A Chain of Principles Concerning the Thousand Years Kingdom of Christ, Text
A Chain of Principles concerning the Thouſand Years Kingdom of Chriſt, againſt the Seni-Sadduciſm of the Apoſtaſie, that denyes that Kingdom; Humbly offered by way of Appeal to All Chriſtians, eſpecially to the Paſtors, and Doctors of the Churches, that if there be Error in Any of the Principles, or Weakneſs in the Concatenation, It may be publickly Teſtified, and Convinced, For All is Founded on Expreſs Scripture, Compar'd, and Reaſon'd from according to Acts 17.3.
Principle 1 THere is a Kingdom, that Jeſus Chriſt is to Have moſt diſtinct to Him, as the Son of Man; For ſuch a One He muſt by the Apoſtles Expreſs Doctrine Deliver up to God, and to the Father; that God may be All in All, 1 Cor. 15.24. Now if ſuch a Kingdom were to Chriſt, as the Eternal Word, and not as the Son of Man, God would not be more All in All by the Delivery of it up. It muſt be therefore diſtinct to Him, as the Son of Man, as he He is ſtyl'd in the Propheſie of that Kingdom, Dan. 7.13. and ſo the Delivery of it up more Fully manifeſts God All in All.
Principle 2 The Kingdom of Chriſt Innumerable Scriptures (particularly 2 Tim. 4.1.) witneſs to be at his Coming and Appearance in Glory; It can be therefore no Kingdom, Chriſt hath yet Had; Becauſe He hath not yet Appear'd in Glory; Nor can It be the Kingdom of Eternity; Becauſe It muſt be Delivered up, that God in Eternity may be All in All; and yet One with Chriſt, and his Saints throughout Eternity. John 17.21.
Principle 3 That this Kingdom of Chriſt is a Kingdom of, and with his Saints, and not a Solitary Kingdom, is, what the whole ſtream of Scripture runs ſo into, that no One dare call it into doubt; But that All his Saints both Dead, and They Alive at his coming Enjoy the Glory of his Kingdom, hath not been ſo Clear; To ſome, concerning the Dead Saints; To others concerning the Living Saints; The Apoſtle Paul hath therefore in Two Great Places of Scripture, 1 Cor. 15.52, 53. and 1 Theſſ. 4.17. Diſtributed. All the Saints into the Saints dead in Chriſt, Raiſed firſt, and Raiſed Incorruptible; and into the Saints Living, and Remaining at his Coming, who Dye not; but are Changed firſt, viz. at that Coming; and after Caught up to be Ever with the Lord; which Saints ſo Alive at his Coming are call'd; We; to Aſſure They are Saints; and We All, to ſhew, They are the Laſt and the Complement, who make up the Full Number of Saints.
Principle 4 Now beſides the Love, and Grace of Chriſt, Equal to All his Saints; a Reaſon of Greateſt Firmneſs, He would not Appear in Glory, without the Participation of All of Them in that Glory; The Apoſtle hath alſo Aſſur'd concerning Both; Concerning the Dead; That at his Coming, when His Kingdom is, He will Bring them with Him, and the Living ſhall not be before hand with them; nor indeed Attain Them; ſo that if He have any Saints with him in Glory, as He moſt certainly will; They that ſleep by Him and in Him ſhall be the Firſt: And then concerning the Living Saints; The Apoſtle is as full, and Poſitive, They ſhall be Changed, and ſhall not Dye; They muſt therefore be in Bodies at leaſt of ſuch Excellency as Adams in Paradiſe, who, if He had not ſinned, had not Dyed; (though ſtill under a poſſibility of Dying.) 1 Cor. 15.52, 53. 1 Theſſ. 4.13. &c. This I ſay on Suppoſition, as will Appear, They are not preſently Caught up.
Principle 5 Whenever the Corruptible of All Saints puts on Incorruption, and the Mortal of All Saints puts on Immortality, Then is Brought to paſs the Saying, that is written, that Death is ſwallowed up in Victory. So the Apoſtle ſpeaks expreſsly, 1 Cor. 15.54. Whenever Death is ſwallowed up in Victory, It is ſubdued; Elſe Victory, and ſwallowing up in Victory is not ſubduing, v. 26. Now Death is the Laſt Enemy to be ſubdued; when That therefore is ſubdued, All is ſubdued; Elſe It were not the Laſt Enemy. And when All Things ſhall be ſubdued to the Son, then ſhall the Son be ſubject, viz. as Son of Man, that God in the Eternal Word in our Nature may be All in All, in and with the Saints, v. 28. John 17.21. to the End.
Principle 6 The Dead Saints, whom Chriſt brings with Him, and who Riſe firſt, muſt needs put on Incorruption; For the Apoſtle ſaith, v. 52. They ſhall be Raiſed Incorruptible; and They muſt put on Immortality, For our Lord ſays, Luke 20.36. They cannot Dye any more, For they are Equal to Angels, whoever are the Children of God, and of the Reſurrection; And Their being thus Rais'd is to be at the Coming of Chriſt, and at his Kingdom. So in theſe Dead Saints Rais'd firſt, Death muſt be ſwallowed up in Victory, whenever Chriſt Comes.
Principle 7 If therefore a Delay of Deaths being ſwallowed up in Victory ſhall be found neceſſary to the Continuation of the Kingdom of Chriſt, and to its not being Delivered up immediately unto the Father (ſeeing It muſt be Delivered up, when ever the Laſt Enemy Death is ſubdued) That Delay muſt be found in the Saints Chang'd; who are not therefore ſaid by the Apoſtle to be Chang'd Incorruptible, although They ſhall not Dye; Nor is it neceſſary by any Thing the Apoſtle hath ſaid, They ſhould be Caught up immediately; there being the ſame foreign or afterward fix'd by the Apoſtle between the Dead in Chriſt Riſing firſt, and the Living being Caught up, that was betwixt Chriſt Riſing, and his Saints Riſing at his Coming, 1 Cor. 15.23. which, we all know, hath already ſpent above 1600 years. There is no Scripture Evidence then, that the Saints Chang'd doe immediately put on Incorruption and Immortality, though in Event They ſhall not Dye; and ſo Death not ſwallowed up in Victory in them, nor therefore that Laſt Enemy ſubdued, nor therefore the Kingdom of Chriſt at his Appearing neceſſary to be Delivered up, as elſe it muſt be at that Laſt Enemy ſubdued.
Principle 8 The very Notion of a Kingdom and of a Monarchy ſucceeding Four Monarchies of Duration, as Chriſts is,Dan. 2.44. Dan. 7.27. Implyes Duration; The Apoſtle Peter therefore ſpeaking of the Day of Judgment; which is alſo at the Appearance of Chriſt, and at his Kingdom, 2 Tim. 4.1. and a Government, as well as a Judgment; would not have Chriſtians Ignorant, as a Point of Great Concernment, That One Day is with the Lord as a 1000 years, 2 Pet. 3.8. and the Apoſtle John tells us, The Reign of the Saints with Chriſt, both Principal or Participants in the Firſt Reſurrection is for a 1000 years, Rev. 20.46.
Principle 9 This Kingdom of Chriſt, ſeeing It muſt be at his Coming and Appearance, and before the Kingdom of Eternity; and ſeeing, It is a Kingdom with All Saints, and ſeeing It muſt have a Duration, and that Duration is defin'd to be a 1000 years, can have its place no where, but in that very foreign, or afterward between the Dead in Chriſt, Riſing Incorruptible, and his Saints Alive at his Coming Chang'd, as the Term of its Beginning; and the Living Remaining Caught up into the ſame Incorruption, and Immortality with the Saints Rais'd Firſt, foreign.as the Laſt Term, or End of the Kingdom of Chriſt, when it is Deliver'd up; The Saints therefore not Dying before the Kingdom, are call'd The Living, The Remaining under Guard of Life, That They ſhall not Dye; and to that purpoſe are alſo Chang'd into Bodies of Paradiſe, *Healed by the Leaves of the Tree of Life, Rev. 22.2.and yet have not put on Incorruption, and Immortality, nor ſhall doe till They are Caught up; But as to the nature of their Bodies They might Dye, as Adam; who yet, if He had not ſin'd, ſhould not have Dyed. And This in the Holy, and wiſe Diſpenſation of God gives the ſpace to the Kingdom of Chriſt, before it be deliver'd up at the ſubduing of the Last Enemy Death. Now to this Order from the Reſurrection of Chriſt to his Coming, There are ſet Juſt Notes of Time by ſuch Words, as expreſs a Diſtance, and an Immediateneſs; which however they may be uſed ſometimes indifferently, yet in this order muſt ſignifie with greateſt Exactneſs; the diſtance of above 1700 years from Chriſts Reſurrection to that of his Saints is couch'd under the Firſt Afterward *foreign.; Of a 1000 years, and a little ſpace from the Coming of Chriſt to the End under the ſecond, After *foreign.; And at the End, the Immediateneſs of the Kingdom deliver'd up by the Third, Then; or at that very Time 1 Cor: 15.23.24. And ſo 1 Theſſ. 4.17. The ſame, Afterward, is us'd to divide betwixt the Dead in Chriſt Riſing, and the Living Saints Caught up to be Ever with the Lord.
Princip. 10 The Coming of Chriſt to Judgment is deſcribed with the Entrance of a New Heaven, and a New Earth by the Apoſtle Peter Ep. 2. c. 3. v. 13; and His Kingdom by the Apoſtle John in the ſame manner;*And Nations of the ſaved walking in the Light of the New Heavens, and Kings of the Earth bringing their Glory. Rev. 21.24. For He that ſate on the Throne, ſaid, Behold I create all New, and John ſaw a New Heaven, and a New Earth, Rev. 21.5. And ſo the Saints Riſen are deſcrib'd by the Apoſtle to be with Chriſt, as in the New Heaven; And the Saints Living Remaining, as on the New Earth, are Caught up at the End to meet together in the Air, in that General Aſſembly, and Church of the Firſt Born and at that Great Solemnity of Delivery up of the Kingdom to God, and the Father, and ſo being Ever with the Lord, and where He is, 1 Theſſ. 4.17. John 17.21. &c.
Princip. 11 The Firſt Reſurrection, that Comprehends the Dead in Chriſt, as Principals and the Living Remaining, as Partakers does not Comprehend the Wicked, who, though They Riſe indeed, yet It being to Condemnation are call'd The Dead, Revel. 20.5 and at Laſt are Caſt into the Lake of the ſecond Death. There can be therefore but One Reſurrection joyn'd with Life; of which Chriſt ſpeaking, Saith; I am the Reſurrection, and the Life, John 11.25. For the Dead in Chriſt, who Riſe First, can Dye no more, and ſo can Riſe no more, then the Firſt Time; And the Living Remaining being chang'd, and not Dying are Caught up; and ſo are Partakers of the Firſt Reſurrection, to which the Second Death is only oppos'd; and ſo Riſe not; But yet are found in the Lambs Book of Life by that Participation; So the Second Death can have no Power over Them. Rev. 20. v. 6.12.15.
Princip. 12 The Kingdom of Chriſt is not by Scripture call'd the Fifth Monarchy, or Kingdom But it is moſt plainly declar'd by Daniel, Chap. 2. and Chap. 7. to come after Four Monarchies before it: But in that It makes its way by its own Power, and Appearance in the Light, and Glory of the Goſpel; The Doctrine of it if truly ſtared can never be ſuſpected of Mutinies and Inſurrections; Nor that Brand, which is ſo Generally Fix'd on Fifth Monarchy Men, as They are call'd, can at all belong to Them, viz. That they are Enemies to the Higher Powers, and Governments which are of God.
Now Allowing, that whatever Scripture ſpeaks in any Place, ought to be compar'd with what It ſpeaks in other Places; ſo that we may Reaſon from the whole, and Conclude, as is evident, Acts 17.3, we ought; I, even making my Boaſt in the Word of God, and not in my ſelf, challenge All Perſons Believing Scripture; whether I have not prov'd, That there muſt needs be ſuch a 1000 years Kingdom of Chriſt to be Enjoyed by all his Saints; by the Dead Riſing firſt in the New Heaven; and by his Saints L…ving Remaining on the New Earth; and that It muſt be in the ſpace between the Living Saints Chang'd, when the Dead Saints Riſe Firſt; and the ſame Living Saints Caught up, and ſo All being ever with the Lord in the Kingdom Deliver'd up, and God All in All; If I have not proved theſe Things, Scripture is Open, Let Them Implead, what I have ſaid; And the Lord give us Ʋnderſtanding in All Things.
FINIS.
End of the text · Thomas Beverley, A Chain of Principles Concerning the Thousand Years Kingdom of Christ (1692)