THE MILLENNIUM by G. V. Kilgore

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Jan 4, 1877

THE MILLENNIUM.

By G. V. Kilgore

THERE are various ideas in this age in regard to the millennium. The term implies, to many minds, a thousand years of peace and joy on earth before the general judgment. But this idea has only been attached to the word by the theologians of modern times. The word comes from two Latin words—mille, meaning a thousand, and annus, which signifies a year—and simply means a thousand years. See Webster. It is applied to the thousand years of Rev. 20, during which time Satan is to be bound. All agree that there will be a time, even a thousand years, when Satan will be bound; but that peace and joy on earth, “Christ’s spiritual reign,” and a converted world, will exist during that time, all will not agree. Even “great men” differ on this question.

It is not my design to argue this question at present. But I want to have the statements of two eminent men on the condition of the world in the last days placed side by side. One is the learned Buek. Hear him: “This will be a state of happiness and glory. Some think that Christ will reign personally on the earth, and that there will be a literal resurrection of the saints, Rev. 20:4, 7; but I rather suppose that the reign of Christ and the resurrection of saints alluded to in that passage, are only figurative; and that nothing more is meant than that, before the general judgment, the Jews shall be converted, genuine Christianity be diffused through all nations, and that Christ shall reign by his spiritual presence, in a glorious manner. It will, however, be a time of eminent holiness, clear light and knowledge, love, peace, and friendship, agreement in doctrine and worship. . . .

“The inhabitants of every place will rest secure from fear of robbery and murder. War shall be entirely ended. Capital crimes and punishments be heard of no more. Governments placed on fair, just, and humane foundations. The torch of civil discord will be extinguished. . . . Above all, the Bible will be more highly appreciated, its harmony perceived, its superiority owned, and its energy felt, by millions of human beings. In fact, the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.”

This is the present belief of many a D. D. Now we quote the other eminent man, Paul, the chief apostle to the Gentiles: “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God; having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof.”

This was the belief of all the Bible writers. These perilous times were to be in the last days—the very time when Professor Buek expects glorious times. Buek says, “It will, most probably, come on by degrees, and be in a manner introduced years before that time.” Thus it is expected that evil men will become better, and righteousness gradually fill the earth. Paul had a different idea. He predicted a bad state of affairs for the last days, and, without any hope of better times before the end, he declared, “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecutions. But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived.”

But, as Buek is esteemed a great man, I will honor his arguments by bringing a greater than Paul against him. But his own ideas must first stand out clear. He seems to have thought that probation would continue during the millennium, and that the work of salvation would still be carried on. His idea of the way to life was that it become very broad before the end of probation. It almost amounts to Universalism. Listen to it: “In this time, in which the world will soon be filled with real Christians, and continue full by constant propagation to supply the place of those who leave the world, there will be many thousands born and live on the earth to each one that has been born and lived in the preceding six thousand years; so that, if they who shall be born in that thousand years shall be all, or most of them saved (as they will be), there will, on the whole, be many thousands of mankind saved to one that shall be lost.”

Think of it, “many thousands of mankind saved to one that shall be lost.” Now hear what a greater than Paul has said, “Enter ye in at the strait gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat. Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.” Look at the difference. Buek declares that the broad way leads to glory. Christ says it leads to destruction. Buek says, many thousands will be saved to one that is lost. Christ declares that many will go to destruction, and only a few will be saved. In whom can we put confidence? The psalmist says, “Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help.” That is the kind of a person every great man of this world is. But Jesus Christ is a Prince and a Son of man in whom there is help; and we may confidently trust in him.

The doctrine of the temporal millennium is urged as an objection against the soon coming of Christ, as taught by Adventists. But, like all other objections of the kind, when held out in view before the light of Bible truth, it perishes like Jonah’s gourd.

G. V. KILGORE.