Late last week, I posted an article overviewing the controversy that surrounds the final return of Jesus Christ. The common theory is that Jesus will first return silently to rapture the church. The unsaved will be left-behind on earth to suffer seven years of tribulation. The antichrist will reign during this time. His reign will be characterized by global power and persecution against the church. This seven-year period will come to a climactic end with the famous battle of Armageddon, a literal battle that will take place at Megiddo between the armies of Christ and the armies of Satan. After Christ wins the battle, Satan will be bound for one thousand years while Christ reigns over His millennial kingdom here on earth. This is the common theory. It is what most people believe. But the fact is, it is NOT what the Bible teaches.
This week, I am going to post one article per day with the intent of refuting the aforementioned premillennial theology. I will simultaneously set forth what the Bible DOES teach regarding the final return of Christ.
So far, we've looked at Matthew 24, 1 Thessalonians 4 and the book of Revelation. All three of these great texts are misused to teach the rapture doctrine and other tenets of Premillennial theology. Today, let's consider some facts regarding the kingdom of Christ.
It is commonly taught in the denominational world that the kingdom of Christ is NOT currently in existence, that Jesus intended to establish it when He was on earth originally, but failed in His mission due to the rejection of the Jews. As a result of Jesus' failure, the church was set up instead, as an afterthought. So when will the kingdom be established, according to denominational teachings? After the seven-year period of tribulation and the battle of Armageddon, Jesus will set up a millennial, or one thousand year kingdom on earth. Earth will be transformed into a kind of paradise in which the righteous will dwell under the perfect kingship of Jesus Christ. But this is NOT what the word of God teaches. The fact is, the kingdom WAS set up in the first century, and all today who are Christians are IN the kingdom. There is not going to be some literal kingdom on earth in the future, because the spiritual kingdom of Christ exists here and now.
Jesus Himself, when He was on the earth, stated that the kingdom would be established in that generation. In Mark 9:1, He told the people, "Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God after it has come with power." Either there are some 2,000 year old Jews wandering the earth today, or Jesus' promise was fulfilled and the kingdom WAS established in their generation.
When specifically was the kingdom established in the first century? Let's turn our attention to Luke 24:45-49. The text says, "Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, "Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high." In Mark 9:1, Jesus said that the kingdom would come with power. Here, He says that the apostles were going to receive power in Jerusalem, and that when they did, they would begin to proclaim the name of Jesus to all nations. When did this happen? It happened in Acts 2 when the apostles received the power of the Holy Spirit and began to proclaim the name of Jesus. Incidentally, when Peter preached the Pentecost sermon in Acts 2, He said, "Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne, he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing" (vv. 30-33). Peter was saying that Jesus is king!
When we put these verses together, we learn that the kingdom was established in the first century, on the day of Pentecost in A.D. 30 or 33. No, Jesus didn't set up a physical kingdom. He didn't begin to reign in Jerusalem over some earthly territory. But Jesus Himself stated that His kingdom was not an earthly, but a spiritual one. John 18:36, "My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But My kingdom is not from this world." How can we say that Jesus' kingdom is some futuristic earthly kingdom when the Bible says the exact opposite?
But the evidence doesn't end here. Let's consider some additional verses of scripture...
Colossians 1:13 says, "He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of His dear Son." The Colossian brethren were in the kingdom. According to Revelation 1:9, John and the Christians in Asia were in the kingdom as well. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:24-26, "Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God th Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. For He must reign until He has put all enemies under His feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death." Jesus is reigning now and will continue to reign until the end. Then He'll return the kingdom to the Father. What's interesting is that denominational folks get this backwards. They say that Jesus is not reigning now, but will begin to reign when the end comes.
If Jesus is KING now, then His kingdom is here now. Jesus is King of kings and Lord of lords (1 Tim. 6:15; Rev. 17:14; 19:16). He is the King of ages (1 Tim. 1:17).
Does the kingdom exist now? Yes. Is Jesus king now? No. Is there going to be some millennial kingdom on earth in the future? Well, that's where Revelation 20 enters the picture.
Revelation 20:2 says that after the battle of Armageddon, Satan will be "bound...for a thousand years." In the meantime, the saints will reign "with Christ for a thousand years." Based on this passage, it is assumed that Christ will reign over an earthly kingdom for 1,000 years...but notice that nothing is said about the earth. Nowhere does this text say that Christ will literally reign on earth. It simply says that He, along with the saints, will reign for a millennium. Now, keep in mind that the book of Revelation is symbolic (Rev. 1:1), not literal. So we should not interpret this passage literally, but figuratively.
John is simply saying in Revelation 20 that Christ will reign for a perfect period of time...a long time and that we, the saints, will reign with Him. Christ is reigning from heaven. We live on earth, but we are members of a spiritual kingdom. While Christ reigns, the devil is bound (see Matthew 12:29), but there's going to come a time when he, the devil, will be released for a little while. That's what Revelation 20 is saying, but even if you disagree, you must agree based on Rev. 1:1 that this is not a literal 1,000 year kingdom, but rather the passage is symbolic of something else. We cannot dispute that.
Jesus fulfilled His mission. He set up the kingdom. Those who are saved are in it.
Premillennial theology is falling apart one piece at a time.
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