Keith Foskey is the "pastor" of Sovereign Grace Family Church in Jacksonville Florida, and is the host of Conversations with a Calvinist. I wonder how any serious bible believer can accept an obese "pastor" who glorifies himself as the "King of Amillennialists", wears a crown, turns our precious faith into a circus, and teaches faulty doctrines. (2 Peter 1:1). Foskey's lack of humility and trivialization of the scriptures is just as scandalous as any NAR false teacher. By biblical standards, Foskey does not meet the criteria of a true pastor. (Titus 1:7-16; James 5:5; Proverbs 23:2; Ezekiel 16:49).
At a charity event for Set Free ministry in Jacksonville On November 4th, Foskey was introduced as "The Right Reverend and High Holiness". 1 Is it legitimate to reduce the ministry of those called to serve God as elders and pastors to irreverent babble and comedy? (2 Timothy 2:16). We do not find the apostles joking about their calling in this way! Foskey justifies his ungodly behaviour by quoting Proverbs 15:13 ~ A merry (שָׂמֵחַ) heart maketh a cheerful countenance (KJV). The adjective שָׂמֵחַ (sameach) does not refer to cheap jokes, it indicates glad joyful merry.. 2
John Gill: "A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance,.... Or, a "joyful heart" (c); that is joyful in the God of its salvation; that rejoices in Christ Jesus; is filled with joy and peace through believing in him, in his person, blood, righteousness, and sacrifice; that has a comfortable view of his justification by his righteousness, of peace and pardon by his blood, of the atonement of his sins by his sacrifice; to whom he has said, "be of good cheer, thy sins are forgiven thee", Matthew 9:2; who has peace in him, though tribulation in the world: as such a man's heart must be made glad, this will make his countenance cheerful, or cause him to lift up his head with joy; as it is in natural things, so it is in spiritual ones;" 3
Foskey delights in issuing "kingly" decrees:
"..pre-millennialists and dispensational pre-millennialists must choose a representative to joust on the bow of Ken Ham's Ark every seven years between now and the time that Jesus returns." 5
Amillennialism is the incorrect view that the “thousand years” of Christ’s reign in Revelation 20:1-6 should be interpreted symbolically rather than as a literal period of one thousand years. Amillennialists allegorize and reinterpret the book of Revelation and various Old Testament passages that describe the millennium as a physical kingdom. The doctrine of premillennialism was the consensus of the majority of the early Church Fathers ~ although it is important to note that the early Fathers were not pretribulational. Amillennialism was originally introduced in the fourth century by Augustine of Hippo and Origen.
In Foskey's own words: "We do not believe that the millennium is a literal thousand-year period, but what that thousand years represents is the time between Christ's first coming and His second coming or his final coming, and we call that the inter-advent period the period between his two advents he came once and he will come again and the time between his first and second coming is known as the millennial age that's where we are.." 6
..how can one enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? (Matthew 12:29). Jesus' parabolic question is probably based on Isaiah 49:24-25. The scriptures indicate that at the beginning of the millennium, "the strong man" i.e. Satan, is bound for a thousand years. (Revelation 20:1-2). The amillennial view that Satan was bound at the cross is neither practical or realistic for a number of reasons outlined below.
Various deficiencies in the Amillennial view 7
Revelation 19 and 20 are sequential events stemming from the return of Christ in chapter 19. Amillennialists limit their eisegesis to an isolated view of Revelation 20.
The reign of Christ with His saints is contingent upon a literal resurrection of the dead, not as amillennialists assert, from an unregenerate life of sin to the point of conversion or regeneration. (Revelation 20:4-5).
In Revelation 20:3 Satan is bound in order to to prevent him from deceiving the nations.
In Revelation 12:9 Satan is described as the deceiver of the whole world.
In Revelation 12:12-13 the dragon (Satan) is thrown down to the earth.
In Revelation 20:1-2 Satan is banished from the earth and is thrown into the Abyss. This event coincides with the beginning of the future millennial reign of Christ. Satan cannot be confined to the earth and imprisoned in the Abyss simultaneously.
Satan is active and powerful in the present evil age. (Galatians 1:4 1 John 5:19; 2 Corinthians 4:4; 1 Peter 5:18 etc.)
During the millennial age described in Revelation 20, there is a total cessation of Satan's activity until he is released from the Abyss after the thousand years are complete. (Revelation 20:7).
Following the thousand years, Satan is cast into the lake of fire following his final attempt to wage war on the saints. (Revelation 20:7-10).
A period of one thousand years separates the fate of the beast and the false prophet and Satan who is thrown into the lake of fire a little over a thousand years later.
To assert that the thousand years began at the crucifixion (or as some would argue on the conversion of individual believers) leaves us questioning the reason why the beast and the false prophet are thrown alive into the lake of fire prior to the thousand-year period. (Revelation 19:20).
Amillennialists argue that the premillennial position regarding the present freedom of Satan contradicts the effects of the crucifixion. However, by their own warped reasoning, their admission that Satan must be released for a brief period of time at the end of the millennium also contradicts the effects of the crucifixion. (Revelation 20:3).
Biblically, Satan has already been defeated. However, his sentence becomes effectual when his authority as the god of this age is terminated by his imprisonment in the Abyss, and then finally a thousand years or so later when he is thrown into the lake of fire. (2 Corinthians 4:4).
We cannot possibly be living in the millennial period where Satan cannot deceive the nations any longer. (Revelation 20:3). Jesus Christ strikes the nations precisely because they have been deceived into attempting to wage war against Jesus Christ at Armageddon. (Revelation 19:19-20).
The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. (Revelation 20:5,12). Amillennialists deny that the first resurrection is a literal resurrection.
Henry Alford: "..I cannot consent to distort words from their plain sense and chronological place in the prophecy, on account of any considerations of difficulty, or any risk of abuses which the doctrine of the millennium may bring with it. Those who lived next to the Apostles, and the whole Church for 300 years, understood them in the plain literal sense: and it is a strange sight in these days to see expositors who are among the first in reverence of antiquity, complacently casting aside the most cogent instance of consensus which primitive antiquity presents. As regards the text itself, no legitimate treatment of it will extort what is known as the spiritual interpretation now in fashion. If, in a passage where two resurrections are mentioned, where certain ψυχαὶ ἔζησαν at the first, and the rest of the νεκροὶ ἔζησαν only at the end of a specified period after that first, if in such a passage the first resurrection may be understood to mean spiritual rising with Christ, while the second means literal rising from the grave; then there is an end of all significance in language, and Scripture is wiped out as a definite testimony to any thing. If the first resurrection is spiritual, then so is the second, which I suppose none will be hardy enough to maintain: but if the second is literal, then so is the first, which in common with the whole primitive Church and many of the best modern expositors, I do maintain, and receive as an article of faith and hope). Blessed (see ch. Revelation 14:13 , Rev 19:9 ) and holy is he that hath part in (ref., the expression is peculiar to St. John) the first resurrection: over such persons the second death (see reff.: and bear in mind what is said of our Lord Himself, Rom 6:9 ) hath not power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and they [ shall ] reign with Him (Christ) a (or, the ) thousand years." 9
George Eldon Ladd: "The first anti-millenarians disparaged the natural interpretation of Revelation 20, not for exegetical reasons, because they thought the book did not teach a millennium, but because they did not like millennial doctrine." 10
The souls of those who had been beheaded and came to life refers without doubt to their physical resurrection. (see below).
Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven with the key to the Abyss, holding in his hand a great chain. He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. And he threw him into the Abyss, shut it, and sealed it over him, so that he could not deceive the nations until the thousand years were complete. After that, he must be released for a brief period of time. Then I saw the thrones, and those seated on them had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image, and had not received its mark on their foreheads or hands. And they came to life (ἔζησαν) and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. The rest of the dead did not come back to life until the thousand years were complete. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection! The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and will reign with Him for a thousand years. (Revelation 20:1-6).
Alan Kurschner has shared an excellent post on this subject on his website: Send This Article To Your Amillennial and Postmillennial Friends | ESCHATOS MINISTRIES (alankurschner.com)
I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.(Revelation 22:18-19 cf. Deuteronomy 4:2,12:32; Proverbs 30:6).
2. Strong's Hebrew: 8056. שָׂמֵ֫חַ (sameach) -- glad, joyful, merry (biblehub.com)
3. Proverbs 15:13 Commentaries: A joyful heart makes a cheerful face, But when the heart is sad, the spirit is broken. (biblehub.com)
4. (121) Keith Got a Rapture Debate Challenge from Spencer Smith! - YouTube
5. (118) BREAKING! Doug Wilson challenged to a debate by Keith Foskey, King of the Amillennialists! - YouTube
6. (124) Optimistic Amillenialism - YouTube
7. (124) Ten reasons why Amillennialism is wrong! - YouTube
8. Revelation Commentary : Chapter Twenty
9. Revelation 20 - Alford's Greek Testament Critical Exegetical Commentary - Bible Commentaries - StudyLight.org
10. Ladd, Crucial Questions about the Kingdom of God, Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1952, p149
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