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MORE THOUGHTS ON THE RAPTURE AND THE ONE THOUSAND YEAR MILLENNIAL REIGN
Will there be a Rapture followed by an earthly reign of Jesus?
Followers of this doctrine believe that there will be an earthly millennial reign of Jesus on earth following an event where Jesus Christ will “snatch away” his saints to heaven. This event is called the "Rapture". Following this event, Jesus will supposedly reign on Earth for a thousand years. The doctrine of millennialism and the rapture contradict some very compelling Biblical scripture.
First, if the Rapture is true, there will have to be more than one resurrection in the future separated by a significant time period. The Bible clearly states that the resurrection of the just and the unjust will happen in the same hour.
John 5:28-29
28 Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice,
29 And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation. KJV
If "all that are in the graves" are resurrected to their final reward in the same hour then there can be no time span of centuries between resurrections.
Second, if the Rapture is true, Jesus Christ will have to return to earth and live in the flesh again. The Bible clearly states that Jesus is no longer known in the flesh.
2 Corinthians 5:16
"Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more." (KJV)
Did you know that the phrase "1000 Year Reign of Christ" does not appear anywhere in scripture? Nor the word "millenium"? Does this surprise you? Notice in the above title, we did not spell out the word "thousand," but used "1000" instead. This is because numbers are fictions in numerical form and have no substance. And the "1000 year reign of Christ" is also a fiction according to Scripture, which has has no substance. It is born and bred from the doctrines of man, not from the Holy Scripture.
The "thousand year reign" appears nowhere in the sixty-six books, 1,189 chapters, 31,173 verses of the Bible except in this one passage where it occurs six times in six consecutive verses (Revelation 20:3-8). It is not solid study to build an entire system of beliefs about the end of the age and the status of the kingdom on such a highly symbolic passage. More especially when that interpretation conflicts with other plain passages of scripture.
Revelation 20:3-8 is the only passage in the entire scriptures that the so-called premillinialists have as the basis for the "1000 year reign." What endless variations of concocted fables have resulted! Clearly it does not contain the detail that they attribute to it.
First, it should be pointed out that scripture does not speak of "the thousand year reign of Christ." Revelation 20:4 says, "...and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God,...and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years." It's not Christ that reigns 1000 years, but those who were killed for God's sake that reign with Christ 1000 years.
To illustrate, consider the phrase, "John Doe reigned with the king for one year." Does this mean the king reigned for only one year? No, it does not. The king could reign for many years, but the point is not how long the king reigned but how long John reigned with the king. The king isn't the subject, it is speaking about how long John reigns with him. Likewise, Revelation 20:4 is not about how long Jesus will reign, but how long others will reign with Jesus. There's a big difference.
First, it does not mention the second coming of Christ.
Second, it does not mention a reign on earth.
Third, this passage does not mention a bodily resurrection.
Fourth, it does not mention Christ on earth.
And fifth, it does not mention us, it says "they" lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
Who are the "they" that lived and reigned with Christ? The souls of them that had been beheaded for their testimony of Jesus. In an earlier chapter of this same book of Revelations, in Chapter 6:9-11, the picture is of the souls of martyrs who had been slain for the word of God under an altar crying for vengeance. Here the martyrs are on thrones, God's inevitable judgment has come. The victory came in the spirit world (not the physical), and God assured their victory. This passage only speaks of the "dead" reigning with Christ, this passage does not speak about those who are "alive" reigning with Christ.
The passage also mentions the first resurrection, which is in contrast with the second death. The point is not that the righteous is raised a thousand years before the wicked, for a physical reign on earth, but that the cause of Christ for which the martyrs died is triumphant. Evil is not forever on the throne. God has overcome.
This passage says nothing about Jesus coming to this earth and establishing a worldly kingdom at Jerusalem -- those that so teach are duty-bound to prove their doctrines with scripture, not just their imaginations.
Revelation 20:4, "…and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years."
Let us now compare scripture with scripture to interpret the "thousand years." In scripture, the term "thousand," when in reference to time, is always used symbolically of a predetermined time that God chooses. In other cases, it is always used symbolically for a large number of people or things. Surely, nobody can honestly interpret the following "thousands" as literal:
Rev_20:2 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,
Rev_20:3 And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.
Rev_20:4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
Rev_20:5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
Rev_20:6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.
Rev_20:7 And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,
People or Things:
Job 9:3, "If he will contend with him, he cannot answer him one of a thousand."
Psalms 50:10, "For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills."
Ecclesiastes 7:28, "...one man among a thousand have I found; but a woman among all those have I not found."
Song of Solomon 4:4, "…whereon there hang a thousand bucklers, all shields of mighty men."
Daniel 5:1, "Belshazzar the king made a great feast to a thousand of his lords, and drank wine before the thousand."
Daniel 7:10, "...thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him."
Days, Years, and Generations:
Deuteronomy 7:9, "…which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that…keep his commandments to a thousand generations;"
1 Chronicles 16:15, "Be ye mindful always of his covenant; the word which he commanded to a thousand generations;" (Note: This would add up to ten thousand years; but the world is only six thousand years old now.)
Psalms 84:10, "For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand."
Psalms 90:4, "For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past,"
Psalms 105:8, "He hath remembered his covenant for ever, the word which he commanded to a thousand generations."
Ecclesiastes 6:6, "Yea, though he live a thousand years twice told, yet hath he seen no good: do not all go to one place?"
2 Peter 3:8, "...one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day."
It should be obvious from the above that every occurance of the word "thousand," by itself, throughout scripture, is not literal but symbolic for a large number or long period of time. Then, why is it when we go to the book of Revelation (the most symbolic book of them all), many interpret this thousand years as literal? Especially when there is no scriptural warrant for doing so?
Futurists make the same mistake that the Jews who crucified Christ made -- they were not satisfied with a spiritual kingdom; they had to have a literal, worldly, physical kingdom. The Truth of the matter is not thatChrist will reign for a thousand years some time in the future, but that Christ is reigning now, and will continue to reign for eternity. We do not have to wait for His Kingdom to come sometime in the future before He starts reigning over our lives, for Christ's Kingdom is here now, and He desires that we reign with Him now, whether we choose to recognize it or not!
NOTE: :Luk 17:20 And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:
Luk 17:21 Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.
Be Ready When He Comes - Millennial Truths, Second Coming
The Millennial Reign Theory
The theory is scattered abroad in the world today that when Christ comes, he will snatch away his bride and the unbelieving and wicked will be left here in great tribulations and after a period of time the Lord will set up a literal kingdom on this earth and reign here in righteousness for a thousand years. They call this his literal, earthly, Millennial reign
Let us search the Scriptures some and find out whether these things be true or otherwise They use the latter part of the 4th chapter of 1 Thess. (1Th 4:13-17But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.
For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words. )
to prove that the bride will be caught up to God in the air and then after a thousand years there will be another resurrection of the wicked. The fact about this Scripture is that the apostle Paul was not talking about the wicked, but was teaching the brethren to not mourn over their loved ones who had died in the faith, for they would be resurrected and ascend up to meet the Lord in the air, also the righteous that were living would be changed and they would all go up together. According to the holy Scriptures, the wicked shall also be resurrected at the same time, and will take their place in the regions of the lost after the Judgment.
To prove this to be truth, let us turn to John 5: 25, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, the hour is coming and now is [present tense] when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live.”In this verse and the preceding verse, he is speaking of the first resurrection, which is spiritual. Men who confess and repent, believing on the Lord Jesus Christ, are made new creatures by the power of God. They are resurrected from a dead state of sin unto spiritual life in God, and in this operation they have come up at the first resurrection. This is why in Revelation 20:6, we read, “Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power.” The second death has reference to the time when, after the Judgment, the wicked are condemned and consigned to flames. The eternal death will have no power over those who have had part in the first resurrection, for they are blessed and holy, have come up at the first resurrection, and will enter into the joys of the Lord.
Dropping down to the 28th verse of the 5th chapter of John, we see that he changes the thought from the spiritual resurrection to the literal resurrection: “Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming [future], in the which, all that are in the graves [Notice, it says ALL] shall hear his voice, and shall come forth: they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life: and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.” He speaks of this taking place in an hour—both the good and wicked will be resurrected in the same hour, not a thousand years apart, as some teachers would lead you to believe. In the following chapter (John 6), we read four different places where Jesus tells them that he will raise them up at the last day. There will be no more days for this world when the last day comes.
Not only is this teaching false and misleading, but the same teachers also have other things that are false, as we shall prove by considering Revelation 12: “And there appeared a great wonder in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars: and she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.” The book of Revelation is symbolically written and cannot truthfully be interpreted in a literal sense. It takes someone filled with the true Holy Spirit of God (not those with what they call “Holy Ghost” but is only a sham) to interpret it correctly. Teachers, who have not the true Holy Spirit, put their private interpretations on the Scriptures, and confuse the people, causing them to believe lies that their souls might be damned.
With the fear of God in our hearts, we shall give the truth to our readers as He brings it to our minds. In order to clear our minds of false teaching, we should remember that the heaven spoken of here does not refer to the eternal heavens where God dwells, but it has reference to the ecclesiastical heavens. The ecclesiastical heaven is composed of all the lifted up spiritual forces, both good and bad together with Satan’s priests that worship idols. Paul says, “We wrestle not. gainst flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” Eph. 6:12. Keeping this in mind will help us to understand the following explanations.
The great wonder, the woman who appeared in the ecclesiastical heavens was none other than the kingdom of God, the church of God that was set up on the day of Pentecost, and began to function in the world. The church is oftentimes spoken of as a woman in the Bible. It is also spoken of as the bride, the Lamb’s wife. It says the woman was clothed with the sun. This symbol is exceedingly fitting for the church, as the sun represents Christ. He is the light o'f the world, and the prophet Malachi, speaking of the coming of Christ, said, “But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings.” Mai. 4:2. Christ is the light and strength of the church, clothing the church in righteousness. “And the moon under her feet.” The moon symbolizes the law age, for it was a shadow of good things to come. The moon borrows its light from the sun and casts its light upon the earth, so the Law is represented as the moon, and it under her feet. When Christ was crucified and resurrected and ascended up to heaven, leading captivity captive and giving gifts unto men (Eph. 4:8), the Law age ceased to be in effect: and the moon under her feet represents its end. When the literal sun arises, no matter how bright the moon is shining, its light is soon put out and fades away. Just so when the Sun of righteousness arose in the form of the woman, the church, the shadow met the substance and disappeared, was put down, and all men were (or should have been) drawn unto Christ, the head of the church, to walk in the greater light and not remain in moon-light darkness any more. The head crowned with twelve stars symbolized the twelve apostles, who were pillars in the church and were to carry the gospel of Christ to all nations. When John, on the Isle of Patmos, saw Jesus, he described him as the “Sun shining in his strength” (Rev. 1:6). In the 20th verse he says that the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches. Angels represent messengers, or the ministers of the seven churches.
And she being with child travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered, symbolizes or represents the early church bringing forth sons and daughters. When Peter preached his sermon, immediately after this wonder appeared in the ecclesiastical heavens, over three thousand souls were added to the church. We read in Isaiah 66th chapter where the prophet is relating this matter (8th verse): “Who hath heard such things?” This was something new; it was a WONDER. “Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? or shall a nation be born at once?” This large number of souls that was added to the church was termed an holy nation. Read 1 Pet. 2:9. “For as soon as Zion, [a metaphor of the church] travailed, she brought forth her children.”
The great Red Dragon which appeared on the scene was, or represented, the rulers of the Roman Empire, which was given over to idol worship and was anti-God and anti-Christ in belief. This dragon power or spirit is spoken of as an old serpent, the Devil and Satan in Rev. 20:2. This does not mean that he was Satan, or Beelzebub, himself. In the 9th verse of this 12th chapter it states that he was called the Devil and Satan.
This great red Dragon power had crowns, denoting the victories he had over other nations, for he had conquered the whole known world at that time. The seven heads and ten horns denoted his strength and ruling power. The third verse says that his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth. The tail of anything refers to the last part, so in the latter part of his reign in the ecclesiastical heavens, he succeeded in bringing or causing a large number of ministers to fall from their ruling estate, or from the ecclesiastical heavens where they were reigning and ruling as God allowed. The false teachers in the world today will tell folks that this means literal stars falling from heaven, and thus many souls are confused and kept away from the real truth. Casting them to the earth means that they became merely ordinary citizens with no ruling power any more, were not in the ecclesiastical heavens.
And the dragon stood before the woman (the church, the other wonder that appeared in the ecclesiastical heavens) which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born. And she brought forth a man Child. This was the newly born church, for the church is also represented in the Word of God as a man. Read this in Eph. 2:15,Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace;
Eph 2:16 And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:
also in other places in the Bible. This atheistic, infidel, idol-worshiping power, which is called the devil and Satan, was ready to slay the child as soon as it was born. A similar instance is recorded in the Bible when Jesus was born. Old Herod the king, who represents the devil, was wroth because a child had been born to be king, and he sought to slay the child. The devil, by his murderous spirits is always after the life of Christ to slay it, even in our souls today he would destroy that life if he could. He wanted to devour it. The Bible surely tells us how he persecuted the early church. It is stated that all the apostles but John were finally slain in some cruel manner, and many of the saints were killed in different manners. The Scripture says that her child was caught up to God and his throne. As the saints were slain their souls were taken up to God, and the woman, or the remnant, fled into the wilderness where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and three score days. According to Biblical language, counting one day for a year, it would be twelve hundred and sixty years, which is the time and space of the dark ages when Roman Catholicism reigned and slew all true believers in Christ. The remnant had to hide away in caves and dens of the earth to worship the Lord in spirit and in truth. When the saints had fought against this great red Dragon power, which is called the Devil and Satan, and had overcome and cast his rule and authority down in the Roman Empire, it is said in a figurative language that he was bound with a great chain— not a literal chain, but by the gospel,for they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and their testimony and loved not their lives unto death.(Rev 12:11)
After running through with this thought of the man child up to the dark ages, the scene drops back again to the Dragon and the church in their war in the ecclesiastical heavens during the early church age: “ And there was war in heaven [the ecclesiastical heavens]: Michael [Christ] and his angels [ministers] fought against the Dragon; and the Dragon fought and his angels, and prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.” The Lord and his angels did not fight with carnal weapons, but the dragon power did.. He lost the battle. The 9th verse reads, “ And the great dragon was cast out, that old Serpent called the Devil and Satan [He was not Satan, but was called that], which deceiveth the whole world.” At this time and before this he had been ruling the whole world. He was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him?
The sense in which he was cast out of the ecclesiastical heavens is that the power of Christianity became so great and universal in the Roman Empire that the rulers of the great red dragon power were defeated and a Christian man by the name of Constantine was put in authority. Thus the great red dragon and his angels or rulers in the kingdom were reduced to ordinary citizens and were no longer in the ecclesiastical heavens. The Word of God says “ the great dragon was cast out.”
Jesus saw this and prophesied of it while in the fleshly body, recorded in the 10th chapter of Luke. The seventy had been sent out, and they returned, saying, “Lord, even the devils are subject to us through thy name.” Jesus said to them, “I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven,” then he went on to encourage them in the good work by saying, “I give you power to tread on serpents and scorpions [all manner of evil spirits] and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.” The Satan that Jesus saw falling from heaven as lightning included this old dragon power which is called the devil and Satan. [A prevalent false teaching is that Satan was in heaven where God was, and was a bright angel next to God, but he fought against God and God overcame him and kicked him out of heaven. This, according to the false teaching, was the war in heaven. Such talk as that is man putting his own interpretation (or private interpretation) on the Word of God and deceiving the people by their clever, crafty, humanly-arranged teachings, and are today deceiving the people into believing lies that their souls might be destroyed. Satan, in the form of this great dragon power, had exalted himself and was ruling over the whole known world at that time, and truly he was in a high place in the ecclesiastical heavens.] But in 12:11, we read, “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony: and they loved not their lives unto death.” In this way the early morning church overcame the great red dragon. Many of them were killed and slain, but the rest kept right on declaring the blood that saves, and testifying that Christ is Lord and King, until the whole Roman Empire was filled with a belief in Christ— whether saved or not— to the extent that the red dragon power was put down and those who were in authority favored the true God, and allowed the gospel to go forth unmolested, and the saints were singing and proclaiming with a loud voice in the ecclesiastical heavens, “ Now is come salvation and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before God day and night.” In the 12th verse they are told to “rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them.” Then he moves on to later scenes and says in the same verse, “Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time. ” The Revelator in this last verse stretches over a long period of time, reaching practically to the end of time, as he speaks of the devil having great wrath, knowing that his time is short. In the evening, or winding up time, his wrath will be furious and raging against the few saints who love not their lives unto death and stand against him in his fury, declaring that the blood saves and that Christ is king and ruler, and not he.
In the 13th verse he drops back to the woman again also the dragon and his persecuting the woman that brough forth the man child. In this cast-out condition, the old devil, seeing that his power to rule as an anti-God and anti-Christ, comes on the scene under a cloak of religion which was Catholicism, termed as the beast in Rev.13:2. And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.
To bring out the message that the Lord has placed upon us, we want to now turn to the 20th chapter of Revelation and see more about this great red dragon and what becomes of him and the thousand year reign which the false prophets of earth and their followers rejoice about.
Before we go farther, I want to say that whatever a man really believes in his heart will affect him, whether it be a lie or otherwise. Jacob believed that a wild animal had devoured his son Joseph, and he mourned and wept for him greatly for years. It was all a lie, but he believed it and it affected him. Had he known the whole truth about the matter, as it came to light in later years, he could have rested the whole thing with God and rejoiced that the Lord was so wonderfully using his son to preserve life. Many of the saints today are believing the devil’s lies, and are in great trouble and have unneedfulburdens. If they would have unfeigned confidence in God and cast their burdens on the Lord, they could rest with rejoicing under the hottest trials in life. All of the precious promises of God written in his word belong to the saints, and it is written, “All things work together for good to them that love God.” Again he says, “If God be for us, who can be against us.”
“And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years.” Rev. 20:1, 2. This is the same old red dragon about which we have been talking in the 12th chapter of Revelation. This angel that came down from heaven represented Christ and his angels, or ministers, and the church during the war that took place in the ecclesiastical heavens, and this dragon power was cast out. [The chain was the gospel of Christ,] which they believed and preached, and loved not their lives unto death. They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and their testimony; and this anti-Christ and anti-God, infidel and athiest, idol-worshiping power was cast out and bound for a thousand years, for he is called the Devil and Satan. But we see old Beelzebub, the archfiend of the infernal regions, scheme up a deception to gradually decoy and deceive the children of men into a false religion under a cloak of it being God’s work. You will notice in the 3rd verse that this dragon power was cast into a bottomless pit and was shut up and a seal put upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more until the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season. Now this thousand years is none less than the long period of darkness, the time when this dragon power, which is called the devil and Satan, was bound (or shut up) and a seal upon him that he should not deceive the nations until that thousand years was fuliflled. But Beelzebub, the archfiend of hell, was working under another power, the beast, which is Catholicism. And he feigned to be a very religious fellow, even claiming himself to be God, or in God’s place. In the 4th verse we see some of the slaughter of saints that took place at the beginning and during the dark reign of the beast power. It is written, “I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God,” then continuing with this thought, he said, “and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.” Their souls were alive, for they had been resurrected from a dead state of sin to life in Christ.“This is the first resurrection.”Rev_20:5 In other words, to make it plain he might have said ,[ “I am talking about the first resurrection.” ] The first resurrection is a spiritual resurrection. The souls that he saw reigning with Christ were those who had been killed and caught up to God, and reigned with Christ all through the thousand years.[ This mentions no millennial reign on earth.] People, who have not understood the truth have put literal interpretations upon these Scriptures and have promulgated absurd ideas concerning a thousand years literal reign of Christ on earth when the flesh will revel in its lusts and Satan will be bound and they will have no tempter then. They believe a lie and become exceedingly happy, dancing around the many “golden calves” which they have set up. When Christ appears in the clouds with ten thousands of his angels and the judgment is set and the wicked are resurrected to damnation and the righteous put on glorified bodies to live with God, they will have no need or desire for any earthly thing that this fleshly body has need of now. Glory be to God, for Christ in us is our hope of glory. [There is no need or place for a thousand years literal reign of Christ on this earth].
When he says that the dead lived not again until the thousand years were up, he had reference to the spiritual resurrection of the soul; for during the dark ages when the Mystery Babylon the Great was persecuting the children of God and had taken the Bible away from the rank and file of men, the Woman was given two wings as a great eagle that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent. In the sixth verse of the 12th chapter of Revelation, it is made plainer and easier to understand. For the woman, the church, fled into the wilderness where she was fed a thousand, two hundred and three score days, which, according to Biblical counting one day for a year would lie twelve hundred and sixty years. While she was in this state, very few were being resurrected to spiritual life. Thus it is written, “But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished.” Rev. 20:5. There were no spiritual resurrections to speak of during the long period of darkness when the dragon power was bound and Catholicism was ruling under a cloak of religion. As soon as the power of Catholicism was broken and Luther came out preaching justification by faith, souls began to be resurrected again and it could be said the rest of those that were dead in trespasses and sin began to live again, began to be resurrected to spiritual life in Christ.
It is plain to see by the Scriptures that the reign which many without true light believe to be a literal thousand years reign of the Lord on this doomed earth; (2 Peter 3:10); But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.Rev. 20:11; And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
is nothing more nor less than the souls that John saw under the altar in heaven, that had been slain, reigning with Christ during the thousand years that papal darkness was upon the earth. The Scriptures refer to this as the [“Sun going down at noon.”] The above truth is made plain in Rev. 6:9: “And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: and they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?” You can see by this that those killed for the word of God, spoken of as “souls under the altar,” were reigning with Christ during the long thousand years when the woman (the church, or remnant) was driven into the wilderness and the beast power (Catholicism) was ruling in the world under a cloak of religion.
Rev. 20:7, “And when the thousand years is expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison.” Satan here mentioned has reference to the old dragon spirit, which is called the Devil and Satan (Rev. 12:9). And again he is mentioned in Rev. 20:2, and it says he, this dragon power and spirit which is atheism, anti-Christ, and anti-God, was bound for a thousand years. But since that thousand years has now expired, we see the same old atheistic, anti-Christ and anti-God spirit coming on the scene under a cloak of Communism, for Satan, this dragon power, is loosed out of his prison. The 8th verse tells us what he will do when he is loose, for it reads thus, “And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.” This dragon power and spirit under the cloak of Communism is doing this very thing now.
We see that it has deceived and captured Russia, and thousands in that country who have resisted its power have been slain or held in misery in prison camps, and this atheistic, anti-Christ and anti-God octopus dragon spirit is reaching out practically to all the known world and instilling its anti-Christ doctrines into the hearts of the people. It is spreading and becoming stronger all the time. It is so slimy and deceitful that nearly all the people in our country are under its influence, and in different ways are aiding its prestige and spread, while at the same time claiming to be against it. Our law makers are formulating rules and passing laws in its favor and the people in general love to have it so
[To prove our assertion, we insert here an editorial taken from the “Oklahoma City Times,” which makes the claim of having the greatest paid circulation of any paper in the State of Oklahoma:]
“Historians of a century hence will review with amazed incredulity the attitude of the present administration. This administration demands that American taxpayers spend billions upon billions in the effort to “check communism abroad,” but views the spread of communism within our own nation with smug and uncomprehending complacency, and even brands the efforts made to check this spread as “witch hunts” or “dragging red herrings across the trail.”
“Some of the highest placed officials in this administration, strange and incomprehensible as this seems, have admitted that official Washington is honey-combed with communists and fellow travelers.
Proof is now a matter of government record.[ For the most part these Reds and pinks are products of American universities where “academic freedom” has been so prostituted that treasonable doctrines have gone unchallenged, and have finally penetrated government itself.”]
You notice that this 8th verse says he went out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth. Four quarters includes it all. Adam Clarke, commenting on the terms “Gog and Magog,” writes, “Under these names the enemies of God’s truth are generally intended.” There is no body of people greater enemies to God’s truth than those who make a profession of being the Lord’s children (or followers of Christ) and at the same time hold up for sin and self righteousness, and while professing to be the Lord’s cater to the world in spirit, in fashions and fads, and worldly conformity in different ways and manners. James makes the statement: “Who soever therefore will be a friend to the world is the enemy of God.”Jas_4:4 And John says,“If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” 1 John 2:15. Any religious people that claim to follow the Lord and hold up for sin in any form are the enemies of God’s truth. The bodies of religious people in the world today that claim to be set free from sin and preach holiness and a lot of truth, and yet practice their religion with the world, being full of its ways, holding up for carnal warfare, being partakers of the same, having an earthly human organization—these I say, are the most clever and deceitful enemies of God’s truth in existence today. When Jesus was here, the sects of his day, the religious bodies that made the highest professions, were his worst enemies. They were the instigators of the crucifixion and of all the slander and shame that was heaped upon him. It is a sad picture today to see and know of the different holiness factions claiming to follow Christ and practicing religion with a different spirit, having a worldly religious spirit and calling it the Holy Spirit, or Holy Ghost.
Realizing all this to be truth, we cannot help but place “Mystery Babylon the Great” and her “Harlot daughters” in the group spoken of in the Word of God as Gog and Magog. These two enemies of God’s truth are known in the world today by the names of Catholicism and Protestantism: and since the Euphrates (And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared. And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. Rev. 16:12, 13, 14) is now dried up—practically all real salvation is gone from their souls—they are all open for many kinds of deceptions.
Notice in the eighth verse it says this dragon power, called Satan, would go out to deceive the nations in the four quarters of the earth. These spiritual nations are Gog and Magog and are in practically all the world in one form or another. This dragon spirit, under the cloak of communism, Gog and Magog and their followers are all over the world. Catholicism is a hot bed, hatching out believers in communism, and Protestantism is not far behind her, as nearly all of them are partakers of it in one form or another, and many of them lean strongly toward it. This gathering together of the forces of evil is secretly and cunningly going on all about us today. This old serpent or dragon which is called the Devil and Satan is now loose, gathering his forces together from Gog and Magog to battle against the remnant of God’s people who are not of the world, and will not bow to his cunning and deceitful ways. They are closing in on the beloved City all the time, and the number of them is as the sand of the sea. Verse nine is speaking of the winding up days, “They went up on the breadth of the earth and compassed the camp of the saints about [God’s true family, who are not of this world], and the beloved City [the New Jerusalem which has come down from above, [“And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God iswith men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.
And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.
And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.
And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.
And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death. Rev 21:6-8
And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb's wife. Rev. 21: 9.”
When they do this and it looks as if all of God’s true witnesses are going to be taken and slain, then God intervenes and fire comes down from God out of heaven and devours them (But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. 2 Peter 3:7, 10).
The last day has come and the Judgment is set. The wicked religious enemies of God’s truth are burned up with the world and their souls will meet the true God in Judgment. Rev.20:10-11reads, “And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast [Catholicism] and the false prophet [Protestantism] are, and shall be tormented day and night forever and ever. And I saw a great white throne [white denotes purity and righteousness, and the throne represents the Judgment] and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heavens fled away; and there was found no place for them.” This is the last day spoken of by Jesus in the sixth chapter of John; and there will be no more day after this, for the righteous and the wicked will be judged, as it states below, out of the records in the books. This is when the end comes, and according to Paul in (1 Cor. 15:24, Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.) the Lord will deliver up the kingdom to God, even the Father. The kingdom of God is none else but the blood-washed, redeemed children of God which constitute the true vine, the church, in the world today. This kingdom will be delivered up to God the Father, and he will be all and in all.
Read 1 Cor. 15:28. And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all.
In the 26th verse it is written, “The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. In the 14th verse of the 20th chapter of Rev. we read, “And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is is the second death.”
As Beelzebub, Satan, is the author of-death, no doubt this death includes him and hell, the souls he has deceived. It is called the second death because there is no escape from it. While we have life in our bodies and can choose for ourselves and be saved and escape this eternal death, we can be resurrected to life and be blessed and holy so that this second eternal death will have no power to cast us into the lake of fire and brimstone. In other words, the great Judge of the universe will find our record clear on his book, for the next verse reads thus, “And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.”
Dear reader, there will be no literal thousand year reign of Christ upon this earth; neither will there be any chance for you to get right with God after you pass from this life. Now is the day of salvation. If you neglect the cleansing stream in this life, sad will be your doom. We beg you in Jesus name, make your peace, calling, and election sure with God now, and enjoy the comfort of his Spirit in this life and the assurance of bliss in the world to come. --- His servant, Fred Pruitt. --
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Another author same gospel
1. Millennial Reign?
I have felt very much impressed to give some Bible teaching on this subject, since there seems to be almost as many different beliefs as there are believers, resulting from each one putting his own interpretation upon God's Word, and especially by taking spiritual things as literal.
A or The, means only ONE kingdom of God or Heaven. Where the word appears in the plural, “kingdoms” it always has reference to political or literal, and never to His SPIRITUAL.
Gods spiritual kingdom, which includes all saved people. His church church was fully set on the day of Pentecost. In A.D. 32 (Matt.16:18 Jesus said “And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. ” And in A.D. 33 (Acts 2:47) “ Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the CHURCH daily such as should be saved.” It is still at hand and is being manifested through the lives of His saints,those who have not DIED (spiritually by committing sin) who HERE and NOW enjoy the fullness of His blessings, which foretold many years before Christ came to be fulfilled in a future age, THE GOSPEL DAY. In (St John 18:36) Jesus' own words say, “My kingdom is not of this world: if MY KINGDOM were of this world, Then would my servents fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my KINGDOM not from hence". Not of this world, not literal, but SPIRITUAL.
The Scriptures in many places are written in symbols, and when so, should be spiritually applied, and not always literally. In (Luke 13:32) Jesus said: “Go ye, and tell that fox, Behold, I cast out devils, and I do cures to day and to morrow, and the third day I shall be perfected. “
He did not refer to a four footed beast, but to the fox or cunning nature in Herod. Jesus said to peter (Matt. 16:32) “Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.” Here He referred to satonic influence which prompted Peter to speak as he did
(Ex.. 3:8) . “A land that flows with milk and honey”, sounds literally waist deep, would not be a comfortable place to reside; but applying it spiritually, to the good things to be found by the children of Israel when they reached Canaan after fleeing from Egypt, would harmonize with the rest of God's word. A Christian nation or people who really do possess the very elements of HIS KINGDOM, righteousness, peace and JOY, are in a PLEASANT place or condition of THIS LIFE, the Holy Spirit being their teacher.
John the Baptist said And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand”.(Matt. 3:2) or (Mark 1:15) Jesus said: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel. “ The law and the prophets were until John; (Luk_16:16) "The law and the prophets were until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it". since THAT TIME- THE KINGDOM OF GOD... and men presseth (present time) into IT (singular). If we believe Jesus and His book of this, the Gospel Day, we will have to ignore all teaching of another kingdom in some future age; since there is NO TIME, NO PLACE and NO NEED of any other. No TIME: (Heb. 9:27), And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this (DEATH THEN) the judgment: No 1,000 years. Time will not be reckoned after death: (2 Peter 3:8), But beloved, Do not be ignorant of this one thing, one day is as a 1,000 years and 1,000 years as ONE DAY with God. The 1,000 years of (Rev. 20:1-7) And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.
And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season. And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshiped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their
hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years. And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, ---
The 1,000 years of (Rev. 20:1-7) means a long period of time; that being the largest numeral used in the Bible. The Angel was Christ and the CHAIN, His GOSPEL. It did and still binds Satan's power when “RIGHTLY divided”
This is not a description of literal things in some geographical location; a spiritual CONDITION in ANY HEART of REAL Christians, any TIME and place on earth.
The FIRST resurrection (Verse 6) is when we are raised from a dead state of sin to a Holy life, which lives on after our physical death.
No PLACE for a millennial reign. (2 Pet. 3:10) the world is to be burned UP; NOT OVER> many scriptural proofs could be given.
NO NEED. (John 19:30), It is FINISHED. The plan of salvation. (1 Thess.4:15-18) is speaking about the saved people ONLY. Time shall be NO LONGER. The dead in Christ shall rise first (Before the living Christians ascend) then----RIGHT THEN --- we which are alive and remain shall be caught UP together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the AIR and so (UP in theCLOUDS and in the AIR: not on earth) shall we ever (fore ever) be with the Lord. This is in harmony with all the New Testament, and to ignore these precious truths would make God untrue, and throw one in a state of confusion. (Rev. 20:10) tells of the destiny of FALSE prophets. (Rev. 21: 1-11) speaks of the peaceable condition of God's people, which is His church. It only mentions the literal in order to bring out the spiritual conditions. LION nature made like a LAMB.
Who would exchange 1,000 years in heaven for that time on earth?
In (Matt. 24:14) "And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall theend come"(THEN the END of TIME). Run references on Last, last time, last day etc., and on END, end of time, end of the world, and you can see that when Jesus returns, it will be the CLOSING up of ALL things Literal.
“While FALSE prophets are confiding in a foolish erring dream of Millennial enjoyment, they neglect the cleansing stream. O poor sinner, don't believe them, there will be no age to come; if in this life you find not Jesus, death will seal your awful doom.”
“The Lord give the understanding” ---Erle E. Forbes.
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This early church father: on a certain heretic:
his statement that there will be a period of some thousand years after the resurrection of the dead, and that the kingdom of Christ will be set up in material form on this very earth. I suppose he got these ideas through a misunderstanding of the apostolic accounts, not perceiving that the things said by them were spoken mystically in figures. For he appears to have been of very limited understanding, as one can see from his discourses. But it was due to him that so many of the Church Fathers after him adopted a like opinion, urging in their own support the antiquity of the man; as for instance Irenæus and any one else that may have proclaimed similar views.” Eusebius,Bishop of Caesarea, 260-339 AD History of the Church
Misinterpreted Gospel Doctrine
“Then cometh the end, when he (Christ) shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father when he shall have put down (destroyed) all rule, authority and power.” 1 Cor. 15:24.Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. Note that this great event takes place at our Lord’s second and last coming, which brings to a final close this probation age or dispensation of the gospel, when Christ’s work as a redeemer and mediator between man and his Creator has ceased to be
The inspired Word of God as declared by St. Paul in Hebrews 10::37For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry. plainly indicates that when Jesus comes again, He will not tarry or stay here for any so-called millennial reign, or to set up his kingdom, as so many deluded and deceived people claim.
You will note in 1 Cor. 15:24.Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. the Lord Jesus turns over or delivers up his kingdom to God the Father. At this time all the saved will be instantly changed from mortal to immortal beings. (1 Cor. 15: 51-52Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. and will be caught up in the clouds to join those redeemed ones who will come back with the Lord. 1 Thes. 4:17-18.Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words. All of these shall return with the Lord Jesus who will present them (the church) faultless before the presence of his (God’s) glory with exceeding joy. Jude:24 Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,
In the light of the above strictly gospel truths, the great soap-bubble of the so-called millennial heresy explodes into nothing. Some organizations differ from others regarding the millennial theory. I heard one Pentecostal minister claim that Christ would remain here 1300 years after he comes again, while another stated it would be a thousand years, and everybody would have a glorious chance to get salvation since Satan was to be bound a thousand years. God gives his faithful full gospel ministers the wonderful keys (pure gospel) that enables them
to unlock the kingdom of heaven to all who rightly seek salvation from sin, thus co-operating with the Lord to bind (destroy) Satan right in this very life and time, not in a fancied millennial
age. See Matt. 16:19 And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
Positively there can never be any better chance or opportunity for the sinner than right now in this very day to seek and get full salvation, for if Jesus should come down personally among us before the last day seeking to find the lost, there would be comparatively few that would be willing to sacrifice and give up all worldliness and every sinful, filthy habit and deny themselves by taking up their cross and following Jesus in holiness of life and heart. In 1880 the prophecy of Zechariah 14:6-7 was fulfilled and there came forth the only definitely true conception of the real church of God which upheld the sound doctrine of a holy, dedicated, set-apart, sanctified life, thus bringing back light on what constitutes genuine heart-felt experienced salvation from all sin.Zec 14:6 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the light shall not be clear, nor dark:Zec 14:7 But it shall be one day which shall be known to the LORD, not day, nor night: but it shall come to pass, that at evening time it shall be light.
This reformation brought about a great conflict as Satan’s forces came into direct conflict with this great spiritual awakening, for Satan was sorely displeased at greater light of the gospel being revealed.
Many of those pioneer ministers and their followers have passed away but they knew what Armageddon really signifies, for their preaching aroused bitter envy and hatred from many religious organizations. Opponents tried to mob them or to break up their meetings. Sectism was arrayed against them. Truly the battle of Armageddon (a false deceptive Christianity, Rev. 16:16 And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon. was on to confuse, divide, separate, and scatter God’s people.)
Satan then arrayed his forces to counterfeit true Bible holiness, or the only true Christ-born Church. So then there came into being from time to time faked deceptive holiness movements under various names such as Pentecostal, Faith Tabernacle, Pilgrim Holiness, Full Gospel, or tongues movements, Nazarene holiness, Gospel Missions or Tabernacles, Zionest movement and many other similar names or organizations of which there are many all over this country who could not or would not interpret the book of Revelation, especially the 20th chapter, in symbolic language, thus they wrote into their creed the millennial heresy which , was good news to satanic forces.
Try to convince some of these organizations that they are in darkness and they will assume a hostile attitude toward you for they delight nurse their pet heresy. They use literal or political terms instead of symbolic or spiritual interpretations, which throws them into reverse as to sound gospel doctrine. Satan, fearing his time is swiftly growing short, is using these methods to slow up or hinder the work of God
Most all of these people preach true gospel doctrine in a measure, but not in its fullness, for they fail to go far enough to clear up their heresy or misinterpreted doctrine. Satan could not deceive and confuse if any organization did not preach and practice some sound doctrine for he must be understood as a genius and strategist of the highest order to confuse and wrongly lead. He can make many believe that the Word of God is untruth, for the Lord Jesus said in referring to false prophets (teachers and ministers) who are led away from sound gospel truth, that if it were possible the very elect would be deceived.Matt. 24:24. For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.
I was once sold on the millennial heresy for a very short time until I began to study the Word of God, for I was like those at Berea (Act 17:10 And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews.
Act 17:11 These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so). I studied to learn if these things were so. This is every one’s privilege to do so, since we are commanded to search the scriptures. John. 5:39. Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.
I plainly saw the first resurrection, the thousand years reign, binding of Satan and the battle of Armageddon, were rightly interpreted by symbolic terms only. Otherwise it does not make spiritual sense, but conflicts with sound doctrine. God is highly pleased to have His Word rightly interpreted and understood, and displeased to have it wrongly preached to confuse and lead astray his people. “Add not thou unto His (God’s) Word, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.” Prov. 30:6.
There always has been a conflict or opposition between truth and error; between definite Bible holy living and a faked or counterfeit religion or belief, for genuine one hundred percent full gospel doctrine has never been popular with sectish organizations which teach it’s non-essential to observe those ordinances that help to make a gentle, patient, humble Christian to sit at the feet of Jesus and daily learn how to grow in grace, wisdom, and knowledge of the way the pure in heart and life must trod on their way to everlasting glory where the wicked cease to trouble and there the weary shall be at rest. — John H. Griffith