CHURCH OF CHRIST

New Heaven~New Earth 

       This new relationship between God and His people is the kingdom of God that Jesus promised.  This new relationship is shown to us as just that very thing a relationship that is through (because of) Christ new in heaven and new on earth. 

The Antichrist

            Does the Bible teach that there is going to be a world ruler who will one day bring destruction to Christianity and the end of the reign of Christ and His church on earth?  Have you ever thought of the premillennial teaching of The Anti-Christ in those terms?  I doubt that all of those who teach the false doctrine of The Anti-Christ have ever put it that way but that is exactly what they are saying in their teachings.  When they teach that Jesus is going to be forced to remove His church from this world for a time because of the persecution and actions of a single human being they are saying that the presence of God is going to be forced out of this world!

            Do you believe that?  Do you believe that evil is greater than good?  Do you believe that Satan will triumph over God to the point that God has to take away His church and His very presence from His creation?  You have to believe those very things in order to believe the premillennial teaching of an all powerful, all deluding, all encompassing world leader called The Anti-Christ.  A man that is so supreme in nature that his actions even surpass the Cross of Christ.  Just recently I heard one of the enlightened from San Antonio, Texas while standing in front of his panorama of the End Times teaching that when you are left behind if you do not have your head cut-off during the reign of The Anti-Christ you will not go to heaven.  Then he encouraged people to ‘come to the Christ’ now before the Lord’s church is removed because that is easier than having your head chopped off!

            Do you know that the Bible teaches that we only have salvation, the forgiveness of sins, by the blood of Jesus Christ {1 Timothy 2: 5, 6; 1 John 1:7}?  That it does not teach salvation by the shedding of our own blood or the blood of some second chance non-believer through decapitation during an imagined reign of The Anti-Christ?  I don’t mean to sound harsh about this but I can’t say much about a doctrine that tries to teach that God is going to be run out of town by a mere human being (no matter how evil that human is).  A doctrine that teaches salvation will still exist in future world not through the Cross of Christ but with the guillotine of The Anti-Christ.  A doctrine that further teaches that the presence of the body of Christ will one day be removed from this world!

            Let’s look at the New Testament book of Ephesians for a moment. The Apostle Paul in Ephesians 2:19- 22 tells us that the church of Christ is the family of God.  He also says that the church is the holy temple of God and that the spirit of God [Holy Spirit] lives in that body, the church.  [[Read it for yourself.]]

            Then Ephesians 3:7-21 says that the church was and is intended by God to preach the countless wisdom of God.  That wisdom being the Gospel of Jesus Christ the Gospel that says salvation has come to all mankind through the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Do you see that in verses 12 & 13 of Ephesians chapter 3 Paul says don’t worry about persecution, don’t be discouraged about suffering and don’t loose confidence in Christ?  In verses 20 & 21 of Ephesians 3, do you see that Paul says the church will exist on this earth for as long as this earth exists and that salvation in this world will always be in the church and through the blood of Jesus Christ?

            So, what does the Bible teach because I know there are scriptures that say something about antichrist and about a great persecution?  Yes, the Bible does teach about a time of great persecution for the church, about antichrist/s, the man of lawlessness and 666 in passages such as: II Thessalonians 2; 1 John 2, 4; 2 John 7-11 & Revelation 13. When you look at these chapters and verses one thing stands out – they are not necessarily talking about an individual or the same individual(s) as we are led to believe by millennialist in these supposed  “The Anti-Christ” passages.  Yes, the Bible does teach that a time of persecution was coming for the early church.  But, that time and those who oppose Christ, as spoken of by Paul and John in these scriptures, have already come and gone.

            Notice that II Thessalonians 2 teaches that the lawless one will come and go before Christ’s return.  Then notice that 1 John 2:18 says that even then during the time of John's writing there had already been many antichrists and in verse 22 John says any one who denies that Jesus is the Messiah, the Christ, is the antichrist.  2 John 7-11, tells us that those who deny Jesus as God in the flesh are the antichrist.  'Antichrist' is just that- anyone who is a-n-t-i-C-h-r-i-s-t.  Those who either deny Jesus as God or deny God as having come in the flesh to bring salvation to all mankind are antichrist(s).

            Revelation does teach that a man or at least a political/cultural/religious system is coming to bring persecution on the church.  But, it also says that he is only human or the system is just from mankind.  What proof is John given in Revelation that this is not a superman?  God gives the beast in Revelation 13 a number 666.  God’s number is 7 we could say 777 [Father/Son/Holy Spirit].  The beast, whether a single person or an earthly system in power at the time of John, is given a number less than God because he or it is only human and not deity.  So, the number 6 [less than God’s number– 7] is given to represent the power of the beast or I should say its lack of real power.  The beast's number is 6-6-6 because it fails- politically, culturally and religiously.

            Remember as I said in the beginning, to believe in the Premillennialist’s version of the antichrist in Holy Scripture is to elevate the number of the beast from 6 to 7.  To believe in a future, all powerful world leader – The Anti-Christ is to believe in the ruination of the church of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and the powerlessness of the Cross of Christ.  Salvation has been and always will be only through the all powerful blood of Jesus Christ and as Paul told us in Ephesians as long as we are in Christ there is no need for fear or discouragement because the power of Christ is at work in His church.

     THE RAPTURE

     To begin with, we need to understand two basic truths about The Rapture: [1] the word rapture is not found in the Bible; and [2] there is no such event as The Rapture told about in the Bible as taught in pre-, post-, or mid-millennial teaching.  How can I make either one of those statements? I can say [1] because the word rapture is not found in the Greek text of the New Testament nor has there ever been a single New Testament Greek word or New Testament Greek phrase that has ever been translated rapture in any English translations of the Bible- ever.  I can say [2] because the Rapture is an unsupported theory that even within the teachings of millennialism there has never been agreement about: the terms, the conditions, the provisions, of the fundamentals of the event they call The Rapture. 

     Put simply, The Rapture, according to millennialism, is when Jesus gathers together all Christians (living and dead) either before or after or during a supposed time of tribulation and leaves the rest behind.  The event itself, The Rapture as taught by millennialism, is when those Christians who are alive will supposedly be ‘caught up…in the clouds’ with those who have died.  This taking up of the saved they believe is taught in I Thessalonians 4:17 and they believe it is further evidenced in Matthew 24.

     The fact is this event is not revealed in scripture but it is the result of imaginary minds teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.  So, you see my problem in teaching or even talking about The Rapture is that it is difficult if not impossible to disprove a theory that even those who believe in the theory can’t agree on the substance of the theory.  So all I can do is only tell you what scripture really teaches in I Thessalonians 4 and Matthew 24.

I Thessalonians 4:13-18

     This passage is given to us so that we can be assured that Jesus will not forget those Christians who have died before His return to gather up His church, the Second Coming of Christ.  This is what Paul is telling the Christians in I Thessalonians 4:13.  Read it and see if that isn’t exactly what Paul says, “we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep”.  Paul simply tells those brethren in Thessalonica that those who die before the Second Coming of Christ will not be forgotten.  He tells them that not only will they not be forgotten but that their spirits will return with Christ at His return and will be instantaneously brought back in spiritual-bodily form {I Thessalonians 4:14,16}.  This passage teaches nothing about a long passage of time between the return of Christ, the bodily resurrection of the dead in Christ, and those alive in Christ at His return all going up with Him forever in heaven. [[Which is exactly where all in Christ are going to be, forever.]]

Matthew 24: 1-51

     There is certainly a lot to consider in Matthew 24 and I recognize that entire books have been written merely about this single chapter.  But in order to understand this chapter we must do two things.  One, we need to read the chapter for ourselves and stop relying on others to do our reading for us.  Two, we need to see that in this chapters Jesus answers two very different questions. [If you would read the entire chapter before continuing, thank you.]

     Did you notice the two questions that the disciples asked Jesus?  They are found in verse 3, “‘Tell us,’ they said, ‘when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?’”.  Jesus just told them in verse 2 that the temple in Jerusalem was going to be destroyed.  They wanted to know two things: when will the destruction of the temple happen and what are the signs of that destruction, which to them was surely had to be the end of the age.

     Now, they think they have asked only one question because they see the end of the temple as the end of the world.  We can see that Jesus treats these as two separate events by Jesus’ answers to their (multiple) questions.  [Look At This]  In verse 4 Jesus says “watch out”, in verse 15 He says, “when you see”, and in verse 30 Jesus tells them there is a “sign” to look for concerning the destruction of the Temple.  But when Jesus begins to talk about the “end of the age” or as He says in verse 35, “heaven and earth will pass away” Jesus then changes His teaching.

     Notice that in verse 36 He says, “no one knows” about “that day” (the day heaven and earth will pass away).  In other words – there are no signs for that final event.  But Jesus does go on to teach about the end of the age or the end of the world because Jesus knows that later His words will be understood by His people, Christians and here is where the confusion happens for some.

     In verses 36-44 Jesus is talking about that last day.  He says this about the last day: (1) no one knows when it is going to happen [so there are no signs]; (2) the end will come very quickly and like in the days of Noah only God’s people will be ready [because they are God’s people they are to stay ready]; and finally (3) Jesus tells them how quickly and in what order they are to be taken on that last day.  Jesus says there will be two men in the field – one taken, one left and that there will be two women grinding corn – on taken one left.

     Are you thinking, “That sounds like The Rapture to me.”?  It isn’t.  It is only what Paul was talking about, and what we have already seen in our study of I Thessalonians 4:13-5:3.  Jesus simply tells us in Matthew 24: 40, 41 that those who are alive and saved at His return will be taken before those who are lost.  This is the very thing that Paul teaches in I Thessalonians 4:17.  Paul just doesn’t tell Christians that the lost are next and Jesus doesn’t talk about those who are dead when He returns.  But we can get from both scriptures that the event is sudden, without signs, and that there is an order, even though almost instantaneous, to all of our changing “in the twinkling of an eye” I Corinthians 15:52.

________________________

     Some final thoughts on this subject.  There is an argument that says, “Just because the word rapture doesn’t appear in the Bible that doesn’t make it wrong.”  The argument goes on to say that the word Bible isn’t in the Bible either and that is true.  But unlike the made-up word rapture the idea and the teaching and the doctrine of the 'the Bible' is found in Holy Scripture and the concept of the Bible – an inerrant and inspired word of God and from God does not do harm to the nature of God.

     That brings me to my final, final thoughts on The Rapture.  The teachings behind the The Rapture are ungodly and lead people away from the truth.  At the core of millennialism is The Rapture and millennialism whether pre-, post-, or mid- is anti-God.  It teaches in it’s various forms: salvation without Jesus, salvation without faith, a cast-system of the saved, a false ‘second-chance’ before judgment and it teaches that “anyone can make the Bible say whatever they want it to say”.  The Bible only says what God intended for it to say and any teaching that waters down or negates the need for Christ and His cross is wrong.

     So why is there a teaching called The Rapture and why do people want to believe in it?  #1} Because people want to make a way for themselves and others to be saved no matter what and they don’t want to have to work too hard at being godly.  #2} Because people thought that if they made the prophecy in the Bible continually current and future then people would think the Bible was relevant and they would read the Bible.  How can I say these two things?  First of all millennialism teaches its adherents to just go on with their lives and if their friends or family get “Left Behind” then surely they will get it right after that.  Just think about that term “Left Behind” it sounds like you forgot something and that you can go back later and get it.  That only makes people feel better and does not bring them to obey the gospel.  I can say the second because Charles Fuller said it, “…ultimate purpose in stressing biblical prophecy throughout half a century of preaching was to show people how relevant the Bible is to what is happening today and thereby to awaken them to their need of turning to Christ without delay.”

     What good is it to twist the word of God around so much that all people know about the Bible is that it can be made to say anything and the worst thing that can happen to you is that you will have to go next door to find a copy of it on your neighbor’s coffee table when Jesus comes and you get “Left Behind”?  There is no good in a teaching that leads to that kind of thinking about God, His word, and our salvation!

the New Jerusalem

“I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.” –Rev 21:2 Of all the premillennial teachings the general doctrines, thoughts and beliefs taught about this Holy City, this new Jerusalem, are without a doubt some of the strangest of them all. Some teach that it is a city that will one day hover directly over present day Jerusalem. A city where the believers translated into their new bodies will live during the supposed 1,000 year reign or millennium. Others believe it to be a celestial city in outer space, the dwelling place of Christians, a platform from which Christians will be able to visit the renewed earth {see the article above on New Heaven and New Earth} where their Jewish brothers are living. And, then some believe it to be an actual city that will take the place of Solomon’s temple. [[Note: There are amillennialists who believe the new Jerusalem to be an apocalyptic description of heaven after the Second Coming.]] Well, one thing is sure with this diversity of theories they can’t all be right. What we need to find out is what does God in His inspired word tells us about the “Holy City”, “the new Jerusalem”, “the city laid out like a square” that we can use to identify the city. [[READ: Revelation 21 and Revelation 22]]

IS IT HEAVEN?

Revelation 21: 2> the Holy City “comes down out of heaven”

If it comes down out of or from heaven then it can’t be heaven.

Revelation 21: 3> “Now the dwelling of God is with men…” (emphasis)

God is with men in the Holy City and not men dwelling with God in heaven.

Revelation 21: 24> “The nations will walk by its light…” (emphasis)

Who are the nations? They are the non-believers (non-Christians) who are to use the “light” of the City to know the way, the way to salvation.

Revelation 22: 22-23> “God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple…” Worship is still Christ centered.

Revelation 22: 2> “tree are for the healing of the nations” (emphasis)

Who needs “healing” (forgiveness of sins) in heaven?  And, what are the nations (non-believers) doing in heaven?

SO WHAT (or who) IS THIS CITY?

Revelation 21: 2, 9> It is the bride the wife of the Lamb. The Holy City, Jerusalem, is the church. The church is the bride of Christ

Revelation 21: 3> God is (dwelling) with the Holy City. God is with His people, the church.

Revelation 21:24 > The City is the light for the world. The church is that city set on a hill that shines the light of Christ to the world.

Revelation 22:2> The City is where the nations come for healing. The Church is commissioned with bring the message of the Gospel to the world.

The Holy City, the new Jerusalem, is the church of Christ, the spiritual body of Christ. That is the only understanding that does no harm to our understanding the book of Revelation or to the rest of scripture. It also does not harm the nature of God.

But what about the verse that says, “There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain”? Well, the rest of that verse explains the how and why of this concept. It is that way in the church because "the old order of things has passed away" and we are living in the new heaven and new earth relationship with God, as His people. Spiritually speaking, Christians have no reason to be concerned with: death, sorrow, or pain since they are in Christ. “The sting of death is sin,” we are forgiven. The pain of life is hopelessness. We have nothing but hope in Christ. The tears of life are from loss. We have all spiritual blessings in Christ, in Christ it is all gain. We are to as Paul says, “Rejoice in the Lord always.”

NEW WORLDERS
'the evangelical's evolution'

So why is everyone turning to premillennialism?

     In recent years we have seen an influx of articles by what can only politely be called New Worlders.  Recently it seems that eveyone accepts as a religious fact that there is going to be a supposed revamping, restoration and future elevation of this present world to other worldly status.  These other worldly ideas are theories that are based on a misguided love for this present world, a love that supersedes the truly godly desire for the biblical teaching of- being with God in heaven for all eternity.  Premillennialism is the religious right's version of evolution.
     So why this openly new found understanding for the founding of a New Earth?  The first, most obvious and superficial reason is – book sales.  The bottom line seems to be their Bottom Line. 
     Why would good and honest women and men now want to be numbered with those who have forsaken the biblical truths taught by Jesus in Matthew 25.46 and John 14.3.  Truths that plainly teach us that those in Christ will go to be with Him in heaven for all eternity.  They do so to receive the recompense and respect of this world.  They blend and bottle a deadly concoction of half truths and innuendo to a hopeless public desperate for complex answers to simple questions.

     I know it may sound insensitive to some for me to say that the love for riches and recognition are the results of this evil teaching; but, it is also Scriptural to say, "For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs" -1 Timothy 6:10.  I do not believe that fame and fortune were the stimulus for developing this error.  They certainly are the reasons for adopting and then clarifying this worldly philosophy to the church and the unsuspecting public.
     As to what stimulated the teaching of premillenialism it seems that when you read their writings it becomes clear that they evolved into believing in a regenerated earth and became New Worlders.  This evolution is because some have experienced a devastating loss in their lives.  For some it was loss of family (mother, father, wife, or children).  For others it was a loss of psychological or emotional security.  So, that through all of this loss they came to believe that on this New Earth they will be able to: complete relationships stopped short; raise children lost to them long ago; or, fulfill promises that death hindered them from fulfilling.

     There are the geopolitical reasons for wanting a remade earth.  This group is by far the largest and they are the most outspoken.  Some have placed their politics above their God ... their race before their religion.  They for the most part desire a purity of race or superiority of nationality in the new world order.  Some simply want the decades or centuries of strife and conflict in their home lands to end forever so that they can live in their country free of pain.  They believe on some level that God has given them an ancestral homeland for all eternity. However, the bottom line is that they are all basing their faith, their love, their very being on something other than the word of God and on someone or something other than God.  I believe it is important for us to try and understand some of the possible reasons why and how they came to believe such things: [1] it helps us understand them and show them the truth; and, [2] it helps us to avoid such dangers in our own lives.

A disturbed love of money, family and country are all just symptoms of a greater problem- some people just cannot conceive of anything better than life on this earth.  They absolutely love this present world.  The sad fact is they are so rooted, anchored and chained to this world that even God Almighty will not be able to bring them home on that last day if they don’t free themselves of the love of this world through Jesus Christ.  They cannot read something as simple as Hebrews 11:13-16 and see the promise of a home in heaven and the futility of loving this earth or any supposed earth to come. 

I have attempted to answer many questions about the end-times and or the new earth but there still remains a single verse in the Bible upon which these New Worlders hang their hat.  That verse is Romans 8:21.
       The key to understanding Romans 8 is to realize that there is a Romans 1-7.  In chapters 1-7 Paul begins to establish that those who are called belong to Jesus Christ {Ro. 1:6} and that those who are in Christ will live by faith {Ro. 1:17}.  Then almost immediately Paul explains the difference between those who belong to Christ and live by faith and those who are godless and wicked {Ro 1.18}.  It is here in this beginning section of Paul’s letter that we have the key to Paul’s words found in Ro 8: 20-21- “For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.”

 Romans 1:18-25

           > Creation is spoken of as a gift for mankind from God for the purpose of ‘showing’ mankind the eternal power and divine nature of God.  {Vs’ 19 &20}

           > This physical creation of God (the world) was to be a witness to the glory of God of the fact that there is a God so that mankind would have no excuse to disobey God.  {Vs 20}

           > Mankind rejected the witness of the creation.  {Vs 21}

           > Mankind’s rejection brought man into a sinful state.  {Vs' 21 & 22}

           > Mankind’s rejection also brought reproach to the witness of creation because although this physical world should have brought glory to God by man mankind used it in idolatrous fashion making the world’s witness to God also futile and darkened.  {Vs' 21-23}

           > Creation then existed in a state of reproach before God because of mankind’s wickedness.  {Vs’ 18, 23, 25, 28, 32}