Page 41 - Jesus is coming - Class version

38 JESUS IS COMING.

is the expression "A thousand years," repeated. Verses
2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7. The teaching is so plain that "way-
faring men shall not err therein. ' ' Isa. 35 :8.
But those who oppose this "blessed hope," of the pre-
millennial coming of our Lord usually begin their arguments
by the assertion that the doctrine of the Millennium is no-
where taught in Scripture except in this 20th chapter of
Revelation, and that the symbolical character of this book
forbids our founding any doctrine upon it. The super-
ficial character of such a statement is glaringly apparent
from the fact that the Jews had fully developed the doc-
trine of the Millennium as the teaching of the Old Testa-
ment scriptures long before the Book of Revelation or
any portion of the New Testament was written. It was
the view most frequently expressed in the Talmud that
"the Messianic kingdom would last for one thousand
years/' and this was commonly believed among the Jews.
It is easy to discern upon what they founded the doctrine.
It is the Sabbath of God's weeks.
The division of time into sevens, or weeks, permeates
the Scriptures. A fundamental enactment of the Mosaic
tomles's pit, and shut him up, 6. Blessed and holy is he that
and set a seal upon him, that he hath part In the first resurrec-
should deceive the nations no tion : on such the second death
more, till the thousand years hath no power, but they shall be
should be fulfilled : and after priests of God and of Christ, and
that he must be loosed a little shall reign with him a thousand
season. years.
4. And I saw thrones, and 7. And when the thousand
they sat upon them, and judg- years are expired, Satan shall be
ment was given unto them : and loosed out of his prison,
I saw the souls of them that
8. And shall go out to deceive
were beheaded for the witness of
the nations which are in the
Jesus, and for the word of God,
four quarters of the earth, Gog
and which had not worshipped
and Magog, to gather them to-
the beast, neither his image,
neither had received his mark gether to battle : the number of
whom is as the sand of the sea.
upon their foreheads, or in their
hands and lived and 9. And they went up on the
; they
reigned with Christ a thousand breadth of the earth, and com-
years. passed the camp of the saints
5. But the rest of the dead about, and the beloved city : and
lived not again until the thou- fire came down from God out of
sand years were finished. This heaven and devoured them.
is the first resurrection.