Monday, July 12, 2010

MILLENNIUM (Luke 21:5-19)


I WOULD LIKE TO SHARE SOME THOUGHTS WITH YOU

ABOUT THE MILLENNIUM



FIRST

THE WORD ITSELF

COMES FROM THE LATIN MILLE

WHICH MEANS ONE THOUSAND

AND ANNUS, WHICH MEANS YEAR

SO MILLENNIUM IS A THOUSAND YEARS.



THE THOUGHT OF MILLENNIUM

IS FOUND IN REVELATION, CHAPTER 20

IN WHICH JOHN WRITES.

"AND I SAW THE SOULS

OF THOSE WHO HAD NOT WORSHIPED THE BEAST

OR HIS STATUE,

NOR ACCEPTED HIS MARK ON THEIR FOREHEAD

OR THEIR HANDS

THEY CAME TO LIFE AGAIN,

AND THEY REIGNED WITH CHRIST

FOR A THOUSAND YEARS".



THE WORD CALENDAR

COMES FROM THE LATIN CALENDARIUM

WHICH MEANS A MONEYLENDERS ACCOUNT BOOK

THE LATIN WORD FOR THE FIRST OF THE MONTH

IS CALENDS



SO ON THE FIRST OF THE MONTH

(THE CALENDS)

YOUR DEBT WAS DUE TO THE MONEY LENDER

WHO KEPT HIS RECORDS OF YOUR PAYMENT

IN AN ACCOUNT BOOK

CALLED THE CALENDARIUM



A CALENDAR

IS A DEVICE FOR MEASURING TIME

BY DAY, WEEK, MONTH, YEAR, CENTURY

AND TEN CENTURIES IS A MILLENNIUM.



TO THE CHRISTIAN WORLD

AS WE APPROACH THE MILLENNIUM

WE ARE LIVING IN THE YEAR 1999



TO THE CHINESE WE ARE LIVING IN THE YEAR 4396

TO THE JEWS WE ARE LIVING IN YEAR 5760

TO THE MOSLEMS WE ARE LIVING IN THE YEAR 1377



SO TO MUCH OF THE WORLD

IF IT WASN'T FOR THE Y2K COMPUTER PROBLEM

THERE WOULD BE NO MILLENNIUM PROBLEM.



FOR CHRISTIANS

IT IS NOT THE MILLENNIUM.

BECAUSE CHRIST WAS NOT BORN ON DEC 25

YEAR ONE AD, 2000 YEARS AGO



HE WAS BORN

MOST SCHOLARS BELIEVE

IN THE YEAR 6 BC

IN THE SPRING OR THE FALL



WHY DO WE SAY SPRING OR FALL.

BECAUSE THE BIBLE TELL US

THE SHEPHERDS WERE IN THE FIELDS ABIDING

AND IN PALESTINE

THAT MEANT SPRING OR FALL



IN THE WINTER IT WAS TOO COLD TO LIVE OUTDOORS

IN THE SUMMER THE GRASS WAS GREEN



CLOSE TO THEIR HOME

AND THEY DID NOT HAVE TO PASTURE THEIR FLOCKS

AWAY FROM THE VILLAGE



SO WHAT WILL HAPPEN

THIS NEW YEAR’S EVE

MOST LIKELY NOTHING

DICK CLARK WILL HOST THE TIME SQUARE PARTY.

WE WILL ALL COUNT DOWN THE LAST TEN SECONDS,



BLOW HORNS,

KISS OUR LOVED ONES,

MAKE RESOLUTIONS



AND WONDER

WHAT DOES GOD REQUIRE OF ME

AND ALL THE PEOPLE OF THE WORLD,

WHAT DOES HE REQUIRE OF A PEOPLE

WHO CANNOT EVEN GET HIS SON'S BIRTHDAY CORRECT



WHAT GOD REQUIRES OF US

IS TO REMEMBER

THAT BEFORE TIME BEGAN

WHEN ALL THAT EXISTED

WAS ONLY ETERNAL GOD

THAT, THAT SAME GOD

LOVED US BEFORE HE CREATED US,

LOVED US KNOWING WE WOULD FAIL HIM,

LOVED US KNOWING WE WOULD SLAY HIS SON,

LOVED US KNOWING HIS SON'S DEATH

WOULD AVENGE OUR GUILT



IN RETURN HE ASKS FOR OUR LOVE



THIS IS THE DEBT HE DEMANDS OF US

THIS IS THE DEBT

HE WILL MARK

IN HIS MONEY LENDERS BOOK,

HIS CALENDARIUM



IN RETURN FOR THIS DEBT

THAT WE OWE HIM



HE WILL BE OUR FATHER

LONG AFTER TIME IS ENDED,



HE WILL BE OUR SAVIOR

LONG AFTER TIME IS ENDED



HE WILL BE OUR COMFORTER

LONG AFTER TIME IS ENDED.





FOR AS PAUL SAYS IN CORINTHIANS

NOW IS THE ACCEPTABLE TIME

NOW IS THE DAY OF SALVATION



OR AS IN THE PSALMS

THIS IS THE DAY THE LORD HAS MADE,

LET US REJOICE AND BE GLAD IN IT



SO THE MILLENNIUM

SHOULD NOT BE

A TIME OF FEAR FOR US



FOR THE GOD WHO LOVED US

BEFORE TIME BEGAN,

WHO LOVES US NOW

AS DAYS BECOME WEEKS,

AS WEEKS BECOME MONTHS,

AS MONTHS BECOME YEARS,

AS YEARS BECOME CENTURIES,

AND AS CENTURIES BECOME MILLENNIUMS,

THIS GOD

THROUGH ALL THE CIRCLE OF ETERNITY

PAST THE POINT WHERE TIME SHALL CEASE

WILL LOVE US STILL



SO WE SHOULD EMBRACE GOD'S LOVE

NOT WITH FEAR

THAT GOD IS COMING TO PUNISH US

AT THE START OR END OF A MILLENNIUM





BUT RATHER WE SHOULD RECEIVE GOD'S LOVE

AS A FAVORED CHILD

WHO KNOWS THAT GODS HEART

AND CAPACITY FOR LOVE

IS GREATER THAN HIS OR HER ABILITY

TO COMPREHEND IT



SO ON Y2K

COMPUTERS MAY CRASH

BUT GOD'S LOVE

AND GOD'S WORD

WILL GO ON

AS IF IT NEVER HAPPENED





F. A. VOLLMER

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