Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Question 9 - Millennial Kingdom or Everlasting Kingdom
Dear Reader, if you are a Pre-Trib Pastor, you may know that this question is Pondered much by Pre-Trib Ministers. They wonder if Pre-Trib is unwittingly claiming that the Kingdom of God is not EVERLASTING, but will end after a thousand years? It does not matter how a Millennial Kingdom here on this earth is explained, if this earth is to be completely destroyed by fire at the end of the thousand years, and the Bible is all too clear that it will be (see 2Pet.3:10, Mal.4:1), an earthly Millennial Kingdom cannot be! However, if the Millennial Kingdom occurs in New Jerusalem, a City that will never be destroyed, then a millennial Kingdom and a Millennial Kingdom can be one and the same. Before we look at this, let's look at some apparent evidence that there will actually be a Kingdom lasting a thousand years:

"They Lived and Reigned with Him a Thousand Years"
Bible Prophets have written about Christ's Kingdom many times, but always they've referred to it as an "Everlasting Kingdom," with one exception. Let's look at a text that seems to imply a Thousand Years: "Blessed and Holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection; on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be Priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a Thousand Years" (Rev.20:6)! Does this mean that after a thousand years, those who are resurrected in the "First Resurrection" will no longer "Reign with Jesus?" Let's look just a little closer at what John said and we'll quickly see why John mentions 1000 years. It will also be clear that Christ's Kingdom is not Millennial. 

A Thousand Years
Several places in Revelation John speaks of a thousand years. The very next verse after John wrote about "Living and Reigning a 1000 years," he tells why he mentions a thousand years. "And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison"  (Vs.7)! The whole point of John mentioning a thousand years is to lead into the fact that after the first 1000 years of Christ's EVERLASTING Kingdom, several things will happen, but NONE of these things include an End of Christ's Kingdom. 
1 - New Jerusalem will, "Come down from God out of Heaven" (Vs.21:2).
2 - Satan will be "Loosed out of his prison" (Vs.20:7).
3 - All lost wicked are resurrected and face the "Great White Throne Judgment" (Rev.20:11-15).
4 - "Fire comes down from God out of heaven and devours the lost wicked"  (Rev.20:9)!
5 - "The heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat! The Earth also, and the works that are in it, shall be burned up"  (2Pet.3:10)!
6 - "And I saw a New Heaven and a New Earth! For the first heaven and the first earth were passed away, and there was no more sea" (Rev.21-1)!
 

 By placing all of these events that John places at the end of the thousand years, a clear picture emerges. All during this first thousand years of Christ's Kingdom, His Kingdom will be perfectly intact. The "Mansions" Jesus went to Heaven to prepare are still exactly where they were when He prepared them;  apparently inside New Jerusalem. At the end of the thousand years, the entire City of New Jerusalem will move from its present location and descend to Planet Earth. We suggest that New Jerusalem  is another name for Heaven. The Righteous Redeemed could sit on their Verandas and safely watch all 6 of the above events. John wrote that New Jerusalem is 1364 miles in every direction, including its height. With the Earth re-created by Jesus, Earth will once again be as it was when Jesus created it for Adam and Eve. The whole earth will be a Massive Garden of Eden!! Perhaps Jesus will take each of the Redeemed to a special place on this New Earth that is especially suited for them, just as He did for Adam and Eve after Creation. Perhaps Jesus will personally give each of us that special "Garden of Eden" specifically designed exactly suited to us! Perhaps Jesus will say, "Come ye blessed of My Father! Inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the Foundation of the World"  (Matt.25:34)!! Possibly Adam and Eve will be given the exact same Garden of Eden that was once their Home at the "Foundation of the World!"

After studying all Bible Prophecies about the Kingdom of God, following is the only interpretation that does not require any Reversing, Revising, or Ignoring any Scriptures: 

During the thousand years John wrote about, Satan and his demons are confined to earth which is covered with billions of unburied human bodies (Isa.24:1-5; Isa.34:3; Jer.25:33). Earth is Satan's Bottomless Pit. At the end of the thousand years, the Kingdom of God, New Jerusalem, the Holy City that's 1364 miles across and 1364 miles high (Rev. 21:17), comes down to earth. Jesus' feet touch the Mount of Olives which spreads into a "Great Valley" (Zech.14:12). This Great Valley provides the place for New Jerusalem to set. The wicked dead are resurrected and Satan rallies them into believing they can overtake New Jerusalem. They surround "Beloved City" (Rev.20:9), but instead of a battle, they find themselves standing before the Great White Throne Judgment. They are Judged and found guilty, after which, "fire comes down from God out of heaven and devours them" (Rev.20:9)! This fire also purifies earth destroying sin and sinners. When the fires have done their work, earth is, "without form and void" once again as it was when Jesus began Creation Week in the beginning. Jesus then creates a New Earth. Heaven, New Jerusalem, and Earth are now one and the same, thus fulfilling Scriptures prophesying a "New Heaven and New Earth." So it is that the Kingdom of God will be "Everlasting," uninterrupted as it moves from its present location, Heaven, to our Planet Earth where it will remain forever and ever (Rev.21:1). It'll be our present Earth, just purified so it'll be fit for God and His People FOREVER. Earth will be once again as it was when Jesus created it for Adam and Eve! A Giant Garden of Eden, FOREVER!!

Ponderable Questions About Popular Interpretation
 If Jesus sets up a "Millennial Kingdom" here on earth, and Planet Earth will be completely destroyed at the end of this Millennium, is it truly Everlasting? Pre-Tribbers are divided about what they believe happens at the end of their version of the Millennium. All who teach there'll be an Earthly Millennial Kingdom must face the question of what becomes of such a Kingdom? Some Pre-Tribbers admit that the Bible describes earth being completely and utterly destroyed by fire at the end of the 1000 years. The Scofield Bible has a footnote under Peter's description of the "Day of the Lord." Peter writes, "The Day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat! The EARTH also, and the works therein shall be BURNED UP"  (2Pet.3:10)! The Scofield footnote says this massive fire happens at the end of the Millennium, but offers no explanation as to how it is that the Kingdom of God (Millennial Kingdom) ends after a thousand  years. Other Pre-Trib promoters, however, completely deny Peter's description and all Bible Prophecies describing Earth's Destruction by fire. These claim Earth will NEVER be destroyed. Peter, John, and Isaiah prophesied about Jesus"Creating a New Heaven and New Earth"  (2Pet.3:13; Rev.21:1; Isa.66:22). We cannot have it both ways, and we cannot cast aside what the Bible says.

HOW TO SOLVE THIS MYSTERY
If we accept the Bible's version of Christ's Coming, and where the Redeemed spend the first thousand years of Christ's Everlasting Kingdom, and accept that Jesus said, "My Kingdom is NOT of this World (Planet)" (Jn.18:36), and that He said, "I go to prepare a place for you...in My Father's House" (Jn.14:1-3), then the total destruction of this present earth fits perfectly.  If we accept that when Jesus says, "In inherit the Kingdom Prepared from the Foundation of the World"  (Matt.25:34), He is speaking to the Redeemed from all ages and is pointing to the "New Heavens and New Earth" (2Pet.3:13; Isa.66:22; Rev.21:1), then all prophecies fit together like a glove. In fact, all Prophecies about the future fit together if we compare all Scriptures and be absolutely certain to include everything.

When Pre-Tribbers are asked why they insist on the Kingdom being here on earth with mortals, sinners, and ending after a 1000 years, they answer, "What about the promises made to the Jews?" Concerning the Jews, Jesus said, "Your house is left unto you desolate"  (Matt.23:38). The Jews killed Jesus!! Jesus gave the Jews opportunity to take the Gospel of the Kingdom to the rest of the world, and they refused! Their opportunity has come and gone, and, according to Jesus, they wasted it. All Jews and Gentiles and every person on earth has the same opportunity for salvation. But, the Jews as a nation are no longer God's channel to the rest of the world. God's Church now holds that position. See Is the Church Israel, and Did Jesus Offer a Kingdom to the Jews.

Thank you SO much, Dear Reader, for your time and interest. Let's continue praying for God's Holy Spirit to give us the wisdom and knowledge to prepare for His EVERLASTING Kingdom!!
Your Brother in Christ
Walter C. Martin Jr.

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 Check Our Other Blogsites:
Pre-Tribulation Rapture
Post-Tribulation Second Coming of Jesus
Will We Eat Pigs During the Millennium?

Planet Earth WILL be Destroyed After the 1000 Years!
New Jerusalem - How BIG is It?
Great White Throne Judgment Seat - When and Where
Christ's Kingdom - Millennial or EVERLASTING?

 Hell Fire
Is God Torturing People Now
Did Jesus Suffer ALL of Your Hell?
The Rich Man and Lazarus?
Death
The Dead - Dead or Alive - What is Death?
Did Jesus Die YOUR Death for You?
Will Satan Ever Die - Bible Says "YES!"
Testing Our Doctrine About Death
The Dead Stand Before Great White Throne Judgment Seat

 The Gnostics Attack the Sabbath
Were Gnostics Really Christian?
Were Gnostics Satan's Implants into the Church?
Is Gnosticism Alive and Well in Today's Churches
Church is Israel - Israel is Church
Is the Church Israel and Israel the Church?
Is the Bride of Jesus the 144 Thousand?
Did Jesus Offer the Jews a Millennial Kingdom in His Ministry?
Will New Jerusalem Sit in Israel? How Big is It?
Christ's REAL EVERLASTING Kingdom is for ALL Believers!

The Sabbath
Is it a Sin to Observe the Sabbath?
Is There a Connection Between the Rapture and the Sabbath?
Will the Sabbath Be Observed By God's People During the Tribulation?
Who REALLY Changed the Sabbath in Early Christianity?
Un-Answered and Un-Answerable Sabbath Questions For Popular Preachers
How to Test Your Doctrine Concerning the Sabbath

Heaven
Marriage in Heaven - Millennial Kingdom?
Strange Animal/Demons the Millennium?
Why Jesus Hasn't Come to Take Us To Heaven?
Teachers of Anomia (Law Annulling)
Good Ministers Teaching Against God's 10 Commandments?
Teaching of Anomia - The Reason Jesus Hasn't Come Yet?
Pre-Trib Rapture and Sabbath
Pre-Trib Rapture and the Sabbath?

Walter C. Martin Jr.
Everlasting Gospel Ministries

These are just a few of the questions we examine in our Websites.
Thank you, Dear Reader,  for checking them. Please feel free to give us your comments and feedback if you look at our Sites.  If you send us your questions or comments, we will try to answer and add your question to these Websites. We will Not give your name or E-Mail address to ANY ONE or ANY Church Group or Denomination! Nor will we send you ANY annoying E-Mails!! It is NOT our purpose to get you to withdraw from your present Church, but to invite you to present things you learn here to your Pastor and Friends.
Let's pray that God will continue sending His Holy Spirit to guide as we prepare for Jesus to come. Thank You!
Your Brother in Christ!
Walter C. Martin Jr

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