Back to Top
  1. Home
  2. Articles posted bykluttz
    3. (Page 3)

Author Archives: kluttz

Are You Good Enough?

For as long as I can remember there has been a silent cultural message that “if you’re good enough” God will accept you as his own and secure you a permanent place at his side in eternity.  From Country and Western songs to Hallmark movie nights we are captured by the idea of a person realizing the error of their ways and making amends to a new status of a life well-lived.  This trend has been exacerbated in recent years by a multitude of teachers and preachers in the church who are attempting to remodel Christ as a life coach who desires to lead man to his true potential.  Turning from the old “you’re a sinner headed for judgment” model of reaching the masses, the new sentiment is “get on the wagon with Jesus and become something wonderful.”  I have to admit it has a nice ring.  It’s the stuff that after school specials were made for; grabbing oneself by the bootstraps and initiating the full potential of the human spirit in order to overcome the strongholds of one’s past.  Such stories are inspiring, entertaining and motivating.  After all, who among us could throw a stone at someone filled with good works, kindness and sacrificial service to others?  Indeed, these are the very characteristics that Jesus modeled and are the substance of the inner working of the Holy Spirit in the life of his chosen.

Such ideas represent the heart and soul of a moralistic gospel approach.  The model is simple: “Work hard, do better and God will accept you.”  And, the presumed merit of such good works is that they will somehow erase the stain of a former life that was decidedly “not good enough” in God’s eyes.  But will they really?

Several years ago I saw a news story on television about a woman who was discovered just miles down the road from where I lived.  The woman had been missing for many years.  She was not missing in the sense that she was lost, but in the sense that she did not want to be found.  This woman was an upstanding member of a nearby town.  She worked hard, had built a respectable life and was highly regarded by everyone who knew her.  She was active in her church and local schools and was known as a model citizen.  Yet, she had lived many years under an assumed name for fear of her past.  In fact, she had been convicted of horrible crimes at a younger age and had somehow escaped the custody of the state in order to assume a “new” life and identity as the person she wished she had been all along.  She had truly changed her ways.  Likened to the gospel of moralism, one might consider that she had erased her former sins by her current good life.

When this woman was discovered by authorities the television news became hyperactive about her story.  Some argued that she had lived a good and respectable life in the time since her heinous crimes and should be allowed to continue her new-found “good life.”  Others argued that this woman could not possibly have been guilty of the crimes that she had been convicted of, for she had proven her mettle publicly for so many years.  But, at the end of all such sentiment there was one thing that stood resolutely in the way of her freedom: the law.

The issue this woman had was not her inability to do well by her community.  Her issue was not that she was unfit to exist among the other humans in harmony.  It was not that she lacked the potential to fit in, be nice, get along with others or that she had failed to do any sufficient good works as deemed proper by the community.  Her issue was that she had resolutely broken the law in a major way and had been sentenced to punitive discipline by the law.  It frankly did not matter how good of a life she had lived the past number of years or how many people she had helped.  Her punishment was indifferent to her good works.  This woman had been formerly convicted of murder.  She owed a debt to society that could not be paid by simply “doing better from now on.”

This story illustrates perfectly the issue of a moralistic gospel.  The scripture says in Romans 3:23 that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”  You’ll notice the accusation clearly: “all have sinned.” The problem man has with God is not that “you have not been good enough.”  The issue is that “you have sinned.”

Sin is a specific crime with a prescribed penalty announced from the very beginning of time: “the day you eat of it you will surely die.”  The penalty for sin is reaffirmed throughout the scriptures, being clearly shown again in Romans 6:23, “for the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” In short, our crime of sin is so substantial to God that we have been prescribed the death penalty for it.  We can attempt to hide, rebrand our life and/or gain the sentimental approval of everyone around us, but we will never get away from the perfect law that condemns us as sinners. Our penalty will be paid– either by us or by a gracious intercessor.

Friends, the gospel message has never been that God loved you so much he sent Jesus to earth to show you how to live better.  The gospel message is- and always has been- that God loved you so much he sent his innocent Son to earth to die for your sins and pay the sentence that you owe.

Because it is our sin – our offense of the law – that condemns us before God, there is simply no manner of good works that we can live up to that will ever save us.  There is no statute of limitations on sin.  It is a crime punishable by an eternal sentence that must – and will – be paid.

The good works performed by we who are in Christ are symptomatic of our salvation, but can never be the substance of it.  Our issue before God is not a lack of good works.  It is our offense of sin.  For that reason alone, you will never be good enough.  Rather, trust Christ’s provision of atonement on your behalf to save you from the wages of your sin and you will be transformed to the worthy and “good enough” creation you need to be.

1 Reply

Right Questions Wrongly Answered

(Editorial Note:  This article was written prior to Sunday’s shooting in Wisconsin.  Originally published in the Fort Bend Herald, July 29, 2012.  Minor edits have been inserted for this venue and date)

While the escalation of mass homicide in recent years is truly disturbing, perhaps equally ominous is our nation’s continued denial concerning the origination of such evil.  Reminiscent of Fort Hood, Columbine and Virginia Tech, the recent shootings in Aurora have once again stirred the country to evaluation regarding the cause of such seemingly disconnected and horrific acts.  Within hours of the incident commentators were politicizing the situation with appeals for better mental health care, gun control or public education.  One analyst confidently prophesied that, “our country has failed James Holmes” (the shooter) in some unexplained manner.

While a number of theoretical culprits may have been contributing factors to Holmes’ rampage, what is troubling about such responses is that they are built upon two false assumptions.  Foremost is the notion that such raw degeneracy is impossible in rational man except for some external influence.  Related and secondary is the presumption that proper human initiative can cure such deviation.  Mankind is deemed too equitable for such a heinous deed, thus something else must be ultimately liable.  Thus, Adam blames Eve while she points at a snake.  Responsibility is imagined outside of the offender’s control.

The scriptures are far less diplomatic of human propensity; asserting that all men possess a congenital sin disorder for which they are held responsible.  No one has to teach a two year old how to hit a friend in defiance.  Every toddler instinctively knows to lie about the half-eaten cookie.  Sin is innate from birth; albeit in ways that seem innocuous when displayed from the least defiled among us.  While even minor sin condemns us as guilty before a righteous judge, sin has a tendency to grow and mature into something far less cute than an unruly toddler’s tantrum.  Romans 1 teaches that men who reject and suppress God’s truths are given over by God to a continued descent into unquenchable depravity.  Verse 28 notes, “since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done.” Verse 30 affirms a further deterioration in that they become “haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil…faithless, heartless, ruthless.”

To those who affirm the trustworthiness of scripture, actions such as those taken by James Holmes are not enigmatic.  While surely he is troubled and debased beyond the normative societal rule, his issue remains the same as is common to all.  He is guilty of living out the fruition of an uncontrolled sin nature; the epitome of which is self-servitude to the exclusion of God’s supreme rule of law.  Our most obvious examples of the destruction of sin are played out in the lives of those likened to Holmes.

More appropriate than a clamor to lawmakers in light of this sort of wickedness is a resolute commitment to the restoration of sinners through the gospel of Jesus Christ.  The law of both God and man quite staunchly condemned the behavior of last Friday’s murderous rage before it ever happened.  At issue is not the lack of a clear legal standard, but a rebellious soul that considered himself exclusive to it.

Christ was crucified for such sin.  He paid sin’s eternal penalty for those who trust Him alone as their reparation before God.  Those who reject His provision will continue their slide toward obstinacy to unknown depths of depravity.  Those who trust in Christ’s provision receive capacity to overcome sin in their lives, along with its eternal consequences.

Pray, therefore, for the propagation of the gospel in our increasingly wicked world.  Therein lies hope for depravity.

Leave a reply

Fighting ‘Bigotry’ with Bigotry

The American system of public discourse and representative government is not hard to grasp.  We are “the melting pot” where people from every race, creed and background are welcomed to bring their best to the table.  Governing that table are representatives duly elected to uphold the will of the collective population from within the framework of an overshadowing constitutional standard.  From within that standard these representatives are charged with the task of establishing the law of the people, by the people and for the people.

In such a system several things are inherently necessary.  Among them is that the people have a voice and the freedom do express it fully.   Without such a voice, representatives govern without direction and pursue their personalized visions for the country.  Ability to express our collective voices has been assured in the First Amendment and in just about every state by written mandate.  After all, every seat of local, state and federal governments in our nation is democratically elected and representative in nature.  People simply must be allowed to express their political opinions for such a system to work.

At issue in the nation today is the variance between the mandate and the actions of our elected officials.  Case in point is the rash of recent government sponsored blockades of free speech as it relates to the hot-button “redefinition of marriage” mayhem.  In the past few weeks this has taken a very personal and utterly un-American turn as one of the nation’s largest family owned businesses is being targeted for extinction by government representatives-turned-operatives over the family’s constitutionally protected exercise of expressing their political opinions openly.

Dan Cathy, President and CEO of Chick-fil-A, apparently crossed an invisible line in the spirit of the First Amendment last week when he simply stated, “guilty as charged” to the assertion that he upholds a biblical definition of marriage (as being uniquely between man and woman).  He followed with comments on the Ken Coleman Show with his suggestion that the nation could face God’s judgment over the redefinition of marriage.  This, according to a growing list governing officials, is tantamount to gay bashing.

Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel claimed that “Chick-fil-A values…disrespect our fellow neighbors and residents.”  He vowed to support the blocking of new Chick-fil-A construction announced by Proco Joe Moreno, in Chicago’s 1st Ward.  Moreno claims that Cathy is “bigoted” and “homophobic” because he is against gay marriage.  In addition to Chicago (the last place on earth that should be dis-allowing a successful business opportunity) Boston Mayor Thomas Menino informed the Boston Herald that he no longer wants Chick-fil-A in Boston.  In Mountain View, California a gay couple as at least temporarily blocked the opening of another Chick-fil-A by launching a “zoning” challenge, noting that “because it was a bunch of bigots, it gave us an extra nudge” to attempt to prevent them from building a restaurant there.

The irony of each of these scenarios should be crystal clear to anyone; whether gay, straight, atheistic or a believer.  Simply put, this is a full living color illustration of the new art of bullying via charges of ‘bigotry.’  Call someone a bigot and you will immediately find support for your cause.

Forget the fact the homosexual community is the first to scream “First Amendment” when they break decency laws on the streets of New York City; sodomizing one another in the streets for what is depicted as a “parade.”  Forget the fact that every group that has the ability to decry “bigot” does so with the same constitutionally granted freedom that those they cry against are using in stating their own objections.  Let’s focus on a much simpler fact:  gay marriage is a moral and POLITICAL issue being argued in every federal, state and local election bid.  Cathy did not say he hated homosexuals.  He did not say they were not allowed to eat in his establishments.  Quite the contrary, he noted the continued openness of his venues to serve people of all types, explicitly including “sexual orientation.”  The issue against Cathy is not homophobia or gay bashing.  Nothing of the sort has taken place.  He said what nearly every republican presidential nominee this past year has said; that he is opposed to the redefinition of marriage to include same-sex genders.

Since when has power been granted to government heads to punish their people for not “thinking” according to a pre-set template?  By what right does a mayor or a district alderman (for crying out loud) refuse successful businessmen from building their enterprise based on their being on the side of other government officials who argue the same principles?  Have these people not watched a single presidential debate this year?  Do they not read newspapers?  Are they so out of touch as to not know that this is an ongoing national debate?  This is America; a land built on the principle of public and open debate on the issues before the people.

Cathy is an American citizen.  His family employs 61,000 Americans in the worst economy of most of our lifetimes.  He has constitutionally-protected rights to express his opinion on any political issue of his choosing.  Any politician who attempts to destroy his business because of his views on a very public and torn political argument is proving himself to be a bigger bigot than he claims Cathy is.

Merriam-Webster defines bigotry as “a person who is obstinately or intolerantly devoted to his or her own opinions and prejudices…”  How more intolerant can one be than to determine “if you do not agree with our side of an ongoing national debate we will deny you a right to do business in our city?”  These men should be impeached for using their offices as playpens for their personal agendas.  They are clearly outside of their governing roles in a representative system when they harass their opponents over the fundamental practice of their rights.  They are doing precisely what they accuse others of doing by fighting (supposed) bigotry with bigotry.

9 Replies

Apostasy! is Released (New Book)

Apostasy! The Word-Faith Doctrinal Deception is released today on Amazon.com in print and Kindle editions.

Apostasy! is the result of several years of research and teaching concerning the doctrinal heritage of the Word of Faith movement. Numerous churches are finding themselves dealing with doctrines that have no biblical basis. They are, instead, the product of carefully corroborated and systematized “new” doctrinal distinctions that are aimed at the financial empowerment of the teachers of this movement.
 cover
Many believers are hearing such doctrines from their church pulpits without awareness of their sources.
This book seeks to track the origination of these add-on doctrines and to reveal how their acceptance will alter systematic theology. Poor doctrines do not merely stick to the roof where they are preached: they infiltrate every dependent area of theology and create a truly heretical off-shoot of the historic Christian faith.
The Word of Faith, at its full fruition, teaches that God is not the all-powerful creator in his own accord, Jesus did not come to Earth as God incarnate, salvation was purchased in the Lake of Fire rather than on a cross, and that God can be forced to give man anything he commands. Sixteen chapters will reveal these, and many other exceptional errors in the movement’s dogma, each demonstrated by documented and footnoted quotes of the most famous of the Word-Faith teachers.
If you have found yourself scratching your head as to the origins of some of these “new” doctrinal positions, this book will lead you to their sources and the biblical rebuttal.
Available soon at other major retailers, Google books and E-books.
See all books from the author here.
Leave a reply

Apostasy! The Word-Faith Doctrinal Deception (Released Soon)

On (or around) January 20, 2012, the upcoming book by author Jeff Kluttz, Apostasy!, will be released. This work is an examination of the men and women who have propagated the “Word Faith” doctrinal position that has so aggressively taken root in many of today’s charismatic churches. Many who serve the Lord in these churches are utterly unaware as to the sources of the doctrines they are hearing espoused from their local church pulpits. This work traces the sources of such doctrines as well as the new systematic theology which it naturally produces.
Error gives birth to error.  If a foundational tenet of a group’s doctrine is compromised, necessarily all following dogma will follow suit.  The Word-Faith premise is dangerous, flawed and unbiblical- even by the testimony of its teachers.
RELEASE:
Apostasy is creeping into the church from televisions, books and star-personality tours of rich and blasphemous self-proclaimed prophets of God; many of whom are the most famous pastors and teachers in the U.S.  These counterfeit shepherds teach that faith is a material substance more powerful than God, accessible to all men, and capable of creating anything man’s heart can desire by the mere utterance of faith-filled-words.  This doctrine has leached into all areas of the theological systems of what are known as “Word of Faith” churches.  Virtually every major area of systematic theology in this movement has been taken captive by the repercussions of this primordial error.

In this heresy, God is limited. Man is unlimited. Satan fills a necessary role in atonement for sin. Health, wealth, power and all means of temptation are heralded as virtues of the faith while millions empty their bank accounts for the promise of such ambition.

Preying on the poor and desperate, this movement is systematically fulfilling biblical prophesies concerning a latter-day apostasy within Christendom.
The book will be available here, at Returningking.com, or at the Author’s Amazon.com Page, once available to the public.
4 Replies

“The Storefront Saints Show” “Apostasy!” Interview

I was priviledged to have an extensive interview with Pastor David Catoe and Jeff Lege of Fresh Spring Baptist Church in Angleton, Texas concerning my upcoming book, Apostasy! on “The Storefront Saints Show.”

Apostasy!, which will be released soon, is a book concerning the turning from the true faith of the Word of Faith community.  This book is aimed at people who are involved in the Word of Faith, yet know that something is wrong with what they are hearing from such pulpits.  It is my hope that tonight’s interview will give a very brief introduction to the book for those who have been patiently awaiting its release.

Direct Link: http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/18633140

(Video begins after about 20 seconds of opening graphic) (You must hit “play” after advertisement)

4 Replies

Yom Kippur: A Reason for Christians to Celebrate

Yes, you read the title correctly.  To many, Yom Kippur is merely a foreign word that appears on our Outlook calendar each year.  It seems that most believers do not even know what it is, where it came from or most certainly what it represents.  Yom Kippur is a good reminder of just how much rich heritage of the faith gets lost for modern Gentile believers.  Because we do not serve the Mosaic requirements for Holy Days each year, we miss the richness of the Old Testament Feasts; each of which point to and are fulfilled by our Messiah, Jesus, in some way.

Yom Kippur, or The Day of Atonement in English, falls each Hebrew calendar year on the 10th of Tishrei.  The 10th of Tishrei this year, on our Western calendar, is tomorrow, October 8, 2011.  The celebration of Yom Kippur, for Jews, begins at sundown tonight. Continue Reading

9 Replies

Argument For A Future Literal Kingdom of Christ

The following is an excerpt from the author’s book, The Return of the King: A Prophetic Timeline of End-Time Events. If you find articles in this category interesting, consider purchasing the book to read the entire work!

 [amazonshowcase_c71f634b3b05900e8ab2176eb82fd40d]
The following excerpt is from Chapter 8 of The Return of the King. This chapter makes a very short argument concerning the literality of a literal Messianic Kingdom on the earth after the time of Christ’s return.  6 times in the book of Revelation a period of “one thousand years” are referred to, during which Satan is bound and the righteous rule with Christ.  Much debate is leveled at the nature of “the kingdom of God” in modern theological circles; many times completely ignoring the existence of a “literal kingdom” argument for one manifestation of that kingdom program.
While the author uncompromisingly agrees that “the kingdom of God” includes a “spiritual kingdom” aspect – he also asserts that it includes a “literal kingdom” aspect in which Christ will literally fulfill many dozens of prophecies which speak to Him as reigning on David’s throne, as having the nations to succumb to his rule and having even the animal kingdom in subjection to him during this one thousand year period.  Those wishing to discount this position have some very hard questions to answer about the nature of how prophecy has been fulfilled thus far.
Is prophecy normally fulfilled literally or figuratively?  Did Mary have a virgin birth?  Was he a son?  Did she name him Jesus?  Was he “called great?”  Was he “the son of the Most High?”  No one ever argues the literality of fulfillment of these statements.  Yet, does not the same proclamation (Luke 1:32) also note that he will rule on David’s throne?  If the son is literal should not the throne he sits on also be considered to possibly be literal in the same sentiment?  If not, then by what logical reason does one swerve from literal to metaphorical interpretive methods- in some cases – from within a single sentence in order to come up with an interpretation that precludes a literal kingdom of Christ?
Today’s post marks that challenge for your consideration.
Chapter 8:  Prophecies Concerning The Messianic Kingdom
It is the belief of some groups that the idea of a messianic kingdom (or “millennial kingdom” – a literal one-thousand year reign of Christ on earth) is a product of the book of Revelation only.  This belief frequently stems from the idea that the book of Revelation is metaphorical in its content and should not be taken literally.  Thus, some reject the idea of a literal messianic kingdom on earth because of their lack of literal understanding of the book of Revelation.  Amillennialism, for example, teaches that the one thousand year reign of Christ referenced in Revelation 20 is a figurative kingdom which began upon Christ’s resurrection.  However, even outside of the book of Revelation there are many biblical prophesies that can only literally be fulfilled at a future date; specifically, a date incorporating a literal millennial reign of Christ.  The understanding that a literal millennial kingdom provides a biblical explanation for prophecies which otherwise must be explained away should lend much credibility to the literal interpretation of the one thousand year kingdom in the book of Revelation.
This chapter will demonstrate from writings other than the book of Revelation that the millennial kingdom noted in Revelation refers to a literal kingdom of Christ upon the earth rather than a figurative one.  The basis for this position is the numerous Old Testament prophesies that remain unfulfilled in their entirety, which can only be fulfilled in the context of a millennial kingdom, such as a prophecy concerning a literal coming King in Israel.

Isaiah 9:6-7
6 For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 Of the increase of his government and peace
there will be no end.
He will reign on David’s throne
and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
with justice and righteousness
from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the LORD Almighty
will accomplish this.

While this text has rightly been interpreted as a messianic prophecy, or a prophecy concerning the coming of Messiah, what is missed by many is the observation that this prophecy has not yet been fulfilled in its entirety.  It cannot be literally fulfilled outside of an earthly kingdom of Christ.  While Christ did come as Messiah, he has not fully done so in the manner described in this, and numerous other texts.
Verse 6 notes particularly that, “the government will be on his shoulders.”  Many properly maintain that Christ has established his kingship and that he rules the universe from the father’s right hand in Heaven.  While this assertion is certainly valid, it does not do justice to the language used in Isaiah concerning the nature of the unique kingdom prophesied.  Christ’s spiritual kingdom is not a complete fulfillment of the text.  Specifically, “the government” is referenced to be on his shoulders.  And, by reading the text as a whole, the government is further stipulated to refer to a human, earthly government; specifically the government of David, Israel’s most glorious and celebrated king.  Christ, throughout the whole of human history, has not had a governmental position of any kind.  While he was exalted to the father’s right hand, this position could not be rightly understood to be a governmental position within the kingdom of David.  In the millennium however, he will be an absolute monarch of a literal earthly kingdom from a throne in Israel; David’s throne.  The government “shall be on his shoulder.”  Isaiah, a Jewish prophet writing to a Jewish audience, specifically references that “unto us” a child is born and “to us” a son is given.  The “us” in the text is Isaiah and his people; Israel.  Surely Christ was born unto Israel.  He was born unto a literal Israel, not a spiritual one.  To that end, in keeping with the literal understanding of Israel in the text, one must also understand a literal government to be referred to.  Specifically, “the government” refers to the government of literal Israel which is referenced in the text.
Verse 7 notes, “of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end.”  This government is demonstrated further to be the same government as that of David, who was a literal Israeli king.  “Upon the throne of David” specifies the same throne as that of the historical king.  Jesus, the universally understood “child” of this prophecy, has not sat upon David’s throne in any capacity nor for any amount of time at this point in history.  There has, in fact, been an end to that which was formerly understood as the fulfillment of this prophecy.  David’s throne has been vacant for thousands of years.  Israel today is not a monarchy and does not have an heir of David upon a throne in rule of the nation, yet the text indicates his kingdom will be on David’s throne, for all time thereafter.
To that end, considering this text literally throughout, this prophecy has not been fulfilled.  Yet it shall be in the millennial kingdom, when Christ, David’s human offspring, will take his throne forever over Israel.
David’s throne was not a metaphorical throne in scripture, but a tangible one.  This literal, tangible throne is the very throne the prophecy notes that Christ will rule over.  Verse 7 states, “He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom.”  Since when was Christ’s sitting at the right hand of God equated with the throne of David?  Truly, Jesus rules over the universe even now, but not from the throne of David in Israel.  The prophecy does not speak of a breadth of government which includes the former throne of David.  It speaks of a literal rule from the very throne of David.  For this prophecy to be fulfilled, then, Christ must return physically and establish himself as king over David’s throne in Israel.
Jeremiah also speaks very tangibly concerning a coming literal descendant of David for an eternal reign.

Jeremiah 33:14-21
14 “‘The days are coming,’ declares the LORD, ‘when I will fulfill the gracious promise I made to the house of Israel and to the house of Judah. 15 “‘In those days and at that time I will make a righteous Branch sprout from David’s line; he will do what is just and right in the land. 16 In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live in safety. This is the name by which it will be called: The LORD Our Righteousness.’ 17 For this is what the LORD says: ‘David will never fail to have a man to sit on the throne of the house of Israel, 18 nor will the priests, who are Levites, ever fail to have a man to stand before me continually to offer burnt offerings, to burn grain offerings and to present sacrifices.'”
19 The word of the LORD came to Jeremiah: 20 “This is what the LORD says: ‘If you can break my covenant with the day and my covenant with the night, so that day and night no longer come at their appointed time, 21 then my covenant with David my servant–and my covenant with the Levites who are priests ministering before me–can be broken and David will no longer have a descendant to reign on his throne.

God’s covenant to David, known as the Davidic covenant, is outlined in this text.
In verse 15, a coming “righteous Branch” is noted to sprout from David’s line who will do what is just and right.  This righteous branch is understood universally, among all differing eschatological views, to refer to a literal descendant; Christ.  Christ was a historical descendant of David through his mother Mary.  Yet, many of those who interpret verse 15 literally must quickly change to a metaphorical interpretation for verse 17 if they are to presume a literal kingdom is not referred to, for verse 17 states, “David will never fail to have a man to sit on the throne of the house of Israel.”  If the offspring is literal, then the kingdom must also be understood literally.  Jeremiah speaks of a literal offspring of David who will sit on the literal throne of David’s government; the “throne of the house of Israel.”
Verse 18 continues and speaks of a tangible priestly office which will not “ever fail to have a man to stand before me” and give daily offerings.
Here, one should note that the substance of these offerings should not be equated with a return to the sacrificial system of the Old Testament.  The final sacrifice for sins has been offered by Christ, and there will never be a return to a substitutionary atonement system outside of Christ.  Yet, there will be a new variety of Temple worship which will exist in the millennial kingdom.  The nature of that system and these offerings will be discussed in chapter nine.
It is the author’s unconditional conclusion that without a literal millennial kingdom, the promises concerning the Davidic covenant would have been broken by God.  While some promises of God are conditional, being promised under certain circumstances, this particular promise is not.  In fact, God gives an utterly uncompromising certainty as to the unconditional nature of his promise in verses 20-21:

‘If you can break my covenant with the day and my covenant with the night, so that day and night no longer come at their appointed time, 21 then my covenant with David my servant–and my covenant with the Levites who are priests ministering before me–can be broken and David will no longer have a descendant to reign on his throne.

Or, stated another way, “unless someone can make the day and night cease” God promises that his covenant with David will not be broken.  Clearly, this is not exemplary of a conditional covenant, but an unconditional one.  God speaks clearly what he will do.
For thousands of years, Israel has had none of these promises in a literal form.  The starting point of this promise must be understood to refer to a future date.  The literal interpretation of Revelation 20 provides the only biblical source of a historical fulfillment of these prophetic texts.
Even further clarification can be found in Luke 1, as an angel prophesies to Mary concerning her coming child.

Luke 1:30-33
30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. 31 You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.”

God reiterates the Davidic covenant in his promise to Mary, spoken through an angel.
Her son will be given the throne of David.  He will reign over Israel forever.  His kingdom shall never end.
The only way to escape the reality of a literal coming kingdom of Christ from this series of texts is to use a symbolic interpretation of David’s throne in each of them.  In such cases, it is commonly claimed that the throne of David is spiritualized, his reign over Israel is a spiritual Israel (the church) and that his kingdom refers to the kingdom of Heaven rather than a literal earthly kingdom.  Yet, those who hold to this position must come to terms with heaven being equated to “David’s throne” in these texts, which has no biblical legitimacy.  Heaven is God’s throne, not David’s.  For one to be given David’s throne, one must be understood to be given a literal throne because David’s throne was tangible and historical.
The first rule of biblical interpretation once again comes into necessary consideration.  That rule states roughly, “When the literal sense of scripture makes sense, seek no other sense, but take every word at its literal meaning.”  Understandably, there are times when the literal sense does not make sense, such as when a metaphor is clearly used.  For example, when Jesus said, “you are the light of the world,” a plain literal sense does not make sense.[1] Surely Jesus is not saying that his disciples are literal “lights,” but is making a figurative point.  The context clearly indicates that he is being figurative, because he speaks to his disciples rather than a group of candles.
Yet, there are no immediate contextual reasons that the “throne of David” prophesies must be metaphorized.  They are simply stated truths in a very natural and factual discourse.  Thus, the literal interpretation of the above texts should serve as one’s only interpretation.  The throne of David is literal.  It is the throne of kingship over Israel.  The reign of David over Israel is historical and factual.  This future King will indeed be a governmental ruler.  The kingdom is understood as literal in scripture.  To that end, the millennial kingdom, or the messianic kingdom, will be the literal fulfillment of prophecy.
Another area of scripture demanding a literal millennial kingdom is that area which describes the land which was promised to Abraham’s descendants.  Once again, the literal sense of the text makes common sense.  It is not clearly metaphorical, but refers to literal real estate.
Originally, the Lord stated to Abraham,

Genesis 15:18-21
18 … “To your descendants I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates– 19 the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, 20 Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites, 21 Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites and Jebusites.”

Once again an unconditional promise is noted, “to your descendants I give this land.”  Indeed, God did give vast real estate to Israel.  No one quibbles over the fact that God’s statement was referring to literal lands.  Yet, the specific boundaries noted in the text do not equate to the boundaries settled by Israel at any point in history.  The boundaries, stated as being “from the river of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates,” are somewhat debatable, especially in light of which river is referred to in Egypt.  Yet, the Euphrates is clearly known and universally understood as the eastern boundary of this covenant land.  Without unnecessary debate over the western boundary, Israel has never in her history occupied the land which is described.  The nearest portion of the Euphrates river is hundreds of miles from its closest portion of historical Israel.  Since the promise is unconditional, it must be understood to be a yet unrealized prophecy, or one must understand a symbolic interpretation by which the prophesy should mean something else.  However, since Israel did in fact receive a land allotment from the Lord, one should understand a literal land description was being given in the text.  To spiritualize it is to be unfaithful to the common sense reading of the text.
Still another necessary observation from Old Testament texts which require a future millennial kingdom are the numerous texts which speak of a way of life which simply does not, and cannot exist on the earth outside of a fundamental change on the earth.  Part of that fundamental change requires the seat of the earth’s legal system to flow from Israel, as noted in Isaiah 2.

Isaiah 2:2-4
2 In the last days the mountain of the LORD’s temple will be established as chief among the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and all nations will stream to it. 3 Many peoples will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.” The law will go out from Zion, the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. 4 He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.

Isaiah speaks in chapter two of a world that is virtually inconceivable outside of a literal millennial reign, with Christ himself as King.  Clearly, the “last days” are referenced as the timing when “all nations will stream” to the mountain of the Lord’s temple.  And, in this future world, (as “the last days” certainly reflect no past world) “the law will go out from Zion,” or Israel, and the Lord himself will “judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many people.”
If this text speaks not of a millennial kingdom of the Lord Christ upon the earth, precisely what does it speak of?  One cannot argue that it speaks of Heaven as a “spiritualized” kingdom.  How will disputes exist in Heaven where there is no sin nature from which a dispute must originate?  And, how can it be the earth which the Lord will settle disputes unless indeed the Lord is the King on earth?  Indeed he will.  And, under what other circumstance could it possibly be stated on earth that nations would no longer train for war, unless all nations are unified under a singular righteous King?  Clearly Isaiah 2 speaks also of a situation that can only refer to a literal millennial reign.
Isaiah 11 speaks of a wolf lying with a lamb and a calf, lion and yearling together with a small child leading them.  It speaks of infants playing with snakes and no harm coming to them.  These attributes, all concerning a life on this earth unknown to anyone since Adam and Eve, clearly depict a new Kingdom on earth, where indeed things are uniquely changed on a fundamental level.  Changes of such profundity have never been observed within the parameters of a human government, regardless of how charitable.  Isaiah speaks of changes in the very conduct of nature itself, which insist on deistic intervention into the very nature of life on earth as it is known.
More attributes concerning the millennial kingdom will be observed in chapter nine.  As for this chapter, let it be understood that there are numerous scenarios in scripture which can only be fulfilled in a literal millennial kingdom.  When Christ returns, he will return as King of Israel, and the earth.  Israel will in fact be the capital city of the entire earth.  Jesus, the King, will settle disputes from the literal throne of his father David.  And, the God-King will change the very makeup of nature, so that even the wild animals will submit to his authority.
[1] Matthew 5:14
Leave a reply

How We Got Here

The following is an excerpt from the author’s upcoming book, Apostasy!  This book will be based largely on the resarch work in the Wolves in Wool series on this blog.

How We Got Here

The gospel message is – and always has been – by Christ, from Christ and for Christ.  At any point this understanding is corrupted, apostasy is sure to follow.  If salvation is not by Christ, then it is by some other means which will ultimately take Christ’s place as the author and sustainer of salvation.  The most obvious example of this is the Roman Catholic Church, which after corrupting its gospel to a sacramental and sacerdotal system of works, became more important than Christ’s own work in the church’s now-corrupt doctrine of salvation.  Continue Reading

Leave a reply