Premillennialism Part 2

Introduction

Greetings...

Last week we began looking at Satan’s Lie on Dispensation Premillennialism.

We talked about the four “pillars” of this doctrine.

The land promise of Abraham having never been completely fulfilled.

Jesus’ goal to set up an earthly kingdom thwarted by the Jews and the church started “instead.”

The Jews or Israelites are “still” God’s chosen people and will return to glory in Jerusalem at the second coming.

Those that teach this doctrine are the best interpreters of the Bible because they take it so literally.

Now, last week we looked at the first two and showed how the Bible, in no way, teaches this view point.

First, the Promised Land was in fact fully given and not one part of it wasn’t given ().

It was the Israelites that didn’t live up to their end of the promise. The Jews had to stay faithful to God to keep it () and they did not do it ().

Second, Jesus never intended to set up an earthly kingdom even though the Jews “thought” this was the case () and many still do today.

The Jews had to stay faithful to God to keep it () and they did not do it ().

Even Jesus’ apostles thought this, right up to the ascension ().

People today still believe this and it is a central them to this dispensational premillennial doctrine.

“…Christ…intended to establish an earthly Jewish kingdom at His first advent…But the Jews rejected both the kingdom and Christ as King, so the kingdom could not be set up…Therefore the kingly reign of Christ had to be postponed until the second coming.”

As we mentioned last week one of Satan’s greatest lies is that of the false doctrine that Jesus will set up an “earthly kingdom.”

This was something the Jews believed would take place, even the apostles, up to the point Jesus ascended.

The doctrine that at it’s core has a Jesus setting up an earthly kingdom.

As we demonstrated last week, Jesus never intended to set up a “worldly kingdom” () but a spiritual kingdom.

Acts 1:6 ESV

6 So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?”

This He did establish this kingdom already because those that have obeyed the gospel are part of the “Kingdom of Christ” () which is the church.

This is something many are still looking for today, because they assume Jesus wasn’t able when He came the first time. Remember last week’s quote from the book “The Church & The Last Things.”

That leaves us with the last two pillars of dispensational premillennialism.

“…Christ…intended to establish an earthly Jewish kingdom at His first advent…But the Jews rejected both the kingdom and Christ as King, so the kingdom could not be set up…Therefore the kingly reign of Christ had to be postponed until the second coming.”

Let’s examine those more closely today.

So much of premillennialism focuses around this event & as we showed last week, this simply is a false doctrine.

Jesus never intended to set up and earthly kingdom.

Isreal & The Bible

But when it comes to the doctrine of Dispensational Premillennialism we focused on two

Will the Jews get the promised land back?

Premillennialism teaches that the Jews are still God’s chosen people and will return one day back to the promised land.

This false doctrine is one of the reasons so many believe that the United Nations Resolution #181 that was passed in May of 1948 was prophecy because it declared Israel a state once again.

We already showed that Israel broke their covenant with God and that is why they lost the promised land in the first place.

But one of the reasons people keep holding on to this idea, the return of the Jews to Israel, is because they think the Israelites are still “God’s chosen people.”

Are the Jews still God’s chosen people?

There is no doubt that God chose the Israelites to be His chosen people and made them into a great nation.

This was promised to the “father of the nation” Abraham.

Genesis 12:2 ESV

2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.

In we read of God raising the Jews from birth as His chosen people.

Ezekiel 16:4–6 ESV

4 And as for your birth, on the day you were born your cord was not cut, nor were you washed with water to cleanse you, nor rubbed with salt, nor wrapped in swaddling cloths. 5 No eye pitied you, to do any of these things to you out of compassion for you, but you were cast out on the open field, for you were abhorred, on the day that you were born. 6 “And when I passed by you and saw you wallowing in your blood, I said to you in your blood, ‘Live!’ I said to you in your blood, ‘Live!’

Ezek 16:7-9

Ezekiel 16:7–8 ESV

7 I made you flourish like a plant of the field. And you grew up and became tall and arrived at full adornment. Your breasts were formed, and your hair had grown; yet you were naked and bare. 8 “When I passed by you again and saw you, behold, you were at the age for love, and I spread the corner of my garment over you and covered your nakedness; I made my vow to you and entered into a covenant with you, declares the Lord God, and you became mine.

However, it wasn’t being born an Israelite or Jew that made one “God’s chosen” it was their faithfulness.

Paul, inspired by God, would declare...

Romans 2:28–29 ESV

28 For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical. 29 But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God.

Romans 9:6–8 NKJV

6 But it is not that the word of God has taken no effect. For they are not all Israel who are of Israel, 7 nor are they all children because they are the seed of Abraham; but, “In Isaac your seed shall be called.” 8 That is, those who are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God; but the children of the promise are counted as the seed.

Rom

Romans 11:26 ESV

26 And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written, “The Deliverer will come from Zion, he will banish ungodliness from Jacob”;

God, through Paul, would further make this point in by demonstrating how both Jew & Gentile are now Israelites. He does this through the illustration of an olive tree. The Jews are the branches and the Gentiles are the wild olive shoot, that are grafted into the three.

Romans 11:17–20 ESV

17 But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, although a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing root of the olive tree, 18 do not be arrogant toward the branches. If you are, remember it is not you who support the root, but the root that supports you. 19 Then you will say, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.” 20 That is true. They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand fast through faith. So do not become proud, but fear.

Romans 11:21–24 ESV

21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you. 22 Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God’s kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness. Otherwise you too will be cut off. 23 And even they, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God has the power to graft them in again. 24 For if you were cut from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and grafted, contrary to nature, into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, the natural branches, be grafted back into their own olive tree.

Rom 11:18-

Paul then turns around and states that both Jew and Gentile are Israel.

Romans 11:25–27 ESV

25 Lest you be wise in your own sight, I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers: a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. 26 And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written, “The Deliverer will come from Zion, he will banish ungodliness from Jacob”; 27 “and this will be my covenant with them when I take away their sins.”

Summery

Since Israel has always been “spiritual and not physical” in God’s eyes () then it makes no sense to have the Jews take back Israel during the “millennial reign” because every Christian is a spiritual Israelite.

It should be noted that there is no such thing as a “Jewish Race” since the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. because there is no way to trace ancestry. The Encyclopedia Britannica Vol. 12 pg. 1050 states...

“The finds of physical anthropology show that, contrary to popular view, there is no Jewish race. Anthropocentric measurements of Jewish groups in many parts of the world indicate that they differ greatly from one another with respect to all the important physical characteristics.”

Interpretation & The Bible

Premillennialist think they are the best interpreters.

Premillennialist think they are the best interpreters because they take the Bible more literal than others.

Charles C. Ryle, an Anglican bishop in the 1800’s wrote...

“The premillennial scheme is a result of interpreting the promises and prophecies of Scripture in a plain, normal, or literal way. This is the strength of premillennialism its method of interpretation is consistently the same whether applied to history, doctrine, or prophecy.”

nial scheme is a result of interpreting the promises and

prophecies of Scripture in a plain, normal, or literal way. This is the strength

of premillennialism

—

This concept of being “so literal” has led to completely awful logic and reasoning.

its method of interpretation is consistently the same

whether applied to

h

istory, doctrine, or prophecy.

In a forum discussion on if there is a real Jewish race notice the dialog between some of those talking to each other as they discussed the 144,000 in the book of Revelation.

bapmom “and where does the Bible say that the 144,000 have to be from a ‘pure’ bloodline?”

Paul of Eugene “The 144000 is a symbolic number anyway...”

bapmom “of course its symbolic, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t literal, also.”

Ed Edwards “Amen, Sister Bapmom...”

Is taking this interpretative approach biblical?

Premillennialist are not actually consistent in taking Scripture literally.

In the book of , where we find the supposed literal 1000 year reign in , you have the previous verses.

Revelation 20:1–3 ESV

1 Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain. 2 And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, 3 and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be released for a little while.

Premillennialist say the bottomless pit and the great chain is figurative, the dragon is figurative of Satan but the 1000 years is literal.

Let’s be honest, who is more consistent, those that teach all of this if figurative or those that pick and choose what they want to be figurative or literal depending on the doctrine they are pushing?

The Bible is clear when it comes to interpretation, if you have to manipulate the Bible to “fit your doctrine” you are not teaching the doctrine of God but of man.

2 Timothy 2:15 ESV

15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.

Gal 1:

Galatians 1:8–10 ESV

8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. 9 As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed. 10 For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.

Summery

Interpretation of God’s Word begins and ends with a desire to know exactly what God wants us to know, not what we want God to say.

Let us handle the word of truth rightly and not be accursed.

Conclusion

Premillennialism gets a lot of attention because of its “fanciful” “dream-like” imagery pulled from many different symbolic passages.

People are drawn to things that “look neat” but instead of determining true and what the symbols mean, which we can do and has been done, they make up doctrines that contradict the Word of God.

God cannot be one that “cannot lie” and yet be one that lied about Jesus setting up an worldly kingdom “the first time.”

God cannot say He will destroy the earth when Jesus returns, that day () and also say He will reign 1000 years when He returns.

Brothers and sisters let us help those who are caught up in such doctrines, not belittling or scoffing but in love guiding them into all truth which is found in the holy Word of God.

Because it doesn’t matter what man thinks or believes, what does God think.

Invitation

Isaiah 59:1–2 ESV

1 Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear; 2 but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.

Philippians 2:6–7 ESV

6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.