Why Eschatology Matters Part IV: Amillennialism

continued from Why Eschatology Matters Part IV

I. Amillennial View: The Amillennial view can be traced back as far as the Alexandrian school when early church father Origen (AD 185-254) was the first to allegorize “reigning with Christ” to mean the spiritual growth of the soul. Origen’s penchant for allegory led him to views that today are considered heretical.[1] This influenced Augustine who once held the premillennial view but was disgusted by speculations about celebratory feasting during the millennium that he viewed as carnal. Augustine wrote,

“for I myself, too, once held this opinion [premillennialism].  But, as they assert that those who then rise again shall enjoy the leisure of immoderate carnal banquets, furnished with an amount of meat and drink such as not only to shock the feeling of the temperate, but even to surpass the measure of credulity itself, such assertions can be believed only by the carnal.” [2]

Also a North African Donatist, Tyconius, who favored Origen’s allegorical hermeneutic, influenced Augustine to change his view to a spiritualized one. Soon Augustine’s view was widely adopted by the Roman Catholic Church and was subsequently retained by reformers Martin Luther and John Calvin.[3] Today it is still the majority view of the mainline denominations.[4]

A. Basic Premises:

i. Millennium: The prefix a- indicates a straightforward negation. However, they actually do believe a millennium exists, just that it is now. The millennium is symbolic of the church age and is said to be fulfilled spiritually not literally.[5] Augustine popularized the idea that the millennium began with the incarnation and is fully realized by the church. Proponents disagree amongst themselves as to where this Millennium is located. Some believe it is now on earth in the church while others believe it is now in heaven.[6]

ii. Resurrection: The majority contend that there is only one physical resurrection of the righteous and the wicked. The “first resurrection” of Revelation 20 is understood as a spiritual in the sense that believer’s souls will go to heaven to reign with Christ spiritually.[7] The second is understood as physical and all are then judged.

iii. The Binding of Satan: They understand this as being in effect during the period between the first and second comings of Christ.[8]Accordingly, Satan is currently chained and cannot deceive the nations. Most believe that there will be a rebellion as Satan is released just prior to Christ’s return[9] Thus, the world will get worse not better. In this way they agree more with premillennialists than postmillennialists.

iv. The Reign of Christ: Christ is reigning now in the hearts of believers, they influence the culture by living out their faith.[10] He will return and judge the world and then start over with a new heavens and earth.

v. The Kingdom of God: The kingdom of God is present now in the world as Christ is ruling believers through the Spirit and his word. They also look forward to a future, the new heaven and new earth.[11]

vi. Israel: The Abrahamic and Davidic covenants were conditional and demand no future fulfillment. The church has replaced Israel as spiritual Israel. Thus there is no prophetic future for national Israel.[12]

vii. Hermeneutic: The necessary theory of interpretation is reminiscent of the Alexandrian tradition that prophecy is symbolic and need not be taken literally. A passage’s basic sense can be taken spiritually or even mystically. However, the lines are not so clearly defined as Dr. Norman Geisler explains,

Again, it complicates matters that even those who allegorize certain prophetic passages claim adherence to the historical-grammatical method of interpretation. (Some do admit to enhancing and expanding it to include an allegorical, symbolical, or typological understanding of certain texts.) The issue, then, boils down to the understanding and/or application (rather than the name) of the method of interpreting (hermeneutics).[13]

B. Points of Strength:

i. The millennium is only found in Revelation 20, which being a book of apocalyptic imagery, can justifiably be interpreted symbolically.[14]

ii. It is a long standing tradition in many denominations.

iii. The view tacitly acknowledges that the world is not getting better and better.[15] This agrees with historical reality.

iv. In the Bible, the word “thousand” is occasionally used symbolically (cf. 1 Chron. 16:15; Ps. 50:10).[16] This provides a rationale for their interpretation of “thousand” as an indefinite period.

v. Because the sheep and goat judgment in Matt 25:3 is interpreted as the same event as the great white throne judgment (Rev. 20:11-15). They avoid the perceived conflict when Jesus teaches that judgment takes place at his return.

vi. They avoid explaining how people enter the kingdom in natural bodies.

vii. According to Riddlebarger, “Its understanding that imminent return of Christ is the consummation of all things and marks the fullness of both the kingdom of God and the age to come.”[17]

C. Points of Weakness:

i. It is hard to imagine how one could come to this conclusion by reading the book of Revelation alone. This view appears imposed upon the plain meaning of the text.

ii. The New Testament overwhelmingly teaches that Satan is actively opposing the church (1 Cor. 7:5, 2 Cor. 4:4, 2 Cor. 2:11, 2 Cor. 11:14, Eph. 2:2, Jms. 4:7, 1 Tim 1:20, 1 Pt. 5:8) and in fact “the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.” (1 Jn. 5:19b, ESV)

iii. It interprets the two resurrections of Revelation 20 differently, one spiritual (Rev.20:4) and one physical (Rev.20:5). However the same Greek word, zao, for “came to life” is used for both. Additionally, the passage itself does not indicate that the writer intended a difference of meaning.[18] Verses five and six directly contradict the notion that the first resurrection is anything but bodily physical resurrection of believers.

iv. There were no chapter divisions in the original manuscript and chapter 20 begins with the Greek preposition kai having causal and copulative relation to Christ’s parousia in chapter 19.[19] For instance, the binding of Satan is inextricably chronologically connected to Christ’s return.

v. Even though the word “thousand” is used occasionally as a long period (e.g. 1 Chron 16:15), it appears over one hundred times and only a few are non-literal, and those are hyperbole not allegory.[20]

vi. The church does not have 12 tribes and in Luke 22:30 Jesus makes clear that National Israel will not only be present in the future kingdom but that they will also retain tribal identity. If the church is now “spiritual Israel” and God was finished with National Israel this simply would not follow. Also note that the 144,000 in Revelation are chosen from the 12 tribes, again ruling out the church.

Next up Postmillennialism


[1]David Noel Freedman, The Anchor Bible Dictionary (New York: Doubleday, 1996, c1992), 4:834.

[2]Augustine. City of God, Book 20, chapter 7.

[3]Norman L. Geisler, Systematic Theology, Volume Four: Church, Last Things (Minneapolis, MN: Bethany House Publishers, 2005), 548.

[4]John F. Walvoord, The Prophecy Knowledge Handbook, Includes Indexes. (Wheaton, Ill.: Victor Books, 1990), 624.

[5] Edward Hindson. Revelation: Unlocking the Future, (Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers, 2002), 86.

[6]Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum, Israelology : The Missing Link in Systematic Theology, Previous Ed.: 1993., Rev. ed. (Tustin, Calif.: Ariel Ministries, 1994), 123.

[7]Geisler, Systematic Theology, 549.

[8]R.C. Sproul, The Last Days According to Jesus, electronic ed. (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2000, c1998) ch. 9.

[9]Fruchtenbaum, Israelology, 128.

[10]Sproul, The Last Days, 9.

[11]Sproul, The Last Days, 9.

[12]Hindson, Revelation, 86.

[13] Geisler, Systematic Theology, 413.

[14]Fruchtenbaum, Israelology, 135.

[15]Fruchtenbaum, Israelology, 126.

[16]Geisler, Systematic Theology, 550.

[17] Kim Riddlebarger, (http://pjcockrell.wordpress.com/2008/01/15/eschatology-q-a-what-are-the-strengths-and-weaknesses-of-the-different-millennial-views/) accessed 07/04/2010.

[18]Walter A. Elwell and Philip Wesley Comfort, Tyndale Bible Dictionary, Tyndale reference library (Wheaton, Ill.: Tyndale House Publishers, 2001), 896.

[19]James Strong, The Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible : Showing Every Word of the Text of the Common English Version of the Canonical Books, and Every Occurrence of Each Word in Regular Order., electronic ed. (Ontario: Woodside Bible Fellowship., 1996), G2532.

[20]Geisler, Systematic Theology, 558.

Why Eschatology Matters Part Four

MILLENNIAL VIEWS

continued from Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

Christians of all denominations routinely implore “thy kingdom come” without giving it a second thought. It follows that if one is still asking for something to come, then it cannot be fully present. Even so, the expectation for a literal millennial reign of Christ on earth is perhaps the most controversial subject in eschatology. It is inescapable that the bible plainly proclaims it. Revelation 20:1-6 speaks of a one thousand year period when believers reign with the Lord Jesus after his return.

Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years. (Revelation 20:6)

This plain sense view is also called “chiliasm” from the Greek word chilioi for thousand. Although the word “thousand” is used six times in Revelation chapter 20, the duration is a major point of contention. There is an acknowledged history of allegorical interpretation deeply entrenched in ecclesiastic tradition. Because of this, the majority of the denominational church denies a literal millennium.[1] There are three principle views concerning the millennium promised by God in Revelation chapter twenty: Premillennial (divided into pre & post tribulational positions on the chart below), Postmillennial, and Amillennial.

My next post will outline the Amillennial view and its theological implications.


[1]John F. Walvoord, The Prophecy Knowledge Handbook, Includes Indexes. (Wheaton, Ill.: Victor Books, 1990), 624.

Why Eschatology is Important Part Three

continued from Part 1 & Part 2 (make sure to hover the pointer over scripture references)

In this installment I get to the purpose of this series, “Why Eschatology is Important.” My motivation for writing this is that I have noticed that one’s eschatological persuasion influences almost every other element of theology. An errant eschatology is the root of numerous heresies from pluralism to “kingdom now” theology.  I am also writing this because I have had friends say to me, “We really can’t know anything about all of that, so it’s a waste of time.”  There are a number of problems with that view.

First, Jesus spoke on it at length in the kingdom parables, the two Olivet discourses, and in the book of Revelation. Some make the error of making it plural “Revelations”, yet verse one is explicit, “The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John,” (Re 1:1). The revelation from Father to Son to angel to disciple to you and me, this is a great privilege! Not to mention, the book of Revelation is the only book of the bible that promises a special blessing to those who study it (Re 1:3). Furthermore,  Titus 2:12-13 infers that waiting for our blessed hope is an incentive to Godliness. Peter even speaks of “speeding its coming” (2 Pet. 3:12). Since the Lord and the disciples thought it was that important for us, shouldn’t we study it diligently?

Next, eschatology is a major theme of the Old Testament. God inspired the prophets and apostles to write a plethora of apocalyptic material. For instance, Isaiah 34:1–8 and Obadiah 15 describe a Day of the Lord when God will judge all nations of the world.  Joel 3:1–16 and Zechariah 14:1–3, Zec. 14:12–15 refer to a Day of the Lord that will involve God’s judgment of the armies of all the nations of the world, when those armies gather to wage war against Israel and the city of Jerusalem. The ramifications for world politics are enormous. Have you ever considered how your vote plays a part? God went to great lengths to deliver and preserve his word; we ought to take it seriously.

Another reason is that, as Isaac Newton observed, God held the first century Jews accountable for knowing prophecy. It is likely he will us as well. In fact, Jesus taught that we have a responsibility to know prophecy and keep watch. “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.” (Mt 25:13)  “But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap.” (Lk 21:34) Paul confirms this in his letter to the Thessalonians, “For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness.” (1 Th 5:2-5)

My reason for walking through the visions in Daniel was to demonstrate that God has written the future in advance and that the Jewish Messianic expectation of a political kingdom was (is) justified. The Scriptures certainly teach that God created the universe for His own purposes (Rev. 4:11). As a result, the heavenly and earthly realms are owned and ultimately ruled by God (1 Chr. 29:11–12; 2 Chr. 20:6 Ps. 47:2; Ps. 103:19; Ps. 135:6; Isa. 40:12–26; Jer. 10:7, 10; Dan. 4:17, Dan. 4:34; Acts 17:24; 1 Tim. 1:17; Rev. 5:13). Yet they are now under the rule of a usurper. Mankind was given dominion over the earth in Genesis 1:26, yet Satan took it away when he enticed Adam to disobey God.  Satan is god of this present world system. Jesus said it twice, (Jn 14:30; Jn 12:31) Paul taught it, (2 Cor. 4:4; Eph 2:2) and John,

We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one. (1 John 5:19)

The protoevangelium (first gospel) of Genesis 3:15 prophesied that the seed of the woman would one day crush his head. Like bookends, I believe this event is also prophesied in Revelation 20. Now we patiently await His return. He is coming!

Just before the ascension (Acts 1:6) the disciples ask Jesus, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?”

Did Jesus say, “Sorry guys not going to happen, Israel forfeited?”

Nope.

He says “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority.”

It wasn’t for His disciples to know. Yet this infers a future time that God has fixed when He will restore the Kingdom to Israel. This time was prophesied by the prophets and Jesus reveals it explicitly in Revelation 20. In His word He told us to watch (Luke 21:34, Matt 25:14), he gave us signs to watch for (Matt 24:6-8, 2 Tim 3:13, 1 Tim 4:1-2, 2 Pet. 3:3-14, Jude 16-18, 2 Tim. 3:4-5). It is our blessed hope (Tit 2:13). We are told to pray “Thy Kingdom Come” and to “speed its coming” (2 Pet. 3:12). The future Kingdom that bible believing Christians are eagerly anticipating also delineates a major division in biblical theology, millennial views.

…Continued

Vindication – “Fair Use” Wins the Day!


I was informed by You Tube today that my original video that Ken Klein Productions filed a Digital Millennium Copyright Act complaint on has been restored.

The owner of copyright has the right to reproduce or to authorize others to reproduce their  own work. However, this right is subject to certain limitations found in sections 107 through 118 of the copyright law (title 17, U. S. Code). Section 107 contains a list of the various purposes for which the reproduction of a particular work may be considered fair, such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research.[i]

Criticism, comment, teaching and scholarship were certainly the purpose of the video. I praise God that YouTube ruled in my favor.

Please note, I believe in religious freedom and Ken certainly has the right to believe and teach anything he wants.  However when he represents it as biblical or Christian, he invites the attention of apologists because it’s neither. As far as I am concerned, I have done my duty in exposing his error and I am ready to move on.

Accordingly, I am working on a “challenge.” I am going to present a minimal facts case for the resurrection of Christ on YouTube and challenge the skeptics to explain the evidence with an alternate theory that accounts for the known facts. I plan to post part 3 of “Why Eschatology Matters” soon as well. Thanks for your support and comments and God Bless.


[i] http://www.copyright.gov/fls/fl102.html

Ken Klein Productions, Channeling and the Doctrines of Demons

Throughout this strange confrontation with Mr. Klein I have wondered, ‘Where does he get this kooky stuff?” Unfortunately, Ken is following the typical profile of a cult by manufacturing new revelations that “correct” orthodox Christian beliefs. I thought I had found my answer when I researched the heresies of Origen and Mormon founder Joseph Smith. I assumed that Ken was perhaps relying on Mormon exegesis. I’m afraid it is not that simple. It now appears to be more overtly demonic. 1 Timothy 4:

1Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, 2through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared,

In a rather astonishing attempt to rationalize his teaching that humanity preexisted as fallen angels Ken had one of his “PhD staff members ” send me their exposition of Romans 5, which was a text I employed to refute Ken’s denial of the orthodox doctrine of original sin. Paul is explicit that “sin came into the world through one man” (Rom 5:12). It’s simply astonishing, because it now appears that Ken’s doctrinal position is more like a syncretism of Christianity and New Age mysticism. From the correspondence I received, Ken’s alleged PhD bible scholar appears to be a new age channeler. The exposition of Romans 5 begins with:

“NOW COMES THE BOOK OF ROMANS MANIFEST ALIVE BY THE INTERPRETATION OF A MANIFESTER

The idea of a “Manifester” stems from the belief that there are states of consciousness in which it is possible to access spiritual knowledge. This has led to the emergence of ritualized means of  manifesting spiritual revelations, generally termed “channeling”. According to the Dictionary of Gnosis and Western Esotericism:

In traditional cultures throughout the world religious specialists have functioned as links between human beings and what each culture understands to be spiritual reality. The New Age counterpart of this process of prophetic revelation is generally known as channeling. Channeled messages generally convey a synthesis of psychology and religion, a pattern of syncretism that has permeated much Western religious thought in general over the last century.[i]

I highly recommend Christian J. Pinto’s documentary Meggido II for a Christian treatment of New Age occultism and channeled revelation. According to Pinto’s well documented research, many influential and well recognized people of the modern era (including Charles Darwin, Thomas Edison, Adolf Hitler and Hillary Clinton) have been influenced by channeled material. Now you can add Ken Klein and all of those who are deceived by his video Angel Wars.  I quote influential Pastor Dr David Jeremiah,

Channeling is a sophisticated term for spirit possession. It occurs when humans willingly give their minds and bodies to spirit beings that enter and control them. The spirits use the mouths of channelers to give spiritual teachings to the listener. To be a channeler is to be a modern-day demon-possessed person or, in some cases, a plain fraud.[ii]

I believe this is likely what we have going on in the theology of Ken Klein Productions. These ideas from Ken’s “Manifester” are fraud or demon possession, take your pick. Personally, I am open to either interpretation. Now I ask the reader to bear in mind this is supposed to be an explanation of Romans 5 . This is the exact text of an email from Ken Klein Productions staff “Manifester”:

Note:  If you don’t feel like subjecting yourself to reading all of it; the last paragraph is quite revealing.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————–

From one of our PhD staff members who is a major contributor to our research and developing department (Romans).


webmaster <kenkleinproductions@——-.com> Wed, Jul 7, 2010 at 11:02 PM
To: Cris Putnam <keptprivate@gmail.com>

Ah…THE BOOK OF ROMANS FOREVER: Romans 5:12…”Wherefore”, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned. (KJV). NOW COMES THE BOOK OF ROMANS MANIFEST ALIVE BY THE INTERPRETATION OF A MANIFESTER:

“Wherefore”KJV (”Therefore”,NIV same value), a term when contextually used after a statement which is to be followed by a related statement which is a causation connected to the statement to follow,or as it may be said: a word used meaning that the statement of point that preceded the statement to follow is the causation for the event of the statement which follows the word “Wherefore”. The question then,

what is the statement that is a causation for Romans 5:12? The following is the collective statement:

1. God commended His Love toward the spirits who now are living in human bodies while they were still sinners and still Ophannim angels [Ezekiel 10-13, “wheels” in Hebrews “Ophannim”, (for all had sinned [past tense] and come short of the glory of God) Romans 5:13 MIV.
We humans existed as Ophannim Morning Star Angels before this Earth was formed: Job 38:4-7 and Job 38:21 NIV, Revelation 12:3-7 KJV or NIV, Romans 8:19-23, Romans 8:29-30 KJV, Ephesians 1:3-5 KJV. God commended His Love through Yahvael the Christ Lamb who was slain from the foundation of the cosmos (world, stars of the heavens), Revelation 13:8 KJV, see Cosmos for world in Strong’s Greek Concordance #2886 from #2889.

2. Those angels who sinned at the foundations of the Cosmos are to be justified and saved from wrath, Romans 5:9 MIV. Compare, Romans 8:29-30 KJV.

3.Those same mortals (previously Angels) due to their sin become enemies to Yahvael (Christ) but are to be reconciled by the offering of the Son. (Romans 5:10 MIV)

4. Joy is to be given to the overcomer angels (now Mortals) who had become enemies to Yahvael the Christ Lamb. Romans 5:11 MIV. Compare, Isaiah 63:9-10, and Isaiah 63:16 KJV
So then, the term “Wherefore”, used in Romans 5:12, purposes that all of 1-4 statements above preceding the “wherefore” scripture are the causation for the “wherefore” verse in Romans 5:12. With that being said it is evident that “sin” entered into the world not as a result of anything that happened on Earth but rather because of something that was a cause exceptional to this Earth. This fact is further accentuated in 1 John 3:8 KJV: He that committed sin (past tense) is of the devil (Lucifer, Satan, the Dragon, the Serpent); for the devil sinneth from the “BEGINNING” from Strong’s Greek Concordance, “beginning”= #746 “First Estate”also see #7 5 6 = precedence. Compare: Jude 6, “First Estate” forsaken by the angels (under Satan the devil’s influence). For this purpose the Son of God was manifested that he might destroy the works of the devil.

When one considers the statement in Romans 5:12: By one man sin entered the world. It must be determined as to the meaning of “man”. When used in the english language. Man can represent both genders of male or female, such as mankind. This is a language fact and if that was not true the women would be left out of most benefits of the Word of God in the Bible. When someone says: well it is obvious this scripture is talking about “Adam”. However, the word “adam” means “man”. And the word “adam” personified to mean a particular person means at least three persons: ADAM the son of God, Luke 3:38 KJV, Eve, – ADAM Genesis 5:2 KJV, for Eve’s name was also ADAM…And the other ADAM was Jesus Christ, 1 Corinthians 15:45 KJV. This is especially interesting since in…1 Timothy 2:14 this scripture says that Adam was not deceived and did not commit transgression.

So then why did Adam, the son of God, choose to take on himself the sins of the failed messenger angels, the Ophannim Wheels, who existed before the foundation of the Earth, (Job 38:1-7,21KJV), and as well the transgression of Eve Adam his wife? First he took on the sins of the fallen angels to manifest in the flesh the extent of sin they committed and to manifest it as such. See Romans 7:13 KJV, because Adam Loved Eve and had become one flesh with her, making him Eve’s kinsman redeemer. The Bible repeats the question…Who are the mortals (what is man) that You God are so mindful of them?

Romans 5:12 continues: Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world AND DEATH BY SIN. The history of ancient bones prove that on Earth death was a common state before Adam and Eve were even created and therefore their actions had nothing to do with the cause of death as exceptional to the expectation of death for many reasons. If Adam and Eve already had eternal life but lost it due to sin, that flies crooked in the face of “The Tree of Life” which if eaten would allow continous life, but which Adam and Eve never partook of.

And so death passed upon all mortals, because all mortals as failed angels had sinned (have/had past tense) before coming to Earth. MIV THE EMPIRE OF ROME WAS A THOUSAND YEARS, THE BOOK OF ROMANS FOREVER…..

Stop preaching to God about what Am is to do for you, seek that space between transmitting and receiving which is meditation. Go there and wait, for there is coming a sound as of a great Inner Rain. When this Inner Rain is flowing you will be able to change every mental base element into spiritual gold. This is a Word from God that one day all things will become possible for you. When this happens a Holy Ghost telescope will be mounted in your brain so you can see beyond the beyond. Come touch this compass for it is a compass of a “to be” sweeping spiritual Manifest movement. For then shall God sweeten the juices of your spirit and flower the exercises of your altitude.

Regards,

Staff


[i] Hanegraaff, Wouter J. Dictionary of Gnosis and Western Esoteriscism. Leiden, The Netherlands: Koninklijke Brill NV, 2006, 889.

[ii]David Jeremiah and Carole C. Carlson, Invasion of Other Gods : The Seduction of New Age Spirituality (Dallas: Word, 1995), 61.