Among Bible teachers there are various views of the kingdom that was predicted by the Old Testament prophets. For example, the amillennial view claims that we are living in that promised kingdom today. But when you compare the promises in the Old Testament about the kingdom with the conditions on earth today, it does not seem possible that we are living in that predicted kingdom. Floyd Hamilton (amillennialist) conceded, “Now we must frankly admit that a literal interpretation of the Old Testament prophecies gives us just such a picture of an earthly reign of the Messiah as the premillennialist pictures. That was the kind of Messianic Kingdom that the Jews of the time of Christ were looking for, on the basis of a literal kingdom interpretation of the Old Testament promises.” Another amillennialist, Oswald Allis, admits that “the Old Testament prophecies if literally interpreted cannot be regarded as having been yet fulfilled or as being capable of fulfillment in this present age.” In order to get us into the kingdom today, the amillennialist must abandon the tried-and-true literal interpretation of prophecy.
Other theologians say that we are living in an “already / not yet” form of that promised kingdom. They claim that Jesus is sitting on David’s throne in heaven, and we are living in an inaugurated type of the millennial kingdom. However, nowhere does Scripture say that Jesus is currently sitting on David’s throne in heaven. According to the Book of Revelation, Satan will be bound with a chain during the millennial Kingdom. If we are in the Kingdom today and he is bound, then he must be on a very long chain.
Today confusion abounds in Christendom regarding the millennial Kingdom. Therefore, our biblical resources group decided that we need to right a position paper on this topic. As we began that project, we realized that it would be better to do a two-part series entitled The Coming Millennial Kingdom. In part one, we will cover:
- The Battle for the Theocratic Kingdom.
- Some Views of the Millennial Kingdom.
- Some Consequences of Erroneous Views.
In part two, we will examine some difficult passages of Scripture relating to The Coming Millennial Kingdom.
Your prayers are much appreciated as we tackle this writing project.
Blessings,
Bob
***
Literal Interpretation
About the time of the End, a body of men will be raised up who will turn their attention to the prophecies, and insist upon their literal interpretation in the midst of much clamor and opposition. —Sir Isaac Newton
No comments:
Post a Comment