Since have gone wide of the original Topic, I just don't see the point in saying what sort of set up the Millenium should have, surely God would set it up the way He wants it. If Jesus Christ comes to Earth to reign literally from some location on Earth (which in my admittedly limited knowledge I haven't found yet in the Bible) He's going to be issuing instructions himself about what should be taught, not following our schemas of the end times. He's going to be setting it up according to his designs, not ours. In any case for what I understand of it (which isn't much) I lean I think toward some sort of spiritual A-millenialism, and not any of the political millenialisms. I don't know enough of the Bible yet to hold any view strongly.
continued:
When Jesus sent forth the Twelve Disciples He commanded them, saying, "Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not; but go rather to the
'lost sheep' of the
HOUSE OF ISRAEL, and as ye go, preach, saying
'The Kingdom of Heaven is AT HAND.' Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils (demons)."
Matt. 10:5-8. Note again that the works they were to perform were "Kingdom
SIGNS," and had no reference to the salvation of the soul. They did not preach the "Gospel of Salvation," but the "Gospel of the Kingdom." And further the "Gospel of Salvation" is for the whole world, but the Disciples were forbidden to go to any but the
"House of Israel," thus showing that what they preached was exclusively for Israel. That the Disciples were expecting the setting up of a visible earthly Kingdom is evidenced by the request of James and John that they might sit, one on the right hand, and the other on the left hand of Jesus in His Kingdom.
Mark 10:35-41. If there was to be no earthly Kingdom Jesus would have disabused their minds of that idea, but He confirmed it by saying that the place of honor was not for Him to give, but would be bestowed by His Father.
Matt. 20:23.
The fact that after the miracle of the "Loaves and Fishes" the multitude was desirous to take Jesus by force and make Him a
KING (
John 6:15), reveals what they understood by the preaching of the Kingdom of Heaven being
AT HAND. That Jesus prevented their doing so by escaping to a mountain is no evidence that He repudiated the idea of Kingship over a visible earthly Kingdom, but that to have received the Kingdom from them would have been wrong, for He is to receive the Kingdom from the
FATHER, and not from men.
Dan. 7:13-14. That Jesus did not deny His Kingship of an outward and visible earthly Kingdom is clear from the fact that He accepted the 'Hosannahs" of the multitude when He rode into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday in fulfilment of the Messianic prophecy of
Zech. 9:9.
John 12:12-15. And it was as
"KING OF THE JEWS" He was crucified.
Matt. 27:37. When Pilate asked Jesus "Art Thou the King of the
JEWS?" He evaded the question, but admitted that He was a
KING, and to that end had been born, but that His Kingdom was
"not of this world," that is, it would be given to Him by God the Father, and therefore would be from Heaven.
John 18:33-37.
But some one may ask, "What would have happened if the Jews, as a nation, had
repented, and accepted Jesus as King, would the earthly Messianic Kingdom have been set up?" Certainly, but not necessarily immediately, for certain Old Testament prophecies as to Jesus' death and resurrection had to be fulfilled, for He had to die for the redemption of the race, before He could assume His office as King. But this could and would have been fulfilled by the Roman Government seizing Jesus and crucifying Him as a usurper, and with Jesus' Resurrection and Ascension, Daniel's 69th week would have terminated, and the 70th week begun without a break, and at its close Jesus would have descended and set up His earthly Kingdom.
But you ask, "What about the Church? If it was God's Eternal Purpose to form the Church (
Eph. 1:4), how could it have been formed if there was no break or gap between Daniel's 69th and 70th week, and how therefore could there have been a 'bona fide' offer of an earthly Kingdom to Israel?" The question is hypothetical and based on the supposition that something might have happened that God foresaw would not happen. God's foreknowledge that the Jewish nation would not at that time heed the announcement that the Kingdom of Heaven was
at hand and repent, does not militate against the sincerity of the announcement any more than the offer of spiritual salvation by a preacher of the Gospel to an audience of sinners who he has every reason to believe will refuse his offer, is not a sincere and "bona fide" offer.
God's Plan and Purpose in the Ages is based upon His
FOREKNOWLEDGE. If God had not foreseen that the Jews would reject the King and therefore the Kingdom. He would have planned for the formation of the Church at some other time than this present Dispensation. As the Church was to be purchased by the precious blood of Christ (
Acts 20:28,
1 Pet. 1:18-21), it was necessary that Jesus should be rejected and crucified, and that by His own nation, for the Prophet Zechariah (
Zech. 12:10) foretold that the Jews should look upon Him whom they had
PIERCED. But God's foreknowledge did not require or compel the Jewish nation to reject Jesus, any more than Jesus' foreknowledge that Judas would betray Him compelled Judas to so do. The possibility of the Church being crowded out by the repentance of the Jewish nation did not enter into the "Plan of God," who foresaw the refusal of Israel to accept Jesus as King, and that Israel would not nationally repent until after the Church had been formed and taken out of the world.
In expounding the Scriptures we are not to take something that belongs to a
"PAST" and a
"FUTURE" Dispensation and put it in the
"PRESENT" Dispensation. For instance,
"THE KINGDOM." The
"PAST" and
"COMING" Dispensations have to do with
"THE KINGDOM," but the "Present" has to do with the
CHURCH. The
"Kingdom" is an outward, visible and earthly
"POLITICAL ORGANIZATION," and is to be
"set up" on the earth (
Dan. 2:44); while the
"Church" is an invisible and heavenly
"SPIRITUAL ORGANISM" that is to be
"caught out." 1 Thess. 4:16-17. The "Kingdom" was prepared
FROM the "Foundation of the World."
Matt. 25:34. The "Church" was chosen in Him
"BEFORE the Foundation of the World."
Eph. 1:4. The "Church" then is not the "Kingdom."
THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT
A good illustration of the confusion that results when we take things that belong to a
FUTURE Dispensation and put them in this
PRESENT Dispensation is seen in the "Sermon on the Mount." It is found in
Matthew 5:1-7:29. Matthew's Gospel is Jewish and must so be
interpreted, though there are teachings in it that have eternal application and may be applied to any Dispensation, as "Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the Law, till all be fulfilled (
Matt. 5:18); or "Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."
Matt. 6:21. But the instructions as to "fasting" (6:16-18); the "danger of the Council" (5:22); the "Judge," the "Officer," and the "Altar" (5:24-25), and the profession "I never knew you," and such like, have no application to the Christian, but only to those who are under the Law, and therefore must apply to another Dispensation than this.
The absurdity of the application is seen when we note that many professing Christians instead of "loving their enemies," do not even "love their brethren." Instead of agreeing with their "adversary quickly," they are unwilling to agree with their "brethren slowly." Instead of not judging others it is the one thing to which they are most addicted. If any sue them and would take away their coat, instead of letting them have their cloak also, they let them have
the law. Take the command "Give to him that asketh of thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away." Try that upon the average church member and see what you would get. How many if they were smitten on one cheek would turn the other?
Take the "Lord's Prayer," (
Matt. 6:9-13), which is a part of the "Sermon on the Mount." It asks that
"The Kingdom" may come, not that the "Church" may increase and prosper. There is no petition for "Salvation from sin" in it. It asks that "God's will may be done in earth, as it is done in heaven." It is a prayer for those who shall be living in the "Tribulation Period" who in their persecutions will long for the return of the King, that the Kingdom may be set up, and God's will be done, as it will be done then, on earth as it is done in Heaven. At that time the "Beast" (Antichrist) will be in power and no one shall be able to "buy" or "sell" except he that bath the "Mark of the Beast," and this explains the petition "Give us this day our
DAILY BREAD," for unless food is supplied
miraculously they will perish. And it will be a time when they shall particularly need to be delivered, not from evil, but the
EVIL ONE Satan, who will tempt them to recant and worship the Beast.
The "Sermon on the Mount" was spoken by Christ before His rejection, and was the Constitution of the then offered Kingdom; now that the Kingdom has been withdrawn it is not in force, but will be in the Millennial Kingdom. So we see that we must discriminate between the Dispensations and not dislocate scripture.
THE DISCIPLES, QUESTION
After the Resurrection of Jesus the hope of a visible Kingdom was revived, and just before His Ascension the Disciples asked Him-
"Lord wilt Thou
at this time restore the Kingdom of Israel?" His reply was "It is not for you to
know 'The Times' or 'The Seasons' which the Father hath put in His own power."
Acts 1:6,9.
It is clear from this that the Disciples were looking for an
Earthly and Visible Kingdom, and not a spiritual one. If Jesus came simply to set up a
"Spiritual Kingdom" in this Dispensation, as many claim, then common honesty demanded that He at that solemn moment when if He was about to leave His Disciples and go back to the Father, should have disabused His Disciples' minds of their false hope, and told them plainly that the Kingdom he came to set up was
"spiritual" and not earthly. But He did no such thing. He confirmed their hope and told them that there was to be an
"Earthly Kingdom," but the time and season for setting it up had not yet come.
In
Luke 19:11,
12, we read-
"Because He was nigh to Jerusalem, and because they
thought that the
Kingdom of God Should 'IMMEDIATELY' Appear; He spake this parable. A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a Kingdom, and to return."
From this we see that Jesus is the "Certain Nobleman" who has gone into a "Far Country" (Heaven), to receive the Kingdom and that, when He has received it, He will return.
There is nothing in the Scriptures to prove that Jesus is a King now. David was anointed King over Israel long before King Saul died in anticipation of that event, but he did not become King, and take the throne, until
after Saul's death. So while Jesus was born "King of the Jews," He does not become King until He actually takes the Throne. At present He is engaged in His High Priestly functions, and is seated on His Father's Throne and not on His own Throne.
II. The Kingdom in Mystery.
The King having been rejected it was impossible then to set up the Kingdom, so the Kingdom took on another aspect known as
The Kingdom in Mystery.
This "Mystery Form" of the Kingdom is described in the "Kingdom of Heaven Parables" found in Matthew's Gospel alone. If we want to know the character of this Period, which covers the time between the Ascension of Christ, and the Rapture of the Church, we must study these Parables. They are 12 in number.
After Jesus had spoken the Parable of "The Sower," the Disciples came to Him and said, "Why speakest Thou unto them in
Parables?" He answered "Because it is given unto you to know
THE MYSTERIES
Of the Kingdom of Heaven."
In verse 35 He gives as His reason for speaking to them in Parables, that it might be fulfilled as spoken by the prophet-
"I will open my mouth in
Parables; I will utter things which have been kept
SECRET from the foundation of the world."
The "Kingdom of Heaven Parables" therefore cannot describe the "Messianic" or "Millennial Kingdom," for it was no "secret" to the old Testament Prophets. Neither do they describe a "Spiritual Kingdom," for the figures they use are all of an "earthly" nature. They must then describe the character of the Present Dispensation, in its
earthly aspect, during the
absence of The King.
Our Lord's Parables are not "Allegories." A vein of falsehood characterizes all allegories. Things are represented "fictitiously." The Parables of our Lord present things truthfully. He used Parables so that those who were not disposed to believe might not understand, and that the word of God might be fulfilled as spoken by the Prophet Isaiah.
Isa. 6:9-11.
Matt. 13:13-17. Also because
"blindness in part" had fallen upon Israel, (
Rom. 11:25), and a clear revelation would only discourage them or drive them further into unbelief.
Seven of the "Kingdom of Heaven" Parables are found in
Matthew 13. All of the twelve, except the Parable of "The Sower," begin with "The Kingdom of Heaven is like unto."