When our Brother G.C. Brewer published his book of essays titled Contending for the Faith (1941), he provided biblical argumentation against many false doctrines that were popular in his day. Some of those false teachings are still prominent today, including “premillennialism,” or the doctrine that Christ is going to return to Earth to establish a kingdom in Jerusalem for 1,000 years. According to this doctrine, the righteous dead will be raised to serve in Christ’s earthly kingdom for a thousand years, and then the last judgment will occur. Many of our friends and neighbors believe in this doctrine. Here is a basic sequence of final events, as predicted generally by premillenialism:
- Jews return to Palestine.
- All living saints vanish from Earth taken up to heaven in the silent “Rapture.”
- A period of severe trouble (“Tribulation”) in the world.
- The return of Christ to Earth, in visible form.
- Christ sets up His kingdom, with a literal throne in Jerusalem, to reign for 1,000 years.
- Christ sends all the wicked to hell and takes the saved to heaven.
But, when Jesus returns to take the saints to heaven forever, His return will not be silent. Rather, it will be accompanies by a shout, the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17). Every eye will see Jesus when He comes again (Revelation 1:7). Brother Brewer noted two additional Scriptural problems with premillennialism. Consider each of them, along with the supporting passages:
- The Bible teaches that “when Christ comes he will judge both the living and the dead and that following this judgment both the righteous and the wicked will enter into their eternal state—the righteous into life eternal (to be forever with the Lord—not to enter upon an associate reign to be brought to an end in a thousand years) and the wicked into eternal punishment” (195, parenthetical item in orig.).
- Supporting passages: Matthew 25:31-46; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-10; 2 Timothy 4:1-2; John 5:28-29.
- The Bible teaches that “when Christ comes the heavens will pass away with a great noise and that the earth shall be burned up with all the works that are therein; that the earth wherein sin dwells will exist no more. Whereas premillennialism preaches that when Christ comes he will take up his abode on this mundane sphere, become an earth dweller, and rule over suffering, sinning, dying men and women for a thousand years!” (196).
- Supporting passage: 2 Peter 3:2-14.
Either the Bible is true, or premillennialism is true. We will side with the Bible.