Roman Catholics Church adopted St. Augustine's amillennialism doctrine as its own with an erroneous assumption that their "mother church" is God's only "the Millennial Kingdom" on earth which is obviously false.
And as for all kinds of Preterism and the books of Josephus...
The Bible is ancient literature like no other ancient literature. It's not to be understood or exegeted like the rest, nor can it be evaluated like the rest. It is a unique book in that it is God breathed in every word, and perfectly authoritative truth profitable for instruction.
2nd Timothy 3:16-17
- "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
- That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works."
Josephus is
NOT profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction and for instruction in righteousness. Even by most historian's own admission, he wasn't an "unbiased" man in his writings. No extra-biblical writing is authoritative or profitable for interpreting God's Word. So is this man who we want deciding how we interpret God's Word concerning the church and the Second Coming? Guess what?
I DO NOT THINK SO! If we get our interpretations from him, we have gotten a "private extra-biblical interpretation" of man and not from God. Period! If we get our interpretation from God's Word
alone,then we have gotten it from God.
Genesis 40:8
- "And they said unto him, We have dreamed a dream, and there is no interpreter of it. And Joseph said unto them, Do not interpretations belong to God? tell me them, I pray you."
Interpretations belong to God, not Josephus. Case closed. And the only way to get them from God,
is to get them from His Word. Not Josephus based on world history or battle for Jersualem in 70AD on YouTube. That's about as clear as it can get. What is our divine authority on understanding prophesy? God's word or man's evaluations?
Before the first Advent of Christ the Old Testament thoroughly furnished men with truth unto all good works. The combined Old and New Testaments thoroughly furnishes the saints today unto all good works. We don't need the
non-christian historians to tell us about how 70 AD is fulfilling anything, we have the Word of God to tell us how things are fulfilled. Let us hear it speak. The Bible is not to be interpreted by secular writers, historical findings, the views of Josephus, historical records, or cute youtube videos using with some video game soldiers to determine battlefield to fill in the "so-called" gaps. God is not a God that leaves gaps to be filled in by men who are not even Christian. Interpretations belong to God, not secular writers and historians.
- The Bible is it's own Interpreter
- The Bible is it's own Dictionary
- The Bible is it's own Historical Record
That is to say, only the mind of God can explain/interpret what God meant when He said something in parables (Genesis 40:8; 41:16) or had written the books of Revelation, Daniel, Ezekiel, or Matthew. He does that by His Spirit, through His Holy Word, not through archaeologists or carnal writers. We have a sound mind in interpreting "by" having the testimony of the Word of God
alone as our proofs of what we are suggesting is true. When God says prove all things, He's not talking about asking secular writers or Godless historians.
I, as historical amillennialist, who won't blindly follow Dispensationalist, reformed, Catholic, or evangelical leaders, choosing instead to faithfully follow the 'actual' word of the Living god itself. I am sure this torments many, even some of you, to no end, however, their torment is not going to keep me from witnessing to the testimony of Christ. To claim that amillennial view are systematized by Origen of Alexandra or St Augustine are untrue.
It generally comes from a very reasoned and sound interpretation of the Bible,
by the Bible, rather than by traditions, fables, televangelists and the genealogical dreams of men. Most people want an earthly kingdom, they'll get one, but it's a kingdom constructed and ruled by men.
John 18:36
- "Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence."
Amillennialism in its truest form is God's very clear declarations that His Son's kingdom is not of this world, that Satan was bound at the cross, that God is no respecter of persons, that a Jew is not one outwardly but inwardly, that the New Covenant with Israel is with all His servants and that the Israel of God is anyone brought out of spiritual Egypt by His Beloved Son. All things that are found in Scripture, that it is not needful to be systematized by Origen of Alexandria or Augustine, because they were scribed on the pages of the Bible as I often said here:
Matthew 21:43
- "Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof."
Since the physical Kingdom wasn't taken from Israel and given to a righteous people physically to reign in, then by all rational thought and idiom, it has to be a
spiritual Kingdom.