  The Bible itself uses symbols for the Holy Spirit, e.g. a Dove, oil, water and so on. A certain people in South Africa use the symbols of different colours to communicate different ideas. We should not think it strange that the writers of the books of Revelation and Daniel, used symbols as the Holy Spirit conveyed His message through them. They wrote the books in their natural language, part of which was in one case, Greek and in the other Hebrew, both writers being Jews. It was customary to include symbols as a feature of expression.

The unbelief of the Jews was that in their carnality, their hope of the Messiah centered only on His being a natural King. See Matthew 20:20,21, where the mother of Zebedee's sons wanted a place for them on either side of Him when He come to His kingdom.

The Jews thought He would overthrow the Romans and set up a kingdom on earth, as was David's. That is still their hope. For two thousand years they have been proved wrong. Unfortunately, many in the church of Jesus Christ seem to be following in their train, when interpreting the Scriptures regarding the end-time events. Believers are centering their hopes around what is happening in the land of Israel forgetting it is only for a holy people.

It is believed God restored the (unholy) nation of Israel in 1948. Much has been overlooked. For one thing, ten of the tribes were lost at the time of Christ and are still lost. No one knows where thy are. Therefore the Jews as a nation have not been restored. Also, there has not been any indication of any supernatural intervention by God in these years of supposed restoration. Compared to the redemption of God's people out of Egypt under Moses when there were many outstanding miracles, there are no such miracles. The Promised Land is only for God's holy people. Looking at the books of Ezra and Nehemiah concerning the restoration of Israel from its captivity of seventy years in Babylon, one sees the direct hand of God, through the prophet and priest.

Today, there is no such evidence in the modern state of Israel. How can it be possible that any such momentous event under God for a restored Israel could happen without His supernatural acts as formerly? There is no sign of any Divine action by the hand of God in recent times. This applies to the period beginning after the Second World War and continuing until the present day. An Orthodox Rabbi has also made such statements.

The following is a copy of a Comment by The Rev. Lt. Col. R.J.G. Begbie OBE in the Christian Digest Protestant & Reformed Journal – November 2001 as it appeared in "Israel & Christians Today – Winter 2001":-

"The USA funded and supported the original post-war terrorists, namely the Zionists, by whom the Jews have occupied land belonging to and occupied by the Palestinians for 2000 years. The USA, acting through the UN, forced the British to give up the mandate by which they had done their best to protect Palestinian interests. Now justice requires that the original state of Palestine be reconstituted, the Palestinians be given back their lands and re-housed, and the Israelis required to accept majority rule just as everyone has been forced to do in South Africa.

"The USA has funded and armed the IRA terrorists for the last 30 years in order to force Ulstermen to accept the rule of a foreign power.

"The UK promised under the Balfour Declaration to give land, which was not its to give, to the Jews despite a previous undertaking given on behalf of Lawrence of Arabia to the Arabs. All the local terrorism results from this broken promise".

The above is history.
It is obvious that the Christians who believe in the eschatology as disproved herein, lobbied the US Government year in and year out since about 1945, as well as certain wealthy Jews there. One may well ask, where in the New Testament and even in the Old Testament, are Christians asked to help bring about a Jewish State and become politically involved in its formation? If the prophecies they accept are indeed to be fulfilled, would not God do it supernaturally without the aid of the Christians? The New Testament shows a lack of involvement of the Christians and the Church in any politics, particularly Jewish.

How can the major part of the church of Jesus Christ be so blind?

Both orthodox Jews and Christians are looking for the Messiah to come to make Israel the centre of these natural beliefs. We are to "look for Him to come a second time to bring full and final salvation. We know that in heaven we have a better possession that is permanent", Hebrews 9:28; 10:34. Ancient Jewry had a carnal hope of a Messiah who would rule on a national basis. They worshipped in a worldly sanctuary, Hebrews 9:1. We have a spiritual hope. Our worship is heavenly. There we enter with Christ behind the veil, into the very Presence of God who is Spirit, in His heavenly sanctuary that was opened for us by the shed blood of the Lamb. He, as our Melchizedek priest, took that blood in and saved us to fill us with His Spirit thus enabling us to worship as God demands, "in Spirit and in Truth". There is nothing in those passages in Hebrews 7 to 10 that indicate the necessity for an earthly sanctuary, earthly priests and vestments or an earthly (worldly) form of worship at any time while there are believers on earth.

THE SPIRITUAL VISION

Paul in Acts 13:32-34 preached about Jesus, the Saviour, to those in Abraham's family, verses 23,26, stating that "what God promised to our ancestors he has fulfilled for us". These promises centered in Jesus, the seed promised, who was resurrected from the dead, to whom was also given the holy promises made to David.

Verse 33 reads "has fulfilled unto us, the children". "Has fulfilled" is a compound verb, used only here. It is intensive in meaning and is to be understood as "has completely fulfilled". In view of this, there can be no Millennium on earth where it remains for Jesus Christ to sit on an earthly throne of David. He already is sitting on the restored throne of David and that kingdom has no end. It remains for His Second Coming to see its fullness.

We have a heavenly hope. Our citizenship is in heaven, "and it is from there that we are expecting a Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ", Philippians 3:20. We have an inheritance "that is imperishable, undefiled and unfading, kept in heaven" for us, 1 Peter 1:4. Abraham had been promised an inheritance on this earth, but in Hebrews 11:10 we are told "he looked forward to the city that has foundations, whose builder and maker is God". Jesus said His kingdom is not of this world. John 18:36; 8:56-58.

In Galatians 4:28 Paul says, "Now you, my friend, are children of the promise like Isaac". The promise includes a city. It is not natural Jerusalem, because in Galatians 4:25, Hagar corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children (who are not believers). She and natural Jerusalem are and always will be the "slave woman". The "free woman" is the "Jerusalem above", Galatians 4:22-26, "But the other woman (Sarai) corresponds to the Jerusalem above, she is free, and she is our mother". All hopes are to be centered on this heavenly Jerusalem. We are children of Sarah and not of Hagar.

It is important to note that the first appearance of the Angel of the Lord in the whole of the Old Testament was not to Abraham or one of his descendants, but to one outside of the natural promise and one who could be termed a Gentile. Abraham was given the promises and the covenant with righteousness through faith. Until the time of the first appearance of this Angel of the Lord who is the Eternal Son of God revealing Himself a few times throughout history, there had been "The Lord said" or as in Genesis 15, "The word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision".

In Genesis 16, the Angel of the Lord appears to Hagar. She was the object and victim of Abram's and Sarai's sins of unbelief and wilfulness. Moreover, she and her son were never in the line of the blessings of God through Abraham. Here is the grace, compassion and mercy of God. Abram was given the promise in Genesis 15:4,5 that his descendants would be numberless. This of course refers to his spiritual descendants. They would be brought in to the promises through Christ. God's purposes are directed always at the Gentiles or the whole world of sinners. He shows this by the One who was to be the Christ, appearing to Hagar. She is thus the first "Gentile" or one outside the promises, who benefits from those given to Abram for the entire world.

It is believed that according to Zechariah 14:16, all nations will come up yearly to the Feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem. This is a physical impossibility, as there could be at least 2,000,000,000 people on earth, who would wish to attend. The Day of Atonement of this feast was fulfilled when Jesus made atonement for our sins. It is past. On that day the High Priest regularly entered into the Holy of Holies. Jesus has entered into that place in heaven itself. All is fulfilled and not to be repeated on earth, Hebrews 9:7-12; 10:18-20.

The Feast of Tabernacles can be said to be fulfilled already in accordance with John 7:38,39 when Jesus on the last day of that Feast of Tabernacles before His crucifixion, promised the giving of the Holy Spirit. This happened on the Day of Pentecost, a fulfilment of the Feast of Pentecost and obviously also of the Feast of Tabernacles.

There can never be a re-building of the Temple in Jerusalem under the will of God. The Old Testament prophecies are against it. For example, consider Jeremiah and the promises of the Messiah and the New Covenant. In Jeremiah 23:5, "a righteous branch is raised to reign". He is David, our Messiah and in verse 6, called "Jehovah Zidkenu" (see Jeremiah 33:16), meaning, The Lord our Righteousness and this stands for justification by the merit of Christ, 1 Corinthians 1:30. Jeremiah 31:31, "says the Lord, I will make with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, a new covenant".

Under the New Covenant, there is to be no obligation on the "true" Israel's side. It is a gift, different from the Old Covenant. Jesus is the "Surety" of the New Covenant, Hebrews 7:22, KJV, "How much more has Jesus become the surety (guarantee) of a better covenant". It is internal and not external, verse 33, see all of 2 Corinthians 3. Proverbs 3:1-3 shows the Law, in an outward form. In the New Covenant, Jeremiah 31:34, the law is in our hearts through the Spirit, 2 Corinthians 3:3. A Covenant made in Old Testament times was a type. The New Testament (Covenant) is the antitype and is fashioned on and foreshadowed by the old. The New Covenant far surpasses the Old Covenant.

Under this New Covenant, there will come a time, the beginning of Eternity, when God will never "remember" or "re-activate" the problem of sin. Sin will have been dealt with so fully, that the complete power of the Cross of Christ will be forever effective. The Word and the Spirit will control the redeemed, sin will no longer affect us and sinlessness will reign.

God initiated a new Temple, in Christ and His body. Matthew 26:61 "I am able to destroy the temple of God and to build it in three days". This proved the old Temple was to be done away with, as "the" means there is only one. Ephesians 2:20, 21 with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone. "In him the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord".
There is one new humanity, not Jew and Gentile. Ephesians 2:15 "He has abolished the law with its commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself one new humanity in place of the two." In the purposes of God and under the reign of King David, Jesus Christ, there is only one humanity.

Now we carry forward to Jeremiah 33:15-22. We note the Messiah on His throne and the Levitical priests serving forever and numberless. It is important to understand that Jeremiah had such a revelation of the glory of the New Covenant, that he could not mean numberless literal Levites to serve in a rebuilt Temple during a Millennium and one that would be confined to a period of 1,000 years and not forever. It is numberless "priests" to our God, 1 Peter 2:5.

We need to know that he would understand the form would change. Jesus Christ was the anti-type of the Levitical priesthood that would change. These priests were mediators under the Law. Jesus is High Priest and Mediator, once for all, installed by God Himself, Psalm 110:4;Heb.5:6. He is now High Priest according to the order of Melchezidek.

In verse 22 of Jeremiah 33, he states that the priests will be numberless (as stated above), in accordance with the promise God gave Abraham, where it states in Jeremiah 33:22, "As the host of heaven is not numbered and the sand of the sea not measured, so will I increase the seed of David my servant and the Levites, who serve me", see also Genesis 15:5. Galatians 3:29 "if you be Christ's then are you Abraham's seed and heirs according to the promise".

The seed, the recipients of the promises of God, are not the Jewish Nation, but us who believe, both Jew and Gentile. Isaiah 53:10-12, "he should see His seed, ...by his knowledge he should justify many". This is confirmed in Hebrews 2:10, "In bringing many sons to glory".

We are a royal priesthood, 1 Peter 2:9, kings and priests unto our God, Revelation 1:6. In Revelation 7:9 it shows that in heaven, John saw a great multitude which no man could number.

THE NEW COVENANT

The Old Covenant is finished. The New Covenant made through the Blood of Jesus Christ has been initiated. Jeremiah 31:31; Isaiah 42:6; Philippians 3:5-9; Mark 14:24; 1 Corinthians 11:25; 2 Corinthians 3:6; Galatians 6:15; Hebrews 8:8,13; 9:15; 12:24. There is a new priesthood, that of Jesus Christ. The old priesthood of Aaron amongst Israel has finished forever.

The finale of the Old Covenant leaves one in awe. As Daniel prophesied in chapter 9:24-27, the Messiah would die and effect cleansing, reconciliation to God, the end of sacrificing animals, a new covenant and the destruction of Jerusalem. This is all confirmed by Jesus Christ Himself in the gospels. History shows it occurred in the period 66-70 A.D., finishing with the Masada suicides in 73A.D.
  The Old Covenant was finished. The Aaronic priesthood ended. The Temple was demolished totally. Jerusalem was destroyed. The Romans had desecrated it with their Army. The Christians had fled to safety. Never again would there be a Temple, a priesthood, Old Covenant order or a national Israel under God or His Christ.
  The New Covenant was inaugurated by the blood of Christ. It took the place of the abolished Old Covenant. Henceforth there would be no natural nation but a spiritual nation and temple, anointed of the Holy Spirit, redeemed by the blood of Christ. The ceremonial order with its sacrifices, priests, temple and feasts became obsolete. From henceforth, the service would be spiritual, unto God and His Christ in heaven, under a new order of priesthood, that of Melchizedek, given to the Lord Jesus Christ.
  Under the Old Testament, all Jews were circumcised, they were given the land of Canaan as well as the Tabernacle, priesthood, Law, ceremonials and rituals. Circumcision is finished forever, Colossians 2:11, as is Temple worship, evidenced by the fact that God Himself tore the veil in two at the death of Christ, Matthew 27:51. The Aaronic priesthood is finished because Jesus Christ is now High Priest under a different priesthood, Hebrews 7:11;8:6. The keeping of the Law, ceremonials and rituals have been abolished forever, Hebrews 6:1;7:12. They will never return. We are not under Law but under grace and the promises, Romans 6:14.

Why is it that some believers still maintain that the promise of the land that included all the other religious promises and efforts, will continue for the Jews after all such under the Old, ceased when Christ died on the Cross? For such believers as in Hebrews 11, possession of the land was to the eye of faith, a promise, foretaste and pledge of the final occupation of a redeemed and glorified earth by Christ and His elect seed of blessing, Isaiah 53:10 "He shall see His seed (offspring)".

Jesus Christ Himself, John 4:24, told the woman of Samaria that it was not in the literal Jerusalem (ever) that people were to worship the Father. Hebrews 7:18 declares that the outward forms of Judaism were abolished on account of "its weakness and unprofitableness". They are abolished and that includes the present time in the city of Jerusalem and the land of Israel where the forms were once followed as instituted by God for the former era under the Old Testament.

It could never be reinstated in a "Millennium" as taught. Jesus Christ is now High Priest, according to the Order of Melchizedek. Hebrews 6:20; 7:1-24; 8:1-6; 9:8-12. He is High Priest forever, which is "aion" and means "an unbroken age, perpetuity of time, eternity" according to Thayer's Greek-English dictionary.

How could He leave heaven for a thousand years to reign on earth when He is High Priest in heaven forever? God's covenant with Abraham included many natural blessings for the Jews. However, this covenant was primarily not for the blessing of the Jews but for all the peoples of the world, Genesis 12:3. It was to remedy the sin that entered the world of humanity, through Adam, Genesis 3; Romans 5:12-18. The Abrahamic covenant is fulfilled in Christ, Galatians 3:16, for those of faith, Galatians 3:7,9,14.

A Jew now is one who has the inward experience of spiritual circumcision, Romans 2:29, "A person is a Jew who is one inwardly and real circumcision is a matter of the heart - by the Spirit and not by letter". The controversial Scriptures of Romans 9-11 need not be such. It is clearly stated that there is no longer to be a national Israel, in Romans 9:6-8, "Not all Israelites truly belong to Israel, and not all of Abraham's children are his true descendants; but 'It is through Isaac that descendants shall be named for you'. This means that it is not the children of the flesh (in national Israel) who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as descendants". Therefore it is all believers in Jesus Christ, both Jew and Gentile, who are counted as the descendants of Abraham, children of God and true Israel.

Jesus Christ, the Mediator of the New Covenant, is in heaven waiting - until His enemies are made a footstool for His feet, Hebrews 10:13. He is not waiting until He comes down to earth to reign for a thousand years. We are waiting and "look for Him" who shall appear the second time without sin unto salvation, Hebrews 9:28. This is the Second Coming. The first coming was at His birth.

There is no mention in Scripture of a third coming, which would have to be if He is literally to stand upon the Mount of Olives, which will cleave in two! Is this the "same Jesus" as Acts 1:11? He ascended in a cloud. He will come in a like manner. Revelation 1:7 says, "Look! He is coming with the clouds". Yet this verse is used to prove such a third coming as the Son of Man. Clouds are involved in His Second Coming for His church. Revelation 1:7 obviously refers to such a coming. The end of Revelations 22:7 declares "I am coming soon!" John and the church in verse 20 say, "Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!" This is the Second Coming for His own.

It is said that the Bible must be taken literally in every case. Yet all read it sometimes literally and sometimes figuratively and/or spiritually. Will Jesus Christ literally come out of heaven on a white horse, as in Revelation 19:11-14?

The Lord speaks to us according to earth's languages, forms of words, expressions and according to the particular writer's background and environment. He does this so that we can understand spiritual Truth. Some examples are found in Exodus 15:8, "the blast of (God's) nostrils"; 19:4 "eagle's wings"; John 6:54 "Eat My flesh and drink My blood" and are examples of figurative language, meant spiritually and not literally.

Many things are stated plainly but often we fail to grasp the meaning. One reason is that we tend to take things out of context. We do not read the whole chapter! Another reason is that we have our minds so filled with certain doctrines that we fail to grasp what the Word of God is actually telling us. There is a revelation in Hebrews 12 that we need to understand. It commences with the exhortation, “let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God”.

The chapter concerns the New Testament church of Jesus Christ. This church is under the gospel and the New Covenant. We are to look always to Him.

Verses 18-28 in particular relate to the Old and New Covenants, the giving of the law and the people under Moses compared with the people under Christ, Mount Zion that shook as God in the Person of His Son came down and the now heavenly Mount Zion, “the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, ...and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant”.

At the giving of the Old Covenant, “His voice shook the earth”. Verse 16 goes on to say “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens. This phrase, ‘Yet once more’ indicates the removal of things that are shaken - that is, things that have been made – in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken”.

This is a quotation from Haggai 2:6 and 11. I have heard from the pulpit that this is to be future and that we are to expect it to happen soon. This is amazing to hear because it shows the lack of understanding of the basic gospel.

Haggai was prophesying about the destruction of the Jewish institution, the nation, the mode of worship, the Temple and its forms, all being “things that have been made”. Hebrews brings this out clearly. The Spirit in the Old Testament and the Spirit in the New Testament reveals that with their destruction, that has already happened in 70 A.D., there is the New Covenant with its sprinkled blood, the Saviour, Jesus Christ, a new kind of worship (one acceptable to God), the church that is heavenly, things that cannot be shaken because they are spiritual, heavenly and eternal. Obviously, with the removal of the old forms, we should not look back to them or ignore the whole meaning for us today from both Haggai and Hebrews. All of this has nothing to do with a restored Israel, a restored nation or its forms of worship, a rebuilding of a Temple and re-introduction of animal worship or anything of this earth that would include a millennium as frequently taught. It is wrongly taught.

Haggai 2:28, “The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, The glory of this latter house shall be greater than the former”. The Temples of the Old Testament, called “God’s house” were full of splendour. Many preachers in understanding that, then go on to think of the “latter house” and its treasures in similar terms.

That is not what God is saying in relation to the “latter house”. He would bring our attention to the spiritual implications. Preachers tell us there will be great monetary and worldly economical control in this Scriptural church of the last day. The real meaning obviates that conclusion. The Scriptures speak in spiritual terms regarding this, the Church, not the formal one but rather the one that is indeed the true Body of Christ. We note Malachi 3:17, “You will be Mine when I make up My jewels”. God is not classifying natural wealth but spiritual wealth. Also, Zechariah 9:16, “Like the jewels of a crown they shall shine on the land”. According to what Jesus said, we should understand that His Kingdom is not of this world.

Moses and his law that brought only death and his institutions that only pointed to Christ, the blood of animals not availing for sinners, have come to an end. Moses died at the age of 120 years, full of health. This showed that the law continued in vital force, with the bringing of death, right to the end of the Jewish period. Then the period of grace and the Spirit, through the coming, death and resurrection of Christ, brought about the new order. It began on the Day of Pentecost and will continue here on earth until Jesus returns again. It will have its consummation in heaven throughout eternity.

JESUS, JOHN, PAUL, PETER SAY

There is no mention of a millennium by Jesus Christ or by John, Peter or Paul in their writings. If this is a scriptural truth, why is there nothing said about it by them? Read 2 Thessalonians 1:7-10; 1 Thessalonians 5:1-10; 1 Corinthians 15:22-27; Luke 17:20-37; Matthew 24; Ephesians 1:21; Acts 3:20,21 "the period of restoration of all things which God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient times".

"Restoration" as in Thayer's dictionary is "the restoration not only of the true Theocracy, but also of that more perfect state of (even physical) things which existed before the Fall." Jesus Christ is to remain in heaven until that time. Any so-called millennium is not such a restoration. How then could Jesus leave heaven before that time for a millennium?

His coming again is the promise of 1 Corinthians 15:52 and 1 Thessalonians 4:16-20, known as the Second Coming fifty years ago but perhaps today not called this! According to some ideas He takes the church to heaven for seven years although not stated in Scripture. He then comes again to stand on the Mount of Olives (third time coming). What of the multitudes, of particularly Jews and some Gentiles who are to be saved in the Millennium? They would miss out on such a coming. Or is He to come again a fourth time?

Contrary to what is taught the Kingdom of God is the same as the Kingdom of Heaven, as is seen by reading Matthew 4:17; Mark 1:15. Schofield says the kingdom of heaven is Messianic, Davidic (Schofield Bible, p.1003). The two are one as proved by these scriptures so the Davidic kingdom has already been established. He, taking his cue from Darby, says two gospels are necessary, as do others of the same persuasion, the gospel preached now and the gospel of the Kingdom to be preached during the millennium. However, there is only one gospel. The gospel preached now for Jew and Gentile is the gospel of the Kingdom as Jesus Himself showed, John 3:3; 18:36; Matthew 3:2; 4:23; 19:14; Mark 1:15;Luke 4:43;6:20; Romans 14:17.

Some consider that Amos 9:11 was fulfilled in 1948 when Israel became a nation. Acts 15:7-11 shows that its fulfilment concerns the giving out of the gospel to the Gentiles and of their coming into the Kingdom of God. It began under the ministry of the apostles Peter in Acts 10 and Paul, Romans 1.

We will now examine Matthew 24:32-34, which has been used for many years as proof of the restoration of Israel. Even although natural Israel is generally considered figuratively in Scripture as an olive tree, Jesus is speaking of a fig tree. He is speaking here only in a parable. In Mark 11:14-21, Jesus had cursed an actual fig tree that did not produce fruit. He was giving a lesson to His disciples, that they would have been unable to understand at the time. He showed in the cursing, the fate of the Jewish nation. It was unfruitful. Its end was near. In the passage in Matthew, He had been foretelling the terrible events that would happen to the nation, speaking about natural Israel, its end and the end of the Temple in Jerusalem. He says that when a fig tree puts forth its leaves, all know Summer is coming. His meaning was that the His coming in judgment as Son of Man was near and the terrible things predicted would take place before "this generation" passes away. It did happen in the conquest under Titus, 66-70 A.D. That generation had not passed away. It would end around that time, there being forty years in a generation. When He said these words, it was around 30 A.D.

Because the nation of Israel came into being in 1948 it has been taught wrongly that the Lord would be coming within forty years, i.e. before 1988. His coming has not yet happened and it is 2005 A.D., 57 years after Israel became a nation! This wide prediction from the general interpretation and acceptance by millions of Christians has been proved to be wrong.
To prove the error of this teaching, we note that: -

    a. A Bible generation according to Thayer's dictionary is 30 to 33 years and not 40 years but others say it is 40 years.

    b. "This generation" meant the one to whom He was speaking. He was speaking around 30 A.D. about the Fall of Jerusalem that took place in 70 A.D. There is a reference also to the very end-time events. There we do have a generation.

    c. Jesus was in the simile or parable was taking an instance from nature to explain a spiritual truth, in this case, being a prophecy of things to come, the destruction of the temple and Jerusalem.  In Matthew 24:2 Jesus said, “I prophesy to you that not a block of stone here will be left standing on one another”. This literally took place when the Roman soldiers under Titus totally demolished the temple, where not one stone remained, even though each stone was a gigantic piece of work. Josephus tells us that even the ground upon which the Temple stood was levelled off. According to that historical king, we would have to say that the Dome of the Rock is not on the site of the earlier Temples which were on the true temple mount near Mt Zion. The Dome of the Rock has been built on the site of the Roman fort Antonia. The wailing wall is actually the western wall of that fort which according to Josephus, Titus ordered to be left standing for an encampment for his troops. (It would shelter them from the heat of the western sun.) Why then are believers along with Jews, looking to rebuild on that very spot?! a Temple supposedly for the Messiah.

    d. In Romans 11:24 natural Israel is mentioned as being "their own olive tree", not a fig tree.

    e. Looking at 2 Corinthians 5:15-7:1, it is interesting to note that Paul on the subject of "reconciliation", right on up to the fact that we have "these promises", quotes a great deal of Old Testament scripture, such as Leviticus 26:11,12; Ezekiel 37:27,11-14,21-26; 20:34; Isaiah 43:3-7; 49:22; 60:4; 54:14; 57:13; 60:1-14; 2 Samuel 7:12,16; Isaiah-52:11.

From these scriptures, it must be that Paul believed that Christ brought about the final restoration of the Jews in their participation in His work of redemption on the Cross. Paul obviously did not expect that the Jewish nation would ever be restored to the land of Palestine.

He brings out through his use of the related Old Testament scriptures, the fact that restoration and reconciliation for Israel is fulfilled in Jesus Christ. Christ Himself was the ransom for the sins not only of Israel but also of the whole world. It was in this manner, Israel was restored from exile and reconciled in peace with her God.

The true Israel, of saved Jew and Gentile has experienced what Paul is speaking about. This whole subject is covered by Isaiah 40 to 66 and we particularly note Isaiah 49:5,6,8,22; 53:6-10.

Acting contrary to the words of Jesus, believers for centuries have been trying to set a date to the end of all things. During the first millennium, they thought "the Millennium" would end in 1,000 A.D. We have seen in our day, many supposed "Anti-Christs" who have been named over the years, being international figures. Also, 1982 was to be a year of great import for the church, when the planets were to line up. Nothing happened. 1988 has come and gone and 1992 has passed without anything occurring.

We are now today, past the year 2000 A.D. when according to many, the end of all things must be upon us. Firstly, they say, 120 Jubilees will have taken place. A Jubilee was every fifty years, according to Old Testament Law. Secondly, as certain ones, particularly of Brethren heritage have taught, that supposedly will be the end of the sixth day (6,000) years. The seventh day (1,000 years) which is to be the millennium must commence by then!

What did Jesus teach us? He said, Mark 13:32, "But of that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but the Father". If no one will know the time, why is there so much speculation? Jesus also said in Acts 1:7, "It is not for you to know (understand, perceive) the times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority." Why are we trying to find out something that is not in our power to know, understand or perceive? Why are we always trying to fix a date or time for the Second Coming of the Lord or for the so-called "Millennium", as well as looking to see what is happening in natural Israel? Why all this speculation that goes on decade after decade in its various forms and fashions? Is it not disobedience to the words of Jesus?

Jesus was teaching the disciples the importance of the outpouring of the Spirit. They could not realise its spiritual significance. They were thinking along earthly lines. They asked Him if it was at that time He would be restoring the kingdom to Israel. Then He spoke as quoted above. He continued with, in verse 8, "but you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses… even to the remotest part of the earth".

Jesus was instructing them that what the Father had fixed by His own authority was not theirs to question or know. It was not to be their concern. The time that would elapse before the final establishment of the Kingdom would not be revealed. Titus 1:2 shows our hope is "of Immortal Life" which God, who never lies, promised from all eternity. All believers live in this hope, without setting dates. We in the church are to be filled with the Holy Ghost and to witness to Christ all over the world. There is one Church for all time, of both Jew and Gentile, Ephesians 2:14.

The idea of a millennium was originally a most carnal Jewish tradition. They anticipated a reign of 1,000 years on earth by the Messiah. Among the first Christians to teach this Jewish tradition was Papias who wrote about 140 A.D. In the preface to his book, he indicates he was not a hearer or eyewitness of the Apostles. Obviously he did not obtain this teaching from them as Peter, James or Paul definitely do not teach it. What John wrote was apocalyptic. This was a form of writing then fairly common amongst the Jews of that day and previous. He did not clearly teach any reign of Christ for 1,000 years in a literal manner. Papias followed a wrong interpretation of John.

Papias has recorded other accounts as having come to him from unwritten tradition and which are mythical. Among these, he says there will be a period of a thousand years after the resurrection of the dead, when the kingdom of Christ will be set up in material form on this earth. He obtained this through a misunderstanding of apostolic accounts, not realising that they spoke things recorded in figurative language mystically. He does appear to be a man of very little intelligence, according to history.

He was the reason so many ecclesiastical writers after him held the same opinion, one being Irenaeus. As stated, Paul did not teach this and neither did Jesus. Jesus Christ never considers Himself as a Jew of the Jews, as did Paul previous to his conversion. Jesus always addressed God as His Father. It was a relationship based on that of a family and never one that was nationalistic. He never acted or spoke as if national Israel had any future hope to be a nation.

God's interest is no longer centered on the National Jew. This is obvious from Galatians 3:28 when it states unequivocally, "There is no longer Jew or Greek ...for all of you are one in Christ Jesus". "No longer" means what it says. Therefore there is to be no program for "Jews" as such in anything touching them as a people, a nation or in any earthly restoration.

The "Jewish Lexicon" states that during the 19th century, a quarter of a million Jews became members of churches. That was a large influx and it was not at a time of any millennium, which is supposedly when Jews convert! The time for Jew as for Gentile, is now, because the Word of God says, "'Now is the acceptable time', behold, 'Now is 'the day of salvation'".

It takes much grace to admit one's error. It takes a willingness to change one's interpretation of the Word of God from that generally being taught and to stand alone. We must study the Word of God to discover truth.

In parables from Matthew 21:23 to 22:14 Jesus told of His death at the hands of the Jews. He quoted from Psalm 118:22,23 in Matthew 21:42, "The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone;" and this verse is quoted again in Acts 4:11. 1 Peter 2:7 shows clearly He was speaking about His rejection by the Jews and that He Himself would be the cornerstone of the new building.

The new building as shown clearly in Matthew 21:23 is His church, when He says "the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that produces the fruits of the kingdom". Matthew 21:33-46 speaks of the loss of nationhood to Israel, with no promise of Israel being reinstated in such nationhood - e.g. during a millennium! Verse 43, "the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that produces the fruits of the kingdom".

Again we refer to Ephesians 2:19,20, "you are members of the household of God built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone". In 1 Peter 2 it is shown clearly in connection with this cornerstone, verse 9, that we are "a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's own people". We are the people in Matthew. Reading these verses makes it very clear. If we had never heard the doctrine regarding Israel being God's people for the millennium, we would not hesitate to take up the position as outlined in this paragraph.

ISRAEL ONCE, NOW THE CHURCH

God had planned for national Israel to be a kingdom of priests, Exodus 19:6. This they failed to be. Then God brings into being the true Israel of God after the Cross. They become the royal priests, Revelation 1:6; 5:10; 20:6. The spiritual kingdom of kings and priests, 1 Peter 2:9 has superseded the royal priesthood that was to be Israel's portion, in type. Now we have the antitype and there is no longer any need for the type that was a failure. Therefore, a national Israel is no longer necessary to fulfill this.

Paul in his defense in Acts 28:20 said he was "wearing this chain for the sake of the hope of Israel". The hope was Messianic and concerned the resurrection of the dead, 23:6; 24:15; 26:6-8.

Acts 2:26-33 shows that the resurrection of Jesus Christ had been foretold by David. David pointed to a coming prince, the Messiah, as the Son of David. When he prophesied this One would sit upon his throne, the Bible says he spoke of the resurrection to enable this One to so sit upon His throne. Christ is now upon His throne, Hebrews 1:8. This throne was never meant to be an earthly throne, Psalm 110:1 and Hebrews 1:13, Mark 12:35-37.

The enemies are principalities and powers, rulers of this age, who were defeated at the Cross, but who are being progressively destroyed. The last enemy is death. It will be destroyed at the final resurrection of the dead. Then the kingdom of Christ will become part of the eternal reign of God, 1 Corinthians 15:25. There is never a mention of any reign of Christ from Jerusalem.

The hope of Israel was based on the Abrahamic Covenant, Genesis 12 and 17, the Sinaic, Exodus 19:1-24:18 and Davidic Covenants, 2 Samuel 7:12-16. This hope which was enlarged upon and explained throughout the Old Testament, was fulfilled in Jesus Christ, Galatians 3:16. Note the "have been fulfilled". We know this fulfilment is in a spiritual kingdom of Jesus Christ, which was announced when He was on earth. We are already in that kingdom. It has been fulfilled. Therefore, it cannot be that it awaits fulfilment in a so-called millennium on earth, with a reign from Jerusalem.

Romans 15:8,9 reads, "Jesus Christ has been made a minister of the Circumcision (the people of Israel) in order to confirm (make valid) His promises to our forefathers (the patriarchs): And so that the Gentiles also should praise God for his mercy". This fulfils the Promise made by Moses in Deuteronomy 18:18,19 wherein the Messiah is promised as a Prophet to the Jews. For that purpose He came to Israel, and not to be presented to them as King in His Messianic office. It is error to say that the Church is a Parenthesis and only happened because Jesus was not accepted by the Jews as their Messiah.

According to Romans 15:8 above, Christ as a minister to the "circumcision" is in confirmation of the promises made to the fathers. "Confirm" means "to establish and bring to realisation". This covenant was fulfilled, or established, in Christ, Galatians 3:16. The sign of circumcision was given to Abraham as the seal of that covenant, Genesis 17:1-21. Christ is now the minister of the New covenant that confirms the Old Covenant of which circumcision was the seal. In this He was the Messiah promised to Abraham, Genesis 12:2,3. The real purpose of the promise was not to establish a Jewish nation, but to bring in a people for God from among the Gentiles also, as well as the believing remnant of Jews.

God's ultimate agenda for Christ as a minister of the circumcision was found in His mercy for the Gentiles as well as for believing Jews. Galatians 3:13,14 says "that in Christ Jesus, the blessing of Abraham might be imparted to the Gentiles". This is also the purpose of the covenant with David, Romans 15:9-12, "Rejoice, ye Gentiles, in company with His people" and "There shall be a root of Jesse (David) (a scion of the house of Jesse) (the root of Jesse shall come) And he who also rises up to rule over the Gentiles - in him shall the Gentiles trust (the heathen will set their hopes on him)". In this Jesus Christ was "a minister to the circumcision". See Psalm 18:49; 2 Samuel 22:50; Deuteronomy 32:43; Psalm 117:1; Isaiah 11:10.

Millenniasts have been waiting for the restoration of Israel to the Promised Land. It is very significant that the book of Corinthians shows that the restoration prophesied in the Old Testament began to happen on the Day of Pentecost.

We should read 2 Corinthians 5:14-7:1.

The last verse reads, "Since we have these promises", or as Moffatt says, "Since these promises have been given to us." What promises? They are the promises of the restoration of Israel in separation from idolatry, as the people of God. 2 Corinthians 5:14 speaks of the Cross of Christ. v.18 reconciliation. Chapter 6 - verse 2, Now is the acceptable time; now is the day of salvation.

Paul quotes Isaiah 49:8 here, concerning the restoration of Israel. In Isaiah 48 v. 6 God speaks that He will "restore the survivors of Israel", v.9 is in imagery of the Exodus and Israel's deliverance, v.12 says they will come from the north and the west, v.22 "I will raise my signal to the peoples; and they shall bring your sons in their bosom..." This is all about the Restoration of Israel, first from Babylon and then in Christ.

2 Corinthians 6:16-18. These verses are definitely about the church of Jesus Christ being the temple of the living God. Those verses also come from the Old Testament Scriptures on the restoration of Israel such as Leviticus 26:12 that is spoken to Israel, "I will place my dwelling in your midst". It is also given to us.

Ezekiel 37:27; "My dwelling place shall be with them" and "I will be their God and they shall be My people". See v.21 "I will take the people of Israel from the nations", v.23 "never again defile themselves with idols" (as stated in 2 Corinthians 6:16), v.24 "My servant David (King Jesus), v.25 "they shall live in the land", v.26 "An everlasting covenant" and v.28 "when My sanctuary is among them forever".

This prophecy in general, but not literally in detail, was fulfilled after the Jews' return from Babylon. It must now be brought forward to refer to the Church as indicated in 2 Corinthians 5,6. God is among His church. King Jesus reigns, under an everlasting covenant as mentioned.

There was not and is not to be the raising of literal David from the dead to be king. It speaks of Jesus Christ. Therefore the whole passage is not literal for the future. It does not speak of a literal fulfilment in the land of Israel. It is fulfilled spiritually even as David in type was fulfilled in the Person of Jesus Christ. We are in the land of Canaan, the kingdom of Heaven or of God now. We are in the true church. One day it will be in heaven itself.

It is the new covenant, or testament. His sanctuary is among these people forever and could never be in a literal land of Israel for only 1000 years. In Corinthians the Church is His sanctuary.

Isaiah 52:11; This speaks of Zion, fulfilled as the Church. Zion, once a mountain in geographical Jerusalem and now the eternal "city of God", Hebrews 12:22, is the centre in the New Covenant. From there, Zion the Church, comes the Word of God, Psalm 48:1,2; Isaiah 2:3; 14:26,27. Zion is now the source of the river of Paradise, Isaiah 33:21; Psalm 46:4; Ezekiel 47:1-12. Zion will be the centre of the new creation where perfection reigns, Isaiah 60-62; 35:1-10; 65:17,18; Psalm 72:8-11; 102:12-22. See also Revelation 21:1,2; 22:1-5,16,17.

1 Samuel 7:14, "I will be a father to him", spoken to David. In Corinthians it is spoken to us who are in Jesus Christ, the Greater David.

All the above verses are "these promises" (2 Corinthians 7:1). They are no longer for natural Israel. They are for us. They are ours. We have them. Therefore we have come in to the promises of the restoration of Israel. The Old Testament obviously spoke of a spiritual Israel that was to come, of Jew and Gentile, Galatians 6:16, "the true Israel of God". This means there is only one Israel for the purposes of God. See. Ephesians 2:15-22.

ABOUT ISRAEL AND THE MILLENNIUM

"The calling of Israel is irrevocable". Romans 11:25-29. They are elect and the promises of God for His elect now even regarding the land, will be fulfilled. It is now carried over for the elect, the church of the Living God, the present Israel of God. Those of national Israel who were saved are now in heaven with all the saved Gentiles, waiting for the resurrection. This is never to include every Israelite. It means the remnant, throughout all generations, who have faith in Messiah. It cannot mean that Israel as a nation at some time will all be saved and that in one generation will be brought back to the land of Israel. That would eliminate all the chosen Israelites of all ages who have circumcision of the heart. It cannot mean them.

We must not follow the idea of a people who have an irrevocable call to mean a national Israel from the idea of a land on this earth that has been promised without conditions. Again, this is not promised for a certain generation of national Israel for any millennium. Let us look at the calling of Israel separately from the promise of the land in Genesis 17:8.

These verses in Romans 11:25-29 are a quotation from Isaiah 59:20,21. In that portion, "He will come to Zion", and in Romans it is "from Zion" (the heavenly Jerusalem and Church in heaven and on earth). In both portions of Scripture there is a connection to the "Remnant" of natural Jews. The Redeemer has already come to Zion (Jerusalem) and been rejected there, except for the remnant. There is a further fulfilment that concerns His coming to those who will believe and form the Church (Zion), consisting of Jews and Gentiles. Then "all Israel will be saved" through the Church, as He comes "Out of Zion, the Deliverer". Now He is coming out of Zion through the New Testament Church founded on the Old Testament Church, to Gentiles, until their "fullness" and to those Jews who will believe on Him during this dispensation. All Gentile believers and believing Jews are the "true Israel of God", Galatians 6:16.

We see the promise of land in Genesis 17:8 that reads "all the land of Canaan for an everlasting possession;" "everlasting" in the Hebrew dictionary means "in perpetuity; for a period; long continuance into the future". NRSV reads "all the land of Canaan for a perpetual holding". In verse 13, the covenant as well as circumcision, are called "everlasting". This could not mean "everlasting" as we understand its meaning, because circumcision ceased. Therefore the promise of that particular land cannot mean everlasting as we know it.

We note the following:-
    a. i. The only time Israel had all the land of Canaan was at the time of David and Solomon. This was for "a period".
       ii. Also, from 66 A.D. until 1948, there were no Israelites who had the land of Israel. Therefore how we normally understand "everlasting" cannot be what God said, as those two situations just mentioned proved "not everlasting". In addition, when time ceases, it will not be possible for the land of Israel to be possessed by a natural nation of Israel. Heaven is our home, even if it is the New Jerusalem coming down to earth (the new earth).
      iii. Israel has defiled the land. Once defiled, it cannot return to a state of not being defiled. On that basis, the land of Israel can never be used for a "holy" or "chosen" natural nation, even during the idea of the millennium. In Jeremiah 2:7, the Lord states "I brought you into a plentiful land … But when you entered you defiled My land, and made My heritage an abomination".
    b. God used the same word, "eternal" or "everlasting" for the law, Sabbath, circumcision, kingdom, priesthood Exodus 40:15, Israel and so on. It should be understood that each one has gone through developments or forms as types and the realities, the anti-types themselves remain in new form. The developments have long since ceased, e.g. there are no longer priests.

Genesis 17:13,14, "an everlasting covenant" and "my covenant be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant" regarding circumcision. Circumcision of the flesh ceased at the Cross. Romans 2:29; Galatians 5:2-4. Therefore, this also proves that the word "everlasting" in Hebrew has a similar meaning as stated previously.

For the covenant to mean that Israel must possess the land again (in a millennium) would also indicate that the covenant would mean that the natural Israelites must go back to being circumcised. This is not possible under the dictates of any Scripture.

"History of the Christian Church", Phillip Schaff, states that it is not correct to say that the doctrine of the millennium was generally accepted in the first three centuries. On the contrary. It was a limited number only that followed the belief. Clement of Rome, Ignatius, Polycarp, Tartian, Athenagoras, Theophilus, Clement of Alexandria, Origen, Dionysius and other important Church Fathers do not mention such a doctrine. The Alexandrian (African) School and Origen, emphasised the allegorical interpretation of Scriptures.

In the Middle Ages, belief in the Millennium was regarded as heretical. During the time of the Reformation, the doctrine was rejected. The Augsberg Confession condemned those "who scatter Jewish opinions, that, before the resurrection of the dead, the godly shall occupy the kingdom of the world". The Second Helvetic Confession - "We condemn the Jewish dreams, that before the day of judgment there shall be a golden age on earth and the godly shall possess the kingdoms of the world".

Up to the present time, the millennium has never yet been embodied in a single Confession. The weight of theological opinion is against it. If we do not have a sound scriptural basis for any belief or experience we should not follow it.

The Reformed Theologians began to teach a spiritual conception of the millennium, that is continuously in existence before the end of the world and the return of Jesus Christ. They rejected the idea of a visible reign of Christ on earth for a thousand years. They said there would be a period of the spiritual presence of Christ in the Church that would bring about a universal religious awakening. This is happening.

The earliest writing on a period of millennium was in 130 A.D. in the "Epistle of Barnabas" (Alexandrian). It had been in western Asia Minor that the teaching began to appear. Cerinthus a Judeo-Christian leader, of apparently Gnostic tendency, was active there in 100 A.D. As early as 155 A.D. Justin Martyr conceded that although all Christians hoped for the resurrection of the dead, some did not wait for an earthly kingdom. This teaching of an earthly kingdom was not general.

The believers in the centuries until the nineteenth did not have doctrines of a millennium. Even as far back as the period after the apostles passed on, there was no teaching whatsoever of a future hope for Israel outside the church. There was no idea of a separate future hope for Israel as a nation.

The modern teaching regarding the millennium began as an extensive influence on the English speaking Church, with Darby, about 1830. Darby was the founder of the Exclusive Brethren who came out of the Plymouth Brethren. He promulgated amongst other errors, the teaching of a "thousand year reign of Christ". At that time, Joseph Smith founder of the Mormons, wrote of a regathering of Israel. Also, the founder of Adventism (Seventh Day), began teaching the same things at that time. Judge Rutherford of the Jehovah's Witnesses wrote of the Millennium and blessings for the Jews. Strange bedfellows for us!

These teachings of the Brethren had taken a hold in England through a Scottish preacher, Irving. There was a student of prophecy, a Mr. Hartley Frere, who was not a minister and thus had no platform from which to promulgate such things, who had converted Irving to these beliefs. Irving had that platform and thousands listened to his great oratory. Darby was one. In 1825 Irving's and Darby's belief in the imminent return of Christ was preached ardently. It did not happen. One hundred and seventy five years and more have passed! America received these teachings through D.L. Moody and C.I. Schofield with his Schofield Bible and some contribution from Spurgeon. Schofield was not a Bible Scholar. Because his notes are at the bottom of each page of Holy Writ published by him, readers tend to receive his teachings. They appear to be part of the Bible! Spurgeon, towards the end of his life, the latter part of the nineteenth century, preached the pre-millennial return of Christ. Pentecostals in the main believe in Darby's doctrines, coming from Irving.

That Irving was the leader of the Irvingites who spoke in tongues should not be reason to accept all his beliefs. Another thing is that Pentecostals and Charismatics in particular follow Darby's teachings on interpretation of Old Testament Prophecy and even certain portions of the New Testament whereas Darby strongly opposed the speaking in tongues. His followers still do, saying it is of the Devil. How can we Pentecostals be so indiscriminate in our thinking? Regarding Darby's and Schofield's beliefs, it is doubtful that most of us have known the full foundation of their prophetic teachings that we have followed and that most still do follow. Such foundations are contrary to the Bible and to the teachings of the early church.

The belief is that a battle will take place in one small valley of Armageddon. With all of our modern weapons and large, modern armies, how could this be? They say a period of a literal seven months will be needed to bury the dead and use Ezekiel 39:11,12 and Revelation 19:17. The corpses, numbering many millions, would be rotten, disease producing and stinking. It is all a physical impossibility. I suggest that the language used in the books of Ezekiel and Revelation is symbolic and concerns great and wonderful things willed and allowed by God, now taking place on this earth.

The unbelief of the Jews was that in their carnality, their hope of the Messiah centered only on His being a natural King. See Matthew 20:20,21, where the mother of Zebedee’s sons wanted a place for them on either side of Him when He come to His kingdom.

The Jews thought He would overthrow the Romans and set up a kingdom on earth, as was David’s. That is still their hope. For two thousand years they have been proved wrong. Unfortunately, many in the church of Jesus Christ seem to be following in their train, when interpreting the Scriptures regarding the end-time events. Believers are centring their hopes around what is happening in the land of Israel forgetting it is only for a holy people.

It is a believed God restored the (unholy) nation of Israel in 1948. Much has been overlooked. There has not been any indication of any supernatural intervention by God in these years of supposed restoration. Compared to the redemption of God’s people out of Egypt under Moses when there were many outstanding miracles, there are no such miracles. The Promised Land is only for God’s holy people. Looking at the books of Ezra and Nehemiah concerning the restoration of Israel from its captivity of seventy years in Babylon, one sees the direct hand of God, through the prophet and priest.

Today, there is no such evidence in the modern state of Israel. How can it be possible that any such momentous event under God for a restored Israel could happen without His supernatural acts as formerly? There is no sign of any Divine action by the hand of God in recent times. This applies to the period beginning after the Second World War and continuing until the present day. This being the case, the Christian Right of U.S.A. and all those believers in Christ who accept Darby’s doctrines as being the truth, are following a wrong course.

The following is a copy of a Comment by The Rev. Lt. Col. R.J.G. Begbie OBE in the Christian Digest Protestant & Reformed Journal – November 2001 as it appeared in “Israel & Christians Today” – Winter 2001:-

“The USA funded and supported the original post-war terrorists, namely the Zionists, by whom the Jews have occupied land belonging to and occupied by the Palestinians for 2000 years. The USA, acting through the UN, forced the British to give up the mandate by which they had done their best to protect Palestinian interests. Now justice requires that the original state of Palestine be reconstituted, the Palestinians be given back their lands and re-housed, and the Israelis required to accept majority rule just as everyone has been forced to do in South Africa.

The USA has funded and armed the IRA terrorists for the last 30 years in order to force Ulstermen to accept the rule of a foreign power…

The UK promised under the Balfour Declaration to give land, which was not its to give, to the Jews despite a previous undertaking given on behalf of Lawrence of Arabia to the Arabs. All the local terrorism results from this broken promise”.

The above is history.

It is obvious that the Christians who believe in the eschatology as disproved herein, lobbied the US Government year in and year out since about 1945, as well as certain wealthy Jews there. One may well ask, where in the New Testament and even in the Old Testament, are Christians asked to help bring about a Jewish State and become politically involved in its formation? If the prophecies they accept are indeed to be fulfilled, would not God do it supernaturally without the aid of the Christians? The New Testament shows a lack of involvement of the Christians and the Church in any politics, particularly Jewish.

How can the major part of the church of Jesus Christ be so blind?

Both orthodox Jews and Christians are looking for the Messiah to come to make Israel the centre of these natural beliefs. We are to "look for Him to come a second time to bring full and final salvation. We know that in heaven we have a better possession that is permanent", Hebrews 9:28; 10:34. Ancient Jewry had a carnal hope of a Messiah who would rule on a national basis. They worshipped in a worldly sanctuary, Hebrews 9:1. We have a spiritual hope. Our worship is heavenly.

Paul in Acts 13:32-34 preached about Jesus, the Saviour, to those in Abraham’s family, verses 23,26, stating that "what God promised to our ancestors he has fulfilled for us". These promises centered in Jesus, the seed promised, who was resurrected from the dead, to whom was also given the holy promises made to David.

Verse 33 reads "has fulfilled unto us, the children". "Has fulfilled" is a compound verb, used only here. It is intensive in meaning and is to be understood as "has completely fulfilled". In view of this, there can be no Millennium on earth where it remains for Jesus Christ to sit on an earthly throne of David. He already is sitting on the restored throne of David and that kingdom has no end. It remains for His Second Coming to see its fullness.

We have a heavenly hope. Our citizenship is in heaven, "and it is from there that we are expecting a Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ", Philippians 3:20. We have an inheritance "that is imperishable, undefiled and unfading, kept in heaven" for us, 1 Peter 1:4. Abraham had been promised an inheritance on this earth, but in Hebrews 11:10 we are told "he looked forward to the city that has foundations, whose builder and maker is God". Jesus said His kingdom is not of this world. John 18:36; 8:56-58.

An interesting writer on the whole matter of the present beliefs in End Times, can be found by searching www.stephensizer.com

SCHOFIELD'S GRAVE ERRORS

Schofield Reference Bible states there are four gospels:

1. The Gospel of the Kingdom. The good news that God had promised to set up an earthly kingdom. It was to be political, spiritual, Israelites, universal and to be ruled over by Jesus as the greater son of David. It is the supposed millennium, 1000 years.

2. The Gospel of the Grace of God. The good news that Jesus died, was buried and rose again. Schofield says "this" gospel!

3. The Everlasting Gospel. To be preached by Jews after the church is raptured, before the beginning of the millennium. It is neither, he says, the gospel of the kingdom nor of grace. Those who were saved during the great tribulation will enter a millennial reign.

4. Paul's "My Gospel". It is the Gospel of grace, but with a fuller development than that preached by Christ and the apostles he states. Paul had new insight giving a new gospel!

These are four distinct gospels, each supposedly bringing about salvation. This is heresy. There is one gospel. It began to be proclaimed by Jesus and later it was revealed to Paul in its entirety.

Schofield's notes are thought inviolable. They are error and heresy. What of Dakes? Are his notes of like nature? They are evidently so.

In relation to the teaching on the "Great Tribulation", a favourite portion of Scripture used is 2 Thessalonians 2:3-9. The apostle taught that there would be a religious apostasy. The "man of lawlessness" is to be revealed, meaning "to lay open what has not been revealed, or has been covered". He is to proclaim himself as god.

At the time when the epistle was written, the power was then presently working. The "He who restrains" cannot be the Holy Spirit. It may well be "law and order" under the rule of an Emperor or Government (in their day, the Emperor), who may have been the one mentioned in Revelation 13:18). For too long fanciful ideas have been promulgated regarding this so-called period of seven years that has no strong scriptural base.

We believe that the Lord Jesus was born to die on the cross. These Brethren teachers say it was to establish an earthly kingdom. Can we follow their beliefs? They say Jesus did not sit on the throne of David on earth at His first advent because the Jews rejected and crucified Him. Matthew 37:27, "King". Luke 1:69; Ezekiel 29:21, mention "A horn in the house of David". They teach that the throne awaits Him for the millennium! Jesus Christ is now Lord on the throne of heaven. Can we expect a demotion to a throne on earth?

They say, "Had the Jews accepted Jesus' offer to establish an earthly Davidic kingdom, people would then have been saved by legal obedience. There would have been no necessity for the Cross". What error. See Romans 5 to 8. Old and New Testament saints are saved by faith. Salvation is by grace through the Cross of Jesus Christ to all who believe as pre-ordained before the world was made.

Regarding prophecy, these teachers say that the Old Testament writers did not know of the church age. Therefore they saw the two advents of Christ, but saw nothing intervening between these two comings. These two advents supposedly appeared to the prophets as mountain peaks and as one happening. Therefore, they say, all prophecies, which may appear to be referring to the first advent, are in reality referring to the Second Coming! In actuality, these prophecies find their fulfilment in Jesus Christ at His first coming.

During the millennium, they say, Jesus will rule with a rod of iron. There is no word of the cross or of grace in these kingdom teachings that is gospel.

These errors of Schofield and all who follow him are refutable.

Genesis 49:10, "The sceptre shall not depart from Judah ... until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the obedience of the peoples be". Shiloh is Jesus Christ. He has come and has taken over the sceptre from national Israel. Peoples now are to obey Him. Now there is the true Israel of God, Galatians 6:16. Jesus Christ is the Antitype of national Israel, the law, circumcision and the prophets and He has formed the believing part of natural Israel, into the Christian church, Romans 11:5.

Jesus at His first advent fulfilled the promises to national Israel and became their Deliverer, Luke 1:30-33, 76, 77; 2:25, 30. He came as a Deliverer out of Zion, Romans 11:26 and all believing Jews (remnant) Romans 11:5 were "given power to become the sons of God", along with all who believe, John 1:11,12, "He came to His own and His own people did not accept Him. But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God." All, Jew and Gentile who receive Christ are formed into the church of Jesus Christ, Ephesians 1:20-23; 2:16-21; Genesis 12:3; 22:18.

God's interest now is not in an earthly Jerusalem. The focus with Him is the heavenly Jerusalem, Hebrews 12:22,23 and Galatians 4:26. This heavenly Jerusalem, of which we are already citizens, will indeed come down to earth. John saw this happening, Revelation 21:2, the New Jerusalem coming down out of heaven to dwell in the new earth, 2 Peter 3:11-13.

Therefore the ultimate of the promise to Abraham concerning land, has its fulfilment in two ways:-
  a. The heavenly Jerusalem is the people of God.
  b. That city in Revelation 21 coming down to earth, fulfils the promise concerning land. God created Adam and gave him a Garden. God promised Abraham land that he understood meant more than Palestine, as shown in Hebrews 11:9. Earth and a Garden are to be renovated, replenished and recreated for the abode of resurrected people with immortal bodies of, those who are part of the heavenly Jerusalem.

Abraham, Isaac and Jacob understood the promise of the land to be but a type of their heavenly inheritance. That is where they set their hearts and desires, Hebrews 12:8-10.

Jesus Christ is the fulfilment of the covenants to Abraham and David. Matthew 1:1, the son of David, the son of Abraham and Matthew 1:17, from Abraham to David to the Messiah.

Daniel 2:44 is the Kingdom of the Messiah. Daniel 7:18 mentions "the saints of the Most High" and these are the saints, Jew and Gentile. These are of the whole church and not just Jewish saints. Daniel 8 is about Medo-Persia and Greece. The "great horn" is Alexander the Great and the "four notable horns" are the four kingdoms after he died. The Beast is Antiochus Epiphanes, 168BC, history already has been fulfilled somewhat.

Common sense tells us that the whole of this chapter, which has been fulfilled in history, would not refer to an anti-type of the Beast who is the Anti-Christ Beast of Revelation. That would mean the history of Daniel 8 is fulfilled and happened up to the fourth century before Christ and then is a gap of many centuries, after which there will be fulfilled again, one prophecy only out of that chapter, i.e. the Beast! This is illogical. The Beasts of Revelation are different.

In Daniel 7 the Vision of the Seventy Weeks has provided a variety of interpretations. Which one is the right one? There is no certainty in history as to which date with its mention of the "issuing of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem" does refer. Is it 538 B.C., 519 B.C. or 457 B.C.? No one can be sure! In the original Hebrew, the word for "decree" could be "word" as in the NRSV Version. In that case the reference could be to Jeremiah 25:12; 29:10 and then it would mean a round figure of seventy years of Exile in Babylon.

Obviously, to try and solve the details by the passing of history is useless. So why do we try? I can remember that at the age of sixteen years, I laboriously began to follow Bible School Notes in an endeavour to work it all out. I discovered even then that there were various interpretations! It is probable that the numbers were used symbolically which is a typical manner of apocalyptic writings in the Scriptures.

I personally have wondered for years, as I followed the Millennium Teaching and believed it, "Why did the Lord give all those prophecies in the Old Testament about natural Israel and then about the seven years End-time and Millennium and leave a gap of the Church Age with no prophecies?" There is no need to wonder. He did not do such a thing. Prophecies have been given for this Dispensation and they cover natural Israel and Spiritual Israel (the church) and the Church Age - and not a seven year period and historical millennium.

Clarence Larkin's Charts on the Seven Dispensations are beginning to be shown to be false. Present ideas regarding Eschatology are based on those premises. According to him, six Dispensations finish just before 2000 A.D. Those six are assumed to have been four before Christ and two after Christ. However, it is not totally proved by history that only four thousand years elapsed from creation to the first coming of Christ.

According to his charts, it would appear that the Seventh Day should have commenced already. Two thousand years after Christ was born, being Days 5 and 6, should have ended in 1996, as Jesus was born according to historical records, 4 B.C., some authorities even suggesting the date as 7 B.C. The Seventh Day has not begun. The Coming of the Lord has not taken place, the Seven Years' Tribulation have not occurred and all these events should have been over for the Seventh Day (the Millennium) to commence January, 1997 or to have commenced in January, 1993.

2 Peter 1:16-20 shows the Son is the fulfilment of Old Testament prophecy and this "word of prophecy is confirmed" in the coming of the Son. We are to pay attention to this word until the Day dawns and the Morning Star arises in our hearts, at His coming. That in itself leaves no room for any Millennium!

2 Peter 1:20 reads "no prophecy of scripture is a matter of one's own private interpretation". See 2 Peter 1:16, "We were not crediting fables of man's invention when we preached to you about the power of our Lord Jesus Christ and about his coming".

Matthew 22:29, "You do err, not knowing the Scriptures or the power of God".

2 Timothy 3:16, "Every scripture inspired of God is also profitable for doctrine (teaching), for refuting error, for giving guidance - for teaching the faith, for training and correcting error". Why do we not let the Scriptures speak for themselves, instead of trying to be a mathematician or "diviner" of puzzles, as teachers seem to be with these erroneous doctrines.

There will be no restored Roman Empire, or city of Babylon, or actual Temple! Daniel 9:24-27 was fulfilled at Calvary. Sin was dealt with. Messiah confirmed the Covenant, with no interval between weeks 69 and 70. "Shut up transgression and make an end of sin, from the commandment to restore Jerusalem unto Messiah ...be cut off, not for himself".

Proponents of the Millennium doctrine say that there is a gap between the 69th and the 70th week. According to that view, a period of seven years’ tribulation will happen on earth, particularly to Israel that will experience the wrath of God. During the middle of the “week” (the seven years), Anti-Christ is to make a covenant with Israel. Of course, this is not a scripturally based view.

It is amazing that “Anti-Christ” is the supposed person. In effect, they have replaced Christ Himself with their Anti-Christ, as it is Christ who has already made a covenant with “the many” when He died on the cross. We believers are under that new covenant. Christians are calling the work of Christ the work of “the Anti-Christ”. Dear reader, if you are so doing, I trust you will see the error and repent of it.
  Returning to the idea of "Israel" who has come in the Person of Jesus Christ, to form a house of Israel, (Galatians 6:16). See Isaiah 44:1; 52:13 then Isaiah 42:1; Hosea 11:1,8,11; Exodus 4:22; Matthew 2:15. These verses show the connection between the nation of Israel, "My son" and Jesus, as "Israel My Son", both being "called out of Egypt". Jacob (Israel) is the Servant, who is identified in Matthew 12:18. As a baby Jesus was down in Egypt (land of oppression and sin) and is brought up out again to inaugurate the New Exodus of the new people of God from sin and Satan, under Christ, "whose house we are", Hebrews 3:6. Jesus is now Israel, Abraham's true seed and God's true Son.

The Promises and Covenant of God are fulfilled in Jesus Christ and His salvation for His people and finally in bringing them to the heavenly land as their possession, Galatians 3:14.16,19,22,29. The scene has switched from natural Israel now, to spiritual Israel as a people, descendants of Jesus Christ, Isaiah 53:10 (His offspring); Hebrews 2:10 (many sons); Revelation 21:7.

This being the case, why the interest in a natural Israel and an Israel in the land of Palestine? Our sole interest in this Israel should be to evangelise them with the gospel. We love them of course, for their identification as the former people of God who received the Law, the Covenants and gave Messiah.

The Israelites demanded a king like all the other nations. In 1 Samuel 8:7 God said, "They have rejected Me from being king over them". They wanted to be like the other nations. That spirit was still in their hearts when they expected the Messiah to come and reign as a national king. That same spirit is still in the hearts of the present day Jews who reject the Messiah. They are still waiting for Him to come and be their national king. Unfortunately, much of the Christian Church today has joined them in this ungodly hope, looking for a still carnal and worldly kingdom, hoping for prosperity and getting the world ready for Jesus. Jesus said, "My kingdom is not of this world".

In Matthew 22 Jesus rejects the natural nation. In verse 15 the Pharisees moved against Him again. In Matthew 23:13 He commences a series of "Woes" against them. It is rather negative is it not! In verse 37, He cries out against Jerusalem. Jesus, in Matthew 21:43,44, pronounces judgment upon them and their whole nation when He says, "The kingdom of God will be taken away from you and be given to a nation producing the fruit of it. He who falls on this stone..."

There is a connection between Matthew 23:36 and Acts 2:40. Jesus predicted judgment upon the nation of Israel in that "generation" and Peter told the Jews to "Save yourselves from this corrupt generation". Those who believed in Christ did just that and became citizens of the newly formulated Israel which was to include "all that are afar off", Acts 2:39; Genesis 12:3; Hosea 1:9,10; Romans 9:25,26; 10:19-21; Isaiah 41:9; 44:1-5 (the new nation of Israel); Isaiah 42:6,10; 49:6, 8-10,22; 51:11 (Zion, the Church of Jesus Christ, Hebrews 12:22,23); Isaiah 53; 54;1-3,5; 55:1,3-7.

The latter line relates to 1 Peter 2:7,8 that shows Israel rejected Him but in verse 9 that there is now another "people for God's own possession". The Pharisees knew Jesus spoke against them and wanted to seize Him. Let us believe the words of Jesus. Notice Psalm 95, which we love to use in our church services. "We come into His presence with thanksgiving", verse 1. In verse 7, "we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand". Verses 8 and 9 relate to God's people in the wilderness, national Israel, but the rest of the psalm has included us in the nation of "God's people".

This psalm is quoted in Hebrews 3:2-4:1. The quotation in Hebrews distinguishes between the house of Moses previously and the present house of Christ. The former has finished and the latter commenced, is in progress and will always be in existence. The house of Moses will never be reintroduced. As with the house, so with the people. Those in the former house, (national Israel, excluding the "remnant"), failed to enter into the promised "rest" of heaven, Hebrews 4:3-11, 14-16; 12:18-26,28; 9:28. However, this "rest" is now for us who believe, whether Jew or Gentile. "There now remains a rest for the people of God".

GOD ACTING UNDER THE NEW COVENANT

God forms a New Nation! We read in Isaiah 26:2, "Open the gates (of Jerusalem the type, the heavenly city the anti-type) that the righteous nation may enter, the nation that keeps faith". The only nation that keeps faith now and ever, is the new nation comprising all believers, both Jew and Gentile, of all ages, 1 Peter 2:9, "a holy nation". These ones of faith, have entered the City of God, the heavenly Jerusalem, the church of the first-born, Hebrews 12:22,23. They will enter the Holy City that comes down from heaven to earth and live there forever and ever.

Bible Scholars who believe in the Millennium show footnotes regarding this Isaiah 26 saying, "The redeemed will sing this song of praise during the Millennium". They relate it to a natural city of Jerusalem, on earth, during those thousand years. Their exegesis is incorrect. It is apparent from all these scriptures mentioned that there will not be any natural nation of faith, Jews or otherwise. Also, it would be an impossibility for any natural nation of millions, to enter the gates of that natural city of Jerusalem that does not have a large area, and sing. Hebrews 11:6,10,40; 13:14 show a heavenly city.

Jerusalem from above is the new nation of those who have faith such as the founder of their spiritual nation, Abraham, had, Galatians 3:7,9,28,29; Genesis 12:2;15:5. Natural Israel was intended to be a spiritual nation, but failed from the very beginning, due to the "weakness of the flesh". In a sense, spiritual Israel had its beginnings with Abraham and included all those full of faith, who lived in Old Testament times.

God abandoned the Jerusalem Temple, that represented the city of Jerusalem as centre of the nation, in the Person of Jesus, who went out, never to return to it. Jesus warned the people that their "house" would be left desolate, Matthew 23:37;-24:1. This is also meant a loss of their land forever. As God abandoned the temple it meant the finish of the nation. Jeremiah had warned that the temple could be abandoned just as God abandoned Shiloh, Jeremiah 7:12,14;26:6. If God abandons the temple, there can never be another earthly one that He would inhabit.

It is strange that verses 14-16 of 1 Thessalonians, are never considered in churches or in sermons.

We quote the translation by Cassirer, a Jewish Classicist and scholar, who did not read the Bible until he was forty nine years of age. He is of Jewish descent. It reads, “What has happened to you is the very counter-part of what happened to God’s churches in Judaea dedicated to the service of Jesus Christ. You suffered at the hands of your fellow countrymen the very same things as they suffered at the hands of the Jews. Of the Jews, I say, of the men who put the Lord Jesus and the prophets to death, who are persecuting us cruelly, who incur the displeasure of God, and who show themselves to be the enemies of all mankind, seeking to hinder us, as they do, from preaching to the Gentiles, that they might obtain their salvation. And so it is that they must ever be filling up the measure of their sins. Still, the judgment expressing God’s anger has now overtaken them for good and all”.

How can Israel today be God’s special nation? Instead, we have the sheep, as expressed in Hebrews 11:20, “Now may the God of peace, who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant equip you”. All believers in Christ, Jew and Gentile, are the sheep mentioned here.

Past history shows persecution of Jewish people down the centuries by Christendom and Orthodox Churches. This persecution was evil but it should not be any reason for disregarding the Scriptures.

Speaking to Jewish Christians in Hebrews 11:14, the writer says, “For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come”. He was speaking of the eternal and heavenly city, the New Jerusalem, that John saw in Revelation 21:2, “And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Behold the dwelling place of God is with man’.” There is no mention or place for an earthly Jerusalem to be the centre of the Presence and worship of God.

About 450 B.C. Malachi prophesied regarding God's Covenants, including the covenant with the ancestors, Malachi 2:10. Then God said He would act, 3:17 and that there was hope for the future. In 3:1-3 He said He would send the Messenger of the Covenant, the Messiah, the Lord Himself and before Him, John the Baptist, 3:1; 4:5. That would be the beginning of the Day of the Lord, the Day of victory and judgment.

Zechariah ends on a similar note. The last chapters are about the coming age of full redemption. This is clearly understood because there are prophecies concerning Jesus Christ, that we read about in the Gospels as being fulfilled.

Zechariah says He is to make a humble appearance, bringing righteousness and salvation to Jerusalem while riding on a donkey, Zechariah 9:9, Matthew 21:5. He is the shepherd King, a smitten shepherd, Zechariah 13:7, Matthew 26:31. He is to be pierced and betrayed, Zechariah 11:12-13;12:10, Matthew 26:15; 27:9,10; John 19:34,37.

This king will subdue the nations and establish His kingdom among men, Zechariah 12:8,9; 14:3-9. Zechariah clearly is referring to the kingdom Jesus announced as already being there, in Mark 1:24; Matthew 4:17. The kingdom is an everlasting kingdom and heavenly.

Now we look at Haggai. It speaks of the visible presence of God appearing in the second temple. This happened when Jesus "tabernacled in our midst and we beheld his glory", John 1:14. In Hebrews 1:3 the writer told us He was "the radiance of God's glory, the exact representation of His being". There is a new temple made of living stones, 1 Corinthians 3:16,17; 1 Peter 2:4-10. The writer of Hebrews shows the age as already begun in the person of Christ, Hebrews 12:26-29; Exodus 19:18; Matthew 27:51. All the prophets speaking in similar strain can be understood in the same way.

Let us look at the promise made to Abraham regarding "the land". This occurred in Genesis 13:15; 17:8; 24:7.
    a. The promise includes "to your offspring". The land is "for the offspring" also. In Galatians 3:16 this phrase, "to your offspring" identifies the offspring as being Christ as the One who represents all the descendants of Abraham. In Him the promises are fulfilled. He is the Inheritor of all the promises, including the land. No longer is there any natural land reserved for a national Israel. Christ has superseded the nation of Israel as the heir of the Promises. Now it is not national Israel but all who have faith in Jesus Christ. They are "Abraham's offspring, heirs according to the promise", Galatians 3:29.
    b. The promise that the land will be inherited has become a promise that the people of the Kingdom of God inherit. This includes people of every nation. In Christ, we already possess all things, including "the world", 1 Corinthians 3:21. This accords with promises to Abraham and his descendants, where it is stated in Romans 4:13 that he would inherit the world. It no longer can be the land of Palestine but is universal and "new" and is in relation to the Kingdom of God.
    c. The land we will now inherit, is the "new heavens and new earth". It is no longer a single portion of land, as Palestine, in this present age. The promise now focuses on a universal earth, in the age to come. See Hebrews 11:8-10, 13-16; Isaiah 65:17-25; 66:1; 2 Peter 3:10-13; Revelation 21:1-5; 1 Corinthians 15:24-28; 49,50.

Isaiah 65:17-25 is often used as relating to the Millennium. That means there is death during that 1,000 years! However, "Death has been swallowed up in victory", as in 1 Corinthians 15:50-56, those wonderful scriptures that are used for the second coming of Christ, or as believers who love Him fondly say, "the coming of the Lord". At this coming, called by some now "the rapture", Paul tells us clearly that death is finished! The way these two portions of scriptures are used by Pre-Millennialists, Mid-Millennialists or Post-Millennialists, are at variance with each other. The A-Millennialists are the only ones who have it right!

We should read the Book of Revelation remembering that it was given for the church of John's day, with their historical and cultural background. It was a Hellenistic society (Greek) in Asia Minor, under the power and might of Rome. The believers were living amongst a very pagan society that owed allegiance and worship to the Emperor, Caesar. To these people, came the Revelation of Jesus Christ, chapter 1, verse 1, to make known to His servants the things which must soon come to pass. They came to pass and also became an unfolding and continuous page of history.

John gave the vision in a then current Hebrew form of writing. It was symbolic. Thus in chapters 4 through to 18, there is formulated for all in the entire Church Age to see and understand, the work of Satan in the world and against the Church. These chapters are not about the second coming of Christ! Their Anti-Christ with the number 666 (of man) was a Caesar. In every generation some form of Anti-Christ appears, some being more prominent and far-reaching than others, as for example, rulers who martyr millions of Christians, or such as Mohamed, Joseph Smith of the Mormons, Mao Tse Ting and Stalin.

Gentiles were under the curse, being outside the Law. The Jews could not keep the Law and were under the curse, James 2:10;Romans 8:3; 7:7,10;2:23,25;3:19;11:32; Galatians 3:22, (the Gentiles). This means that all were under the curse. The promise to Abraham, was a covenant to include his descendants, Genesis 12:3;17:7; 22:18 and it included the promise of the land. The purpose was to bring in the Gentiles with the Jewish believers.

The Jews were then no longer under the covenant but under the curse, Deuteronomy 27 and 28, and outside the promised land to live among the Gentiles. When the covenant was withdrawn, it included loss of the natural land. Restoration has come only through Christ, the Seed. The promises to Abraham then are extended to believers in Him.

There is a change, Deuteronomy 28:63; 30:1, the curse is lifted through Jesus Christ becoming a curse, Galatians 3:10-13 for both Jew (now outside the Covenant) and Gentile. The purpose is to fulfill the Abrahamic covenant for all people through the Promised Seed, Christ, Galatians 3:14,16. The only way the covenant to Abraham can be fulfilled (including land) for Jew and Gentile is through the Seed, Christ. We who believe are in the "Seed" and in the promises, not just the Jews. All are under the New Covenant.

The covenant changes from not of this world to the eternal. We receive the Spirit, Isaiah 32:15; 44:3; 59:21; Ezekiel 11:19; 36:26,7; 37:1-14, Joel 2:28,9, (all flesh), Galatians 3:14, the foretaste of eternal life, to live not in Palestine but in the New Jerusalem on a new earth. Christ the King as Son of David, 2 Samuel 7:12-14 Psalm 89:3,4; Isaiah 6:13, reigns in the "land", now changed from Palestine to the everlasting heaven. Hebrews 13:14 promises such.

The purpose of the covenant with Abraham, was not the Jews or Palestine. They were merely the instruments, Romans 3:1,2; 9:4,5. It was to be the whole world, Romans 2:9; 9:24; John 3:16; Ephesians 3:6. The land promised was not just Palestine but "the world", Romans 4:13, which is a new heaven and a new earth, Isaiah 65:17.

The promises are to Abraham and "his offspring", Genesis 17:7, 8-14 and we are the offspring of Abraham who believe in Christ, Galatians 3:29, "If you belong to Christ then are you Abraham's 'offspring', heirs according to the promise". The promises now are not to Jews only but to Jews (the remnant who believe) and Gentiles, all who are in Christ.

The New Covenant is one of the Spirit, Isaiah 32:15; 44:3; 59:21; Jeremiah 31:31-34; Ezekiel 11:19; 36:26,27; 37:1-14; 39:9:29;Joel 2:28,29 and also 2 Corinthians 3:6; 1 Corinthians 10:11; Galatians 3:6-14. The coming of the Spirit is the fulfilment of Jewish hopes for the "age to come". According to Galatians 3:2-5 the new age has come and is also the fulfilment of the blessing promised to the Gentiles through Abraham, Galatians 3:8. This covenant is in terms of the gospel of Jesus Christ and that is why Romans 10:5-10 so interprets Deuteronomy 30:11-14. Verse 6 says God will circumcise the hearts of Israel when they are restored to their land. This is a promise for fulfilment in "restoration" under the Gospel Age as confirmed by Hebrews 8:10-12; Jeremiah 31:33,34; Ezekiel 36:26, Romans 2:29.

All is fulfilled in Christ by the Spirit. We are in this new age and New Covenant, that nowhere includes a millennium or the Jews living in Palestine under the reign of Jesus Christ returned to earth. The prophecies regarding the Feast of Tabernacles physically and geographically in the Old Testament scriptures are never to be for anything other than a Spirit-ual application.

We are under the age of the Holy Spirit but the ultimate fulfilment is always spoken of as in the "Age to Come", which is ushered in by the return of Christ. See Romans 8:22,23, where the resurrection of the dead and the restoration of creation are spoken about together in Romans 8. We already have the first fruits of the Spirit and our final adoption as sons takes place when through the Spirit our bodies are redeemed, Romans 8:23. This happens at the resurrection, when mortality puts on immortality, as described in 1 Corinthians 15:42-46. The present natural body is suited to this present age only and not to the age to come. Neither is the body promised for the age to come suited for this present world.

The new "spiritual" body belongs to the Spirit and will be glorious for the Age to come. Any millennium would not be in the "Age to Come". How would those bodies fit in to this present world? Nowhere in the Scriptures is a millennium included in this future hope that will happen regarding our bodies. It is for the age to come.

If the book of Revelation is to have a literal fulfilment of a great tribulation for seven years (or three and a half, depending on which belief one has) there should be taken into consideration the fact that for many millions, some already dead, it has already happened. Consider the early church, with Caesar as the Anti Christ and all the persecutions they endured. Let us think of the martyrs in the Middle Ages and in many present day countries.

One fact seems to have escaped the notice of Western Preachers and Christians. It is this. There still exist and have existed billions of Moslems. For one thousand years under the rule of that "Anti Christ", millions of Christians have either been killed or have had to deny their faith. Moslems have subjugated Christianised lands and their populations have suffered Holy Wars, slavery and rank cruelty towards women. We could mention Spain, Asia Minor, Yugoslavia, Iran, Iraq, India, Indonesia, Gulf countries, Afghanistan, as examples. This was a major reason for the recent Serbian-Bosnian conflict. For those millions who have suffered, what could be worse? Have they not suffered in the extreme?

Even today in many countries Christians are persecuted under Moslem rule and in Holy Wars, not to mention the every day persecution and slaying of fellow Moslems. To live in their lands, every one must have the "Mark of the beast" upon them and that has continued for centuries. To receive education, work, recognition, political prominence, financial help and support, even today, particularly in Moslem countries with Moslem political rule, non-Moslems must change their religion and become Moslems. It is currently the practice in Malaysia and all other such countries and has been for centuries. What of India, where persecution has been rife for centuries.

Such has been the "Mark of the beast" for those millions of people. In the Roman Empire, this Mark was the forced worship and offering of sacrifices to Caesar. This is the meaning of Revelation 13:16-18. The book of Revelation has been fulfilled and still is being fulfilled in a continuous flow of history. Originally, it was given for the Christians in Asia Minor, concerning the state of their churches and the historical events that were occurring or would occur, for them. Those things did happen.

We can also receive the book in every age as of on-going historical events, where God Himself is continuously acting and where He has allowed the forces of hell to act in the world and in and against His church. This is under the New Covenant. Every part of life is under those effects.

Galatians 4:22-31 proves conclusively that God's interest now is not in a natural, national Israel as such but in the Covenant to Abraham being fulfilled in Christ and to us. There were in effect two covenants and one was to Abraham whereby he was to have a son of promise through whom all the nations of the earth would be blessed.

The other was the covenant of Law, for natural Israel, from Sinai. In the allegory, this latter covenant is represented by Hagar who bore Ishmael, Genesis 21:9-11, "Cast out the bondwoman and her son" and also in Galatians 4:30.

In Galatians 4:24, it reads "One originates on Mount Sinai and bears children destined for slavery. This is Hagar, For the name Hagar in Arabia stands for Mount Sinai for she is in bondage with her children".

Therefore the covenant of Law, Exodus 19:5-20, with natural Israel and the place, natural Jerusalem are of the flesh, not under the blessing and promise of the covenant to Abraham.

However, we who are in Christ are the children of the free woman, who is Sarah and that free woman is the heavenly Jerusalem. Isaac and we, are the children of promise and we are "after the Spirit". Abraham's two sons are Ishmael and Isaac, one by Hagar the bondwoman after the flesh and not in the promise. The allegory states that natural Israel, followers of Law and with natural Jerusalem are "of the flesh" and not under the covenant or in the promise.

Those who are heirs of the promise and even now enjoying it, are the children of Abraham according to the Spirit and as Isaac, son of the free woman was, we also are children of promise. The promise is for spiritual blessings culminating in the heavenly Jerusalem coming down to earth, Revelation 21:1-5. This is the promised "heavenly city" that Abraham set his eyes upon, Hebrews 11:10,40.

All this being clearly set out by Paul, how is it that we still want to see Jerusalem in Palestine the centre of the promised blessing to the Jews, with Christ sitting on a throne there - when it is all "of the flesh"? This Jerusalem and that Israel is in bondage and always will be in bondage. "The present Jerusalem, is in bondage together with her children" and being in bondage of the flesh, will never inherit the promise in that way.

Isaac inherited because the covenant promise ran through Sarah and not because of his ethnic identity, which Ishmael also shared. In Galatians 4:28 Paul says, (correct translation) "You, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise" - this is Jew and Gentile. There is no other fulfilment or promise left for the Jew! That verse alone, on top of all the other verses in Galatians 4:22-31, conclusively proves this. Israel as a nation, was the agent used by God to bring to pass the wider purposes of the covenant given to Abraham. Those promises involved as the purpose, the redemption to come for the whole world. God had the world in mind, Genesis 12:1-3; 15:5;17:4-9.

God's whole purpose is by the Spirit and not to be completed through a Kingship of Christ from Jerusalem, in a supposed millennium. 2 Corinthians 4:16; 5:1-16; Romans 8:23; 2 Corinthians 1:22; Galatians 3:3; Romans 8:11,23 all by the Spirit. There is neither Jew nor Greek, Galatians 3:28,29, "if you belong to Christ, then you are indeed Abraham's children; the promised inheritance is yours" (of the Spirit Who later transforms the body). This is the only inheritance - "the" - means there is one - not a separate one for Jews in Palestine in the millennium.

"The" blessing of Abraham is for Jew and Gentile through Jesus Christ (and faith in Him) and it is this - "that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith". The blessing is the Spirit. I ask you to study these scriptures until the Spirit of God shows you it is so.

"All Israel" in Romans 9:25 is not temporal. It is the renaming of the people of God who consist of the redeemed, first the remnant of believing Jews and then the Gentiles. It concerns the salvation of "all Israel" meaning Jews and Gentiles who believe, Galatians 6:16; Philippians 3:2. This salvation is through the process of Gentiles believing because the Jews were hardened. They then become jealous and the "remnant" of them believe. "It is not the natural children who are God's children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham's offspring", Romans 9:8. Romans 2:29 shows "A man is a Jew if he is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart by the Spirit".

In this way "all Israel" will be saved. It is impossible for all natural Israel to be saved, as millions already dead are not saved. Romans 9:6 speaks of two distinct Israels and so does Romans 11:25,26. There is the nation of Israel, even today, but God's purposes are with His own created Israel, His people after the Spirit, Isaiah 43:1, "He who created you, O Jacob, He who formed you, O Israel: Do not fear, for I have redeemed you." and Romans 2:29, "Real circumcision is a matter of the heart - by the Spirit and not by letter".

Isaiah Chapters 40-55 reveal God's purposes for His chosen, Israel, who are both His people and His Servant, the first in chapters 43,44 and the second in chapter 42. In this portion of fifteen chapters, God shows His purpose is to retain as His chosen people, "Israel", but it is in a new sphere. It consists of the "remnant" of the Jews, but into this new form, believing Gentiles are included, Isaiah 41:1; 45:20-25; 49:1,6,7,22; 51:5; 52:7,10 (Romans 10:12-15); 53; 54:2,3; 55:1,9.

In the face of this, how could it be possible for the Lord to form His Body in this dispensation, from Jew and Gentile, bring both as one into heaven at His Second Coming and then particularise the Jewish Nation during a millennium to bring in the whole nation during that time? He would have to include that lot at a later date in His people. That goes against all scripture.

Many of us have only believed such things because some people have done mathematical calculations on Daniel 9 and Revelation. God's purposes can never have as their base, human interpretation of mathematical figures. To understand more of God's purposes of salvation, see 1 Corinthians 1:24; Romans 1:16; 10. "There is no distinction between Jew and Greek", Romans 10:12 and also Galatians 3:28, Colossians 3:11.

The Promised rest for Israel and now for us, is not the land of Palestine. Hebrews 3:16-19 concerns a rest for the Israelites who came out of Egypt and their failure to enter in. The first generation died in the wilderness. When Joshua took the next generation in, it was still not the promised rest, Hebrews 4:8.

Palestine, the land, typified the rest that remains for us who believe. It is not a geographical land, neither for Gentile believers nor national Israel. Neither is it so for Jewish believers, because the rest remains and it is for the "people of God", Hebrews 4:9-11. The promised rest is fulfilled in the anti-type, eternal life through faith, culminating in rest in heaven forever. There is also a rest from all natural works and endeavours, now and finally in heaven, as having ceased from all our labours.

Israel already has fulfilled her God-given destiny in the role of being a blessing to the World, Genesis 12:1-3;15:5;17:4-7,16. Israel gave the Messiah to the world and His birth was the realisation of God's promises to Abraham by which through Israel would come the Saviour, Romans 4:13; 9:4,5.

Before blessing could go out to the world, the curse on the nation of Israel and indeed on the whole world of "works of the law" keepers, whatever the law, had to be removed. The Jews broke the Covenant and the Gentiles were outside the Covenant. All were cursed.

There was no hope for Israel or for the world, until Jesus Christ came to become the curse for all, because of the broken Covenant, Galatians 3:13, Deuteronomy 27, 28. He came under the Law to be Israel's representative. Israel had broken the Law and the covenant and were thus outside of the Covenant. He became accursed as representing the Covenant-breakers. He also came as One who was to redeem them (and us) from the curse.

The Jewish nation was exiled to Babylon about 575 B.C. as a result of the curse of idolatry. Only the remnant returned, beginning about 536-542 B.C. The spiritual curse remained. The nation was without a prophet or king and experienced what is known as the "400 Silent Years" until John the Baptist arrived on the scene preparing the Way of the Lord. Jesus went through the Curse into death, but at His resurrection, He arose into the New Covenant of God, taking all believers with Him. The Old Covenant became the New.

On this basis alone, it is unrealistic to visualise a nation of Israel during a Millennium, being given a new chance to come under a special Covenant with God. There will be no further or former Covenants other than this "New Covenant" that Jesus brought into being with His blood. The Jews are to this day, outside of the Old Covenant and the unbelieving ones are also outside of the New Covenant. Their only hope is to believe on Jesus Christ as their Messiah in this age and dispensation. There can be no further chance.

The restoration of Israel as promised in the Old Testament, is fulfilled in Jesus, according to Luke 1:54,55; 1:71-74; 2:31,32.

The consummation of Old Testament hopes for Israel are fulfilled in Jesus Christ, Luke 1:54,55, 68, 77-79.

The hopes of Israel for a Saviour from the House of David, are fulfilled in Jesus Christ, Amos 9:11; Luke 1:32,33; 1:69-73.

Gabriel announced to Mary concerning Jesus, "He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever and of his kingdom there will be no end". Zechariah in the same chapter, said, "He has raised up a mighty Saviour for us in the house of his servant David. Thus he has shown the mercy promised to our ancestors and has remembered his holy covenant, the oath that he swore to our ancestor Abraham."

Mary herself prophesied in Luke 1:55, "As He spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and his offspring forever", about the restored and reconstituted nation of Israel that was to appear through the Messiah. This nation consists of the descendants of Abraham, according to promise and not according to nationality, Galatians 3:28,29, "There is no longer Jew or Greek ...for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to the promise".

The promises to Abraham and through Israel are fulfilled in Jesus, we being co-heirs with Him. Galatians 3:16; Luke 1:55, 1:77-79; Luke 2:30-34.

Zechariah chapters 11 to 14 have some reference to the Messiah as He appeared to Israel. In chapter 11 the reference is made to the 30 pieces of silver, by which Judas betrayed Jesus. In chapter 12, we see the death by which the Saviour will die, followed on by chapter 13 that speaks on the opening of a fountain for cleansing, the blood of Jesus shed on the cross. Chapter 14 pursues by allegory, the day of the Lord's judgment, action and mercy, at the Cross, with events leading up to it, as, for example, Jesus sat upon the Mount of Olives in Matthew 24. At the close of the chapter the universal blessings from the Cross are spelt out.

The Mount of Olives always stood in the way of those who needed to escape from Jerusalem in times of war - such as David, 2 Samuel 15:30. In this apocalyptic reference, God Himself will bring deliverance to Jerusalem, His own city, Hebrews 12:22-24.

Many millions believe that Christ will stand on the Mount of Olives, according to Zechariah 14:4-5,10. If we look carefully we will notice that the “Mount of Olives shall be split in two from east to west by a very wide valley, so that one half of the mount shall move northward and the other half southward... the whole land shall be turned into a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem. But Jerusalem shall remain aloft.”

Looking at a map, the conclusion to be made is that the moving northward and southward would encompass about thirty kilometres. Where would each leg of Christ be in such a situation? In addition, the whole plain would be low enough for the waters of the Mediterranean Sea to sweep in! Obviously, it does not have a literal meaning! Such a literal meaning seems preposterous! It would appear that Isaiah 2:2 and 60:13, as well as other scriptures, expose the prophetical intention – “The mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established as the highest of the mountains … And many peoples shall come, and say: ‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths”. This takes place under the gospel. Then, “I will make the place of my feet glorious”.

However, the main thrust of those chapters is not literal in the sense of detailed fulfilment of every word, indicating totally prophetic material. Rather, those chapters are a mixture of prophecy and apocalypse and give an image of end-time conflict with God's judgment and the way He deals with the world. Deliverance comes to Jerusalem in the area of the Spirit. There is a change in the form of His people, including the remnant. Idolatry, externally or internally, is removed and the day of the Lord is revealed. The over-all result will be a new created earth and living waters flowing from the new Jerusalem, Zechariah 14:6-8; Ezekiel 47:1,2; Jeremiah 31:38-40; Isaiah 2:2-6; Ezekiel 48:35; Revelation 22:1,2. God's promise is this for all, both Jew and Gentile, who are of faith, Hebrews 11:10,14,40.

There is no support in Scripture for the idea that the Lord will appear seven years after the Parousia and stand literally on the Mount of Olives. One verse of Scripture used for this argument, is Revelation 1:7. They say that this coming is not the Rapture. Rather it is when He comes back to earth with the church to rule and reign. One good look at this verse proves the belief wrong. It reads, "Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him: and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of him". Obviously, the verse has a different meaning. It shows every person, those who have died included, will see Him. Those who pierced him will see Him. They died in the first century. Therefore, they could not be on earth when Jesus supposedly comes again to stand on the Mount of Olives. "All the peoples of the earth" has to mean every single individual who has ever lived on the earth in this world's system, outside of Christ. They will mourn. Therefore, this has to be the time of Judgment upon the world.

The context of Zechariah 14:4 where such passage appears, bears no indication of such a literal event. Acts 1:10,11 does not support a literal standing and cleavage of the Mount of Olives. Jesus Christ Himself makes no reference to such a literal event. In Luke 17:24 where He speaks of the coming of the Son of Man, He makes no mention of such an event.

Exponents of the idea always connect Zechariah 14:4 with the supposed coming the second time, after seven years in heaven, of Jesus Christ to earth as the Son of Man. (He was Son of Man while on earth, Matthew 8:20; Luke 9:22). Jesus Himself makes no such connection, mention or inference. Again, we dare not build a doctrine regarding a supposed literal standing by Jesus on a literal Mount of Olives on merely one verse of scripture. Doctrines, as stated previously, must always be supported by three and at the least two verses, always in context.

A SUMMING UP

Apparently little thought is given as to what earth would be like if Jesus returned to rule over it for 1,000 years - after the supposed desolations of the supposed seven years' Tribulation. According to theories, all the judgments and wraths as pictured in the Book of Revelation will have taken place. How many years would the infra-structure of many desolate nations take to rebuild?

Prevalent beliefs say that visitations of judgment will have wiped out literally at least one third of mankind, during the Great Tribulation. One third of the earth and one third of the sea will have been ruined, at least. Carnage, death, disasters, judgments, Satanic invasions and other atrocities, according to the theories would make the earth an impossible place after seven years for Jesus to come to reign over its inhabitants. Can you imagine the Son of God reigning in such conditions of earth as would have thus transpired?

Rabbi Herschell, an Orthodox Jew writes, "The State of Israel is not the fulfilment of the Messianic promise, but it makes the Messianic promise plausible".

He acknowledges the basic problems, as follows. If earthly Jerusalem is supposed to be a replica of the heavenly city, how can that be achieved? Simple physical occupation of Jerusalem by Jewish Israel is not sufficient. If Jerusalem and the state of Israel are supposed to be signs of "the redemption of all men", how should the present inhabitants conduct themselves? Can the true meaning of Jerusalem and Israel, according to the Old Testament, be achieved by human effort? God Himself must interpose to build that city.

Orthodox Jews today do not consider that the return to Israel of millions of Jews is what the Bible has predicted. They say it has not been at the hand of God, in the same way He led Israel out of Egypt, with His redemption and signs of His mighty power. How true!

The only genuine fulfilment of the Old Testament promise is through the divine intervention that has already occurred through Jesus Christ, His Son, Hebrews 1:2. The gift of the Spirit, the proclamation of the gospel, the second return of Jesus Christ (His final return), the catching up of His saints to be with Him forever in the eternal "City of God" (the heavenly New Jerusalem) is the only way for the complete fulfilment of the Old Testament scriptures. This is in accordance with Acts 3:20,21, "That He may send the Christ. Yet He must remain in heaven, until the time when all is restored anew". All things would not be restored anew at the beginning of a so-called millennium period!

God's Old Testament promises to Israel and for restoration are fulfilled in Jesus. He is shown to be Israel. National Israel was rejected. Jesus was rejected, Isaiah 53:3. See Matthew 12:15-21; Isaiah 42:1-4.

Matthew gives events in the life of Jesus as happened to national Israel. Both Israel and Jesus went down to Egypt and were called out. Both hungered in the wilderness and Jesus cries out as did national Israel, "My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?", Matthew 28:46; Psalm 22:1. Jesus as the new Israel, gathers the elect from the east and west. He chose the twelve, as a parallel to Jacob (Israel) who had twelve sons, Genesis 32:28; 49.

National Israel was rejected by God, Matthew 21:43, "the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and be given to a nation producing the fruit of it". See also Matthew 23:29-32; 21:23-22:14. Jesus, the new Israel, forms a new nation of believers, both Jew and Gentile. National Israel as a nation is excluded. It is only the remnant of Jews, believing on Jesus, who can enter in, Romans 9:27; 10:19,20.

Therefore, in the plan of God, there is no place for a national Israel to be formed by God and to be given a second chance of receiving the Messiah.

The Jews clung to physical descent from Abraham, John 8:33,39-41 saying, "'Abraham is our father'". Jesus replied, "You are of your father the Devil". They had in their body the mark of the covenant, circumcision. According to their beliefs, no person without that mark would escape Gehenna, yet Luke 3:8 states, "Do not say, 'We have Abraham as our father'; God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham". God is raising up children to Abraham from Gentiles (heathen)! God promised Abraham a worldwide family, of "faith". The promises were entrusted to Israel. The Law held out over this people, the agents of promise, the curse which had come true. It was still proved true in the events of the exile and by its continuance up to Paul's day and beyond. How could the promises to Abraham, now reach their intended destination? Promises of blessing to Abraham still hold but the Law stops those promises. God dealt with that problem. The curse was taken by Jesus in His death.

The death of Christ means that now the blessing of Abraham can come upon the Gentiles, Galatians 3:14, and that "we" may receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. There Paul writes that "We" the Jewish Christians, had been under the Law and, not the Gentiles. However, in Colossians 2:14 he includes Gentiles in view of the fact that he wrote to Gentiles, Colossians 1:2. God promised Abraham a blessing intended for the whole world. The Law could not bring it. The death of Christ is the means through which the blessing can reach believers from the whole world.

The book of Galatians is an important issue. The question between Paul and his opponents in the book of Galatians is - "To whom do the promises really belong? Who are the children of Abraham?" Paul uses scriptures that contain the promises given in the covenant.

The Judaizers thought circumcision showed Jew and Gentile believers in Christ, as belonging to Abraham. Today, church membership and the physical act of water baptism thought necessary for salvation by some believers often replace this circumcision. This is just as wrong as circumcision would be today. In spiritual righteousness, we are to reject all laws and works and look only at the one promise and blessing. This is to look at Christ as our only Saviour and not include any works of religion. It is not by law but by grace through faith, Ephesians 2:8,9. Old Testament believers also were under the grace of God and believed.

Galatians 3:14 shows we "receive the Spirit by faith". This refers to the experience of the Spirit in Galatians 3:2-5. It is the blessing of Abraham which is also for the Gentiles and is seen to be based on faith alone. The evidence of faith is the gift of the Spirit who is the fulfilment of the promise made to Abraham. The purpose of Christ's becoming a curse is in order that in Christ the "blessing of Abraham" might be also for Gentiles and that we by faith in Christ Jesus might receive the promise made to Abraham, which has been fulfilled by the Spirit's presence in all His blessings. The resurrection shows God accepts the outside, the cursed law-breaker, the Jew together with the Gentile sinner.

The death of Jesus, on a Roman cross, was a symbol of the continuing enslavement of the people of God under the curse. His death freed all who would believe. This being the case, there can be no more place for a national Israel still under the curse, needing deliverance and restoration. Salvation is for the "whosoever will".

God is now acting under the restoration that happened through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This ended national Israel's exile, as He was their representative. This has brought restoration and the New Covenant. This New Covenant is set out in Hebrews, for a new Israel, the saved remnant and the saved Gentiles brought in. This fulfilled the promises given to Abraham in God's covenant with Him.

Galatians 3:11,12. Verse 11 quotes Habakkuk 2:4 that shows the covenant people are marked out by their faith. This is the same as in Genesis 15 with Abraham.

Looking at Galatians 3:6-9, we note that "Live" brings us again to the blessing of the covenant shown in Deuteronomy 30:15,16 which is "life". God's intended covenant membership was to be through faith. The Law offered its "life" through the covenant on the basis of "doing" what it says. "It can never be the means of faith and thus bring life", Romans 10:5,6. "But the righteousness that comes from faith says, Do not say in your heart, 'Who will ascend into heaven?' (That is to bring Christ down)". "Bringing Christ down from heaven" means to bring about the incarnation. This has already taken place. The Messiah has appeared. It is therefore impossible to hasten his coming as some devout Jews have thought to do by perfect obedience to the Law and repentance for transgression. The divine act of redemption, Romans 3:24, has already taken place, not as a reward for legal righteousness but as an act of grace. It is to be preached now, not during a Millennium!

Galatians 3:13. Re the covenant promises to Abraham, what will happen to the promises of the covenant to Abraham in view of the Law? The Law brings curse, not blessing, Romans 4:15 (wrath). It cannot of itself give the faith that is mentioned in Genesis and Habakkuk, as being the true sign of the covenant people, Abraham's family. How then can the blessing of Abraham come on either Jew (cursed by Law) or Gentile (whose promised blessing will thus never reach him)? The blessing comes because Christ redeemed us all from the curse of the Law.

We can see from Romans 3:1,2,21 that God had the remedy. This was given by God's grace within the Law itself. Remedies are provided in Deuteronomy 30 for Israel's historic exile and restoration; and recurring judgment followed by repeated mercy as in the book of Judges. The pattern of judgment and mercy ends with the renewal of the covenant by God. He will do this by circumcision of the hearts of His people so that they love him and keep his Law from the heart. This is fulfilled in the New Testament, Hebrews 8:10-12; Jeremiah 31:33,34; Ezekiel 36:26; Deuteronomy 30:5-8. This is different from the usual Old Testament way of repentance, sacrifice and atonement under the Levitical system of sacrifices. The emphasis in the Old Testament is not on when a person sins, but on the nation of Israel. It failed. That ended in curse and judgment.

Christ came to the place where Israel was, under the curse Galatians 4:4. Israel was under the curse. Christ was Israel's representative under the curse and also its representative as Redeemer. The curse afflicted Israel in particular. Sin afflicts all. He took sin upon Himself. To the Gentiles, Paul said, 2 Corinthians 5:21, "For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." (God did not make Him a sinner).

By His death as the Messiah, He represented Israel and took on himself Israel's curse and ended it. Jesus died as King of the Jews at the hands of Romans, who oppressed Israel who was even then under the curse of exile, as a nation away from God. In a sense, the sin of Adam culminated in the sin of Israel, as representative of all mankind.

The death of Jesus is to be understood in ways that renew the covenant. Israel's curse came because they broke the Covenant. It was taken by Israel's anointed representative. The King died, hanging on a tree in His own land. This polluted the land. It is no longer holy. There is no place in this understanding for a millennium for the Jews in a "holy" land.

Galatians 3:14 shows Christ was made a curse for us, burdened with sin and guilt. It becomes His own in the sense it is as if He was that sinner. Inwardly, He is innocent. Outwardly, He is guilty with our sin. "Redeemed" means, "bought back". This happened in the atonement, as in 1 Peter 2:24 where He "Bore our sins on His own body on the tree"; also Acts 20:28; Isaiah 53:3; Deuteronomy 21:23 "A hanged man accursed". Such a one is cursed because he broke the law. That brought both curse and punishment.

A cursed person was outside the covenant and he was expelled, Deuteronomy 21:23; chapters 27, 28. There was also the withdrawal of covenant blessing and such cursed people were put outside the promised land, among Gentiles.

Thus, Jesus was cursed by God, suffering "outside the gate". This means He was put outside of the covenant and outside of the people of God. This is the case of all Israelites. God has no covenant with them. He has the New Covenant with all who are in Christ, the Surety, including the Jew first and then the Gentile. Christ was the Mediator of the New Covenant by His own blood. This New Covenant has no room for a Jewish millennium.

At the resurrection, Jesus came again within the covenant. We, Jew and Gentile who believe in Him, are under the New Covenant. See Hebrews 13:11-13, "burned outside the camp. Therefore Jesus also suffered outside the city gate in order to sanctify the people by his own blood. Let us then go to him outside the camp". Jews are outside the broken Covenant of Abraham.

In Christ only, is the Covenant with its promises, fulfilled. The death of Christ restored the position and only faith in Him will bring in any Jew or Gentile. This is clearly shown by Genesis 22:18; 12:3; Galatians 3:16; 5:11; 6:12, that shows that now the blessing of Abraham comes only to Jew and Gentile in Christ. Ephesians 3:15-22, states we, believing Jew and Gentile, are "built together spiritually into a dwelling place for God".

The belief in the Millennium is based on mathematical deductions and a stringing together of some scriptures. It also totally ignores the whole of Scripture and its presentation of God's purposes as shown in Ephesians 1:3-5.

God's plan is that the new assembly of believers, not future non-Christian Judaism or national Israel, are the recipients of the blessings and promises formerly given to Israel. The first believers waited in the city of Jerusalem for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. In Luke's Gospel, the very last verse is set in Jerusalem. In this former holiest of cities, but now cursed, God inaugurated His new city from above, His new nation and His new covenant.

The Divine plan is for the Messiah's world rule to occur through restored Israel (now the church), in a spiritual kingdom now in this world, and in heaven, Hebrews 12:18-20, Romans 14:17 and through eternity in a new heavens and a new earth. See Acts 1:3,6; Acts 8:12; 14:22; 19:8; 20:25; 28:23,31.

Many consider that the Old Testament Prophets had a message for their own day, but that it was like looking at two mountain peaks. One is close at hand and the larger one is behind it in the distance, both to have similar natural and Jewish national fulfilments. They think that the distant mountain can be compared to the second fulfilment of prophecy, found in the same message. That is supposed to be for the very End Time, after the Rapture, Great Tribulation of seven (or three and one half years) and then the Millennium. Rather, its second fulfilment is spiritual. They overlook the fact of a historical fulfilment that has mostly occurred and the "New Covenant" fulfilment that concerns the church of Jesus Christ. The prophets used language and environments they were used to, in order to give a picture and type of God's purposes for the future Israel of God, the Church of the New Testament.

The mistake is in thinking that every portion of prophecy has to be "literal" rather than have a "spiritual" fulfilment. Jesus Himself did not expect us to take many of His statements literally but spiritually, e.g. "I am the True Vine", "I am the Bread of Life". He is "the bright and morning star", something far from being literal.

If we follow this premise of "two mountain peaks", we are faced with tremendous difficulties. For instance, we must admit that only a minimum number of scriptures can be taken out of the numerous in the whole context and can relate to this End Time. There also remains the major portion of the prophecies. Why do they not also have applications for the End Time? It is obvious that they do not. This being the case, who can rightly decide which verses actually apply to the End Time? There is no reason in all of this. God does say, "Come, let us reason together" in relation to our sins so this reasoning process should be used with regard to fulfilled prophecies.

The proponents of this view of prophecy and there are very many, have overlooked the whole push of Old Testament Scriptures towards their fulfilment in Christ and His Church. They have failed to see the eternal in the historical purposes of God.

We can only assume that there is great ignorance in the Church regarding the Old Testament Prophets. I myself have been guilty of this and for years realised I had to get to the historical happenings to be able, for instance, to understand Isaiah. I found myself beginning to remedy such ignorance. When we have been taught beliefs to which many scriptures do not attest, we must consider those beliefs can only be wrong.

A great deal of damage to our understanding is done by teaching the premise that there are seven dispensations and that the seventh will be the seven thousandth period, i.e. the Millennium. According to that idea, the Millennium was to start in either 1992, 1997 or 2000 A.D. It did not happen. True scriptural comprehension will have to admit to there being only three eras shown - the Adamic (the Fall and consequences), the Redemption from Egypt and the coming of Jesus Christ to this earth for the New Covenant. The Noahic Covenant did not begin to compare to God's covenant with Israel, so why is it generally included? God made a covenant to cover the whole of mankind in relation only to their existence.

David's natural kingdom prefigured that of Christ's kingdom which is now spiritual. There was to be another "David", Jesus Christ. This was not to be a literal earthly kingdom as was King David's in national Israel. This is borne out also by the prophecy concerning "Elijah the prophet", in Malachi 4:5. That he was not a literal Elijah but one who was to fill the prophetic role of Elijah, is told by Jesus when He said, "Elijah already came and they did not recognize him", Matthew 17:12. They, like many today, were looking for Elijah to come physically and literally, verse 10. They did not understand Elijah was a type of the forerunner of Christ, John the Baptist.

We have been prone to miss the implications of the fulfilment already in the New Testament of what was in the Old. In 2 Corinthians 5:16, 17 Paul admits that once he regarded Christ from a "worldly" point of view. This accords with the Old Testament worship that is stated to be "carnal" or "worldly", Hebrews 9:1;10:1. Paul in Corinthians, goes on to say that no longer do we look at Christ "in this way". In Christ, we are new creations and "the old has gone, the new has come".

We miss it all when we fail to see that the old things of the Old Testament have gone, being typical of the new things in the New Testament. Let us look at Genesis 17: 9-11, where God inaugurated His covenant with Abraham for him and his descendants. It was accompanied by circumcision. We are the descendants of Abraham, Galatians 3:14,17,18;29 3:7 ("Those who believe are children of Abraham"). Have we believers been subjected to natural circumcision? A thousand times, "No"! Natural circumcision makes Christ of no value at all, Galatians 5:2.

However, we are circumcised, in a spiritual sense only, with no relativity to anything material. It is a spiritual circumcision and is "of the heart", Romans 2:28,20. In the same manner, the tabernacle is now "in heaven", the altar is in heaven, our High Priest is in heaven, our sins are washed away by the blood of Jesus and atonement is not through the blood of animals as previously. Also, our kingdom is not of this world, it is a heavenly kingdom. We come to the "heavenly city and church of the first-born", Hebrews 12:22-24. In like manner we, all believers in Christ, both Jew and Gentile, comprise Israel, Galatians 6:15,16. Israel being now the "land" of promise is the New Jerusalem and a re-created earth, Revelation 21:1,2; Hebrews 11:8-10.

Everything concerning the promises of God to the children of Abraham, which now comprise us, the believers in Christ, is a new creation. We are the new created Israel. "The old has gone, the new has come". In view of this, it is impossible for us to continue to believe in a natural restored Israel, the building of a temple in Jerusalem, a natural restoration of the Jews and a millennium. Restoration has come to the new Israel, through Jesus Christ. All things have become new.

If we still wish to maintain a belief in a literal earthly reign of Jesus Christ from Jerusalem, over a national Israel with a restored Temple and the resurrected saints also reigning with him a "thousand years" we must be able to answer all the above objections, or most of them, with scriptures that will tear down those arguments that I have placed before us. We must study the Scriptures and handle them correctly. We should ask ourselves, "What exactly are the Scriptures saying about all these things?"

Jesus Christ in Revelation 2:9 clearly states that those natural Jews who call themselves Jews and who do not believe in Christ, are the synagogue of Satan. Their synagogues were not houses of God but of Satan. Nothing has changed. They still remain the synagogues of Satan and therefore not God's chosen people. We who believe are the elect, the chosen, the people of God, a chosen race and a holy nation, the true Israel of God.

The Apostle Peter, who initially resisted the gospel and who was reprimanded by Paul for his maintaining Jewish customs in the book of Galatians, has written in his epistles some astounding words.

First of all, he addressed his first epistle (1 Peter 1:1), to "God's elect", i.e. both Jews and Gentiles who believed in Christ. Then he pens wonderful things in chapter 1, in verses 10 to 12. He speaks of "this salvation" and that "the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care as they were inspired by the Spirit of Christ and wrote the words they received." They were trying to "find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing, when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow."

Then Peter makes statements that entirely abolish the idea for then or the future, of the nation of Israel, as a political force, being included in the purposes of God.

Peter writes, "It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves (and this included their then present historical situation, or their future as Jews in the nation of Israel) but you." The "you" represents all believers, both Jew and Gentiles, who have believed in Christ and become "the elect of God". Formerly, national Israel was the "elect of God". Now there is another body of people termed, "the elect of God". According to Peter, not one thing prophesied in the Old Testament concerned the natural nation of Israel.

Peter then revealed by the Spirit of Christ that these former prophets "spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things".

Peter states definitely that the prophecies of the Old Testament, of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel and the minor prophets, in a spiritual sense, were not written for national Israel. The prophets knew the fulfilment in its entirety was not for the nation of Israel. The Spirit revealed to those prophets that they were writing for a future time. That time, as Peter said was for the church of Jesus Christ. It was for his day and for the age of the entire church - until the return of the Lord and the judgment of the wicked.

Matthew began his Gospel with a genealogy of Jesus Christ. This is what he says in Matthew 1:1, "A record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ the son of David, the son of Abraham".

This makes the connection of the birth of Jesus to the covenant God made with Abraham and later on that given to David, Abraham's descendant.

It means that the fulfilment of those two covenants was in Jesus Christ. All believers would accept this. However, the mistake is often made of forgetting that believers, the inheritors of those promises must have all aspects of both Abraham's and David's promises confirmed for them. We should not take just some parts and relate them to present-day believers and leave the rest to be for Jews in a millennium.

God covenanted with Abraham in Genesis 12:2,7; 15:4-7 that he would have a son through whom all the nations of the earth would be blessed, that he would inherit the land and would be come the father of many nations and peoples. In 2 Samuel 7:8-16, 25-27, David is promised a house and a descendant who will be over the house God will build.

From Galatians 3:14, we learn that "the blessing given to Abraham" is to come "to the Gentiles, through Christ Jesus" and in verse 8, "The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: 'all nations will be blessed through you'". The Covenants are fulfilled in Christ.

If the two covenants are fulfilled completely, through the coming of the Son, the Seed, it must be to Jew and Gentile who believe and are "in Christ". One of the promises of these Covenants shown above is that "all the nations of the earth will be blessed".

Therefore, if a thousand year reign on earth by the Greater David, Jesus Christ, is to eventuate, all the participants in the blessings of the Covenants must enjoy every aspect of them. If the "Jews" are to be given the land of Israel for a thousand years, so must all the believing Gentiles who are also included as inheritors of the covenants be given the land of Israel for a thousand years.

The belief in the Millennium year reign of Christ in a period for the Jews is thus negated. There can be no such scriptural belief.

Every aspect of a Covenant will be fulfilled by God but let us remember that the type carries over into the fulfilment. The natural earth carries over into the renewed earth. The Jews as the people of God are now enlarged into the faith people, Jews and Gentiles, who inherit all the promises. The kingdom of David becomes the spiritual kingdom of David's Greater Son, who is born the "the son of David, son of Abraham".

In view of these above verses alone, it is evident that the purposes of God do not include a restored national Israel, or a supposed "millennium" wherein the Jews will have the pre-eminence as a nation. Rather, the purposes of God involve a new people of God, God's elect, both Jew and Gentile, consisting of those who have received and believed the gospel of Jesus Christ. They are thus in the Kingdom of God, whose King is Jesus Christ, son of David and son of Abraham.

From all the above scriptures and scriptural evidence it should be obvious to the reader that the usual Brethren, Baptist, Pentecostal and Charismatic beliefs about the End-Time are not founded on the Word of God. It would appear that the beliefs are based on traditions, denominational doctrines, assumptions, Jewish and heretical beliefs and strings of inappropriate scriptures tied together, many following only mathematical ideals. This makes their eschatology not Biblical but rather mythical.

Because of this, many millions of God's saints are led astray into "doctrines of demons". They entertain false ideas of eschatology. This influences the expectations and hopes to a fallacious and wrong degree. It is not the Truth. The true Church should adhere to Truth alone.

Is it possible that study in areas of history was overlooked by the very able and learned churchmen who have led us all in the Pentecostal, Charismatic, Fundamental and Evangelistic ranks over the centuries?

One can only be amazed and horrified at the apparent ignorance shown by the very able and learned churchmen over the centuries who have led us all in the Pentecostal, Charismatic, Fundamental and Evangelistic ranks. How is it that there has been such a profound neglect of study in the areas of history that show the truth? I am not being unkind in this. In fact, it is obvious all did it in ignorance because of the preconceived ideas of eschatology. The fact that very few obviously studied actual history has played its part.

This was the position of myself and families. We were deceived. When knowledge of deception arises, one should swallow one's pride and be humble enough to acknowledge the wrong ideas and teachings. I was reared, from a child, to the belief in the Millennium and its normal eschatological happenings. It took me many years to even believe it could be wrong and still many more years of very serious investigation to find out the flaws in the above generally held doctrines. True doctrine has no flaw. All of scripture will testify to the Truth.

 I was reared, from a child, to the belief in the Millennium and its normal eschatological happenings. I did not want to accept it could be erroneous.  It took me many years to even believe it could be wrong and still many more years of very serious investigation to find out the flaws in the above generally held doctrines. True doctrine has no flaw. All of scripture will testify to the Truth.

Some believed the Lord would return in 1932 as the Pentecostal preachers said, "There remains nothing to be fulfilled before His coming". Then it was the 1940's, and so on, until now it is after 2,000 A.D. Many believed they would not die before He came. Nevertheless, one by one, they passed through the valley of the shadow of death.

"Maranatha", "the Lord is coming" is our glorious hope. We await His appearing. We "look for Him" and He will appear "the second time unto salvation". It is not for us to know the time, the year, the day nor the hour.

Finally, Apocalyptic - or revelatory - language forms a major portion in the writings of end-time events in the Old Testament, in Daniel 7-12, Zechariah 9-14 and in the New Testament, the Book of Revelation. We should re-read those books for a better understanding.

William J. Dumbrell gives us an understanding of apocalyptic language in the following quotation. He is Professor of Old Testament at Regent College, Vancouver, which we have visited. Another Professor there is the famous Pentecostal, Gordon D. Fee, Professor of New Testament. He is a contributor to "Dictionary of Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements", a fellow contributor being the Pentecostal Assemblies of God Stanley M. Horton. One of the three editors is Gordon B. McFee, Professor of Church History at the Assemblies of God Theological Seminary in Springfield, Missouri.

"Apocalyptic calls for careful interpretation. Its dreams, visions, angelic mediation, cosmological emphasis, war in heaven, numerology, revelation of heavenly secrets and bizarre, esoteric symbolism make literal interpretation impossible and this was probably so intended. Symbolism is designed to convey a deeper sense of reality. Though symbols themselves are often conventional, they rarely become fixed or formalised in meaning and thus their interpretation is rarely obvious.

"The function of the literature is clear - it was designed to give hope during a very difficult time in which the church and state were on a collision course. Believers were and still are to take comfort that the future lies with the people of God - no matter how unpromising or difficult the present may be."

We should read the Bible as it is and know that the Holy Ghost has not written something that our brains have to work out from symbols and numbers before we can understand.

Finally, as believers, we should be obeying Colossians 3:1-4. This is Cassirer’s translation that shows in a clearer fashion, the pith of the matter. “If then, you have been raised up together with Christ, you must lift up your thoughts above, where Christ is seated at God’s right hand. Set your minds on things belonging to the higher realm, not on things upon earth (as sadly, so many do). For you have undergone death. and the life which you have is hidden away with Christ in God. And when Christ shall be manifested – he who is our life – then you, too, shall be made manifest, and all in a blaze of glory”.

That glory is our destiny. How could such glory ever be suited to people and things of this earth? It is only suited for heaven, where the glory of God Himself resides. Herein lies our magnificent and awesome destiny.