A Millennial Ism And Augustine Of Hippo

Amillennialism What's That Amilllennial is divided into two syllables, Amillennial. The "A" in the Greek means "NO" and "Amillennial" means "1,000." Hence, "Amillennial" means "NO 1,000" and refers to Revelation chapter 20:1-6, where "Amillennialist" claim the 1,000 year reign of Messiah upon the earth in person, is a false doctrine." Notes on Chiliaism: Chiliaism is divided into two syllables Chilia-ism. The word "chilia" comes from the Greek word for 1,000, "chilioi," Strong's 5507. "Ism" means in a sense, a doctrine or study of a particular belief or held tenet of Faith. Hence, "AChilianism" means the study or belief in the 1,000. This refers to Revelation 20:1-6 and the 1,000 year literal reign of Messiah upon the earth. That Amillenialism was an Augustine attempt to "REPLACE" the much older "Chilianism," is admitted by William E. Cox, in his book: Amillennialism Today:" "Chiliasts of the early centuries after Christ had no teachings about a secret rapture [Cox p 9]." Here, the amillennialist admit that the "Chiliasts" existed early in the Church as if it was the ORIGINAL view of the Apostles and Saints [some references and commentary from the writings of the Ante-Nicene Fathers will follow later in this examination]. "Augustine (A.D. 400) usually is credited with having crystallized amillennial teachings [Cox p 8]." "Amillennialism, ...is the historic Protestant view, as expressed in the creeds of the Reformation period including the Westminster Standards [p. 39, Biblical and Theological Studies, Benjamin B. Warfield, as written by Samuel G. Craig, in the biographical chapter]." Anyone with clear perception can see the obvious connection between Catholicism and Protestantism in regards to the doctrine of amillennialism. From the days of Augustine until the Reformation, the doctrine of Catholicism was amillennialism. Because of hatred against John's Revelation by the Catholic Church, brought on by those who alleged the Catholic Church was the great whore, coupled

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with denial of the doctrine of the millennial by the antichiliasts, Rome refused to Canonize the book of Revelation. Although they were fearful not to include it among the accepted writings because of the threats within it, it was not until the Council of Trent [1545 AD], that the book of Revelation was Canonized. Martin Luther, like the Catholics, did not hold that the book of Revelation should be among the Canonical books. Therefore, Lutheranism attempts to continue Augustine-Catholicism and prove what is in the book of Revelation by other Scriptures, while at the same time saying that their interpretations are the true de-coding of what is symbolized in the book of Revelation. To them, all of Prophecy was fulfilled by the end of the year in 70AD, and this negates the value of the book of Revelation in its entirety after the 70AD date. They also believe water baptism is the first resurrection of Rev. 20:1-10. So the Jesus name Pentecostal Apostolics who adopt these Catholic novations are just as much in error as if they believed in the trinity doctrine. When Lutherans, Presbyterians, Catholics, and other amillennialists see or hear of anyone who believes the book of Revelation contains unfulfilled prophecy, they snicker, and with a chagrin, cover their mouths, and with gestures of thumbs down, indicate that such a person is utterly stupid for not embracing the Augustine-Catholic doctrine as they have done. Martin Luther died a few months after the Council of Trent Canonized the book of Revelation as a useless but historical book of the Church. When Luther [1483-1546], began what we know as the Reformation, he did not change from the doctrine of Augustine amillennialism, he in fact enshrined it more harshly among his followers. To this day, the amillennialist do not hold the book of Revelation as a holy book. They still treat it with the pre-Trent hatred of the Catholic Church. The proof, is the way they insist on reinterpreting it and spiritualizing its contents into the most wildest and crazy tales since the Gnostics of the first century. Thus, Lutheranism, Presbyterianism, and Catholicism, are staunchly amillennial. This attitude forces them to interpret events after 70 2

AD in the wrong light of Scripture. Events that will lead up to the appearance of the man of sin, will be pooh poohed as foolish and hair-brained sensationalism, incited by a few apostates not in the main-stream Churches. This turns attention from the antichrist system and focuses upon those who might condemn their Augustine reinterpretations. This leads to the amillennialist openly condemning everyone who is a millennialist, while at the same time ignorantly endorsing the antichrist movement, because they believe it was already destroyed by the end of the year in 70 AD. This is a dangerous posture, and will cause many millions to be deceived and lost. Believing that antichrist has already come and Revelation 13 has already been fulfilled, they have no doctrinal reason to expect or to attempt to identify the man of sin or the antichrist, which is soon to appear. It is so easy to deceive millions when the devil can change the interpretation of the Word of God, like he did with Eve: "Ye shall NOT surely die," adding one word, and changing the true interpretation of what God had said. Jesus told John there would be a millennial. The devil comes along and says: "There will NOT be a millennial. Same trick word used each time to deceive God's children. One of the catalyst that has cemented world-wide unity among a number of Protestant denominations, is their doctrine of amillennialism. By uniting upon the basis of all believing in amillennialism, they have for a central theme of unity, that they can bring the Kingdom of God upon the earth, to fulfill their theory of how the Church age will end just prior to the end of the world and the judgment. Being thus deceived, they fulfill the plot of antichrist to set up the world to accept "MONOTHEISTIC UNIVERSALISM." A bumper sticker seen recently, explains what "MONOTHEISTIC UNIVERSALISM" means. It read: "God is big enough to accept all religions." Many look for antichrist to set up one religion world wide. But what we are finding, is that in the doctrine of monotheistic universalism, antichrist is teaching multiculturalism, return to pagan religions, and that these are all equally acceptable ways and means to reach the ONE TRUE GOD [the meaning of monotheism]. Most, if not all of the amillennial churches, now believe in multi-culturalism and acceptance of pagan nature religions, thus 3

universal monotheism, or ONE GOD over all religions. Instead of uniting to bring into being the Kingdom of God and convert pagans to Christ, they have brought into being the antichrist world movement of universal monotheism, out of the midst of which, will come the man of sin to rule all multi-cultural nations and religions from Jerusalem. It is obvious that from Augustine in 400 AD to the death of Martin Luther in 1546, the doctrine enforced with death from the throne of Rome was amillennialism. Although the amillennialist admit where their doctrine came from, they also deny it, when it is convenient to keep those who might be alarmed at its Catholic womb, from fleeing from their Churches. By covering this chilling detail up, they are in fact lying to their congregations, by inferring and claiming that amillennialism was the original doctrine of Christ and the Apostles. They attack dispensationalism, calling it a novation, while elevating amillennialism, which is admitted by them to be an Augustine novation. The fact is, both are wrong. Millennialism as taught by the early Church was neither dispensationalism nor amillennialism. For either group to claim otherwise, openly exposes either a lack of integrity concerning Truth, or they are simply ignorant of the facts, relying rather on the authority of Church traditions and not the Testimony of Scripture. It is true that most Roman Catholic theologians are amillenarians [Cox p. 2]." "There is no connection between Protestant amillennialism and Roman Catholicism [Cox p. 2]." "Most if not all of the leaders of the Protestant Reformation were amillennial in their eschatology, following the teaching of Augustine [Cox p. 7]." Unless amillennialism was a new Protestant invention, how could anyone claim that the Protestant Reformers did not get their doctrine from the Catholic Church? Let us not lose sight of the fact that amillennialism, like the trinity doctrine, is a Catholic novation, a reinterpretation by Augustine [354-430 AD]. Although Augustine's mother was supposed to be a Catholic, his father died an unconverted pagan. Augustine followed his father's footsteps and was a pagan and sought education in philosophy, science, and rhetoric. Plato was his mentor. He rejected religion until 4

converted to Manichaeanism which in one aspect many were Monarchian. He rose in the sect of Manichaeans from a hearer to a teacher and then a wonderful debater. In 383 at the age of 29 he went to Rome with the encouragement of his Manichaean friends to debate the trinity and on other issues. There, he became acquainted with the doctrine of Neo-Platoism (Plato he loved), that the Catholic Church had adopted in 325 AD as an explanation of the trinity. He gave up his Monarchian (oneness) doctrine for this new trinity doctrine. Within three years of his visit, in 386 AD he converted to the papacy and was promoted quickly as one of the Pope's greatest theologians and neo-Platonic philosophers. Augustine left his wife and became a monk and founded the Augustinian Benedictine Monk Order (Martin Luther's). While he altered many of his views to those of the papacy, he also brought to it many Manichaean ideas and theories which he adopted over into and applied these to his new Catholicism. Remember, that other fermenting events were then shaping Catholicism: 1.) The doctrine in 325 AD, of the Father and the Son being co-eternal and of the same substance [Spirit], but different persons; 2.) The addition of the Holy Ghost as a co-eternal and equal separate person, completing the NeoPlatonic concept of the Trinity, done at the Council of Constantinople in 384 AD; 3.) And at this time, Jerome was in Israel consulting with several Jews on his commission from Rome to rewrite and retranslate the Bible into Latin, taking into consideration new newest Jewish and Catholic slants on Biblical reinterpretation [this is noticed in the first person written form in the Gospels being replaced with third person written form, and additions and changes in the text, two of which are John 5:7 and Matthew 28:19, the first now proven not to be in any of the ancient manuscripts, and the latter not at all like it was fabricated in the Vulgate and then in the King James Version. Trinitarian language was injected into the sacred record in hundreds of places to reinforce the new Neo-Platonic doctrines of Rome]. Augustine came among the mix at a time when Catholicism was ripe for novation and reinterpretation from within the abyss of paganized Christendom, which birthed out of the midst, the DARK AGES!

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In Augustine's day, much of the doctrine of the Catholic Church was not in any creed or statement of faith. The amillennial doctrine was one of them. It is this writers belief and contention that amillennialism, clearly a Manichaean doctrine, and having wide-spread acclaim by reason of the saturation of the nations with Manichaeanism, was brought into Catholicism by Augustine from his former religion. No one denies that amillennialism rose within Augustineism and then existed against the Chiliaist or believers of the future 1,000 year reign of Christ upon the earth. What is still being debated, is whether those who held the amillennial theory were not in fact originally the Manichaeans. The fact that amillennialism existed and was widespread in opposition to "historic" Chiliaism, is no proof that it was the doctrine of the Apostles. The earliest we have traced it is to Clement and Origen, both of whom were gnostics. Until the root of amillennialism is discovered, the only conclusion that can be drawn is that until Augustine, it was not an established doctrine of the Catholic Church or he would not have been the one to establish it, but would have received it in an already accepted form as would have been held in all Catholic Churches in fellowship with Rome. The doctrine of amillennialism is couched in the Catholic Church's denial of the existence of a literal and physical 1,000 year earthly reign of Christ on the earth, after the Church age.

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