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Thursday, October 31, 2019

TRIBULATION AND MILLENNIAL VIEWS - II


TRIBULATION AND MILLENNIUM VIEWS - II
By Russell Earl Kelly, PHD; October 31, 2019

CHURCH AGE:
POST-MILLENNIALISTS: SYMBOLIC MILLENNIUM; GOSPEL BRINGS SECOND COMING
AMILLENNIALISTS: THE CHURCH AGE IS THE SYMBOLIC MILLENNIUM
SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTISTS: SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST CHURCH BEGAN IN 1844
PRE-MILLENNIALISTS: CHURCH AGE WILL END AT THE SECRET RAPTURE OF THE CHURCH

TRIBULATION:
POST-MILLENNIALISTS: NONE; CHRISTIANITY IMPORVES UNTIL SECOND COMING
AMILLENNIALISTS: NON-SPECIFIC TRIBULATION BEFORE SECOND COMING
SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTISTS: FINAL TRIBULATION IS THE LAST-DAY SABBATH CRISES
PRE-MILLENNIALISTS (PRE-TRIB): LITERAL 7 YEARS OF ANT-CHRIST’S REIGN AND GOD’S WRATH AFTER THE RAPTURE OF THE CHURCH; FOCUS ON RESTORED NATIONAL ISRAEL

BOOK OF REVELATION:
POST-MILLENNALISTS: SYMBOLIC; NO INTEREST
AMILLENNALISTS: CHURCH AGE=SEALS=TRUMPETS=VIALS=MILLENNIUM
SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTISTS: SDA CCHURCH AGE; SABBATH CONFLICT SETTLED
PRE-MILLENNALISTS: CHAPTERS 6-22 FUTURE; ANTICHRIST’S REIGN AND DEFEAT

MILLENNIUM: 1000-YEAR TIME PERIOD ON EARTH:
POST-MILLENNIALISTS: SYMBOLIC; SAME AS THE CHURCH AGE; NOT LILTERAL
AMILLENNIALISTS: SYMBOLIS; SAME AS THE CHURCH AGE; NOT LITERAL

MILLENNIUM: LITERAL 1000-YEARS ON EARTH:
SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTISTS: SATAN IS THE ONLY INHABITANT OF DESOLATED EARTH
PRE-MILLENNIALISTS: 1000-YEAR REIGN OF CHIRIST ON EARTH ESPECIALLY FOR ISRAEL

FINAL REBELLION AT END OF A LITERAL MILLENNIUM:
NOT TAUGHT BY POST-MILLENNIALISTS OR AMILLENNIALISTS
SEVENTH-DAY ADENTISTS: BY ALL RESURRECTED WICKED OF ALL AGES
PRE-MILLENNIALISTS: BY MILLENNIUM’S LIVING UNBELIEVERS

RESURRECTION
ALL BUT PRE-MILLENISTS: RESURRECTION OF ALL AT ONCE
PRE-MILLENNIALISTS:
   RESURRECTION OF ALL UNBELIEVERS AT ONCE   
   RESURRECTION OF SAINTS WHO DIED DURING THE MILLENNIUM
                           
JUDGMENT: Final vindication of God’s righteousness.
GEHENNA: Wicked cast into the Lake of Fire.
ETERNITY: Saints in New Jerusalem on New Earth with God forever.

Wednesday, October 30, 2019

TRIBULATION AND MILLENNIAL VIEWS


TRIBULATION AND MILLENNIUM VIEWS; By Russell Earl Kelly, PHD; October 30, 2019

POST-MILLENNIALISM:
This was the most popular interpretation before two world wars.
1.THE CHURCH AGE IS THE MILLENNIUM.
2. The Church’s influence will grow and prosper.
3. The Church will evangelize the whole world.
4. Life will be better and better on earth.
5. Jesus Christ will return.
6. Judgment will occur.
7. Eternity will follow.

SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTISM:
1. The SDA Church will evangelize the world to warn it of Christ’s return.
2. A prophetic time of 1260 years from 538-1798 is the reign of the Antichrist Roman Catholic Church persecuting the Church.
3. Antichrist, will die, be resurrected and persecute Sabbath-keepers who do not worship on Sunday.
4. Following a period of great crisis of faith, Christ will return, resurrect saints, catch up Sabbath-keepers and kill all who do not worship on the Saturday-Sabbath.
5. The 1000-year Millennium occurs on desolated Earth inhabited only by Satan.
6. The 1000-year Millennium will end when Satan and resurrected unbelievers are judged and quickly destroyed in the Lake of Fire.
7. Eternity follows.

AMILLENNIALISM:
1. Often found in history among Church theologians, this interpretation began growing around 1850.
2. There will be no literal 1000-year reign of Christ on earth.
3. God’s promises to national Israel ended at Calvary.
4. Prophecy, especially Revelation, is to be interpreted symbolically.
5. The Church is now spiritual literal.
6. The 7 churches, 7 seals, 7 trumpets, 7 vials and 1000-years of Revelation cover the same period of the Church Age.
7. Jesus will return at the end of a period of tribulation.
8. One resurrection and one judgment will be followed by eternity.

PRE-TRIBULATIONISM:
1. Popular during the first 300 years of the Church, this interpretation gained around 1850 because of the literal interpretation by John Nelson Darby.
2. The unconditional promises to national Israel are interpreted literally.
3. Differences between promises to the Church and national Israel are emphasized.
4. Restoration of national Israel and removal of the Church before tribulation are taught.
5. Seven years of tribulation and great tribulation precede the Second Coming in glory.
6. A literal 1000-year Messianic reign of Christ on earth is prominent.
7. A final resurrection, destruction of earth, judgment and eternity on a new earth follow.

Saturday, October 12, 2019

Harold L Wilmington Was Not a KJV-Only Advocate


HAROLD L WILMINGTON
AND TEXTUAL CRITICISM
By Russell Earl Kelly, PHD
October 12, 2019

From his own writings, it is extremely evident that Harold L Wilmington (d1918) of Liberty University (Wilmington’s Guide to the Bible) was NOT a supporter in the preserved Textus Receptus and King James Bible. This fact is evident within the text of Guide and textual criticism is oddly not mentioned once.  This is also the teaching of Liberty University which championed Wilmington as a great teacher.

On page 680 of the 30th Anniversary Edition, Wilmington wrote, “Even though the original books are lost, there is overwhelming evidence our translated Bibles today represent amazing copies of the first manuscripts themselves. “Wilmington is NOT referring to either the Greek Textus Receptus or the King James Version or their category! In fact, exactly the opposite is true. “The favorable comparison of all these manuscripts.  Various scholars have estimated how reliable the text of the New Testament is:
Westcott and Hort have estimated it is 98.33% pure.
Ezra Abbott rates it 99.75% pure.
A. T. Robertson rates it 99.9% pure.”
In case you are not aware, these three are avowed supporters of modern textual criticism and sworn enemies of God’s ability to preserve His Word through the Textus Receptus and King James Version!  No KJV-only advocate would ever quote Westcott and Hort to support their position. Westcott and Hort swore to destroy the King James Bible early in life and A. T. Robertson was a disciple of B. B. Warfield. When they speak of 98.33, 99.75 and 99.9% purity, they are referring to the “corrected” Nestle-Aland and United Bible Society Greek texts behind modern versions which have removed 25% of the Textus Receptus.

Behind the first title page Wilmington lists a total of eight (8) versions quoted in the book: KJV, NKJ, NAS, NIV, NLT, RSV, AMP and the ESV.  This is proof positive that Wilmington was not a KJV-only advocate.

From pages 673-675, Wilmington lists famous supporters of inspiration and inerrancy. The problem with this list is that is makes no effort to distinguish between those who supported the traditional text, Jerome’s changed Latin Vulgate or the modern drastically changed texts. Jerome (d420) used questionable texts to re-write the original Latin Bible which had been based upon the traditional text. Augustine (d430) was influenced by Jerome and interpreted the Bible allegorically. Harold Lindsell, Gleason Archer, Paul Feinberg and Millard Erickson are/were not KJV-only advocates.

From pages 675-678, Wilmington quotes the 1978 International Council on Biblical Inerrancy signed by Liberty University. “The Bible”[verson?] is I: authoritative; II: supreme authority over the church; III: revelation by God;  VI: the origin of Scripture is divine; IX: guaranteed true and trustworthy utterance of all matters of which the biblical authors were moved to speak and write;  we deny that these authors introduced distortion or falsehood into God’s Word; XI: it is infallible, it is reliable in all the mattes it addresses; XII: the Scripture in its entirety is inerrant, being free from all falsehood, falsehood or deceit; III: complete truthfulness; XIV: no errors or discrepancies; XVI: the Church has historically taught inerrancy;  XVII; the Holy Spirit assures truthfulness and XIX: We affirm that a confession of the full authority, infallibility and inerrancy of Scripture is vital to a sound understanding of the whole of the Christian faith.

However (and this is very important), while KJV-only advocates apply these qualities to the Textus Receptus and KJV, Wilmington and Liberty only apply them to the original autographs which no longer exist. If they only apply to the original autographs, the statements are meaningless.
Article V: “We affirm that [only] the whole of Scripture, and all its parts, down to the very words of the original. Were given by divine inspiration.”
Article X: “We affirm that inspiration, strictly speaking, applies only to the autographic text of Scripture which in the providence of God can be ascertained from available manuscripts with great accuracy. We further affirm that copies and translations of Scripture are the Word of God to the extent that they faithfully represent the original. “

Again, when Wilmington wrote on page 680, “Even though the original books are lost, there is overwhelming evidence our translated Bibles today represent amazing copies of the first manuscripts themselves,” Wilmington was NOT referring to either the Greek Textus Receptus or the King James Version or their category! In fact, exactly the opposite is true. Article X only affirms “that copies and translations of Scripture are the Word of God to the extent that they faithfully represent the original. “ In context, “amazing copies of the first manuscripts” are found in “our translated Bibles today” only refers to the RSV, NAS, NIV and other Westcott-Hort-related versions and “first manuscripts” refers to Vaticanus B and Sinaiticus A.

Therefore, “The favorable comparison of all these manuscripts” refers to the genre of Vaticanus B and Sinaiticus A.” Wilmington’s “Various scholars have estimated how reliable the text of the New Testament is” are opponents of the Textus Receptus and KJV-only.
“Westcott and Hort have estimated it is 98.33% pure.
Ezra Abbott rates it 99.75% pure.
A. T. Robertson rates it 99.9% pure.”
These statistics only result AFTER removing 15% of the KJV-based Textus Receptus. This statistic is found in the forewords of New King James Bibles.

KJV-only supporters do not need the critical-method statistics using unverified documents which were never mass produced by the early church.  God in His Word promised that His word would be preserved forever and would not require man to restore it. The fact that man admits to a need to restore an (un-lost) Word proves they do not believe what God’s Word says about itself. We believe the original autographs have always been faithfully copied and preserved by early Christians and by the Greek Orthodox Church. At first called the Traditional Text, later the Textus Receptus, it was the source of the earliest Latin, Aramaic, French, German, Russian and Gothic Bibles.

Russell Earl Kelly, PHD
Russkellyphd@yahoo.com