No. 26 But why do Lutherans not believe in the millennium? Do millenialists cite some Scriptural basis for what they claim? >>PROFESSOR ROLAND ZIEGLER: Well, Josh, to surprise you, Lutherans do believe in the millennium even though we define the millennium differently than all of those popular TV evangelists. The proponents of the belief of millennium, the millennialists, are sometimes called kiliasts. Millennium comes from the Latin word mila, which is thousand. And kiliasm from the Greek word ***hideoy, which also means a thousand. So millennialists believe that there will be a thousand year rule of Christ. That is derived from Revelation 20. And Lutherans also believe that there is a thousand year rule of Christ. But they interpret that passage much differently. Let's look at what normally is called millennialism and what the teachings are. There are different forms of millenarianism. There is what is called premillennialism. Premillennialism teaches that there will be a time of tribulation. Then Christ will return for the first time and establish the millennial reign on earth, a rule in which the prophesies of the Old Testament about peace on earth will be fulfilled. Then there will be a time of apostasy. And then the devil will be cast into hell. During these thousand years the devil is bound and Christ and the saints rule. And after it then there will be judgement. And then the new heaven and the new earth. So you have the time of the church. The millennium. And then eternity. A variation of this premillennialism is what is called dispensational premillennialism. That's the most popular form of premillennialism in American Evangelicalism nowadays. Dispensational premillennialism came into being into its present form by Darby, a theologian in the 19th Century who said that there are different dispensations, that is different ways in which God dealt with his people. One of the important points is that one of God's goals on this earth is the establishment of a theocracy ruled by the Jewish people. That's what the promises of the Old Testament are all about. It's a kingdom of the Jews. And Jesus actually came and offered this kingdom of the Jews to Israel. But Israel refused it. They did not accept Christ as their king. So what did God do? Well, he put out Plan B. Plan B is that now there is this time in between. And now the Gentiles are to be evangelized. So the kingdom, the earthly kingdom of the Jews, is not scrapped. It is put on hold. And you have now an intermission, the intermission of the church. But the kingdom of the Jews will be established later on. And that's the millennium. The consequences are that you will not find in the Old Testament anything that pertains to us. Because all the prophesies of the Old Testament go to the earthly kingdom of the Jews. Which is kind of strange for us. Because we think that the Old Testament does talk about the church. But dispensational premillennialism does not think so. So Israel as the Jewish people is still God's chosen people. It's not so that through their rejection they have lost their special place in God's plan of salvation. And they will rule the earth. Dispensational premillennialism also stresses the idea of the rapture. That comes from I Thessalonians 5 when Paul talks that we will be carried through the air when Christ comes. If you read that text, it looks awfully like a description of Christ coming to judgement and about the resurrection of the dead. But in premillennial dispensationalism, they interpret it in such a way that they say: All of the Christians will be taken away from this earth before the tribulation, the seven years, the final hard days will start. You have probably seen cars with bumper stickers that will tell you that: In case of rapture, there will be no driver in this car. And that's the basic premise, also, again of the "Left Behind" series. Now, that actually is known as pretribulationism or is a pretrib rapture. There is also dispensationalists that believe there will be a mid trip rapture. And there are also then in historic premillennialism people who think that the rapture will actually be post trib. These are details which right now we need not to bother with. But this dispensational premillennialism is really the most popular eschatological system you have in evangelicalism. You then have what is called postmillennialism. Postmillennialism is not that popular. Mostly in some Reformed quarters you will find post millennialists. B.B. Warfield, for example, who taught at Princeton and died in 1920 was a postmillennialist. Postmillennialism believes that there will be a time of prosperity for the church that the church actually will permeate all of society and all peoples. So that when Christ comes back, this is not some catastrophic time but rather it is a golden age. So you have here a certain optimistic view of the future. Post millennialists also believe that the coming of Christ is not at hand but that it will need maybe thousands of years before the world is ready and before Christ will come back. Whereas premillennialists are those people who always kind of revise their timetables and think: It's at hand. It's coming. The hoof beads of the apocalyptic writers are approaching. That's also as Billy Graham said. Or in the '70s, the book about dispensational premillennialism was "The Late Great Planet Earth" by Hal Lindsey. He of course had to revise his predictions in the meantime. It is now more than 30 years ago that he has published it. So there is a certain end time fever among premillennialists. Whereas postmillennialists are much more relaxed and say: Well, it's a long time that we still have. And let's work for the Lord. Some of those who believe in theonomy that want to change all of society and establish somewhat of a theocracy are postmillennialists. And probably you have to be a postmillennialist to believe you actually have a chance to make society into an image of the mosaic law. And then there is what's generally called amillennialism, which means that there is no millennium. Which is not quite correct. Amillennialism, which is the teaching of much of Christianity historically speaking says that the millennium of which Revelation 20 speaks is actually a description of the time of the church. It is not something that lies in the future. But it is rather something that is present now. What are the arguments for premillennialism? Well, it's an interpretation of Revelation 20 and it's a reading of the Old Testament that says the prophesies of the Old Testament, of the coming kingdom of peace, have not been fulfilled. There is a surplus. And we have to put that somewhere. Because of course the prophesies of the Old Testament have to be fulfilled. They are actually God's word to mankind. So they must come. Lutherans and others who reject premillennialism will say that: No, the Old Testament actually speaks in these prophesies about the time of the church. When the Old Testament talks about the kingdom of peace, then this is the peace that is on earth. Christ came. But what was the message of the angels? Glory be to God on high and peace on earth. Now, not peace sometimes. But now is peace because Christ is here. And he reconciles the world with God. The prophesies of the Old Testament are seen, therefore, as metaphorical speeches about the kingdom of peace. Whereas millennialists will always say: Oh, this has to be interpreted literally. But if you then follow the interpretation, they don't always interpret this literally, either. So what about Revelation 20? Revelation is one of the more difficult books. I mean, you have all of these grandiose pictures. But it's also pretty confusing. If you look at Revelation, you see that Revelation is not simply linear progressing. It's not so that: Okay. Revelation 3, that's the beginning of history. And Revelation 22, that's the end. But there are -- it's more like spirals going on. So it returns -- the same thing is said in different ways. And so also Revelation 20 is really a description of the history from Christ's first coming to his second coming. So the binding of Satan for a thousand years is not something that will happen in the future. But Satan is bound now. You might say: Well, isn't that kind of blind? Isn't Satan raging? Well, he is bound for the Christian because Satan ultimately cannot touch us. The Gospel takes us out of the rule of Satan. Remember in baptism part of baptism is the renunciation of the devil. Do you renounce the devil and all his works and all his ways. And as Luther admonishes the congregation, you should pray for this child because this child has now a great enemy. It is no longer under the rule of the devil. We are no longer under the rule of the devil. Preaching, evangelizing, is taking people out of the rule of the devil so that they are free and the devil cannot do anything. The rule of the devil is limited. As Jesus says in Matthew 12 when he talks about that accusation that he drives out the devils through Beelzebub. And he says: No. Don't you realize that only the power of God can exorcize these demons or else how can one enter into a strong man's house and spoil his goods except he first bind the strong man and then he will spoil his house? That's what Christ did. He did bind the strong man. And he does spoil his house, his kingdom, by bringing people out of dominion, out of the devil, into the kingdom of God. So the devil does no longer deceive the nations. That is the nations are included in the kingdom of God. Now, what about the thousand years? Now, numbers in apocalyptic and prophetic literature are often symbolic. And especially when you read Revelation, you realize that Revelation doesn't give some kind of a textbook picture of the history of the world but speaks in images. No premillennialist will tell you: Oh, yeah, there will be the dragon described in Revelation. And therefore we have to wait for this dragon, for this many headed dragon. They will tell you: No. This is an image. This is not to be taken literally. But then when you get to Revelation 20, oh, it has to be taken literally. Well, that's a little bit inconsistent. Or as one Lutheran somewhat facetiously said: I'll believe that the thousand years are to be taken literally if you can tell me what metal it is that the chains are made of that binds Satan. So the thousand years is a number that symbolizes the fullness of time. It's the fullness of time in which we live now. And the first resurrection of which Revelation 20 talks is not a bodily resurrection. Remember, we talked about death and we talked about the different ways the Scripture talks about that, about spiritual death it, temporal death and eternal death. The first resurrection of this kingdom of grace during which the devil is bound is that we are raised from spiritual death. That is a resurrection. We talked about that. That in baptism we are united with Christ's death and resurrection. That we have this new life. So there's no need to assume at least two different resurrections. Or if you are a dispensational premillennialists you end up with three different resurrections actually. What about the rule of the saints with Christ? Well, the Christians are a priestly and royal people. Now everybody says: Yeah; yeah, priesthood of all believers. Of course, very important. And then you say royal people. Now, not a whole lot of Christians say: Yeah, we are all kings. We are all kings. Let's give me a crown. Most of them are only kings when they go to Burger King and have a birthday party. But we are kings and we do rule with Christ. How? Through our prayer. We sit with Christ and we rule with him. So the thousand years of Revelation 20 is really a description of the age of the church. Not some fanciful kingdom that will come later on. The problem with millennialism I think is that it really distorts the hope of the Christian. And it -- especially in the form of a dispensational premillennialism, it's a very -- almost a political turn of the hope of the Christian. It is also problematic because it restores what the church is. We don't realize that with all of the problems we have -- and especially when you look at eschatology and the signs of the end and so forth, you know, you might get a little bit depressed. But that's just because you see the work of the devil. But as a Christian, we also need to know, he can't harm us. One of the favorite songs of the Lutheran is "A Mighty Fortress." And that was written in a rather difficult time for Luther. But you have you have this triumphant note. You know, the devil can't harm you. You can defy the devil. And that's because he is bound. He is judged. The judgement will be made public and universal at the second coming of Christ. But it is already a reality. We don't have to be afraid of the devil in the sense that: Oh, he's so powerful. And I have to hide or I can't do anything. No. There is a certain, you know, sober view of reality. But it's also the attitude of the Christian that he knows: Hey, times might be tough. And there might be persecution. But the devil can't do anything to me. And the kingdom of the devil has been spoiled. And will be spoiled not by marches for Jesus or some kind of spiritual warfare or whatever is the latest fad. But by the baptism of those who are unbaptized. The baptism of pagans and Gentiles and the preaching of the Gospel. Gustaf Wingren wrote a book "The Living Word" where he stresses this point: That every sermon is an act of combat through which God extends his kingdom. And God is the stronger one. And therefore, we can fight and need not despair. Even if the enemy seems to be much more powerful, he is not because he is judged. And the strong went in and bound him and now it spoils.