SetFree
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Brethren in Christ:
Beware of the false doctrine called Amillennialism, which was a Gnostic doctrine of the 2nd century A.D. that crept into the Church when the pagan Greek Gnostics crept into the early Church. The Amil theory does not believe the future "thousand years" reign by Christ written in Revelation 20 is literal. They instead treat it as a metaphor for the Church era, i.e., this present world time.
The one most suspected of starting that false doctrine in the early Church was Origen of Alexandria who created a purely allegorical interpretation to The Bible, or what some call 'spiritualizing' literal written events. Origen was thus excommunicated from the Church for teaching such things. However, the damage was done, as many in the early Church of the 2nd century forward started accepted the Amil theories. St. Augustine of the 4th century A.D. was one of its later major supporters.
Just because God does use 'some' allegory and symbols in His Word to make His Word actually easier to understand, some men, influenced by paganism surrounding their area, as was with the Alexandria, Egypt school where Origen was, that still does not mean all Biblical prophecies are meant allegorically, especially in Christ's Book of Revelation.
The 1st century Church fathers, including the Apostles, were all Pre-millennialists (Premil). That means they all understood that after Jesus' future return to gather His Church, then He will reign over His enemies for the "thousand years" written of in Revelation 20. That will be a literal future event that begins on the day of His 2nd coming.
The Amil theory from man instead is similar to man's false pre-trib rapture theory; both theories are popular, but neither one can be backed up in Bible Scripture. Amil believes that when Jesus returns, all the wicked are destroyed, which has to also mean death, hades, and the devil are also all destroyed in the "lake of fire". That is not what God's written Word says though. Amil wrongly believes at Christ's coming we immediately go into God's future new heavens and a new earth time, which only occurs once all the wicked are destroyed.
Yet we are given distinct Bible Scripture to show that the wicked will still exist after Christ's future return, and that He will reign as KING over them (Zechariah 14:16-19; 1 Corinthians 15:24-28; Revelation 3:9; Revelation 20:1-9; Rev.22:14-15). We are shown in Revelation 20 that Satan will be locked in his pit prison during that "thousand years" literal period so as to not be able to deceive the nations until after the "thousand years". The Isaiah 24:20-23 Scripture reveals the kings of the earth at that time shall also be shut up in the prison, and then visited after many days, i.e., after the "thousand years". That reveals a literal period of the wicked existing for after Christ's future return, and thus means God's new heavens and a new earth is not just yet at that point.
Then after Christ's literal "thousand years" reign over the nations and the wicked, Satan will be loosed out of his pit prison one last time, per Rev.20:7-10. The 1 Peter 5:8 verse is important with this, because Peter says for this present world Satan roams as a roaring lion, walking about, seeking whom he may devour. That means today, during this present world, Satan definitely is NOT yet bound in his pit prison.
After Christ's future "thousand years" reign, Satan is then loosed out of his pit, and he deceives the nations to come up against the "camp of the saints", and then God sends fire down upon them to destroy them. Then God's Great White Throne Judgment begins, and the books are opened, including the book of life, so as to see if any names of those standing in judgment are written in it. The fact that those nations will be deceived by Satan once he is loosed in final reveals that they were not saved going into the "thousand years" time. Thus those nations represent the "goats" in Christ's Matthew 25 allegory of His sheep on the right hand and the goats on the left destined to perish in the "lake of fire".
Then only after the "thousand years", and after the perishing of Satan, hell, the wicked, and even death, in the future "lake of fire", only then will God's future new heavens and a new earth come.
Beware of the false doctrine called Amillennialism, which was a Gnostic doctrine of the 2nd century A.D. that crept into the Church when the pagan Greek Gnostics crept into the early Church. The Amil theory does not believe the future "thousand years" reign by Christ written in Revelation 20 is literal. They instead treat it as a metaphor for the Church era, i.e., this present world time.
The one most suspected of starting that false doctrine in the early Church was Origen of Alexandria who created a purely allegorical interpretation to The Bible, or what some call 'spiritualizing' literal written events. Origen was thus excommunicated from the Church for teaching such things. However, the damage was done, as many in the early Church of the 2nd century forward started accepted the Amil theories. St. Augustine of the 4th century A.D. was one of its later major supporters.
Just because God does use 'some' allegory and symbols in His Word to make His Word actually easier to understand, some men, influenced by paganism surrounding their area, as was with the Alexandria, Egypt school where Origen was, that still does not mean all Biblical prophecies are meant allegorically, especially in Christ's Book of Revelation.
The 1st century Church fathers, including the Apostles, were all Pre-millennialists (Premil). That means they all understood that after Jesus' future return to gather His Church, then He will reign over His enemies for the "thousand years" written of in Revelation 20. That will be a literal future event that begins on the day of His 2nd coming.
The Amil theory from man instead is similar to man's false pre-trib rapture theory; both theories are popular, but neither one can be backed up in Bible Scripture. Amil believes that when Jesus returns, all the wicked are destroyed, which has to also mean death, hades, and the devil are also all destroyed in the "lake of fire". That is not what God's written Word says though. Amil wrongly believes at Christ's coming we immediately go into God's future new heavens and a new earth time, which only occurs once all the wicked are destroyed.
Yet we are given distinct Bible Scripture to show that the wicked will still exist after Christ's future return, and that He will reign as KING over them (Zechariah 14:16-19; 1 Corinthians 15:24-28; Revelation 3:9; Revelation 20:1-9; Rev.22:14-15). We are shown in Revelation 20 that Satan will be locked in his pit prison during that "thousand years" literal period so as to not be able to deceive the nations until after the "thousand years". The Isaiah 24:20-23 Scripture reveals the kings of the earth at that time shall also be shut up in the prison, and then visited after many days, i.e., after the "thousand years". That reveals a literal period of the wicked existing for after Christ's future return, and thus means God's new heavens and a new earth is not just yet at that point.
Then after Christ's literal "thousand years" reign over the nations and the wicked, Satan will be loosed out of his pit prison one last time, per Rev.20:7-10. The 1 Peter 5:8 verse is important with this, because Peter says for this present world Satan roams as a roaring lion, walking about, seeking whom he may devour. That means today, during this present world, Satan definitely is NOT yet bound in his pit prison.
After Christ's future "thousand years" reign, Satan is then loosed out of his pit, and he deceives the nations to come up against the "camp of the saints", and then God sends fire down upon them to destroy them. Then God's Great White Throne Judgment begins, and the books are opened, including the book of life, so as to see if any names of those standing in judgment are written in it. The fact that those nations will be deceived by Satan once he is loosed in final reveals that they were not saved going into the "thousand years" time. Thus those nations represent the "goats" in Christ's Matthew 25 allegory of His sheep on the right hand and the goats on the left destined to perish in the "lake of fire".
Then only after the "thousand years", and after the perishing of Satan, hell, the wicked, and even death, in the future "lake of fire", only then will God's future new heavens and a new earth come.