March 1998
Already the countdown for
the year 2000 is ticking. This April will be exactly 1000 days
until the Millennium. The Evangelical Alliance wants to make sure
that each day is "covered in prayer." Their purpose is
to sound a clear message about the birth and mission of Jesus—amidst
all the celebrations with the Millennium Expo in Greenwich—and
all over the world. Web sites on the internet on the Millennium
theme abound. The pope calls it the "Great Jubilee" for
the uniting of all Christians (THE POPE SPEAKS, Vol. 42,
March/April '97). As the millennial fervor intensifies, some
scholars and religious leaders worry that "apocalyptic
visions can become as destructive as they are inspiring" (US
NEWS & WORLD REPORT, December 15, '97). Talk of
"Armageddon" swirls….
In the secular world—amidst grand
preparations for parties and commercial enterprising—some would
point out that "for the first time in history virtually
everyone on earth knows it's coming" (NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC,
"Making Sense of the Millennium," January 24, '98).
(While other cultures have kept their own calendar, worldwide use
of the Christian calendar did not begin until the late 1800s.) The
Millennial Foundation—among numerous other organizations-is
working toward a utopia they believe can be achieved by science.
Other scholars would say the date 2000 A.D. is "precisely
arbitrary" (S.J.Gould, QUESTIONING THE MILLENNIUM: A
RATIONALIST'S GUIDE TO A PRECISELY ARBITRARY COUNTDOWN).
In any case, a deep sense of longing
and waiting for a better world, "a new global order,"
apparently surfacing at our millennium's end. All of man's history
has been one long groan for a time of peace, harmony and
happiness. Is this desire merely for a utopia (Gk. lit. no
place) that will never come? Where does the idea of a
thousand years come in?
Early
Christian Expectations
The "Millennium" idea is
specifically Judeo-Christian. During the first century, the
Christian church held firmly to the Apostolic teaching of the
second coming of the Lord Jesus, and the establishment then of the
long-promised kingdom of God with its rule of righteousness. All
faithful Christians would then share in reigning with Christ and
blessing the people of earth for "a thousand years"
(Revelation 20:2-4). This belief so coincided with the Jewish
belief in a Messianic kingdom on earth where Jews would be a
"light to the Gentiles" that Jewish disciples assumed
Jesus was immediately setting up his millennial kingdom. And the
first order of business, they reasoned, was throwing off Roman
oppression (Acts 1:6).
As a result, Jesus needed to explain
"because they thought that the kingdom of God should
immediately appear" (Luke 19:11) that he would first have to
go away. Then, he taught by parable that he would afterwards
"return" to set up his kingdom (Luke 19:12-15). However,
Jesus did not say how long before he would return. In fact, no one
would know the "day and hour" beforehand (Mark 13:32).
But then he gave them signs that they should watch for at the end
of the age to indicate that he had returned. "What shall be
the sign of thy coming [presence, Gk. parousia] and the end of the
world [age]?" (Matthew 24:3) The reason they would need signs
was because his return would not be obvious: he would not return
visibly in the flesh. "My flesh, which I will give for the
life of the world" (John 6:51). Apostle Paul later explained
that the "day of the Lord" might overtake them as
"a thief in the night" (1 Thessalonians 5:1-6). They
might be sleeping and not know the "thief" was already
in the house. "Therefore let us not sleep as do others."
Too Long to Wait for
the Millennium
While Christians clung to the promise
of this Millennial Kingdom, many soon grew tired of being
persecuted and just waiting. When the kings of earth proposed an
alliance with Christians, the church "married" them and
set up their own kingdom. The then prevailing idea of the
millennium was adjusted to say that Jesus Christ would come after
the Millennium. Thus the church became apostate and enjoyed its
own millennium of power-roughly from the ninth to the nineteenth
centuries. But at the close of World War I, when the church-state
governments of Europe collapsed, Christians generally gave up on
saying the kingdom had come and again were looking for Jesus
Christ to come and set up his Millennial Kingdom.
Apocalyptic Prophecy
But very lurid apocalyptic events—based
on Daniel and Revelation—were called upon to shake up people
into preparing for the return of Jesus to set up his Millennial
Kingdom. Intellectuals and thinking people were turned off by
prospects of beasts, falling stars and an antichrist superman
wielding power and deluding the whole world. But don't the
Scriptures tell us about beasts, stars and the antichrist? The
beasts originate in the book of Daniel. And God gives us a clue
for decoding what these beasts are. Daniel identifies
Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, as the head of gold on the image
he dreamed about (Daniel 2:38). The dream of this image of four
parts is parallel to yet another dream Daniel had of four beasts.
The "head of gold" was the Babylonian empire dominating
over Israel; then the first beast was the Babylonian empire
dominating over Israel, God's people. Beasts are, therefore,
governments!
Out of the fourth "terrible"
beast pops up a "little horn" "with a mouth
speaking great things" and makes "war with the
saints" for three and one half symbolic "times" (or
1260 "years," mar. NAS Daniel 7:7, 21, 25). How
interesting that also in Revelation a leopard-like beast appears
with a "mouth speaking great things" and also
"makes war with the saints" (Revelation 13:2-5). What
emerged first as a little power ("horn") out of the
Pagan Roman government later becomes a beast in its own right, the
"Holy Roman Empire." Surprising to many is the fact that
papacy historically has wielded civil power as a government. In
fact, the Catholic church claimed to be Christ's Kingdom on earth.
But for 300 years Protestants identified papacy as the
"antichrist" (anti = in place of).
Papacy's Kingdom took the place of Christ's Millennial Kingdom. The
antichrist has already come! And the antichrist has
already been "revealed"—the prerequisite before
the Second Coming (2 Thessalonians 2:1,2). But the world is
deceived now—expecting a single superman antichrist to appear in
Jerusalem to deceive everybody before Christ returns in the flesh.
The Second Coming
According to a recent Associated Press
poll, nearly one out of every four Christian adults—an estimated
26.5 millions people—expect Jesus to arrive in their lifetimes
(Springfield, OH, NEWS-SUN, October 26, '97) With the approaching
new millennium, many feel a special sense of urgency—expecting
to be soon "raptured" to heaven. Sadly, they also
believe those who are not Christians would be doomed eternally.
Consequently, these feel an additional sense of urgency to save as
many souls as possible…friends, relatives, people in Africa,
India, China.
Critics may point out that Christians
have many times been aroused through the centuries to believe that
Jesus was about to return to set up his Millennial Kingdom. What
is so different about now? By the way, what happens to
the billions who are not ready for this Kingdom?
What is different now is that Jews
have returned to their ancient homeland - this was a
"sign" Jesus gave to his disciples (Matthew 24:32,33).
It was a sign that he would be present and that soon the world
would be blessed (as in "summer") in his Kingdom. He
gave other signs too. There would be "great tribulation
such as was not since the beginning of the world to this
time" (Matthew 24:21). This agrees with what the Apostle
said, "The day of the Lord cometh upon them as travail
upon a woman with child" (1 Thessalonians 5:3).
"Travail" is in spasms. Daniel also explains that when
Michael ("who as God," Jesus) stands up,
he would not only stand up for Daniel's people Israel, but that
"there shall be a time of trouble such as
never was since there was a nation" (Daniel 12:1).
Therefore, when Christ begins to
reign, "the nations were angry" (Revelation 11:15-17).
There is trouble. This century has seen unprecedented global
trouble. This century has also seen the restoration of Israel—and
even Jerusalem. The other two signs of Jesus standing up to reign
and take authority are: (1) "Many shall run to and fro";
(2) "Knowledge shall be increased" (Daniel 12:4). Who
can question the incredible and unprecedented advances in
technology in the last century? By these "signs" we know
Christ has already come. Those who are not "sleeping"
should be able to see these signs and "lift up their heads
and rejoice; for your deliverance draweth nigh" (Luke 21:28).
After Armageddon -
World Peace
Rather than just a few Christians
being saved and the rest of the world being condemned, the
Scriptures describe the purpose of the Millennial reign of Christ
as the time to bless all mankind—friends, relatives, the people
of Africa, India, China—everyone. The Prophet Zephaniah
describes this gathering of the nations to Armageddon and the
pouring out of his anger—and also what happens afterwards.
"My determination is to gather the nations…to pour upon
them mine indignation, even all my fierce anger, for all the earth
shall be devoured with the fire [symbolic of destruction of
society] of my jealousy. For then will I turn to the people [who
do not know God's truth] a pure language, that
they may all call upon the name of the Lord, to serve him with one
consent" (Zephaniah 3:8,9).
While God's Millennium begins with
trouble and travail because he sends His Son as a conquering King
invading Satan's world - the results will be glorious and
satisfying. When the whole groaning, waiting creation sees the
"manifestation of the sons of God" (Romans 8:19-22),
God's Millennium will satisfy the "desire of all
nations" for peace and happiness (Haggai 2:7). People will
say, "Lo, this is our God, we have waited for him."
God's Millennial Kingdom is not a utopia after all, but also a
Paradise on earth. In fact, we can see visible signs in the earth
that God's Millennium is already being established.
