Reformed Chiliasm (Part 19)

Now, at the commencement of the Millennium, Satan shall be bound, and cast into the bottomless pit, that he may no longer deceive the nations (Rev. 20: 1-3). And this accords with the predictions of which we previously made mention, those regarding worldwide peace. For it is the "nations," and not the saints, that have fallen under Satan's jurisdiction; although all will admit that the church has, to a certain extent, been subjected to heresies promulgated by false teachers. Nevertheless, there is a difference between "the church" and "the nations." The purpose of Satan's binding will be to free the nations from his deceptions, that all may acknowledge Jesus Christ as Lord.

When Satan is cast into the bottomless pit, there will be a ruling and reigning of the saints for a thousand years. This period will be a realization of what would have occurred on the seventh day, had Adam and Eve kept God's holy law. It involves man's restoration of dominion over all the earth, and a removal of the curse which Adam brought upon the race, which blessing shall apply during this period to the saints only. It is the "first-fruits" of those eternal blessings which shall be conferred in whole, following the resurrection of the Genetic economy.

Again, this thousand year period is the last day of the seven; that is, the antitypical Sabbath. And thus the early church has been given to understand it. Even John of Damascus, not himself a Chiliast, perceived the validity of the diurnal typology. He wrote: "Seven ages of this world are spoken of, that is, from the creation of the heaven and earth till the general consummation and resurrection of men. For there is a partial consummation, viz., the death of each man: but there is also a general and complete consummation, when the general resurrection of men will come to pass. And the eighth age is the age to come." (De Fide Orthodoxa, II. i).

Thus, the Millennium must be viewed as the commencement, and not the completion, of the new creation. It will be an extended period of peace in which all nations shall be blessed in the seed of Abraham, when all peoples will participate in the blessings brought by the dominion of the righteous throughout the whole world. After the beast and false prophet are taken alive and cast into the lake of fire, and Satan himself bound and cast into the abyss, then the saints will reign from Jerusalem, and go forth to declare Christ's glory throughout the entire earth.

(Isaiah 65: 19-21) "And I will set a sign among them, and I will send those that escape of them unto the nations, to Tarshish, Pul, and Lud, that draw the bow, to Tubal, and Javan, to the isles afar off, that have not heard my fame, neither have seen my glory: and they shall declare my glory among the Gentiles. And they shall bring all your brethren for an offering unto the Lord, out of all nations, upon horses, and in chariots, and in litters, and upon mules, and upon swift beasts, to my holy mountain Jerusalem, saith the Lord, as the children of Israel bring an offering in a clean vessel into the house of the Lord. And I will also take of them for priests and for Levites, saith the Lord."

(Zech. 8: 22-23) "Yea, many people and strong nations shall come to seek the Lord of Hosts in Jerusalem, and to pray before the Lord. Thus saith the Lord of Hosts; in those days it shall come to pass, that ten men shall take hold, out of all languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you: for we have heard that God is with you."

The Millennium will be the culmination of all the Messianic prophecies, and the focal point of all of God's temporal dispensations. It will be, as we've seen, a period of universal blessedness. And yet it will not comprise a total extirpation of all evil. There will still exist those who despise the Lord; and although their iniquity will be powerless to oppress the saints, it will nonetheless serve as a kernel of that latter day uprising that will issue in the invasion of Gog and Magog. When we read Ezekiel's vision of the living waters, we cannot help noticing that, although he describes their wide-reaching effect, he adds: "But the miry places thereof and the marshes thereof shall not be healed; they shall be given to salt" (Ezek. 47: 11).

That is, there will be a certain remnant of wickedness left in the earth, which shall not be affected by the healing waters. This remnant will be restrained from active evil during the Millennium, but will later rebel against Jesus Christ during the "little season" that Satan is unloosed (Rev. 20: 3). John writes: "And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, 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" (Rev. 20: 7-8). We cannot help noticing a correspondence between this last uprising and the earlier Battle of Armageddon. This ought to tell us that Satan's modus operandi is essentially the same whenever he is allowed to function with an open hand. His purpose is to incite the wicked against the righteous, for there is an implacable enmity between the two seeds that will not be eradicated until the final and general judgment.

What details can we give regarding the Gog and Magog invasion? Unfortunately, the Ante-Nicene fathers furnish us with few helps. We must fetch the greater part of our information from Lactantius, who gives us some sure exegetical footing by himself referring back to Ezekiel 38 and 39. We believe, in fact, that the best accounts of the Gog and Magog battle will be found in those two chapters. And it interesting that Ezekiel, from chapters 34 to 40, provides the student with something like a mini-textbook of last time events. We have, firstly, an account of the preliminary judgment of Christ's church, when the true and the false are separated (Ezek. 34: 1-22); then somewhat like an account of Armageddon (Ezek. 35), followed by a detailed description of the blessings which await the righteous (Ezek. 36). Next, the prophet gives us a depiction of the resurrection of the just (Ezek. 37), going on to show us what shall befall after the thousand years are completed (Ezek. 38-39; cf. Rev. 20: 7-9).

It is sometimes thought that Ezekiel's account of the Gog and Magog invasion is to be partially fulfilled in the Battle of Armageddon. Perhaps this is true. In any event, it ought to be discerned that many prophecies contain gradations of fulfillment, which are difficult to distinguish until the events themselves come to pass. Regardless, however, of whether we place Ezekiel's prophecy in its entirety after the Millennium, or only in part, we should readily acknowledge that all of the events described therein are still future: that is, the prophecies have never yet been fulfilled. If the Millennium is future, then so is the Gog and Magog battle.

Now, let us take a closer look at this battle. We don't require a great deal of discernment to figure out what will occur, for the language itself is plain. When the complete number of the elect of Israel have been gathered, and the cities of the world restored to peace, Satan will be loosed and shall go out to deceive the nations. In Ezekiel 38: 1-7 the prophet speaks of a general gathering of nations to battle. Then, he writes: "After many days thou shalt be visited;" that is, by Satan. "In the latter years thou shalt come into the land that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste: but it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely all of them" (Ezek. 38: 8). This denotes the period following the close of the Millennium, when world peace is again shattered.

Ezekiel continues thus: "Thou shalt ascend and come like a storm, thou shalt be like a cloud to cover the land, thou, and all thy bands, and many people with thee. Thus saith the Lord God; It shall also come to pass, that at the same time shall things come into thy mind, and thou shalt think an evil thought: and thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates, to take a spoil, and to take a prey; to turn thine hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered out of all the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the midst of the land. Sheba, and Dedan, and the merchants of Tarshish, with all the young lions thereof, shall say unto thee, Art thou come to take a spoil? Hast thou gathered thy company to take a prey? to carry away silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, to take a great spoil?" (Ezek. 38: 9-13).

It is important that we pay close attention to the prophet's language. For he clearly implies that the invasion will take place after the land has been restored to peace, and the desolate places re-built. The Millennium, as we've already noticed, will be a time of re-gathering and rebuilding. Ezekiel writes: "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. 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" (Ezek. 28: 25-26).

But when these prophecies have been fulfilled, and the "Day of Lord" (the seventh millenary of years) is coming to a close, the blessedness of the saints shall once more be disrupted, by the coming of Gog and Magog. We sometimes wonder why, with Jesus Christ sitting on the throne, another uprising of the wicked should be permitted to occur. It is not easy to give an answer. However, let us keep in mind that "many people shall be joined to the Lord in that day" (Zech. 2: 11); and in order to have true communion with Christ, there must be an exercise of virtue, which demands trial and fellowship in the Lord's own sufferings. Thus is evil permitted to function during the Millennium, albeit on a much smaller scale. Yet when the thousand years are almost expired, the uprising of the wicked will once again force the world to go one way or another--to choose life or death. Thus, through tribulation are the godly purified, whilst the chaff are consigned to everlasting fire.

And the prophet predicts what shall occur during the last time. He writes: "And thou shalt come from thy place out of the north parts, thou, and many people with thee, all of them riding upon horses, a great company, and a mighty army: and thou shalt come up against my people of Israel, as a cloud to cover the land; it shall be in the latter days, and I will bring thee against my land, that the heathen may know me, when I shall be sanctified in thee, O Gog, before their eyes" (Ezek. 38: 15-16). The prophecy seems to imply that the saints will then no longer be dwelling in the cities, but shall have obtained refuge in Jerusalem. Satan, after gathering the armies to battle, shall, in the forces of Gog and Magog, make one final assault on God's people. But, he and his powers will be brought to nothing.

For then there will be a great shaking in the land of Israel. All nature will be convulsed, insomuch that the mountains shall be thrown down, the towers and stairs of the cities shall fall, and hailstones will rain down on those armies that defy God (Ezek. 38: 19-23). This will constitute the last temporal punishment of the wicked. The prophet writes: "Therefore, thou son of man, prophesy against Gog, and say, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal: and I will turn thee back, and strike thee with six plagues, and will cause thee to come up from the sides of the north, and will bring thee upon the mountains of Israel: and I will smite the bow out of thy left hand, and will cause thine arrows to fall out of thy right hand. Thou shalt fall upon the mountains of Israel, thou, and all thy bands, and the people that is with thee: I will give thee unto the ravenous birds of every sort, and to the beasts of the field, to be devoured. Thou shalt fall upon the open field: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord God. And I will send a fire on Magog, and among them that dwell carelessly in the isles: and they shall know that I am the Lord" (Ezek. 39: 1-6).

Concerning the exact identity of this Gog and Magog, interpreters are at variance. Some believe that these are actual nations. Ambrose of Milan, writing to the emperor Gratian in 378 A.D., identified them as the Goths. (De Fide, II. xvi). His view evidently sees Ezekiel's prophecy as largely disconnected from that of the Apocalypse. But St. Augustine writes: "For these nations which he names Gog and Magog are not to be understood of some barbarous nations in some part of the world, whether the Getae and Massagetae, as some conclude from the initial letters, or some other foreign nations not under the Roman government. For John marks that they are spread over the whole earth, when he says, 'The nations which are in the four corners of the earth,' and he added that these are Gog and Magog. The meaning of these names we find to be, Gog, 'a roof,' Magog, 'from a roof,'-- a house, as it were, and he who comes out of the house. They are therefore the nations in which we found that the devil was shut up as in an abyss, and the devil himself coming out from them and going forth, so that they are the roof, he from the roof. Or if we refer both words to the nations, not one to them and one to the devil, then they are both the roof, because in them the old enemy is at present shut up, and as it were roofed in; and they shall be from the roof when they break forth from concealed to open hatred." (City of God, XX. xi).

Although we disagree with Augustine on the matter of timing, we allow that by "Gog and Magog" must be meant a collection (or rather collusion) of nations throughout the entire world. Thus a genealogical analysis of the names will hardly do us any good. Indeed, we've noticed that many expositors do consider the Apocalyptic reference to Gog and Magog as entirely spiritual, while that of Ezekiel they refer to a set of nations placed in past history. Since opinions, however, are so divided, we have maintained the unity between the two respective visions--that of John and Ezekiel coinciding in all essential respects. Once again, many passages (perhaps a large portion of chap. 39) seem to bear more logical reference to the battle of Armageddon. Nevertheless, of one thing we can be sure--that any interpretation we undertake must be maintained with caution. As a rule of thumb, all prophecies remain obscure until their fulfillment.

To be continued...

Reformed Chiliasm (Part 12)

The Great Tribulation will be a time of intense persecution for the people of God. Nevertheless, we have Christ's promise that for the elect's sake, those days shall be shortened. But should anyone suppose that the events themselves will be unverifiable, we have Christ's implicit statements that the Tribulation will be accompanied by signs in the heavens. These phenomena will be paralleled by geological disturbances, insomuch that both the heavens and the earth shall seem to cry out against the wickedness of men. But all these things are harbingers of the Lord's glorious appearance, when evil will have an end. Looking at the parallel passages in Matthew 24, Luke 21 and Mark 13, we find a corroboration of these phenomena, all of which will take place prior to Christ's return.

(Matt. 24: 29-30) "Immediately after the tribulation of those days, shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: And then shall appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory."

(Mark 13: 24-26) "But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars of the heaven shall fall, and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory."

(Luke 21: 25-27) "And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of Man coming in a cloud, with power and great glory."

Now, "in the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established" (2 Cor. 13: 1). In order that nothing be left in uncertainty, the three inspired authors record the sayings of Jesus concerning those events that shall transpire "immediately after the tribulation;" that is, after Antichrist has filled the measure of his iniquities, his allotted three-and-a-half years having expired. Christ had already taught His disciples that His coming would not be missed by the world. "For as lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west, so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be" (Matt. 24: 27). This, of course, precludes any notion of an "invisible" Second Coming. St. Chrysostom writes: "How then shineth the lightning? It needs not one to talk of it, it needs not a herald, but even to them that sit in houses, and to them in chambers it shows itself in an instant of time throughout the whole world. So shall that coming be, showing itself at once everywhere by reason of the shining forth of His glory." (Homilies on Matthew, lxxvi).

It stands to reason, then, that as Christ's appearance will be visible to the eye, the events that precede His appearance shall be visible in like manner. But there are some who deny this, avowing that the above passages must be understood in a figurative sense. Such persons do not believe that by the terms "sun" and "moon" the celestial bodies are meant, but that something else, political or ecclesiastical, is denoted. Obviously, such theories have their foundations in a Gnostic view of Scripture-interpretation. This would bring all the supernatural elements of Biblical teaching into agreement with the intellectual faculties alone. Thus, anything that appears miraculous is explained away as hyperbole, and the prophets themselves are alleged to be mere writers of "Oriental poetry."

However, if one should subscribe to these fallacies, he ought, in absence of early church testimony, to be able to point to evidence in the text itself. But if he is unable to do this, he responds that "passages must be interpreted by those which speak more plainly." In making this statement, however, he only manifests his ignorance of the passage in question. For why hunt for clarity, unless you confess obscurity in the passage you are examining? But such obscurity is purely subjective. For anyone reading these passages should know what Christ is speaking about. The visual factor of Christ's advent is announced in the clearest language: "Then they shall see." This is amply corroborated by Rev. 1: 7: "Behold, He cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see Him."

It is enough, however, to clear away the discrepancies of any Gnostic interpretation by simply asking, whether or not the darkening of the sun during our Lord's crucifixion was a real event. "And it was about the sixth hour, and there was a darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour. And the sun was darkened, and the vail of the temple was rent in the midst" (Luke 23: 44-45). If by "the sun" is meant the celestial body, then we have sure exegetical grounds for positing a like interpretation of the verses concerning our Lord's Second Coming. For it is shown that this solar eclipse has a doctrinal significance.

Tertullian, speaking of the observation of fasting and prayer until the ninth hour, writes: "And so that 'pressure' must be maintained up to that hour in which the orb--involved from the sixth hour in general darkness--performed for its dead Lord a sorrowful act of duty; so that we too may return to enjoyment when the universe regained its sunshine." (On Fasting, x). Therein he alludes to the exact meaning of the eclipse. As Christ created the heavens, so the heavens mourned at His death. As Christ is Lord of the heavens, so shall the heavens cower when He comes to execute judgment upon the earth. Although not all will accept this view, most will concede that this is the true significance of the "darkening of the sun and the moon." As for "the powers of the heavens being shaken," Christ may be referring to the quailing of those "principalities," those "powers," those "rulers of darkness of this world" (Eph. 6: 12) against which Christians must struggle. These powers were once spoiled by Christ (Col. 2: 15), albeit they remain in commission to the present day.

Why do they still function? We shall follow the school of Lactantius, and suggest that in all events the Lord leaves some elements of evil in the world to test and try His people. For virtue is exercised in the forbearance of evil and the pursuance of good. When God created Adam and placed him in the Garden of Eden, he assigned man to exercise his virtue, inasmuch as fidelity to the Divine image includes the overcoming of temptations. If Adam had eschewed the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, he would have attained the right to partake of the tree of life. Yet, he chose the evil, and lost the good. That, I suppose, may be brought down to an individual level. For man has only two ways set before him in the world. He either chooses the evil, which truly never appears as evil, but is decked out with some elements of passing good; or he eschews the temptations of the forbidden tree, and strives for that alone which leads to eternal life. For the Tree of Life contains good unmixed, in its purest form, the only nourishment for the soul of man. "It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God" (Matt. 4: 4).

Thus, there must be temptations and trials in this present world. And where the trials are taken away, virtue no longer has any field whereon to gain its victories. For virtue is made precious insofar as it is attained with difficulty. If it were made easy for all, it would be nothing commendable. For why must Christians struggle in the world, if not for eternal life? If eternal life were given us now, virtue would be overthrown; for virtue is exercised in the striving after good. But if the good is already held in hand, what more need to strive? Man endowed with eternal life here and now would cease living unto God, and would live unto himself: the very thing man is not permitted, as a subject and citizen of God's city, to do. But God has wisely placed the blessings of eternal life in the world to come; showing us that by despising the things of this temporal life we may attain a better life. Now, if a man fights with robbers and resists violence done to his body, wherefore does he fight? He fights that he may continue to live. But the body fights only those elements that can destroy it. After that they can do no more.

Why, then, must the soul resist evil? What is the reason why a man must fight against evil, pride, greed, lust and all forms of unrighteousness? Surely, that the soul, too, may continue to live: for overcoming the enemies of the soul will ensure its future existence. And the life of the soul is confirmed in the age to come, and not now. Moreover, they who have obeyed God in this present evil world will also enjoy life in the body, being restored in the First Resurrection, when they shall enjoy communion with Christ, and bear rule with Him upon the earth which was the scene of so many trials and hardships. By how much more, then, does good prevail over wickedness! But the field of virtue is trial. And trial demands that there be enemies against which we must battle. The warfare is now, the rewards are in the age to come. Hence there is a reason why our Lord left these principalities and powers in office, as a means of strengthening His elect.

But when Jesus Christ comes back to reign these spiritual enemies shall doubtless be defeated, and locked up in the bottomless pit with Satan himself. Now there are unclean spirits in the world. But in the world to come, they shall be locked up in the deep. Luke gives us strong evidence of this truth when he records the Gadarene devils as imploring that they be not commanded "to go out into the deep." (Luke 8: 31). Matthew records the same devils as crying, "Art thou come hither to destroy us before the time?" (Matt. 8: 29). These Scriptures imply that there is a time coming when all unclean spirits will be sent into the abyss with their leader, Satan. And this can only occur when Antichrist is destroyed and the world reclaimed to God, at the personal advent of Jesus Christ.

Hence those passages in which celestial phenomena are predicted should not be interpreted allegorically or metaphorically, but in their plainest and most natural sense. For they give us clear indications of the signs which shall precede the Lord's coming. These will be a source of consolation to God's people, but of menace to the adversary. Not to mention the great unrest among those forces of spiritual wickedness which ride the air, think of the despair which will overtake the earthly enemies of God. For the "day of the Lord" will not be pleasant to those who despise Jesus Christ.

Hearken to Isaiah: "Howl ye: for the day of the Lord is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty. Therefore shall all hands be faint, and every man's heart shall melt; and they shall be afraid; pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them; they shall be in pain as a woman that travaileth: they shall be amazed one at another; their faces shall be as flames. Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and He shall destroy the sinners out of it. For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine. And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible" (Isaiah 13: 6-11).

Nevertheless, despite the certain fulfillment of these prophecies, the wicked will make one final stand. When they see the day approaching, they will act very quickly. Let us remember by whom the world will be ruled and governed at that time. As all nations will be under the dominion of Antichrist, the military forces of the world will be at his beck and call. Prompted by Satan, these evil world-rulers (Antichrist and his false prophet) will dispatch ambassadors to every nation on earth (Rev. 16: 13-14), commanding them to mobilize their forces to the City of Jerusalem. For the signs in the heavens shall tell them that Christ is coming back. At this point they shall attempt to do everything they can to prevent His coming. With the utmost weapons of mass destruction technology has yet devised, the armed forces shall gather into Jerusalem for the Battle of Armageddon (Rev. 16: 16; 19: 19). But their hope shall perish, they shall be utterly defeated at the coming of Jesus Christ with all His saints.

(Rev. 19: 11) "And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse: and He that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns; and He had a name written, that no man knew, but He Himself. And He was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and His name is called the Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed Him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of His mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it He should smite the nations: and He shall rule them with a rod of iron: and He treadeth the wine-press of the wrath of Almighty God. And He hath on His vesture and on His thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS."

At this time, the nations who oppose the Lord's coming will be beaten in pieces by the mighty power of the Word of God. All their weapons of mass destruction will avail them nothing. There shall be "voices, and thunders, and lightnings" and a "great earthquake" (Rev. 16: 18), and when the Lord stands upon the Mount of Olives, the city will be divided into three parts (Rev. 16: 19; cf. Zech. 14: 4), and Babylon shall come into remembrance before God (Rev. 16: 19). Concerning this Babylon, Isaiah also prophesied its destruction in a parallel passage: "And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldees' excellency, shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah" (Isaiah 13: 19).

Admittedly, we are not sure whether "Mystery Babylon" is meant to designate an actual city upon the earth, or the entire assembly of wicked men in general. Preferring the latter view, we bring to mind the words of St. Augustine: "Thus it has come to pass, that though there are very many and great nations all over the earth, whose rites and customs, speech, arms, and dress, are distinguished by marked differences, yet there are no more than two kinds of human society, which we may justly call two cities, according to the language of our Scriptures. The one consists of those who wish to live after the flesh, the other of those who wish to live after the spirit; and when they severally achieve what they wish, they live in peace, each after their kind." (City of God, XIV. i).

Thus, Babylon stands for the earthly city as a whole, whose interests are in direct opposition to the heavenly city-- that is, the church. And this city can be traced as far back as the times of Cain (Gen. 4: 17), however its first major manifestation in world history occurred after the Noachian dispersion (Gen. 11: 1-9). Since then it has existed in a more or less permanent form, just as God's city has always existed in the world alongside it. Both cities, considered as spiritual assemblies, are invisible to the naked eye. But they are real nonetheless. However, as the earthly city now displaces the City of God, so when Jesus Christ comes to reign, establishing the New Jerusalem in glory, the earthly city will be totally displaced and abolished. Then shall Antichrist, the King of Babylon (Isaiah 14: 4), be taken alive with his false prophet and cast into the lake of fire (Rev. 19: 20; cf. Isaiah 14: 15).

Now, as the Lord's coming is implicitly declared to be like lightning, all shall see Him in that day. Great cataclysms and upheavals will rock the world. It will almost seem that the world itself is coming to an end. And, in fact, many areas of the world will probably be renovated completely. There will be a "new heaven and new earth." Our favorite prophet speaks again: "The earth is utterly broken down, the earth is clean dissolved, the earth is moved exceedingly. The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed like a cottage; and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it; and it shall fall, and not rise again. And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall punish the host of the high ones that are on high, and the kings of the earth that are upon the earth. And they shall be gathered together, as prisoners are gathered together in the pit, and shall be shut up in the prison, and after many days they shall be visited. Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed, when the Lord of hosts shall reign in Mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before His ancients gloriously" (Isaiah 24: 19-23).

To be continued...

Reformed Chiliasm (Part 2)

Despite the fact that Christians of various sects and persuasions have allegorized the prophetic Scriptures, it has become apparent to many that we must, in order to understand the Bible, maintain the meaning of language, according to standard laws which will govern our exegesis.  This is nothing more nor less than the science of interpretation. If we learn one thing from a survey of ecclesiastical history, it is the facility with which false teachers have in all ages promulgated their heresies through an allegorical reading of Scripture.  While there is much talk nowadays concerning the uses or inconveniences of a "grammatico-historical" interpretive approach, it is seldom perceived that the true hermeneutic is in fact "grammatical, historical, contextual, and canonical." 

Understanding all too well the need to return to a plain, untainted reading of God's word, the Protestant Reformers rightly repudiated an allegorical hermeneutic.  Martin Luther once declared: "I have grounded my preaching upon the literal Word.  He that pleases may follow me, he that will not may stay" (Luther's Table-Talk, pg. 6).  So also: "The literal sense of Scripture alone is the whole essence of faith and of Christian theology... allegories are empty speculations... an interpreter must as much as possible avoid allegory that he may not wander into idle dreams... to allegorize is to juggle with Scripture... If we wish to handle Scripture aright, our effort will be to attain unum, simplicem, germanum, et certum sensum literalem" (Encycopedia Americana, 1918 edition, Vol. 10, pg. 632).  Hence it is with the keenest pleasure that those who hold to the "one faith" of the "one body" (Eph. 4: 3-4) attest to the fact that an allegorical heremeneutic is rarely accepted among Christians professing sound orthodoxy. 

However, it is also apparent to many (myself included) that a revival of the allegorical hermeneutic is currently being wrought in liberal academic circles, even among those who claim, oddly enough, to be successors of Luther, Calvin, and Zwingli.   Whence cometh this strange disease?   We attribute the greater part of this ongoing hermenutical shift to the steady stream of post-enlightenment rationalism which has, from the close of the eighteenth century, bombarded orthodox churches through institutions of higher learning.  Only Fundamentalism could hold back the onslaught waged by the foes of revealed truth, but alas, fundamentalism has too often capitulated to the program of the hour, selling its birthright for a mess of worldly pottage.

Notwithstanding the depradations wrought by academics, there are yet a few who hold to the faith in its original purity, and whose desire it is to defend Christian doctrine from anything that would mar its clarity, or sap its power to save the souls of men.  They stand like the seven thousand who would not bend the knee to Baal.  And the great majority, if not all, of such Christians are they who hold to a literal, that is a "normative," hermeneutic. 

What is a normative heremeneutic?  In the broadest terms, it is a method of exegesis whereby the text itself provides the basis for interpretation. Those who endorse a normative hermeneutic accept as a foundational tenet, that the Bible is revelatory literature, and is therefore to be understood according to the customary laws of grammar and rhetoric.  Such a method never excludes the uses of figures of speech, for figures of speech are legitimate to all human language.  However, adherents of the normative hermeneutic hold that when a figure of speech is employed, it may and can be clearly identified.  Symbolism is another matter altogether, and is prevalent largely in the prophetic Scriptures.  But the purpose of a symbol is to set forth some truth which may be understood.  When a symbol appears, its meaning is generally explained by the context, or elsewhere in Scripture.  No forced meanings or "hidden senses" should be read into the text. 

When the Scriptures speak of something occurring "on earth," then the student has no right to give it a celestial meaning. There are dozens of prophetical passages which are expressly declared to have their fulfillment on earth, and in connection with earthly things.  Our Savior makes this distinction between earthly and heavenly in His discourse to Nicodemus.  But while it might be declared that the earthly is sometimes justly used as a type of the heavenly, this is not the whole, or even the half, of the truth. 

Paul's statement that "that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual" (1 Cor. 15: 46) has too often, we feel, been made to serve as a fundamental law of prophetic interpretation; when its meaning, as shown by the context, only sets forth the relation between the first and second Adams.  On the contrary, a study of the Scriptures will reveal that oftentimes the spiritual precedes the natural.  Moses was taken into the Mount and shown the pattern of the earthly tabernacle which he should make.  That the heavenly archetype existed prior to the earthly "copy," must be a matter of frank concession.  Then, too, Abraham's circumcision in heart preceded the fleshly circumcision which was a token of his and a seal of the everlasting covenant (Romans 4: 11; Genesis 17: 7, 10-11).  Seen from this standpoint, it could be argued that the "spiritual Israel" preceded the earthly Israel.  The truth is, the spiritual does not always follow the natural; and to lay this proposition down as a fixed law of interpretation is to lose sight of the facts.

This, however, is exactly what the allegorists have done; and because of their methods they have befogged and confused the very meaning of the texts. By a process of spiritual alchemy, earthly promises are transmuted into fulfillments so hypothetical, that the student falters, and is left at last to wonder whether God is not mocking his children.  Then the enemies of God take advantage of this confusion; and so raises its head another heresy, which must be combated with the sword of the spirit, by those who champion the literal interpretation of the inspired Word. 

   After perusing the annals of church history, and especially those which chronicle the "dark ages," I cannot speak too harshly against the allegorical method, which savors either of priestcraft or unbelief. For what reason can there be to depart from the natural meaning of words, unless one is not willing (or not able) to believe them? The priests who kept the Bible, for so many centuries, under lock and key, lest any should discover their true meaning, had a purpose no less sinsister than those modern interpreters who "take away the key of knowledge" by draping their philosophical ideals over the sacred text.  Both fail to accept (Gr. dekomai) Scripural teachings as fully inspired and authoritative. 

   This is to say nothing of the diversity of interpretations which attends an allegorical approach. When the normative interpretation of the text is disregarded, too often the meaning is spiritualized in different directions by different men, each of whom feigns to see some "deep" truth never before seen by mortal man.  Speaking of this prevalent trend, E.W. Bullinger writes: "Unless God means exactly what He says according to the laws of all language, then all positive lines of demarcation between truth and error on all the vital verities of religion are obliterated.  It is not merfely the prophecies of the second advent that suffer, but all doctrines and all the articles of the faith are involved in one common chaos" (Ten Sermons On The Second Advent, Kregel, pg. 22).  It is to be expected, therefore, that when allegorists get hold of the prophetic Scriptures, the end of their labors is to leave the child of God more mystified than he was before. This is not according to wisdom.

Aside from any initial difficulties which the student of Scripture may have, I am convinced that the truth must at last shine plainly to him who humbles himself to learn what God hath written for the edification of his saints. The words of the ancient confession read: "All things in Scripture are not alike plain in themselves, nor alike clear unto all; yet those things which are necessary to be known, believed, and observed for salvation, are so clearly propounded and opened in some place of Scripture or other, that not only the learned, but the unlearned, in a due use of ordinary means, may attain to a sufficient understanding of them" (1689 Baptist Confession, I. vii).

To interpret the Scriptures is therefore not to pry into the mysteries of God's providence or the inscrutable springs of His counsel.  For "the secret things belong unto the Lord our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law" (Deut. 29: 29).  Before one can obey, one must comprehend.  And this goes without saying.  In His parable of Lazarus and the rich man, Christ charged it as folly upon the rich man's brethren that they believed not Moses and the prophets.  "If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead" (Luke 16: 31).  If one accepts not the testimony of God's written word, then little suasion will signs and miracles yield.  Prophecy serveth for them who believe not, but for them which believe (1 Cor. 14: 22).

Although there be some things in Scripture designated as "mysteries," or otherwise set forth in symbolic language, a true exegesis will clear up the true sense. It will not render them more enigmatic. In Scriptural language, a mystery is not something comprehensible only to an elite few.  Larkin writes: "A 'mystery' in the New Testament sense is not something that cannot be understood, but is some plan or purpose of God that has been known to Him from the beginning, but which He has withheld from the knowledge of men until the time came for Him to reveal it" (Dispensational Truth, 1920 edition, pg. 151).  Obviously, there are limitations to our understanding, which exist by nature, and which sometimes render the finer mechanics of certain prophecies obscure until their ultimate fulfillment, when the veil of ignorance is removed (cf. Isaiah 29: 18, 24). But these natural limitations do not prevent us from perceiving the general tenor of even the most abstruse prophecies.   Else, to what purpose was the prophetic word given? Wherefore it becomes manifest that the Bible is revelatory literature, and is to be received as such.  If any man seek to bewilder us with allegories and fables, we must dissent to even listen to him. For we are hearkening to God, and they to their own dreams and delusions.  Yea, what is the chaff to the wheat? (Jeremiah 23: 28).

The Bible states more or less plainly that there will be a reign of Jesus Christ on the earth. In the Lord's prayer we recite the petition: "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, in earth, as it is in heaven" (Matthew 6: 10). What are we praying for? Certainly nothing other than the reign of Christ on earth. And no allegorical reign, neither: but a real and literal one.  We are praying for Christ to establish His kingdom among us. And the vision which John beheld on Patmos, which awaits its future fulfillment, strengthens and confirms our hope. "Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be with them, and be their God" (Rev. 21: 3). This is the focal point of all prophecy, even the restoration of that which fell through Adam's transgression.  It is the apokatastasis which the saints are awaiting.  And what was lost on earth but God's personal presence?  It was certainly not immortality, as Adam never partook of the tree of life.  He cannot therefore be said to have lost eternal life. But this will be gained in the presence of Jehovah, when Paradise is restored.

John's inspired prophecy foretells a time when Christ will come to dwell among men, just as He did at the first; only the second advent will be in glory; the end result producing, in the words of Knoch, "a precious burden of fruit for all the toil and travail attending the offense." 

But there is an anaology between the two advents of Christ which we must not overlook.  Both are literal, and take place in connection with the earth.  John says of Christ's first advent: "And the Word was made flesh and tabernacled among us" (John 1: 14). But in vision he says: "Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men." Thus he speaks of a personal reign of Jesus Christ on earth.  When the curse is removed, (i.e., the curse which was brought upon all mankind, as well as the material creation, through Adam's single act of transgression), the prophecy will be fulfilled.

It is not likely, however, that this restoration will commence sooner than the close of the Great Tribulation, at which time the seventh trumpet will sound.  For prior to the "regeneration" (Matthew 19: 28), there must, of necessity, be a period of intense birth-pains, followed by a glorious economy in which death shall be dethroned, and life reign. 

(Rev. 11: 15) "And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of His Christ; and He shall reign forever and ever."

It is at the sounding of the seventh trumpet that the dead shall be judged and the rewards given to the servants (Revelation 11: 18).  At this time the resurrection of the just will take place; which Paul elsewhere designates the "manifestation of the sons of God" (Romans 8: 19).  And to this the Old Testament prophets concur, presenting the mosaic of a yet-future age when Christ will come to establish His throne on earth to govern the nations.

(Psalm 2: 9) "Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession."

(Psalm 67: 4) "O, let the nations be glad and sing for joy: for thou shalt judge the people righteously, and govern the nations upon earth."

(Psalm 96: 10) "Say among the heathen that the Lord reigneth: the world also shall be established that it shall not be moved: He shall judge the people righteously."

(Psalm 72: 8) "He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth."

(Isaiah 42: 4) "He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth: and the isles shall wait for His law."

(Jeremiah 23: 5-6) "Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth."

(Daniel 7: 27) "And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey Him."

(Zechariah 9: 10) "And I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem, and the battle-bow shall be cut off: and He shall speak peace unto the heathen: and His dominion shall be from sea even to sea, and from the river even unto the ends of the earth."

These are but a few of the many passages which we may select from the arsenal of revealed truth.  And the reader will certainly agree that these passages demand a literal fulfillment. But those who choose to allegorize present innumerable difficulties. For Christ Himself instructs His disciples to pray for the time when God's will shall be done in earth, even as it is in heaven.  One may well ask: How is Christ's will done in heaven?  To which the inspired apostle responds: "Who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto Him" (1 Peter 3: 22, emphasis mine).  Christ's authority in heavenly places is confessed by all Christians as being absolutely literal in nature.  Very well.  When Christ's kingdom is established on earth, "the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High, Whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey Him" (Daniel 7: 27).  What text can be more plainer than this?

If it be alleged that the above texts denote simply the spread of the Gospel during this present age, the student must adjust the language of prophecy to accord with the standards of an imperfect economy, rather than believe the passages in their plain and natural sense. Such an hermeneutic would demand upon the student a far greater credulity than one which accepts the text as a basis of interpretation.  Not for this reason alone do we discard such a method as worthless.  Christ Himself instructs us to pray for a literal kingdom on earth.

 At the present time, it must be obvious to anyone that Christ is not reigning in any real sense over the earth. And to prove this beyond any shadow of cavil, I draw the reader's attention to the fact that the kingdom (i.e., all earthly dominion) was given to the first Adam only AFTER his bride had been presented to him (see Gen. 1: 27-28).  But Eve was formed out of the rib taken from his side while he slept (Gen. 2: 21-23).  The bride of the second Adam, "the church which is Christ's body, the fulness (or complement) which filleth all in all" (Eph. 1: 23), is Eve's antitype.  This spiritual "bride" and "body" began to be formed with the ratification of the New Covenant on the cross; as witness the blood and water which flowed from our Lord's pierced side (John 19: 34).  According to an old evangelical divine, the blood stands for justification (the altar), the water for sanctification (the laver); and both, when applied to the regnerate believer, grant spiritual access into the holy place, where fellowship with Christ is enjoyed (see Heb. 10: 19; 1 John 1: 7).  But the "body" is still being formed, the "holy temple" (see Ephesians 2: 21-22) still being built; the "bride" will not be formally presented to the second Adam until He returns "the second time, without sin unto salvation" (Heb. 9: 28); wherefore we reason, and justly, too, that Christ's dominion over the earth will not be consummated until His second advent. 

But when, in relation to the "1000 years," does this universal reign begin? Once more, let us go back to Rev. 20: 1-3, where John predicts the binding of Satan. The effect of Satan's binding is that the nations should no longer be deceived. His prophecy is not about "individuals from among the nations," which language would best fit conditions appertaining to the present administration.  But he says, "that the nations," qua nations, should no longer be deceived.  And we must grant that there is a great difference between "the church" and "the nations."

Now, from Christ's ascension to the present day, the nations have continued to walk after their own delusions. They have even, at divers periods following the original publication of the Gospel throughout the entire habitable world (cf. Colossians 1: 23), persecuted the church. But Christ promises to give those who overcome "power over the nations" (Rev. 2: 26-27; cf. Ps. 2: 9). And Paul implies that they who suffer --  and only they  --  shall be accounted worthy of reigning with Him (Romans 8: 17; 2 Tim. 2: 12).  No servant is greater than his Master; and there is but one "strait gate" that leads to glory.  Hence, there can be no period prior to the Lord's second advent and the resurrection of the church corporately, during which His people shall be immune from persecution.  The nations, as the larger mass out of which the elect of God are taken,  must therefore abide in unregeneracy until the second advent.  Christian theology leaves no space for a Millennium of any kind prior to the resurrection of the just. 

Some, however, insist that the Scriptures which detail, in the plainest possible language, the Messianic blessings of Christ's future kingdom, must be understood in a qualified sense. Either they are taken as partially fulfilled in the past, or as spiritually fulfilled during the present time.  But we have not so learned Christ. As the prophecies respecting His first advent were fulfilled to the very letter, so must all the remaining prophecies be which speak of His second advent.  Our Lord did not fulfill the first-advent prophecies by fractions and half-measures. The prophecies regarding His sufferings were "filled full."  The same manner of "plenary fulfillment" will apply to His advent in glory.  Every jot and tittle will be accomplished before heaven and earth passes away (Matt. 5: 18). When our Lord promises to give His saints power to rule the nations, we must not allegorize and water down His promises, as if He were unable to bring about a literal fulfillment, and by so doing belittle His authority. For His bounty exceeds all our expectations. "Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him" (1 Cor. 2: 9). When Christ makes a promise, be assured that He shall keep it; and though we wait long for its fulfillment, those who maintain patience to the end shall inherit the kingdom.