On February 14 we looked at Revelation 20:1-7 and saw how it attributes two different meanings to the thousand years. The thousand years in vers- es 2, 3, 5, and 7 is symbolical and refers to the 1955 years of church his- tory; the thousand years in verses 4 and 6 is infinite and refers to what goes on eternally in heaven. In Revelation 20:
1...I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottom- less pit and a great chain in his hand. 2And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, 3And 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 thou- sand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.
4And 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. 5But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thou- sand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
6Blessed 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.
7And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison.
As stated on February 14: some Bible students challenge our timeline by attributing to Revelation 20:1-7 a thousand year reign on earth. As God rules from Jerusalem this alleged millennium supposedly fulfills what they call an "Abrahamic covenant." Genesis 12:7, 15:18-21, 24:7, 13:14-16, Ezekiel 37:21-25 and Romans 11:25-26 may seem to confirm this false notion. Therefore we deal with these verses here and on February 18.
Genesis 12:7, 15:18-21 and 24:7 refers to the physical land of Canaan. The land in Genesis 13:14-16 pertains to the elect in heaven, not anything going on in our world.
In Genesis 12:7, 15:18-21, and 24:7, God promised the physical land of Canaan to Abram's progeny—not to Abram himself: 7…the LORD ap- peared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land (Genesis 12). 18…the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land (Genesis 15). 7The LORD God…sware unto me, saying, Unto thy seed will I give this land (Genesis 24). These verses refer to the physical land of Canaan.
While the seed in Genesis 12:7, 15:18 and 24:7 refer to Abram's progeny (not Abraham, Isaac or Jacob), Genesis 13 defines Abram's seed as Christ and the elect in their inheritance of God's eternal kingdom. Note that in this case God gives the land to Abram himself and his seed for ever—not to the Israelites: 14And the LORD said unto Abram…Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward:
15For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever. 16And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered.
That this kingdom lasts for ever in Genesis 13:15 refers to the infinite thousand years of Revelation 20:4, 6. That Abram and his seed (Christ) inherit the land… for ever has to mean God's eternal kingdom, i.e., the new heaven and new earth of Revelation 21:1. Galatians 3:16 defines this seed in Genesis 13:16 as Christ, 16…And to thy seed, which is Christ. Galatians 3:29 defines the seed as the elect.
29And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise (that God makes in Genesis 13:14-16). So Abraham's seed in Genesis 13:14-16 refers to Christ and the elect, not all of the Israelites as in Genesis 12:7, 15:18 and 24:7. Therefore Genesis 13:14-16 can't mean anything by the eastern Mediterranean that the Jews acquire forever, or even for a thou- sand years.
Genesis 17 begins with God's covenant with Abraham and the elect—not a return of Christ to glorify Israel. 1…I am the Almighty God; walk be- fore me…2And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly. Romans 4:11 designates Abraham, the first one circumcised, as the father of all them that believe; i.e., the elect, after God circumcises their heart (according to Deuteronomy 30:6) and draws them to the faith of Christ (John 6:44). Therefore Genesis 17:1 refers to the elect—not the Israelites—that God will multiply.
We find the eternality of Genesis 13:15 (15For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever.) emphasized as
ever- lasting in Genesis 17: 8And I will give unto thee (Abraham), and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Ca- naan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.
Canaan in Genesis 17:8 stands for God's eternal kingdom that …is not of this world (John 18:36). Genesis 17:8 refers to Abraham as a stranger be- cause he never inherits the physical land. In Genesis 23:4 Abraham, in order to bury his dead wife, Sarah, tells the sons of Heth, 4I am a stranger and a sojourner with you: give me a possession of a buryingplace (in the land of Canaan) with you.
In Genesis 14 God tells Abraham, 4As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations. Abraham's many nations refer to God's elect through the righteousness of faith (Christ) in Romans 4:13. These elect come from everywhere, not just Israel: in Gen- esis 28 God tells Abraham, 14…thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: …in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.
This spiritual inheritance remains unconditional in contrast to God's stip- ulations on the Jews in Canaan. The Assyrian destruction of Israel in B.C. 709, that of Judah by Babylon in B.C. 587, and that of Jerusalem by Rome in A.D. 70 testify to the Hebrews' precarious status.
Joshua 21:43-45 and Nehemiah 9:7-8 confirm that God has already ful- filled his covenant made in Genesis 12:7, 15:18-21 and 24:7 and owes the Jews nothing more. In Joshua 21: 43…the LORD gave unto Israel all the land which he sware to give unto their fathers; and they possessed it, and dwelt therein.
44And the LORD gave them rest round about, according to all that he sware unto their fathers: and there stood not a man of all their enemies before them; the LORD delivered all their enemies into their hand.
45There failed not ought of any good thing which the LORD had spoken unto the house of Israel; all came to pass.
And in Nehemiah 9: 7Thou art the LORD the God, who didst choose Abram… 8…and…madest a covenant with him to give the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Jebu- sites, and the Girgashites, to give it…to his seed, and hast performed thy words; for thou art righteous: In this case his seed refers to all of Israel.
We can still maintain that Revelation 20:1-7 does not predict a thousand year reign on earth. The year 1948 and the parable of the fig tree support 1988, 1994 and 2011 as end time events.
On February 18 we look at the prophecy of Ezekiel 37:21-25 and Romans 11:25-26.