The Kingdom
Glenn B. Ramsey

The church of Christ is the kingdom of Christ! Since the doctrine of premillennialism is built on the theory that the church and the kingdom are two different things, the fact that they are the same completely destroys this widespread premillennial heresy.

The prophet Daniel said, "And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever" (Dan. 2:44). The "these kings" refer to the "kings" or rulers of the Roman Empire. Jesus said in Mark 9:1, "Verily I say unto you, That there be some of them that stand here which shall not taste of death, till they have seen the kingdom of God come with power." The "power" to which Jesus referred was the power of the Holy Spirit which came upon the apostles of Jesus on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2).

Of course, Daniel was not the only prophet who spoke of this great and powerful event. The prophet Joel said, "And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions" (Joel 2:28). The apostle Peter, whose words are recorded in Acts 2, said that the events of that day were the fulfillment of Joel's prophecy. Note his words: "But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel: And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit: and they shall prophesy" (vv. 16-18).

Jesus said that some of the people to whom He was speaking would not die until they had seen the kingdom of God come with power (Mark 9:1; Matt. 16:28). It should be noted that if the kingdom did NOT come, then there are some very old people living in the world today!

The teaching of the New Testament is clear. The kingdom of God does exist today. Those converted to the Lord have been delivered from the power of darkness, and have been translated into the kingdom of His dear Son (Col. 1:13). But the kingdom of God is the church. The kingdom aspect of the church simply describes its type of government, a monarchy. Jesus is the King. And, He is the Head of the church which is His (spiritual) body (Col. 1:18). A simple study of the context of Colossians 1:12-18 demonstrates the fact that the church and the kingdom are one and the same institution.

To my knowledge all those who say that the church is unimportant in the scheme of redemption—that man can be saved outside the church—hold to the theory of premillennialism. As is true in other traditions, when one denies a plain teaching of the Scripture, he must concoct some theory in its place. May we all follow the clear teachings of the Scriptures. This is the "truth" that will make us free (John 8:32).

Editorial
Malcolm L. Hill

The second coming of Christ and the end of time have been prophesied many times throughout the years. Some have even told where Jesus would land in His return.

The premillennial people have been the worst to miss the mark on the second coming of Christ. When wars have come forth and evil rulers have been in power, the premillennial people start their nonsense about the coming of Christ, the rapture, the tribulation, and the coming of the kingdom of God. Some saw the coming of Christ in the first World War. Some said that the end was near during the reign of Adolph Hitler in Germany. Of late many said the end was near during the Middle East War with Saddam Housain. These currents are like the waves of the ocean, they come and they go. Expectations get high during the prophesy of the return of Christ and before the date set for His return is reached. But when that date comes and nothing takes place then the interest and expectation dies down and goes away for a while. It returns again when the premillennial people see something in the present and the future that makes them think their view of the Bible and prophecy is going to take place. Their false views of the Bible lead them to expectations that will never take place and hopes that are unreal.

During the Middle East War premillennial excitement was running at an all time high. People were looking at the Jews and what was taking place in Jerusalem. They were talking about Israel as a nation and how God was fulfilling prophecy about the land promise to Abraham which promise was based on a condition and which promise has been fulfilled long ago in Joshua's time. Read the book of Joshua and you will find this to be true. No people has a divine promise on the Holy Land as we know it. That land was no more of an unconditional eternal promise to the Jews than the land of America is an eternal promise of God to the Gentiles. The view that the Jews have a divine deed on the Holy Land which was to last until the end of time is false to the core. Many Gentiles in both high and low places need to understand this.

Now that the year 2000 is not far away we are hearing much about the second coming of Christ and the end of time. This is nothing more than the revival of that same age old spirit that has happened again and again. Jesus could come in the year 2000. The end of time could take place in the year 2000. But if these things do take place in the year 2000 it is not because the Holy Scriptures teach this and it is not because God has or will reveal this to someone today. No one knows when the end of time will take place and when Jesus will come again (Matt. 24:36). It will come unexpectedly as did the flood (Matt. 24:37-39). The second coming of Christ will come as a thief in the night (Matt. 24:42-44). Jesus tells us to be prepared for His second coming and not to speculate when it shall be (Matt. 24:44-46).

I pay more attention to good fox hounds barking than I do these folk that tell me they know when the end of time will take place. The premillennial people are off religiously on many things. They make the Bible fit their belief instead of letting the Bible guide them. It is not a good practice to get a religious belief and then go to the Bible to see if that belief might be sustained in one way or another. All of us should go to the Bible with open minds and receptive hearts and let the Lord lead us in all things through His Word. As an old country preacher used to pray in the state of Mississippi: "Lord, help our hearts to be touchable and teachable."

There is Danger in Delay
Malcolm L. Hill

When a person delays his or her obedience to the Gospel of Christ they are taking a tremendous risk. When we drive a car without having insurance on it, we are doing a very unwise thing. Some things can be put off and we might add that some things need to be delayed. But there are some things we dare not put off.

One thing that we dare not put off is standing up for Jesus Christ. We are commanded to defend the Truth (Jude 3; Phil. 1:17). Standing up for the Gospel is not a matter of option. Some seem to think it is, but it is not. One can lose his soul by refusing to defend the Truth.

Some people will defend certain truths before they will defend other truths. Moral issues seem to be viewed differently from what we commonly call doctrinal issues. But when we get right down to proper thinking, all moral issues are doctrinal issues. Is stealing a doctrinal issue? Is lying a doctrinal issue? Is profanity a doctrinal issue? Is adultery a doctrinal issue? Is the use of illegal drugs a doctrinal issue? Is murder a doctrinal issue? All of us can see very quickly that these issues are doctrinal issues and that the Bible deals with them.

How many preachers and churches would defend lying? How many would defend adultery or stealing? How many preachers would defend child abuse? How many would defend profanity? How many churches and preachers would defend any immorality? How many would fellowship those who are guilty of such? Most all will stand up and speak out against immoral practices. All moral issues are doctrinal issues.

But when it comes to the false doctrine of salvation outside the church of Jesus Christ, hell is not eternal, water baptism is not necessary for salvation, there is salvation in denominations, we can fellowship whomever we please, etc., many of the brethren do not get very disturbed over these. Some churches in our area have had F. LaGard Smith in for meetings and he believes one might be saved without water baptism and that hell is not eternal. Steve Flatt has been used in our area for meetings and he is as liberal as they come. He fellowships with all the liberals. Full Access is a singing group composed of members of the church of Christ and they use instrumental music in praise to God. They have been used in our area by churches of Christ. If we are going to fellowship all the false teachers in the church, then why not fellowship all the immoral people in the church? If you can do one and be pleasing to God, then you can do the other. Think about it!

The Basics of Premillennialism
Kerry Duke

The issue of premillennial doctrine comes down to one very basic question in Bible interpretation: are the passages under consideration literal or figurative?

The Old Testament prophets foretold the coming of the great King and His kingdom. This Prince of Peace would have a government and kingdom (Isa. 9:6-7). When He arrived, all nations would be at peace and would be absorbed into His kingdom (Isa. 2:1-4). God Himself would set up this kingdom that would stand forever (Dan. 2:44). Before the Messiah came, Elijah was to come (Mal. 4:5). Throughout the Old Testament, the prophets announced the coming of this kingdom (Jer. 23:1-6; Joel 2:28-32; Amos 9:11-12).

The very essence of the premillennial controversy is whether the kingdom of these prophecies is literal or figurative. John F. Walvoord, a strong and influential advocate of premillennial theology, admitted that this question is the whole crux of the issue. He confesses that the method of premillennial theology "is literal interpretation except for figures plainly intended to be symbols. Prophecies are therefore to be taken literally, the exact interpretation following the pattern of the law of fulfillment established by prophecies already fulfilled and in keeping with the entire doctrine."¹ He thus writes that "the prophecies given to Israel are viewed as literal and unconditional. God has promised Israel a glorious future and this will be fulfilled after the second advent. Israel will be a glorious nation, protected from her enemies, exalted above the Gentiles, the central vehicle of the manifestation of God's grace in the millennial kingdom."²

Two points Walvoord made about interpretation are true, but he fails to follow them. One is that passages should be interpreted literally "except for figures plainly intended to be symbols." How do we know when a passage is one of these exceptions and should be taken figuratively? The answer is that the context of the passage or the overall context of Scripture will indicate such. For instance, we know that the lion and calf dwelling peacefully with each other in the Messiah's kingdom (Isa. 11:1-10) is figurative because to interpret this passage literally would make Isaiah contradict himself when he later said that "no lion shall be there" (Isa. 35:9). Walvoord's other interesting point is that a passage should be interpreted in light of "the entire doctrine" of Scripture on this subject. How true this principle is, but how false is his application of it! The life and teaching of Christ show that the kingdom of Old Testament prophecies was not a literal, earthly empire. Jesus refused coronation as such a king (John 6:15) and plainly stated, "My kingdom is not of this world" (John 18:36). That kingdom is the church, a kingdom composed of spiritually reborn citizens (Matt. 16:18-19; Col. 1:13; Rev. 1:9; John 3:5). Being in this kingdom is far greater than belonging to any earthly empire.

Modern premillennialists make the same mistake in Bible interpretation that the Jews in Jesus' time made. Those Jews had an overly literal approach to interpretation, and this error is particularly evident in John. They looked for a literal Elijah when they should have looked for the spirit of Elijah in John the Baptist (John 1:21; Matt. 17:10-13). They thought Jesus spoke of the literal temple when He actually was using the term figuratively (John 2:19-21). Nicodemus thought "born again" meant reborn physically, but Jesus was speaking spiritually (John 3:3-8). The Samaritan woman thought the "living water" Jesus offered was literal, but Jesus was speaking of spiritual water (John 4:10-14). When Jesus said His followers must eat His flesh and drink His blood, the Jews were confounded because they tried to interpret His words literally (John 6:51-63). They similarly erred when they tried to interpret His statements "the truth shall make you free" (John 8:32) and "ye do that which ye have seen with your father" (John 8:38) literally. With this approach to interpretation and an earthly mindset as well, it is no wonder that these Jews did not understand that Jesus' kingdom is spiritual, not earthly (Luke 17:20-21). What is worse is that premillennialists today have followed this same error of interpretation.

Endnotes
¹ John Walvoord, The Millennial Kingdom: A Basic Text in Premillennial Theology (Grand Rapids, Zondervan Publishing House, 1959), p. 133.
² Ibid ., p. 136.

Matthew Chapter 24
Holger W. Neubauer

The twenty-fourth chapter of the Gospel according to Matthew remains one of the most misused sections of Scripture in all of Christendom. Some of the most unbelievable and wild doctrines have been concocted with this chapter as the alleged proof-text. Now, with the turn of the century just around the corner, the fear-mongers and end-time predictors have again begun to promulgate their erroneous doctrines. The careful Bible student will want to notice several misuses of this great chapter of the Bible.

First, just because there is mention of the Lord's coming in Matthew 24 one need not believe that the final coming of Jesus is necessarily under consideration. The Scriptures refer to Jesus' coming to live under men (Gen. 49:10), to Jesus' coming at Pentecost (Matt. 16:28), to Jesus' coming in individual human experience judgment (Rev. 3:20), to Jesus' coming in the destruction of Jerusalem (Zech. 14:1-2), and to Jesus' final coming (I Thess. 4:16-17). The Lord predicted that the events discussed in Matthew 24:4-33 would take place in that particular generation (Matt. 24:34-35). In Matthew 23:36 the Master stated emphatically that "All these things shall come upon this generation." The word generation in Matthew 24:36 means exactly the same thing as it does in Matthew 24:34. So all the events mentioned in Matthew 24 from verse 4 all the way through verse 34 took place in that generation. Just as the Scripture depicts an apocalyptic coming in Isaiah 13:1-10 against Babylon and coming in a cloud against Egypt in Isaiah 19:1, so the coming of Jesus in Matthew 24:4-35 must be understood as Jesus coming to punish the disobedient Jews at Jerusalem.

Second, those espousing end-time theology almost always point to certain signs which are to immediately precede the final advent of the Lord. Since the Lord mentioned earthquakes, pestilences, wars and rumors of wars (Matt. 24:6, 7) as signs before his coming, many assume that these signs also announce the end of the physical world. When one carefully considers the context of Jesus' words, one can see that when signs were spoken of, the destruction of the city of Jerusalem was under consideration. For instance, Jesus said in Matthew 24: 15-17, "When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by the prophet Daniel, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth let him understand) Then let them which be in Judea flee into the mountains; Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take anything out of his house." In Luke 21:20, Jesus said this same time period would be identified when the armies would encompass Jerusalem. This would be the abomination which would make desolate. According to Daniel 9:27; 12:7, 11 this would be a time when the daily sacrifice would cease and would last for about three and a half years or 1290 days. The time (1) and times (2) and a half a time or three and a half years were predicted with such specificity that those watching would know to the day when Jerusalem would be besieged and destroyed. That is why Jesus said to flee to the mountains and not to tarry. These instructions make no sense if applied to the end of the physical world. The early Christians knew when Jerusalem would be destroyed but Jesus said, "But of that day and hour knoweth no man, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only" (Matt. 24:36). Not even the Son was aware of His own final return, yet every watchful Christian was aware of the signs which immediately preceded the destruction of the city of Jerusalem.

Third, Jesus did come when Jerusalem was destroyed, but He did not come in final judgment of the world. This final coming will have no warning (Matt. 24:42-51) and will take place as a thief in the night (I Thess. 4:16-18). The pivotal verse of Matthew 24:36 separates the destruction of the city of Jerusalem and the final coming of Christ that will end this physical world. All of the events which are stated before Matthew 24:34 where Jesus said, "This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled" have taken place and were fulfilled when Jerusalem was destroyed. The final coming of Christ will be witnessed in the very same manner as the disciples beheld Christ as He was taken up in a cloud (Acts 1:8-11).

What is Jesus Doing Now?
Ronald D. Gilbert

The word "millennial" comes from two Latin words—mille which means thousand and annum which means year. The prefix "pre" means before. Thus, premillennialism is the idea of prior to or before the thousand year reign of Christ. Most denominations believe in some aspect of premillennialism. Radio and television preachers such as Billy Graham, Pat Robertson, Jimmy Swaggart and Bennie Hinn are constantly promoting this false doctrine. The Jehovah's Witnesses and Seventh-Day Adventist groups are among the denominations that are very strong in this doctrine.

Several years ago this false doctrine caused great problems in the Lord's church. Robert Henry Boll (1875-1956) became the editor of the Gospel Advocate in 1910 and was removed in 1915 because of his false views on premillennialism. Boll moved to Louisville, Kentucky and became the editor of Word And Work. Boll used this paper to spread his false doctrine among churches of Christ. H. Leo Boles had a written debate with Boll during this time. Foy E. Wallace, Jr. who served as editor of the Gospel Advocate from 1930 to 1934, did much to stop the spread of this false doctrine. Perhaps one of brother Wallace's greatest efforts to expose premillennialism was his book God's Prophetic Word. I am sure there were brethren then that thought that brother Boles and brother Wallace were overreacting by writing and speaking out so much against premillennialism. Some may even have called them "extremists." However, thanks to these men and others like them this false doctrine was put down.

Premillennialists today believe that several things must happen prior to the coming of Christ back to this earth and the setting up of His kingdom. They believe a world ruler will arise which will be the Antichrist. They believe that the Jews will be restored back to Palestine. They believe there will be a rapture. They believe in two resurrections separated by seven years. They believe a great period of persecution or tribulation will take place against all Christians. They believe that a literal battle between the forces of good and evil will be fought called Armageddon.

There are many other points concerning the doctrine of premillennialism. Premillennialists do not believe that the church and the kingdom are the same. They deny that the kingdom is in existence today. There are many passages that show that premillennialism is false. Consider the following: "And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever" (II Sam. 7:12-13). Here the prophet Nathan told David that when he was dead and sleeping with his fathers, God would raise up one of his seed to rule on his throne. In Acts 2:29-36 Peter declares that Christ was of the seed of David and that He is now ruling in heaven on David's throne. Remember, however, that premillennialism says that the rapture will occur and all the righteous will be raised. Then, seven years later all the wicked will be raised. They say that after everyone is raised and no one is in the grave, Christ will then come and set up His kingdom. However, this contradicts II Samuel 7:12-13.

Then in Daniel 2:44, Daniel, after telling Nebuchadnezzar that he was the head of gold he saw in his dream, proceeded to talk about three other world empires. Under other figures in the book of Daniel such as the one found in Daniel 8, we know that God was revealing the four world empires. These four were Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece and Rome. "And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever" (Dan. 2:44). This fourth world empire was Rome. It is not good enough for Rome to make a comeback and once again rule the world. For Daniel 2:44 to be true Rome must be number four of the world empires mentioned—a time frame that has long since past.

Another deathblow to premillennialism is found in the book of Zechariah. "And speak unto him, saying, Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying, Behold the man whose name is The Branch; and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the Lord: Even he shall build the temple of the Lord; and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne: and the counsel of peace shall be between them both" (Zech. 6:12-13). This passage says that Christ would be priest and king at the same time. If it can be shown from the New Testament that Christ is now our priest we have proven that Christ is also our king. If He is a king He must be king of something! When we read Hebrews 4:14-15; 7:12-17 and 8:1 it is clear that Christ is now our Great High Priest. So, according to Zechariah 6:12-13 He is also now ruling upon His throne as King. Mark 9:1 shows that some then living would see the kingdom come in their lifetime. The kingdom or church came on the first Pentecost after Christ's death as seen in Acts 2.

Christ is now at the right hand of God reigning as King and serving as our Great High Priest. Premillennialism is a false doctrine and should be rejected.

The Land Promise to Abraham
Dan Jones

The articles in this issue of Living Oracles show that premillennialism is a multi-faceted, man-made theory that twists and perverts Scripture in an effort to "prove" the idea of a future earthly kingdom. Christ will supposedly return to earth and set up His kingdom in the city of Jerusalem and reign there on David's throne for a thousand years. This will also involve, we are told, the miraculous restoration of the Jews to Palestine and God will then make good on the land promise that was made to Abraham.

God did promise Abraham the land of Canaan but it was a promise that was not fulfilled in Abraham's lifetime. Abraham was not promised the land as an individual for Stephen said that God "gave him none inheritance in it, no, not so much as to set his foot on: yet he promised that he would give it to him for a possession, and to his seed after him, when as yet he had no child" (Acts 7:5). Abraham sojourned in the land, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob (Heb. 11:9) but he did not personally possess the land. God said, "And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession" (Gen. 17:8). The book of Nehemiah tells us that God made a covenant with Abraham to give the land to his seed (Neh. 9:7-8). Thus, the land of Canaan was given to Abraham in prospect and the promise was fulfilled when Israel, the physical seed of Abraham, possessed the land.

Premillennialists claim at least three things about this land promise: (1) It was unconditional, (2) It was "eternal," and (3) It has not yet been completely fulfilled. However, since none of these premises can be substantiated biblically, as shall be shown, premillennialism is again proven to be patently false.

Premillennialists contend that the land was given to Israel without any conditions or stipulations. But this no-strings- attached idea was not understood by either Moses or Joshua (or by the Holy Spirit who inspired them). In Deuteronomy 28 Moses warned Israel of the consequences of disobedience to God and his warning includes this statement found in verse 21: "The LORD shall make the pestilence cleave unto thee, until he have consumed thee from off the land, whither thou goest to possess it." Moses also warned that "ye shall be plucked from off the land whither thou goest to possess it" (Deut. 28:63). Joshua said, "Know for a certainty that the LORD your God will no more drive out any of these nations from before you; but they shall be snares and traps unto you, and scourges in your sides, and thorns in your eyes, until ye perish from off this good land which the LORD your God hath given you" (Josh. 23:13). Obviously, the land was not promised unconditionally.

God told Abraham that his seed would receive the land as an "everlasting possession" (Gen. 17:8), but the conditional nature of the land promise, along with the inspired record of Israel's apostasy and destruction show the limitation of "everlasting." Words are often used in different senses and it is not uncommon for "everlasting" or "forever" to mean "a long, indefinite period of time." For example, the command to keep the Sabbath was a sign between God and Israel "forever" but this is limited by the phrase "throughout their generations" (Exod. 31:16-17). Peter informs us that this world will be utterly destroyed (II Pet. 3:10-13). How then could there be a literal, eternal (unending) fulfillment of the land promise made to Abraham?

In addition to all of this the Bible plainly declares that the land promise made to Abraham was completely fulfilled. Stephen alludes to this in Acts 7:17: "And when the time of the promise drew nigh, which God had sworn to Abraham, the people grew and multiplied in Egypt." That promise was the land promise which Stephen had declared in Acts 7:5. How could that promise be "nigh" if it still has not been fulfilled? Joshua said, "And the LORD gave unto Israel all the land which he sware to give unto their fathers; and they possessed it, and dwelt therein. And the LORD gave them rest round about, according to all that he sware unto their fathers: and there stood not a man of all their enemies before them; the LORD delivered all their enemies into their hand. There failed not ought of any good thing which the LORD had spoken unto the house of Israel; all came to pass" (Josh. 21:43-45). What further evidence is needed? The promise of the land of Canaan to Israel was fulfilled—all of it—and Israel ultimately lost the land and their status as a nation through their disobedience.

It was Abraham who was first promised that Canaan would be given to his seed, yet he longed for something more permanent and heavenly (Heb. 11:10, 14-16). This should be our desire as well (Heb. 13:14). Rather than looking and longing for an earthly kingdom which shall never be (John 18:36) we should prepare ourselves to receive an abundant entrance into the "everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" (II Pet. 1:5-11).

The Premillennial "Proof-Text"
David Hill

Premillennialism is a rampant false doctrine. In the southern, mid-western and western portions of the United States, I would venture a guess that better than 90% of the denominations believe and teach some form of premillennialism. It is not uncommon to see a "Prophecy Series" advertised by some denominational group. It is a most prevalent false teaching that most denominations have adopted. Catholicism does not sanction such, but they peacefully coexist with it among "those of the cloth."

When one comes in contact with a premillennialist, it will not be long until a reference is made to the book of Revelation and at least some allusion to chapter 20. A beginning challenge to anyone would be to take the book of Revelation from its beginning to its final "Amen" (22:21) and identify beyond a shadow of doubt what is literal and what is symbolic or figurative. I posed that challenge to a zealous Jehovah's Witness who once stood on my front porch. She had referenced several verses in the book trying to make her case, so I asked her for help. Her response was, "Are you kidding? I can't do that." There is an important point to be made here. If one cannot discern the literal from the figurative in this highly symbolic book, how can they say with full assurance that a certain passage is absolutely, positively and completely literal? But that is exactly what the premillennialist does with Revelation 20.

The premillennialist takes "the first resurrection" (20:5) and comes up with a rapture. Yet, nowhere in Scripture is the word rapture used. They take passages like I Thessalonians 4:16-18 and with the jaundiced eye of premillennialism say, "Ah ha! There's the rapture." But no rapture is mentioned there, just the "coming of the Lord," and certainly no reference is given to the coming of the Lord (rapture) and then another coming of the Lord to rule and reign on David's literal throne. The premillennialist goes to the Bible with the predisposition that premillennialism is right and cannot be wrong. Then one by one each verse dealing with something that they believe (or that they think could help their cause) is lifted out of its context and made to fit their belief system. "Let God be true, but every man a liar" (Rom. 3:4). God's Word is true (John 17:17) and our job is to follow His Word where it leads. To try to conform the Word of God to our own preconceived viewpoint or doctrine is but to seal our own destruction (II Pet. 3:16).

Our soul lives on after this life (Matt. 25:46, Luke 16:19-31). In the book of Revelation John makes reference to the "second death" four times. These references are to hell. Jesus said, "And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." (Matt. 10:28). So consistency with the teaching of the Lord demands that the first resurrection is from death to the hadean realm of paradise (Luke 23:43); whereas, the sinner finds himself spiritually dead in the hadean realm of torment (Luke 16:22-23). For the sinner there is no paradise, joy, pleasure or victory over death, but rather it is the beginning of an eternity of torment (II Thess. 1:9). Thus, for the Bible to be consistent (true), the "first resurrection" is not an unscriptural rapture, but a very scriptural victory over death and the sufferings of this world.

This premillennial "proof-text" says nothing about Christ ruling and reigning for a literal 1,000 years on David's literal throne. It does not say this reign will be on earth and it does not mention either David or his throne. Luke records the angel Gabriel saying to Mary, "The Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: and he shall rule over the house of Jacob (Israel) forever." (Luke 1:32-33). Nathanael called Jesus "the King of Israel" (John 1:49). In Acts 2 Peter said that Christ had been resurrected and exalted and had ascended into the heavens where he is sitting on David's throne ruling and reigning right now at the right hand of God (Acts 2:24-36). He has made all one and all are heirs to the promise made to Abraham (Gal. 3:28-29). The kingdom is here now (Mark 9:1, Heb. 12:28). The Lord's kingdom is not of this world (John 18:36), and so it fits that He (Jesus) is presently ruling over the house of Israel on David's throne (represented figuratively) at the right hand of God.

As already observed there is and has to be figurative language throughout the chapter. Therefore, without explanation given and seeing that premillennialists are wrong from the very beginning, the 1,000 years must be figurative. There are many variables which one could come up with, yet very little explanation is given other than a statement of 1,000 years (vs. 2, 3, 4, 5 & 7). It must be, as John T. Hinds observes in A Commentary on the Book of Revelation, page 271, a definite number for an indefinite period of time. We do know this, that "the day of the Lord shall 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 that are therein shall be burned up" (II Pet. 3:10). If the premillennialist is right, then there should be no surprise at all with regard to the day of the Lord coming.

Finally, without further examination of this passage, a question for all: How can the premillennialist be so wrong in other areas (doctrine — "one church is as good as another," practice — refusing to teach baptism for the remission of sins (Acts 2:38), use of unauthorized things in worship to God, etc.) and be absolutely right in their literal interpretation of Revelation 20? When an individual cannot see clear Bible instruction, how could they be depended upon to interpret difficult, highly symbolic sections of Scripture?