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| PentecostalTheology.com
Historically the Churches of Christ have possessed members and congregations that ascribed to all of these eschatological doctrines. But since the early 20th century, the generally accepted eschatological teaching of the Churches of Christ has been that of Amillennialism
Some believe that this millennium is a reference to an earthly kingdom in which Jesus will physically reign for a literal one thousand years prior to the Day of Judgment. This eschatological stance is called Premillennialism because it teaches that Jesus will return before the millennial reign. Others believe that this one thousand years is a reference to the gradual, Christianized progress of the world that will result in the salvation of most of mankind as well as the predominance of Christian ethics, and, thereby, usher in the reign of Christ. This eschatological stance is called Postmillennialism because it teaches that Jesus will return after the millennium.
The American Restoration Movement of the 19th century began with the merging of various independent contingents to return to apostolic Christianity. Two were of critical significance to the advancement of the movement. The first, driven by Barton W. Stone started at Cane Ridge, Kentucky and named themselves solely as “Christians”. The second started in western Pennsylvania and was headed by Thomas Campbell and his son, Alexander Campbell. They adopted the name “Disciples of Christ”. Both groups tried to restore the whole Christian church on the doctrine set forth in the New Testament, and both thought that creeds held Christianity divided.
Church of Christ vs. Mormon Beliefs
| Church of Christ | Mormon | |
|---|---|---|
| a.k.a. | Latter-day Saint | |
| Number of Members | 2,000,000 | 16,800,000[1] |
| How does one get saved? | Repent of your sins, believe in Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection, and be baptized. | There is no singular salvation for Mormons: Exaltation, or going to the highest of the three degrees of glory and becoming a god, is achieved by getting baptized, confirmed, ordained in the Melchizedek priesthood (if a man), endowed, and married and then by keeping the covenants for the rest of one’s life. |
| Who gets saved? | Anyone who chooses by his own free will to believe and accept God’s gift of grace will be saved. | Anyone who chooses by his own free will to believe and accept God’s gift of grace will be saved. |
| Can one lose his salvation? | Yes, a Christian can lose his salvation by apostasy. | Yes, the promise of exaltation can be lost by breaking one’s covenants, except for a select few couples who are chosen for a second anointing which guarantees exaltation unless one sins against the Holy Ghost or commits murder. |
| Who gets baptized and why? | The believing but unsaved get baptized as part of their salvation. | Understanding persons get baptized as the first ordinance, cleansing them of all sins. |
| How should baptism be done? | Baptism should be by immersion. | Baptism should be by immersion. |
| When does one receive the Holy Spirit? | The Holy Spirit is received at baptism. | The gift of the Holy Ghost is received at confirmation. |
| What is the trinity? | The Trinity is God existing as one god in three equal, eternal, cosubstantial persons: God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ), and God the Holy Spirit. | The Godhead comprises three separate gods—God the Father, his son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost. |
| What is the human nature? | Most believe human nature tends to sin, but it’s not depraved. | Humans are neither inherently good nor inherently evil. |
| Are we guilty of Adam’s original sin? | No, we are not guilty of Adam’s sin, nor did we inherit a sinful nature from him, but we did inherit the consequences.[2][3][4][5] | No, “men will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adam’s transgression.” |
| Are Christians required to keep the Old Testament ceremonial laws? | No, the ceremonial laws of Judaism were fulfilled and done away with by Jesus. | No, the ceremonial laws of Judaism were fulfilled and done away with by Jesus. |
| Can Christians become sinless in this earthly life? | No, although Christians can and should sin less, they can never become sinless in this life. | |
| Do the elements of communion become the body and blood of Christ? | No, the elements merely symbolically represent the body and blood of Christ. | No, the elements merely symbolically represent the body and blood of Christ. |
| Can one be baptized of behalf of someone who has died? | No, the dead cannot be baptized. | Yes, a living person can be a proxy for the dead to be baptized, who then can accept or reject it in the afterlife. |
| What happens if a saved person dies without being perfect? | Once Christians leave their sinful bodies, nothing else is needed to receive glorified, sinless bodies. | Once Christians leave their sinful bodies, nothing else is needed to receive glorified, sinless bodies. |
| Did Mary ever sin? | Yes, Mary sinned like all other humans except Jesus. | Yes, Mary sinned like all other humans except Jesus. |
| What spiritual gifts are available today? | Cessationism: Spiritual gifts used for serving are available today, while gifts used as signs have ceased.[6] | Continuationism: All spiritual gifts are still available to believers.[7] |
| What framework has God used in dealing with man? | God has different periods of history where he has at least one authorized servant on earth.[8][9] | |
| What is the gift of tongues? | Speaking in tongues is sometimes unintelligible and sometimes foreign human languages.[10] | |
| How many church ordinances/sacraments are there? | The church has two ordinances: Baptism and Holy Communion.[11] | The Church has five saving ordinances: Baptism, Confirmation, Ordination to the Melchizedek Priesthood (for men), the Temple Endowment, and the Marriage Sealing. There are roughly a dozen other ordinances important for comfort.[12] |
| To whom do Christians need to confess their sins? | Confession should be made directly to God, but confession to another believer is beneficial for some sins.[13] | Confession should be made directly to God unless the church might discipline for such sin, in which case it must be confessed to the bishop.[14][15] |
| How should a church be structured? | Congregationalist: Every church congregation should be independent and governed by its members. | Wards should be governed by the president in that stake, who in turn is governed by the seventies, who are governed by the Twelve, who are governed by the President of the Church.[16][17] |
| What day of the week should Christians worship? | Christians worship on Sunday. | Christians worship on Sunday. |
| How does God’s revelation come to us today? | Sola scriptura: The Bible is the only infallible source of God’s revelation, sufficient for all faith and practice. | There are many sources of God’s revelation. |
| How was the Bible written? | Verbal plenary inspiration: The Bible was written by men who had every word supernaturaly inspired by God. | |
| How many books are in the Bible? | There are 66 canonical books of the Bible: 39 Old Testament books and 27 New Testament books. | There are 66 canonical books of the Bible—39 Old Testament books and 27 New Testament books—and three other canonical books: the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price. |
| Is the Bible inerrant? | Yes, the Bible was written without any error. | No, the Bible is not inerrant in any respect.[18][19] |
| What is marriage? | Marriage is a covenant before God between one man and one woman.[20][21] | Marriage is a covenant before God between one man and one woman.[22] |
| Is sex permissible outside marriage? | No, sex outside of marriage is not permissible.[23][24] | No, sex outside of marriage is not permissible.[22] |
| When is divorce permissible? | Most believe divorce is only permissible for adultery.[25][26] | Divorce is permissible for any reason allowed by law.[27] |
| May a Christian remarry while his former spouse is still alive? | Yes, a Christian may freely remarry after divorce.[28] | |
| When does a fetus become human? | Humanity begins at conception. | No established doctrine, but the church opposes elective abortions.[29][30] |
| Is contraception permissible? | Yes, contraceptives are permissible. | Yes, contraceptives are permissible.[31] |
| Should women cover their heads? | Most believe no, women’s long hair is enough of a covering. | No, head coverings are no longer required due to cultural changes.[32] |
| Should Christians drink alcohol? | Most believe no, alcohol should be totally avoided. | No, alcohol should be totally avoided. |
| Should Christians fight in wars? | Yes, Christians should fight in just wars.[33][34] | |
| How should Christians musically worship God? | Worship should be a cappella. | |
| Whom does the Holy Spirit come from? | The Holy Spirit is a separate god. | |
| Where does a Christian’s soul go after death? | Christians immediately go to heaven when they die. | The righteous await the resurrection in Paradise, part of the spirit world.[35][36] |
Anonymous
more of an a-mil if you actually ask me Kyle Williams Duane L Burgess and not even as reformed as our Catholic friend Philip Williams but I also been wondering about cof related statements by Dan Anthony Jared G. Cheshire and @derek godfrey
Anonymous
The Millennial Reign of Christ and His Saints.
“And I saw thrones and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years,” Rev. 20:4-6.
This passage shows that the tribulation martyrs will also have a part in the reign of Christ in the Millennium and forever. If there were no other passage in the Bible to teach the doctrine of the Millennium this one would be sufficient, for the word simply means “one thousand years,” which term is repeated six times in the first seven verses of this chapter. Before we take up this subject in the Scriptures, let us note what Rev. 20 says about the Millennium.
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1. Satan must be bound before the Millennium can begin, Rev. 20:1-10. This certainly implies the fulfillment of all the events of Rev. 4-19. Therefore, the thousand years cannot come until these things are fulfilled.
2. Satan will be bound during the Millennium, Rev. 20:3.
3. After the binding of Satan, John saw “thrones” and their occupants, Rev. 20:4. The occupants of the thrones will be the tribulation martyrs. They will reign as kings and priests with Christ as well as all other redeemed heavenly peoples. (See point 2, theory 1, chapter seventeen.)
4. In Rev. 20:5 John shows that the tribulation martyrs have a part in the first resurrection, which is before the thousand years and includes all the different companies of redeemed and every individual saved from Adam to the binding of Satan. This verse also implies that the tribulation saints will be the last redeemed company resurrected and translated. The first resurrection ends with the rapture of this company and the two witnesses. All other passages on the resurrections in Scripture, except a few on the rapture of the Church, speak of the first and second resurrections as being one, and occurring at the same time, but this passage and 1 Cor. 15:20-23, 51-58; Phil. 3:1014; 1 Thess. 4:13-18; 2 Thess. 2:1,6-8; 2 Cor. 5:1-6; Eph. 5:26,27; Heb. 11:35; 1 John 3:1-3 speak of a resurrection from out of the dead, or the resurrection and translation of all dead and living saints before the thousand years. In Rev. 20:11-15 “the rest of the dead” of Rev. 20:4-6 or the wicked dead who have no part in the first resurrection and who will be resurrected after the thousand years, are pictured as standing before the white throne to be judged. This will be the second resurrection. It includes all the wicked dead from Adam to the end of the Millennium.
5. Next, a blessing is pronounced upon all that have part in the first resurrection, for “on such the second death (the lake of fire, Rev. 2:11; 19:20; 20:10-15; 21:8) hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign one thousand years.”
6. “When the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison. And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them” against God. Then fire will come down out of heaven to devour his armies, and he himself will be cast into the lake of fire, where the beast and false prophet are and have been for the one thousand years, Rev. 19:20; 20:7-10.
7. Then, the wicked dead will be resurrected and there will be the final judgment, after which the renovation of the earth and heavens will take place. The result will be a New Heaven, and a New Earth, as pictured in Rev. 21, 22.
Now with these facts as a basis, we can understand the many other Scriptures which speak of the reign of the Messiah without distinguishing between His reign during the first thousand years and His reign forever.
Anonymous
Dan Anthony Jared G. Cheshire Link Hudson Philip Williams Duane L Burgess https://www.pentecostaltheology.com/are-we-in-the-millennium-right-now/
Anonymous
Does Jesus have to be a King in order to be a valid Priest and Sacrifice? https://www.pentecostaltheology.com/does-jesus-have-to-be-a-king-in-order-to-be-a-valid-priest-and-sacrifice/
Anonymous
MANY People I have loved greatly in our area and prayed hours for have completely abandoned the idea of being part of God’s great army at the War Room. For whatever reason which matters not to me but to the Lord. They left and never returned to the fellowship in which they said the Lord had sent them. Personal opinions drive most people and not the Holy Ghost. It’s sad knowing the work they were to do from here will suffer or not even be done. They should come and finish the courses God gave them faithfully and see God bless them. If not, their blessings could be delayed or stopped. The gift and call of God is without repentance.