Practical Inmillennialism

 

“Faith without works is dead” (Jas. 2:20). An accurate prophetic framework that produces no effects in our daily lives is worthless. A prophetic view that does not make us more holy turns us into sounding brass and tinkling symbols (cp. 1 Cor. 13:1).

God intends for prophecy to change us. The change comes, in part, so we may lead prosperous lives in the land God has given us. To Israel, God said,

I have sent also unto you all my servants the prophets, rising up early and sending them, saying, Return ye now every man from his evil way, and amend your doings, and go not after other gods to serve them, and ye shall dwell in the land which I have given to you and to your fathers: but ye have not inclined your ear, nor hearkened unto me. (Jer. 35:15)

Prophecy leads to repentance; we amend our doings. Repentance leads to us dwelling in the land which God has given us.

God sent a prophetic word to the apostle John. Inmillennialism teaches that the “land”  God has given us is “a new heaven and a new earth” (Rev. 21:1).

What of it?

Realizing we live in this place involves more than us making a theological point. Our citizenship in this heavenly place brings privileges and obligations (cp. Eph. 1:3, 20; 2:6; 3:10).  

Let’s take a brief glance at some of them as we conclude our application of inmillennialism to Revelation. We will use John’s seventh vision as our guide.

Seek the Presence of God

The intimate relationship between us and God is the leading characteristic of our “land.” We live in the new Jerusalem. God himself dwells with us (Rev. 21:2–3). Let us not lightly pass over these facts. 

True saints long to be in God’s Presence. They desire his fellowship more than anything else. Their fundamental delight is the Lord himself (Isa. 58:14).

Inmillennialism makes much of Christ’s presence with his Christ during the Messianic Age. Christ’s parousia is not just a “coming,” it is a coming that results in his Presence (e.g., Matt. 24:3). Parousia means “presence.” 

But just knowing this is not enough.

The Presence of God is the central fact of Christianity. At the heart of the Christian message is God Himself waiting for His redeemed children to push in to conscious awareness of His Presence. That type of Christianity which happens now to be the vogue knows this Presence only in theory. It fails to stress the Christian’s privilege of present realization. . . . We are satisfied to rest in our judicial possessions and for the most part we bother ourselves very little about the absence of personal experience.¹

What practical steps can we take to rectify this situation? We can begin by recognizing that God has done great things for us. In Christ, he has brought us to a heavenly land. 

We can seek the Presence of God there. Paul commands us to do this. “If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth” (Col. 3:1–2).

Let us seek God’s presence; it satisfies our deepest longings. 

Seek God’s Presence in the Church

As we have seen, God dwells with his people in the new heavens and earth. Jesus says this occurs in “the holy Jerusalem.” This city is “the bride, the Lamb’s wife” (Rev. 21:9). John describes the glory of this city (Rev. 21:10–27). 

Paul also mentioned the new Jerusalem and the bride. He spoke of the “Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all” (Gal. 4:26). And, he said the church is Christ’s bride (Eph. 5:22–33).

These statements have practical implications for us. A few examples follow.

In the new heavens and earth, we should seek fellowship with God in a local church. The church at Ephesus was the bride of Christ. It was there the saints spoke to themselves “in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in [their] heart to the Lord” (Eph. 5:18). If we wish to experience God’s presence, we will take part in a local church.

We should relish the beauty of the church. John’s described a city “having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal” (Rev. 21:11). Our congregation may sometimes appear dull and uninteresting to the natural eye. But Jesus said, “blessed are your eyes, for they see” (Matt. 13:16). If we have such eyes, we can see and admire the church’s glory.

We should appreciate the church’s wall and foundation. The wall bears “the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel” (Rev. 21:12). Underneath the wall are “twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb” (Rev. 21:14). The church is “built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone” (Eph. 2:20). God began building the church through Israel and completed it through Christ and the apostles. Ours is an ancient city. 

Let us seek to edify the church to which we belong. This is the house God prepared for us.

Seek Living Water

In the new heavens and earth, God has provided everything we need to serve him (Rev. 22:1–5). There is “a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb” (Rev. 22:1).

David also saw this stream. He said, “There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High. God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early” (Psa. 46:4–5).

Zechariah prophesied about the Messianic Age. “And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem. . . . And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one” (Zech. 14:8–9).

The river nourishes the tree of life that bears healing fruit and leaves (Rev. 22:2). These blessings surround the throne of God and of the Lamb that are in the new heavens and earth.

Because of these provisions, John says “his servants shall serve him” and “they shall reign for ever and ever” (Rev. 22:3, 5).

But we cannot satisfy our thirst by just looking at the river. We must drink. Jesus once told a woman, “If thou knewest the gift of God . . . thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water” (John 4:10). 

Let us ask our Lord for this living water. He has promised to give it to us. We need its refreshing to serve and reign.

Seek to Obey

Only those who obey God’s commands live in the new heavens and earth. The angel tells John, “I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book” (Rev. 22:9; emphasis added). John Gill says, “this is said to encourage the observation of them.”²

Then, John says, “Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city” (Rev. 22:14; emphasis added).

There is a strong tendency in our day to equate obedience with legalism. This is a dangerous mistake. Jesus said, 

If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s which sent me. (John 14:23–24; emphasis added)

Let us obey every commandment of God. Obedience allows us to enjoy the new heavens and earth to which he has brought us.

Conclusion

We have now completed our application of inmillennialism to Revelation. This exercise has supplied details for our prophetic framework. For example, we know of Satan’s release at the end of the Messianic Age through Rev. 20:7–9. The fundamental structure derived from the Olivet Discourse and 1 Corinthians 15 remained unchanged. It explained these seven visions satisfactorily.

Learning about the prophetic framework in Scripture is not just an intellectual exercise. It requires a response from us. “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service” (Rom. 12:1). This is the way of life.

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1. A. W. Tozer, The Pursuit of God (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House, [1948?]), 37.
2. John Gill, An Exposition of the Old and New Testaments, 9 vols. (Paris, AR: The Baptist Standard Bearer, 1989), 9:868.