THE BIBLICAL PROPHECY- The War between the 2 Posterities -Part 6

However, nowadays, in Israel, there still exist a rest of sincere people, fearing God that really hope in the return of theocracy. Therefore, to these people God has made the promise of restoring theocracy.
“‘See, I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then
suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,’ says the Lord Almighty.”
Malachi 3: 1
“Lift up your heads, O you gates; be lifted up, you ancient doors, that the
King of glory may come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O you gates; lift them up, you ancient doors that the King of glory may come in. Who is he, this King of glory? The Lord Almighty- he is the King of glory. Selah.” Psalm 24: 7-10
The Jews during Jesus believed that Messiah will restore the terrestrial kingdom at His first coming (Luke 19: 37-38 That is why the disciples were fighting between themselves because they wanted to know who was the greatest of them all; Jacob and John asked their mother to ask Jesus for important positions in His Kingdom. Indeed, even John the Baptist was perplexed as he too had hoped to be freed from jail he was in and where he saw no kingdom coming.
”He sent them to the Lord to ask: ’Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?’ When the men came to Jesus, they said: ‘John the Baptist sent us to you to ask, ‘Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else’?” Luke 7: 19-20
“They stood still, their faces downcast. One of them, named Cleopas, asked
Him: ‘Are you only a visitor to Jerusalem and do not know the things that have happened there in these days’? ‘What things? ‘he asked. ‘About Jesus of Nazareth,’ they replied. ‘He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place.”
Luke 24: 18-21
The prophets had in fact announced the eternal kingdom of Messiah over Israel, but the disciples didn’t understand the stages of God’s plan/design. In fact, Christ had to come at first to suffer our redemption and afterwards, during His 2nd coming, for the judgement of nations and for establishing theocracy. That is why Jesus had to clear things after His resurrection for 40 days while He stayed to teach them things about God’s kingdom. Nevertheless let us notice
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that they haven’t received the answer they were expecting regarding the precise moment Israel was about to be restored; the Lord’s answer is according to His teaching because the restoration of the Jewish nation is part of God’s secret. Regarding this subject, the apostle Paul tells us in Romans 11: 25 that Israel’s hardening (the rejection of Messiah by the Hebrew nation) is a mystery.
In conclusion contrary to some teachings the Church is not the revival instrument for the Jewish people because, according to the Biblical prophecies, Messiah Himself will do it at His visible return on Earth. – 2 pages above Zechariah 12:10-14
“I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of
the Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: « The deliverer will come from Zion; he will turn godlessness away from Jacob. And this is my covenant with them when I take away their sins.” Romans 11: 25-27
In 1948, there has been nevertheless a partial restoration of the Hebrew nation at the creation, at that time, of the Israel state as a sovereign country, thus confirming the Biblical prophecies and especially Isaiah 66: 7-9. But the real restoration implies the return of God’s glory (meaning the national conversion, the recognition by all Jews of Jesus as the Messiah and the King, the restoration of the old administrative form of governing: the theocracy – Isaiah 1: 26; Isaiah 2) which will all become real only at Jesus-Christ’s visible return. Only God knows the date- the hour and the day- of this event. Nevertheless, this shouldn’t stop us from evangelising Jews. (Matthew 28: 18-20).
The Resurrection of Saints living before Jesus-Christ and those alive during the Great Tribulation
All believers that lived before the first coming of Jesus will be resurrected at the 2nd visible coming of Jesus-Christ. In fact, the 1st phase of the 1st resurrection regards entirely the Church (1 Thessalonians 4:13-17). The 2nd phase of the 1st resurrection regards the saints who lived before the Church’s age and those of the Great Tribulation.
“I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony for Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or his image and had not received his mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ 1,000 years.”
Revelation 20: 4
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This passage confirms that the dead before the dispensation/ the grace will resurrect after the Great Tribulation, after Israel’s restoration. All these stages accomplished, Jesus/ Yeshoua will then restore His millennium.
4)
The Millennium and its different interpretations
(Zechariah 8) Lord Jesus-Christ will reign over the earth for 1,000 years with His Church, with the saints from the Great Tribulation and with Israel – all unified in a single body. To better understand the millennium, we have to turn to Adam and Eve who died of their disobedience. According to Scriptures, they haven’t lived more than a day, meaning no more than 1,000 years. Indeed, the Word says that a day is equal to 1,000 years and 1,000 years are worth a day. (Psalm 90; 2 Peter 3: 8). Thus, we understand that in order to reach eternity, we have to live more than a day, more than 1,000 years. Methuselah’s days were 969 years. – Genesis 5: 27 He needed only 31 years to reach 1,000 years or in other words, eternity. Due to the fact that the first Adam had failed his mission, God has sent Jesus, the last Adam, so that all humanity who trusts in Him enters eternity. (1 Corinthians 15: 45-47).
The promise for millennium had been given to David in 2 Samuel 7: 14-16, when God promised him to enforce his throne forever. So, Christ, David’s posterity by flesh (Romans 1: 3) will establish the future kingdom based on his alliance, his covenant with king David. It will be God’s governing over Earth or the restoration of theocracy. (Isaiah 2)
While he was in Babylon, the prophet Daniel received great revelations regarding the setting up of the Messianic kingdom.
“In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever. This is the meaning of the vision of the rock cut out of a mountain, but not by human hands-a rock that broke the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver and the gold to pieces. « The great God has shown the king what will take place in the future. The dream is true and the interpretation is trustworthy. » Daniel 2: 44-45
Compared to other prophecies, this passage states the age when the millennium kingdom will be established. It will be during ‘the time of these kings’, in other words during the Beast’s reign of Revelation 13: 1-10, which will be helped by 10 horns or 10 kings/presidents (Daniel 7: 24-27), the equivalent of 10 toes of Nebuchadnezzar’s statue. (Daniel chap. 2)
These 10 kings didn’t exist 2,000 years ago at Lord’s first coming. During the Roman Empire these 10 horns represented the 10 Germanic tribes.
“In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was
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led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.” Daniel 7: 13-14. Here Messiah, along with all saints, is invested with the millennium reign on earth.
“In the last days the mountain of the Lord ‘s temple will be established as
chief among the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and peoples will stream to it. Many nations will come and say: ’Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord , to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.’ The law will go out from Zion, the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He will judge between many peoples and will settle disputes for strong nations far and wide. They will beat their swords into ploughshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore. Every man will sit under his own vine and under his own fig tree, and no one will make them afraid, for the Lord Almighty has spoken. All the nations may walk in the name of their gods; we will walk in the name of the Lord our God forever and ever. ’In that day,’ declares the Lord, ‘I will gather the lame; I will assemble the exiles and those I have brought to grief. I will make the lame a remnant, those driven away a strong nation. The Lord will rule over them in Mount Zion from that day and forever. As for you, O watchtower of the flock, O stronghold of the Daughter of Zion, the former dominion will be restored to you; kingship will come to the Daughter of Jerusalem.” Mica 4: 1-8 (see also Isaiah 2)
During His millennium reign, the Lord will restore the theocratic government in Israel. “I will restore your judges as in days of old, your counsellors as at the beginning. Afterward you will be called the City of Righteousness, the Faithful City. ».” Isaiah 1: 26
Like in the garden of Eden, all animals will eat grass and there will be no enmity between them: “The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them. The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. The infant will play near the hole of the cobra, and the young child put his hand into the viper’s nest. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.” Isaiah 11: 6-9
All nations will go up each year to Jerusalem to worship Y.H.W.H. and to celebrate the feast of tabernacle which will be then restored. (Zechariah 14).
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As we have already noticed, the millennium reign had been promised to king David and his posterity (2 Samuel 7: 14-17). Later, it has also been proclaimed by John the Baptist (Matthew 3: 1-12), by Jesus the Messiah (Matthew 4: 17) and by the disciples and apostles (Matthew 10) as being near. Nowadays, God’s kingdom manifests itself through the sanctified life of all saints in Christ (Luke 17: 20; John 3: 1-8; Romans 14: 17) and doesn’t hit the eye, because it will be seen only after the ‘harvest’ or after the judgement of nations (Matthew 13: 39-43, 49-50).
Only after the harvest, the kingdom will be truly restored here on earth, when Messiah will re-establish the monarchy/David’s dynasty in His own person. Then, He will gather all children of Israel spread all over the planet and will re-establish His domination over the whole wide earth for 1,000 years.
This kingdom will be offered to the Father by messiah after He will defeat the last enemy: the death (1 Corinthians 15: 24-26). Therefore, nobody will know death during the millennium.
According to the parable of the poles from Luke 19: 11-27, there are those saints with lots of fruits from their gifts and ministries. These ones will receive authority to govern cities in the millennium kingdom and will have positions similar to those of Israel’s judges (Isaiah 1: 26). Thus, some will rule 3 cities, some 5 or some, even whole dozens.
In conclusion, stay strong in witnessing your faith in Jesus.
During the millennium, there will be 3 types of believers:
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On one hand, the Christians of the raptured Church who are resurrected and returned on earth in glorious bodies (1 Corinthians 15: 40-57). They will look like angels because they will be asexual; so, amongst these saints, there will be neither man nor female (Galatians 3: 28) and for this reason they will not multiply. (Luke 20: 27-38)
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On the other hand, there will be the saints of Israel resurrected before the time of grace and those who entered the millennium kingdom alive.
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Finally, there will be the men converted during the great tribulation (both categories: resurrected and alive) Matthew 25: 31-40. Those who would have never known resurrection will continue to have kids, too and these kids will be those who, during the millennium, will have to face the snake’s seduction after these 1,000 of jail time for satan. (Revelation20: 7-10)
Those 4 different types of millennium
We have seen in the previous pages that the Church is not destined to suffer the future wrath. Jesus-Christ will rapture her before that time in the same way He kept Israel safe during the 10 plagues against Egypt. (1 Thessalonians 5: 9).
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Nevertheless, because of the confusion that exists in the Evangelical culture regarding the Church’s place during the great tribulation, I stop and talk beneath about the different interpretations of the millennium.
“I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony for Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or his image and had not received his mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ 1,000 years. (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the 1,000 years were ended.) This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy are those who have part in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years. When the 1,000 years are over, satan will be released from his prison.” Revelation 20: 4-8a
This passage talks about the persons that will live and reign with Christ during 1,000-year period. The controversial/divergent interpretations of this paragraph gave birth to 4 types of schools regarding the millennium.
1)
A-millennium
Augustin d’Hippone (beginning of 5th century) was the father of this doctrine later adopted by the Roman Catholicism. This is the current position of the Reformat and Lutheran Church.
For the a-millennists, the millennium corresponds to the present domination of Christ in heaven over the dead faithful souls. In their opinion, there is no visible reign of Christ on earth before the future eternity. The number 1,000 is symbolic and doesn’t mean the exact duration of 1,000 years. Thus, Jesus-Christ’s return will happen after the millennium. Of time, including the great tribulation will take place before the Lord’s return which will happen in one phase. Therefore, Lord’s visible return on earth will take place immediately after ‘His return into air’ with the faithful and those resurrected (the rapture). After this, while the rest of the people will resurrect for the last judgement, the believers will forever rejoice of the blessings through a new sky and a new earth.
This point of view is in disagreement Scriptures which clearly state that Lord Jesus-Christ will reign for 1,000 on Earth together with His beforehand raptured Church. In addition, we must know that Augustin d’Hippone, like most of the church fathers were anti-Semitic. Following their own interpretation of this Biblical prophecy, they have completely forgot the major role the Jewish nation plays in the ‘eschartic’ (in Greek) or ‘acharith’ (in Hebrew) signs, meaning in the signs of the end time. In their view, all prophecies concerning this people are attributed to the Church now as she has replaced Israel. But what
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credit can we give this Biblical interpretation while these persons were animated by such hate towards the Jews?
2)
Post-Millennium
Post-Millennium is undoubtedly the least famous position. This theory has appeared in the 17th century thanks to the Dutch Reformat theologian Johannes Koch and thus, it has been approved by some Reformat and Baptist churches.
For the post-millennium people, the millennium would come on Earth before Jesus-Christ’s return thanks to some progresses made into the preaching of the Gospel (both for Jews and Christians alike). Therefore, in their opinion, Jesus-Christ and the Christians are already on the way to reign on earth. Generally speaking, the Post-millennium supporters consider that the great tribulation and the apostasy have already passed and that the world will end one day by Christianising the entire world, which will thus end a long period of peace, justice and prosperity (1,000 years in a symbolic sense), when the principles of faith and Christian morale would be universally accepted.
Nevertheless, they contradict themselves by stating that naturally, not all the people would become authentic and that evil will be reduced to its minimal expression. Finally, Jesus’ return would be followed immediately by all people’s resurrection, by the last judgement and by the appearance of a new sky and a new earth. In conclusion, they assimilate the first cup rider from Revelation 6: 1-2 to Christ and the world conquering by His Ekklesia and by the Gospel, when in reality it is about antichrist. Surely Jesus-Christ has already won the battle 2,000 years ago and He doesn’t go as conqueror to win again (John 16: 33). Also, His weapon is the sword of the Word and not the arch (Revelation 19: 15).
For the partisans of this doctrine, the Church’s rapture will not take place because she is charged to establish Y.H.W.H.’s kingdom here on earth. Some go even further and form political parties in the hope of instituting the millennium through the power of ballot boxes; that is how far this false interpretation of the Biblical prophecy goes! It is only a utopia, a pure illusion because only God is able to install universal peace. (Acts 1: 3-8; 3: 19-21) By the way, the a-millennium thinkers also defend this doctrine of replacing Israel with the Church.
The Historic Pre-Millennium
The doctrine of the historic pre-millennium has turned up in the 2nd century and was introduced by some church fathers such as Papias, Justin the Martyr, Irene, Tertullian etc.). This is the official position of the Mennonite Church and of that
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of the Salvation Army Church and also of a considerable number of theologians of different protestant denominations.
All pre-millennium believers think that Jesus-Christ’s return will precede the millennium. Therefore, the millennium is going to happen between Jesus’ coming and the introduction of future eternity. Nevertheless, there are 2 types, quite different of pre-millennium: the historic one and the one based on dispensation (that revolves around grace).
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3)Pre-Millennium believers of historic type
Its supporters believe that before Christ return there will be: the nations’ evangelisation, the apostasy and the antichrist’s appearance and of course later the great tribulation. (That is why they are also called post-tribulationists.) They also believe it very probable if not certain that Israel will return in his country according to the Old Testament prophecies, fact recognised also by the a-millennists and post-millennists for which however Israel has replaced the Church in God’s design. Israel’s return in his land must have taken place before the Lord’s return, but the historic pre-millennnists are divided regarding the Jews ‘conversion foretold by Romans 11. (Some believe this will happen before, some say immediately after Christ’s return).
Christ’s return is understood as a single phase, which is completely false. The Lord will return firstly for His Bride and later, after 7 years He will come in a visible way on Earth (not seen only on the clouds- n.tr.) for the Israel.
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4)Pre-millennists of dispensionist / grace type
This current has developed during the 18th century by J.N. Darby and his position is the apostles’ position; apostle Paul’s included and also my own, too.
God used Darby to bring light into truths concerning the millennium, truths that satan kept hidden for a long time.
The dispensionism is determined by 2 main principles:
– The literal interpretation of the prophecy: all prophecies regarding Christ’s return and those concerning end times (the apostasy, the great tribulation, Christ’s visible return, the restoration of Israel, the last judgement…)
– The fundamental and permanent distinction between Israel and the Church
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God/Y.H.W.H. has 2 purposes: a terrestrial one with Israel and a celestial one with Ekklezia – she contains herself a number of Jews converted to Christianity. The prophecies of the Old Testament concern only Israel and not at all the Church, which is a bracket that nothing could foretell, a special dispensation in the history of salvation; so as a consequence the dispensionists claim that these
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prophecies will not be able to come to pass but after the Church’s time, in a different kind of grace/dispensation that will follow, that of the Kingdom which corresponds with the millennium –the time that precedes Christ’s return on earth.
So, the dispensationists take the Old Testament prophecies regarding the establishment of Israel’s Kingdom and interpret them literally. It is important for us Christians to understand that God has not rejected or abandoned His nation Israel. Israel’s return in his country is on its way, so Christ’s reign is over the Jewish kingdom during the millennium.
During the first coming of Jesus-Christ on earth, the Lord offered Jews both a terrestrial kingdom and a spiritual one (where people enter through repentance and faith John 3). This offer being rejected, Yeshoua established His Church, a hidden mystery until now or a bracket that put an end for a while to Y.H.W.H.’s plan for Israel, design which will nevertheless be fulfilled during Jesus’s second coming on earth.