Millennium System Theories and Transcendence - Research Paper Example

Millennium System Theories and Transcendence OUTLINE If there is one area that nearly all Christians are in disagreement about, it is the millennium. Disagreements revolve around whether there is or is not a millennium; whether it is literal or symbolic; historical or prophetic; where it falls in the chronology of end time events, and a number of other details. This paper examines millennium system theories, relative to Biblical teaching, and sets out the writer’s own personal thoughts about the many interpretations and how they are or are not supported by scripture. A primary reference will be Revelation 20: 1-6, but the discussion will draw from both Old Testament and New Testament scripture. Theories of the end times fall among various major classifications. Theoretical classifications include: Historical Premillennialism, Dispensational Premillennialism, Amillennialism, Postmillennialism, Preterism, and No Millennialism, which are considered in turn before the final conclusion is reached. 1. THESIS STATEMENT In the midst of all the complex Millennium theories, each of which can help us to reflect on the mysteries of the end times that will surely come one day, the best approach is a transcendent one, which leaves the details to God’s Spirit and trusts in the revelation that is made to each believer in his or her direct relationship with God. 2. DISCUSSION In the literal interpretations, there are four events that figure into the chronology of the end times: the Millennium, the Tribulation, Armageddon, and the Rapture. The Millennium refers to a peaceful 1000 year reign of Christ. The Tribulation refers to a dreadful seven year reign of the Antichrist. Armageddon refers to a terrible war, initiated by the Antichrist. The Rapture refers to the second coming of Christ, the resurrection of dead, born again Christians, and the ascension of all born again Christians, to meet Christ1. Historical Premillennialists believe that the Antichrist and Tribulation come first, followed by the return of Christ. Christ and his Church return, to rule for 1000 years, living in spiritual bodies, in the New Jerusalem, which is a cube which descended to earth. Evil has been conquered. After that, all people are judged. This perspective was held by a lot of Christians, during the first three centuries of the Christian era2. Dispensational Premillennialists believe that the Rapture (I Thessalonians 4:17) occurs before the Tribulation and Armageddon (Daniel 11), which means that Christians escape the horrors of the Tribulation. This is then followed by the millennial reign of Christ and the Final Judgment. The greatest distinction between Historic and Dispensational Premillennialism is that the former group makes no distinction in function or grace for Israel, while the latter group believes that Israel, as God’s original chosen people, will rule over the earth physically, in fulfillment of God’s covenant with Abraham, while the Gentile Christians will rule spiritually, in spiritual bodies, in the New Jerusalem3. Also, Israel goes through the Tribulation and then accepts Christ, in this view4. This millennial theory system is generally accepted by Fundamentalist and Evangelical Christians, particularly beginning in 1909, with the publication of the Scofield Reference Bible5. According to Revelation 20:1-6, an angel locks up Satan, sealing him in a bottomless pit for a thousand years, during which time Christian martyrs, who were beheaded because they evangelized for Christ and would not worship or cooperate with the Antichrist, will reign with Christ as priests. This indicates that the Tribulation comes before the Millennium. This passage states that there are two resurrections. In the first resurrection, Christian martyrs who went through the tribulation, are raised. The second resurrection occurs after the Millennium, when everyone else is raised. Only Christian martyrs reign with Christ, not other Christians. Dispensational Premillennialism is incorrect, scripturally, because the scripture states clearly that these Christian martyrs had gone through the Tribulation, so Christians cannot be said to escape the Tribulation. Premillennialism of both types is incorrect in the view that the Church will reign with Christ in the Millennium, since Revelation states clearly that it is only Christian martyrs who will be with Him and reign with Him during that time. Dispensational Premillennialism is not supported by Scripture. It is negated by Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21, in which it is clearly indicated that the Rapture follows after the Tribulation, and not before. There is also a problem with the post-Tribulation Rapture, however. The Tribulation will last seven years, and then the Rapture will happen, but the Bible says that the return of Christ is completely unpredictable in its timing, and nobody knows when it will be. That makes this theory too precise to be accurate. The same precision error is seen with a theory of mid-Tribulation Rapture, in which Christ would come exactly 42 months into the Tribulation6. There is a theory of Pre-Wrath Rapture, in which Christians go through the Tribulation just until things turn really bad, and then are rescued. There is a Partial Rapture theory, in which Believers are raptured just before the Tribulation, while new Christian converts are raptured during or at the end of the Tribulation. These theories suffer from Scriptural negation, like the pre and post Tribulation theories7. I must reject Premillennial theories, based on my understanding of the Bible and my discomfort with theories that are negated by Scripture. I find it odd that Dispensational Premillennialist Fundamentalists and Evangelicals are forever crusading against moral decay and social issues (abortion, homosexuality, adultery, sex education in the schools, etc.) which would surely hasten the return of Christ. They are in the conflicted position of longing for Christ’s return and delaying that return8. I don’t like theories that leave me no sensible response options. Amillennialism holds that the Millennium is not actually physical, is not necessarily 1000 years, and in fact began in 30CE, at Pentecost9. The binding of Satan in a bottomless pit is a symbol representative of the struggle and victory over the powers of darkness, which Christ achieved with His death for us10. Christ reigns in Heaven. The Holy Spirit is present with us here on earth. The activities of the Church provide context. In that sense, the Millennium is still on. Good and evil continue, and we can expect increased criminality and persecution of Christians. Christ will return, and all believers are raptured. Then they all come back to Earth, and the Judgment happens. Matthew 24, Mark 13, Luke 21, and Revelations are about historical events that have occurred, or they are symbolic. The Antichrist is figurative, not a real person11. This belief was held by many Christian Church leaders in the I and II centuries CE. This perspective is taught by Roman Catholics, Anglicans, Disciples of Christ, Lutherans, Orthodox, Reformed, and some Baptists. Catholics do not use the terms “rapture” or “amillennialism,” but they do expect Christ will come to earth and bring the Church together12. I have difficulty with this belief as I feel it is not supported by Scripture, nor by logic and evidence. The Bible describes the Millenium as a thousand year reign of peace, a time highly contrasted with the Tribulation. If we are currently experiencing the Millennium, then where is peace and the defeat of evil? Evil reigns more than ever. Revelation 20:1 claims that Satan will be bound in a sealed bottomless pit for the thousand year Millennium, during which Christ will be in charge. The Bible presents Satan as the cause of evil. If that cause is restrained and Christ, Prince of Peace, is in charge, I cannot accept that the world we are living in is that world. The argument could just as easily be made that we are living in the Tribulation, if we accept the Antichrist as figurative, rather than literal. Credit cards, identity implants, the United Nations, the Illuminata, New Age Spirituality, Internet and cable television can all be perceived as evidence of the Antichrist. Tsunamis, earthquakes, atomic weapons, perpetual war, agent orange and other chemical weapons, terrorism, suicide bombing, widespread homelessness, parents murdering their children and children murdering their parents, random violence and school shootings, malnutrition and poverty, government use of torture, human trafficking, crystal meth and heroin, international trade in human fetuses as food and medicine, and genocide all present a Tribulation picture more than a Millennium picture. Furthermore, while there is Christian persecution, definitely, there is also widespread persecution of the followers of other religions and religious cults, by Christians, so I do not accept that persecution of Christians is increasing in a way that would prove the validity of Amillennium theory. If Scripture is true, then we should not have to interpret it so blindly, in order to support a theoretical position. I cannot accept Amillennialism. The perspective of the Chalcedon Foundation and other Christian Reconstructionists, had its beginnings in the early 19 century CE. In this view, which is Postmillennialist, the Kingdom of God is now and there is a gradual movement toward social perfection. Eventually, everyone will be converted to Christianity, even the Jews, and then a long period of peace and goodness will happen. After that, Christ will return, resurrect dead believers, and hold the Last Judgment13. I find several difficulties with this theory. For one thing, it is not supported by Scripture, since the Rapture and the Tribulation are ignored. Discarding a critical period of 1007 years from the Biblical teaching does not make sense to me. It is negated also by Revelation 20:1-6 in that this passage indicates the presence of Christ, during the Millennium, and His direct reign with Christian martyrs from the Tribulation. As discussed in response to the Amillennialist theory, I cannot accept that we are currently in the Millennium, as outlined in Scripture, based on the evidence. Seeing a gradual movement toward social perfection is ludicrously optimistic. The Bible is clear that humans were created with free will, and have the right to choose what they do and believe, with consequences for choices. This is the whole reason why Christ had to die, to redeem humans from their separation from God, due to the consequences of choice-making. Christ paid the wages of sin so that humans can be free from spiritual death. Therefore, I find it hard to believe the ethnocentric viewpoint that everyone will eventually be converted to Christianity, even the Jews. That just does not make sense, given the doctrine of free will. A world which features 100% conformity is not indicative of free will. I also find it terribly optimistic to think that 100% conversion to Christianity would bring about a long period of peace and goodness. Converts to Christianity bring with them earlier ways of thinking, and these will become integrated into the whole or will become points of contention within the whole. Among Christians who have been so for generations, there is still widespread variation and disagreement. Merely being a Christian does not make you into a peaceful, socially perfect person, advancing a perfect and peaceful society. The Crusades forced widespread conversion to Christianity, but did not usher in peace and goodness. If being close to God were enough, Adam and Eve would not have gotten into their predicament. In fact, it is certainly not enough, and that is why Christ came to redeem us. Preterism is another Millennial System theory. From this perspective, either all prophesied end time events have already occurred (Full Preterism) or some of the end time prophesied events (everything except the Second Coming, the Bodily Resurrection and Judgment) have already occurred. Armageddon, for example, is said to have taken place in the late sixties and early seventies CE, when the temple in Jerusalem was destroyed and the Jews were killed and survivors were driven out of Palestine. Scripture does not support this view, however, as at the end of the Battle of Armageddon, there are weapons continuing to burn on the battlefield for seven years, with specific instructions on safe handling of found objects (Ezekiel 39). That sounds nuclear to me, and I am unaware of any nuclear weapons in Palestine in 70 CE. Preterism is an interesting perspective. However, the details of Scripture do not support it. Amillennialists are Partial Preterists, and I have already argued their perspective, so now I will present argument against the Full Preterists. Paul warns Timothy (II Timothy 2:15-18) against the false doctrine of Preterism, of believing that the Resurrection has already occurred. In Romans 8:11, John 3:2-3, and Luke 24:39, we are told that the Resurrection is bodily in nature. Jesus did not return in 70 CE because every eye is supposed to see Him (Mathew 24:30) and that did not occur. Also the Israelites were not completely obliterated in 70 CE. Satan has obviously not been bound and our world is not a fabulous utopia (II Timothy 3:1-7). If Preterism is correct, there is no need to be wary, to spread the Gospel, to take Communion, or even to have church or hope14. Another Millennium theory is No Millennialism. This perspective claims that all Millennial theories are based on the old Jewish error of failing to accept a Messiah who offered no physical kingdom but a spiritual kingdom15. They valued materialism over spiritualism. The Kingdom of God is now and here, and it is a spiritual kingdom. This perspective dismisses most prophesy as visions, nightmares, hallucinations, and basically nonsense. Having read the Book of Revelation several times, I agree that it is based on visions, possibly nightmares, and probably hallucinations. John was in exile on the Isle of Patmos, when he prophesied the events referred to in Revelation. This island is known for its hallucinogenic mushrooms, which have grown wild there for thousands of years16. I can imagine that these visions may have occurred under the influence of hallucinogenic mushrooms. It certainly would not be the only instance in which sacred knowledge came in such a manner. Siberian shamans have a long history of spiritual use of these mushrooms, and Heinrich has interpreted its use by Adam and Eve, Moses, Elijah, Elisha, Isaiah, Ezekiel, Jonah, Jesus, and the disciples of Jesus, as well as John of Patmos, writer of Revelation17. Furthermore, Allegro has argued that the roots of Christianity, Judaism and Islam lie with the Essenes, and that tracing beliefs and practices through history, based on the information in the Dead Sea Scrolls (an area of unquestionable expertise for Allegro), there is overwhelming evidence that hallucinogenic mushrooms have played a major role18. Although Allegro was highly criticized and scorned for expressing a non-mainstream research finding, it seems that now top scholars are claiming that evidence is mounting in support of his theory 19 20. There is a branch of study known as neurotheology, which focuses research attention on the neuroscience of mystical experience, prophesy, and other altered states contributing to spiritual development. Research findings at Johns Hopkins, Monash, and University of Sydney indicate that hallucinogenic mushrooms regularly induce primary mystical experiences and spiritual experiences of long-lasting influence. In fact, a follow-up to experimental hallucinogenic mushroom ingestion, two months later, found that two thirds of the research subjects insisted that it was either their single most significant spiritual experience or was at least one of their top five21. Judging by outcome, we have to conclude that these experiences were real. A part of the brain is stimulated that also is seen to be aroused with near death experiences, meditation, prayer, and other spiritual practices22. Prophesy can come in this way. It is not generally given in an academic treatise. There is no reason to dismiss information given in this way as not being from God. God created our minds and neurology, and He saw fit to give us a profound capacity, and even need for, altered states of consciousness. I don’t see how prophesy could come in any other way, in fact, than in an altered state of consciousness. Any normal focus of the attention would be too broad, too easily distracted. God cannot be expected to speak to human logic, utilizing the scientific method and Turabian format. Human logic is in the way of receiving God’s voice. 3. CONCLUSION After due consideration of all these points I certainly find that my relationship with God, though being continuous in all states of awareness, is given the best opportunity to develop when I am deep in prayer, singing praise, deeply focused on scripture, and feeling the leading of the Holy Spirit. These are altered states of awareness and this is how we communicate with God and God communicates with us. The downside is that it is difficult to articulate precisely and chronologically what was experienced in that state of awareness, because applying logic to it is counter-productive. This is the problem with every single Millennial theory I found. They beg analysis and the application of rational thinking, and thus obstruct the still small voice in which God speaks to us. They encourage endless and analysis and interpretation, rather than an interpretation that proceeds naturally out of a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Do not misunderstand. I am not saying that all doctrines are correct and just anything will do. I am saying that what is truly of God will reveal itself in private, and not by jumping on an interpretive bandwagon. I support what Scripture teaches, and whether it is symbolic or literal, I leave to the guidance of the Holy Spirit. My trust in God does not depend on resolution about the chronology of the Millennium. I can live with confusion in interpretive details, without shattering my faith. Until the Holy Spirit shows me differently, this is my own Millennial theory, a theory of Millennial Transcendence, and it is supported by Scripture. God spoke, in Bible times, through experiences that defied logic, experiences that indeed froze logic (the burning bush that was not consumed, parting of the Red Sea, Jacob’s dream, David against Goliath, the Feeding of the Five Thousand, a still, small voice). I cannot put it past God to speak to John on Patmos, or other prophets through mushrooms and serotonin, illogically perhaps, nor to clear up millennial theory confusion in the stillness of my prayer and worship. He is God and I am His. Bibliography Read More