In our last, we heard what the "Voice of History" had to say about the author and origin of a doctrine, that is probably the most talked about of all religious doctrines known to man today. In this article, we wish to examine the "Voice of History" again, but this time in regards to the question, "What was the doctrine of the early church according to history?"

According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, Vol. VIII, page 534, it is described as follows: "Christ is the rock on which, and by which, the church is founded." "The kingdom of Christ is now eternal in his saints." "It was the universal feeling among primitive Christians that they were living in the last period of the world's history." The reason they believed this was because the New Testament was their faith, and this is the doctrine of the New Testament throughout. No wonder Cerinthus and his followers "rejected part of Matthew's Gospel, and held the epistles of Paul in abhorrence." Just so do modern Millennium-teachers dwell very little in the plain Gospels and Epistles to prove their doctrines, but speculate in prophecy and revelation.

Having seen that Cerinthus and his false doctrine were rejected by the church, we will now come to its next chief advocate, Papias, who lived in the first half of the second century. Eusebius, under the heading "The Writings of Papias," says of him: "The same historian also give other accounts, which he says he adds as received by him from unwritten tradition, likewise some strange parables of our Lord, and of his doctrine, and some matters rather too fabulous. In these he says there would be a certain Millennium after the resurrection, and that there would be a corporeal reign of Christ on this very earth; which things he appears to have imagined, as if they were authorized by the apostolic narrations, not understanding correctly those matters which they propounded mystically in their representations. For he was very limited in his comprehension as is evident from his discourses. -Eusebius's Eccl. His., Book III. Chap. 39, Page 115. Historians generally tell us that Papias was a very zealous advocate of this imaginary reign of Christ on earth. "The first distinguished opponent of this doctrine was Origen, who attacked it with great earnestness and ingenuity, and seems, in spite of some opposition to have thrown it into general discredit."-Wadington's History, Page 56. "This obscure doctrine was probably known to but very few except the Fathers of the church, and is very sparingly mentioned by them during the first two centuries; and there is reason to believe that it scarcely attained much notoriety, even among the learned Christians, until it was made a matter of controversy by Origen, and then rejected by the great majority. In fact we will find Origen himself asserting that it was confined "to those of the simpler sort."-Wadington's History, Page 56. Next among the advocates of this doctrine was Nepos, a bishop in Egypt. He advocated the doctrine about A.D. 255. We here insert the following from Eusebius's History, Book VII, Chap. 23, under the heading of "Nepos, and His Schism." "He taught that the promises given to holy men in the scriptures should be understood more as the Jews understood them, and supposed that there would be a certain Millennium of sensual luxury on this earth: thinking, therefore, that he could establish his own opinion by the Revelation of John... He (Nepos) asserts that there will be an earthly reign of Christ.".. "Though Millennialism had been suppressed by the early church, it was nevertheless from time to time revived by heretical sects." Dr. Schaffs History, Page 299.

"Nowhere in the discourses of Jesus is there a hint of a limited duration of the Messianic kingdom. The apostolic epistles are equally free from any trace of Chiliasm."

To sum up the uniform voice of history, the theory of a literal kingdom and reign on the earth was gathered from Jewish fabulous "apocalypse," "Unwritten tradition," "carnal misapprehensions," "pretended visions, supposition," and "superstitious imaginations." Its advocates were said to be "very limited in their understanding," and "of the simpler sort." Millennialism had the worst heretic in the first century for its founder, and its chief advocates thereafter were rejected by the early church. From time to time it was revived by "heretical sects." The vain worldly expectation that the Messiah would establish a literal kingdom caused the Jews to reject him, and His spiritual kingdom. They only wanted an earthly kingdom; hence rejected and crucified the Son of God. As soon as the church began to apostatize, and lost the glory of His spiritual kingdom, vain ambitions awakened the old Jewish desire for a literal kingdom. And so it has come to pass that we have at this time of dead formality a multitude of men teaching the same abominable lie and false hope which crucified Christ nearly two thousand years ago; namely, a literal kingdom of Christ on earth. Beware of such, for it is definitely not from God nor His Word.--810 N.W. 6^th St. Andrews, Tx 79714