The Great Consumation by Arthur Carver
THE GREAT CONSUMMATION
BY ARTHUR CARVER
A new enquiry into the Doctrine of the Second Advent being an Examination of every relevant passage in the New Testament, Including:?- A searching analysis of the Prophetic Teachings of the Scofield bible Two Phases or One?
- The Millennium?the teaching of Christ and the Apostles
- The Covenants?Meaning and Fulfilment
- The Throne and House of David
- The restoration of Israel?How and When?
- The rebuilding of the Temple
- Judgement Seat of Christ and the Great Judgement
- Interpretation of O.T. Prophecy?and Sure Apostolic Example
- Revelation 20?A searching Examination and Exposition
- Completely New Exposition of the Hebrew Epistle
- False Sects?Their Common Basic Error and the Bible's Answer
- A Book for every Bible Student and "All who love His Appearing"
The Illuminating Power of the Sacred Scriptures in presenting this book to the public the author asks two things of the reader.
First, an open mind
A willingness to consider and weigh an exposition of scripture that may differ from that now held and to honestly search for truth.
Second, an open Bible
This book must be read with the Bible at its side. It is all about the Bible and nothing else, with scores of passages examined and expounded.
Bible Classes and study groups will find abundant material for many months of helpful discussion.
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Chapter 1
Three schools contest the field, and, because of the prominence in the controversy of the "thousand years" passage in Revelation 20, they have been labelled according to their interpretation of the Coming in relation to "the thousand years".
First, pre-millennialists, giving a literal interpretation to the O.T. prophecies of the Covenant Throne of David and the Restoration of Israel, have reasoned thus: "If these things are to be, and this present age knows them not, ending in judgement at the Second Advent, then they must be fulfilled after the Advent". Then, the post-millennialists, also giving an earthly (though not literal) interpretation to the O.T. prophecies, argue that, as the Advent will be Final, bringing the end of the world, the Kingdom must precede the Advent, and find its realisation in the triumph of Christianity.
So the theories diverge, a divergence that increases with every detail of the two schemes, because of the fatal idea of an earthly Kingdom. But A-millennialism provides the sovereign remedy by showing that, if the first truths of each school are established (as above), then the obvious ground of reconciliation is the great truth of the Present Heavenly Kingdom, set up when God raised His Son from the dead and set Him on Zion's Hill, from whence He is fulfilling in His People all the promised Covenant blessings of the Psalms and the Prophets. This Kingdom does not convert the world, but, through its members still on earth, wars against the Kingdom of evil right to the end, calling out men into the Heavenly Kingdom. The Second Advent will bring its final consummation. Thus, the fundamental truths of pre- and post-millennialism are welded together in one N.T. doctrine of the End. At the same time, the errors of both schools are rejected. The post-millennial idea of a converted world" is held to be without N.T. authority. while the pre-millennial idea of a post-Advent Kingdom on this earth where sin and death still are known, is utterly alien to every line of apostolic writings.
Thus A-millennialism, rejecting the errors of both systems, and uniting the truths of both in the unbreakable bond of the Heavenly Kingdom, presents the student with a view of the Advent that commends itself to mind and heart. It is both scriptural and intelligent. Messiah's Kingdom is NOW; the Church of Christ is the supreme and final manifestation of the wisdom and power of God in the redemption of man. In this Church. all the great redemptive acts and Covenants of the Old Economy find their realisation. This is the one great Eternal People of God, on earth and in heaven, reigned over by their Glorious Prince Messiah. The grand panorama of O.T prophecy finds its fulfilment in the incomparable realities of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Ghost through the Gospel of Messiah's triumph over sin, death and hell. We shall show how this is confirmed and sealed by every utterance of those who were anointed of God to expound the meaning of the O.T. Scriptures?our Lord and His apostles.
So A-millennialism proclaims there will be no 1,000 years' Kingdom on this earth, the glorious vision of Revelation 20 finding its fulfilment in the present reign of Jesus Messiah over His People in heaven and on earth. There will be no return to the O1d Economy and earthly Israelitish favour. This age of Salvation is the final Age, terminated by the Advent which ushers in the resurrection and judgement of all mankind?then the eternal age.
The great names in theology have, throughout history, been associated with the A-millennial or post-millennial view?Augustine, Calvin and the Puritans. (Spurgeon named the first two as "the only truly great men since Paul". "The Golden Age of Theology", he described Puritanism.) The latter half of the 19th Century saw a revival of pre-millennialism. It might be interesting to ponder how far this resulted from reaction against Higher Criticism. The advocates of this school of "unfaith" leaned wholly (where they had eschatological views) to post-millennialism. One of the powerful arguments of evangelicals against them was the literal fulfilment of O.T. prophecies against the great nations that were contemporaries of ancient Israel. The literal fulfilment of these prophecies may have been a powerful factor in influencing the minds of many towards a literal conception of prophecies concerning Israel and the Last Days, and so helped to arouse the strong tide of pre-millennial thought that swept a considerable portion of the evangelical church.
Concurrent with this, an altogether new phase of prophetic teaching came into being within Fundamentalism, known as dispensationalism or futurism. Throughout Church history the Advent had always been regarded as one great climactic event. Whether taught by Christ or the apostles, the event was one and the same, bringing deliverance to the People of God and destruction to the wicked. But the 19th Century saw the rise of a strange new school of thought, resulting from the teachings of J. N. Darby (Footnote 1), founder of the Plymouth Brethren. Literalism in the interpretation of O.T. prophecy was now pressed to extremes, whilst the N.T. became subjected to a system of "dispensationalising" which had never before been heard of. Some parts of the N.T. were the Church, others for "the Jew". The Coming of the Lord was not an event, but a series of events. First, there was event related to the Christian Church, taking it secretly away from this earth. Sections of the N.T. related wholly to this event. There followed "The Great Tribulation" on earth, to which time other portions of the N.T. (chiefly the larger part of Revelation) are designated. Next comes the Glorious Appearing of Christ to Israel and the world, (generally asserted to be seven years after the "first" Second Coming) followed by certain judgements and the millennial reign. The whole scheme winds up with a further Satanic revolt, another, 'Coming', of the Lord, and the setting up of the Final judgement, at which, only the ungodly appear. To quote Alexander Reese: "This new school arose within the fold of pre-millennialism seeking to overthrow what, since the apostolic age, had been considered by all pre-millennialists as established results, and to institute in their place a WHOLE SERIES OF DOCTRINES THAT HAD NEVER BEEN HEARD OF BEFORE." (Approaching Advent. p.19) doctrines from? (Footnote 2)
The amazing way these ideas gained acceptance in evangelical circles is one of the most astonishing events in the evangelical world. The advance was greatly aided by the development of Movements such as the Keswick Convention (which has been almost entirely Futuristic in its outlook) and the Advent Testimony Movement (Footnote 3) which is founded on the modern theories. The rise of new evangelical denominations has also helped in the popularity of this school. Movements like the Pentecostal work originated with men who, to a very large extent, were preachers of Brethren eschatology. Adherents of this one Movement are estimated to number nearly 15,000,000, and, although some of its founders and early leaders later abandoned their Futurist views, the teachings remained with their followers.
Today, there is a strong Movement in reverse. The lurid charts setting out the dispensational scheme which were an essential part of the armoury of countless dispensational lecturers in the decades between the world wars, have now well-nigh disappeared. So many prophetic theories have proved to be just flights of fancy and sensational guess work, that many thoughtful students have turned to a fresh study of the Scriptures, with the result that they have seen, not only the foolishness of the extravagances that have characterised pre-millennialism, but also the fundamental error of the whole idea. Such was the experience of the author.
For over twenty years I believed and preached pre-millennialism. What made me a pre-millennialist? Purely and simply, it was human instruction. My youth was cast in evangelical circles where there was great enthusiasm for Advent Testimony meetings, and "The Second Coming" was seldom absent from sermons and conversations. "In the twinkling of an eye" (Sydney Watson (Footnote 4)) was early thrust into my hands as "the book of the century", whilst I was made to feel that the one indispensable necessity to a full and proper understanding of Scripture was to possess a Scofield Bible and devotedly study its notes. This I did with all eagerness, so that dispensationalism became part parcel of "the Faith", and an part of true Christianity. To deny it was akin to "modernism", and marked out the offender as of doubtful standing. Thus my mind was closed to true Bible study (along this particular line) from early days. Everything was read and judged according to the mould into which my mind had been cast. This is true of multitudes of believers all over the world today. It may be true of you as you read these lines. If so, may the very realisation of this fact lead to the opening of your mind to consider the doctrine set forth in the following chapters.
The years preceding the Second world War were years of contention in evangelical circles on the prophetic question. The older pre-millennial view generally called the Historicist or Protestant Historical view, gained wider acceptance and large numbers of those who had held to the dispensational ideas of a two-phased Advent and a future Great Tribulation with a personal anti-Christ reigning over the world, abandoned them for more traditional Protestant eschatology. This happened to me through the reading of vigorous Protestant literature and that excellent book by Alexander Reese, "The Approaching Advent of Christ" But the central idea of an earthly millennial Kingdom remained, being fundamental to the Historicist school. Had someone. in those days. confronted me with the a-millennial view. and opened the vast field of Scripture that so powerfully presents that truth, I might have embraced it then; but no such help was nigh.
Gradually, however, I began to feel the challenge of Scripture to the position I held. In my constant, consecutive daily reading and study of the Bible, I became forced to ask again and again: "If this Scripture means what it appears to say, then where can the millennium be?" The judgement of Matthew 25 sent many a cold shiver down my spine as I tried to weigh up the idea of nations being judged entire (Christians, atheists, rationalists, spiritists, etc.), whilst the final words, "these shall go away into everlasting punishment. but the righteous into life eternal" imposed an almost unbearable strain on my millennial anchor. I remember once preaching on the third chapter of second Peter, dealing with the utter failure of human wisdom and effort, and the inescapable coming doom of this world. The message must have been so faithful to the words of the passage, and my own pre-millennial beliefs so completely negatived, that when I left the platform a thoughtful gentleman approached me and asked, "If what you have said tonight is true, where does the millennium come in?" I always feel a sense of shame when I remember the mental and verbal jugglery I offered as an evasion. I would like to meet that man again and set things right. Other Scriptures continually joined in the attack, and added to my confusion, until I resolved to face the issue and, if possible, settle it permanently. How should I do it? Some time prior to this I had engaged in series of Bible Studies that had impressed upon me as never before, the absolute, supreme authority of the New Testament. Not that the Old Testament is any the less inspired (I believe it to be verily the Word of God); but the revelation is progressive, and reaches its fullness in the New. Here, the Truth that had been taught over the centuries in varying form of type, symbol and vision, now bursts forth in noonday fullness: "God, who at sundry times, and in diverse manners, spoke in times past unto the fathers by the Prophets, bath in these last days spoken unto us IN HIS SON." (Hebrews 1:1) HE WHO IS THE TRUTH NOW APPEARS, and declares all the things He has heard of His Father, He begins His ministry with the O.T. in His hand and announces His anointing to preach and expound it. Raised from the dead, He spends the 40 days "instructing them in the things pertaining to the Kingdom of God", consisted of "all things?which were written in the Law of Moses, and in the Psalms, and in the Prophets." (Luke 24 (Footnote 5))
Returned to His Father, He now pours out the same Anointing Spirit upon the apostles, with the Promise "He shall guide you into all Truth". They engage in their mighty ministries, which, to a very large extent, was simply the exposition and application of the Old Testament. Eventually the records of those ministries?our Lord and His apostles?are gathered together into the body of N.T. teaching. AND IT IS HERE THAT THE CHRISTIAN MUST LOOK FOR HIS AUTHORITATIVE KNOWLEDGE OF THE THINGS OF GOD. His belief in the Old Testament must be governed by the meaning given to it by the New, and by the further revelation of Truth now given. He believes the old couplet:-
The New is in the Old concealed, The Old is by the New revealed.
This decided my course of action. I resolutely put away every other book, and sought, as far as possible, to divest my mind of all I had been taught of things prophetic. I then gave myself to a careful, detailed reading of the whole New Testament. Every passage that dealt with the Return of the Lord, His Kingdom, and Last Things in general, was noted AND WRITTEN DOWN IN A BOOK. Eventually this was completed. I then reread all that had been written down and asked myself "What does this teach?"
I did not have to wait ten years for the answer?not even ten seconds. The answer was immediate, complete and permanent. I saw in a flash that the whole burden of the Scriptures I had gathered together was of One Great, Climactic Event that should bring to an end the Day of Man, and usher in the Eternal Day of God. This present age is only age when God is dealing with sinful man, offering him one (and only one) salvation, and, in those who receive that salvation, fulfilling all His Great Covenant Promises in the Kingdom of His Dear Son. When He comes, the door is forever shut. My pre-millennialism was like the barren fig tree?it died from the roots upwards at the sound of the Master's Voice; I didn't even have to wait till the next day?it died immediately. I saw that it was nothing other than the development of the heresy that darkened the Church of later apostolic days the Judaistic belief that God had something for the Jewish race other than the Gospel of His Grace.
This discovery drove me to fresh study of all the passages above referred to. The thrill of that study is still with me. Almost as with conversion, the Bible again became a new book. The pro-Jewish veil which covered my heart for over twenty years, had gone and I now saw everything in its true Christian light. Every Gospel and epistle re-lived, particularly Acts and Hebrews. The earthly Kingdom idea robs the Christian of the ability to see the very heart of the dominant contention of "the Acts", viz., that in the resurrection and ascension of Jesus of Nazareth, God had "set His King upon the Holy Hill of Zion". As for Hebrews, it had always seemed to me a peculiarly disjointed letter. glorious in its individual parts, but lacking a vital, unifying theme. But the key was now in my hands; its whole purpose was to destroy the Judaistic heresies that were threatening the late apostolic Church. viz.. that there could be some Divine provision, other than the Gospel and that God yet had some future earthly plan for the Jewish race, perhaps involving a return to the Old Economy. In an ever-developing treatise showing the exclusiveness and finality of the Gospel, the apostle shatters these ideas. The tragedy is that, in the face of this magnificent epistle (and the rest of the N.T.), these very theories are being promulgated today by professed evangelical believers.
The results of that study are found in this book. May it bring to the reader what I found through my discoveries?a satisfaction in heart and mind that I had never known before in the Prophetic Word. Deep down I had always felt somewhat mystified by the ever-changing maze of pre-millennial and dispensational "prophetic identifications". The marvellous assurance with which some of the "great prophetic teachers" could "prove from Scripture just what was going to happen to Russia and Germany and Turkey and the United Arab Republic, etc.", amazed me in earlier years, but in later times gave me a feeling that the Bible was being turned into something of an evangelical Old Moore's Almanack. As for all the contradictory theories, one's mind just couldn't keep up with them. But now they were all gone. "Full Rapture, Partial Rapture, Pre-Trib., Rapture, Post-Trib., Rapture, Mid-Trib., Rapture";?"Church Saints, Kingdom Saints, tribulation Saints, Millennial Saints";?"Kingdom Truth and Church Truth";?"The Revived Turkish Empire";?"The revived Roman Empire";?"The Napoleon-Mussolini-Hitler identification with anti-Christ". All these, and a host of other baseless and useless theories went overboard with a glorious ecstatic splash. In their place was the simplicity of the N.T. revelation, devoid of all this guesswork. The perfect unity and harmony of all the writers were obvious. They did not write of several different Days and several different Events. They all pointed to the one Great Consummation. The Lord was not dishonoured by the thought that Paul was made a custodian of "more advanced truth". (Perish the thought!) Paul did not contradict John, neither did Peter live in ignorance of special revelations" made to Paul. The Saviour, Peter, Paul and John had the same understanding of the Coming, and when they spoke they with united voice establishing clearly a doctrine of The End that is entirely free from the vagaries and problems connected with the Futurist scheme of several raptures, several resurrections, several Satanic triumphs, several Judgements and several "Second" Comings.
And so I commend the work to the earnest study of the reader. I trust you will read with an open mind. Some are like the leading Advent Testimony preacher and writer (known throughout the English-speaking world), to whom I addressed a letter after listening to two "prophetic" addresses he gave. I sought to show what I considered to be the erroneous teaching, and set out several questions. His reply (I still have it) refused to answer any questions or engage in any discussion, his reason being, "I have preached these truths (?) for fifty years, and see no reason to change." If you, good reader, are of the same set mind, it would be better to close the book right away. But may you be as "the noble Bereans". Have your Bible open at your side as you read, and enquire "whether these things are so". Your reward will be great.
CONTENTS
- Word from the Author
- Author's Preface
- Chapter 1 The Field of Controversy?and a Personal Testimony
- Chapter 2 Popular Millennialism today
- Chapter 3 The Rising Sun of the Kingdom Day (Matthew and Mark)
- Chapter 4 The True Biblical Character of the Kingdom (Luke and John). Summary of our Lord's Teaching
- Chapter 5 Testimony to Jerusalem: "The Kingdom come with power" Acts 1?3
- Chapter 6 The Throne of the House of David (Acts 13?17)
- Chapter 7 The Hope of Israel?and The Gentiles?Last years of Paul (Acts 24?28)
- Chapter 8 Elect Citizens of an Elect Kingdom. Apostolic teaching in Romans
- Chapter 9 The Coming Great Victory?The Corinthian Letters
- Chapter 10 The Great (Greek:-parousia) Parousia (Thessalonian Letters). Deliverance and Destruction
- Chapter 11 Paul's Later Testimony, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, Timothy and Titus
- Chapter 12 The Exclusiveness and Finality of the Gospel, Epistle to the Hebrews
- Chapter 13 Behold He Cometh!?Peter, Jude and John
- Chapter 14 The Great Unveiling. Patmos Visions of the End
- Chapter 15 Problems of Pre-Millennialism, moral, Spiritual and Biblical
- Chapter 16 The Thousand Years Reign
- Conclusion A Warning and A Challenge?The False Sects.
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AUTHOR'S PREFACE
Another book on Prophecy? On what grounds can this be justified? The answer is fourfold.- The widespread interest in evangelical circles in "the millennium issue", and the absence of a work of exposition of every relative passage in the New Testament in consecutive order.
- The challenge presented to the thinking of every Bible student by the ever-increasing number of believers from every denomination (Anglican, Baptist, Brethren, Pente-costals, etc.,?some of them world-known names) who have abandoned pre-millennial and dispensational views they have held for years, having become convinced of their un-scriptural character, and have embraced the a-millennial view. This is generating a wide-spread enquiry for "something to read that deals thoroughly with the controversy". It is hoped that this work will help to meet that need.
- Personal testimony is often one of the most forceful arguments for Truth. This work, besides being an exposition, is the record of how the New Testament alone, by its inherent authority, can deliver from the tradition of years, and open the heart to the Light of Truth.
- The MS was read by about fifteen believers of different groups?Baptist, Brethren, Pentecostal?in various parts of the country. Practically all were traditional pre--millennialists and dispensationalists, and included preachers and teachers of thirty and forty years standing. Apart from three, all acknowledged that the work proved con-clusively the falsity of the pre-millennial doctrine and the truth of the a-millennial inter-pretation of Scripture. Of the other few, only one expressed a dissenting voice, stating that he still held his own view ("pre-mill., post-trib." was his definition), but when in-vited to show where the exposition was wrong, he declined to do so, informing me that "arguing would do no good; people had their views and would not change". How delightful! Bless his dear heart! It was further encouragement to publish.
- The book makes no pretence to scholarship. It is not marked by appeals to Hebrew and Greek, nor by a flood of quotations from numerous authors. Rather, the object is to let the N.T. speak for itself. That voice, at least to the author, appears to be so convincing as to be in no need of the buttressing of a multitude of human voices.
- Convinced that the views set forth are productive of a more spiritual conception of the Last Things, devoid of the groundless theories and guesswork that characterises so much of some other prophetic schools, it, is the hope of the author that the reader may find, not merely a controversial interest, but also an abiding spiritual blessing.
- "Unto Him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own Blood, and hath made us kings and priests unto God and His Father; to Him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen! Behold He cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see Him." Revelation 1:5-7.
Arthur Carver.
'Siloam', Egerton Gardens, London, N.W.4
Chapter 1
THE FIELD OF CONTROVERSY AND A PERSONAL TESTIMONY
Division among believers on the doctrine of the Lord's Return centres chiefly around Messiah's Kingdom. Does the Kingdom precede or follow His Return in Glory? Does the Coming inaugurate or consummate the Kingdom? Is His foretold Reign a present heavenly one, or an earthly one, set up after His Return?Three schools contest the field, and, because of the prominence in the controversy of the "thousand years" passage in Revelation 20, they have been labelled according to their interpretation of the Coming in relation to "the thousand years".
- PRE-MILLENNIALISM. This school holds that Christ, following His return, will set up His literal Kingdom on this earth, and reign in Person for 1000 years. Differing much in details, pre-millennialists are agreed that this universal reign of Christ will be the great day of Israel's glory in the land of Palestine. The literal fulfilment of the O.T. Scriptures referring to the fertility and fruitfulness of the earth and the pacification of the animal creation, is an essential part of their teaching, though there are signs of dissatisfaction amongst thoughtful pre-millennialists today with this "Jewish" interpretation. and an attempt is made to "semi-spiritualise" the O.T. prophecies. Pre-Millennialism teaches that "the Kingdom Age" will be terminated by a great Satanic revolt (Revelation 20), bringing about the final victory of Christ (they call it "The Second Armageddon"), and the setting up of the Great White Throne Judgement.
- POST-MILLENNIALISM. This school denies the literal Kingdom of the pre-millennialists and the idea of a personal reign of Christ to this earth. There will be a future Kingdom, but it will be a moral and spiritua1 one, brought about by the universal triumph of the Gospel. Christ will reign, not in physical presence, but through the triumph of His Truth. It will be the golden era of Christianity, bringing in a day of universal peace. It will close with another period of apostasy and Satanic uprising, which will be crushed by the Advent of Christ, followed by the general resurrection and judgement of all Mankind.
- A-MILLENNIALISM. This schoo1 takes a position that must at once commend itself to the serious thought of sincere Bible students. It approaches the two antagonistic schools, Pre- and Post-, and acknowledges that each has a basic scriptural truth. It then points out to both that, because of their inability to see the truth their opponent teaches, they have each followed false trails on other aspects of eschatology and so produced systems that are erroneous. Pre-millennialists contend, "The N.T. nowhere teaches the conversion of the world in this age. Rather, it follows a world escalating its antagonism to God, so that the closing days are as the days of Noah". Post-millennialists assert, "The New Testament teaches the Finality of the Advent, bringing an end to the human story, and the end of the world".
First, pre-millennialists, giving a literal interpretation to the O.T. prophecies of the Covenant Throne of David and the Restoration of Israel, have reasoned thus: "If these things are to be, and this present age knows them not, ending in judgement at the Second Advent, then they must be fulfilled after the Advent". Then, the post-millennialists, also giving an earthly (though not literal) interpretation to the O.T. prophecies, argue that, as the Advent will be Final, bringing the end of the world, the Kingdom must precede the Advent, and find its realisation in the triumph of Christianity.
So the theories diverge, a divergence that increases with every detail of the two schemes, because of the fatal idea of an earthly Kingdom. But A-millennialism provides the sovereign remedy by showing that, if the first truths of each school are established (as above), then the obvious ground of reconciliation is the great truth of the Present Heavenly Kingdom, set up when God raised His Son from the dead and set Him on Zion's Hill, from whence He is fulfilling in His People all the promised Covenant blessings of the Psalms and the Prophets. This Kingdom does not convert the world, but, through its members still on earth, wars against the Kingdom of evil right to the end, calling out men into the Heavenly Kingdom. The Second Advent will bring its final consummation. Thus, the fundamental truths of pre- and post-millennialism are welded together in one N.T. doctrine of the End. At the same time, the errors of both schools are rejected. The post-millennial idea of a converted world" is held to be without N.T. authority. while the pre-millennial idea of a post-Advent Kingdom on this earth where sin and death still are known, is utterly alien to every line of apostolic writings.
Thus A-millennialism, rejecting the errors of both systems, and uniting the truths of both in the unbreakable bond of the Heavenly Kingdom, presents the student with a view of the Advent that commends itself to mind and heart. It is both scriptural and intelligent. Messiah's Kingdom is NOW; the Church of Christ is the supreme and final manifestation of the wisdom and power of God in the redemption of man. In this Church. all the great redemptive acts and Covenants of the Old Economy find their realisation. This is the one great Eternal People of God, on earth and in heaven, reigned over by their Glorious Prince Messiah. The grand panorama of O.T prophecy finds its fulfilment in the incomparable realities of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Ghost through the Gospel of Messiah's triumph over sin, death and hell. We shall show how this is confirmed and sealed by every utterance of those who were anointed of God to expound the meaning of the O.T. Scriptures?our Lord and His apostles.
So A-millennialism proclaims there will be no 1,000 years' Kingdom on this earth, the glorious vision of Revelation 20 finding its fulfilment in the present reign of Jesus Messiah over His People in heaven and on earth. There will be no return to the O1d Economy and earthly Israelitish favour. This age of Salvation is the final Age, terminated by the Advent which ushers in the resurrection and judgement of all mankind?then the eternal age.
The great names in theology have, throughout history, been associated with the A-millennial or post-millennial view?Augustine, Calvin and the Puritans. (Spurgeon named the first two as "the only truly great men since Paul". "The Golden Age of Theology", he described Puritanism.) The latter half of the 19th Century saw a revival of pre-millennialism. It might be interesting to ponder how far this resulted from reaction against Higher Criticism. The advocates of this school of "unfaith" leaned wholly (where they had eschatological views) to post-millennialism. One of the powerful arguments of evangelicals against them was the literal fulfilment of O.T. prophecies against the great nations that were contemporaries of ancient Israel. The literal fulfilment of these prophecies may have been a powerful factor in influencing the minds of many towards a literal conception of prophecies concerning Israel and the Last Days, and so helped to arouse the strong tide of pre-millennial thought that swept a considerable portion of the evangelical church.
Concurrent with this, an altogether new phase of prophetic teaching came into being within Fundamentalism, known as dispensationalism or futurism. Throughout Church history the Advent had always been regarded as one great climactic event. Whether taught by Christ or the apostles, the event was one and the same, bringing deliverance to the People of God and destruction to the wicked. But the 19th Century saw the rise of a strange new school of thought, resulting from the teachings of J. N. Darby (Footnote 1), founder of the Plymouth Brethren. Literalism in the interpretation of O.T. prophecy was now pressed to extremes, whilst the N.T. became subjected to a system of "dispensationalising" which had never before been heard of. Some parts of the N.T. were the Church, others for "the Jew". The Coming of the Lord was not an event, but a series of events. First, there was event related to the Christian Church, taking it secretly away from this earth. Sections of the N.T. related wholly to this event. There followed "The Great Tribulation" on earth, to which time other portions of the N.T. (chiefly the larger part of Revelation) are designated. Next comes the Glorious Appearing of Christ to Israel and the world, (generally asserted to be seven years after the "first" Second Coming) followed by certain judgements and the millennial reign. The whole scheme winds up with a further Satanic revolt, another, 'Coming', of the Lord, and the setting up of the Final judgement, at which, only the ungodly appear. To quote Alexander Reese: "This new school arose within the fold of pre-millennialism seeking to overthrow what, since the apostolic age, had been considered by all pre-millennialists as established results, and to institute in their place a WHOLE SERIES OF DOCTRINES THAT HAD NEVER BEEN HEARD OF BEFORE." (Approaching Advent. p.19) doctrines from? (Footnote 2)
The amazing way these ideas gained acceptance in evangelical circles is one of the most astonishing events in the evangelical world. The advance was greatly aided by the development of Movements such as the Keswick Convention (which has been almost entirely Futuristic in its outlook) and the Advent Testimony Movement (Footnote 3) which is founded on the modern theories. The rise of new evangelical denominations has also helped in the popularity of this school. Movements like the Pentecostal work originated with men who, to a very large extent, were preachers of Brethren eschatology. Adherents of this one Movement are estimated to number nearly 15,000,000, and, although some of its founders and early leaders later abandoned their Futurist views, the teachings remained with their followers.
Today, there is a strong Movement in reverse. The lurid charts setting out the dispensational scheme which were an essential part of the armoury of countless dispensational lecturers in the decades between the world wars, have now well-nigh disappeared. So many prophetic theories have proved to be just flights of fancy and sensational guess work, that many thoughtful students have turned to a fresh study of the Scriptures, with the result that they have seen, not only the foolishness of the extravagances that have characterised pre-millennialism, but also the fundamental error of the whole idea. Such was the experience of the author.
For over twenty years I believed and preached pre-millennialism. What made me a pre-millennialist? Purely and simply, it was human instruction. My youth was cast in evangelical circles where there was great enthusiasm for Advent Testimony meetings, and "The Second Coming" was seldom absent from sermons and conversations. "In the twinkling of an eye" (Sydney Watson (Footnote 4)) was early thrust into my hands as "the book of the century", whilst I was made to feel that the one indispensable necessity to a full and proper understanding of Scripture was to possess a Scofield Bible and devotedly study its notes. This I did with all eagerness, so that dispensationalism became part parcel of "the Faith", and an part of true Christianity. To deny it was akin to "modernism", and marked out the offender as of doubtful standing. Thus my mind was closed to true Bible study (along this particular line) from early days. Everything was read and judged according to the mould into which my mind had been cast. This is true of multitudes of believers all over the world today. It may be true of you as you read these lines. If so, may the very realisation of this fact lead to the opening of your mind to consider the doctrine set forth in the following chapters.
The years preceding the Second world War were years of contention in evangelical circles on the prophetic question. The older pre-millennial view generally called the Historicist or Protestant Historical view, gained wider acceptance and large numbers of those who had held to the dispensational ideas of a two-phased Advent and a future Great Tribulation with a personal anti-Christ reigning over the world, abandoned them for more traditional Protestant eschatology. This happened to me through the reading of vigorous Protestant literature and that excellent book by Alexander Reese, "The Approaching Advent of Christ" But the central idea of an earthly millennial Kingdom remained, being fundamental to the Historicist school. Had someone. in those days. confronted me with the a-millennial view. and opened the vast field of Scripture that so powerfully presents that truth, I might have embraced it then; but no such help was nigh.
Gradually, however, I began to feel the challenge of Scripture to the position I held. In my constant, consecutive daily reading and study of the Bible, I became forced to ask again and again: "If this Scripture means what it appears to say, then where can the millennium be?" The judgement of Matthew 25 sent many a cold shiver down my spine as I tried to weigh up the idea of nations being judged entire (Christians, atheists, rationalists, spiritists, etc.), whilst the final words, "these shall go away into everlasting punishment. but the righteous into life eternal" imposed an almost unbearable strain on my millennial anchor. I remember once preaching on the third chapter of second Peter, dealing with the utter failure of human wisdom and effort, and the inescapable coming doom of this world. The message must have been so faithful to the words of the passage, and my own pre-millennial beliefs so completely negatived, that when I left the platform a thoughtful gentleman approached me and asked, "If what you have said tonight is true, where does the millennium come in?" I always feel a sense of shame when I remember the mental and verbal jugglery I offered as an evasion. I would like to meet that man again and set things right. Other Scriptures continually joined in the attack, and added to my confusion, until I resolved to face the issue and, if possible, settle it permanently. How should I do it? Some time prior to this I had engaged in series of Bible Studies that had impressed upon me as never before, the absolute, supreme authority of the New Testament. Not that the Old Testament is any the less inspired (I believe it to be verily the Word of God); but the revelation is progressive, and reaches its fullness in the New. Here, the Truth that had been taught over the centuries in varying form of type, symbol and vision, now bursts forth in noonday fullness: "God, who at sundry times, and in diverse manners, spoke in times past unto the fathers by the Prophets, bath in these last days spoken unto us IN HIS SON." (Hebrews 1:1) HE WHO IS THE TRUTH NOW APPEARS, and declares all the things He has heard of His Father, He begins His ministry with the O.T. in His hand and announces His anointing to preach and expound it. Raised from the dead, He spends the 40 days "instructing them in the things pertaining to the Kingdom of God", consisted of "all things?which were written in the Law of Moses, and in the Psalms, and in the Prophets." (Luke 24 (Footnote 5))
Returned to His Father, He now pours out the same Anointing Spirit upon the apostles, with the Promise "He shall guide you into all Truth". They engage in their mighty ministries, which, to a very large extent, was simply the exposition and application of the Old Testament. Eventually the records of those ministries?our Lord and His apostles?are gathered together into the body of N.T. teaching. AND IT IS HERE THAT THE CHRISTIAN MUST LOOK FOR HIS AUTHORITATIVE KNOWLEDGE OF THE THINGS OF GOD. His belief in the Old Testament must be governed by the meaning given to it by the New, and by the further revelation of Truth now given. He believes the old couplet:-
The New is in the Old concealed, The Old is by the New revealed.
This decided my course of action. I resolutely put away every other book, and sought, as far as possible, to divest my mind of all I had been taught of things prophetic. I then gave myself to a careful, detailed reading of the whole New Testament. Every passage that dealt with the Return of the Lord, His Kingdom, and Last Things in general, was noted AND WRITTEN DOWN IN A BOOK. Eventually this was completed. I then reread all that had been written down and asked myself "What does this teach?"
I did not have to wait ten years for the answer?not even ten seconds. The answer was immediate, complete and permanent. I saw in a flash that the whole burden of the Scriptures I had gathered together was of One Great, Climactic Event that should bring to an end the Day of Man, and usher in the Eternal Day of God. This present age is only age when God is dealing with sinful man, offering him one (and only one) salvation, and, in those who receive that salvation, fulfilling all His Great Covenant Promises in the Kingdom of His Dear Son. When He comes, the door is forever shut. My pre-millennialism was like the barren fig tree?it died from the roots upwards at the sound of the Master's Voice; I didn't even have to wait till the next day?it died immediately. I saw that it was nothing other than the development of the heresy that darkened the Church of later apostolic days the Judaistic belief that God had something for the Jewish race other than the Gospel of His Grace.
This discovery drove me to fresh study of all the passages above referred to. The thrill of that study is still with me. Almost as with conversion, the Bible again became a new book. The pro-Jewish veil which covered my heart for over twenty years, had gone and I now saw everything in its true Christian light. Every Gospel and epistle re-lived, particularly Acts and Hebrews. The earthly Kingdom idea robs the Christian of the ability to see the very heart of the dominant contention of "the Acts", viz., that in the resurrection and ascension of Jesus of Nazareth, God had "set His King upon the Holy Hill of Zion". As for Hebrews, it had always seemed to me a peculiarly disjointed letter. glorious in its individual parts, but lacking a vital, unifying theme. But the key was now in my hands; its whole purpose was to destroy the Judaistic heresies that were threatening the late apostolic Church. viz.. that there could be some Divine provision, other than the Gospel and that God yet had some future earthly plan for the Jewish race, perhaps involving a return to the Old Economy. In an ever-developing treatise showing the exclusiveness and finality of the Gospel, the apostle shatters these ideas. The tragedy is that, in the face of this magnificent epistle (and the rest of the N.T.), these very theories are being promulgated today by professed evangelical believers.
The results of that study are found in this book. May it bring to the reader what I found through my discoveries?a satisfaction in heart and mind that I had never known before in the Prophetic Word. Deep down I had always felt somewhat mystified by the ever-changing maze of pre-millennial and dispensational "prophetic identifications". The marvellous assurance with which some of the "great prophetic teachers" could "prove from Scripture just what was going to happen to Russia and Germany and Turkey and the United Arab Republic, etc.", amazed me in earlier years, but in later times gave me a feeling that the Bible was being turned into something of an evangelical Old Moore's Almanack. As for all the contradictory theories, one's mind just couldn't keep up with them. But now they were all gone. "Full Rapture, Partial Rapture, Pre-Trib., Rapture, Post-Trib., Rapture, Mid-Trib., Rapture";?"Church Saints, Kingdom Saints, tribulation Saints, Millennial Saints";?"Kingdom Truth and Church Truth";?"The Revived Turkish Empire";?"The revived Roman Empire";?"The Napoleon-Mussolini-Hitler identification with anti-Christ". All these, and a host of other baseless and useless theories went overboard with a glorious ecstatic splash. In their place was the simplicity of the N.T. revelation, devoid of all this guesswork. The perfect unity and harmony of all the writers were obvious. They did not write of several different Days and several different Events. They all pointed to the one Great Consummation. The Lord was not dishonoured by the thought that Paul was made a custodian of "more advanced truth". (Perish the thought!) Paul did not contradict John, neither did Peter live in ignorance of special revelations" made to Paul. The Saviour, Peter, Paul and John had the same understanding of the Coming, and when they spoke they with united voice establishing clearly a doctrine of The End that is entirely free from the vagaries and problems connected with the Futurist scheme of several raptures, several resurrections, several Satanic triumphs, several Judgements and several "Second" Comings.
And so I commend the work to the earnest study of the reader. I trust you will read with an open mind. Some are like the leading Advent Testimony preacher and writer (known throughout the English-speaking world), to whom I addressed a letter after listening to two "prophetic" addresses he gave. I sought to show what I considered to be the erroneous teaching, and set out several questions. His reply (I still have it) refused to answer any questions or engage in any discussion, his reason being, "I have preached these truths (?) for fifty years, and see no reason to change." If you, good reader, are of the same set mind, it would be better to close the book right away. But may you be as "the noble Bereans". Have your Bible open at your side as you read, and enquire "whether these things are so". Your reward will be great.
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posted by Stephen @ 23.7.06
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