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Sunday School

Lesson 22: Pre-Millennial Return of Christ, Overview

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David Capoccia

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Summary

The Bible teaches a premillennial return of Christ—that Jesus will return before establishing a thousand-year earthly kingdom. This doctrine is not peripheral but is rooted in the totality of Scripture, from Genesis to Revelation. We are reminded that God’s original mandate for mankind to rule the earth on His behalf was never revoked despite the Fall, and only the God-man Jesus Christ can fulfill that mandate.

Through a careful pyramid of biblical evidence—the Genesis kingdom mandate, Old Testament prophecies of a future earthly messianic kingdom, prophecies of imperfect conditions within that kingdom, New Testament affirmations, and the explicit statements of Revelation 20—we are shown that premillennialism is the eschatological view most consistent with all of Scripture.

Key Lessons:

  1. God’s original creation mandate for mankind to rule the earth was never revoked; Psalm 8 confirms it remains in effect despite the Fall, and only Jesus Christ can ultimately fulfill it.
  2. Old Testament prophets like Isaiah and Zechariah prophesied a future earthly kingdom of peace, righteousness, and prosperity ruled by the divine Messiah—prophecies that have not yet been fulfilled.
  3. Prophecies of imperfect conditions (sin, death, and punishment) within the messianic kingdom prove there must be two phases: a millennial kingdom followed by the perfect eternal state.
  4. The New Testament consistently affirms a future earthly kingdom, and Revelation 20 explicitly describes a thousand-year reign of Christ six times.

Application: We are called to study eschatology seriously rather than dismissing it, recognizing that what we believe about the end times shapes our hope, our daily conduct, and our worship. We should anchor our hope in Christ’s promised return and coming kingdom rather than in human efforts to perfect this world.

Discussion Questions:

  1. How does understanding that God’s kingdom mandate from Genesis 1 has never been revoked change the way you view Jesus’s future return and reign?
  2. Why is it important to let the Old Testament prophecies speak on their own terms rather than reinterpreting them through a spiritualized lens?
  3. How should the hope of Christ’s coming millennial kingdom practically affect the way you live, the decisions you make, and what you place your hope in?

Scripture Focus: Genesis 1:26-28 (the kingdom mandate), Psalm 8:4-6 (mandate reaffirmed), Isaiah 2:2-4, 9:6-7, 11:6-10, 25:7-8, 65:17-25 (Old Testament kingdom prophecies), Zechariah 14:1-21 (Messiah’s future victory and reign), Matthew 5:5, 19:28, Luke 21:31, Acts 1:6, Revelation 5:10, and Revelation 20:1-10 (the millennial kingdom explicitly described).

Outline

Introduction

Welcome back to our defending doctrinal distinctives Sunday school series in which your elders, your pastors at the church are going through the most controversial yet critical doctrines that we teach at this church that are part of our statement of faith. Allow me to pray as we begin.

Thank you, Skip. Heavenly Father, we love your word. We love your truth. We want to know it and if at all possible, be united in it. I pray that this class will be part of building that growth in knowledge and growth in unity at our church today. Give me the ability to explain, manage the time well, and give us the ability to understand and to give you glory for what you reveal in your word. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Okay, we are now in the last leg of our defending doctrinal distinctives course. We only have four more topics to discuss and then we have our last elder Q&A before the summer.

In today’s topic, we’re going into eschatology, the doctrine of last things, and specifically why the elders hold to premillennialism. That is a premillennial return of Christ. You see that in the Sunday school title.

Now, unless you’ve been around the church a while or just know eschatology, you might not know what a term like premillennialism means. It would be helpful as we begin to define that term and a few others.

When it comes to what God is going to do in the last days of the world, there are three main millennialism teachings: premillennialism, postmillennialism, and amillennialism.

Each of these terms is descriptive of a doctrinal position as to when Christ will return in relation to a promised 1,000-year kingdom. By the way, that’s where the term millennialism comes from. It comes from the word millennium, which means what? A thousand years.

So what do each of these terms mean? Premillennialism is the teaching that Christ will return pre, or before, the 1,000-year kingdom to set it up.

Postmillennialism is the teaching that Christ returns post, or after, the 1,000-year kingdom to finish it and usher in the eternal state.

Amillennialism teaches, well, what does the “a” or “a” prefix in English normally indicate? Not or without. So you think of terms like amoral, meaning without morals, or atypical, not typical.

So amillennialism teaches that Christ will return but without a 1,000-year kingdom. This is because, well, there are various explanations, but perhaps because Jesus’ kingdom is only spiritual or because it’s already here in the church.

Why Eschatology Matters

But which of these views is correct? The arguments over these doctrines have gone on for centuries.

Is the Bible even clear on the issue?

Does your millennialism even matter?

Why don’t we all just adopt what some have called a panmillennialist view? That would be: we know that Christ is coming back, but as for the details, we’ll just have to see how it pans out.

To be sure, what you believe about the end times is not an issue of your salvation. You do not need to be a premillennialist to be saved, nor do you need to be a premillennialist to be a member of this church.

But we must reject the idea that eschatology is not important, and for several reasons. I’ll mention a few to you.

One, if one adopts a proper and consistent hermeneutic for interpreting the Bible—hermeneutic just means method of interpretation—the Bible is clear on its teaching on eschatology. It doesn’t give us all the details necessarily that we would want, but it gives us enough. We do not need to throw up our hands in frustration and just say we can’t figure it out.

Two, the teaching of eschatology is all over the Bible. It is not confined to the book of Revelation. So to dismiss the doctrine of last things would be to ignore and distort much of God’s word.

“To dismiss the doctrine of last things would be to ignore and distort much of God’s word.”

Positively speaking, if God wrote so much to us about eschatology, he must want us to understand it. So we should try.

Three, what you believe about last things will have an appreciable impact on how you live your life and what hope you have for the future. Again, it’s not determinative of your salvation.

It’s not like you can’t be holy if you don’t have an accurate view of last things, but it’s going to affect you. After all, these eschatological passages in the Bible are always meant to instill in believers a purifying hope. They’re always meant to inspire hope, to give hope, even a hope that purifies.

So if you’re missing that hope, or if you’re hoping in something false, won’t your life be affected? This does have an impact.

Then fourth and finally, proper eschatology further reveals the glory of God and enables greater worship.

“These eschatological passages are always meant to instill in believers a purifying hope.”

So let us not be misled. We can and should understand what the Bible teaches regarding last things. And broadly speaking, what does the Bible teach?

The Premillennial Position Stated

Your pastors at Calvary are convinced that premillennialism is the eschatological view most consistent with the whole of scripture.

Here’s what is written in our statement of faith under the heading “The Second Coming and Millennial Reign.”

We teach that after the tribulation period—a period of judgments, the last judgments of the world—Christ will come to physically occupy the throne of David and establish his messianic kingdom for a thousand years on the earth. This reign will be preceded by the overthrow of the Antichrist and the false prophet and by the removal of Satan from the world.

“Christ will come to physically occupy the throne of David and establish his messianic kingdom for a thousand years.”

Here’s a helpful subpoint also from our statement.

We teach that the kingdom itself will be the fulfillment of God’s promise to Israel to restore them to the land which they forfeited through their disobedience. The result of their disobedience was that they were temporarily set aside, but will again be awakened through repentance to enter into the land of blessing.

Now, if you just paid attention to what was written on the screen, you’ll notice there’s a ton of scriptural references. I didn’t say them, but they’re there in the text.

If you notice, they’re not just confined to the book of Revelation or even the New Testament. They go into the Old Testament, even to the beginning books of the Old Testament. There’s a reference to Deuteronomy as part of supporting this position.

Why is that? It is because, as I want to emphasize again, if you pay attention to the totality of scripture and do not simply use a few passages to dominate or reinterpret the rest, you come up premillennialist in your understanding of eschatology.

“If you pay attention to the totality of Scripture, you come up premillennialist.”

Building a Pyramid of Support

Therefore, in overviewing this teaching of premillennialism for you today and giving you an overview of biblical support, I want to give to you the same argument that my theology professor gave to me. That man is Michael Vlach.

He has a number of helpful books and articles out there. We’re going to build a pyramid of support for premillennialism.

You see in parenthesis dispensational premillennialism. That’s to distinguish it from historic premillennialism. I’ll talk about those two types next week, but it’s easier if we talk about it as premillennialism today. They both say that Christ will come and then there will be the kingdom.

I know the writing of the pyramid on the right of your screen is probably a little hard to read from here. If you review the slides later, it will be more helpful. But on the left, you can see the five layers of support for this argument for a premillennialist point of view.

Starting from the broadest bottom layer, the argument for premillennialism is number one: the foundational Genesis kingdom mandate. Number two: Old Testament prophecy of a future earthly messianic kingdom. Number three: Old Testament prophecy of a future king of the future kingdom’s imperfect conditions.

Number four: New Testament prophecy of a future earthly messianic kingdom. And then number five: the millennial kingdom explicitly described in Revelation.

We’re going to look at these just to get an overview of this teaching and of its biblical support. Starting with the bottom layer, the foundational layer.

Layer 1: The Foundational Genesis Kingdom Mandate

The first support for premillennialism as the eschatological view most consistent with the Bible is the foundational kingdom mandate given in Genesis 1:26-28.

If you’d like, go ahead and turn to that passage, Genesis 1:26 and 28. We’re going to read those verses together.

We’ve been here recently. The things in Genesis 1:3 are very foundational, including this passage, Genesis 1:26-28.

It says, “Then God said, let us make man in our image, according to our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the sky, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” God created man in his own image. In the image of God he created him. Male and female he created them. God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

Here we are again at this key creation passage to discover what God always meant, always designed for mankind to be. What did God mean for man from the beginning? We read that God determines to make man in God’s image.

Genesis 1:28: “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and rule.”

Man is made like God in certain respects in man’s makeup. Man is made to relate to God and to relate to his fellow man. Man is created as a relational being and man is also made, as he is made in God’s image, to image forth who God is to the rest of the universe.

Yet taking a look at the text, what idea is most prominent in these verses as to God’s role for the image-bearing mankind?

Ruling. Ruling. Twice you see the word “rule” and then you also see the word “subdue.” If you’re using the New American Standard 95 translation, three times God mentions this intention for man to rule on God’s behalf. And this is immediately after God says, “Let us make man in our image and then let them rule.”

So this ruling aspect of God is going to be central in his image bearers. God is a ruler. His image bearers are going to rule as well. But rule what exactly?

“God is a ruler. His image bearers are going to rule as well.”

According to this text, what does God give man to rule?

Over everything on earth. It’s not like he commands Jupiter and Saturn and those types of things. It’s the earth, the sea, and all that’s in it, the creatures, the resources, etc.

So then in the very beginning, God specifically tasked man with ruling over the created world on God’s behalf. Man was to rule from the earth. It’s not like God said, “Sit here in heaven, and we’re just going to administrate earth from here.” No, you’re going to the earth. I’m going to place you on the earth, and you’re going to rule over the earth on my behalf to my glory.

How would man’s rule glorify God? Well, man would rule over the God-given domain in imitation of God, in obedience to God, and in joyful communion with God.

The Fall and Its Consequences

This is the foundational mandate for man. This is the kingdom mandate. But something happens to put a giant spanner in the works. What soon happens?

Sin. Man’s fall in just two chapters.

Genesis 3. Though God created man and women to be these image-bearing underrulers, the corruption of mankind’s heart by sin means that man could no longer rule in true imitation of obedience to and in joyful communion with God.

Worse, as Genesis 3:17-19 and Romans 8:20-21 clarify, the created world becomes cursed due to its underruler’s sin. Because of sin, because of this fall, the good world that God created is made subject to futility, pain, and death.

“The good world that God created is made subject to futility, pain, and death.”

God’s original design was compromised. His original underruling commission was failed.

So did God revoke his original mandate? Does he scrap plan A in having mankind rule for God and go to plan B, someone else, something other than man rule for God?

No. The Bible says explicitly somewhere else that God did not withdraw this original mandate. Where does the Bible say that?

Psalm 8: The Mandate Not Revoked

Psalm 8. If you’d like, go over to Psalm 8. We’re going to listen to a few verses from Psalm 8:4-6.

This is a psalm of David worshiping God for God’s giving such gracious care and position to mankind.

Listen to what David says in Psalm 8:4-6.

What is man that you take thought of him, and the son of man that you care for him?

Yet you have made him a little lower than God, and you crown him with glory and majesty. You make him to rule over the works of your hands. You have put all things under his feet.

Psalm 8:6: “You make him to rule over the works of your hands. You have put all things under his feet.”

Now, this is amazing. Notice the tense of Psalm 8:6. David says, “You, God, make him man to rule.” That’s present tense. Not you made him to rule, but then something bad happens and no more of that. No, you make him, you still cause him to rule.

Despite the fall, man still, amazingly, has this exalted position of underruler of the earth for God. He still has the mandate. Man still has the mandate to image forth God and righteous under rule on God’s behalf.

“Despite the fall, man still has the mandate to image forth God in righteous under-rule on God’s behalf.”

But doesn’t this fact introduce an unsolvable problem?

Clearly, Psalm 8 shows that the original kingdom mandate from Genesis 1 has not been revoked. Yet, Genesis 3 shows us that mankind by sin is unable to perfectly fulfill this mandate.

So, what now? Is God’s original purpose for mankind ultimately doomed to failure?

No. Why not?

That’s right.

Jesus Christ Fulfills the Mandate

All right. Glenda is saying that God’s not surprised by this. He has a plan. Arthur said the same thing. God has a plan. Well, a man is going to come who will fulfill the original Genesis 1 mandate and even Psalm 8. Who’s that man?

Jesus Christ, the lamb of God, the God-man. In Hebrews 2:5-8, the writer of Hebrews applies Psalm 8 to Jesus, noting how Jesus too was made for a little while lower than the angels, but has been crowned with glory and honor by his victorious cross and resurrection. And he will one day—he hasn’t yet, but will one day—see all things put in subjection under his feet.

So consider the implications of this. If Jesus is the fulfillment of Psalm 8 and by extension the original Genesis 1 mandate, then what must be true?

Premillennialism.

Only the God-man Jesus can fulfill the original kingdom mandate for man to rule perfectly from the earth over the earth on God’s behalf, even in such a way that restores the earth itself.

“Only the God-man Jesus can fulfill the original kingdom mandate for man to rule perfectly from the earth.”

So it is a matter of God’s fulfilled creation design that Jesus will come one day to set up an earthly kingdom and rule over a redeemed earth.

So the Genesis 1 kingdom mandate is the foundation of our argument for premillennialism.

Layer 2: Old Testament Prophecies of the Future Kingdom

But it’s not the only part. The next layer of support is Old Testament prophecies of the future earthly messianic kingdom. Only premillennialism fits the description of the kingdom as given by Old Testament prophets.

There are many prophets that we could go to for information and support on this topic. We don’t have time, so we’re just going to focus on two prophets this morning.

The book of Isaiah is filled with eschatological prophecies—prophecies of the last days. In these, God’s prophet foretells a coming earthly kingdom marked by worldwide dominion, peace, and prosperity, even the restoration of the world itself.

Over this kingdom, God’s Messiah himself reigns. That’s generally what Isaiah prophesies. But let’s look at a few passages together.

Isaiah 2: Worldwide Dominion and Peace

Listen, we got so many of these, so don’t bother turning there unless you’re really fast. Listen to Isaiah 2:2-4.

Now it will come about that in the last days the mountain of the house of the Lord, or literally the house of Yahweh, will be established as the chief of the mountains and will be raised above the hills. And the nations will stream to it and many peoples will come and say, “Come, let us go to the mountain of Yahweh, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us concerning his ways and that we may walk in his paths.”

For the law will go forth from Zion, and the word of Yahweh from Jerusalem. And he will judge between the nations and will render decisions for many peoples.

And they will hammer their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not lift up sword against nation, and never again will they learn war.

Okay, that was a lot of text. What did Isaiah just proclaim? What did God just proclaim through Isaiah? Well, a few things.

Isaiah 2:4: “They will hammer their swords into plowshares. Nation will not lift up sword against nation.”

There is a kingdom of worldwide dominion coming which is centered in Jerusalem.

It is a world kingdom in which many peoples—many peoples, so we’re talking about different nations—go to worship God in Jerusalem. And there is worldwide peace. There is no longer going to be war or even the learning of war anymore in that day.

Isaiah 9: The Divine Messiah King

Okay, that’s one passage. Let’s go to another. Isaiah 9:1-7.

This is a famous passage because of Christmas. We often read this passage at Christmas time. I’m going to skip over the Christmas section. It says many of the same things that we just read. But I’m not skipping over the total Christmas portion, just the first part of it.

The part I want to highlight to you is the part that identifies more specifically who will rule this coming kingdom. So this is Isaiah 9:6-7.

You’ll recognize these words: “For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us, and the government will rest on his shoulders, and his name will be called Wonderful Counselor, mighty God, eternal father, prince of peace.

There will be no end to the increase of his government or of peace on the throne of David and over his kingdom to establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness from then on and forever more.

Isaiah 9:7: “There will be no end to the increase of his government or of peace on the throne of David.”

The zeal of Yahweh of hosts will accomplish this.

From that specific text, we have again foretold a coming kingdom of peace and righteousness. Yet it is ruled by whom?

By God, but also a man. This man is also God. It says a son will be born to us. A child will be born. And yet he’s going to be called mighty God, eternal father.

“This man is also God. A child will be born, yet he’s called mighty God, eternal father.”

He’s also David’s descendant on the throne of David. It says he will rule.

And how long will his rule last?

Forever. Forever. So this is a prophecy of that special ruling Messiah coming who is a man. He is the seed of David.

Isaiah 11: Peace Among All Creation

Yet he is God. And he’s going to rule over this kingdom. He’s even going to bring this kingdom.

Another passage is Isaiah 11:1-16, another place foretelling Messiah’s righteous, worldwide, and prosperous rule in the future. Listen to what is specifically foretold in Isaiah 11:6-10.

Isaiah 11:6-10.

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And the wolf will dwell with the lamb and the leopard will lie down with the young goat and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together. And a little boy will lead them. Also, the cow and the bear will graze.

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Their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like an ox. The nursing child will play by the hole of the cobra, and the weaned child will put his hand on the viper’s den. They will not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of Yahweh as the waters cover the sea. Then in that day the nations will resort to the root of Jesse who will stand as a signal for the peoples and his resting place will be glorious.

This is pretty amazing. What does Isaiah prophesy here will happen one day in the future?

Even in the day of God’s coming kingdom, there will be peace even between the animals. Animals that would normally kill each other or run away from each other lie down together. Carnivorous animals like lions and bears eat straw and plants like herbivores.

Meanwhile, kids and babies will lead lions and cows and play with vipers. What on earth? Why? How?

Verse nine tells us: for the earth will be full of the knowledge of Yahweh.

Isaiah 11:9: “The earth will be full of the knowledge of Yahweh as the waters cover the sea.”

Nothing will hurt or destroy in the coming kingdom. For the root of Jesse, the seed of David, the Messiah has come and his resting place will be glorious.

Isaiah 11:11-16 describes what comes right after. The verses go on to describe how in this future day, the exiles of Israel and Judah that were scattered all over the world will return victoriously to their promised land. God, Isaiah says, will even dry up the Nile River.

He will dry up the Nile River so that whether people are coming back from Egypt or coming from Assyria on the other side of Israel, they will be completely unhindered in returning to their land.

Isaiah 25: Death Swallowed Up

But there’s more. Isaiah 25:6-9. Here God foretells the preparation of a lavish banquet, a lavish banquet of celebration for all peoples on his special mountain. And what is everyone celebrating? Well, I think you get a main portion of it in Isaiah 25:7-8.

Isaiah 25:7-8 it says, “And on this mountain, he God will swallow up the covering which is over all peoples, even the veil which is stretched over all nations. He will swallow up death for all time. And the Lord Yahweh will wipe away tears from all faces. And he will remove the reproach of his people from all the earth for Yahweh has spoken.

Isaiah 25:8: “He will swallow up death for all time. And the Lord Yahweh will wipe tears away from all faces.”

Amazing. What is this future celebration about on God’s holy mountain? What is the main thing that everyone is celebrating in Jerusalem?

Yeah. The end of sorrow and pain and more specifically the end of death. And for whom?

It says for all peoples, the veil that is over all nations, he’s getting rid of death forever.

That is stunning. These are stunning prophecies. Yet, this is only from the book of Isaiah.

Zechariah 14: God’s Victory at Jerusalem

I do want to show you one other prophet, Zechariah. We’re going to focus on his 14th chapter. I’ll paraphrase a lot of what he says and I’ll read a few sections to you.

In Zechariah 14:1-2, God foretells through Zechariah a coming day in the future in which all nations will gather in battle against Jerusalem. They will fight against Jerusalem and they will win. They will overcome the city.

At that point, all seems lost. The nations plunder the city. They ravish the women. They start carrying the people away. And then we read this in Zechariah 14:3-5.

Then Yahweh will go forth and fight against those nations as when he fights on a day of battle. And that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which is in front of Jerusalem on the east. And the Mount of Olives will be split in the middle from east to west by a very large valley, so that half the mountain will move toward the north and the other half toward the south.

You will flee by the valley of my mountains, for the valley of the mountains will reach to Azel. Yes, you will flee just as you fled before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah, king of Judah. Then Yahweh, my God, will come and all the holy ones with him.

So hear that. What happens to Jerusalem? What happens to Jerusalem in its darkest hour?

God himself shows up at the last minute to bring a total reversal. They’ve already been defeated. They’re being led away captive. But God says, “No, I’m not going to allow that to happen.”

We’re specifically told that God’s feet—does God have feet?—will specifically stand on the Mount of Olives, which miraculously splits in half to open a way for the people of Israel to escape.

“God himself shows up at the last minute to bring a total reversal.”

And that’s just the beginning of Zechariah 14. Zechariah 14:12-15 describes how the rest of the battle goes between God and the enemies of Israel. It says that God strikes Jerusalem’s enemies with a plague that causes these enemies to rot where they stand and to turn their weapons against one another.

Afterwards, the people of Judah gather incredible plunder. Then after the battle, God transforms Jerusalem and its surrounding lands.

Zechariah 14:8 says that rivers will begin to flow out from Jerusalem both east and west. There are no rivers that flow from Jerusalem right now. Zechariah 14:10 says, “The area around Jerusalem, which is presently hilly, will be turned into a plane, while Jerusalem itself will rise in elevation like a mountain.”

And this will be the beginning of a new holy kingdom in which God himself reigns. Zechariah 14:9 says: And Yahweh will be king over all the earth. In that day, Yahweh will be the only one. In his name, the only one.

Zechariah 14:9: “Yahweh will be king over all the earth. In that day, Yahweh will be the only one.”

According to Zechariah 14:16-19, the survivors of the enemy nations will themselves come up to worship in Jerusalem during a reestablished feast of booths. These are non-Jews coming up to Jerusalem for the feast of booths.

Meanwhile, according to Zechariah 14:20-21, Jerusalem will become so holy to God that even its regular cooking pots and horses will be considered holy, consecrated for sacred use.

Amazing.

The Combined Witness of Isaiah and Zechariah

But are you getting the picture from these two prophets? Just two prophets.

Both Isaiah and Zechariah prophesied that there is an awesome kingdom of righteousness, peace, and prosperity coming, an earthly kingdom.

Yet, it is the divine Messiah who brings it and rules over it. Only after Jerusalem is defeated in the final battle does Messiah arrive to save and rule. His rule extends across the whole earth to renew the earth and direct all peoples to God.

“It is the divine Messiah who brings the kingdom and rules over it. His rule extends across the whole earth.”

Has such a prophesied kingdom arrived yet?

No. But it will, just as premillennialism teaches.

I’ve just sampled two Old Testament prophets for you. I haven’t mentioned the land or kingdom promises given through the patriarchs, through Moses, or through David.

Yet, hopefully, from just these two prophets, you can see why Old Testament prophecy supports a premillennial view. I argue that this is the only view that adequately accepts these kinds of prophecies from the Old Testament.

Answering the Figurative Interpretation

But here’s what someone might ask: How do these prophecies that you cite are meant to be taken literally? Couldn’t we, for instance, take the prophecies of animals lying down together as just figurative, figuratively foretelling the peace that Jesus will bring between previously feuding peoples by his gospel?

My quick answer to that question is proper use of a literal hermeneutic, which I argued for in the first lesson of our Sunday school series. Always take the plain sense unless a passage clearly indicates a figurative sense, because then that becomes the plain sense.

You start literal and you go figurative if the passage itself indicates that. If you start with these Old Testament prophecies, you don’t get a figurative sense. The clues in the passage indicate a literal sense, though there might be metaphors along the way. The plain sense is a literal sense.

“Proper hermeneutics always takes the plain sense unless a passage clearly indicates a figurative sense.”

It’s only when you start in the New Testament and then read gospel concepts back into the Old Testament that you get a figurative sense.

Now, some people think that’s justified. We’ve argued that that is not justified. That is not a proper or consistent biblical hermeneutic.

Furthermore, as you might even be able to gather from the text I shared with you, these prophecies are way too detailed to make sense otherwise. What is the point of these different details? Is that just poetic flourishes if these just refer to general spiritual realities?

Layer 3: Imperfect Conditions in the Future Kingdom

Finally, a certain aspect of these Old Testament prophecies, particularly Isaiah and Zechariah, makes a spiritualized interpretation impossible.

What is that aspect? It’s the third layer of our argument for premillennialism: Old Testament prophecy of imperfect conditions in the Messiah’s future kingdom.

This point may surprise you, but it is clear and extremely instructive.

“Old Testament prophecy of imperfect conditions in the Messiah’s future kingdom is clear and extremely instructive.”

We’re going back to Isaiah and Zechariah.

Isaiah 65: Long Life Yet Still Death

And one passage you haven’t seen yet and one that you have. In Isaiah 65:17-25, we get another section of prophecy about God’s coming kingdom, the Messiah’s coming kingdom. In verses 17-18, God says that he’s creating new heavens and a new earth for his people’s joy.

Okay, we’re definitely talking eschatological, right? This is kingdom. And in verse 19, God says that weeping will cease in Jerusalem. In Isaiah 65:21-22, God says that his people will dwell in their land peacefully and they will never fear losing their homes and possessions again.

In verse 23, God says that his people will no longer miscarry in pregnancy. And in verses 24-25, God says that all animals will be at peace with one another, just like we read earlier from another passage in Isaiah. No one will do evil or harm in his holy mountain anymore.

So this is just like what we read earlier. We’re clearly talking about the coming messianic kingdom, the kingdom of God and its abundant righteousness, prosperity, and peace. But I left out verse 20. In the middle of this last section of Isaiah 65, we read this in Isaiah 65:20.

Isaiah 65:20: “The youth will die at the age of 100, and the one who does not reach 100 will be thought cursed.”

Okay, this is another amazing prophecy. What is it that God foretells here?

Okay, we’ll get to that. Lea mentioned there’s still death. But before we mention that, what’s different? Still super long lifespans kind of like at the beginning. No longer will someone be said to die young if he dies around 18. But around what age?

100. Only the person who dies at 100 will be considered to have died a tragic death, even one probably cursed by God in judgment. And that is amazing because if someone died at 100 today, what would we think about that person’s life?

What an amazing gift. He got to live to 100. What a long life. But the opposite will be true in this coming kingdom. If somebody dies at 100, because people are living so long, dying at 100 will be a sign of being cursed.

Yet, if we think more carefully about this, such incredibly lengthened lifespans must be a sign of a renewed world. And that could only happen under God’s Messiah. But there’s still problems that apparently exist in this new recreated world. And Leo already mentioned one. We have death and if there’s any cursing involved, sin.

Because what is the implied cause of this early death? Someone has been cursed by God presumably as a result of sin.

So death and sin will exist in Christ’s coming kingdom.

“Death and sin will exist in Christ’s coming kingdom.”

Zechariah 14: Disobedience and Plague in the Kingdom

Let’s hear from Zechariah again too.

Back in Zechariah 14, I mentioned before that Zechariah 14:16-19 foretells that the survivors of the nations after the last battle against Jerusalem, Armageddon, will worship each year at Jerusalem’s feast of booths.

Yet notice the telling contingency in that prophecy, Zechariah 14:16-19.

Then it will come about that any who are left of all the nations that went against Jerusalem will go up from year to year to worship the King Yahweh of Hosts and to celebrate the feast of booths. And it will be that whichever of the families of the earth does not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King Yahweh of Hosts, there will be no rain on them.

If the family of Egypt does not go up or enter, then no rain will fall on them.

It will be the plague with which Yahweh smites the nations who do not go up to celebrate the feast of booths. This will be the punishment of Egypt and the punishment of all the nations who do not go up to celebrate the feast of booths.

Did you hear what Zechariah just said?

He said that after the Christ, after the Messiah sets up his kingdom and requires that all families of the earth go up yearly to Jerusalem for the feast of booths, there is a possibility that some families may disobey and choose not to come.

“There is a possibility that some families may disobey and choose not to come.”

Just to make sure we’re clear, disobedience to a command from the Messiah like this would be what?

Sin.

And God says such sinful disobedience will be punished with a plague from God.

What plague?

No rain. No rain.

What does this mean? In God’s future messianic kingdom, there will still be sin and therefore plague-like punishments from God for that sin.

“In God’s future messianic kingdom, there will still be sin and plague-like punishments for that sin.”

Side note: which nation or family is highlighted as an example of one that might receive this plague of no rain?

Egypt. Does that strike you as odd?

Why?

Because Egypt was watered by the Nile.

Exactly, Jonathan. In ancient times, Egypt would have totally shrugged off a plague of no rain. They’d be like, “Rain? No rain? No problem. We’ve got the Nile. It’s so constant. We get all the water we need from the Nile.”

But what if God dried up the Nile or greatly diminished the Nile like Isaiah foretells?

How dependent on rain would Egypt become then?

Very dependent. And a plague like this would be quite significant for them.

But let’s not miss the main point. We’ve got two passages for the messianic kingdom, both indicating that even though there are wonderful new things happening, sin, death, and plague will still exist, though greatly mitigated.

This fact is a fundamental problem for those who want to spiritualize these prophecies to just be about the new covenant blessings of believers. Because after all, why would sin, death, and curse be part of our promised inheritance in Christ, our spiritual inheritance?

This fact is also a fundamental problem for those who want to interpret these prophecies in the Old Testament as just referring to the eternal state. “Oh, this is after Christ comes. There’s no kingdom. This is just we’re going into eternity.” That cannot refer to the final state of all things because we’ve got clear imperfections there.

We’ve got death. We’ve got sin.

Yet didn’t we read earlier from Isaiah that God would swallow up death once and for all for all peoples? And did not God say that the earth would be filled with the knowing of him so that no one hurt anyone else anymore?

How do we reconcile these passages indicating imperfect conditions in the coming kingdom, though a lot better than they are right now, with totally perfect conditions?

Two Phases of Christ’s Kingdom

There’s only one possible answer.

Christ’s coming kingdom has two phases.

There is a first phase of a thousand years which we call the millennial kingdom in which Jesus rules from the earth, restores the earth and enforces righteousness and peace while sin, death and plague still exist but in muzzled form.

And then there is the second phase which we often call the eternal state which has no end in which Jesus continues to rule from the earth with his people but the earth and its people are absolutely perfect.

“There is a first phase of a thousand years, then a second phase—the eternal state—with no end.”

For sin, death and curse have been completely done away with.

Now the Old Testament prophets don’t distinguish between phase one and phase two when talking about the coming kingdom because it is all the coming kingdom. So these prophets are not being deceptive.

But let’s get the main point. Only the premillennial view, a view that sees Christ coming back right before the kingdom, is consistent with these prophecies of not quite yet perfect conditions in the kingdom in the first phase of the kingdom.

Layer 4: New Testament Prophecies of the Future Kingdom

Right? We’ve gone through three layers of support in our argument. We come to the fourth layer. The fourth layer of support for premillennialism is New Testament prophecies which foretell a future and earthly messianic kingdom.

We can only sample some of the verses here. There are way too many to cover. Let me give you a flavor. In Matthew 5:5, the Beatitudes, Jesus famously declares that the gentle shall inherit the earth.

Again, two parts of that simple statement.

Believers, the gentle, they have an inheritance, but it’s not yet. It’s future. They shall inherit. And what is it they will inherit? Not heaven, the earth.

“Believers have an inheritance, but it’s future. And what will they inherit? Not heaven—the earth.”

In Matthew 19:28, Jesus promised his disciples, “Truly I say to you that you who have followed me in the regeneration when the son will sit on his glorious throne you also shall sit upon 12 thrones judging the 12 tribes of Israel.”

Just from this statement, notice again we have Jesus describing his kingdom as future, coming after an event of special regeneration. After this event, his disciples will reign with him, even over Israel, judging—that means you are reigning over the 12 tribes of Israel.

In Luke 21:31, right after Jesus gives the Olivet discourse and foretells the coming of the son of man in the last days and all the judgments that will take place in association with that, Jesus says, “So you also when you see these things happening, recognize that the kingdom of God is near.”

Now get that. Even in the final judgments of the world, Jesus clarifies that his kingdom is not yet come, but at that time it is near. When future believers see those judgments, they are seeing signs of his coming that it is near.

That kingdom is not yet, but it is coming and it will come after those judgments.

Acts 1:6 — The Disciples’ Expectation Confirmed

And then pretty significant one, Acts 1:6.

So this verse is after Jesus has risen from the dead and appeared to his disciples over a period of 40 days. Acts 1:3 says that Jesus gave them many convincing proofs and he spoke to his disciples the things concerning the kingdom of God.

Over those 40 days, he spoke to them the things concerning the kingdom of God.

In verse 6, the disciples asked Jesus a question: “Lord, is it at this time you are restoring the kingdom to Israel?”

This is a telling question since it indicates the disciples’ expectations even after having been taught about the kingdom of God over 40 days. What is their expectation?

That Jesus the Messiah himself was in the future, perhaps shortly in the future, going to restore and inaugurate an earthly kingdom in Israel.

Now, you could say, “All right, that’s the disciples’ expectation, but they are mistaken.” Well, we should expect the disciples to be well informed by this point. Jesus was raised from the dead. He specifically spoke to them about the kingdom of God over these 40 days.

Furthermore, Jesus’ reply in verses 7 to 8 is not one of rebuke or correction. You guys still think I’m bringing an earthly kingdom in the future even after I’ve recently instructed you? Come on.

No. But he does redirect their question.

His response essentially is: it’s not for you to know the exact timing of the Father’s plans. Focus on being my faithful witnesses.

“It’s not for you to know the exact timing. Focus on being my faithful witnesses.”

So this exchange with Jesus and his disciples fits right in with the premillennial understanding and the expectations from the Old Testament.

Revelation 5:10 — Reigning Upon the Earth

Finally, in Revelation 5:10, when Christ is about to open the sealed judgments and initiate his takeback of the earth, the four living creatures before God’s throne say this of believers: “You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God, and they will reign upon the earth.”

Listen to what the living creatures say. They say that presently the saints comprise a kingdom and priesthood. Yet these believers are not yet reigning.

Why not? Because the Messiah’s earthly kingdom is not yet established. Yet the creatures say that these saints will reign upon the earth.

So even in Revelation 5:10, at the beginning of the seal judgments, we have indication that Jesus’ kingdom is still future, but it is going to be an earthly kingdom in which his saints reign with him.

“Jesus’ kingdom is still future, but it is going to be an earthly kingdom in which his saints reign with him.”

To sum up, we have New Testament prophecy entirely consistent with Old Testament prophecy and the Genesis 1 kingdom mandate. The Messiah himself will come before the promised kingdom to establish it on the earth and reign with his saints.

Layer 5: The Millennial Kingdom in Revelation 20

So, as we now reach the top of our argument pyramid, its support is no surprise at all. The fifth support for premillennialism is the explicit statements regarding the millennial kingdom and its duration in Revelation 20.

Why don’t you take your Bibles? We can look at this one together.

Revelation 20:1-10.

Before we read, we do need to note the context.

Revelation 20:1-10.

The Sequence of Revelation 19–20

If you look at the previous chapter, just glance, starting in Revelation 19:11, the Apostle John recounts a sequence of events that he beholds in a vision comprising Christ’s bodily return to the earth and Christ’s victory over his enemies.

If you notice in verse 11, John says, “And I saw,” what did he see? He sees the exalted Christ come to earth bodily, ready for battle.

Then verse 17, John says, “Then I saw,” what did he see? He saw the birds being gathered to eat the flesh of soldiers and kings soon to fall.

Verse 19, John says, “And I saw,” what did he see? He sees the Antichrist and his allies and their armies assembling to make war with Christ and his followers.

But what happens? The Antichrist is seized and thrown alive into the lake of fire along with the false prophet.

And what happens to the rest of the Antichrist army? They’re slain by a mere word of the Lord. Slain by the sword of his mouth.

“The Antichrist’s army is slain by a mere word of the Lord—the sword of his mouth.”

Revelation 20:1. Then John says, “Then I saw.”

Revelation 20:1-10 — A Thousand Years, Six Times

That phrase indicates we’re just continuing the sequence that Revelation 19 was describing. Now let’s read Revelation 20:1-10.

Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven holding the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who was the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. And he threw him into the abyss and shut it and sealed it over him so that he would not deceive the nations any longer until the thousand years were completed.

After these things, he must be released for a short time. Then I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was given to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony of Jesus, and because of the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark in their forehead and on their hand, and they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.

The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years are completed. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection. Over these the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and will reign with him for a thousand years.

When the thousand years are completed, Satan will be released from his prison, and will come out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together for the war, a number of them as like the sand of the seashore. And they came up on the broad plain of the earth, and surrounded the camp of the saints, and the beloved city, and fire came down from heaven and devoured them.

And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are also and they’ll be tormented day and night forever and ever.

Did you catch everything that happens here?

In verses 1-3, before the millennial kingdom begins, Satan is sealed away. He’s sealed away for a thousand years, no longer to deceive the nations for that duration of time.

Then in verses 4-6, there is the first resurrection which tribulation saints are resurrected to reign with Christ for a thousand years. And they do just that. The text says they reign with Christ for a thousand years.

In verses 7-10, we learn that after the thousand-year reign is complete, Satan is released to stir up one final rebellion on the earth. One final rebellion of mankind, which God easily crushes. Satan himself is then thrown into the lake of fire to be tormented forever.

By the way, how many times did the text here say a thousand years?

Six times. Six times it says a thousand years. This is the only text in the Bible that gives the exact duration of the first phase of Christ’s kingdom.

“Six times it says a thousand years. This is the only text giving the exact duration of Christ’s kingdom.”

There are some other new details here about the last days. Yet doesn’t all this fit exactly with what we’ve seen even today from the Old Testament and New Testament about Christ’s coming kingdom?

The order of Revelation 19 and 20 fits in perfectly. First Christ returns, then he reigns with his saints on the earth.

And what comes afterwards? The final judgment, the eternal state.

Summary of the Pyramid Argument

Therefore, to repeat what I said earlier, the elders of Calvary hold to a premillennial return of Christ because this view best fits the esqueological expectation of the whole Bible. We have the we we begin with the kingdom mandate of Genesis 1:26-28 that only Christ can fulfill on behalf of mankind. Then we see Old Testament prophecy of a future earthly messianic kingdom.

But within that prophecy, we see thirdly prophecy of not quite perfect conditions of that messianic kingdom because there’s an intermediate phase within that kingdom, a first phase before everything is made perfect. It’s made better and then it’s made perfect.

Then fourthly, we have New Testament prophecy of a future earthly messianic kingdom. And then finally, we have the explicit statements of Revelation 21:10.

All of these lead us to a premillennial understanding of Christ’s return.

Christ returns first and then he sets up his kingdom.

So, this ends my overview of the doctrine and of its biblical support.

Next week, I will come back to address follow-up questions and objections related to this doctrine. We have a few minutes here. So, I’ll take some questions or comments that you might have right now. But if there’s something you don’t mention now or that I’m not able to answer, please let me know about your question right after class.

I need to meet with the baptism candidates. So, I won’t have time to talk to you, but you can submit me an email or if you see me later in the service, you can ask me a question there so I have time prepared. Please submit submit that to me by Wednesday so I have adequate amount of time. All right, comments and questions. Leela, question.

Q&A: Israel and the Church

No microphone. I’ll just repeat your question.

Is Israel not part of the church? Are they separate?

Great question. Is Israel not part of the church?

This is a delineating question between a premillennial understanding and nonpremillennial understandings. Those who say that the church and Israel are the same, whether they overlap, are probably not premillennial.

Premillennialism takes the Bible at its word in saying that God has certain things that he’s promised to Israel which he has not promised the church.

Collectively, they are the people of God. Something that’s very interesting to me is that in the book of Revelation where it talks about the bride and the wedding supper, it does not say that the bride is the church. Nor does it say that the bride is Israel. It’s just the people of God at that point.

Right now, the church does have some of Israel in it. Believing Israel is part of the church. They are the first fruits, but Israel is not the church.

There were true believers in Israel in the Old Testament. There will be Israel nationally brought back to repentance in the last days. But the church, this assembly of redeemed believers in Christ, is a special thing that God is doing between his first coming and his second coming.

In this module talking about premillennialism, I’m not addressing the rapture specifically. We’ll come back to that in a later lesson. But the rapture is essentially the removal of the church from the earth.

The people of God who then come to faith are essentially allied with Israel and persecuted along with her. So yes, the church and Israel are separate. God has certain promises to Israel which have yet to be fulfilled and are not fulfilled in the church.

“God has certain things promised to Israel which he has not promised the church.”

Though the church has an interest in those things.

But there are many, as Paul says in the scriptures, who are of Israel who are not of Israel. That is, they are not going to inherit these promises because they do not believe.

They will instead inherit the judgment of God. So we’ll probably say more about that later, but that is a very important question. Glenda, great question.

What does Paul mean when he says all Israel will be saved? That’s from Romans. It’s really a reference to the idea that I just mentioned to you: nationally, there is coming a day in the future in which you can say the people of Israel as a whole believe in God.

Now, does that mean every single person of Israel at that time? Maybe not necessarily. There are some who come under God’s judgment for sin. There may be some ethnic Jews at that time who come under that situation.

But nationally speaking, generally speaking, broadly speaking, all the people of Israel, all the Jews will be saved. They will be saved because they repent and they receive their Messiah in the last day. That’s what Paul is speaking about there.

Let me go to Jonathan and then Arthur.

Okay, great question, Jonathan. Referring to Revelation 20:4, there seems like a distinction between different groups as to who will be resurrected and who won’t be. Will all believers be resurrected after Christ comes and before the kingdom is set up, or will only some of them be resurrected?

Okay, this is going to take a little bit longer explanation than I have time for right now because it’s associated with the rapture. There are different texts in the scriptures that clarify that when Jesus comes to snatch away his people, those who have died will not be left behind but they will be resurrected at that time too.

But then we have this reference here to resurrection of what are tribulation saints. I don’t think we should understand those two descriptions—those who are being beheaded and those who did not receive the mark—as two different groups of people. Those are just two different descriptors of the same group. These both apply to tribulation saints.

But what we’re seeing is that at the rapture, you have all the dead in Christ raised. Everybody goes to be with the Lord and they receive resurrected bodies. But then you have people who died after that—the tribulation saints—and they didn’t experience their resurrection.

What John is telling us here in Revelation 20:4 is that when Christ comes and establishes his kingdom, that’s when they are raised and they reign with Christ for a thousand years. Now, it says the rest of the dead did not come to life. We’re talking about unbelievers because when we get to Revelation 20:11 where we begin the great white throne judgment, the last judgment, verse 12 says, “And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne.”

So this is the second resurrection according to Revelation 20. This is the one you don’t want to be a part of. This is the resurrection of the unbelieving dead. Their resurrection is a resurrection under judgment, not a resurrection unto life.

Arthur.

Q&A: Eschatology and Its Practical Impact

Yeah.

It has to do with our president.

Okay.

My belief is right now he’s surrounded by religious leaders that do not hold—and I wrote it down because it’s easy for me that way—and that they adhere to this idea of a spiritual war theology. Based on that belief, they’re fighting for what is now being described as American Christianity.

I’m just curious if that could be a sign of some Christians taking the mark.

They hold to this view that does not hold to premillennialism, a view that holds that the kingdom of God is going to be established by Christians without Christ on earth.

Okay. He’ll come and take over.

Okay. Yeah. Actually, I think you’re getting at something that’s worth talking about and something I hope to come back and talk about next time. Your question relates to some of the Christian advisers around the president who don’t seem to be premillennialist but, as you say, hold to a kind of spiritual war theology and are therefore promoting and looking to establish a type of—you didn’t use these words—but a Christian nationalism, an American Christianity, and having that be officially part of the government or even part of military action.

I do think there is a connection between a resurgence of postmillennialism today and increased efforts towards what’s sometimes called theonomy, trying to institute biblical laws in nations of the world, and Christian nationalism.

This is again why eschatology is important because it informs some of the goals of your life and what you are working towards. Postmillennialism is historically associated with government activism and social action. It’s not that Christians are to be totally separate from those things, but those do seem to be associated with those things.

I need to do a little bit more research into this, but it does seem like we do have some people who are even in positions of power and authority in the American government who do have postmillennial ideas. It may be coming out a little bit in some government decisions, but I need to do a little bit more research about that.

The main point of what I want to share with you is that eschatology does affect how you live and what you hope in. We’ll come back and talk a little bit more about implications of other eschatological views and even premillennialism next time.

All right, that’s it for our time today.

“Eschatology is important because it informs the goals of your life and what you are working towards.”

Again, if you have other questions, please let me know by Wednesday. I have to scoot right after Sunday school, so catch me later. But allow me to close our time in a word of prayer.

Closing Prayer

Heavenly Father, we thank you for the teaching of your word, which we do believe is clear, that Christ will come and he will bring the kingdom. He’s the only one who can. We can’t establish this kingdom and things are not going to get better and better through our efforts.

Though God, if you grant, Lord of the harvest, if you grant a revival of souls, we welcome that. We do look for renewal in different parts of the earth. But your word says that things will get worse and worse before the coming until you make everything right.

Lord, we look forward to your kingdom. Jesus, come. Come, Lord Jesus. We welcome your coming. We want to be with you. We want to see you establish your kingdom on the earth.

Grant us greater understanding and unity about these things if you will, God. And bless the rest of the service today in Jesus’ name. Amen.

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