The Fifth Millennium Unnatural Rapid Growth Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field: which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof.—Matthew 13:31,32 Michael Brann Perhaps more than any other preceding period, the fifth Millennium held out to mankind the most hope and promise. During the 4000 years prior, the Scriptures consisting of the law, the prophets and the Psalms often pointed to this time. In particular they spoke of the coming of a Savior into the world to save the people from their sins. (See Luke 24:44; John 1:45; 5:39.) At the time of Jesus’ first advent, it is written, "And as the people were in expectation, and all men mused in their hearts of John, whether he were the Christ, or not"—referring to their hopes of what he would accomplish for their salvation. Great Expectations Even the footstep followers of Jesus entertained certain hopes and expectations concerning God’s promised kingdom to soon come. Note their anxious concern for it expressed in Acts 1:6, "So when they met together, they asked him, Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?" These followers of the Lord, along with many who had entertained certain expectations concerning Jesus during his first advent, held correct concepts but their expectations as to when they were to be accomplished was a bit off target. Note Jesus’ reply to the disciples in Acts 1:7,8, "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." The Lord, not wishing to disappoint them by stating that their expectations would not be fully met for another 2000 years, encouraged them to wait patiently for the time when his heavenly Father would decide the matter for the kingdom to begin. He further advised that they allow the influence of the spirit of God to guide and direct them until the due time would come. In the meantime, he suggested that they would be kept busy preaching the kingdom message to both Jews and Gentiles, "to the ends of the earth." Those who heeded the words of our Lord did just as he commanded. They gathered together for fellowship, communion, and prayer to receive more of God’s holy spirit along with the knowledge, wisdom, and grace it imparted to them. With boldness and humility they preached the gospel beginning in Jerusalem and extending unto the ends of the civilized world, most notably Africa and Asia. What an excellent start this fifth Millennium had! Sadly, and much to the chagrin of the humble followers of the Lord, the modest hopes and expectations which they now entertained soon became grossly distorted by a combination of world conditions and ambitious men. The Lord had originally taught his disciples to expect they would be a little flock, to suffer for righteousness’ sake, to expect persecution and be hated by the world. The new view about to come into vogue was that they should be large in number, to be delivered from the persecutors, and unite with the civil powers of this world! The writings of the apostles confirmed Jesus’ teachings and were in direct opposition to the changes about to occur. Paul says, "If we endure, we shall also reign with him" (2 Timothy 2:12). John testifies, "Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you" (1 John 3:13). James adds, "Know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God" (James 4:4). Three Parables In the series of seven parables given in Matthew 13, the Lord appears to give a brief account of the Christian church from its beginning to its conclusion, that is, from the beginning of the Gospel age until the beginning of the kingdom. If so, we would expect to draw some pertinent information from these regarding the church during the period of the fifth millennium. We suggest that the first three of these parables covers the time from Jesus until approximately AD 1157, thus quite clearly giving us some information concerning the fifth Millennium. The first parable (Matthew 13:18-23) portrays the sowing work begun by Jesus and his disciples and sets the tone for the work of the Gospel age: preaching the kingdom message and letting it have its effects on various classes of mankind. Various levels of acceptance are illustrated as to how this message would be received during the age, ranging from complete rejection to total acceptance. This parable also corresponds to the first of the seven churches (Revelation 2:1-7) and its time is AD 29-70. The second parable (Matthew 13:24-30) begins by describing the time shortly after the death of the last apostle ("while men slept"—verse 25). It further suggests that the Lord would permit a contamination of the truth to both occur and continue until the time of harvest at the end of the age. This parable corresponds to the second of the seven Revelation churches (Revelation 2:8-11) and its time is AD 70-313. This period marked a small but dramatic change in the development of the church. The apostle Paul wrote to the Thessalonians about some who had begun teaching that the Day of Christ had begun. He confirms the parables of Jesus by saying that this day of Christ (the return of the Lord and the establishment of his kingdom) would not commence until there had come a "falling away" and that "that man of sin be revealed" (2 Thessalonians 2:1-12). Regarding the beginnings of antichrist the apostle John adds, "Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time. They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us." (1 John 2:18,19) He states that the seeds of antichrist, the man of sin, were also at work and came from those who had been associated with the church. The Mustard Seed Parable The third parable (Matthew 13:31,32) describes a time of phenomenal growth and development. It is interesting to note that this tree grew from an herb plant. Trees do not do this. This suggests something extraordinary and unnatural, hence something of a dubious nature. This is exactly what happened. The church, originally intent on staying separate from the world and worldly governmental arrangements, actually combined to become a church-state power in its own right. This was contrary to the will of the Lord and it became something other than what was intended. This church-state power is known as the Papacy. The revelator calls this church stage "Pergamos." Two defini-tions fit the picture. According to Thayer’s Lexicon, Pergamos means "earthly elevation." Others have suggested a combination of two Greek words, per meaning much or great and gamos meaning marriage, thus a great marriage. Either explanation describes the situation. The church, once considered to be a virgin waiting for her Lord to return as bridegroom, took a husband (the worldly government of Rome) and rose from a position of obscurity and humility to one of ruling supremacy. Comparing this parable to the third church mentioned in Revelation 3:12-17 reveals further details. This parable covers the time from approximately 313-1157 AD, thus extending into the early years of the sixth Millennium. Highlights of the Fifth Millennium Here are some highlights from history:
This timeline of history affirms the teachings of Jesus. It demonstrates the sowing work of the Gospel age produced both wheat and tares (the tares being exceedingly prolific and dominant) and the development of a great church-state system offering to protect those who join themselves to it. It further demonstrates the corruption of the Papal system and sets the stage for honest and sincere men to investigate its claims and practices in the light of the holy Scriptures. Two men stand out at this time: Saint Francis of Assisi (1181-1226) and Peter Waldo who led the Waldensian movement around 1173. As H. G. Wells writes in The Outline of History: "There seems to be little difference between the teaching and the spirit of St. Francis and Waldo. Both men were passionately enthusiastic for the spirit of Jesus of Nazareth. But while Waldo rebelled against the church, St. Francis did his best to be a good child of the church." Thus the fifth millennium which began with such great promise ends in 874 AD with the church at nearly its lowest spiritual ebb. |