Page 9 - Watchman- What of the Night

shall be in custody for a thousand years of the heavenly kingdom lest he should

attempt anything evil against the people of God… When the thousand years of the
kingdom, that is seven thousand (of the world) shall draw toward a close, Satan shall
be loosed again… At the same time shall be that second and public resurrection of all,
in which the unrighteous shall be raised to everlasting punishment… that is the

doctrine of the holy prophets which we Christians follow.‖
It will be seen that this is the precise order of things as held by premillennialists of
our own day. The sequence of events could not be set forth better than by this beloved
father of A.D.300, who affirms this order of events to be ―the doctrine of the holy

prophets.‖
We shall conclude these citations from the church fathers with a brief one from the
scholarly Jerome (A.D.390-410) who, though hostile to the doctrine of the millennium,
or Chiliasm, as it was otherwise called, made certain admissions that confirm the fact

that the millennial reign of Christ was the doctrine most widely held in his own day.
In one place Jerome says that ―he durst not condemn the doctrine (millennial )
because many ecclesiastical persons and martyrs affirm the same.‖ Again speaking
of the millenarian Appollinarius, he says, ―An author whom not only men of his own

sect, but most of our own people likewise follow on this point (Chiliasm) so that it is
not difficult to prove that a multitude of persons will be offended with me.‖
This is all significant to show that the reiterated charge of modern opponents of
the millenarian or Chiliastic doctrine, that it is a recent innovation, is utterly

unfounded. The citations drawn from the earliest and most estimable of the church
fathers some of whom had contact with the apostles themselves, or their pupils, give
to the doctrine of the premillennial return and earthly reign of Christ a dignity and
authority that is unassailable.
th
Let us now hear from Martin Luther, the mighty reformer of the last of the 15
th
and first of the 16 century. Bengel says of him: ― He believed with many others, that
the duration of the world from its commencement, would be only 6,000 years and
hence considered its end so near, that he could see no space for any future

millennium.‖
In his ―Table Talk‖ Lurher wrote: ―The Gospel is preached throughout the world;
the child of perdition is revealed and destroyed in the hearts of many; the kingdom of
Rome is declining to its fall; all the elements and creatures are in commotion, and

declining: there is no longer any love or fidelity on earth, and Christ may come when
He may, He will find but a small flock of believers: excess in eating and drinking, the
practice of usury, anxious cares, covetousness, extravagance in dress and building,
and all manner of irregularity verily being as prevalent now as they were at the times

of Noah: wherefore I conceive that the signs preceding the last day are

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