A review: On Earth as it is in heaven
This is a review of the video On Earth as it is in Heaven which presents a postmillennial view of eschatology. The video is highly recommended whatever flavor of Christianity you profess. It is thoughtful, historically enlightening and will provoke you to examine eschatology critically which is something you should be doing anyway. This is the kind of definition that is usually given for postmillennialism:
In Christian eschatology (end-times theology), postmillennialism, or postmillenarianism, is an interpretation of chapter 20 of the Book of Revelation which sees Christ's second coming as occurring after (Latin post-) the "Millennium", a Golden Age in which Christian ethics prosper.
There are many beliefs held regarding the millennium, the rapture the tribulation etc. and supposedly they all come from the Bible (lolz).
Perspective
If anything, this should tell us to cast aside dogma and take a more nuanced approach and a systematic (holistic) approach. For example, the “Kingdom” was typologically portrayed in the OT as the nation of Israel. It was a theocracy with Yahweh as King and with a human monarch appointed as the earthly divine representative. In this Israel was the “same” as the surrounding nations like Egypt who had a divine (god)-king in the institution of the Pharaoh’s (elohim/ruler-judge). The people of Israel rejected Yahweh as King just as in the time of Christ when they declared “We have no King but Caesar” (John 19:15). They wanted to be like the other nations (1 Sam 8:20) and after a period that saw the rise of tribal Judges (Ruth 1:1), they selected a monarch with the divine warning ringing in their ears that this would result in the abuse of power (I Sam 8: 10-22). The establishment of dynastic aristocracies always leads to corruption. Monarchy is probably the oldest form of government on earth and all monarchs claim divine authority to rule in the name of their “god(s)”.
From its very beginnings in the wilderness the nation had rebelled and apostatized against the rule of God and his in-dwelling tabernacling presence among them (Exod 32:1-6). They rejected his Kingship and Yahweh compromised by allowing them a human monarch. The monarch chosen by God to reflect the people’s desires (1 Sam 9:1-2) was a failure and Saul was replaced by David in whom the covenant promises vouched safe to Abraham concerning a messianic heir were invested. David was promised not just a dynasty, but a son who would rule forever (2 Sam 7:12–17).
The Temple
David functioned as a king-priest in a Melchizedek role, and he wished to restore worship and centralize the cult in Jerusalem. On his own initiative he decided to build a house (temple) for God because all the other gods of the nations had temples didn’t, they? Why should the God of Israel live in a nomadic tent? The answer that David received via the prophet Nathan was that God did not want a temple and was perfectly happy with a tent (2 Sam.7:6–7). A tent is a temporal dwelling place that can be deconstructed and erected once the destination is reached. [1] Nevertheless, Yahweh conceded with David’s desire to build a temple (just like he compromised with the desire of the people to have a human monarch), however, Yahweh turned the temple building project on its head and basically told David….so, you are going to build a house for me? Nope…I am going to build a house (temple/dynasty) for you. I will give you a son who will sit on the throne forever (2 Sam 7:13). The Temple of God becomes an individual in which the Spirit of God dwells. The Temple is Jesus Christ who referred to himself as the temple (John 2:19) and whatever your understanding of the millennium might be, the millennial temple is Jesus Christ the Davidide (Rev. 21:22). The church becomes an extension of his body and therefore the saints become the building blocks and pillars of the temple (1 Cor. 3:16–17). John sees a temple-city (the New Jerusalem) consisting of people descending from heaven to earth (Rev.21:2). A temple-city that not only has twelve apostolic foundations but twelve tribal gates (Rev 21:14-15). It is the perfect merging of the old covenant and the new covenants.
When David’s son Solomon built the temple the stones where hewed and shaped to size away from the building location (1 kings 6:7). When ready the stones were transported to the build location and slotted together in a perfect fit. Likewise, the saints are being chipped and shaped off-site and prepared to slot together when the final temple-city is revealed.
A literal temple
To build a literal temple now and re-commence animal blood-sacrifice would be an abomination to God. It would be like a dog going back to lick up its vomit (2 Pet.2:22). We already have a memorial (a better covenant, Heb.12:24). To understand the vision of Ezekiel’s temple as a “millennial temple” is a complete misreading of temple theology. The vision vouched safe to Ezekiel was meant to make them ashamed and spur them on to build a magnificent post-exile temple. Instead (after much cajoling) they built Zerubbabel’s temple (causing the old men to weep for the former glory, Ezra 3:12). Zerubbabel’s temple was later upgraded by the Edomite Herod and turned by the priestly sons of Zadok (Sadoc Ezek 48:11) of Ezekiel’s vision (the later Sadducee priests in Christ’s days) into a corrupt money-making machine. So much for the faithful Zadokites and the Jewish (Edomite) temple. Even so, Jesus still considered the temple as his Father’s house (John 2:16) while recognizing that he would replace the temple (John 4:21). To sum up, the video is correct. There will be no reintroduction of temple-worship and animal sacrifice.
The Church
The Church triumphant consists of one fold and one shepherd (John 10:16) without distinction between Jew and Gentile for all who do the “works of Abraham” are his children (John 8:39). Abraham was able to keep the whole law before it even was given (Gen 26:5) because he believed that God would keep his covenant despite Yahweh asking him to do the one thing that would destroy the promise – kill the precious seed (Gen 22:2). The works of Abraham are therefore not the keeping of the law (works of the law) they are the works of faith. In other words, all the law and prophets are fulfilled by faith in Christ. Abraham had faith in the character, trustworthiness, and mercy of God. He was willing to put everything on the line. He was obedient but it was not blind obedience. His faithfulness was counted as righteousness (Gen 15:6).
There is then no replacement of Israel by the church because the Church Triumphant is and always was Israel. There will be no more Zionist-state and there will be no more Jerusalem. Instead, there is the New Jerusalem (the city of the Great King). The old things have passed away because God makes all things new (Rev. 21:5). You do not put new wine in old skins (Matt 9:17). Similarly, the New Covenant (Jer 31:33) had new wine (1 Cor 11:25) making the old obsolete (Heb 8:7-9).
You do not resurrect a failed, rebellious nation-sate and an obsolete system of worship (which was meant to fulfil a pedagogical function) which taught the Jews nothing but instead highlighted their carnality and self-righteousness. If animal-sacrifice did not bring them to Christ it was pointless. Will there be a Jewish presence in the land? Of course, there will be. There will be a Jewish monarch and there will be descendants of natural descendants of Abraham and spiritual descendants of Abraham. Abraham becomes the father of the faithful (Rom 4:16). The video rightly points to Romans 11 and the relationship between Jew and Gentile and the conversion of the Jews being a pivotal moment.[2] However, before conversion comes repentance. When the threat becomes existential, some (not all) will recognize Christ as the Messiah.
Repeat Patterns
The mess that Christians make of eschatology is a failure to distinguish between the “already here/not yet”. The kingdom of God is “already here” it is “among you” it is “within” it is a mustard seed that grows into a great tree (Matt 13:31-32), a stone that grows to fill the whole earth (Dan 2:35). It is therefore a process. However, the Kingdom of God is “not yet” because we are still awaiting the return of the King. Does Jesus already reign? Of course, he sits on the throne already, he already has been given the gentiles as his inheritance (Ps 2:8). In the first century it was Jesus that opened the seals (Rev 5:2) which brought the persecutions, martyrdoms and fall of Jerusalem. The assurance the the saints was that no matter what happened Jesus was in control.
So, the Kingdom of God should be considered punctuated equilibrium. The normal stasis is broken when the sovereignty of God shatters the course of history and is openly revealed as it was in the Christ event. That was the in-breaking of the kingdom of God into the domain of man’s rule. It only lasted 3.5 years but was a world changing event. The citizens of the kingdom are being selected and shaped in the present time. Chipped and polished as temple stones ready to be assembled when the trump sounds.
The Apocalypse, indeed, the whole of scripture is repeat patterns. The Olivet prophecy is directed at the events of AD 70 and elements of Olivet are repeated in the Apocalyptic seals because they are foretelling the same event. Does that mean that it is all already fulfilled? Certainly not. Once again interpreters fall into the “already/not yet” trap failing to distinguish between primary and secondary meanings and the recursive nature of the patterns. The Apocalypse also had a fulfilment in the events of the Kochba rebellion and final realization will occur soon. The prophetic clock started ticking when Israel returned to the land and God rejected their prayers for national atonement in 1973 (Yom Kippur War). The trumpet blowing on the Day of Atonement saw the commencement of the trumpets.[3]
The Great Commission
The gospel (Good news) was preached to Abraham (Gal 3:8), was vouched safe as a preaching commission to the disciples (Mark 16:15) and is associated with martyrdom and triumph by the angel that proclaims the preaching of the everlasting Gospel to the nations which leads to the inevitable fall of Babylon (Rev 14:6).
The fact that the Bible has been translated (at least one book) into 3,312 languages and the NT itself into 1,551 languages is witness to the spread of the message and the video shows that (in season or out of season) many devout Christians risked danger and hardship to preach. Who are we to dismiss their efforts on the grounds of dogma? God is the judge and judgement begins first with the household, and we should not denigrate the efforts of fellow Christians for furthering the gospel however imperfect we might regard those efforts. Any purity test will be applied by God (not us) and it is God who draws once the seed is planted. As the apostle says, “Some indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife; and some also of good will… What then? notwithstanding, every way, whether in pretence, or in truth, Christ is preached; and I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice” (Philip 1:15-18).
Last things (eschatology)
We are approaching the end of an age and the start of something new. With endings come new beginnings. The earth and humanity will not be destroyed but civilization and the old way of doing things will be gone. The question is what will it be replaced with? There are those who want to replace it with Noahide laws and temple worship controlled from Jerusalem. Nation states will still be allowed some autonomy if fealty is shown to the ruler (anti-Christ) but the gentiles will be subject nations and second class citizens with limited conditions under which they may practice their religion. There are others who want a globalist transhumanist secular utopia (dystopia) and probably some sort of Luciferian or New Age Gaia cult. The choice either way is bleak.
It seems to me that the end of things is known in certain circles and was probably carefully guarded knowledge passed down by a priestly class and or magician-astronomers in different cultures. This knowledge is reflected in ancient mythology which often worshiped the stars and was aware of the of 25,920-year precession cycle. Our lives are but a single day in the Babylonian 360-degree cycle of destruction and creation known as The Great Year.
Gog and Russia
Finally, Russia has been consigned the ultimate role of the end-time Gog bogeyman in eschatological prophecy by equating the Gog of Ezekiel with the Gog of Revelation.[4] However, the Gog of Revelation does not come from the north but from,”The nations in the four corners of the earth” (Rev 20:8). It has become what G. B. Caird termed a “true myth” an eschatological rhetorical symbol of perpetual hostility against God. In reciprocation the LORD will be at war against Amalek (Agag/Gog) from generation to generation” (Exod. 17:16). In the first instance Amalek represents sin (hence the sign of the cross defeated Amalek in the wilderness) in the last instance Amalek (Agag/Gog) represents all human opposition (in the form of nation states) gathered against the Lord and his anointed.
Notes
[1] See: Why does God like camping?
[2] See: The Repentance of Israel and Turning away ungodliness from Jacob
[3] See my Commentary: Pattern Recognition in the Apocalypse (PRITA), Biblaridion Media, 2018, 695 pages or PRITA online
[4] See: Ezekiel 38-39, Inter-textual analysis (Part-I) and Ezekiel 38-39, Russia (Part-2) and Stylometric Analysis (Part 3)