This We Believe
The Millennium
by Charles L. Feinberg, Th.D. Ph.D. Dean of the Seminary, Prof, of Old Testament and Semitics David. In 2 Samuel 7:10-13 God promised David an eternal dynasty and throne. The covenant is con firmed in a remarkable series of un qualified statements in Psalm 89. Ab solutely nothing can alter this un conditional promise. Xhus we are not surprised to find the New Testament open with the arresting words: “The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abra ham.” The Spirit of God is stating in unmistakable terms that God has not forgotten His promise to David. Now, is the Son of David reigning on David’s throne? No, He is on the Father’s throne (Rev. 3:21 with Mt. 25:31), What becomes of God’s cove nant with David? It must yet be ful filled, if God is to be true to His Word. In the millennium it will be (Amos 9:11). Secondly, there must be a reign of Christ on earth because of the prom ise of God to the Church saints. God has stated that, if we suffered for Christ (2 Tim. 2:11-13), we shall also reign with Him (Rev. 2:26, 27; 20:6). The reigning is to be on earth, just as the suffering is. Can it be said that believers are now reigning on earth? Are Christians in Russia, Germany, and China, to mention but a few, reigning with Christ? They are rath er suffering in the earth. There must be a millennium, then, if God’s prom ise is to be realized. In the third place, there must be a millennium because of the hope (continued on next page) 35
P oets and w riters through the centuries have written of a gold en age. It is to be found in practical ly every great literature of the world. In England in 1516 Sir Thomas More wrote a book entitled Utopia, in which he described an ideal com monwealth, enjoying perfection in politics, law, and all other spheres of life. Is the millennium just such a dream for those who want to escape the hard realities of this life? Is it a product of certain theologians who have read it into the Bible through their own wishful thinking? Is it true here, as in so many other cases in the world, that the desire was father to the thought? What saith the Word of God? It may surprise some to learn that when we speak of the millennium, we are referring to the predicted reign of Christ on earth. It may surprise them more to find that along with the theme of the return of Christ to earth, this is, the greatest theme of Old Testament prophecy. There is a sense in which much of the Old Testament has been fulfilled, but there is an equally true sense in which much of it is unfulfilled. As such, it lies be fore us. When studied carefully it is found that the millennium is the time of the fulfillment of the re vealed purposes of God. There are several reasons why there must be a millennium, and to these we now turn. First, there must be a millennium because of the covenant made with
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