8. What Effect Has
Millennialism on the
Christian's Hope?
The churches of Christ Greet You (Romans
16:16)
Millennialism
perverts the Biblical doctrine of Christian hope; for the
teaching of a
future period of glory, welfare, and dominion of the kingdom
of Christ here on this
present
earth misdirects the blessed hope of the Christians to earthly and
temporal
things. Of such earthly blessings we have no divine promise; on the
contrary,
we are told by God in His Holy Word that we must not expect, and hope
for
earthly joys and pleasures, riches, power, and honor, in this life. As
long as
this earth remains, the kingdom
of God
will always be a kingdom under the cross. To every one who desires to
follow
Him Christ says: "If any man will
come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily and
follow
Me" (Luke 9:23). Therefore Paul says: "We must through
much tribulation enter into the kingdom of
God" (Acts 14:22), and: "If
in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most
miserable" (1 Cor. 15:19); that is to say, if we, the church of
Christ, expect a glorious time on this earth, we are the most miserable
of all
men because this hope will not be realized; such hope is in vain.
But the teaching of millennialism implants such a
vain hope
in the hearts of its adherents and thereby keeps their hearts from
awaiting and
preparing for the great Day of Judgment. The hope of the millennialists
makes
the heart secure so that they are likely to deceive themselves by
thinking
that, when the Lord will appear to establish the millennium there will
be
sufficient time yet for true conversion to God. Such men fall into the
error of
the foolish virgins (Matt. 25:1‑13; cf. 1 Thess. 5:3). Let us not
forget
what the Lord says: "The kingdom of God cometh not
with observation.... For as the lightning that lighteneth
out of the one part under heaven shineth unto the other part under
heaven, so
shall also the Son of man be in His day" (Luke 17:20‑24). This "glorious appearing of the great God
and our Savior Jesus Christ" is "that
blessed hope" to which God directs the hearts of His children
(Titus 2:13; cf. Col.
3:1‑4; 2 Thess. 1:7‑10);
and this hope will be realized on the glorious Day of the Lord.
All the Divine promises of future welfare and
happiness
(Rev. 21:1‑4); of rest, (Heb. 4:9‑11; Rev. 14:13); of reward (Matt.
5:3, 12); and of glorification (Psa. 17:15;
1 John 3:2; Phil. 3:20-21),
speak of
Heaven, but verily not of this present world. Millennialism is nothing
but a
delusion of Satan, perverting the clear sayings of God, diverting the
heart of
the Christians from their blessed hope and directing it to earthly
glory, and
making them blind to the signs of the times (cf. Matthew 16:2-3). The
remaining
carnal minded nature in the heart of a believer is too much inclined
to listen
to such delusion and to grasp and be content with temporal and earthly
promises. LOVED ONES, "Let no man beguile you" (Col. 2:18). Our "lively hope" is not earthly
blessings, but "an inheritance
incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in
heaven," but not to be found on this earth (1 Pet. 1:3-4).
Finally, let us not forget that millennialism had
its origin
in the Old Testament, among those Jews who misinterpreted the
Divine
promises of spiritual peace and glory of the Messianic kingdom by
taking them
for promises of earthly blessings and expecting the kingdom
of Christ, the promised
Messiah, to
be a kingdom of this world. Therefore, when Christ came in humility and
poverty
they rejected Him; "there was no
beauty that they should desire Him" (Isa. 53:2-3). Therefore the
teachings of millennialism should be rejected as "Jewish fables" and
a dangerous caricature of the true Christian hope which God has
promised us in
His Holy Word.
May the gracious God guard us against all such
delusions and
keep us sober and watchful for the Great Day of our Lord Jesus Christ!
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