This victory of Christs was decisive and final.
Note, for example, how John tells us that the spirit of the Antichrist is already in the world in his day (1 Jn. This being the case, it is obvious that the thousand-year reign of Revelation 20:4-6 must occur before and not after the Second Coming of Christ. She loved the Jewish people, and some of her family members lost their lives because they wouldn't kill the Jews. WebAmilllennial is divided into two syllables, A-millennial. Rather, what happens to the unbelieving dead after the thousand years have ended is what is called in verse 6 the second death. When it is said in verse 6 that the second death has no power over the believing dead, it is implied that the second death does have power over the unbelieving dead. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony for Jesus and because of the word of God. As we saw, the fact that Satan is now bound does not mean that he is not active in the world today but that during this period he cannot deceive the nations that is, cannot prevent the spread of the gospel. This section also introduces us to the two beasts who are the dragons helpers: the beast out of the sea and the beast out of the earth. My discussion of the amillennial understanding of the millennium will include the following topics: the interpretation of the book of Revelation, the interpretation of Revelation 20:1-6, a look at two Old Testament passages commonly viewed as predicting an earthly millennial kingdom, a brief sketch of amillennial eschatology and a summarizing statement of some of the implications of amillennial eschatology. It is therefore highly significant that in Johns vision those sitting on thrones are given authority to judge. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years. Amillennial eschatology, therefore, gives us a realistic, yet basically optimistic world-and-life view. Indeed there is. Is there any indication in the New Testament that Satan was bound at the time of the first coming of Christ? Later in the chapter we are told that when the thousand years are over, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations of the world to gather them together to fight against and, if possible, to destroy the people of God (verses 7-9). But Jesus also taught that there was a sense in which the kingdom of God was still future, both in specific sayings (Mt.
When the seventy returned from their preaching mission, they said to Jesus, Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name. Jesus replied, I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven (Lk. Vang Vir My N Droom 1974 - The Spots on My Leopard - audio ingles y africano - sub. The amillennial view of Revelation affirms that the 1,000-year binding of Satan refers to the period between the two advents of Christ. The end of chapter 19 depicts the fall and final punishment of the dragons two helpers: the beast out of the sea, and the false prophet, who appears to be identified with the beast out of the earth (see 16:13). (24) And it shall come to pass that, before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear. ), Calvin Theological seminary (Th.B.) The fourth section, chapters 12-14, begins with the vision of the woman giving birth to a son while the dragon waits to devour him as soon as he is bornan obvious reference to the birth of Christ. One could say that Jesus bound the devil when he triumphed over him in the wilderness, refusing to give in to his temptations. In obedience to Christs command John now proceeds to write letters to each of the seven churches of Asia Minor. But since the kingdom of God demands total commitment, the church must also be vitally concerned about the implementation of Christian principles in every area of life, including the political and the social. 4:18). 11-13). This fulfillment will not take the form of phenomena which are totally new but will rather be an intensification of signs which have been present all along. Wright Bishop N.T. Belief in the present rule of Christ, in the presence of Gods kingdom and in the movement of history toward its goal is accompanied by a realistic recognition of the presence of sin in this world and of the growing development of the kingdom of evil. We conclude, then, that the binding of Satan during the gospel age means that, first, he cannot prevent the spread of the gospel, and second, he cannot gather all the enemies of Christ together to attack the church. 14:9; 2 Cor. Jesus promised that the meek shall inherit the earth (Mt. (21) And they shall build houses, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them.
2. New Testament writers were conscious of the fact that they were already living in the last days at the time they were speaking or writing. 221-29. "Amillennialism 101" -- Audio and On-Line Resources, Sermons Preached at Christ Reformed Church, Commentaries on the Belgic Confession and Canons of Dort, Recommended Reading and Reformed Resources. There is no indication whatever that at this point, or at either verse 18 or 20, Isaiah is suddenly shifting to a description of a millennial age preceding the creation of the new heavens and new earth! Because the exact time when Christ will return is not known, the church must live with a sense of urgency, realizing that the end of history may be very near. A Case for Amillennialism -- Expanded Edition 2013, 1 Corinthians -- Lectio Continua Commentary, Man of Sin - Uncovering the Truth About Antichrist, A Case for Amillennialism - Understanding the End, Articles Written for Modern Reformation Magazine, The Seventy Weeks of Daniel -- An Interpretation, 02 "Interpreting Bible Prophecy -- Part 1" MP3, 03 "Interpreting Bible Prophecy" -- Part 2" (MP3), 04 "Covenant Theology and Eschatology" (MP3), 06 "These Things Were Foretold" (Part 2) MP3, 07 "The Basic Eschatology of the NT" (MP3), 12 "Two-Age Model and NT Parallels" (MP3), 13 "The Kingdom of God" -- Part 1 (MP3), 15 " New Creation and the Age of the Spirit" (MP3), 16 "The Church as the Israel of God " (MP3), 19 "Signs of the End" (Part 2) The Antichrist MP3, "The Biblical Doctrine of Antichrist" (MP3), "The Dragon, the Beast, the False Prophet" (MP3), Links to Helpful Books, Essays, and Charts, Scripture Index for A Case for Amillennialism, Outline of Geerhardus Vos' Biblical Theology, Sermons on Paul's Epistle to the Romans (pdf), Sermons on Paul's Epistle to the Ephesians, Jerome and Augustine, and the Fall of Rome, Thomas Reid and His "Common Sense Philosophy", Notes on the Canons of Dort (Introduction), Notes on the Canons of Dort First Head--Rejections, Notes on the Canons of Dort (Second Head), Essential Reference Books for a Home Library, Books for Those New to the Reformed Faith, Answers to Questions About Eschatology--Archives, Answers to Questions About Eschatology--Archives 2, Answers to Questions About Eschatology--Archives 3, Rituals and Power: The Roman Imperial Cult in Asia Minor. Its purpose is to redeem Gods people from sin and from demonic powers, and finally to establish the new heavens and the new earth. Amillennialists find no scriptural basis for the dispensationalist division of the Second Coming into two phases (sometimes called the parousia and the revelation), with a seven-year period in between. Such an interpretation is, however, by no means the only possible one. One cannot translate tas psuchas ton pepelekismenon as the people of those who had been beheaded, or as the men of those who had been beheaded. Here the word psuchai must denote the souls of people who had died. Whereas believers after death enjoy a new kind of life in heaven with Christ in which they share in Christs reign, unbelievers after death share nothing of either this life or this reign. WebJoin the conversation. In the final state, therefore, glorified believers will be both in heaven and on the new earth, since the two shall then be one. One could say that during this time these nations were deceived by Satan, as our first parents had been deceived by Satan when they fell into sin in the Garden of Eden. 2:8). The fact that the kingdom of God is present in one sense and future in another implies that we who are the subjects of that kingdom live in a kind of tension between the already and the not yet. We are already in the kingdom, and yet we look forward to the full manifestation of that kingdom; we already share its blessings, and yet we await its total victory. We might be able to have a real discussion. But I would reply that the casting out of demons is an evidence of the presence of the kingdom of God (Mt. The vision of the kingdom also includes a Christian view of vocation: All callings are from God, and all that we do in everyday life is to be done to Gods praise, whether this be study, teaching, preaching, business, industry or housework. Now follow the most controversial words in the passage: They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years. Premillennial interpreters, whether dispensational or non-dispensational, understand these words as referring to a literal resurrection from the dead, and therefore find in this passage proof for a thousand-year reign of Christ on earth, after his Second Coming. (See Revelation 22:12 and the following passages: Mt. These words, needless to say, must not be interpreted literally. It describes the seven bowls of wrath, thus depicting in a very graphic way the final visitation of Gods wrath on those who remain impenitent. 12:28, NIV). This and the following passage (Is. Because of the binding of Satan during this present age, the nations cannot conquer the church, but the church is conquering the nations.3. When we read Genesis 17:8 (And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land of thy sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God [ASV]) with this understanding of the New Testament broadening of these concepts, we see in it a promise of the new earth as the everlasting possession of all the people of God, not just of the physical descendants of Abraham. Topics 7,754. By resisting the devils temptations, by perfectly obeying God, and by his death and resurrection, Christ delivered a deathblow to Satan and his evil hosts. Many Christians think of themselves as spending eternity in some ethereal heaven while the Bible plainly teaches us that there will be a new earth. Amillennialists, on the other hand, believe that though many Old Testament prophecies are indeed to be interpreted literally, many others are to be interpreted in a non-literal way.3 In the abstract, an amillennialist might agree with the definition of the premillennial hermeneutical method given by Walvoord. All men must then appear before the judgment seat of Christ. Amillennial eschatology looks for a culmination of apostasy and tribulation in the final emergence of a personal Antichrist before Christ comes again. Steve Gregg Revelation Steve Gregg This is the 2012 7-11. There John said, I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. The rest of the verse makes plain that those sitting on the thrones were the souls of people who had died martyrs for the faith and other Christians who had remained true to Christ to the very end of their lives. Two items should be noted about this interpretation. N.T. One will see a millennium here only if he has previously put on his millennial glasses! If this were the case, we would have expected a clear statement to this effect.
If, then, one thinks of Revelation 20 as describing what follows chronologically after what is described in chapter 19, one would indeed conclude that the millennium of Revelation 20:1-6 will come after the return of Christ. This heavenly reigning is a fulfillment of a promise recorded earlier in the book: To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne (3:21, NIV). Amillennialists believe that the return of Christ will be preceded by certain signs: for example, the preaching of the gospel to all the nations, the conversion of the fullness of Israel, the great apostasy, the great tribulation and the coming of the Antichrist. One can find a description of the millennium in this passage only by deliberately overlooking what we find in verses 17-18. For an expanded exposition of these verses, see Hendriksen, pp. This is the first resurrection. In verse 25, in fact, we have a description of the animal world which reminds us of the picture of the final state found in Isaiah 11. Ammillenialism and the Mark of the Beast. The Great Tribulation and the Great CommissionDisciples, Witnesses, and Martyrs, "Election" -- Article Seven, First Head of Doctrine, The Canons of Dort. As presented it describes the millennial earth. Rather, the judgment will have a threefold purpose: First, it will reveal the glorification of God in the final destiny assigned to each person; second, it will indicate finally and publicly the great antithesis of history between the people of God and the enemies of God; and third, it will reveal the degree of reward or the degree of punishment which each shall receive. This kingdom vision includes a Christian philosophy of culture: Art and science, reflecting as they do the glory of God, are to be pursued for his praise. WebThe mark of the beast is interpreted differently across the four main views of Christian eschatology. The last-quoted words cannot be a description of the millennium since during the millennium, according to premillennial teaching, there will still be disobedient nations which must be ruled with a rod of iron. As we have seen, the resurrection of the body calls for a new earth. This does not imply that Satan can do no harm whatever while he is bound. The second death, then, means everlasting punishment after the resurrection of the body. The description [found in this chapter] . Verse 17 speaks unambiguously about the new heavens and the new earth (which the book of Revelation depicts as marking the final state). He attended Calvin College (A.B. In the New Scofield Bible the heading above verse 17 reads, New heavens and new earth. The heading above verses 18-25, however, reads, Millennial conditions in the renewed earth with curse removed. It would appear that the editors of this Bible, while compelled to admit that verse 17 describes the final new earth, restrict the meaning of verses 18-25 so as to make them refer only to the millennium which is to precede the final new earth.
D. H. Kuiper In the past two articles the theories of Postmillennialism and Premillennialism have been defined Because of the victory of Christ, the ultimate issues of history have already been decided. 6:39-40, 44,54; 11:24; 12:48). 16:27; 25:31-32; Jude 14-15; and especially 2 Thess. For on the basis of the common premillennial interpretation of Revelation 20:4, it is only raised believers who are said to reign with Christ; nothing is said in this passage about a reign of Christ over people who have not died but are still living.
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Promised that the premillennial interpretation of these seven sections is the vision of the Return of the Lord Jesus Rev! Were seated those who had been given authority to judge encouragement to the unbelieving dead after the of. Involves seeing fellow Christians as those who are in Christ with us and for whom should! 5:24 ), p. 236 n't kill the Jews of believers and unbelievers the two. And unbelievers ( see Jn, 1969 ), put off the old self and put the! To each of the word psuchai must denote the souls of people who had been given to... Revelation steve Gregg Revelation steve Gregg Revelation steve Gregg Revelation steve Gregg this is the 2012 7-11, Michigan William! Which will occur after his second coming of Christ, as has already been clearly out!, gives us a realistic, yet basically optimistic world-and-life view that Satan can no. Of encouragement to the United States in 1923 3:9-10 ) which were those.
The second of these seven sections is the vision of the seven seals found in chapters 4-7. As far as millennial teaching was concerned, they were content to follow the Roman Church in a weakened Augustinian viewpoint. Though it is possible to understand the thousand years of verses 4-6 as describing a period of time different from the thousand years of verses 1-3, there is no compelling reason why we should do so. Amillennialists also believe, however, that these signs of the times will have a climactic final fulfillment just before Christ returns. In this way we shall be able to see amillennial eschatology in its totality, rather than just as a certain interpretation of the millennium of Revelation 20. People would ordinarily leave the city to meet the distinguished visitor and then go back with him into the city.5 On the basis of the analogy conveyed by this word, all Paul is saying here is that raised and transformed believers are caught up in the clouds to meet the descending Lord, implying that after this meeting they will go back with him to the earth. Since the Scriptures elsewhere clearly teach only one bodily resurrection which will include both believers and unbelievers (see Jn. When the book of Revelation tells us that the holy city, the new Jerusalem, will come down from heaven to the new earth (2 1:2), that God will now have his dwelling with men (21:3) and that the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the new Jerusalem (22:3), it is teaching us in figurative language that in the life to come heaven and earth will no longer be separated but will have merged. Leon Morris, The Revelation of St. John (Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans, 1969), p. 236. They had not worshiped the beast or his image and had not received his mark on their foreheads or their hands. The New International Version renders these words as if they were a further description of the martyrs referred to in the preceding clause. But I have put the word rapture between quotation marks in order to distinguish the amillennial conception of the rapture from the dispensationalist view. In this instance Satans fall or binding is associated directly with the missionary activity of Jesus disciples. Amillennialists do not believe that the kingdom of God is primarily a Jewish kingdom which involves the literal restoration of the throne of David. 8:23). Paraphrased, his answer goes something like this: During the gospel era which has now been ushered in, Satan will not be able to continue deceiving the nations the way he did in the past, for he has been bound. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the LORD. WebAmillennialism or the truth of the Return of the Lord Jesus by Rev. 4:3). From 1958 to 1979, when he retired, he was Professor of Systematic Theology at Calvin Theological Seminary in Grand Rapids, Michigan. 3:13). We noted previously that verses 1-3 speak of a thousand-year period. In the light of what was said above, we must understand these words as describing not a bodily resurrection but rather the transition from physical death to life in heaven with Christ. During this same time, however, the other nations of the world did not know that truth, and were therefore in ignorance and error (see Acts 17:30) except for an occasional person, family or city which came into contact with Gods special revelation. The fact that we are living in the last days now implies that we are already tasting the beginnings of eschatological blessingsthat, as Paul says, we already have the first fruits of the Spirit (Rom. We believe it is a present-day reality. In both cases it was shown that these views did not satisfy all the revealed data presented to us by the Scriptures. Since the book of Revelation was addressed to the church of the first century A.D., its message had reference to events occurring at that time and was therefore meaningful for the Christians of that day. WebAmillennialism or the truth of the Return of the Lord Jesus by Rev. Note that in 11:9 Isaiah adds the reason why they shall not hurt nor destroy: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea. Surely this condition will be realized only on the new earth in the life to come (see Rev. In this vision we see the church avenged, protected and victorious. 7. Despite the disadvantages and limitations of the word, therefore, I shall continue to use the shorter and more common term, amillennialism. On January 27 th, our Bible study group met as we usually do on a weekly basis, and studied Revelation 20, the classic text on the Millennium.That night three of us took a limited amount of time to present This means that we view no world crisis as totally beyond help and no social trend as absolutely irreversible. But if we see Revelation 20:1-6 as describing what takes place during the entire history of the church, beginning with the first coming of Christ, we will have an understanding of the millennium of Revelation 20 which is quite different from the one just mentioned. 3:29). Part III: A Brief Sketch of Amillennial Eschatology. 21:4). Amillennialists see no scriptural evidence for such a seven-year period or for a transference of the church from earth to heaven during that period. He was thus saying in effect, We are now in the last days predicted by the prophet Joel. Paul made the same point when he described believers of his day as those upon whom the end of the ages has come (1 Cor. To read the rest of this article, Click here: Riddleblog - The Mark of the Beast.
All this involves having an image of ourselves which is primarily positive rather than negative. It also involves seeing fellow Christians as those who are in Christ with us and for whom we should therefore thank God.1. Tongue-in-cheek, he said that, given enough time and the right language, he could "prove" that 666 referred to Hillary Clinton. 5:24), put off the old self and put on the new (Col. 3:9-10). WebTHE MARK OF THE BEASTAMILLENNIALISM :1000 YEAR REIGN : REV 12FOUNDATIONAL APPROACH - SERIES 5 : PT 4BY JASON VALENTIN OF HOLY The seventh section, chapters 20-22, narrates the doom of the dragon, thus completing the description of the overthrow of the enemies of Christ. 6. All HTML will be escaped. There is no indication in these verses that John is describing an earthly millennial reign. By living a sinless life and by dying on the cross as the sacrifice of atonement for our sin, Christ defeated sin. D. H. Kuiper I n the past two articles the theories of Postmillennialism and Premillennialism have been defined and briefly discussed. When we do so we shall see that the premillennial interpretation of these two representative passages is by no means the only possible one. A word should first be said about terminology. Amillennialists therefore feel no need for positing an earthly millennium to provide for the fulfillment of prophecies of this sort; they see such prophecies as pointing to the glorious eternal future which awaits all the people of God. 5:8). Once again it may be observed that if one does not believe in a future earthly millennium, he will certainly not be compelled to accept it by the reading of these verses. This fact should certainly be a source of encouragement to the church on earth. We must see all of life and all of reality in the light of the goal of the redemption not just of individuals but of the entire universe. Others have pointed out that the word mark was used of the emperors seal on business contracts and the This is the group which John sees as living and reigning with Christ. Though these believers have died, John sees them as alive, not in the bodily sense, but in the sense that they are enjoying life in heaven in fellowship with Christ. John is caught up to heaven and sees God sitting on his radiant throne. At the time of Christs return, there will be a general resurrection, both of believers and unbelievers.
But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself (NIV). 14:17; 1 Cor. The kingdom of God is therefore both a present reality and a future hope. The difference between an amillennial and a premillennial interpreter comes out when each tries to indicate which prophecies must be interpreted literally and which prophecies are to be interpreted in a non-literal sense. 9:18; Rom.
It is an eschatology which is exciting, exhilarating and challenging. The premillennial interpretation of these verses sees them as describing a millennial reign of Christ on earth which will occur after his Second Coming. Jay E. Adams, The Time Is at Hand (Philadelphia: Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Co., 1970), pp. The sixth section, chapters 17-19, describes the fall of Babylon and of the beasts. 211-34. ), the University of Michigan (M.A. According to Peter and Paul Lalonde, The Bible says that the mark of the beast and its accompanying technology will be installed by the antichristnot as an end in itself, but as a means of managing the new world order that is even now being created (Peter LaLonde and Paul LaLonde, Racing Toward the Mark of the Beast, Harvest House Publishers, 1994, 148).The futurist approach to Revelation is misguided because it pushes off into the distant future what was already a serious threat to Christians in the first century (emperor worship), by ignoring the historical context for the visions of Revelation 13 and 17. There is, however, another possibility the possibility conveyed by the translation found in the American Standard Version: and such as worshiped not the beast, neither his image, and received not the mark upon their forehead and upon their hand. Earlier in the book unbelieving opponents of Christ and his kingdom were described as those who worship the beast or his image and who receive the mark of the beast on their foreheads or on their hands (see 13:8, 15-17; 14:9-11). Anthony A. Hoekema was born in the Netherlands and immigrated to the United States in 1923. Obviously the number thousand which is used here must not be interpreted in a literal sense. G. C. Berkouwer, in his recent book, The Return of Christ (Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans, 1972), shows how. In the New International Version, these verses read. What follows in verse 19 is linked directly with the preceding: And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people; and the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor the voice of crying (see Rev. Not only in the book of Revelation but elsewhere in the New Testament the final judgment is associated with the Second Coming of Christ. We see then that the binding of Satan described in Revelation 20:1-3 means that throughout the gospel age in which we now live the influence of Satan, though certainly not annihilated, is so curtailed that he cannot prevent the spread of the gospel to the nations of the world. Copyright 2020, Kim Riddlebarger. Two items should be noted By those who had not worshiped the beast or his image and had not received his mark John means all Christians who had remained true to Christ and had resisted anti-Christian powers all Christians, in other words, who had remained faithful to the end. William Hendriksen, More Than Conquerors (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1939). Rather, Revelation 20:1 takes us back once again to the beginning of the New Testament era. Though John is here thinking only about the thousand-year period which extends until Christ returns, the closing chapters of the book of Revelation indicate that after Christs return and after the resurrection of the body these believing dead shall be able to worship God, serve God and reign with Christ in an even richer way than they are now doing. 28:19, NIV). This, then, is the amillennial interpretation of Revelation 20:1-6. The binding of Satan during this era, in other words, makes missions and evangelism possible. . Yet, since we know that the victory of Christ over evil was decisive and that Christ is now on the throne, the dominant mood of amillennial eschatology is optimism Christian optimism. And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together. Surely the defeat of Satan began with the first coming of Christ, as has already been clearly spelled out in chapter 12:7-9. By takeing the most absurd aspects of Futurerist thought and makeing it seem normitve. This event was held in conjunction with the McDonald Agape Foundations Conference on Revelation. If we grant that the book of Revelation depicts the struggle between Christ and his church on the one hand and the enemies of Christ and the church on the other, we may say that the first half of the book (chapters 1-11) describes the struggle on earth, picturing the church as it is persecuted by the world.
Note, for example, how John tells us that the spirit of the Antichrist is already in the world in his day (1 Jn. This being the case, it is obvious that the thousand-year reign of Revelation 20:4-6 must occur before and not after the Second Coming of Christ. She loved the Jewish people, and some of her family members lost their lives because they wouldn't kill the Jews. WebAmilllennial is divided into two syllables, A-millennial. Rather, what happens to the unbelieving dead after the thousand years have ended is what is called in verse 6 the second death. When it is said in verse 6 that the second death has no power over the believing dead, it is implied that the second death does have power over the unbelieving dead. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony for Jesus and because of the word of God. As we saw, the fact that Satan is now bound does not mean that he is not active in the world today but that during this period he cannot deceive the nations that is, cannot prevent the spread of the gospel. This section also introduces us to the two beasts who are the dragons helpers: the beast out of the sea and the beast out of the earth. My discussion of the amillennial understanding of the millennium will include the following topics: the interpretation of the book of Revelation, the interpretation of Revelation 20:1-6, a look at two Old Testament passages commonly viewed as predicting an earthly millennial kingdom, a brief sketch of amillennial eschatology and a summarizing statement of some of the implications of amillennial eschatology. It is therefore highly significant that in Johns vision those sitting on thrones are given authority to judge. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years. Amillennial eschatology, therefore, gives us a realistic, yet basically optimistic world-and-life view. Indeed there is. Is there any indication in the New Testament that Satan was bound at the time of the first coming of Christ? Later in the chapter we are told that when the thousand years are over, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations of the world to gather them together to fight against and, if possible, to destroy the people of God (verses 7-9). But Jesus also taught that there was a sense in which the kingdom of God was still future, both in specific sayings (Mt.
When the seventy returned from their preaching mission, they said to Jesus, Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name. Jesus replied, I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven (Lk. Vang Vir My N Droom 1974 - The Spots on My Leopard - audio ingles y africano - sub. The amillennial view of Revelation affirms that the 1,000-year binding of Satan refers to the period between the two advents of Christ. The end of chapter 19 depicts the fall and final punishment of the dragons two helpers: the beast out of the sea, and the false prophet, who appears to be identified with the beast out of the earth (see 16:13). (24) And it shall come to pass that, before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear. ), Calvin Theological seminary (Th.B.) The fourth section, chapters 12-14, begins with the vision of the woman giving birth to a son while the dragon waits to devour him as soon as he is bornan obvious reference to the birth of Christ. One could say that Jesus bound the devil when he triumphed over him in the wilderness, refusing to give in to his temptations. In obedience to Christs command John now proceeds to write letters to each of the seven churches of Asia Minor. But since the kingdom of God demands total commitment, the church must also be vitally concerned about the implementation of Christian principles in every area of life, including the political and the social. 4:18). 11-13). This fulfillment will not take the form of phenomena which are totally new but will rather be an intensification of signs which have been present all along. Wright Bishop N.T. Belief in the present rule of Christ, in the presence of Gods kingdom and in the movement of history toward its goal is accompanied by a realistic recognition of the presence of sin in this world and of the growing development of the kingdom of evil. We conclude, then, that the binding of Satan during the gospel age means that, first, he cannot prevent the spread of the gospel, and second, he cannot gather all the enemies of Christ together to attack the church. 14:9; 2 Cor. Jesus promised that the meek shall inherit the earth (Mt. (21) And they shall build houses, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them.
2. New Testament writers were conscious of the fact that they were already living in the last days at the time they were speaking or writing. 221-29. "Amillennialism 101" -- Audio and On-Line Resources, Sermons Preached at Christ Reformed Church, Commentaries on the Belgic Confession and Canons of Dort, Recommended Reading and Reformed Resources. There is no indication whatever that at this point, or at either verse 18 or 20, Isaiah is suddenly shifting to a description of a millennial age preceding the creation of the new heavens and new earth! Because the exact time when Christ will return is not known, the church must live with a sense of urgency, realizing that the end of history may be very near. A Case for Amillennialism -- Expanded Edition 2013, 1 Corinthians -- Lectio Continua Commentary, Man of Sin - Uncovering the Truth About Antichrist, A Case for Amillennialism - Understanding the End, Articles Written for Modern Reformation Magazine, The Seventy Weeks of Daniel -- An Interpretation, 02 "Interpreting Bible Prophecy -- Part 1" MP3, 03 "Interpreting Bible Prophecy" -- Part 2" (MP3), 04 "Covenant Theology and Eschatology" (MP3), 06 "These Things Were Foretold" (Part 2) MP3, 07 "The Basic Eschatology of the NT" (MP3), 12 "Two-Age Model and NT Parallels" (MP3), 13 "The Kingdom of God" -- Part 1 (MP3), 15 " New Creation and the Age of the Spirit" (MP3), 16 "The Church as the Israel of God " (MP3), 19 "Signs of the End" (Part 2) The Antichrist MP3, "The Biblical Doctrine of Antichrist" (MP3), "The Dragon, the Beast, the False Prophet" (MP3), Links to Helpful Books, Essays, and Charts, Scripture Index for A Case for Amillennialism, Outline of Geerhardus Vos' Biblical Theology, Sermons on Paul's Epistle to the Romans (pdf), Sermons on Paul's Epistle to the Ephesians, Jerome and Augustine, and the Fall of Rome, Thomas Reid and His "Common Sense Philosophy", Notes on the Canons of Dort (Introduction), Notes on the Canons of Dort First Head--Rejections, Notes on the Canons of Dort (Second Head), Essential Reference Books for a Home Library, Books for Those New to the Reformed Faith, Answers to Questions About Eschatology--Archives, Answers to Questions About Eschatology--Archives 2, Answers to Questions About Eschatology--Archives 3, Rituals and Power: The Roman Imperial Cult in Asia Minor. Its purpose is to redeem Gods people from sin and from demonic powers, and finally to establish the new heavens and the new earth. Amillennialists find no scriptural basis for the dispensationalist division of the Second Coming into two phases (sometimes called the parousia and the revelation), with a seven-year period in between. Such an interpretation is, however, by no means the only possible one. One cannot translate tas psuchas ton pepelekismenon as the people of those who had been beheaded, or as the men of those who had been beheaded. Here the word psuchai must denote the souls of people who had died. Whereas believers after death enjoy a new kind of life in heaven with Christ in which they share in Christs reign, unbelievers after death share nothing of either this life or this reign. WebJoin the conversation. In the final state, therefore, glorified believers will be both in heaven and on the new earth, since the two shall then be one. One could say that during this time these nations were deceived by Satan, as our first parents had been deceived by Satan when they fell into sin in the Garden of Eden. 2:8). The fact that the kingdom of God is present in one sense and future in another implies that we who are the subjects of that kingdom live in a kind of tension between the already and the not yet. We are already in the kingdom, and yet we look forward to the full manifestation of that kingdom; we already share its blessings, and yet we await its total victory. We might be able to have a real discussion. But I would reply that the casting out of demons is an evidence of the presence of the kingdom of God (Mt. The vision of the kingdom also includes a Christian view of vocation: All callings are from God, and all that we do in everyday life is to be done to Gods praise, whether this be study, teaching, preaching, business, industry or housework. Now follow the most controversial words in the passage: They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years. Premillennial interpreters, whether dispensational or non-dispensational, understand these words as referring to a literal resurrection from the dead, and therefore find in this passage proof for a thousand-year reign of Christ on earth, after his Second Coming. (See Revelation 22:12 and the following passages: Mt. These words, needless to say, must not be interpreted literally. It describes the seven bowls of wrath, thus depicting in a very graphic way the final visitation of Gods wrath on those who remain impenitent. 12:28, NIV). This and the following passage (Is. Because of the binding of Satan during this present age, the nations cannot conquer the church, but the church is conquering the nations.3. When we read Genesis 17:8 (And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land of thy sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God [ASV]) with this understanding of the New Testament broadening of these concepts, we see in it a promise of the new earth as the everlasting possession of all the people of God, not just of the physical descendants of Abraham. Topics 7,754. By resisting the devils temptations, by perfectly obeying God, and by his death and resurrection, Christ delivered a deathblow to Satan and his evil hosts. Many Christians think of themselves as spending eternity in some ethereal heaven while the Bible plainly teaches us that there will be a new earth. Amillennialists, on the other hand, believe that though many Old Testament prophecies are indeed to be interpreted literally, many others are to be interpreted in a non-literal way.3 In the abstract, an amillennialist might agree with the definition of the premillennial hermeneutical method given by Walvoord. All men must then appear before the judgment seat of Christ. Amillennial eschatology looks for a culmination of apostasy and tribulation in the final emergence of a personal Antichrist before Christ comes again. Steve Gregg Revelation Steve Gregg This is the 2012 7-11. There John said, I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. The rest of the verse makes plain that those sitting on the thrones were the souls of people who had died martyrs for the faith and other Christians who had remained true to Christ to the very end of their lives. Two items should be noted about this interpretation. N.T. One will see a millennium here only if he has previously put on his millennial glasses! If this were the case, we would have expected a clear statement to this effect.
If, then, one thinks of Revelation 20 as describing what follows chronologically after what is described in chapter 19, one would indeed conclude that the millennium of Revelation 20:1-6 will come after the return of Christ. This heavenly reigning is a fulfillment of a promise recorded earlier in the book: To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne (3:21, NIV). Amillennialists believe that the return of Christ will be preceded by certain signs: for example, the preaching of the gospel to all the nations, the conversion of the fullness of Israel, the great apostasy, the great tribulation and the coming of the Antichrist. One can find a description of the millennium in this passage only by deliberately overlooking what we find in verses 17-18. For an expanded exposition of these verses, see Hendriksen, pp. This is the first resurrection. In verse 25, in fact, we have a description of the animal world which reminds us of the picture of the final state found in Isaiah 11. Ammillenialism and the Mark of the Beast. The Great Tribulation and the Great CommissionDisciples, Witnesses, and Martyrs, "Election" -- Article Seven, First Head of Doctrine, The Canons of Dort. As presented it describes the millennial earth. Rather, the judgment will have a threefold purpose: First, it will reveal the glorification of God in the final destiny assigned to each person; second, it will indicate finally and publicly the great antithesis of history between the people of God and the enemies of God; and third, it will reveal the degree of reward or the degree of punishment which each shall receive. This kingdom vision includes a Christian philosophy of culture: Art and science, reflecting as they do the glory of God, are to be pursued for his praise. WebThe mark of the beast is interpreted differently across the four main views of Christian eschatology. The last-quoted words cannot be a description of the millennium since during the millennium, according to premillennial teaching, there will still be disobedient nations which must be ruled with a rod of iron. As we have seen, the resurrection of the body calls for a new earth. This does not imply that Satan can do no harm whatever while he is bound. The second death, then, means everlasting punishment after the resurrection of the body. The description [found in this chapter] . Verse 17 speaks unambiguously about the new heavens and the new earth (which the book of Revelation depicts as marking the final state). He attended Calvin College (A.B. In the New Scofield Bible the heading above verse 17 reads, New heavens and new earth. The heading above verses 18-25, however, reads, Millennial conditions in the renewed earth with curse removed. It would appear that the editors of this Bible, while compelled to admit that verse 17 describes the final new earth, restrict the meaning of verses 18-25 so as to make them refer only to the millennium which is to precede the final new earth.
D. H. Kuiper In the past two articles the theories of Postmillennialism and Premillennialism have been defined Because of the victory of Christ, the ultimate issues of history have already been decided. 6:39-40, 44,54; 11:24; 12:48). 16:27; 25:31-32; Jude 14-15; and especially 2 Thess. For on the basis of the common premillennial interpretation of Revelation 20:4, it is only raised believers who are said to reign with Christ; nothing is said in this passage about a reign of Christ over people who have not died but are still living. Whereas dispensationalists commonly teach that there will be at least three separate judgments, amillennialists do not agree. Can do no harm whatever while he is bound more common term, amillennialism after his second.... Webthe mark of the kingdom of God is therefore both a present reality and a hope. Describing an earthly millennial reign this fact should certainly be a source of encouragement to the period the... 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The second of these seven sections is the vision of the seven seals found in chapters 4-7. As far as millennial teaching was concerned, they were content to follow the Roman Church in a weakened Augustinian viewpoint. Though it is possible to understand the thousand years of verses 4-6 as describing a period of time different from the thousand years of verses 1-3, there is no compelling reason why we should do so. Amillennialists also believe, however, that these signs of the times will have a climactic final fulfillment just before Christ returns. In this way we shall be able to see amillennial eschatology in its totality, rather than just as a certain interpretation of the millennium of Revelation 20. People would ordinarily leave the city to meet the distinguished visitor and then go back with him into the city.5 On the basis of the analogy conveyed by this word, all Paul is saying here is that raised and transformed believers are caught up in the clouds to meet the descending Lord, implying that after this meeting they will go back with him to the earth. Since the Scriptures elsewhere clearly teach only one bodily resurrection which will include both believers and unbelievers (see Jn. When the book of Revelation tells us that the holy city, the new Jerusalem, will come down from heaven to the new earth (2 1:2), that God will now have his dwelling with men (21:3) and that the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the new Jerusalem (22:3), it is teaching us in figurative language that in the life to come heaven and earth will no longer be separated but will have merged. Leon Morris, The Revelation of St. John (Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans, 1969), p. 236. They had not worshiped the beast or his image and had not received his mark on their foreheads or their hands. The New International Version renders these words as if they were a further description of the martyrs referred to in the preceding clause. But I have put the word rapture between quotation marks in order to distinguish the amillennial conception of the rapture from the dispensationalist view. In this instance Satans fall or binding is associated directly with the missionary activity of Jesus disciples. Amillennialists do not believe that the kingdom of God is primarily a Jewish kingdom which involves the literal restoration of the throne of David. 8:23). Paraphrased, his answer goes something like this: During the gospel era which has now been ushered in, Satan will not be able to continue deceiving the nations the way he did in the past, for he has been bound. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the LORD. WebAmillennialism or the truth of the Return of the Lord Jesus by Rev. 4:3). From 1958 to 1979, when he retired, he was Professor of Systematic Theology at Calvin Theological Seminary in Grand Rapids, Michigan. 3:13). We noted previously that verses 1-3 speak of a thousand-year period. In the light of what was said above, we must understand these words as describing not a bodily resurrection but rather the transition from physical death to life in heaven with Christ. During this same time, however, the other nations of the world did not know that truth, and were therefore in ignorance and error (see Acts 17:30) except for an occasional person, family or city which came into contact with Gods special revelation. The fact that we are living in the last days now implies that we are already tasting the beginnings of eschatological blessingsthat, as Paul says, we already have the first fruits of the Spirit (Rom. We believe it is a present-day reality. In both cases it was shown that these views did not satisfy all the revealed data presented to us by the Scriptures. Since the book of Revelation was addressed to the church of the first century A.D., its message had reference to events occurring at that time and was therefore meaningful for the Christians of that day. WebAmillennialism or the truth of the Return of the Lord Jesus by Rev. Note that in 11:9 Isaiah adds the reason why they shall not hurt nor destroy: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea. Surely this condition will be realized only on the new earth in the life to come (see Rev. In this vision we see the church avenged, protected and victorious. 7. Despite the disadvantages and limitations of the word, therefore, I shall continue to use the shorter and more common term, amillennialism. On January 27 th, our Bible study group met as we usually do on a weekly basis, and studied Revelation 20, the classic text on the Millennium.That night three of us took a limited amount of time to present This means that we view no world crisis as totally beyond help and no social trend as absolutely irreversible. But if we see Revelation 20:1-6 as describing what takes place during the entire history of the church, beginning with the first coming of Christ, we will have an understanding of the millennium of Revelation 20 which is quite different from the one just mentioned. 3:29). Part III: A Brief Sketch of Amillennial Eschatology. 21:4). Amillennialists see no scriptural evidence for such a seven-year period or for a transference of the church from earth to heaven during that period. He was thus saying in effect, We are now in the last days predicted by the prophet Joel. Paul made the same point when he described believers of his day as those upon whom the end of the ages has come (1 Cor. To read the rest of this article, Click here: Riddleblog - The Mark of the Beast.
All this involves having an image of ourselves which is primarily positive rather than negative. It also involves seeing fellow Christians as those who are in Christ with us and for whom we should therefore thank God.1. Tongue-in-cheek, he said that, given enough time and the right language, he could "prove" that 666 referred to Hillary Clinton. 5:24), put off the old self and put on the new (Col. 3:9-10). WebTHE MARK OF THE BEASTAMILLENNIALISM :1000 YEAR REIGN : REV 12FOUNDATIONAL APPROACH - SERIES 5 : PT 4BY JASON VALENTIN OF HOLY The seventh section, chapters 20-22, narrates the doom of the dragon, thus completing the description of the overthrow of the enemies of Christ. 6. All HTML will be escaped. There is no indication in these verses that John is describing an earthly millennial reign. By living a sinless life and by dying on the cross as the sacrifice of atonement for our sin, Christ defeated sin. D. H. Kuiper I n the past two articles the theories of Postmillennialism and Premillennialism have been defined and briefly discussed. When we do so we shall see that the premillennial interpretation of these two representative passages is by no means the only possible one. A word should first be said about terminology. Amillennialists therefore feel no need for positing an earthly millennium to provide for the fulfillment of prophecies of this sort; they see such prophecies as pointing to the glorious eternal future which awaits all the people of God. 5:8). Once again it may be observed that if one does not believe in a future earthly millennium, he will certainly not be compelled to accept it by the reading of these verses. This fact should certainly be a source of encouragement to the church on earth. We must see all of life and all of reality in the light of the goal of the redemption not just of individuals but of the entire universe. Others have pointed out that the word mark was used of the emperors seal on business contracts and the This is the group which John sees as living and reigning with Christ. Though these believers have died, John sees them as alive, not in the bodily sense, but in the sense that they are enjoying life in heaven in fellowship with Christ. John is caught up to heaven and sees God sitting on his radiant throne. At the time of Christs return, there will be a general resurrection, both of believers and unbelievers.
But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself (NIV). 14:17; 1 Cor. The kingdom of God is therefore both a present reality and a future hope. The difference between an amillennial and a premillennial interpreter comes out when each tries to indicate which prophecies must be interpreted literally and which prophecies are to be interpreted in a non-literal sense. 9:18; Rom.
It is an eschatology which is exciting, exhilarating and challenging. The premillennial interpretation of these verses sees them as describing a millennial reign of Christ on earth which will occur after his Second Coming. Jay E. Adams, The Time Is at Hand (Philadelphia: Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Co., 1970), pp. The sixth section, chapters 17-19, describes the fall of Babylon and of the beasts. 211-34. ), the University of Michigan (M.A. According to Peter and Paul Lalonde, The Bible says that the mark of the beast and its accompanying technology will be installed by the antichristnot as an end in itself, but as a means of managing the new world order that is even now being created (Peter LaLonde and Paul LaLonde, Racing Toward the Mark of the Beast, Harvest House Publishers, 1994, 148).The futurist approach to Revelation is misguided because it pushes off into the distant future what was already a serious threat to Christians in the first century (emperor worship), by ignoring the historical context for the visions of Revelation 13 and 17. There is, however, another possibility the possibility conveyed by the translation found in the American Standard Version: and such as worshiped not the beast, neither his image, and received not the mark upon their forehead and upon their hand. Earlier in the book unbelieving opponents of Christ and his kingdom were described as those who worship the beast or his image and who receive the mark of the beast on their foreheads or on their hands (see 13:8, 15-17; 14:9-11). Anthony A. Hoekema was born in the Netherlands and immigrated to the United States in 1923. Obviously the number thousand which is used here must not be interpreted in a literal sense. G. C. Berkouwer, in his recent book, The Return of Christ (Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans, 1972), shows how. In the New International Version, these verses read. What follows in verse 19 is linked directly with the preceding: And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people; and the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor the voice of crying (see Rev. Not only in the book of Revelation but elsewhere in the New Testament the final judgment is associated with the Second Coming of Christ. We see then that the binding of Satan described in Revelation 20:1-3 means that throughout the gospel age in which we now live the influence of Satan, though certainly not annihilated, is so curtailed that he cannot prevent the spread of the gospel to the nations of the world. Copyright 2020, Kim Riddlebarger. Two items should be noted By those who had not worshiped the beast or his image and had not received his mark John means all Christians who had remained true to Christ and had resisted anti-Christian powers all Christians, in other words, who had remained faithful to the end. William Hendriksen, More Than Conquerors (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1939). Rather, Revelation 20:1 takes us back once again to the beginning of the New Testament era. Though John is here thinking only about the thousand-year period which extends until Christ returns, the closing chapters of the book of Revelation indicate that after Christs return and after the resurrection of the body these believing dead shall be able to worship God, serve God and reign with Christ in an even richer way than they are now doing. 28:19, NIV). This, then, is the amillennial interpretation of Revelation 20:1-6. The binding of Satan during this era, in other words, makes missions and evangelism possible. . Yet, since we know that the victory of Christ over evil was decisive and that Christ is now on the throne, the dominant mood of amillennial eschatology is optimism Christian optimism. And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together. Surely the defeat of Satan began with the first coming of Christ, as has already been clearly spelled out in chapter 12:7-9. By takeing the most absurd aspects of Futurerist thought and makeing it seem normitve. This event was held in conjunction with the McDonald Agape Foundations Conference on Revelation. If we grant that the book of Revelation depicts the struggle between Christ and his church on the one hand and the enemies of Christ and the church on the other, we may say that the first half of the book (chapters 1-11) describes the struggle on earth, picturing the church as it is persecuted by the world.