Why Should I Care? :: By Jonathan Brentner

Published on: March 15, 2020 by RR7

If you read my previous post, 7 Reasons why Premillennialism is a Biblical Necessity, you still might be wondering why it’s such a big deal. Does premillennialism really matter for my daily life? Why should I care whether or not God’s promise of a future kingdom for Israel remains in effect?

Please understand this is not a matter of salvation. Many people who dismiss what Scripture says about Jesus’ reign in the millennium are truly in Christ.

However, I believe with all my heart that one’s belief about the millennium truly matters! In this follow-up post, I explain why this aspect of our hope is such a big deal in the life of the believer and why we should care about premillennialism.

It’s Essential for a Biblical Two-World Perspective

It was perhaps the blandest depiction of end-time events I had ever heard! The pastor told us that Jesus would return to the world at some point in the future, judge humanity, and initiate the eternal state of Revelation 21-22. Absent from his teaching was any mention of the tribulation (he believed the book of Revelation was mainly allegory), any signs that would warn anyone of the nearness of Christ’s return, and no New Jerusalem, which he told us was merely symbolic of God’s presence.

Not only does this depiction of our future represent false reaching, it glues the eyes of believers to the things of this world. It removes any sense of imminency regarding Jesus’ return for us and turns eternity into a continued existence on earth, albeit with glorified and eternal bodies.

With such an outlook, why wouldn’t believers focus their full attention on the things of this life? With Jesus’ return pushed to the distant unforeseen future, what is the incentive to set our sights on eternal realities or regard them as more important than one’s current life? While some might maintain an eternal perspective with such a perspective, most will not.

In 2 Corinthians 4:17-18, Paul instructs us to focus on eternal realities rather than the “transient” or temporal things we see in this life. In Colossians 3:2 the apostle adds this, “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on the earth.” The reason for doing so finds its basis in Christ’s imminent appearing when we will suddenly find ourselves with Jesus in “glory” (see verse 4).

Premillennialism is essential to a proper perspective of life that places a greater value on eternal realities than on the fleeting things of this world.

It’s Essential to a Proper Interpretation of World Events

Since those who teach amillennialism do not believe that we live in the last days of human history as we know it, they put a much different spin on current world events. For example, as a result of dismissing the prophecies of a one-world government in Daniel and Revelation, they misinterpret the world events that point to the nearness of the coming New World Order in fulfillment of God’s Word.

They also remain blind to the fact that the world is well on its way to the future time of wrath described in the Bible as the tribulation. “World events and wickedness have been this bad in the past,” they say, “and have always gotten better.” Amillennialists mistakenly believe that the pendulum will swing the other way apart from the direct intervention of the Lord Jesus in judging the earth.

This false narrative lures people into thinking that life will continue uninterrupted for the foreseeable future. Young parents look forward to being grandparents and perhaps great grandparents. Workers look forward to lengthy retirements. They fail to recognize just how close we are to the end.

Premillennialism provides the necessary base for recognizing that the world is on the brink of major changes such as the Lord’s return for His church and the tribulation. Those who deny scriptural teaching on these things remain deaf to the approaching hoof beats of the four horsemen.

In my experience, I have found that those who reject the premillennial worldview are much more prone to vote for leaders who wholeheartedly support abortion and the LBGTQ agenda.

It’s Essential for Recognizing the Signs of the Last Days

Amillennialists misinterpret world events because they remain blind to the many, many signs that tell us we live in the last days of human history as we know it.

Since they believe God has rejected Israel, they miss the significance in the Lord’s miraculous restoration of Israel as a nation. “This isn’t really Israel,” they tell us; and with that, they dismiss all the prophetic events now occurring in and around Israel. They say our problem consists of “reading the Bible in one hand with the newspaper in the other.”

My response to this accusation is that we know what the newspapers will say tomorrow because we know and believe biblical prophecy.

The convergence of signs points to Jesus’ soon appearing as well as the rapid approach of the tribulation. Amillennialists possess no true expectancy of Jesus’ soon return since they dismiss all the signs to either allegory or past history.

Only premillennialists recognize the signs of the time that include the nearness of the tribulation and hence to the rapture as well.

It’s an Essential Safeguard against Error

Although I mentioned this in my previous post, it bears repeating. Amillennialism opens the door to greater false teaching. Whenever one assigns clear prophetic passages of Scripture to allegory, this pagan way of viewing God’s Word spreads to other texts, even those pertaining to the Gospel.

If Paul’s clear statement that “God has not rejected Israel” in Romans 11:1-2 does not really mean what the words say, then perhaps the same thing can be said of his statements regarding homosexuality as well. Apart from a strict adherence to the words of the Bible and the intent of the authors at the time they wrote, this downward slide away from biblical truth becomes inevitable.

That’s why, throughout the history of the church, the allegorizing of Scripture has always led to doctrinal error regarding the Gospel and other key areas of the faith and will continue to do so.

Only premillennialism guards the original intent of the authors of Scripture in what they wrote about prophecy.

It’s Essential to Giving the Lord All the Glory He Deserves

Amillennialism diminishes God’s glory in at least two key areas.

First, according to Isaiah 46:8-13, the Lord loves to reveal historical events in advance so that when they happen, He receives all the glory. God demonstrates his sovereignty over all things by “declaring the end from the beginning.” When history fulfills prophecy, it shows His intention for telling us in advance what will happen. “My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose.”

Amillennialism erases almost all of what God says will happen before Jesus’ return and the eternal state. This negates the key purpose of prophecy through which God warns believers and unbelievers alike of what is coming so that when His words prove true, men and women recognize His greatness and sovereignty! The Lord receives praise from believers, and even those who reject Him see His power.

Second, amillennialism diminishes the future glory of the Lord Jesus. Yes, we will praise Him throughout eternity, but the millennium is the time when Jesus will rule over nations that once rejected Him.

Revelation depicts Jesus riding victoriously back to earth, defeating the armies of the world arrayed against Him, casting the antichrist and false prophet into hell, and locking up Satan for a thousand years (Rev. 19:11-20:6). The prophet Zechariah tells us Jesus will return to a repentant Israel who will receive their Messiah with open arms as He takes His rightful place on the throne of David (Zech. 12:10-13:1; Isa. 9:6-7). This is the time of Jesus’ great triumph when He receives all the great glory He deserves.

By reducing these great prophetic passages to allegory, amillennialists rob Jesus of the glory of reigning over the nations of the world that once spit upon Him and mocked Him as He hung on the cross.

My purpose is not to elevate the ire of the amillennialists, although it’s likely I have done so already. I am simply seeking to demonstrate why it’s so important to adhere to premillennialism. It’s not a matter of stale doctrine for theologians to debate in seminary classrooms. It has significant implications for the everyday life of those in Christ.

Why should I care about premillennialism?

Without a belief in the coming tribulation or in a glorious kingdom for Israel, we lose the biblical perspective of where our world is headed at this moment in time. If all the signs of the approaching tribulation and Jesus’ return are just subjective symbolism, how can we properly interpret what we read in the news every day?

For that matter, how could any generation know that the time of Jesus’ appearing was at hand?

God gave the ancient Jews many signs by which they could recognize the coming of their Messiah and held them accountable for missing them (Matt. 16:1-4; Luke 12:54-56). Why would He not do the same with Jesus’ second coming?

Amillennialism blinds believers to the signs of what lies ahead for this world through its distorted approach to biblical prophecy. As a result, they misinterpret what they see in the world around them and miss all the signs that God’s judgment for this world is closer than they could ever imagine.

Premillennialism alone provides a clear understanding of our future hope and enables us to recognize the signs of Jesus’ soon appearing to take us to the place He’s preparing for us.

Premillennialism provides a constant reminder that the things of this world are transient at best, keeps our eye focused on our eternal inheritance, and calms our hearts as we read about the chaos, pandemics, and evil in our world.

Jonathan Brentner

Website: Our Journey Home

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E-mail: Jonathanbrentner@yahoo.com

Only to Steal, Kill, and Destroy :: By Gene Lawley

Published on: March 15, 2020 by RR7

That title is the description for the scenario of all that is going on in our world today, especially here in America. The sense of that may be more prevalent because we live right with it and are not looking at the trends of social and cultural changes from afar off. Nevertheless, the whole world is pointing to a climax totally unexpected.

Only in the Holy Scriptures can one find the prospects of our future, and for those who are not aligned rightly with God…it is not a pleasing sight.

The title of this article comes from John 10:10, which says, “The thief comes only to steal, kill and destroy, but I [Jesus] am come that they may have life and have it more abundantly.” The thief is the devil, and he is purposely attempting to destroy the human race in an affront to the God of the universe. The warfare has run since well before time began, even in the leader of all of the holy angels which God had created. He only wanted more power, to be like God, even to replace Him on His throne. Having been denied that privilege, he has been, for centuries, attempting to deny God the glory that is meant for Him.

Look at the story of Job, the oldest account in the Bible, perhaps nineteen hundred years before the coming of Christ. He told God that Job would deny Him if he were given freedom to do what he wanted with Job. And God replied, “Take him, then, but spare his life.” You can find this in the first two chapters of the book of Job. Job was not consulted on this arrangement; however, in the end, he proved faithful to God and frustrated the plan of the devil.

How is this repeating itself, and more, in these last days of the ages?

The whole arena of facets of the sexual revolution are clearly in line with the devil’s desire to corrupt God’s highest creation, that one creation that was in His own image, and shame God before the universe with what that greatest creation had become. The absolute confusion this sexual revolution has developed into is totally astounding. There seems to be no end to the changes to what society is expected to make in order to pacify the demands of the perverted element among the population. They demand tolerance toward themselves, yet at the same time are intolerant of “straight” people.

In the education systems of our nation reside much of the promotion of the sexual revolution. That is where the youngest, the innocent and most vulnerable victims are targeted. It seems that school boards and local governmental bodies are toppling like a row of dominoes, bowing to the wishes of the LBGTQ crowd, lest they be charged with intolerance and discrimination. It is a fearful sight.

Two times in past history are specially marked by Jesus as significant instances that picture how things will be at the time of His coming in that special redeeming of His own born-again believers, the time called the rapture, the snatching away of those who have trusted Him. It is in Luke 17:26-30, in respect to the comparison of events in those days and localities and in the whole world with that of today’s world:

“And as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. Likewise, as it was also in the days of Lot: They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed.”

Noah and Lot were not taken away to judgment, for judgment happened to those left behind on the earth; and thus, as it was then, so it will be when Jesus comes to meet His own in the air.

As we see our society and culture going from bad to worse, this Scripture causes me to wonder how far the degradation will go. Does the measure of sinfulness have to come to full saturation, as it was in the days of Noah and of Lot, while at the same time the activities of people will continue just as before? In those days of Noah, the whole world was sinful to its core, for Genesis 6:5 tells us so:

“Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.”

And then Jesus enlarges that observation in the Luke passage to show how the people were living their daily lives while in such degradation.

It reminds one of the activities of the Israeli people when Moses was with the Lord on Mount Sinai for forty days, receiving the tablets of the law. They appealed to Aaron to make a god for them to worship, and he responded with a golden calf that just “appeared out of the fire.” When Moses came down to them, they had worshipped the golden calf, then rose up to eat and drink and play. It is a picture of total loss of a sense of responsibility for moral conduct.

Further in the Luke passage, Jesus identifies the condition of the citizens of Sodom where Lot remained in the midst of a total saturation in moral degradation. Genesis 19:4-5 tells of their condition:

“Now before they lay down [to sleep], the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both old and young, all the people from every quarter, surrounded the house. And they called to Lot and said to him, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us that we may know them carnally.”

It is not difficult to see the conditions in our culture today. The sexual revolution and gender manipulation frenzy are totally fixated on sexual activities. A man, born genetically as a male individual, wants to think of himself as a woman, or a woman, so also born, has the parallel mindset, can never be what they think. Their DNA will always identify them as a man or a woman, from birth to death. They will have lived their lives as a total lie.

Some may claim it is impossible to be “straight” if God has set them up to be “gay.” That is why “the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding” (Proverbs 9:10b), for one knowing who Jesus really is would realize He would not condone or “ordain” anyone to a live of moral degradation and sinfulness. Hebrews 4:15 tells us that “We do not have a high priest who cannot be touched with our infirmities but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.”

And the Apostle Paul declared his constant struggle with the evils of this world—in his old nature. In Romans 7:24-25 he writes this and tells us how his determination turned his will to submission to the Lord and not the flesh:

“O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with the mind I, myself, will serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin.”

How clearly the Apostle identifies the constant warfare within the believer between the spirit of the new-born believer and that Adam-defiled body that is doomed for the grave to return to the dust from which it was made! Paul says, “with my mind—the place of the will—I, myself, will serve the law of God.” He identifies his real person, “myself,” as the one who will submit to the law of God. That old man troubling him is already dead, essentially.

He writes of this fact and how a believer needs to respond to it in Romans 6:11 and 14:

“Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord…for sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.”

In the days of Noah, the whole world was declared fully saturated with sin and rebellion, but in Lot’s day, it was just one locality, Sodom and Gomorrah, that were totally destroyed under God’s judgment. Could it happen again? As a matter of fact, it has happened again, perhaps not for the same reason, but possibly so. Early one morning in AD 79, the citizens of Pompeii, Italy, and nearby communities were totally inundated with ash and other debris from the nearby eruption of Mt. Vesuvius, an ancient volcano. It was finished in 48 hours.

What further research might reveal remains to be seen, but we do know that the justness of the Creator does not deal harshly with those who are even the least turned toward righteousness. Peter writes of Lot that he was a righteous man, yet his life does not give us encouragement in that direction.

It is true, however, that God does honor the smallest flicker of positive response to His offer of forgiveness. In Isaiah 42:3 and again in Matthew 12:20, Jesus says He will not “break a bruised reed nor quench a smoking flax till He sends forth justice to victory.” What this says to me, and I trust also to the reader, is that He does not demean or diminish the least flicker of faith that shows up in a person. That is the case with Lot; his righteousness is not readily visible, yet God knew his heart, and so does He know ours. At the end it is not the measure of our faith that makes the difference, for the Scriptures say, “If we believe not, yet He abides faithful, for He cannot deny Himself” (2 Timothy 2:13).

Finally, in the incessant drive to maintain and even increase abortions for any reason, or no reason, we can see the handiwork of Satan who seeks in all things to “only steal, kill, and destroy” everything which shows the hand of God in creation and was declared “good” when He finished it.

The future of mankind has two facets. In Romans 8:28 it says, “All things work together for good to those who love God and who are the called according to His purpose.” For those “who love God,” it will be great, but for those who do not love God, it will be total doom and disaster.

Contact email: andwegetmercy@gmail.com