|
THE MILLENNIUM
DETAILS |
|
INTRODUCTORY REMARKS |
|
We were informed of a transitional world era that is to come
between the end of the Age of Wrath, the current planetary age, and the
beginning of the blessed ages of Light and Life. This special world period is a
millennial era, covering approximately one thousand revolutions of the planet
around the sun.
Earth periods are related to universe time, and cycles of
destiny, as they are measured from Paradise.
You have unwittingly read the truth when your eyes rested on
the statement "A day is as a thousand years with God, as but a watch in the
night," (Psalm 90:4). One Paradise-Havona day is just seven minutes, three and
one-eighth seconds less than one thousand years of the present Urantia leap-year
calendar. The Urantia Papers, Page 53.
The current system of planetary schedules follows the
Paradise-Havona day. Approximately two thousand years elapsed between the
appearance of Melchizedek, at the time of Abraham, and the birth of Jesus -- two
Paradise days. Another two thousand years have elapsed between the birth of
Jesus, and the imminent termination of the present planetary age. Still another
thousand years (one Paradise day) will elapse between the end of this age and
the end of the Millennium.
Considerable details of this coming era were given, to help God's
people hold fast until the time of release from the final troubles and woes, and
the inauguration of the first stage of Light and Life. Contrary to fond
Christian hopes the Millennium will not be a settled period, nor will it be a
time of truth and righteousness. It will be a transitional era, a time to adjust
and harmonize manifold aspects of planetary conditions.
This new and oncoming social order will not settle down
complacently for a millennium. The human race must become reconciled to a
procession of changes, adjustments, and readjustments. Mankind is on the march
toward a new and unrevealed planetary destiny. The Urantia Papers, Page
1086.
This planet is about to see a new social order. The present order
will be destroyed. Factories, Schools, Universities, Churches, Houses,
governments, religions, economics, philosophies, theologies, and science are all
about to disappear to make way for the new order. Great changes now come to the
world.
I shall briefly outline this era, showing the major episodes.
-
A period of approximately forty years during which the planet
settles down from the cataclysms of the nuclear holocaust and the great
geological transitions.
-
A period of approximately five hundred years during which
civilized social structures are rebuilt.
-
The return of the genetic remnants of the Twelve Tribes of Israel
to the geologically reformed land of Israel.
-
The human birth of the Messiah about midway through the era.
-
A steady increase in the length of human life, as biological
systems readjust to the new planetary conditions.
-
The human birth of the fallen Prince toward the end of this era,
and his rise to power as a political figure.
-
The marshaling of a huge military force by the fallen Prince to
destroy the genetic remnants of Israel, and that holy land.
-
Final battles in the holy land, with the destruction of that huge
military force, the final death of the Prince, his "fall as any man," and the
victory of the Messiah.
-
Another geological upheaval as the planet is prepared for entry
into the new era of Light and Life.
I shall not proceed in chronological order. Comprehension of the
millennium is easier if I consider major prophecy components, to build the logic
of that era.
Revelation on this era was scattered in our traditional text, and
also in The Urantia Papers. I shall interweave the pieces to show how
they cast light on one another.
As part of this presentation it is necessary to briefly touch on
the delusions which beset understanding of this period. Because of the severe
limitations placed on the minds of the generations, and the spirit of deep sleep
in which God kept us, proper view of this period has not been possible. Most of
those who believe in a millennial period view it mythically, as though it is the
culmination of human history. They lump all prophecies of future world eras into
one grand and final drama. Many of those individuals believe Jesus will return
for the Millennium to assume rulership. This is based on the statement in Matt
19:28.
|
Jesus said to them, "Truly, I say to you, in the new world,
when the Son of man shall sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me
will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel."
This is from the RSV. "In the new world" is understood
universally to mean literally, the new earth, the renovated planet. Taking this
view, Jesus will return to this world. KJV puts it differently:
And Jesus said unto them, "Verily I say unto you, That ye
which have followed me, in the regeneration, when the Son of man shall sit on
the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the
twelve tribes of Israel."
Now the "throne of his glory" is not on this planet, but on that celestial
sphere from which he rules, administrates, and upholds his universe through his
Creator powers.
The Greek word for "regeneration" is paliggenesia.
Thayer's Greek Lexicon offers the following remarks:
a) The word is often used to denote the restoration of a thing
to its pristine state, its renovation, as a renewal or restoration of life after
death.
b) The renovation of the earth after the deluge.
c) The renewal of the world to take place after its
destruction by fire.
d) The signal and glorious change of all things (in heaven and
earth) for the better, that restoration of the primal and perfect condition of
things which existed before the fall of our first parents, which the Jews looked
for in connection with the advent of the Messiah, and which Christians expected
in connection with the visible return of Jesus from heaven.
The regeneration holds for the entire universe, not merely this
planet.
Eph 1:9-10 -- For he has made known to us in all wisdom and
insight the mystery of his will, according to his purpose which he set forth in
Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in
heaven and things on earth.
The twelve thrones actually are twenty-four; our historic record has become
confused.
Rev 4:4 -- Round the throne were twenty-four thrones, and
seated on the thrones were twenty-four elders, clad in white garments, with
golden crowns.
4. THE FOUR AND TWENTY COUNSELORS: At the center of the seven
angelic residential circles on Jerusem is located the headquarters of the
Urantia advisory council, the four and twenty counselors. John the Revelator
called them the four and twenty elders: "And round about the throne were four
and twenty seats, and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting,
clothed in white raiment." The throne in the center of this group is the
judgment seat of the presiding archangel, the throne of the resurrection roll
call of mercy and justice for all Satania. This judgment seat has always been on
Jerusem, but the twenty-four surrounding seats were placed in position no more
than nineteen hundred years ago, soon after Christ Michael was elevated to the
full sovereignty of Nebadon. These four and twenty counselors are his personal
agents on Jerusem, and they have authority to represent the Master Son in all
matters concerning the roll calls of Satania and in many other phases of the
scheme of mortal ascension on the isolated worlds of the system. They are the
designated agents for executing the special requests of Gabriel and the unusual
mandates of Michael. The Urantia Papers, Page 513.
Divine rulership would not be established until the end of the
Millennium, when all things become united in heaven and on earth. The
unsettledness of the Millennium prevents unification.
Still another element supported a view of the earthly presence of
Jesus. It was based on the notion that Jesus was the Messiah figure forecast in
Old Testament prophecy. Since he did not fulfill those future forecasts when he
lived here as a man he surely must return to do so. This false requirement was
then set in the Millennium.
Return to Top of Page
|
|
GOG AND MAGOG
(Click on the Titles below to find text)
(To Return to this list hit the back button on your browser)
|
|
Geographical Parallels
A Huge Military Force
Mustered for Battle
Location of Events
Fate of the Hordes
The Deceiver
Summary
|
The Latter Days
The Land of Israel
The People of Israel
Restoration of the Land
A Quiet People
Dwelling Securely
Unwalled Villages
|
|
And when the thousand years are ended Satan will be loosed
from his prison and will come out to deceive the nations which are at the four
corners of the earth, that is, Gog and Magog, to gather them for battle; their
number is like the sand of the sea. And they marched up over the broad earth and
surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city; but fire came down from
heaven and consumed them, and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into
the lake of fire and sulphur where the beast and the false prophet were, and
they will be tormented day and night for ever and ever. Revelation 20:7-10.
I shall begin my study on the Millennium with this fascinating
remark in the Book of Revelation. This passage contains important
elements for our understanding. It helps to set a timetable.
Who are Gog and Magog?
According to the biblical story Noah had three sons, Shem, Ham,
and Japheth. They were the fathers of the nations. The lists of their sons show
"each with his own language, by their families, in their nations." Japheth had
seven sons: Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras. See Gen 10
and I Chron 1:5. From these families the coastland peoples spread.
Four of the seven names can be identified historically. The
Gomerites were scattered in the lands of Asia Minor, around the shores of the
Black Sea, and into the regions of the Sea of Azov in southern Russia. They were
known to the Assyrians as the Gimirrai and to the Greeks as the Kimmerious
(Cimmerians). Their name remains to this day in the Crimea (with a metathesis of
the syllables). Tubal and Meshech appear in Assyrian cuneiform tablets as Tabal
and Mushku on either side of the Taurus mountains in south Turkey. Later they
were called Tibarenoi and Moschoi by Herodotus, the Greek historian. He placed
them in the mountains southeast of the Black Sea near Lake Van and the famous Mt
Ararat. Magog was identified by the Jewish historian Josephus with the Scythians
who inhabited southern Russia between the Black and Caspian seas. Some
traditions place the Scythians as far east as the Russian province of Kazakh.
Herodotus described their location as Rumania and Ukraine. All traditions agree
that they lived in regions which are now part of southern Russia.
From these identifications Gog and Magog are widely interpreted
to mean modern Russia. This contemporary identification is derived out of the
on-again off-again political ambitions of Russia, Communist antagonism to all
religious people, and the phrases "the camp of the saints" and "the beloved
city," understood as modern Israel and Jerusalem. Because of the strong
similarities to current world conditions there is a tendency to believe that
Russia will attack Israel. However, dramatic shifts in world affairs have made
such interpretation suspect. Furthermore, the Revelation passage presents
a devastating difficulty.
For decades many persons drew out parallels with Ezekiel
38 and 39 to show the strength of their belief. Then suddenly they became aware
that the passage in Revelation referred to the end of the thousand years,
to the end of the Millennium. It could not refer to current events. As a
consequence those biblical interpreters pushed aside and ignored the
Revelation prophecy; they continued to base their thinking entirely on the
prophecy in Ezekiel.
The belief in the Ezekiel passage as a description of
modern events is so widespread and so deeply entrenched within Christian
fundamentalist religious circles, when reminded that the Gog and Magog passages
in Ezekiel and Revelation are parallel, one-for-one, almost all of
those foolish interpreters reject the thought that the Ezekiel passage
might not apply to our day. They cling to their notions of current events; they
insist that the Gog and Magog of Ezekiel does refer to our day, although
they must admit that the Gog and Magog of Revelation does not. They are
forced to invent two Gog and Magog events, one now at the end of this age, and
another at the end of the thousand years.
Could God have arranged events to create such confusion? Does he
repeat history? Does the description in Revelation mean there will be two
judgment events, one before the Millennium and one after? Indeed, there will be
two judgment events, one now, at the end of this age, and another at the end of
the Millennium. Because of our state of blindness we could not distinguish
between them. Therefore, I shall detail the Gog and Magog passages to show that
both refer to the end of the thousand years. There will be two judgment events
but the prophecies on Gog and Magog do not belong to our day.
To draw out the full import of the passages I shall list the
items from Revelation and show how they are duplicated in Ezekiel
in every detail. Secondly, I shall show why the descriptions from Ezekiel
do not satisfy current conditions but fit well at the end of the Millennium.
Return to Top of Page
Geographical Parallels
In Revelation they are the nations at "the four corners of
the earth," that is, Gog and Magog.
The list of nations in Ezekiel also shows the four corners
of the earth. Magog is from the uttermost parts of the north, 38:15, 39:2.
Persia (38:5) in the sixth century BC was ruled by Cyrus the Great. His empire
extended from India westward to the Mediterranean Sea including Armenia, Turkey,
and Media (modern Iran). These lands are north and east of the Holy Land. Cush
(38:5) is identified as Ethiopia and is so translated by KJV. It is those lands
which today make up the Sudan and modern Ethiopia. They are to the south of the
Holy Land. Put (38:5) is identified as Libya; it was translated as Libya by the
Septuagint and KJV. It is to the west of the Holy Land.
Thus we see that the peoples listed in Ezekiel are from
the north, east, south and west, the four corners of the earth, and show a
strong parallel with Revelation.
Return to Top of Page
A Huge Military Force
In Revelation "their number is like the sand of the sea."
In Ezek 38:4 they are described as an army, a great company. In
38:9 they are a cloud covering the land, hordes, and many peoples. In 38:15 they
are many peoples, a great host, a mighty army. In 38:22 they are hordes, and
many people.
These phrases show the huge army that will march up against the
people of Israel; they display strong parallel with Revelation on the
size of the force.
Mustered for Battle
In Revelation they are gathered for battle.
In Ezek 38:7 the hosts are assembled. In 38:8 they are mustered.
In 38:11 they go up against the land of unwalled villages. They fall upon the
quiet people. In 38:12 their purpose is to seize spoil and carry off plunder.
They want to assail the waste places which are now inhabited. These were the
places wasted by nuclear destruction and the great planetary transition.
The passages in Ezekiel on the purpose of Gog and Magog
show strong parallel to the purpose given in Revelation.
Return to Top of Page
Location of Events
In Revelation they marched up over the broad earth and
surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city.
In 38:18 Gog goes up against the land of Israel. In 39:11 Gog and
his multitude are buried in Israel.
From tradition everyone recognizes the camp of the saints as
Israel living in the land of promise, and the beloved city as Jerusalem. No one
questions such identification from the Revelation passage. In Ezekiel
the land of Israel and Jerusalem are clearly identified. Ezekiel
parallels Revelation on the location of the events.
Fate of the Hordes
In Revelation fire comes down from heaven to consume them.
In Ezek 38:22 Gog and his hordes are destroyed by torrential
rains, hailstones, fire and brimstone. In 39:6 Magog and the people of the
coastlands fall by fire.
The means of destruction is the same in both Revelation
and Ezekiel. The events would fit within the judgment by fire for our own
day. This is another reason the Revelation passage was thought by some
interpreters to refer to modern events.
Return to Top of Page
The Deceiver
In Revelation Satan comes out to deceive the nations.
In Ezek 38:10 thoughts come into the mind of Gog and he devises
an evil scheme. In Revelation Gog and Magog are used as one phrase, in an
identical sense. But in Ezekiel Gog is identified as a personality. In
Ezek 38:2-3 he is called the Chief Prince of Meshech and Tubal, from the land of
Magog. In Hebrew the words for Chief Prince are nasi rosh. The word
nasi means prince. The word rosh is used many places in the Old
Testament for captain, chief, ruler, and so on. Some translations show the
phrase as "Prince of Rosh." Less informed interpreters then take Rosh to mean
Russia; for them Gog is the Prince of Russia. To be consistent the son of
Benjamin in Gen 46:21 should be Russia; I Chron 5:7 would have the Russians,
Jeiel and Zechariah, and so on. Such ridiculous translation is unjustified in
the original Hebrew. Those interpreters will also claim, without any historical
or factual support, that Meshech (Herodotus' Moschoi) means Moscow and that
Tubal means Siberian Tobolsh. Such claims are unwarranted and unnecessary
because of the historical identifications of Gomer and Magog with the lands of
Russia. Those commentators do a disservice to God's people by such
unprofessional and random matching of sounds and names across languages.
This information shows the parallel between Ezekiel and
Revelation on the deceiving personality. Gog is the devil and Satan of
Revelation. In Ezekiel he is described as a leader of human hordes
and therefore appears in human form.
In other letters and papers I discuss the several Old Testament
passages which state that divine beings will live as men, in mortal form. This
is part of a mercy extension to those created divine Sons of God who rebelled.
They will be given one final opportunity to prove their true hearts, under the
same terms and conditions as the human mortals they betrayed.
Return to Top of Page
|
Ps 82:6-7 -- I say, "You are gods, sons of the Most High, all
of you; nevertheless, you shall die like men, and fall like any prince."
Isa 14:12-20 -- How you are fallen from heaven, O Day Star,
son of Dawn! How you are cut down to the ground, you who laid the nations low!
You said in your heart, 'I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God I will
set my throne on high; I will sit on the mount of assembly in the far north; I
will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will make myself like the Most
High.' But you are brought down to Sheol, to the depths of the Pit. Those who
see you will stare at you, and ponder over you: 'Is this the man who made the
earth tremble, who shook kingdoms, who made the world like a desert and
overthrew its cities, who did not let his prisoners go home?' All the kings of
the nations lie in glory, each in his own tomb; but you are cast out, away from
your sepulchre, like a loathed untimely birth, clothed with the slain, those
pierced by the sword, who go down to the stones of the Pit, like a dead body
trodden under foot. You will not be joined with them in burial, because you have
destroyed your land, you have slain your people. "May the descendants of
evildoers nevermore be named!
Ezek 28:17-19 -- Your heart was proud because of your beauty;
you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor. I cast you to the
ground; I exposed you before kings, to feast their eyes on you. By the multitude
of your iniquities, in the unrighteousness of your trade you profaned your
sanctuaries; so I brought forth fire from the midst of you; it consumed you, and
I turned you to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all who saw you. All who
know you among the peoples are appalled at you; you have come to a dreadful end
and shall be no more for ever.
Return to Top of Page
Summary
We see that the passage from Revelation is an excellent
outline of the events described in Ezekiel. There are two major
differences; the deceiver is identified as Satan in Revelation; in
Ezekiel he is identified as a human personality named Gog. Importantly,
Revelation is explicit that the events will be at the end of the thousand
years.
If we consider the thesis that Rev 20 and Ezek 38 and 39
represent two different events we must ask how they could have such identical
parallels. Would God provide deeper mystery for us? Would these two unique
prophecies be descriptive of two totally different times? It hardly seems
possible. If accepted as descriptive of the same event they provide unique
insight into the millennial period. They also inform us of the destiny of the
former Prince of this world. But only if we can overcome the barriers that our
blindness placed upon the interpretation of biblical prophecy.
I shall now draw out the reasons why the Ezekiel passage
does not satisfy current events but can be understood under millennial
conditions.
The Latter Days
In Ezek 38:8 and 38:16 the phrases "latter years" and "latter
days" are given. All students naturally assume these phrases mean the latter
years and the latter days of our own age. They could just as well refer to
latter years of the Millennium, the latter days of the thousand years, or even
as a designation for the Millennium.
Return to Top of Page
The Land of Israel
References to Israel are many and immediately lead students of
the prophecy to assume it means modern Israel. In 38:8, 39:4 and 39:17 are the
mountains of Israel. In 38:14 and 39:7 are the people of Israel. In 39:9 are the
cities; in 39:7 is the Holy One of Israel. In 39:12 and 39:22 is the house of
Israel, understood to mean the people as a nation. However the mention of the
"whole house" of Israel in 39:25 creates a problem. In 37:11 the two kingdoms of
Israel, Judah and Joseph (Ephraim), recognized as the whole house of Israel, are
clearly united as one. Historically they became divided after the death of
Solomon and, in spite of efforts to reunite, remained divided until the northern
kingdom of Ephraim was destroyed by the Assyrians. The northern tribes were
carried off and became lost on the pages of history. Therefore the phrase "whole
house" must refer to a future period when the two peoples will again become one.
Although some interpreters feel the "whole house" refers to all the Jews the
passage shows that the tribes of Judah and Benjamin and the northern "lost" ten
tribes of Ephraim will miraculously reunite. The dry bones will be gathered
together and the breath of life will come into them, Chapters 34 through 37.
The People of Israel
The people of Israel will be gathered 38:8, brought out from the
nations, 38:8 and 39:27, and gathered from the nations, 38:12 and 39:28. Again
it is natural for students of the prophecy to assume this means the miracle of
modern Israel with the Jews collected from the nations of the world. After all,
this is a most amazing event. How could such a great phenomenon not be portrayed
in prophecy? How could it be an accidental episode? Do world political events of
today not revolve around that phenomenon? Or is God using modern Israel as the
instrument for his Great Judgment? The further remark in 39:28 that none will
remain among the nations is assumed to mean the completion of the return of the
Jews after the final events at the end of this age. Again this return could just
as well refer to events during the Millennium. Then the remark that none shall
remain among the nations means that all the people of Israel, both Jew and
non-Jew, will be brought back. Their children are the survivors of the judgment
events of today, those who obeyed the call of Yahweh and sought shelter in the
wilderness and on the mountains.
Restoration of the Land
The land is restored from war, which had been a continual waste,
38:8. The waste places are now inhabited, 38:12. Interpreters believe the waste
places are the desert lands which are slowly being reclaimed by the Jews. They
cite cultivation by irrigation with many exports of fruits and vegetables,
establishment of many settlements, and so on. Some cite the phrase "the desert
shall blossom like the rose" from Isa 35:1. The phrase in 38:8 about a continual
waste is understood to mean the desert wastelands from antiquity. But the waste
places can be understood differently.
The continual waste described by Ezekiel refers to the
results of the great devastation that will now shortly take place in our day. If
Jerusalem and Judea will be destroyed by nuclear bombs the land will become an
utter desolation, a hissing as described in Jeremiah 18:13-17, 25:9, 18,
29:15-19 and Micah 6. The restoration from war will be the rebuilding of the
land that was utterly laid waste in the nuclear devastation, and in the great
planetary transition. The people of Israel, both Jew and non-Jew, will return
and will renew the land.
A Quiet People
Ezek 38:11 and 38:12 describe a quiet people with many
possessions. This is contrary to present conditions. The people of modern Israel
are not quiet. They are aggressive in defense of their concepts of the promised
return. They do not believe that destruction will come upon them; after all,
they are God's chosen people. Although they have many possessions so also will
the people who return during the Millennium, in bounty beyond the imagination of
people living today.
We should consider that the modern Jews, in their violent
self-defense, are not a camp of the saints. They built military forces,
vigorously pursuing defense of their nationalistic heritage, with retaliatory
strikes and invasions against their neighbors. They have interpreted prophecy
for their material aggrandizement and political position. They are not dedicated
to God; they are dedicated to the image of their unique position in world
history. They are not devoted to salvaging the world; they are devoted to
salvaging themselves. They do not have a vision of a world of righteousness;
they have a vision of nationalistic pride. Their policies are filled with
violence. They are far from being a peaceful or quiet people.
Dwelling Securely
Ezek 38:8, 11, 14 and 39:26 say the people dwell securely. They
were brought out from the nations and now dwell securely, all of them. These
verses are a major support for those who believe the Ezekiel passage
refers to current events.
The remarks could not be farther from present conditions.
Although modern Jews were definitely brought out from the nations, they are just
as definitely not dwelling securely. For the fifty years of their existence as a
political state they have had to fight continually to survive and have been in
constant jeopardy. They are not a secure people, in spite of wishful thinking by
Christian and Jew to the contrary.
In Daniel 11:13-14 is a statement of events which will take place
when the abomination of desolation is set up. KJV and RSV both translate "after
certain years" or "after some years" but both give a footnote that show it is
"at the end-of-time years." At that time "the men of violence among your own
people shall lift themselves up to fulfill the vision; but they shall fail,"
or "the robbers of thy people shall exalt themselves to establish the vision;
but they shall fall." This is an exact prophecy of the state of modern
Israel and shows that it was not neglected in God's word to us. It is important
information to all who are sincere in pursuit of truth.
The policies of modern Israel are violent; those people have
lifted themselves up to fulfill the vision, but they shall fail. The people who
live on the mountains of Israel during the Millennium will truly dwell securely.
Unwalled Villages
In Ezek 38:11 we are told that the people live in unwalled
villages, without walls, and having no bars or gates.
The people of modern Israel may live in villages but many more
live in large cities. Many villages are walled to protect them from terrorist
attack. The land is strung with barbed wire and other fortifications to help in
defense. Many bars and gates are used to control the movement of people.
The Ezekiel descriptions are in vivid contrast to the
actual conditions of the land today. No fortifications, walls, or defenses will
be needed during the Millennium. From the details we can recognize that the
prophecies of Ezekiel could not refer to the modern state of Israel. The
Jews who now live there are not a quiet people; they are armed to the teeth,
they are violent in the pursuit of their national heritage, and they are far
from righteous.
Other evidence shows why these two chapters of Ezekiel do
not refer to modern events.
|
|
THE EZEKIEL CHRONOLOGY
(Click on the items below to find text)
(To Return to this list hit the back button on your browser)
|
|
A Warning From a Watchman
The Delusion of the Jews
The Restoration of Israel
The Coming of the Messiah
They Will Soon Come Home
|
The Resurrection of Israel
The Joining of the Two Sticks
The Reformed Topography
The Tribal Allotments
|
|
A difficult aspect of prophecy was the scattering of pieces of
information through a prophet, and from one prophet to another. There was no
constant theme or chronology that we could follow along a single thread. From
the Psalms and Isaiah to Revelation pieces were intermixed.
It was God's purpose to keep us in a spirit of deep sleep; one method was to
confuse the prophetical pronouncements to prevent our clear perception. However,
a series of chapters in Ezekiel is strikingly different. Chapters 38 and
39 fall in the middle of a sequence dealing with the Millennium. This sequence
begins in Chapter 33 and goes through to the end in Chapter 48.
A Warning From a Watchman
Chapter 33 opens with a charge to the watchmen of Israel.
Ezek 33:3-7 -- ". . . if he sees the sword coming upon the
land and blows the trumpet and warns the people; then if any one who hears the
sound of the trumpet does not take warning, and the sword comes and takes him
away, his blood shall be upon his own head. . . . if he had taken warning, he
would have saved his life. But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does
not blow the trumpet, so that the people are not warned, and the sword comes,
and takes any one of them; that man is taken away in his iniquity, but his blood
I will require at the watchman's hand. So you, son of man, I have made a
watchman for the house of Israel; whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you
shall give them warning from me."
Thus it is with any watchman who would serve God. It is upon his hands to warn
God's people. If those people had within themselves the power to recognize the
danger they would have no need for a watchman.
Return to Top of Page
The Delusion of the Jews
Did Jews really believe the land belonged to them?
Ezek 33:23-28 -- The word of Yahweh came to me: "Son of man,
the inhabitants of these waste places in the land of Israel keep saying,
'Abraham was only one man, yet he got possession of the land; but we are many;
the land is surely given us to possess.' Therefore say to them, Thus says the
Lord GOD: You eat flesh with the blood, and lift up your eyes to your idols, and
shed blood; shall you then possess the land? You resort to the sword, you commit
abominations, and each of you defiles his neighbor's wife, shall you then
possess the land? Say this to them, Thus says the Lord GOD: As I live, surely
those who are in the waste places shall fall by the sword; and him that is in
the open field I will give to the beasts to be devoured; and those who are in
strongholds and in caves shall die by pestilence. And I will make the land a
desolation and a waste; and her proud might shall come to an end; and the
mountains of Israel shall be so desolate that none will pass through."
And so the destructions come. The Jews will be scattered. But not
for long.
Return to Top of Page
The Restoration of Israel
Ezek 34:11-16 -- For thus says the Lord GOD: "Behold, I, I
myself will search for my sheep, and will seek them out. As a shepherd seeks out
his flock when some of his sheep have been scattered abroad, so will I seek out
my sheep; and I will rescue them from all places where they have been scattered
on a day of clouds and thick darkness. And I will bring them out from the
peoples, and gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own
land; and I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the fountains, and in
all the inhabited places of the country. I will feed them with good pasture, and
upon the mountain heights of Israel shall be their pasture; there they shall lie
down in good grazing land, and on fat pasture they shall feed on the mountains
of Israel. I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I will make them lie
down, says the Lord GOD. I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the
strayed, and I will bind up the crippled, and I will strengthen the weak, and
the fat and the strong I will watch over; I will feed them in justice."
Indeed, it was a day of clouds and thick darkness when God
scattered his people. Now, after all the woes of the earth, God will bring them
back. Now, in the renovation of the earth he will return them to the mountains
of Israel, the new reformed Israel.
The Coming of the Messiah
Ezek 34:22-31 -- "I will save my flock. They shall no longer
be a prey. I will judge between sheep and sheep. And I will set up over them one
shepherd, my servant David, and he shall feed them: he shall feed them and be
their shepherd. And I, Yahweh, will be their God, and my servant David shall be
Prince among them. I, Yahweh, have spoken. I will make with them a covenant of
peace and banish wild beasts from the land, so that they may dwell securely in
the wilderness and sleep in the woods. And I will make them and the places round
about my hill a blessing; and I will send down the showers in their season; they
shall be showers of blessing. And the trees of the field shall yield their
fruit, and the earth shall yield its increase, and they shall be secure in their
land; and they shall know that I am Yahweh, when I break the bars of their yoke,
and deliver them from the hand of those who enslaved them. They shall no more be
a prey to the nations, nor shall the beasts of the land devour them; they shall
dwell securely, and none shall make them afraid. And I will provide for them
prosperous plantations so that they shall no more be consumed with hunger in the
land, and no longer suffer the reproach of the nations. And they shall know that
I, Yahweh their God, am with them, and that they, the house of Israel, are my
people, says Yahweh GOD. And you are my sheep, the sheep of my pasture, and I am
your God, says Yahweh GOD."
God himself will seek out those who fled to the wilderness and to
the mountains on a day of clouds and thick darkness. When he brings them back he
will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the fountains, and in all the
inhabited places of the country, with good pasture, and in good grazing land. He
will set over them David their king. He will send down showers of blessing. They
shall no longer be a prey to the nations.
Chapter 35 is an extraneous insertion into the sequence telling
of the restoration of Israel. Mount Seir is properly the mountain range south of
the Dead Sea, but in the Bible it also denotes Edom. Many students believe this
prophecy was misplaced from another location. This section continues into 36:7.
They Will Soon Come Home
Ezek 36:8-15 -- "But you, O mountains of Israel, shall shoot
forth your branches, and yield your fruit to my people Israel; for they will
soon come home. For, behold, I am for you, and I will turn to you, and you shall
be tilled and sown; and I will multiply men upon you, the whole house of Israel,
all of it. The cities shall be inhabited and the waste places rebuilt; and I
will multiply upon you man and beast; and they shall increase and be fruitful;
and I will cause you to be inhabited as in your former times, and will do more
good to you than ever before. Then you will know that I am Yahweh. Yea, I will
let men walk upon you, even my people Israel; and they shall possess you, and
you shall be their inheritance, and you shall no longer bereave them of
children. Thus says Yahweh GOD: Because men say to you, 'You devour men, and you
bereave your nation of children,' therefore you shall no longer devour men and
no longer bereave your nation of children, says Yahweh GOD; and I will not let
you hear any more the reproach of the nations, and you shall no longer bear the
disgrace of the peoples and no longer cause your nation to stumble, says Yahweh
GOD.
The whole house of Israel will now return, the genetic remnants of all of the
twelve tribes, not merely the Jews.
As our God said to us:
Ezek 36:18-36 -- "So I poured out my wrath upon them for the
blood which they had shed in the land, for the idols with which they had defiled
it. I scattered them among the nations, and they were dispersed through the
countries; in accordance with their conduct and their deeds I judged them.
. . . Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says Yahweh
GOD: It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for
the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations to which you
came. And I will vindicate the holiness of my great name, which has been
profaned among the nations, and which you have profaned among them; and the
nations will know that I am Yahweh, says Yahweh GOD, when through you I
vindicate my holiness before their eyes.
For I will take you from the nations, and gather you from all
the countries, and bring you into your own land. I will sprinkle clean water
upon you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your
idols I will cleanse you.
A new heart I will give you, and a new spirit I will put
within you; and I will take out of your flesh the heart of stone and give you a
heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my
statutes and be careful to observe my ordinances.
Return to Top of Page
|
. . . I will summon the grain and make it abundant and lay no
famine upon you. I will make the fruit of the tree and the increase of the field
abundant, that you may never again suffer the disgrace of famine among the
nations.
. . . Thus says Yahweh GOD: On the day that I cleanse you from
all your iniquities, I will cause the cities to be inhabited, and the waste
places shall be rebuilt. And the land that was desolate shall be tilled, instead
of being the desolation that it was in the sight of all who passed by. And they
will say, 'This land that was desolate has become like the garden of Eden; and
the waste and desolate and ruined cities are now inhabited and fortified.' Then
the nations that are left round about you shall know that I, Yahweh, have
rebuilt the ruined places, and replanted that which was desolate; I, Yahweh,
have spoken, and I will do it.
The people of Israel will soon come home. The whole house will
return; the cities will be inhabited and the waste places rebuilt. God will
cause the land to be inhabited as in former times. Then he will give them a new
heart and put a new spirit within them. He will take out their heart of stone
and give them a heart of flesh. He will put his spirit within them. They shall
be his people and he shall be their God. The land that was desolate will become
like the garden of Eden. The "former times" are those days when the earth was
bountiful, in that Eden of long ago.
The Resurrection of Israel
A most famous of biblical passages is the vision of Ezekiel in
37:1-10. He saw a great valley, full of dry bones. He was asked if those bones
could live. He replied, "Lord, you know." Then, as he looked, he saw a great
rattling of the bones. Sinews, and flesh, and skin covered them. The breath of
life came into them. They lived, and stood upon their feet, and became an
exceedingly great host. They were the lost house of Israel, the whole house of
Israel, resurrected, returned, and restored.
Ezek 37:11-14 -- Then he said to me, "Son of man, these bones
are the whole house of Israel. Behold, they say, 'Our bones are dried up, and
our hope is lost; we are clean cut off.' Therefore prophesy, and say to them,
Thus says Yahweh GOD: Behold, I will open your graves, and raise you from your
graves, O my people; and I will bring you home into the land of Israel. And you
shall know that I am Yahweh, when I open your graves, and raise you from your
graves, O my people. And I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live,
and I will place you in your own land; then you shall know that I, Yahweh, have
spoken, and I have done it, says Yahweh."
The Joining of the Two Sticks
Ezek 37:15-28 -- The word of Yahweh came to me: "Son of man,
take a stick and write on it, 'For Judah, and the children of Israel associated
with him'; then take another stick and write upon it, 'For Joseph (the stick of
Ephraim) and all the house of Israel associated with him'; and join them
together into one stick, that they may become one in your hand. And when your
people say to you, 'Will you not show us what you mean by these?' say to them,
Thus says Yahweh GOD: Behold, I am about to take the stick of Joseph (which is
in the hand of Ephraim) and the tribes of Israel associated with him; and I will
join with it the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, that they may be one
in my hand. When the sticks on which you write are in your hand before their
eyes, then say to them, Thus says Yahweh GOD: Behold, I will take the people of
Israel from the nations among which they have gone, and will gather them from
all sides, and bring them to their own land; and I will make them one nation in
the land, upon the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king over them
all; and they shall be no longer two nations, and no longer divided into two
kingdoms. They shall not defile themselves any more with their idols and their
detestable things, or with any of their transgressions; but I will save them
from all the backslidings in which they have sinned, and will cleanse them; and
they shall be my people, and I will be their God. My servant David shall be king
over them; and they shall all have one shepherd. They shall follow my ordinances
and be careful to observe my statutes. They shall dwell in the land where your
fathers dwelt that I gave to my servant Jacob; they and their children and their
children's children shall dwell there forever; and David my servant shall be
their Prince forever. I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an
everlasting covenant with them; and I will bless them and multiply them, and
will set my sanctuary in the midst of them for evermore. My dwelling place shall
be with them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Then the
nations will know that I Yahweh sanctify Israel, when my sanctuary is in the
midst of them for evermore."
These are the promises. Now man will know the meaning of the
prophecies. Now they will recognize themselves as the true children of God.
Chapters 38 and 39 then go on to describe the events that will
take place at the end of the Millennium, and the battles when the fallen Prince
of this world reaches his final end.
Chapters 40 to 48 offer exceptional insights into the coming
Millennium, yet they also present extreme difficulties. The passages provide
explicit details of the New Temple, the duties of the priests, and the plan for
division of the lands among the twelve tribes, as well as description of the
reformed geology. On the other hand many details carry over from Jewish
religious practices in the centuries prior to the birth of Jesus, with animal
sacrifices and burnt offerings, and therefore, do not belong to the Millennium.
Some students have proposed that a later editor reworked Ezekiel's material to
make it palatable to Jewish minds of those days. This may well be. However, it
makes exposition complex and difficult.
Return to Top of Page
I shall consider only two topics.
The Reformed Topography
In 47:1-6 Ezekiel describes a very wide river. According to the
description this river would be more than two miles wide. Apparently it will
issue forth from beneath the temple structure.
The creation of this great river is the result of the geological
changes which will take place at the twisting of the earth.
Zech 14:4-11 -- On that day his feet shall stand on the Mount
of Olives which lies before Jerusalem on the east; and the Mount of Olives shall
be split in two from east to west by a very wide valley; so that one half of the
Mount shall withdraw northward, and the other half southward.
This is an amazing geological description for Zechariah's day,
with precise terms for the movement of sections of the earth's crust, called
tectonic plates. Other great changes will take place in the earth's surface.
And the valley of my mountains shall be stopped up, for the
valley of the mountains shall touch the side of it; and you shall flee as you
fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then Yahweh your
God will come, and all the holy ones with him. On that day living waters shall
flow out from Jerusalem, half of them to the eastern sea and half of them to the
western sea; it shall continue in summer as in winter.
This passage in Zechariah compares with Ezekiel for the great river that will
flow out from the new Jerusalem.
The whole land shall be turned into a plain from Geba to Rimmon
south of Jerusalem. But Jerusalem shall remain aloft upon its site from the Gate
of Benjamin to the place of the former gate, to the Corner Gate, and from the
Tower of Hananel to the king's wine presses.
Here we see an example of the difficulty with the prophetical
texts as they have come down to us. While the whole land may be turned into a
plain the present city of Jerusalem will not remain; it will be blasted from the
face of the earth in the nuclear destructions. Again, it is probable that some
ancient editor interposed his ideas.
Return to Top of Page
Other parallels are found between Zechariah and Ezekiel.
The Tribal Allotments
Special areas were specified for --
-
A Holy district, 45:1
-
A place for the sanctuary within the Holy district, 45:2.
-
A plot of land for the sanctuary, 45:3
-
Another plot as a residential area for the Levites, 45:5. Note
that this harks back to the days when the tribes were identifiable, and Levites
could be recognized. Such condition will not exist in the future, and again
suggests that some editor corrupted the text.
-
An area dedicated to the whole house of Israel, 45:6. This is for
all of the genetic remnants of Israel, as well as the Jews.
-
A section dedicated to the Prince, the Messiah, 45:7.
-
A huge tract of land for the twelve tribes, 47:13-23. This will
be divided among the tribes, 48:1-8. However, the tribes are no longer
identifiable by name or descent; we must view these precise assignments as an
interpretation placed there by that editor who still believed in the literal
existence of the tribes.
-
Land allotments continue to the end of the book.
|
|
CONCEPTUAL DIFFICULTIES
|
|
In our attempts to understand the physical, social and spiritual
environment of the Millennium we must come to grips with the nature of that
period. Although the planet has gone into a new rotational mode, weather systems
have settled down into a bountiful climate, and the fallen Prince is no longer
present as a spiritual influence, still the era is unsettled.
Contrast the good and evil that exist on the planet at the end of
that era. Devout people, (the camp of the saints), and those who can be misled
by Satan when he is "loosed for a little while," are both still present in the
human population. Some are righteous; others follow deceptive philosophies. This
mixture of good and evil is contrary to current popular views about the thousand
years.
Another difficulty is that war comes at the end of the
Millennium. Much current thought conceives the Millennium as a time of peace and
a time of God's rule. Hardly anyone recognizes that the Millennium will be so
unsettled. Everyone assumes that the thousand years will be a time of bliss with
God's saints reigning with him.
As stated in Isa 2:4: "And he shall judge among the nations,
and shall rebuke many people. They shall beat their swords into ploughshares,
and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation shall not lift up sword against
nation, neither shall they learn war anymore." If war comes at the end of
the thousand years this prophecy cannot be fulfilled until after the Millennium.
Our planet will not end with the Millennium; it has a long future before it.
Again, the prophecies are counter to current popular belief.
From these factors we can infer that God is not personally
present as a world ruler during the Millennium. Neither in the Revelation
passage nor in Ezekiel is there indication of personal divine rulership.
Would any person be deceived if God were personally present?
Furthermore, now that the advent of the Messiah is clearly
defined, we know that rulership is from a divine being living in mortal form. A
great planetary drama unfolds when David, the Prince, and Gog, the Deceiver, are
both present in human form, of incarnation equality. The final contest is on
terms that can be seen and recognized by ordinary human mortals.
Return to Top of Page
|
However, God maintains a hand in the events. He administers
justice and brings a final end to that fallen celestial personality. Ezek
38:14-23 tells us that God's wrath will be roused and there will be a great
shaking in the land of Israel. Every living creature will quake at his presence,
the mountains shall be thrown down, the cliffs shall fall, and every wall shall
tumble to the ground. God shall perform his great act to fell Gog and Magog upon
the hills of Israel. But Judea is not destroyed; those who dwell in the cities
of Israel go forth to clean the countryside, burning the weapons for seven
years. They take the bodies of the vast horde of Gog and Magog and bury them in
the Valley of Hamongog for seven months, 39:1-16. Therefore, this destruction
event is different from that which devastates modern Jerusalem and Judea. There
is no indictment here against that holy city.
The passages of Revelation and Ezekiel on Gog and
Magog and the unfolding of the Millennium are highly instructive--if our hearts
and minds are open to God's greater truth. They provide us with deep insight
into his plans, and help build a context in which to place our personal
commitment to his will. Without such understanding, without better knowledge,
and without improved wisdom, we cannot dedicate our energies to his program nor
do we know what decisions to make in line with his will. In our present
blindness we cannot relate the events of today to the events of the Millennium.
We cannot fit our decisions with his work. We cannot properly direct our lives.
Only through better understanding can our personal decisions coincide with God's
will, in commitment of heart, and in dedication of life. It is crucially
important for us to become educated in reality, and not in blindness. It is time
to cast aside the speculations of a blind Christianity. It is time to stop
wandering, lost in a world of sin and confusion. It is time to become more
mature members of his flock. We cannot grow if we persist in darkness and
ignorance. We must open our hearts and our minds to his greater truth, and for
his greater glory. Grave decisions await us. Will we become part of his chosen
people? Or will we go to destruction with the godless people of this world?
The Great Deceiver will come twice. He will come today as a
spirit personality, wrecking his havoc across the world through the minds of
those human mortals who have given themselves to him. And he will appear at the
end of the Millennium in one final mercy gift from his Creator, as a man of the
realm. But he will die like any man, as any Prince would fall, and he will burn
to ashes in the sight of all those human mortals who live at that time.
|
|