This is a distortion of the truth. Saying there is a "past" and a "future" to me doesn't mean the world is divided up only into two time periods. "Ages" tend to be directed, in biblical context, to periods of particular prophetic significance, such as when Israel was under judgment, and kept out of the place of blessing. We may classify "ages" differently, depending on how we're applying them.
The Age to Come was understood by the Jewish People to refer to the Messianic Age, or to the Kingdom Age. Amillennialists dismiss this because they think Israel no longer plays a role in prophecy, rendering the need for a "Kingdom Age" of no value. And they dismiss Jewish teaching on the Kingdom Age because they think Jewish teaching has lost validity.
But I can't do this with biblical truth. Though it seems as if Israel will never again be a "nation of God," the Bible indicates it shall be! And Israel's personal failures, as a nation, cannot render void their Scriptures and their prophecies!
Furthermore, the NT writers referred to the Age to Come as the "Kingdom Age" in the same way the Jews did. It is not just the end of the present age, but the beginning of a new age.
Scripture exposes your opinion. Paul confirms the finality of the return of Jesus, in 1 Corinthians 15:22-24, stating,
“as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming [Gr.
parousia].
Then cometh the end [Gr. telos],
when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.”
Please note the careful correlation between the
parousia and the
telos. This is a truth that is found throughout the NT. They are synonymous with each other. There is absolutely nothing that Premillennialists can do with such a clear and climactic passage apart from deny the obvious or add unto Scripture by inserting “a thousand years” in-between the coming (
parousia) of Christ and the end (
telos) where it does not belong. This is the dilemma for Premil throughout the Word. They are fighting the obvious.
The Greek simply reads:
Christos – Christ
en – at
autos – His
parousia – coming
eita – then
telos – the end
The coming of the Lord is shown to be the end of the world. There is no gap of time in-between the coming of Christ, the resurrection and the end. They all belong to the one final climactic overall event.
The phrase “he shall have delivered up” comes from the single Greek word
paradidomi meaning surrender, yield up, intrust, or transmit. This is what happens to the kingdom when Christ comes. He surrenders it to His Father, He yields it up.
The converse phrase “he shall have put down” comes from the single Greek word
katargeo meaning: bring to nought, none effect, or abolish. This is what happens to “all” existing “rule and all authority and power” when Jesus Comes. The rule of man comes to an end and now it becomes the rule of God.
The Apostle Paul instructs the believer in 1 Corinthians 1:7-8 to
“come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming [Gr. parousia] of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall also confirm you unto the end [Gr.
telos],
that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
The coming of the Lord is again associated with “the end.” We can see here how the phrases “the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ,” “the day of our Lord Jesus Christ” and “the end” are depicted as synonymous. The second coming is depicted throughout the Word as a climactic event that ushers in the conclusion of time. Within this teaching is a comforting promise for every child of God that that Christ shall “confirm” or establish or secure us “unto the end.”
The two words that are used in the New Testament to describe the start and finish of this current temporal state of time are
archē meaning “beginning” and
telos meaning “end.” They are the antithesis of each other. The word
archē basically means the origin or the commencement. The word
telos means the termination, completion or that by which a thing is finished. Notably, the Bible continually relates this phrase “the end” [Gr. telos] to the second coming. The Lord’s return is shown to usher in the completion of this age and of time.
Scripture constantly shows the creation of this earth and the beginning of this world to be the beginning of this age. Likewise, the end of this world and the regeneration of this earth is repeatedly shown to correspond with the end of this age. Time and history find themselves sandwiched in between these two great events. Simply put: “this age” refers to “time” and “the age to come” or the “hereafter” refers to “eternity.”
This contradicts numerous Scriptures. It is not just that much Scripture depicts the second coming as “the end of the age/world,” it is that it labels it as “the last day” or simply “the end.” The Bible shows the resurrection/judgment of the righteous and the resurrection of the wicked to occur on “the last (or final) day” of “the last days” when Jesus comes.
Significantly, in
all the references re the last day that I gave Randy above (which he avoided), the wording in the original for “last day” is always identical –
eschatee heemara. The Greek word
eschatee used here comes from the root word
eschatos, from where we get our word English eschatology, and simply means
end, last, farthest or final.
