Armageddon & The Millennium Theory

We Truly Appreciate Bro. Freeman for this wonderful essay and response to an intriguing, controversial and puzzling question. For more infromation about Bro. Freeman click on his picture for a bio. To view more essays and lessons by Graylon click on his subject title(s) below.

Armageddon & The Millennium Theory

Rev. 20:7-10

December 7^th 1941, a day that will live in infamy; Pearl Harbor the naval base in Hawaii is viciously attacked and all but destroyed. On a cool day in Dallas, TX, November 22, 1963, hot lead comes flying from the Texas School Book depository or the grassy knoll (take your pick) and a nation’s leader in cut down in the prime of life. In the sweltering summer of 1966 the major cities of Los Angeles, Chicago and Detroit erupt in an explosion of racial tension, hatred and violence while on the home front the country is propelled into the stifling jungles of Vietnam as nightly we witness its chilling carnage blasting from our black and white consoles.

April 4^th 1968 on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, TN. the great proprietor of non-violence is violently gunned down and a golden voice is forever silenced. On August 9^th 1974 in the midst of sensationalism, scandal, shame and suspicion we watched as the nation’s 37^th President, under the blazing glare of impeachment proceeding was compelled to resign that lofty office. In November 1978, from the jungle of Jonestown, Guyana we watched in horror and discovered the mass cyanide-laced punch suicide of 912 members of the “People’s Temple” their founder and leader following them in death as a self-inflicted single bullet ripped through his crania.

October 1^st 1979 outraged Iranian students storm the US embassy in Teheran and take 66 people hostage, thus beginning a 444-day nightmare that tumbles the world to the brink of war. January 28^th 1986, 73 seconds after liftoff the heavens erupt in a hail of orange and metal as thick twin white streaks of smoke signal the complete and utter destruction of the Space Shuttle Challenger. August 2^nd 1990 Iraqi troops invade Kuwait leading to the Persian Gulf War code name Desert Storm. April 29^th 1992 the acquittal of four white officers of the law in Los Angeles, CA charged with the vicious beating of a black motorist, set off several days of rioting leading to more than 50 deaths, thousands of injuries and arrests and $1 billion in property damage.

February 26^th 1993, leaving a creator twelve feet wide and over fifty feet deep a bomb explodes in the Word Trade Center of NY, killing 6, injuring 1000 and causing more than $500 million in damage. April 19^th of that same year sees the 51 day standoff of Federal Agents and members of the Branch-Davidianists end in death, as the compound in Waco, TX is in siege and burns to the ground killing 80 cult members. Exactly two years later, April 19^th 1995 the Morrow Federal Office Building of Oklahoma City is literally sheared in half and 168 people loose their lives. August 20^th 1998, U.S. forces launch missile attacks on targets in Sudan and Afghanistan following terrorist attacks on U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.

September 11^th 2001 the entire nation is stunned and brought to horrific humility as we witness in helpless despair two commercial jetliners slam into the twin towers of the World Trade Center in the worse terrorist attack in U.S. history; a third hijacked plane crashes into the Pentagon and a fourth is either shot down or crashes in a rural part of Pennsylvania. The world titters on the brink of uncertainty and disaster. Fear grips the nation and the entire globe is in unrest.

All these events, each one devastating in themselves have been the object of speculation, suspicion, anxiety and fear. Add to that the much bally-hoed Y2K concern that spurned more controversies and problems; everything from the complete shutdown of the world’s complex computer system that many maintained would all but level the world wide economic structure. Many believed that each of these events in and of themselves would be and could be the start of Armageddon, which would usher in the so-called millennium age.

The words of the Negro spiritual, “Over my head there is trouble in the air.” are appropriate to describe the controversy that is raging over the events that will transpire at the 2^nd coming of Christ. This age is polluted by the pious platitudes spoken about the “millennium” which is falsely believed to be a future event. Armageddon is maintained to be the “war’ that will end all wars.

The term Millennium is from the Latin, “Mille” which means “1000” and “Annum” which means “year”. It therefore refers to the prophesied period when Christ shall reign on the earth with a rod of iron. Rev. 20:4; 12:5. Some advocate that Satan shall be bound at this time and a period of earthly peace shall exist, Rev. 20:1-10 and that in the Old Testament this period is described as the period of the kingdom of heaven, Dan. 2:44; 7:13,14.

Isa. 11 is held as the key Old Testament passage that tells of the peace and righteousness of this so-called age. It is also believed that Israel shall be restored and converted and it shall have a prominent place in the Millennium Kingdom, all that according to Zech. 8:20-23 and Acts 1:6.

Of course those who know the Truth of God’s Word know that this theory is just that, a theory! The Millennium doctrine is a false theory even though several passages of Scripture are refereed to in order to bolster it.

Consider Dan. 2:31. Daniel prophesied the coming of the kingdom by interpreting the dream of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. In the dream the king saw a great image, whose head was of gold, and breast and arms were of silver, the belly and thighs were of brass, the legs of the huge image were of iron and the feet were a mixture of iron and clay. The head of gold represented king Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonian empire, Dan. 2:38. The breasts and arms of silver stood for the Grecian empire, the belly and thighs of brass symbolized the Medo-Persian Empire and the feet of iron and clay represented the Roman Empire. A stone is also seen in the dream, the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and the stone smote the image upon its feet, Dan. 2:34. This stone is without doubt Christ, Matt. 2:42, Acts 4:11 who smote the Roman Empire and caused the structure of pagan domination of God’s people to crumble.

Daniel further foretells the same four worldwide empires through the imagery of the 4 great beasts in Dan. 7:1- 7. The first beast is like a lion and stands for Nebuchadnezzar’s kingdom. The second beast was like a bear and it represents the Medo-Persian Empire. The third beast is like a leopard, which would be the Grecian Empire, and the fourth beast, although not named, but with iron teeth, is the Roman Empire.

Daniel says that kingdom would rise and fall, but one called “The Ancient of Days” one like unto the “Son of Man” would, in the midst of that fourth empire set up an everlasting kingdom, which shall never be destroyed. Dan. 7:9, 13,14.

To make this prophecy of the kingdom more clear as to “point of time” Daniel provides us with a “he-goat” who overcomes a “ram” Dan. 8:5-8. You see, this represents the Grecian kingdom, which was the third kingdom. Consider Dan. 8:20,21: “The ram which thou sawest, that had the two horns, they are the kings of Media and Persia, and the rough he-goat is the king of Greece, the great horn that is between his eyes is the first king.” Daniel did not name the fourth kingdom, but we know it was the Roman Empire for it followed “in point of time” like the third kingdom which was the Grecian empire.

In the text it is well described in the interpretation of both as to its strength and as to its weaknesses. Although strong, it was unable even through colonization and armies to hold the kingdom together of its own accord. In its latter days it was as iron and clay, which did not mix, as represented by the feet, for they did not cleave one to another. Even the premillennialists agree that the fourth kingdom was the Roman Empire.

There are those who are waiting for the everlasting kingdom of God to be established at some future date. But we know that the kingdom was to be established during the first century because Jesus preached the Kingdom of God saying, “The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand.” Mk. 1:14,15. I read where the Master said in Mk. 9:1, “Verily, verily I say unto you that there be some standing here that shall not taste of death until the see the kingdom of God come with power.’ Jesus promised that the kingdom of God was going to come with power and that there were some who were standing there as He spoke who would witness its arrival.

The Premillennialists agree that the fourth empire was the Roman Empire. Not only do they concede that the fourth empire that Daniel foretold is the Roman Empire, they also agree that the kingdom was “on hand” and “at hand” during the 1^st century. But in order to hedge around the issue, they project the postponement theory smoke screen. This view holds that the kingdom that was at hand got out of hand. The prophesied kingdom was not established but the un-prophesied church was. It is maintained by the pre-millennialists that since Israel refused to repent and accept Jesus as the Christ, that the kingdom was postponed until the second coming and that the church was established in its place. In other words, Christ came to establish the kingdom but He missed the kingdom so he built the church instead.

But this postponement theory is grossly false because:

· It purports that Jesus did not fulfill His promise to establish His kingdom, Matt. 16:18

· It denies that the kingdom and the church are synonymous, Matt. 16:18

· It makes the church an accident rather than a part of God’s eternal purpose, Eph. 3:9-11

· It denies those passages that refer to the era of the “last days” beginning at Pentecost, Isa. 2:2-4, Acts 2:16,17; 2:5.

· It denies that the kingdom was established during the lifetime of the Apostles on the first day of Pentecost following the resurrection of Jesus when the power came, Mk. 9:1, Acts 1:8; 2.

· It denies that Peter used the “keys of the kingdom” if the kingdom was not established during his lifetime, Matt. 16:18-20, Acts 2.

· It denies that the Hebrew writer told the truth when he said he and the Christians whom he wrote had received a kingdom which cannot be moved, Heb. 12:28.

· It denies that the Apostle Paul told the truth when he claimed that he and the Colossians Christians had been translated into the kingdom, Col. 1:13.

· It denies that John told the truth when he claimed that he was “in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ.” Rev. 1:9.

· It denies that at the end Christ is coming again to “deliver up the kingdom” I Cor. 15:24.

There are several passages, mainly in the Old Testament that are used as proof texts to substantiate the millennial theories. Isa 2:4 “. . . they shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks, nations shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.” Millennialists interpret this as the time when the Messiah will reign over the earth out of Jerusalem and judge between the nations in a visual, actual and historical kingdom of God on earth. They quote Isa. 11:6 where the wolf shall lie down with the lamb. They say there will be justice for all; the wicked shall be punished and the whole earth shall be filled with the knowledge of God, Isa. 11:9. Jesus will restore the paradise that was lost; man will no longer mar it with his selfish activities. The sky will be bluer. The grass will be greener. The flowers will smell sweeter. The air will be cleaner, and man will be happier than he ever dreamed possible right here on earth.

They have the right quotation but the wrong interpretation. They have the right text but the wrong context. Premillennialists use Isa. 2:2-4 and Isa. 11:1-9 to describe the peace and tranquility that they feel will exist during the millennium.

But Isa. 2:3 has reference to God’s reconciling Jews and Gentiles into one nation in Christ with the New Testament as the standard of judgment. The beating of swords into plowshares and the spears into pruning hooks and learning of war no more are figures of speech denoting that the ill will and division between the Jews and Gentiles would be removed through the death of Christ and the proclamation of the gospel, Eph. 2:14-16.

For those who advocate that the millennium will foster the 144,000 who will reign in heaven and the remainder of mankind will be here on earth; consider that the bible teaches in Rev. 14:1-3 that the 144,000 are said to be before the throne and in Rev. 7:9 the great multitude that no man could number, that consisted of all nations are said to be before the throne. All we need to establish is where is the throne? The bible says in Rev. 4:2 that the ‘throne was set in heaven”. It needs to be noted also that according to Rev. 7:13-18 that the 144,000 and the great multitude are in the temple and the bible says in Rev. 11:19 that the temple is in heaven.

The bible does not teach that there will be an earthly class and a heavenly class during the millennium, indeed the bible does not advance the idea of the millennium. The present earth will not abide forever. Millennium advocates believe that the statement “Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth” means that the earth will abide forever. Yet, similar language is used in Psa. 37:9-34, where the term “inherit the earth” appears four times. In each case “inherit the earth” is used to show that the righteous in contrast to the wicked will inherit or receive favor from the Lord on the earth in the form of peace which passes understanding, material and spiritual blessing. It is impossible for the meek, who will inherit the earth, to inherit it literally in terms of eternity because according to II Pet. 3:10 the heavens will pass away with a great noise.

You cannot deny that Jesus said, “Behold I make all things new…” Rev. 21:5. All things will be “new” not renovated, refurbished, re-decorated, reconstituted or reinitiated. They are new and cannot be destroyed, decayed or made to perish; for Peter said we are going to ‘an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that fadeth not away (and don’t miss this) reserved in heaven for you.” I Pet. 1:4. Jesus promised in Matt. 5:12 “great is your reward in heaven.”