Making the Same Mistakes

When You Assume…

There are few things which have caused greater damage to the religious truth of God’s people than the misguided preconceptions of man in regard to religious matters. Approaching the Bible with a personal bias commonly causes man to attempt to shape the Biblical text to fit such bias as opposed to allowing the text itself to shape the understanding of man.

A First Century Example

A perfect example of such misguided preconception can be seen in the Jewish people during the ministry of Christ. There had already been literally hundreds of years of tradition and Messianic expectation that had warped the understanding of the Messiah’s purpose in coming to earth. The Jewish people had come to see the Messiah as a conquering king, ushering in a new Golden Age for Israel and Judah much like the days of King David and King Solomon.

Of course, Jesus’ purpose of earth was infinitely important. He came to defeat the great enemy of sin, not the political enemies of a physical kingdom. The Jews stubborn refusal to accept Jesus as Messiah despite clear evidence to the contrary was primarily because He did not fit their preconception and desire to have a wondrous, physical kingdom. They went as far as to reject the very Word of God, rather than accept the truth (John 5:38).

A 21st Century Example

It is a striking irony then that, thousands of years later, many who claim to be followers of Christ are making the exact same mistake as the Jews of years past, including some of the same concepts. The doctrines surrounding the Rapture (of which are legion and varied) commonly focus upon a “Millennial Reign” period, misinterpreting the “1000 years” as described in Rev. 20:4 as being a literal, physical reign on earth. The most popular of these theories describes a future time when Jesus will return triumphant, then to sit on the physical throne of David in Jerusalem in the midst of a new rebuilt Temple.

The reality is that none of these ideas are in any way Biblical. Physical Israel has given way to Spiritual Israel, which is the body of Christ. The Temple was destroyed never again to be rebuilt, its purpose for being having been removed by the once and for all offering of Christ (Heb. 9:12). There is literally no purpose for Jesus establishing an earthly kingdom for 1000 years or for a single minute. So, why does this doctrine persist? Because some today want to see Jesus an earthly king, much the same way the Jews 2000 years ago wanted to see an earthly conquering Messiah. And some today will ignore even the very Word of God if it does not fit their own preconceptions.