MILLENNIAL HERESY

SCOFIELD'S DISPENSATIONAL LEAVEN

Nelson Bell, the editor of the prestigious and authoritative mouthpiece of conservative Evangelicalism, Christianity Today, appeared to express the sentiments of many American Evangelicals when, in an editorial in 1967 he wrote:

That for the first time in more than 2,000 years Jerusalem is now completely in the hands of the Jews gives a student of the Bible a thrill and a renewed faith in the accuracy and validity of the Bible.

Charles Dyer, professor of Bible exposition at Dallas Theological Seminary, in his book, The Rise of Babylon, includes photographs allegedly showing Saddam Hussein’s reconstruction of Babylon to the same specifications and splendour as Nebuchadnezzar.

Dyer warns that this is evidence that Hussein plans to repeat Nebuchadnezzar's conquest of Israel, the only Arab ever to have done so.

'The Middle East is the world's time bomb, and Babylon is the fuse that will ignite the events of the end times.'

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article4531.htm

SCOFIELD'S HERESIES INJECTED INTO BIBLES.

1. SCOFIELD DOWNGRADES THE CHURCH AND HER ROLE IN GOD'S PLAN.
Historic Christian teaching always has been that the church was the antitype of national Israel. This teaching goes on to say that the church succeeded Israel at the first advent, and that all unfulfilled promises to Abraham will be fulfilled in and through the church.

Scofield admits that this is the historic Christian teaching, then proceeds to teach that it is erroneous. He says: "Especially is it necessary to exclude the notion - a legacy in Protestant thought from post-apostolic and Roman Catholic theology - that the Church is the true Israel, and that the Old Testament foreview of the kingdom is fulfilled in the Church" (p. 989, S.R.B.).

II. SCOFIELD TEACHES THAT GOD HAS TWO BODIES - ISRAEL AND THE CHURCH.
Let us first get before us the age-old Christian teaching on this subject: God always has had but one people. In the Old Testament this people (the type) was called Israel. In the New Testament the antitype was known as the church, or "the Israel of God." The elect number from Israel plus the elect number of Gentiles constitute one and the same olive tree (Rom. 11: 17,24).

Here, again, Scofield begs to differ from the New Testament writers, the church fathers, the reformers, and the outstanding commentators. He chooses rather to accept another of John Nelson Darby's "rediscovered truths" instead of the historic Christian teaching. He teaches that Israel is an earthly people while the church is a heavenly people; that God has two separate plans for these two distinct peoples; and that Israel and the church have separate destinies. Israel, he says, will spend eternity on earth while the church, made up of Jews and Gentiles, will spend eternity in heaven.

III. SCOFIELD TEACHES THAT GOD'S PROMISES TO NATIONAL ISRAEL AWAIT FUTURE FULFILLMENT.
What is the historic Christian teaching on this subject? All such promises have been either fulfilled or invalidated through unbelief. Those on which Scofield rests most of his case have been literally fulfilled, and these fulfillments are clearly recorded in the Bible.

Scofield, on the other hand, teaches that God has future plans to regather national Israel to Palestine, rebuild the Temple, and reinstitute the Old Testament economy (including the blood sacrifices). The reader might find it interesting to look at some of the typical scriptures on which Scofield builds this argument. On page 157, note 2, one reads: "The feast of Trumpets, vs. 23-25. This feast is a prophetical type and refers to the future regathering of long-dispersed Israel." This footnote goes on to state that trumpets are always symbols of testimony and that they are connected with the regathering and repentance of Israel after the church, or pentecostal, period is ended.

http://www.gracegospel.org.uk/scofieldism.htm
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MILLENNIUM REIGN - Judaism
The Millennium reign doctrine began as a Judaism doctrine called the Schism. The Jews believed that the millennium or Schism would be a natural reign, where the Messiah would reign upon the earth, with a earthly kingdom. It is why they rejected Christ, for Christ said the "Kingdom is within you" and there is no end to that Kingdom. It is not for a thousand years but forever. "Neander's History of Christian Dogmas, Vol. 1 Page 248.


"The idea of a Millennial reign proceeded from Judaism; for among the Jews the representation was current that the Messiah would reign a thousand years upon earth... Such products of Jewish imagination passed over into Christianity.


The Millennium was introduced or started from a "heretic" named Cerinthus, in the first century as spoken by history in Eusebius's Ecclesiastical History, Book III, Chapter 28, is a fragment from the writings of Caius, who lived in the last of the second century, which gives us the following account of Cerinthus's heresy:


"But Cerinthus, too, through revelations written, as he would have us believe, by a great apostle, brings before us marvelous things, which he pretends were shown to him by angels; alleging that after the resurrection the kingdom of Christ is to be on earth, and that the flesh dwelling in Jerusalem is again to be subject to desires and pleasures. And being an enemy to the scriptures of God," , wishing to deceive men, he says that there is to be space of a thousand years for marriage festivities" "One of the doctrines he taught was, that Christ would have an earthly kingdom."


This is the true origin of the thousand year reign theory. Notice how the history of Caius, how lightly he speaks of Cerinthus idea of the thousand year reign being here on earth after the resurrection. He says this doctrine was


"something which Cerinthus pretends was shown to him by angels."


Caius must have believed the orthodox teachings of the scriptures, that Christ's kingdom was set up at His first coming. Notice how Caius calls Cerinthus "an enemy to the scriptures of God," and one who was "wishing to deceive men."


Now Cerinthus lived in the same time of Apostle John, the author of Revelations, and the following is how the Apostle John felt about Cerinthus:


Irenaeus, an early church father lived around 120 A.D. and was acquainted with Polycarp, the disciple of Apostle John and wrote the following:


[Eusebius's Eccl. Hist., V. 24], states that while Apostle John was at Ephesus, he entered a bath to wash and found that Cerinthus was within, and refused to bathe in the same bath house, but left the building, and exhorted those with him to do the same, saying "let us flee, lest the bath fall in, as long as Cerinthus, that enemy of the truth is within"
Eusebius's Eccl. Hist., III. 28.


Apostle John was calling the heretic Cerinthus, the originator of the thousand year reign, a "liar".


"No where in the discourses of Jesus is there a hint of a limited duration of the Messianic Kingdom. The apostolic epistles are equally free from any trace of Chiliasm (thousand year reign)." Encyclopedia Britannica---Articles on Millennium.

So, the theory of a thousand year reign (on earth), throughout history was gathered from Jewish fabulous "apocalypse", "unwritten tradition," carnal misapprehensions," "pretended visions," "suppositions," and "superstitious imaginations."

http://pages.suddenlink.net/orb/orb/millennium_reign.htm
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Revelation 11:8
And their dead bodies [shall lie] in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.


Revelation 14:8
And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.


Revelation 16:9
And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath.


Revelation 17:5
And upon her forehead [was] a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.

Revelation 17:7
And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns.


Revelation 17:18
And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.


Revelation 11:8
And their dead bodies [shall lie] in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.

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Matthew 16:11
How is it that you fail to understand that I did not speak about bread? Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”