Frequently these days I receive papers, or read articles, which fight shy of accepting the thousand-year reign of Christ, as stated in Revelation 20. It is as though a new consensus of opinion is gaining ground amongst evangelicals and charismatics, whereby it is now in vogue to spiritualise the words of Rev.20, so that the “thousand years” can mean any length of time, as long as it’s not 1,000 years. In this article I wish to give my reasons for maintaining a belief in a literal Millennium. [Read more…]
Archives for August 2002
13. The Importance of Earnest
No, this article has nothing to do with Oscar Wilde’s famous play, but we have employed a similar title!
The word Earnest is used three times in the New Testament. Here are the references –
2 Cor.1:22 God . . . has sealed us, and given us the earnest of the spirit in our hearts.
2 Cor.5:5 God, who has also given us the earnest of the spirit.
Eph.1:14 You were sealed with that promised holy spirit, which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.
The Greek word for earnest is ARRABON. Now here is a strange thing. The equivalent Hebrew word sounds almost identical, being pronounced AYRABON. Furthermore in Latin it is ARRHABO. There are not many such words that appear so nearly alike in three different languages. [Read more…]