What did Paul mean when he said the gospel is to the Jew first? And why did he tell Gentile believers that they had a financial obligation to help the Jewish believers in Israel? Scott Volk joins Dr. Brown to discuss these issues. Listen live here 2-4 pm EST, and call into the show at (866) 348 7884 with your questions and comments.
Hour 1:
Dr. Brown’s Bottom Line: God said it to Abram, He said it to Isaac, He reiterated it through Balaam: those who bless Israel will be blessed. It has not changed; it remains a holy mandate.
Hour 2:
Dr. Brown’s Bottom Line: When we have a spiritual debt, don’t look at it as a burden but as a gift from God because as you honor that, blessing will come.
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Other Resources:
Dr. Brown and Scott Volk Share Inspiring Stories from Their Travels Around the World
Dr. Brown Talks With Scott Volk about Replacement Theology and Wrong Theological Concepts
Insights into the Meaning of “Israel” in the Scriptures and Today; Middle East Updates; and Your Jewish Calls
I thought it was interesting when I recently saw what I thought was another example of “to the Jew first”: the Jewish comedians honed their standup skills before the Jewish-only audience (because the American Jews of the 20th century were not welcome in so many of the “clubs” they had to make their own “summer getaway club”) in the Catskill Mountains. Sid Caesar, Mel Brooks, Jerry Lewis and Carl Reiner are among the number of those who had their start in front of those audiences.
I liked what Freddie Roman and Sid Caesar had to say about that experience.
Freddie Roman: “You had to be good. If they didn’t like you… they tended to walk out.”
Sid Caesar: “In comedy, you have to make people laugh–and these people didn’t laugh easy! It was all, ‘Well, we’ll see… hmmm… well… yeah… it’s all right, I guess.’ But they were a hard audience. If you could make them laugh, you could make other people laugh. But I learned a lot–that was my ‘college’.”
I learned it watching the documentary, “The Jewish Americans Part 3” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-jtAB8D26U).
“If you could make them laugh, you could make other people laugh.” reminded me of something I think David Brickner said: “when you preach the Gospel loud enough for Jews to hear, a whole lot of other folk listen in to hear.”
Did God make a covenant with the Jews just to give them a parcel of land in a desert, or did he make a covenant with them to give them eternal life, and to give eternal life to the whole of the human race through the Messiah?
The nation of Israel, which God gave the Hebrews, pre-figured the promised land of Heaven. This is what God promised the Jews, and, through the seed of Abraham, all nations of the earth would find blessing. There is no land except Paradise. There is no “Israel,” as such, except the Church of God, on Earth and in Heaven.
Nicholas,
Ro 11
25Lest you be wise in your own sight, I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers: a partial hardening has come upon ISRAEL, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.
26And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written,
“The Deliverer will come from Zion,
he will banish ungodliness from Jacob”;
27“and this will be my covenant with them
when I take away their sins.”
28As regards the gospel, they [ISRAEL] are enemies for your sake. But as regards election, they [ISRAEL] are beloved for the sake of their forefathers [ABRAHAM, ISAAC, JACOB]. 29For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.
Which “Israel” does the following describe?
i. partially hardened,
ii. not comprised of Gentiles,
iii. the enemy of God with respect to the Gospel,
iv. beloved for the sake of their forefathers with respect to election,
v. irrevocably gifted and called of God
Hi, Dan1el,
Paul’s use of “Israel” here stands in contradistinction to his reference to the “Israel of God,” of which the physical, ethnic “Israel” was a type and pre-figuring.
Paul is prophesying of the future conversion of the Jews. The gifts and the calling are irrevocable. So, God will move this people to enter the Church, which was their inheritance from the beginning, even as they refused it. Paul does not say anything here about a future restoration of the physical land and the setting up of an earthly kingdom exclusively for Jews.
Nicholas,
I guess it just confused me when you said, “There is no ‘Israel,’ as such, except the Church of God,” because there clearly is an “Israel” that is not the church.
Do you acknowledge that?
Dan1el,
There is an “Israel” which is not the Church, but only in a certain sense. We can speak of the Jewish people as “Israel,” by virtue of their lineage. Of course. But, as John the Baptist explained, God can make any stone a son of Abraham, so this call us to look to a spiritual reality, which existed also in the Old Testament, through those faithful Hebrews who kept the Law and revered the prophets. Moses and David were Israelites by blood, yes, but they were, essentially, and more importantly, part of the spiritual Israel, which would arrive at its perfect manifestation in the community of the New Covenant, the Church. Now, the Church is the Israel of God. The objective, at this point, is to gather ethnic Israel into spiritual Israel, which God desired from the beginning. I think we would agree on this point.
Nicholas,
I think there are two Israels (physical and spiritual); in the near future the physical Israel will be part of the spiritual Israel.
I haven’t studied on how to prove the Land is theirs, so I’ll leave that to Dr. Brown for the moment.
May God bless you to the degree you obey Him.
Thank you, Dan1el, and you as well.
The chicken sh comment- Why does the strongest leader in the world right now Netanyahu get this strange moniker comment attached to him by the left?
This is as bizarre of a phenomenon as it gets???
Netanyahu is the exact opposite by his actions!
It takes a lot of guts to stand up for what is true and right, and I applaud him for doing this in the wind of opposition from the whole world.
There can be no doubt the ‘gospel first came’ to Adam (as first Jew, being exampled first to be resurrected, a “first” resurrection man, proven one of fact, ‘the resurrection’ of the Jew will come “first”, & that all resurrected ‘mankind’ which follows the ‘first resurrection’ is still as was first Adam, in capable same likeness of sinful flesh unto his FALL, as first resurrected Adam thwarted his own partaking of ‘tree of LIFE’ of which both he, his wife added unto him, could eat of, but just not “freely of”, not ever “apart from” the Holy Spirit of G-d, as was also the forbidden of the total intertwined ‘vine’, in the ‘center’ of his ‘garden’, of also connected fruit of the ‘vine’ of ‘knowledge’, that of both good and ‘evil’. This ‘good news’, gospel as what came to his son Abraham, who became a friend of his father Adam’s G-d, came to him by simply doing what first Adam failed his G-d, for Abraham started looking ‘UP’, not seeing G-d as limited to this dirt of his origin simply here BELOW, & FROM this tiny Planetary footstool ‘of HIS’, kept looking for a land ABOVE, amongst those lights ABOVE, he could not even get a beginning ‘count’, as he was also challenged by G-d’s chosen in a friendship, as his friend, unto upon which dirt ABOVE, there also must be another city, even more cities sufficient for to handle all his promised posterity, which also could not be numbered, far ABOVE, all of which only a ‘copy’ of a completely eternal city, whose builder, maker is G-d of the ETERNAL, not as ONE of only a ‘thousand years’ as was allotted to ‘first resurrected Adam’ should he ‘within’ that thousand year ‘DAY’, should “ye eat” thereof. ‘without’ the ONE and only true Holy Spirit of G-d accompaniment, as ‘freely’ thru any ‘angel from heaven’, unto temptations, including ‘curiousness’ of ‘lower than angels’, made man, ignoring G-d’s commands) to the Jew first, therefore, also to the ‘Greek’ (speaking) failure. comes by settling for an ‘angel’. in place of GENUINE sent HOLY SPIRIT, WHO first comes in ‘conviction’, AND only ‘to convicted’, comes of ‘Promise’, as ‘heavenly convicted’ Abe.
The Holy Spirit FIRST fell on a Nation for the FIRST time (that of Israel, of the Jews) however after Peter was interrupted by the Holy Spirit at a Gentile military leader’s house (unlike when HE first came ‘to a Nation’ of Israel, uniquely the first called out of ‘bondage’, as a Nation, which set them apart from all Abraham’s posterity, also from all Greek, also all Barbarian) the genuine Holy Spirit came to a man’s household (non Jew) INTERRUPTING Peter’s evangelism (as a Jew) causing Peter to report later, from NOW on, the JEW must come into true faith in Jesus Christ ONLY same as TRUE HOLY SPIRIT came to the Gentile
Here are some thoughts and scriptures concerning the Land. Are these allegorical or literal?
The Abrahamic Covenant: There are a couple facets here to consider. Possession of its boundaries and it’s productivity.
Genesis 12:1-3
1 Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee:
2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
Here God promises to show Abram a land. Once he arrives, God again reveals Himself to Abram.
Genesis 12:7
7 And the LORD appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the LORD, who appeared unto him.
Here the promised is stated that Abram’s seed would possess the Land. So from this passage alone one could say that Abram himself was never to possess the Land. But that is not the case as other passages make unmistakably clear, such as Genesis 13:14-17:
14 And the LORD said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward:
15 For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever.
16 And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered.
17 Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for I will give it unto thee.
Though for a time the Land was divided between Lot and Abram, ultimately all the land that Abram could see would indeed be possessed by him. (vv.14-15). The promise is clearly made that the Land is to be possessed by Abram personally as well as by Abram’s seed. Yet Abram died having never possessed any part of the Land, except for a few wells and a burial cave which he paid handsomely for. In order for God to fulfill His promise to Abram, two things have to occur. Abram must be resurrected, and the Land must be restored to Israel. Abram was then directed to walk throughout the Land in order to get to know it very well, for some day he will possess it (v. 17).
The borders of the land are given in Genesis 15:12-21. This land covenant is reconfirmed to Isaac (Genesis 26:2-5) and Jacob (Genesis 28:13-15)
The possession of the Land is also prophetically developed in the Law and the Prophets. The first is Leviticus 26:40-45:
40 If they shall confess their iniquity, and the iniquity of their fathers, with their trespass which they trespassed against me, and that also they have walked contrary unto me;
41 And that I also have walked contrary unto them, and have brought them into the land of their enemies; if then their uncircumcised hearts be humbled, and they then accept of the punishment of their iniquity:
42 Then will I remember my covenant with Jacob, and also my covenant with Isaac, and also my covenant with Abraham will I remember; and I will remember the land.
43 The land also shall be left of them, and shall enjoy her sabbaths, while she lieth desolate without them: and they shall accept of the punishment of their iniquity: because, even because they despised my judgments, and because their soul abhorred my statutes.
44 And yet for all that, when they be in the land of their enemies, I will not cast them away, neither will I abhor them, to destroy them utterly, and to break my covenant with them: for I am the LORD their God.
45 But I will for their sakes remember the covenant of their ancestors, whom I brought forth out of the land of Egypt in the sight of the heathen, that I might be their God: I am the LORD.
So following the regeneration of Israel (vv. 40-41) God will fully carry out the promises of the Abrahamic Covenant concerning the Land (v. 42) the land which has lain desolate for so long (vv. 43-45).
In another passage, Isaiah 30:23-26, the productivity of the restored Land is stressed.
23 Then shall he give the rain of thy seed, that thou shalt sow the ground withal; and bread of the increase of the earth, and it shall be fat and plenteous: in that day shall thy cattle feed in large pastures.
24 The oxen likewise and the young asses that ear the ground shall eat clean provender, which hath been winnowed with the shovel and with the fan.
25 And there shall be upon every high mountain, and upon every high hill, rivers and streams of waters in the day of the great slaughter, when the towers fall.
26 Moreover the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the day that the LORD bindeth up the breach of his people, and healeth the stroke of their wound.
The Land will be well watered and will produce abundant food for both men and animals (vv. 23-25).
The deserts of Israel, Isaiah 35:1-2 states:
1 The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose.
2 It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing: the glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it, the excellency of Carmel and Sharon, they shall see the glory of the LORD, and the excellency of our God.
Isaiah stresses the productivity of the Land again in Isaiah 65:21-24,
21 And they shall build houses, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them.
22 They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat: for as the days of a tree are the days of my people, and mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands.
23 They shall not labour in vain, nor bring forth for trouble; for they are the seed of the blessed of theLORD, and their offspring with them.
24 And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.
With the possession of the Land, the Jews will not only be able to build houses and plant vineyards, but they will also enjoy the work of their hands, for no enemy will take it from them.
Jeremiah also speaks about the increased productivity of the Land when Israel is finally restored. In Jeremiah 31:1-6 he wrote:
1 At the same time, saith the LORD, will I be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be my people.
2 Thus saith the LORD, The people which were left of the sword found grace in the wilderness; even Israel, when I went to cause him to rest.
3 The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.
4 Again I will build thee, and thou shalt be built, O virgin of Israel: thou shalt again be adorned with thy tabrets, and shalt go forth in the dances of them that make merry.
5 Thou shalt yet plant vines upon the mountains of Samaria: the planters shall plant, and shall eat them as common things.
6 For there shall be a day, that the watchmen upon the mount Ephraim shall cry, Arise ye, and let us go up to Zion unto the LORD our God.
Because of God’s everlasting love for His people (vv. 1-3), He intends to restore and build them again (v. 4). Once again for Israel there will be a time of plenty (v. 5), and the hills of Ephraim will echo with the call to come and worship God in Jerusalem (v. 6).
Ezekiel picks up the motif in Ezekiel 20:42-44,
42 And ye shall know that I am the LORD, when I shall bring you into the land of Israel, into the country for the which I lifted up mine hand to give it to your fathers.
43 And there shall ye remember your ways, and all your doings, wherein ye have been defiled; and ye shall lothe yourselves in your own sight for all your evils that ye have committed.
44 And ye shall know that I am the LORD when I have wrought with you for my name’s sake, not according to your wicked ways, nor according to your corrupt doings, O ye house of Israel, saith the Lord GOD.
Later Ezekiel 28:25-26 adds,
25 Thus saith the Lord GOD; When I shall have gathered the house of Israel from the people among whom they are scattered, and shall be sanctified in them in the sight of the heathen, then shall they dwell in their land that I have given to my servant Jacob.
26 And they shall dwell safely therein, and shall build houses, and plant vineyards; yea, they shall dwell with confidence, when I have executed judgments upon all those that despise them round about them; and they shall know that I am the LORD their God.
Ezekiel again later expands on the security of Israel in the Land and the increased productivity of the Land as well in Ezekiel 34:25-31,
25 And I will make with them a covenant of peace, and will cause the evil beasts to cease out of the land: and they shall dwell safely in the wilderness, and sleep in the woods.
26 And I will make them and the places round about my hill a blessing; and I will cause the shower to come down in his season; there shall be showers of blessing.
27 And the tree of the field shall yield her fruit, and the earth shall yield her increase, and they shall be safe in their land, and shall know that I am the LORD, when I have broken the bands of their yoke, and delivered them out of the hand of those that served themselves of them.
28 And they shall no more be a prey to the heathen, neither shall the beast of the land devour them; but they shall dwell safely, and none shall make them afraid.
29 And I will raise up for them a plant of renown, and they shall be no more consumed with hunger in the land, neither bear the shame of the heathen any more.
30 Thus shall they know that I the LORD their God am with them, and that they, even the house of Israel, are my people, saith the Lord GOD.
31 And ye my flock, the flock of my pasture, are men, and I am your God, saith the Lord GOD.
Israel will enjoy the Land in total security since all wild beasts will be removed (v. 25). Rains will come in their proper time and mounts (v. 26), increasing productivity (v. 27a). Israel will be protected from all her past enemies (v. 27b-28). None will come to destroy her crops (v. 29). In every way Israel will be rightly related to God and will be His peculiar possession (vv. 30-31).
There are many more prophecies regarding Israel’s final restoration to the Land, more from Ezekiel, Joel, Amos, etc. So you have to decide if you take these passages allegorically or as things that must literally come to pass. Is Abraham going to possess the Land or was that a promise unrealized? Things to think about.
Grace and peace,
Benjamin,
I see these verses as allegorical, not in their immediate application, for what God promised Abraham was fulfilled. His descendants did possess the land. That happened, as described in the OT. But in their ultimate application, they pre-figure the Church. This is what the NT reveals. If in fact there is going to be a future restoration of Israel, and if we are witnessing it in our own time, I have to ask, to what end would God restore the physical Jewish nation? Just to give them property, or what?
Pascal was a brilliant theologian and a matter of fact mathmatician. Pascal was the one mind that the king knew he could ask ” give me clear proof of God. ” One man could take a true line- a point and find the plumb line. It was in the 1600’s – that man was less than 40 years of age.
His answer- ” The Jews Highness The Jews”
The survival of the Jews up to the 16th century.
Question? We have an infinate more detailed information that this youthful mathmatician did. We have computers and the internet to search out information. What would Pascal think of us now 300 years later and we can still not see the clear proof of God?
Both Jews, Gentiles on borrowed time upon this entirely, fully cursed Planetary ‘dirt’ (it’s heavens suddenly ‘in line of fire’, II Peter 3 real fire, ending of all human soul BODY life in separation from the outer ‘dust to dust’ tent, including entire harlot church buildup promised unto it’s sudden ending (all this dirt, including once ‘promised land’ here, now fully cursed by ‘shed blood’ of Messiah) are given ‘good news’ (‘gospel’ of the resurrection IN THE FLESH, from the dead in initial ‘dust to dust’ also temporal tent, for all from Adam’s ‘Eve’, being ‘mother of ALL, including that of Paul, his ‘gospel’ also, as was Messiah’s gospel, in those days of HIS own given power from HIS F-ther in heaven, as SEED of the woman ‘Eve’, of HIS very own ‘temporal’ tent of flesh, ‘temporal’ bones, ‘temporal’ blood, SHED’ here, given HIM of HIS F-ther in BOTH the power “to lay it down”, power to “take it up again”) all this followed by the exceedingly GOOD NEWS of new Covenant FULL “gospel” of HIS very own ‘perfection’, from those days of HIS own temporal, own partaking, in very same likeness, same sinful flesh, of all from first Adam, Adam’s Eve, hidden within, own ‘living soul BODY’ NOW brand new ETERNAL in flesh, ETERNAL in bones, ETERNAL in blood SEATED on the now ETERNAL mercy seating AT HIS F-THER’S RIGHT HAND, hereafter and forevermore !
Jewish history is the clearest sanctification of God’s name. This is the point. This is the clear line that Pascal could see. The question was give me clear proof of God? The answer can be seen today, and that line points towards Jerusalem.
Nicholas, He would restore them to fulfill his promises to them. Without restoration to the Land, these promises fail. That is why Satan has always focused his efforts on destroying Israel, if he can destroy Israel, he makes a liar out of God.
I pointed out above that Abraham was commanded to walk through the Land to get familiar with it. Why if this is allegory? Why walk the width and breadth of land that doesn’t truly mean anything since its allegory? No, Abraham himself will one day take possession of the Land as God promised he would. Abraham has never possessed the Land. Jesus Christ also must rule and reign from the throne of David, which was in Jerusalem. King David’s throne is not in heaven.
Benjamin,
I appreciate your response, and all the citations you gave. Respectfully, I disagree with your understanding. I think it is quite clear that everything in the OT with respect to deliverance from slavery and admittance to the Promised Land merely points to the more perfect redemption which the baptized Jews and Gentiles experience in the Church of God and, ultimately, in Heaven. We will be resurrected and live on earth again, and, when he returns, Christ will reign in the New Jerusalem. There will be no Jerusalem, as such, until the Jerusalem of God descends from Heaven and Christ subjugates the entire earth. This will be at the end of time.
As regards the physical land, under king Solomon, the borders of Israel extended from the Nile to the Euphrates, so this prophecy was fulfilled a long time ago. When God will banish ungodliness from ethic Israel, he will bring the Jews into his Church, and they will have a place of honor in the world to come. But a natural, worldly kingdom, this is not what God promised them. In the greater scheme of things, he promised his people eternal life, the land of milk and honey being only a foreshadowing of that spiritual reality in Paradise.
Nicholas you need to put it directly in prayer. You will see the clear line clearly if you will actually put this in prayer.
Nicholas,
Ac 1:6 When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?
The very apostles that spent 3.5 years with Messiah asked a very informed question. Messiah did not answer with, “It won’t really happen literally.”
Re 20:1 And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.
2 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,
3 And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.
4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.
7 And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,
8 And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.
At the first resurrection, the righteous will be raised to rule with Messiah for a thousand years. After this Satan will be released to deceive the nations on last time. There is nothing allegorical about this. It will happen literally. The kingdom will be restored to Israel and Messiah will rule for a thousand years on the throne of David.
There is so much more, but the two passages above should be enough to settle the matter.
Shalom
Hi Bo,
I think that we discussed this a bit the last time. I read up on it. The Roman Catholic Church teaches that the “thousand years” are figurative and refer to the present age. Satan was chained when Christ gave up his ghost on Calvary. Satan’s power has been diminished, but only for a time. This does not mean that Satan is not still active in the world. He is still powerful, but he commands his forces as though on a tether. He is not able to do as much damage as he once did, before the coming of Christ. He will be loosed shortly before the Second Coming. When Christ comes, he will not merely reign in Jerusalem, Israel, preside over the Knesset, address the United Nations, etc. His coming will mark the Last Judgement, and a cosmic event which will bring about the consummation of all things. The Resurrection will take place and those of us who are rewarded with eternal life will reign with the Lord on earth. So, I don’t believe that these things are allegorical. Christ will literally rule the earth from the throne of David. However, the figurative language that St. John is using has been misinterpreted by many. The dead who reign with Christ in the thousand years are those who, at this present moment, having died in martyrdom in every generation, live with him in Heaven. There can only be one more coming of Christ, not two, and not two or three judgements and a handful of resurrections.
Pax Vobis
Hi Nicholas,
You wrote: “Satan’s power has been diminished, but only for a time. This does not mean that Satan is not still active in the world. He is still powerful, but he commands his forces as though on a tether. He is not able to do as much damage as he once did, before the coming of Christ.”
Also, “His coming will mark the Last Judgement, and a cosmic event which will bring about the consummation of all things.”
How can that be? We’ve not had the first resurrection yet. According to Revelation there will be a “first resurrection” and another after the thousand year reign of Messiah, Jesus.
Rev 20:4 And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a[a] thousand years. 5 But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.
Another thing that concerns me about the idea of Satan being bound immediately after Jesus’ death on the Cross is that according to Rev 20, in those verses prior to the resurrection, he’s said to be bound–not before. If we accept the Catholic church interpretation that would mean the resurrection has already taken place and we know that’s not true.
John speaks of a “second” resurrection also, not that it’s specifically called that, but, it is intimated.
Rev 20:4 5 But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished.
You would have to concede that we have already been reigning with Him in order for your premise to be true. We’ve certainly not been reigning or enjoying peace of any kind since Jesus accended, so, how can that be true?
Rev 20:7 “Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison…”
Satan’s power has not been diminished at all that I can see. Wars have gotten bloodier as each century goes by, although I will agree they’ve ratcheted up exponentially in our century. So, in that respect we could say that with the death toll beginning with the Soviet Union under Stalin and progressing to modern times, the numbers in millions of people killed by Communism, Socialism and Capitalism (World Wars) and including any demagogues of those years, we’re looking at staggering numbers in the hundreds of millions of people!! This could very well point to the soon return of the Lord—Maranatha!
Remember that the reign of Messiah will be marked by peace with the saints reigning with Him. There will be people without resurrected bodies that we will be reigning over in judgment. If there’s no regular people, then who are we reigning over?
Thanks.
“The one coming (‘fellow servant’ of John, giving testimony NOW ‘of these things’) yes, I am for to come again soon, amen (even so, same manner) come Lord Yeshua, & may this grace of the Lord Yeshua, NOW continue being with all (men, angels, ALL)” ends that which was written to the Seven Churches (describing ‘parousia’ for this ‘footstool’ in which in ‘parousia’, the conquering ‘king’ NEVER personally attends ‘march’ thru the ‘archway’ (de la triumph) of real fire, at midnight, and before dawn, unto lands not familiar to the ‘conquered’, not allowed to remain on any ‘familiar land’ with potential for future again ‘rebellion’ !
Hi Sheila,
I’ll prepare an answer for you tomorrow. The Church, following a declaration from Pope Pius XII, says that a literal interpretation of the thousand years “cannot be safely taught,” but this does not in and of itself mean that the Church completely rejects at least the possibility of a literal millenium.
Nicholas,
You and your pope have a real problem…
Zec 14:16 And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles.
17 And it shall be, that whoso will not come up of all the families of the earth unto Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, even upon them shall be no rain.
18 And if the family of Egypt go not up, and come not, that have no rain; there shall be the plague, wherewith the LORD will smite the heathen that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles.
19 This shall be the punishment of Egypt, and the punishment of all nations that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles.
20 In that day shall there be upon the bells of the horses, HOLINESS UNTO THE LORD; and the pots in the LORD’S house shall be like the bowls before the altar.
21 Yea, every pot in Jerusalem and in Judah shall be holiness unto the LORD of hosts: and all they that sacrifice shall come and take of them, and seethe therein: and in that day there shall be no more the Canaanite in the house of the LORD of hosts.
The drought and plague that will be placed upon those that do not come up to a literal Jerusalem to literally keep the feast of tabernacles seem to be quite literal upon quite literal nations that are being quite literally ruled over in a physical earth by Messiah during a literal thousand years. What could the interpretation be of the above passage other than literal?
Shalom
Behold (“Word of Adonai that came to Zephaniah son of Cush…. I will totally sweep away everything from the face of this Earth, declares Adonai. I will sweep away man and beast,…birds of the sky and the fish of the sea, also the stumbling blocks —- the wicked) I will cut off mankind from the face of this Earth, declares Adonai”) as taken from Tree of Life Version from the little ‘Booklet’ laying foundation for all the ‘prophets’ (including ‘beholding’ our Adonai is creator of the ‘heavens’ being ‘stretched out’ AND ENDING with —ELSE ‘I will come and strike the land with utter destruction’) also ‘Tree of Life Version’ taken from other ‘versions’ making clear “and strike this Earth with CURSE” (‘cursed anyone, hung on a tree’)
Hi Sheila and Bo,
I apologize for for the delay in my response. I have been busy. For now, I will defer to this tract from EWTN concerning the Catholic perspective on Millenarianism: https://www.ewtn.com/expert/answers/endtimes.htm
We’ll discuss this further in the future.
Just to clarify, in case the tract does not cover this in depth:
The Church teaches that, when Christ comes, he will indeed establish his Kingdom on earth, but the world, as we know it, will be transformed, and the Lord’s reign will continue for eternity. There will be a New Heaven and a New Earth. The Church, the faithful of God, will be resurrected, and we will enjoy glorious bodies forever in the marriage feast of the Lamb.
Torah (TEACHINGS) gives ‘blueprint’ of today’s Universalism (Nicolaitanism), third prophesy of ‘Gentile Prophet’ (claiming presumptious knowing of what G-d said thru him. ‘to king’ from first ‘two prophecies’ unto Gentile king Balak, by Balaam, wanting him to ‘curse’ ISRAEL, instead cast a ‘stumbling block’ unto those ‘of ISRAEL’s Olive tree, offering them ‘fig tree’ only death, in thinking given out a ‘blessing’, ending however also in the ‘camp of the wicked’, in this ‘initial life’ only, unto NEXT life ‘order’ of ‘resurrection’ FROM this tiny ‘foostool’ only)
Actually, the Church did condemn Millenarianism when it condemned Chialism in the 4th Century. Because the infallible Nicene Creed definitively teaches that the Lord, when he comes, will set up a never-ending kingdom, we cannot say that he will reign only for a finite period of time. So, this is just to clarify a previous comment I made.
Hi Nicholas,
Just seeing your comments. I’ve been super busy too and having to lay low a bit.
Even within the Nicene Creed, it doesn’t preclude a thousand year reign. It states His Kingdom is everlasting and that’s true. We move from a reign wherein we are reigning with Him with no interruption of His reign into eternity. We’re not saying He reigns for a thousand years, leaves, comes back, or, that He stops reigning at any time.
So, both are true. He reigns for a thousand years; He reigns on into eternity. No contradiction.
First Adam, upon ‘eating freely’ (without HOLY Spirit, but by ‘another spirit’ instead) of the Garden ‘centered’ tree of ‘knowledge’ (both ‘good AND EVIL) then listened beyond his ‘wife’ Eve to an ‘angel from heaven’ unto downloading of the right side of his own ‘outer brain’ OF EARTHINESS (sent here by G-d to try, to test, to see who seeks TRUTH, by real Spirit of TRUTH, OR is only satisfied, with error, human creeds, human organizational buildups, ‘conquering over the laity’, ALSO of their own ‘fallen selves’ within also INHERITED ‘earthiness’, not ‘taking up one’s OWN cross’ unto entire sanctification, setting apart from this world, not deceived, as was Adam’s Eve as ‘initially convicted sinners’, yet continuing PARTAKING also ‘FREELY’, apart from genuine HOLY Spirit ‘of Promise’ sent here by G-d for to minister to mere humans beyond ‘initial’ Conviction of sin, that initial coming role of the ‘brooding ONE’, originally shown us over those once ‘waters of the deep’, who drowned in this earth’s 2nd, entire, complete covering over, in water baptism). John was taken by ‘fellow servant’ ANGEL, sent by G-d (not in punishment, as those sent to ‘try’ us in our ‘truth seeking’ are sent to this earth) INTO HEAVEN from here, thru an ‘open door’, to see a finale thousand year ENDING of 7,000 yr. ‘plan of G-d’ following ‘fall’ of first Adam (THIS LAST planned out MILLENIUM, must take place IN HEAVEN, not on this now fully cursed tiny ‘footstool’, now ‘set up’ for ‘devil, his angels’, their tossing ‘down’ FROM heaven, only after ‘great Dragon’s’ loosing, being chained during this one ‘last Millenium’ which must take place unto consummation of all things, to those ALL under influence of ‘first’ Adam’s ‘earthiness’ fall, IN CONTRAST TO ‘LAST ADAM’S heavenly mindedness ONLY, in triumph over). The ‘fullness of Gentiles’ since Adam’s fall, cannot have ‘come in’ UNTIL the end of G-d’s 7,000 yr. plan (and since we do not know if Satan is loosed just before end, or only after ending of this last ‘millenium’ of the ‘plan’ of G-d, the fullness of Gentiles may be extended as to ‘time’ unto ‘mark of the Beast’ offered IN HEAVEN and for ‘rest of the dead’ which lived not again until ‘end’, or ‘endING’ of the ‘first resurrection’, aka: last 1,000 yrs. of literal 7) Milleniums
Hi Sheila, yes, that’s true, Christ’s reign would continue after the Millennium by your reckoning, but I have to take issue with the idea that sin and death could still exist in the world even with the Lord present, and that the Devil’s final destruction would be postponed. If there is another conflict after the Millennium, then there would have to be a break in the perfect Kingdom of God on earth, and Christ would have to be somewhat absent from the scene for a time, since the Devil would once again have the power to wreak havoc in the world.
There’s reason Booklet #40 (Revelation of Jesus Christ given to John, an Israelite, on Patmos, first, unto an open door into HEAVEN, second, BEYOND Patmos, into HEAVEN itself, UNTIL it’s conclusion none should add, nor take away from this first in order written, but last in order compiled NEW Covenant, beyond 39 Torah ‘booklets’ which ended with total of one short of 40 total) TO THE JEW FIRST, also to the Greek second in whose language the Book of Revelation was written, in the day it was written, that none should ADD, nor TAKE AWAY from). Every time anyone wants to place the ‘millennial kingdom reign’, as something John was shown as ONLY of those ‘things to COME’ afterwards, FUTURE (and not as ‘things which ARE’ to be down here, on this tiny footstool ‘of Messiah’s own obedience, to HIS own F-ther in HEAVEN) as the Harlot Church buildup, as promised on this ‘footstool’, wants to dictate WHERE this FUTURE ‘kingdom reign’ is to take place (even as most recently Hitler lead Germany with nearly 95% of their total human population claimants as ‘Christian’, tried to usher in ON this tiny FOOTSTOOL, a millennial kingdom reign, AT EXPENSE of the modern Jew, who claim first Torah rights as TO THE JEW first, to be HIS ‘bride’, true ‘bride of G-d’, yet FIRST to be called out as first in ‘harlotry’ of that sure promised buildup, UNTIL these heavens suddenly, ending all human soul life, in REAL fire, but not ending resumption, IN RESURRECTION of all from here, again to be under temptation unto Harlotry, in first Adam’s ‘earthiness’, as in initial life only here, yet when arriving in ‘order’ of the resurrection, then, THERE, also).