Many within Christendom are preoccupied with dispensational theology, having embraced the premillennial framework that teaches a coming "rapture," "tribulation," "antichrist," "Armageddon," and "millennium." The millennium refers to an alleged thousand-year reign of Christ on Earth in which He will establish a literal, physical kingdom, and rule from Jerusalem. Is a thousand-year reign of Christ on Earth taught in the Word of God? The reader is urged to consider the following observations.
In the first place, several contextual indicators within the book of Revelation militate against the application of the book"s contents to a yet-future time. For example, the events of the book of Revelation were to "shortly take place""an expression that occurs near the beginning as well as near the end of the book (1:1; 22:6). "Shortly" (entachei) meant quickly, at once, without delay, soon, in a short time (Arndt and Gingrich, 1957, p. 814). Moffatt gave the meaning as "soon." and noted: "The keynote of the Apocalypse is the cheering assurance that upon God"s part there is no reluctance or delay; His people have not long to wait now" (n.d., 5:335).
Other passages where the term is used, confirm that a brief length of time is intended"not merely the rapidity with which the designated events occur. Regarding those disciples who cry out to God night and day for His intervention, Jesus assured: "He will avenge them speedily (en tachei)" (Luke 18:8). What comfort would be afforded if Jesus intended to convey the idea that relief may be long delayed, but when it finally did come, it would come in a quick fashion? When Peter was asleep in prison, bound with two chains between two soldiers, and an angel awoke him by striking him on the side and instructed him to "arise quickly (en tachei)!" (Acts 12:7), would Peter have understood the angel to mean that he could continue resting or sleeping for as long as he chose, just as long as when he did get ready to get up, he came up off the prison floor with a rapid motion? When Festus insisted that Paul be detained in Caesarea rather than transferred to Jerusalem, since "he himself was going there shortly (en tachei)" (Acts 25:4), would anyone have understood him to mean that he may delay his visit to Caesarea by years? Paul even used the term in contradistinction with being "delayed" (1 Timothy 3:14-15; cf. White, n.d., 4:117). Additional occurrences of the expression further underscore the meaning of "soon" (Acts 10:33; 17:15; 22:18; Romans 16:20).
Another contextual indicator within Revelation itself is the occurrence of the phrase: "for the time is near" (1:3; 22:10). Thayer said "near" (eggus) refers to "things imminent and soon to come to pass" (1901, p. 164; cf. Arndt and Gingrich, p. 213). Such a reference would necessarily pertain to the first century"not the twenty-first. Two or three thousand years would be too late for the desperate Christians of Asia Minor (see Summers, 1951, p. 99). Those who get caught up in "millennium mania" seem oblivious to the fact that the book was written to an original, immediate audience. Revelation was, in fact, written to the seven churches of Christ situated in Asia Minor (1:4). All seven are even named (1:11)! If the book was written to them, and if it was their spiritual condition that was the concern of the book, millenarians are incorrect in their contention that the book is devoted primarily, if not exclusively, to predictions of the end times. Though the Old Testament prophets predicted future events on occasion, their primary message was relevant to their immediate audience. Dispensationalists have trouble finding in Revelation a relevant message for a first-century audience. The apostle John recognized their need, and identified himself as their "companion" in the terrible tribulation they were then enduring (1:9). Not only was this tribulation going on at that time, but John further referred to himself and his readers as being in the kingdom at that time (1:9). Thus, Christ"s kingdom was already set up, in existence on Earth, and in full operating mode.
In addition to these contextual indicators, there is the statement of the angel to John: "Do not seal the words of the prophecy of this book" (Revelation 22:10). What did the angel mean? What he meant becomes apparent when one reflects upon the fact that Daniel was told to do the exact opposite of what John was told to do. After receiving a remarkable series of detailed prophecies, Daniel was told to "shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end" (Daniel 12:4, emp. added). Furthermore, he was instructed: "Go your way, Daniel, for the words are closedup andsealed till the time of the end" (vs. 9, emp. added). The reason Daniel was told to seal the book was because the fulfillment of the prophecies that had been revealed to him were hundreds of years off in the future"far from his own day. The predictions, therefore, would be of no immediate value to the initial recipients of the book. The book could be closed and placed on the shelf until those who would be living at the time of their fulfillment could appreciate the relevance of its predictions. In stark contrast, John was ordered: "Do not seal the words of the prophecy of this book" (22:10, emp. added). Why? The text answers""for the time is at hand"! These words can hold no other meaning than that the bulk of Revelation was fulfilled in close proximity to the time they were written.
Still another significant contextual detail pertains to the use of the impersonal verb "must": "things which must shortly take place" (1:1). Greek grammarian Ray Summers explained:
[blockquote]
The verb translated "it is necessary" or "must""indicates that a moral necessity is involved; the nature of the case is such that the things revealed here must come to pass shortly". The things revealed here must happen shortly, or the cause will be lost". They were in need of assurance of help in the immediate present"not in some millennium of the distant and uncertain future (p. 99, emp. in orig.).[/blockquote]
Indeed, the downtrodden, persecuted Christians of Asia Minor needed assistance right away. The dispensational framework would rob those first-century saints of the very comfort and reassurance they so desperately needed, deserved"and received!
One additional contextual feature is the use of the term "signified": "And He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John" (1:1). This term, as is evident from the English translation, meaning "to show by signs" (Vincent, 1890, 2:564; Summers, p. 99). The term, along with the Greek word translated "revelation" (apocalupsis), introduces the nature of this book. The book of Revelation reveals or unveils God"s message through signs or symbols. Placing a literal interpretation on the numbers, animals, objects, colors, and locations of Revelation"as dispensationalists routinely try to do"does violence to the true intent of the book. John"s Revelation declares itself to be a book of symbols, filled with figurative language, and not intended to be taken literally. In fact, as Swete observed, "much of the imagery of the Apocalypse is doubtless not symbolism, but merely designed to heighten the colouring of the great picture, and to add vividness and movement to its scenes" (1911, p. cxxxiii). A genuine recognition of this realization of this self-declared feature of the book excludes a literal interpretation of the number one thousand.
In addition to these preliminary contextual details (which are sufficient of themselves to dismiss the dispensationalism scheme from the book), chapter twenty contains specific features that assist the interpreter in pinpointing the meaning of the symbol of a "thousand-year reign." It is surely noteworthy that in the entire Bible, the only allusion to a so-called thousand-year reign is Revelation 20:4,6"a fact that is conceded even by dispensationalists (e.g., Ladd, 1972, p. 267; Mounce, 1977, pp. 356-357). Yet an entire belief system has been built upon such scanty evidence. An examination of the setting and context yields surprising results. For example, a simple reading of the immediate context reveals that the theme of Revelation 20 is not "the thousand-year reign of Christ." Rather, it is "victory over Satan." Each of the symbols presents concepts that, when put together, relieve the fears of oppressed first-century Christians regarding their outcome. The key, abyss, and chain (vs. 1) are apocalyptic symbols for the effective limitation or containment of Satan in his ability to deceive the nations in the specific matter of emperor worship enforced by the government (see Swete, 1911, pp. xxxi, civ-cv). The symbol of one thousand years (vss. 2-7) is a high multiple of ten, representing ultimate completeness (see Summers, p. 23). John"s readers thus could know that the devil was to be completely restrained from deceiving the nations into worshipping the emperor. The thousand years symbolized the extended triumph of God"s kingdom on Earth over the devil, who was then operating through the persecuting powers of Rome. A thousand symbolic years of victory would lesson suffering in the minds of persecuted Christians.
"Loosing for a little season" (vs. 3) would have represented the revival of persecution under later emperors. "Thrones" (vs. 4) represented the victorious power of the oppressed. The persecuted saints were pictured on thrones, judging because of the victory of their cause. "Souls" (vs. 4)"not resurrected bodies, but disembodied spirits"represent those who were martyrs of the persecution. Their refusal to "receive the mark" meant they refused to worship Caesar, or to manifest those marks that would identify them as adherents of the false state religion of emperor worship. The "first resurrection" (vs. 5) referred to the triumphant resurrection of the cause for which the Christians of Revelation 20:4 had lived and died. Gog and Magog were symbolic of the enemies of God and Christ, the imagery drawn from Ezekiel 38 and 39. The "beloved city" (vs. 9) is an unmistakable reference to spiritual Israel, the church (John 4:20-21; Galatians 6:16).
Some allowance may be granted in the interpretation of these highly figurative symbols, without doing damage to other Bible doctrines, or reflecting adversely upon the Gospel system and the broader will of Deity. However, the thousand years must not be perceived as a yet-future period. There is simply no biblical support for doing so. The figure represents an important concept for those to whom it was first directed. It has meaning for people living today only in that context. There will be no one thousand-year reign of Jesus Christ on Earth.
REFERENCES
Arndt, William and F.W. Gingrich (1957), A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press).
Ladd, George E. (1972), A Commentary on the Revelation of John (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans).
Moffatt, James (no date), "The Revelation of St. John the Divine," ed. Nicoll, W. Robertson, The Expositor"s Greek Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans).
Mounce, Robert (1977), The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans).
Summers, Ray (1951), Worthy is the Lamb (Nashville, TN: Broadman Press).
Swete, Henry B. (1911), Commentary on Revelation (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel, 1977 reprint).
Thayer, Joseph H. (1901), A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 1977 reprint).
Vincent, M.R. (1890), Word Studies in the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1946 reprint).
White, Newport (no date), "The First and Second Epistles to Timothy," The Expositor"s Greek Testament, ed. W. Robertson Nicoll, (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans).
RE: About the "rapture," "tribulation," "antichrist," "Armageddon," and "millennium."
Repudiation of the "Rapture"
by Dave Miller, Ph.D.
The average American is aware of the periodic claim that "the end is near." When Y2K was approaching, outcries of doom, global disruption, and Armageddon were widespread. Hal Lindsey achieved nationwide attention over thirty years ago with his national bestseller The Late Great Planet Earth (1970). A more recent repackaging of the dispensational brand of premillennialism is the popular Left Behind book series (see "The Official""). Every so often, a religious figure captures national attention, announcing the impending return of Jesus"even to the point of setting a date"only to fade into the anonymity from which he arose when his claim falls flat, but having achieved his "fifteen minutes of fame" (see Whisenant and Brewer, 1989). The sensationalism sells well and tweaks the curiosity of large numbers of people. Incredibly, this pattern has been repeating itself literally for centuries!
Such is the case with the alleged "Rapture." It comes from the Latin word "rapere," which means "to seize, snatch out, take away." Dispensationalists apply this word to the idea that Christ will come suddenly and secretly in the air to snatch away from the Earth the living saints and the resurrected bodies of those saints already deceased. This rapture is supposed to occur just prior to the seven-year Tribulation period, which, in turn, will be followed by the Millennium.
Proponents claim that the Rapture will be secretive. We are told that families will be shocked by the strange disappearance of a mother, father, or child. Driverless cars will collide in the streets (thus the bumper sticker: "In case of rapture, this vehicle will be unmanned"). A man and wife will be in bed; she hears a noise, turns her head, and finds him gone. Planes will crash with no pilots found. These sensational and dramatic examples illustrate the view that the Rapture will be an invisible coming of the Lord for His saints, leaving visible results of chaos and confusion among the remaining unbelievers.
In reality, the word "rapture" is not found in the Bible, though it is claimed to be the Latin equivalent of harpadzo translated "caught up" in 1 Thessalonians 4:17 (NKJV). Lindsey admitted, "[i]t is not found in the Bible" (1970, p. 126), and noted that the word "translation" is just as suitable. Yet the word "translation" does occur in the New Testament. Paul referred to the fact that God "has delivered us from the power of darkness and translated us into the kingdom of the Son of His love" (Colossians 1:13, emp. added). So when an unbeliever obeys the Gospel, receives forgiveness of sins, and is added to the church of Christ, he is taken out of the world and transferred to Christ"s kingdom. This use of the term is certainly a far cry from the idea that it refers to Christians being raptured from the physical Earth to meet Jesus in the air.
The New Testament uses three terms to refer to Christ"s return. First, parousia is translated "coming, presence, or advent." Second, epiphaneia is translated "appearing, manifestation, or brightness." Third, apokalupsis is translated "revelation." Dispensationalism holds that parousia ("coming") refers to the "Rapture" that occurs seven years before the epiphaneia ("appearing") or apokalupsis ("revelation)." Accordingly, at the "Rapture," it is claimed that Jesus will come for the church only, while at the "Revelation," Jesus will return with the church, and put an end to the "Tribulation" and "Armageddon."
The primary passage used to support the idea of a "rapture" is 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17. But this passage was not actually given to deal with the return of Christ. Its purpose was twofold. First, it was designed to reassure Christians that their deceased loved ones would be able to share in the Lord"s return. Second, it informed Christians that those who are still living when Christ returns will have no precedence or advantage over those who have already died. This dual function of the text constitutes a very different emphasis from the one imposed upon it by dispensationalists.
The dispensational distinctions made between the three New Testament terms that refer to Christ"s return are simply untenable (see Boettner, 1957, pp. 163-164). For example, dispensationalists assert that the "coming" (parousia) in 1 Thessalonians 4:15 and 2 Thessalonians 2:1 refers to the "Rapture." Yet the same word is used in 1 Thessalonians 3:13 to speak of Jesus coming "with" His saints, thereby coinciding with the dispensational concept of the "Appearing" or "Revelation" seven years after the "Rapture." Dispensationalists apply 2 Thessalonians 2:8 to the "Antichrist," and therefore must understand this as a reference to the "Appearing" seven years after the "Rapture." Yet the verse uses the expression "the manifestation (i.e., "brightness""epiphaneia) of His coming (parousia)." Thus the term "coming" is used in the New Testament to refer to both dispensational concepts of the "Rapture" and the "Appearing," and the two expressions are, in fact, combined in 2 Thessalonians 2:8 to refer to one and the same event.
The term "Revelation" (apokalupsis) in 1 Corinthians 1:7 is descriptive of what the dispensationalists call the "Rapture," since Christians await it. But in 2 Thessalonians 1:7, it clearly refers to the "Appearing." The term "Appearing" (epiphaneia) is used in 1 Timothy 6:14 as the event that terminates Christian activity on Earth, and thus fits the "Rapture" concept. But in 2 Timothy 4:1,8, the references to judgment fit the "Appearing."
In view of these considerations, the sincere Bible student is forced to conclude that the three words relating to Christ"s return in the New Testament are used synonymously and interchangeably. The New Testament simply makes no distinction between the coming of the Lord for His saints ("Rapture") and the coming of the Lord with His saints ("Appearing" or "Revelation"). The dispensational dichotomy is in direct conflict with New Testament terminology.
Additionally, if Christians are to be removed seven years before the "Revelation" or "Coming" of Christ, then no passage should speak of Christians remaining on Earth until the "Revelation." However, many passages do just that (see Boettner, pp. 165-166). For example, in Titus 2:13, Paul referred to the "blessed hope" and the "appearing" as one and the same event, i.e., Christ"s coming. In the original language, the two substantives, "hope" and "appearing" (epiphaneia) are closely linked by the common article. They are not two separate events, as if to be read: "Looking for the blessed hope and the appearing." Rather, the text is saying, "looking for the blessed hope and appearing." The one explains the other. The "blessed hope" of Christians is "the glorious appearing" of Christ. Other examples would be 1 Peter 1:13 and 4:13, where the grace on which the Christian is to set his hope is to be received at the "revelation" (apokalupsei) of Christ, at which time the Christian may rejoice. But, according to dispensationalism, the Christian should rejoice seven years earlier at the rapture.
Further, the use of the word "end" comes from a word that refers to "full end" and, in the New Testament, always refers to the end of the world, i.e., the Judgment day (see Boettner, p. 168-169). In Matthew 28:20, Jesus promised to be with the disseminators of the Gospel message to the very "end." This means the church will remain on the Earth, preaching the Gospel, until the Judgment Day. But if the church is "raptured away" seven years before the end, she cannot fulfill what Christ commanded her to do! In Matthew 13:39-40, there is no removal of the saints before the "full end." The righteous and the wicked grow together until the very end. The separation of the two comes at the end (not seven years before the end). The dispensationalist claims that the righteous will be taken out from among the wicked. But the Bible says just the opposite: the wicked will be taken out from among the righteous (Matthew 13:39-40).
The doctrine of the "Rapture" asserts that believers will be raised seven years before the "Revelation," and 1,007 years before the end of the "Millennium." But in four separate verses, Jesus Himself said believers will be raised "at the last day" (John 6:39,40,44,54). There can be no other days after the last day. So the believers cannot be raised at an alleged "Rapture" before the last day.
Finally, the Second Coming of Christ is nowhere depicted as secret, as the "Rapture" advocates affirm. In fact, just the opposite is true. Christ"s coming will be accompanied by "blazing fire" (2 Thessalonians 1:7), the sound of a trumpet (1 Corinthians 15:52), a "shout," the "voice of the archangel," and the "trump of God" (1 Thessalonians 4:16). In fact, "every eye will see Him" (Revelation 1:7). These passages show that all persons everywhere will see and hear this event. In fact, the very passage upon which the doctrine of the "Rapture" is founded (i.e., 1 Thessalonians 4:16), far from describing a quiet and secretive event, is about the noisiest verse in the Bible!
When one is willing to remove from the mind all preconceived, complex, and sensational theological concoctions, and simply let the Bible present its own portrait of the end of time and the Second Coming of Christ, the dispensational viewpoint of a postulated "Rapture" is seen to be totally unfounded.
REFERENCES
Boettner, Loraine (1957), The Millennium (Phillipsburg, NJ: Presbyterian and Reformed).
Lindsey, Hal (1970), The Late Great Planet Earth (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan).
"The Official Left Behind Series Site," (2003), [On-line], URL: http://www.leftbehind.com/.
Whisenant, Edgar and Greg Brewer (1989), The Final Shout Rapture 1989 Report (Nashville, TN: World Bible Society).
RE: About the "rapture," "tribulation," "antichrist," "Armageddon," and "millennium."
The average American is aware of the periodic claim that "the end is near." When Y2K was approaching, outcries of doom, global disruption, and Armageddon were widespread. Hal Lindsey achieved nationwide attention over thirty years ago with his national bestseller, The Late Great Planet Earth (1970). A more recent repackaging of the dispensational brand of premillennialism is the popular Left Behind book series (see "The Official"," 2003). Every so often, a religious figure captures national attention by announcing the impending return of Jesus"even to the point of setting a date"only to fade into the anonymity and obscurity from which he arose when his claim falls flat, but having achieved his "fifteen minutes of fame" (see Whisenant and Brewer, 1989). The sensationalism sells well, and tweaks the curiosity of large numbers of people. Incredibly, this pattern has been repeating itself"literally forcenturies!
One feature of the premillennial dispensationalist"s claim is that the kingdom is yet future, and that Jesus is not reigning now, but will commence His reign in His kingdom when He returns in the future to establish it in Jerusalem. However, several passages cannot be harmonized with such a view. First, the Bible teaches that the kingdom exists now, and has existed since A.D. 30. While Jesus was on Earth, He went to Galilee, "preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent, and believe in the gospel" (Mark 1:14-15, emp. added). He also stated: "Assuredly, I say to you that there are some standing here who will not taste death till they see the kingdom of God present with power" (Mark 1:9). In fact, Jesus "has delivered us from the power of darkness, and translated us into the kingdom of the Son of His love" (Colossians 1:13). To insist that the kingdom is yet to be established is to fail to recognize that the Bible plainly declares that the kingdom already exists on Earth.
Second, the words "kingdom," "Israel," and "church" all refer to the same group of people"i.e., the saved, Christians, the church of Christ, or spiritual Israel. Jesus predicted that He would build His "church" and give to Peter the keys of the "kingdom" (Matthew 16:18-19). Jesus did not build one institution and then give Peter the keys to a different institution. Paul told the Galatian Christians: "Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham. "and if you are Christ"s, then you are Abraham"s seed, and heirs according to the promise" (Galatians 3:7,29; cf. 6:16). He told Christians in Rome: "For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is that circumcision which is outward in the flesh; but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart" (Romans 2:28-29). Spiritual Israel is the church of Christ"that is, the kingdom.
Third, Jesus is reigning now in heaven, and has been since His ascension around A.D. 30. Peter explained that Jesus "has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, angels and authorities and powers having been made subject to Him" (1 Peter 3:22). Daniel predicted over four centuries prior to its fulfillment: "One like the Son of Man coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days, and they brought Him near before Him. Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and His kingdom the one which shall not be destroyed" (Daniel 7:13-14). This prophecy was fulfilled at the ascension of Christ: "while they watched, He was taken up; and a cloud received Him out of their sight" (Acts 1:9). Jesus returned to heaven where He was given rule over His kingdom (Hebrews 10:12). When He returns a second time, it will not be to reign on Earth. Rather, "[t]hen comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power. For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet" (1 Corinthians 15:24-25).
On the Day of Pentecost, Peter announced to the gathered crowd that Jesus was reigning at that moment over His kingdom: "God had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his body, according to the flesh, He would raise up the Christ to sit on his throne, he, foreseeing this, spoke of the resurrection of the Christ." This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses. Therefore, being exalted to the right hand of God..." (Acts 2:30-33). Paul made the same point in his letter to the church of Christ in Ephesus: "He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. And He put all things under His feet" (Ephesians 1:20-22). I repeat: the Bible repeatedly affirms that Jesus is reigning and ruling now over His kingdom.
Fourth, Jesus completed His work on Earth and, consequently, has no reason to return to the Earth to do any additional work. He explained to the disciples: "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work" (John 4:34, emp. added). Shortly before His departure from the Earth, He prayed to the Father: "I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You gave Me to do" (John 17:4).
Dispensationalists say that Jesus came with the intention to be King, and to set up an earthly kingdom, but that the Jews unexpectedly rejected Him. However, this claim is in direct conflict with the facts. On one occasion, after Jesus fed thousands of people with five loaves of bread and two fish"a feat that would constitute a tremendous advantage should war with Rome be forthcoming"John noted that "when Jesus perceived that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king, He departed again to a mountain by Himself alone" (6:15). Here was the perfect opportunity for Jesus to become the physical king that the dispensationalists insist He intended to become. But He refused! Why? He gave the reason to Pilate: "My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here" (John 18:36). The dispensational claim that Jesus is coming back to be a king on Earth on a physical throne is the very thing first-century Jews tried to get Him to do"but which He refused to do.
Premillennialists also maintain that the modern nation of Israel is the recipient of various promises made in Scripture, and that it plays a prominent and continuing role in God"s scheme of things. This contention has had a profound impact upon U.S. foreign policy, and in the way people around the world"especially in the Middle East"perceive America. It must surely be a shock for many people to learn that the Bible depicts no such favored status. All people stand on level ground at the foot of the cross of Christ. God is no respecter of persons, and makes no distinctions between people on the basis of ethnicity (Acts 10:34-35; Romans 2:11,28-29; Galatians 3:28). The promises that were made to physical Israel in the Old Testament were fulfilled long ago.
For example, God announced to Abraham that He would give to his descendents (the Israelites) the land of Canaan (Genesis 12:1; 15:7). This promise was fulfilled when Israel took possession of Palestine in the fifteenth century B.C. (Joshua 21:43-45; 2 Chronicles 9:26). What so many people today fail to recognize is that Israelites" retaining the land was contingent upon their continued obedience (Leviticus 18:24-28; Joshua 23:14-16; 1 Kings 9:3-7). The complete and final forfeiture of physical Israel took place in A.D. 70. The reestablishment of national Israel, and the rebuilding of Jerusalem and the Temple (i.e., the national promises of Deuteronomy 30 and Zechariah 12-14) were literally fulfilled in the returning remnant after the Babylonian captivity (Nehemiah 1:8-10; Isaiah 10:22; Jeremiah 23:3; Ezra 3:1-11).
Many of the Old Testament prophecies that predicted the return of the Jews after captivity were laced with predictions of the coming of Christ to the Earth to bring ultimate redemption. Hence, the national promises were spiritually fulfilled in the church of Christ, wherein both Jews and Gentiles are one in Christ. For example, premillennialists are fond of calling attention to the concluding prophetic remarks of Amos: ""On that day I will raise up the tabernacle of David, which has fallen down, and repair its damages; I will raise up its ruins, and rebuild it as in the days of old; that they may possess the remnant of Edom, and all the Gentiles who are called by My name," says the Lord who does this thing" (Amos 9:11-12). They insist that the fulfillment of this prophecy is yet future. They say the Temple, which was destroyed in A.D. 70 by the Romans (Matthew 23:37-24:35), will be rebuilt on the Temple platform in Jerusalem (a site currently occupied by the third most holy shrine of Islam"the Dome of the Rock). They say that Jesus will return, set up His millennial kingdom, and reign on a literal throne for a thousand years, incorporating the Gentiles, in addition to the nation of Israel, into His kingdom. On the face of it, this prophecy certainly possesses terminology that fits the millennial interpretation placed upon it.
However, two Bible passages correct this interpretation, and settle the question as to the proper application of Amos" prophecy. The first is the great messianic prophecy uttered by the prophet Nathan to King David regarding David"s future lineage and royal dynasty (2 Samuel 7:12-16). Nathan declared that God would establish and sustain the Davidic dynasty. Even though he also noted that a permanent form of the Tabernacle (that God refused to allow David to build"2 Samuel 7:1-7) would be built by David"s son (i.e., Solomon), God, Himself, would build David a house (i.e., a dynasty, a kingly lineage). It is this lineage to which Amos referred"not a physical temple building.
The second passage that clarifies Amos" prophecy is the account of the Jerusalem "conference" (Acts 15). Following Peter"s report regarding Gentile inclusion in the kingdom, James offered the following confirmatory comment: "Men and brethren, listen to me: Simon has declared how God at the first visited the Gentiles to take out of them a people for His name. And with this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written" (Acts 15:13-15). James then quoted Amos 9:11-12. In other words, on that most auspicious occasion, James noted two significant facts that had come to pass precisely as predicted by Amos: (1) after the downfall of the Jewish kingdom, the Davidic dynasty had been reinstated in the person of Christ"the "Son of David" (Matthew 22:42)"Who, at His ascension, had been enthroned in heaven, thereby "rebuilding the tabernacle of David that had fallen down"; and (2) with the conversion of the first Gentiles in Acts 10, as reported on this occasion by Peter, the "residue of men," or the non-Jewish segment of humanity, was now "seeking the Lord."
In light of James" inspired application of it to the integrated church of the first century, the Amos prophecy, like all others in the Old Testament that premillennialists wish to apply to the future, finds ultimate and final climax in the momentous advent of the Christian religion on the planet. The premillennial treatment of prophecy is, in the final analysis, a demeaning and trivializing of the significance of the Gospel, the church of Christ, and the Christian religion as the final revelation from God to mankind. The kingdom is not future; it is here now. All accountable persons would do well to conform themselves to the preconditions that enable Jesus to add them to His kingdom (Acts 2:38,47; 8:12-13,36-38; 9:18; 10:47-48; 16:30-34; 18:8; 19:5: 22:16).
REFERENCES
Lindsey, Hal (1970), The Late Great Planet Earth (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan).
"The Official Left Behind Series Site," (2003), [On-line], URL: http://www.leftbehind.com.
Whisenant, Edgar and Greg Brewer (1989), The Final Shout Rapture 1989 Report (Nashville, TN: World Bible Society).
About the "rapture," "tribulation," "antichrist," "Armageddon," and "millennium."
