Return Of The King
10-25-02

In Revelation 20:1-5, we read, "Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be released for a little while. And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection" (Revelation 20:1-5 NKJV). In his reference Bible, C.I. Scofield says of these verses, "The expression ‘thousand years’ . . . gave rise to the term ‘millennium’. . . The millennium is that period of time during which Christ will reign upon the earth. . . This is the last of the ordered ages which condition human life on the earth. David’s greater son, the Lord Jesus Christ, will rule over the earth as King of kings and Lord of lords for 1000 years, associating with Himself in that reign His saints of all ages." If I understand Mr. Scofield correctly, he believes that Jesus Christ will return to the earth, establish His kingdom, and reign with His saints on earth for 1000 years. I don’t know about you, but Mr. Scofield’s beliefs provoke some questions concerning his conclusions.

If Jesus must return to establish His kingdom, how could John declare that he was already a subject of the Lord’s kingdom? John wrote, "I, John, both your brother and companion in the tribulation and kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was on the island that is called Patmos for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ" (Revelation 1:9 NKJV). If Jesus will return to establish His kingdom, how could Paul write that the Colossians had been added to Christ’s kingdom? He wrote, "He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love," (Colossians 1:13 NKJV). From these verses it seems, the kingdom of Christ was established during the first century.

If Jesus will return to earth to establish His kingdom, why, during His interrogation by the Roman governor Pilate, did He say, "My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here." Notice Pilate’s response and Jesus’ answer to that response, " Pilate therefore said to Him, ‘Are You a king then?’ Jesus answered, ‘You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.’" (John 18:36-37 NKJV). Jesus did not say that He would be a king when He returned sometime in the future, but that He was a king at that present time. If Jesus will return to establish His kingdom on earth, why did the writer of the letter to the Hebrews go to such length to prove the Christ was a priest after the order of Melchizedek, who was both priest and king. Hebrews chapter seven clearly teaches Christ is our High Priest in heaven, and – in chapter eight, verse one – the writer penned, "Now this is the main point of the things we are saying: We have such a High Priest, who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens," (Hebrews 8:1 NKJV). From these verses, we can clearly determine that Christ now sits as priest and king (cf. Zech. 6:12,13).

One last thought to consider concerning Mr. Scofield’s beliefs: If Jesus is returning to earth to establish His kingdom, why did the apostle Paul tell the Christians in Thessalonica, "For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words" (1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 NKJV). This is the same scene described in First Corinthians 15, where the same apostle Paul wrote, "Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power" (1 Corinthians 15:24 NKJV).

Mr Scofield’s fanciful assertions make for good science fiction, but lack confirmation from the Bible. The Lord currently sits in heaven as priest and king over His kingdom of which those who have turned from sin and have clothed themselves with Christ are members (Gal. 3:26-27). When He returns, those who are His will meet Him in the air and be with Him for eternity. No where in the New Testament does it say that Christ will reign as king on the earth.