Hi Mr. Rushmore, My name is Arika Clark. I am currently finishing my education degree from a fundamental Christian College. I am taking a Bible class, and I am doing a research paper on how there will be a literal and physical 1000 year reign of Christ. In my paper, I am including rebuttals from people who believe differently. I found your website online and read through your outline of how premillennialism is incorrect. Which view of millennialsim do you hold? I am a premillennialist, however, I do not believe half of the things you quoted about the Premillinnealists. I belive that Christ’s death was on accident. He came to die for sinners so that we might be able to be cleansed before God so that we can approach Him in righteousness. He sancified us through His blood on Calvery. Christ reigns over the church and in my heart, therefore, He is not dethroned as you claim.
After reading through the above paragraph several times, I conclude that the querist must have made a typographical error (that dramatically changes the intent of the writer) and meant to say that “Christ’s death was no accident.” Obviously, our Lord’s death was no accident, since it was the subject of prophecy (Isaiah 53; Matthew 16:21). It is further obvious from Scripture that souls are cleansed by the blood of Christ when they appropriate it to themselves in God’s appointed way (Ephesians 1:7). From Acts Two forward, these saved, blood-cleansed souls are added to the church by Jesus himself (Acts 2:47). Jesus is the head of the church and the Savior of the body or church (Ephesians 5:23). Jesus accomplished everything for which he came to earth to do — the redemption of lost souls (Luke 19:10). When Jesus returns again, it will be to take his church to heaven where he is (John 14:1-3; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).
Unless the church and the kingdom are synonymous terms referring to the same divine institution (which they are, Matthew 16:18-19), much the same way “body” and “church” refer to the same divine institution (Colossians 1:18), the biblical scenario described in the above paragraph leaves no room for the establishment of a divine kingdom. It is interesting that the querist mixes metaphors by implying Jesus is reigning on his throne while he governs his church. A king reigns on a throne over a kingdom! King Jesus reigns now over his kingdom (1 Corinthians 15:24-28). Jesus is King now (Matthew 21:5; 27:11)!
Our Lord’s kingdom is not physical and worldly as premillennialists suppose (John 18:36). Our Lord’s kingdom is spiritual, as is the church or body (though it has a physical manifestation in as much as it is comprised of people — actually their souls). The kingdom is not something earthy destined to be established on this planet at some time in the future and endure for 1,000 years. Anyone who acknowledges that Jesus Christ now reigns in his church is not far from the kingdom of God (Mark 12:34).
