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CLAUSE 26
“That the kingdom
of God, thus constituted, will continue
a thousand years, during which sin and death
will continue among the earth’s subject
inhabitants, though in a much milder degree
than now.— Rev. 20:4-9; 11:15; Isa. 65:20;
Eze. 37:22,25; 1 Cor. 15:24-28."
As we saw in our last
issue, Clause XXV considers the rewarding
of men according to their deeds, and the
elevation of the faithful to being immortal
co-heirs and administrators over the coming
kingdom with their Messiah. This next clause
deals with the length of the Kingdom “thus
constituted”, and the conditions under which
mortals shall dwell there.
The testimony of
the Apocalypse concerning the Redeemed,
is that “they lived and reigned with Christ
a thousand years” (Rev. 20:4). This defines
the duration of the Kingdom, thus arranged
with the Saints reigning as kings and priests,
as being precisely one millennia. However,
it must be borne in mind that the kingdom
itself shall continue much longer than this,
for it was promised to Mary concerning her
son: “he shall reign over the house of Jacob
for ever; and of his kingdom there shall
be no end” (Luke 1:33). At the end of the
thousand year reign of Christ and his saints,
the kingdom shall not come to an end, but
will change in it’s form and constitution.
Paul hints at some of those changes, saying
that:
“then cometh the
end, when he shall have delivered up the
kingdom to God, even the Father; when he
shall have put down all rule and all authority
and power … and when all things are subdued
unto him, then shall the Son also himself
be subject unto him that put all things
under him, that God may be all in all.”
(1 Cor. 15:24-28).
At the end of the
thousand years then, the kingdom will be
“delivered up” to the Father, with the Son
himself becoming a subject - the end result
being that “God may be all in all,” or that
all of the glory of God (his attributes)
shall fill all of the earth (in the glorified,
immortal inhabitants thereof). Even so it
is written: “all the earth shall be filled
with the glory of Yahweh (Num. 14:21). The
form, or constitution of the kingdom shall
change - for there will be no more mortal
population to be ruled over and interceded
for after the Millennium - but the kingdom
itself shall remain for ever. The BASF is
careful in it’s wording, saying that the
duration of the kingdom “thus constituted”,
that is, with Christ and his brethren reigning
over it shall end after one millennia—but
as we have shown, the kingdom itself shall
continue “without end”.
It has been truly
said that the Millennial Kingdom Age is
to be a transitional period between the
Flesh and the Spirit. Prior to Messiah’s
Return, the Flesh rules supreme in the earth.
After the Millennium, the Spirit fills the
entire globe. The Millennium is therefore
the time in between, with the Flesh being
subjugated to the Laws that Christ will
institute as the basis, or Constitution
of the new Age. During that time, as the
BASF states, sin and death will continue,
albeit to “a milder degree than now”.
There is some indication
of this in the words of Isaiah, speaking
of affairs in Jerusalem during Messiah’s
reign:
“ … I will rejoice
in Jerusalem, and joy in my people: and
the voice of weeping shall be no more heard
in her, nor the voice of crying. There shall
be no more thence an infant of days, nor
an old man that hath not filled his days:
for the child shall die an hundred years
old; but the sinner being an hundred years
old shall be accursed …” (Isa. 65:19-21).
Whilst these words
are particularly speaking of affairs in
Jerusalem, being that this city will become
the capital city of the world from whence
shall go forth Laws, Commandments and Blessings,
it is not unreasonable to suppose that the
subject-nations shall also experience these
things. One who dies aged an hundred will
be considered as a child, indicating that
longevity of life not dissimilar to the
early history of mankind (as described in
the book of Genesis) will become the norm.
But although men and women will become subject
to the laws of the kingdom, sin will still
continue, even if suppressed. Psalm 72,
a wonderful word-picture of that age describes
how:
“He shall judge the
poor of the people, he shall save the children
of the needy, and shall break in pieces
the oppressor … he shall spare the poor
and needy, and shall save the souls of the
needy. He shall redeem their soul from deceit
and violence: and precious shall their blood
be in his sight …” (Psa. 72:4, 13-14).
According to this
testimony therefore, there will be “poor”
and “needy” who need to be delivered from
oppression. And Messiah shall be their deliverer,
“breaking in pieces” the oppressor, ensuring
that true justice shall prevail over the
earth. Again, Isaiah 11 describes how that
“with righteousness shall he judge the poor,
and reprove with equity for the meek of
the earth: and he shall smite the earth
with the rod of his mouth, and with the
breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked”
(Isa. 11:4). Again, we see that there will
be the “poor”, and the “wicked” extant in
the earth, but with the wicked being judged
in righteousness. Even so, although Messiah’s
Rule shall extend globally, there will be
a need for the cause of the poor and the
needy to be upheld, that oppression will
cease, and the wicked destroyed.
In the language of
the Apocalypse, the coming Reign of Messiah
shall see the devil (sin incarnate) being
“bound” for a thousand years (Rev. 20:2).
The binding here referred to in symbol,
finds it’s literal counterpart in the “bands,”
or constraints of the Laws that shall go
forth out of Jerusalem - enforced by Omnipotent
Power (cp Psa. 2:3). Sin shall be suppressed,
but will not be entirely absent in the Kingdom,
as human nature remains inherently evil
(Rom. 7:17). But after the thousand years,
both sin and death shall be entirely removed,
as all rebellion shall be destroyed by the
devouring fire of Yahweh’s Glory (Rev. 20:9).
Chris Maddocks
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