The Reality of Christ's Coming Rule on Earth is certain & cannot be Denied
Confused about what will happen after life on Earth comes to an end? Unsure what to do about end time prophecies when others ignore it and focus instead on "building Christ's Kingdom on earth"? When in doubt, one must check what scripture has to say (not what people say). Ultimately, one's decision will hang on this principle: Do you believe God says what He means and means what He says?
The Millennium Kingdom of Christ
There are three unconditional and eternal covenants made by God to Israel which remain unfulfilled because Israel rejected the Messiah when He first came to earth to save men from their sins through the Cross, namely:
The Abrahamic Covenant which declares Israel will forever be a Nation (Genesis 12:2-3; Jeremiah 31:35-37)
The Land Covenant which commits the Promised Land to Israel (Genesis 15)
The Davidic Covenant which declares that a literal Davidic Kingdom will be restored on Earth (2 Samuel 7:12-13, Isaiah 9:6-7, Luke 1:32-33, Acts 1:6-7, Acts 15:15-17)
Again, these eternal covenants remain unfulfilled. If God cannot keep His covenants, then one cannot depend on God's word. God's promises hang on His character which is unchanging. For almost two thousand years since Israel was exiled from the Promised Land in 70 A.D., "scholars" have chosen to reinterpret the Bible allegorically instead of literally because many end time Bible prophecies have the Nation Israel as "the major player" and this did not make sense to them because the Nation Israel did not exist. This reality changed in 1948 as the Nation Israel re-emerged as prophesied in Isaiah 11:11, Isaiah 66:8 and Ezekiel 36/37. The nation Israel was literally back in the Land. Unfortunately, the allegorical interpretation of scripture (inherited from the Medieval Church) continued on as it was perpetuated by Bible seminaries which failed to reexamine its hermeneutics (theory of interpretation) in light of developments. As a result prophecies about the end times and the Millennial Kingdom of Christ continue to be disregarded or treated as already being fulfilled (Preterism). Every Believer's salvation rests on the reality of Christ's literal death and resurrection according to scripture. In fact, Every prophecy that was fulfilled in the Bible was fulfilled literally. Can you imagine if Jesus death and resurrection were just a metaphor?
The Bible says in Proverbs 3:5 "to trust in the Lord with all one's heart and not lean on one's understanding". Just because our reality doesn't make sense, it doesn't mean we should alter God's word to make it fit reality.
The Millennium Kingdom of Christ (Daniel 2:44, Daniel 7:14, Revelation 20:2-7) will be the fulfilment of God's three UNCONDITIONAL and ETERNAL covenants (promises) to Israel. It was revealed to Daniel and confirmed to Mary through the Angel Gabriel who quoted Isaiah 9:6-7 (KJV):
"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counseller, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this."
The apostles anticipated a restored David Kingdom
In Matthew 20:20-27, when John and James' mother came to Jesus requesting him to assign to her sons to sit at his right and left in his Kingdom, it was a reference to the coming Davidic Kingdom which was promised to David in 2 Samuel 7:12-13. The two apostles were castigated by Christ for their earthly desire to assume earthly power (You could say John and James were the original Domininionists) in anticipation of a restored Davidic Kingdom, a political kingdom which Israel had hoped would remove the heavy yolk of the Roman Empire which was the ruling power at that time.
Again after the resurrection the apostles ask Christ once again in Acts 1:6 (KJV):
"When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?"
Jesus replied to them in verse 7:
"And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power."
Pay attention to what Jesus said. He did not deny that there would be a restored Davidic Kingdom. He merely said the timing was not of their concern. In the grand scheme of things, Christ wanted the church to undertake the Great Commission so that the Gentiles would be saved before his return to set up the promised Kingdom on earth.
The apostles affirmed this belief in the Council of Jerusalem in Acts 15 when James (the brother of Jesus) expounded that God wanted to save the Gentiles before reestablishing the Tabernacle of David (this is the King's palace, not the temple):
Acts 15:13-17 (KJV)
And after they had held their peace, James answered, saying, Men and brethren, hearken unto me: 14Simeon hath declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name. 15And to this agree the words of the prophets; as it is written,
After this I will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up:
That the residue of men might seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles, upon whom my name is called, saith the Lord, who doeth all these things.
The Bible clearly states in Acts 3:21 that a universal "restitution of all things" or the final Jubilee is coming (during the Jewish Jubilee, all land was restored to each owner, all debts were forgiven and all slaves were set free).
And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: 21Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.
The ultimate "restitution of all things" will involve the restoration of Israel Kingdom with the Messiah ruling from the throne of David in Jerusalem during the Millennium.
A timeline culminating in Christ's Kingdom on earth, the Millennium Kingdom
Denial of God's word makes Him a Liar
God says what He means and means what He says. To deny God's eternal covenants is to imply He is a liar. These denials are simply what it is: Heresies. These covenants are challenged by:
The World vs. Abrahamic Covenant (Anti-Semitism)
Islam vs. Land Covenant (Palestinian claim)
The Church vs. Davidic Covenant ("Kingdom Now" or Dominionism)
Amillennialism is the denial of the Millennium Rule of Jesus Christ on Earth as expressed in the Lord's prayer "Thy Kingdom come on Earth as it is in Heaven". It is the driving force behind "Replacement Theology", the idea that the Church has replaced Israel and has assumed all promises made to Israel by God because Israel rejected her Messiah. The sad fact is that churches who once professed Premillennialisn as expressed in their Statement of Faith (the expectation of Christ's future kingdom on Earth) have embraced Amillennialism (or a neutral position which is the same) for the sake of embracing "Church growth" theology, a theology which seeks to build Christ's Kingdom now on Earth (hence "Kingdom Now"). They do so at risk of ignoring the end time prophecies warning of dark times before the second coming of Christ (the truth of end times prophecies are not "seeker-sensitive"). Do you now know why churches that teach the Old Testament never mention or relate it to modern-day Israel?
The fact is Israel will one day receive her Messiah and King Yeshua at His second coming when He intervenes to save her during the greatest calamity to come upon the world known as the Great Tribulation.
Hosea 5:15
“I will leave and go back to my place until they admit their offense and seek my face. When affliction comes to them, they will eagerly seek me.”
A Kingdom setup "without Human Hands"
Daniel 2:44-45 clearly says God will setup his own Kingdom on Earth. To ascribe to the church what belongs to God alone is blasphemy. Christ alone will setup His Kingdom "without human hands" (Note that when God instructed Moses to build an altar with stones, it was always to be "uncut" by human hands. The stone or rock represents Christ and "uncut" stones symbolizes God's work without human agency so that "no man may boast or glory"). It is God's work alone, not the church's (we may witness to it, testify to it or serve it - but certainly not build it!)
Daniel 2:44-45 (ISV)
“During the reigns of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor its sovereignty left in the hands of another people. It will shatter and crush all of these kingdoms, and it will stand forever. Now, just as you saw that the stone was cut out of the mountain without human hands—and that it crushed the iron, bronze, clay, silver, and gold to pieces—so also the great God has revealed to the king what will take place after this. Your dream will come true, and its meaning will prove trustworthy.”
The Lord declares Israel's fate in the Millennium in Isaiah 60:1-5 (KJV):
“Arise, shine; for your light has come,
And the glory of the LORD has risen upon you.
“For behold, darkness will cover the earth
And deep darkness the peoples;
But the LORD will rise upon you
And His glory will appear upon you.
“Nations will come to your light,
And kings to the brightness of your rising.
“Lift up your eyes round about and see;
They all gather together, they come to you.
Your sons will come from afar,
And your daughters will be carried in the arms.
“Then you will see and be radiant,
And your heart will thrill and rejoice;
Because the abundance of the sea will be turned to you,
The wealth of the nations will come to you.
Christ's Kingdom is a source of hope
Looking to Christ's coming Kingdom on Earth should be a source of hope for each believer and it should help cleanse one's motives and priorities (including that which Jesus hates and warned against, Nicolaitanism, ie. "ruling over the laity"). Paul reminds us in Hebrews 11:13-16 that we are just strangers and foreigners on earth (pilgrims). In another verse (2 Corinthans 5:20), Paul reminds us that we are ambassadors of Christ (ambassadors never assume citizenship of a foreign land - they are guests).
Hebrews 11:13-16 (ISV) All these people died having faith. They did not receive the things that were promised, yet they saw them in the distant future and welcomed them, acknowledging that they were strangers and foreigners on earth. For people who say such things make it clear that they are looking for a country of their own. If they had been thinking about what they had left behind, they would have had an opportunity to go back.Instead, they were longing for a better country, that is, a heavenly one. That is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, because he has prepared a city for them.
To learn more about the Coming Kingdom of Jesus Christ, watch Dr. Chuck Missler's excellent video "Thy Kingdom Come".
Thy Kingdom Come by Dr. Chuck Missler - Part 1
Thy Kingdom Come by Dr. Chuck Missler - Part 2
To Learn more about this topic, check out ETW's Strategic Trends Page under Struggle for Jerusalem, Mid East Conflicts or Christian Ecumenism
