Today, wherever you may roam, you will encounter those who prate (i.e. talk much or foolishly)_, concerning the coming Millennia, which in their minds is a period of a thousand years during which Satan will be bound and Christ will reign on earth, and there will be happiness, peace, prosperity, etc. or a period of exquisite delights, in which the resurrected bodies of the redeemed will bathe. This beliefs widespread, and the numbers who thus believe, no doubt would be astronomical. Its tenets are very alluring and enticing, for who among us would not long for a time and place of Utopia such as is described by the adherents of this doctrine. It is not our purpose to examine and expose this ungodly doctrine, though we surely could if called upon to do so, for I firmly believe if folk will allow the New Testament to be their faith, they will not find this and many other of their doctrines taught therein. What I would simply like to do, is this: I would like to ask of those who believe thusly, "Do you know where this doctrine had its beginning, and who fostered the assumptions that gave rise to what is almost universally believed today?" Please allow me to answer these questions, not from bias, prejudice, or any other selfish reason, but from the voice of history, a voice that we have considered to be reliable in so many other instances, and should be counted as such, as we look at the Millennium. Please study the following carefully. The Millennium doctrine started in an ungodly heretic by the name of Cerinthus, who lived in the first century. It is true that the Jews generally believed that the Messiah would establish a literal or earthly kingdom. And even some of them believed that Messiah's reign would last a thousand years. We here give an extract from Neander's History of Christian Dogma , Vol.1. Page 248.

"The idea of a Millennial reign proceeded from Judaism; for among the Jews the representation was current that the Messiah would reign a thou-sand years upon earth...Such products of Jewish imagination passed over into Christianity." In Eusebius's Ecclesiastical History, Book III. chapter 28, is preserved a fragment from the writings of Caius, who lived about the close of the second century, which introduces us to one named Cerinthus, who was the first to attempt to introduce this doctrine under Christianity. "But Cerinthus, too, through revelations written, as he would have us believe, by a great apostle, brings before us marvelous things, which he pretends were shown him by angels, alleging that after the resurrection the kingdom of Christ is to be on earth, and- that the flesh dwelling in Jerusalem is again to be subject to desires and pleasures. And being an enemy to the scriptures of God, wishing to deceive men, he says that there is to be a space of a thousand years for marriage festivities." "One of the doctrines that he taught was, that Christ would have an earthly kingdom." This is the true origin of the Millennium theory. Please notice how lightly the author speaks of Cerinthus idea of the kingdom of Christ being set up on earth after the resurrection. He says this doctrine was some-thing "which he (Cerinthus) pretends was shown him by angels." Caius must therefore have believed the teachings of the scriptures, that Christ's kingdom was set up when the church was established on the first Pentecost after the resurrection of Christ. Observe also that Caius calls Cerinthus "an enemy to the scriptures of God," and one who was "wishing to deceive men." This language he uses with special reference to the one thousand years Cerinthus claimed would be spent in sensuality. Notice also that Cerinthus believed in an earthly kingdom.

Cerinthus lived in the days of the apostle John. I wish to now call your attention to the attitude of the beloved apostle toward this Millennial teacher. Irenaeus, who was born about 120 A.D. and was acquainted with Polycarp, the disciple of John (Eusebius's Ecci. Hist, V.24), states that while John was at Ephesus, he entered a bath to wash and found that Cerinthus was within, and refused to bathe in the same bath-house, but left the building, and exhorted those with him to do the same, saying, "Let us flee, lest the bath fall in, as long as Cerinthus, that enemy of the truth is within." Eusebius's Eccl. Hist. 111.28. Let this be a rebuke to modern Millennial advocates. They claim their doctrine is well founded in the Apocalypse of John. But John called the founder of their theory "that enemy of the truth." "Cerinthus required his followers to worship the supreme God.. He promised them a resurrection of their ~ bodies, which would be succeeded by exquisite delights in the Millenary reign of Christ... For Cerinthus supposed that Christ would hereafter return…and would reign with his followers a thousand years in Palestine." (Mosheim's Eccl. Hist., Page 50. "Cerinthus required his followers to retain part of the Mosaical law, but to regulate their lives by the example of Christ: and taught that after the resurrection Christ would reign upon earth, with his faithful disciples, a thousand years, which would be spent in the highest sensual indulgences. This mixture of Judaism and Oriental philosophy was calculated to make many converts, and this sect soon become very numerous. They admitted a part of Matthew's Gospel but rejected the rest, and held the epistles of Paul in great abhorrence." -Greogory and Ruter's Church Hist. Page 30.

Thank God for the united testimony of history. Observe, will you, how closely the modern Millennium-teachers cling to the doctrines of their founder. Cerinthus taught that"Christ will have an earthly kingdom." "After the resurrection the kingdom of Christ is to be on earth." "The resurrection would be followed by exquisite delights in the Millenary reign of Christ." "That Christ would hereafter return, and would reign with his followers a thousand years in Palestine." The only difference is that his modern followers have dropped the idea of sensuality. But how did the early church regard the doctrine of Cerinthus? They declare that he was "an enemy to the scriptures of God, wishing to deceive men." They called him a "heretic." They termed his doctrines the "vain superstitions of heretics," and called all who believed and advocated the same "maddened men." The apostle John called Cerinthus "that enemy of the truth." They taught that "they are not to be heard who assure themselves that there is to be an earthly reign of a thousand years." In a future article I would like to discuss, "What was the doctrine of the early church according to history?"--810 N. W. 6th. St. Andrews, TX. 79714