BIBLE PROPHECY

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 9, Issue 82, 5 June 1946, Page 2

BIBLE PROPHECY

TRUTH FOR THE TIMES THE THOUSAND YEARS PEACE Mr A. E. Cook continued his lecture series on Sunday night in the Caledonian Hall with an address on the “1000 years of peace.” The milienial period of Bible prophecy was brought to our notice six times in Rev. 20., said Mr Cook. The word millenium was not found in scripture but the term was quite correct being derived from the Latin words “mille” 1000, and “annus” a year. The word thus meant nothing more or less than a thousand year period. In many minds however, it had become a synonym for a golden age, a time of peace and prosperity among men during which some suggest the whole world will be converted to Christ.

. This doctrine of a second chance was not of God. It was in this life that a man qualified for eternal life or lost the opportunity forever according to Paul in Heb. 9:27. “It is appointed unto men once ti die and after this the judgment.” That was why God warned man not to put off accepting Christ—that was why the devil sort to induce man to procastinate.

To understand the millenium period it was necessary first, to discover when it began and ended and these facts were bound inseparably with the doctrine of the resurrection on which Mr Cook spoke the previous week. John 5:28, 29 revealed that all, the good and the bad alike would be raised from their graves but pointed out that one will come up in “the resurrection of life” and the other “in the resurrection of damnation (judgment).” 1 Cor. 15:51-54 inicated that the resurrection of immortality (life unending) takes place at the last trump when Jesus returns. I Thess. 4:16 also supported this view pointing out that when Christ descends “the dead in Christ rise first.” Furthermore Rev. 20 showed that it would be the “blessed and holy” that would be raised in the first resurrection, and that those . raised would live and reign with Christ during the 1000 years. So the coming of Christ and the resurrection of His people marked the beginning of the 1000 year period.

The wicked would not live again “until the 1000 years were finished” Rev. 20:5. The millenium period was thus bounded on either end with a resurrection. During the period all God’s people would be in heaven, for Jesus had promised .“I will come again, and receive you unto myself that where I am there ye may be also” John 14:1-3, and Paul had stated that after the dead in Christ rose at His coming “we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” That meant to say that after the coming of Christ and during the 1000 years God’s people would not be found in this world. Nor would there be any wicked ones remain living. Those already deceased would not be disturbed at the first resurrection and the living wicked would be stricken down by the brightness of His coming. I Thess. 2:8, Matt. 28:1-4. In this manner the earth would be totally depopulated during the 1000 years.

Jeremiah has prophesied of this time of desolation in Jer. 4:23-27, Chapt. 25:31-33. Isiah spoke of the same time when the Lord “maketh the earth empty” in Isiah 24:1-3. It would be a time of peace in a sense, but only because there would be none left to strive with. Mr Cook referred in this connection to the above quoted texts and said they would be fulfilled literally immediately after the second coming of Christ during the millenium. During the righteous in Heaven with Christ, and the wicked hosts silent in death one party only to the great battle between good and evil remained unaccounted for, Satan. Rev. 20. 1-3 showed that he would be “bound” and thus inactive during that period “that he should deceive the nations no more.” The strongest chains were not always made of iron. Circumstances often bound men more securely than a literally forged chain could, especially when the one to be bound was a spirit being. The chain that would bind Satan would be a chain of circumstances.

The righteous in Heaven are beyond temptation, the wicked being dead ,would also be beyond his power to tempt and deceive, so his activity would cease while these circumstances obtained. God justly confines him to this ruined earth in the midst of the chaos and destruction his rebellion had wrought. A “bottomless pit” would.be a physical impossibility on a round world and the term translated from the original did not necessarily mean a literal pit without a bottom to it. A transliteration of the word in the original is our English word ‘abyss’, a fit description of this earth depopulated and wasted by Armaggedon and the return of Christ. In these surroundings Satan would be given an enforced vacation 1000 years long. At the end of the 1000 years the city of God and His people would descend to this earth Rev. 21:2. Then the second resurrection would take place Rev. 20:5 in which the wicked would be raised. This would automatically loose Satan and his work of deception would again commence. ( Verses 7,8). The hosts of the wicked were referred to in these verses as ‘Gog and Magog’ and with Satan as their general they would assemble for the last battle that will be fought in this world. It would be Satan’s last attempt to overthrow God’s plan for the world by capturing the JNew Jerusalem and imposing his control. But God would intervene, verse 10, and the fires of the last day would decide the issue by destroying Satan and all his followers. This fire would be equivalent to the “hell fire” of the gospels and the death which it would bring was called in verse 14. “the second death” God’s judgment for sin. Good and bad alike die the natural first death, but only the wicked will die the second death. According to the Bible a man would either be born once and die twice or he would be born twice and only die once. The new birth experience John 3:3,5 was God’s way of deliverance, from the second death. Natural birth introduces us into the family of Adam,, the second, new, or spiritual birth through Christ introduces a man into/.the family of God and gives him a tight to inherit a part in the family home. That is why Jesus said “Ye must be born again.” This would be accomplished by repentance and a wholehearted acceptance .pf Christ;

The fires of the second death which destroy the wicked also purify the earth of the curse of sip out of the ashes of the old world God would create “a new heaven and a new earth” Rev. 21:1. This new earth would be the eternal home of God’s people after the millenium. “The meek shall inherit the earth.” God was calling all who will respond to have a part in that home Rev. 22:17 “and whosoever will, let him come.”