JAG Writes:
What does the future hold for the Christian Church and the human race here on planet Earth?
The answer is the human race has a magnificent optimistic bright cheerful future.
The world will eventually become a Christian world. This will require many millenniums yet
to come as human history rolls forward. This does not mean that every single person on
Earth will become a Christian, rather it means that the human race, as a race, will be saved
and the vast overwhelming majority of human beings will, in the far off future, become
Christian.
The Lord Jesus' Great Commission To His Christian Church is about His Church Christianizing
the world:
The Lord Jesus told His disciples at the end of Matthew's gospel chapter 28 to go and make
disciples of all the nations. His disciples needed power to accomplish this great task. The Lord
Jesus told them what this power was. He said "all authority in Heaven and on Earth has been
given to me, therefore go and make disciples of all nations . . . teaching them to obey all that
I have commanded you." Matthew 28:18-20
The Lord Jesus was serious when He gave His Christian Church her Great Commission. His
Great Commission is a command and not a suggestion. Therefore His Great Commission to
go and make disciples of all the nations will be successfully accomplished before He returns
to Earth to end human history -- the world will eventually become Christian. "He must reign
until He has put all his enemies under His feet." 1 Cor. 15:25
"For He (God) has put everything under His feet." 1 Cor. 15:27
The Lord Jesus right NOW is reigning as King over this entire world and He is gradually
incrementally Christianizing the entire world. Again, how long will this take? It will take
many many millenniums yet to unfold, but He will be victorious. We must be patient.
This is going to take very long time.
Meanwhile . .
Unfortunately there is a lot of Doom and Gloom and Defeatism out there inside 21st
century Christendom .
Christendom holds and presents 4 major views of the future of the Christian Church
and the Human Race.
These 4 views are:
(1) Postmillennialism
(2) Amillennialism
(3) Premillennialism
(4) Dispensationalism
Of the 4 views only Postmillennialism presents an optimistic bright cheerful victorious
future for the Christian Church and the Human Race. The other 3 views are saturated
with Doom and Gloom and Defeatism for both the Christian Church and the Human
race.
This Opening Post is presenting some general thoughts on Postmillennialism and
Postmillennialism's optimistic view of the future.
Long live Christian optimism.
Large swaths of the Christian Church today are awash in Gloom and Doom and in
Defeatism passed off as being spiritual, when in fact the Bible teaches that the
Christian Church will be victorious. I will build my Church, said the Lord Jesus,
and the gates of Hell will not prevail against it. Go and make disciples of all the
nations, said the Lord Jesus, because I have now been given all authority both in
Heaven and on Earth.
It is sad indeed that Amillennialism, Premillennialism, and Dispensationalism
repudiates the gospel victory theme of the Bible in their modern eschatological
speculations and replaces this victory theme with a defeatist scheme of the
future of the Christian Church and Human race. This paralyzes Christian cultural
efforts and eliminates the practical significance from the Christian worldview,
and gives Christians a sinful comfort in lethargy because all this Defeatism
and Doom and Gloom tends to justify social and cultural irresponsibility.
Why polish brass on a sinking ship", ask many misinformed Christians.
_____________
Here is an excellent definition of Postmillennialism:
"Postmillennialism holds that the Lord Jesus Christ established His kingdom
on earth through His preaching and redemptive work in the first century and
that He equips His church with the gospel, empowers her by the Holy Spirit,
and charges her with the Great Commission to disciple all nations.
Postmillennialism expects that eventually the vast majority of men living
will be saved. Increasing gospel success will gradually produce a time in
history prior to Christ's return in which faith, righteousness, peace, and
prosperity will prevail in the affairs of men and nations. After an extensive
era of such conditions the Lord will return visibly, bodily, and gloriously
, to end history with the general resurrection and the final Judgment
after which the eternal order follows."___ Dr. Kenneth L. Gentry.
Christianity is slowly Christianizing the world.
Christianity started small in numbers. There was a time in the 1st century
at the very beginning of Christianity when the number of Christians in the
world was less than 12. Today, some 2000 years later, there is some 2.5
billion Christians in the world. We have a name for this. We call it progress.
America today has over 1300 Evangelical mega-churches with weekly
attendance of over 2000. The Roman Catholics have over 3000 churches
with a weekly attendance of over 2000. This is Christian progress in the
world.
Christianity is growing like wildfire in the Global South. In Africa and in
the huge underground churches in China. This is more Christian progress
in the world.
■ The Lord Jesus "shall have dominion from sea to sea" Psalm 72:8
■ "The whole Earth will be filled with His glory." Psalm 72:19
■ "All the nations will call Him blessed." Psalm 72:17
■ The Lord Jesus really meant it, when He commanded His Christian
Church to "go and make disciples of all the nations." Matthew 28:19
JAG
`
What does the future hold for the Christian Church and the human race here on planet Earth?
The answer is the human race has a magnificent optimistic bright cheerful future.
The world will eventually become a Christian world. This will require many millenniums yet
to come as human history rolls forward. This does not mean that every single person on
Earth will become a Christian, rather it means that the human race, as a race, will be saved
and the vast overwhelming majority of human beings will, in the far off future, become
Christian.
The Lord Jesus' Great Commission To His Christian Church is about His Church Christianizing
the world:
The Lord Jesus told His disciples at the end of Matthew's gospel chapter 28 to go and make
disciples of all the nations. His disciples needed power to accomplish this great task. The Lord
Jesus told them what this power was. He said "all authority in Heaven and on Earth has been
given to me, therefore go and make disciples of all nations . . . teaching them to obey all that
I have commanded you." Matthew 28:18-20
The Lord Jesus was serious when He gave His Christian Church her Great Commission. His
Great Commission is a command and not a suggestion. Therefore His Great Commission to
go and make disciples of all the nations will be successfully accomplished before He returns
to Earth to end human history -- the world will eventually become Christian. "He must reign
until He has put all his enemies under His feet." 1 Cor. 15:25
"For He (God) has put everything under His feet." 1 Cor. 15:27
The Lord Jesus right NOW is reigning as King over this entire world and He is gradually
incrementally Christianizing the entire world. Again, how long will this take? It will take
many many millenniums yet to unfold, but He will be victorious. We must be patient.
This is going to take very long time.
Meanwhile . .
Unfortunately there is a lot of Doom and Gloom and Defeatism out there inside 21st
century Christendom .
Christendom holds and presents 4 major views of the future of the Christian Church
and the Human Race.
These 4 views are:
(1) Postmillennialism
(2) Amillennialism
(3) Premillennialism
(4) Dispensationalism
Of the 4 views only Postmillennialism presents an optimistic bright cheerful victorious
future for the Christian Church and the Human Race. The other 3 views are saturated
with Doom and Gloom and Defeatism for both the Christian Church and the Human
race.
This Opening Post is presenting some general thoughts on Postmillennialism and
Postmillennialism's optimistic view of the future.
Long live Christian optimism.
Large swaths of the Christian Church today are awash in Gloom and Doom and in
Defeatism passed off as being spiritual, when in fact the Bible teaches that the
Christian Church will be victorious. I will build my Church, said the Lord Jesus,
and the gates of Hell will not prevail against it. Go and make disciples of all the
nations, said the Lord Jesus, because I have now been given all authority both in
Heaven and on Earth.
It is sad indeed that Amillennialism, Premillennialism, and Dispensationalism
repudiates the gospel victory theme of the Bible in their modern eschatological
speculations and replaces this victory theme with a defeatist scheme of the
future of the Christian Church and Human race. This paralyzes Christian cultural
efforts and eliminates the practical significance from the Christian worldview,
and gives Christians a sinful comfort in lethargy because all this Defeatism
and Doom and Gloom tends to justify social and cultural irresponsibility.
Why polish brass on a sinking ship", ask many misinformed Christians.
_____________
Here is an excellent definition of Postmillennialism:
"Postmillennialism holds that the Lord Jesus Christ established His kingdom
on earth through His preaching and redemptive work in the first century and
that He equips His church with the gospel, empowers her by the Holy Spirit,
and charges her with the Great Commission to disciple all nations.
Postmillennialism expects that eventually the vast majority of men living
will be saved. Increasing gospel success will gradually produce a time in
history prior to Christ's return in which faith, righteousness, peace, and
prosperity will prevail in the affairs of men and nations. After an extensive
era of such conditions the Lord will return visibly, bodily, and gloriously
, to end history with the general resurrection and the final Judgment
after which the eternal order follows."___ Dr. Kenneth L. Gentry.
Christianity is slowly Christianizing the world.
Christianity started small in numbers. There was a time in the 1st century
at the very beginning of Christianity when the number of Christians in the
world was less than 12. Today, some 2000 years later, there is some 2.5
billion Christians in the world. We have a name for this. We call it progress.
America today has over 1300 Evangelical mega-churches with weekly
attendance of over 2000. The Roman Catholics have over 3000 churches
with a weekly attendance of over 2000. This is Christian progress in the
world.
Christianity is growing like wildfire in the Global South. In Africa and in
the huge underground churches in China. This is more Christian progress
in the world.
■ The Lord Jesus "shall have dominion from sea to sea" Psalm 72:8
■ "The whole Earth will be filled with His glory." Psalm 72:19
■ "All the nations will call Him blessed." Psalm 72:17
■ The Lord Jesus really meant it, when He commanded His Christian
Church to "go and make disciples of all the nations." Matthew 28:19
JAG
`
