Brent Pollard
Jesus succeeded in establishing His kingdom. The church is not just a temporary solution or a substitute for God’s original plan. Christ reigns today, and His church is made up of people redeemed by His blood who live under His authority.
This belief shapes how I see both the church and biblical prophecy. I do not expect a future earthly millennium where Jesus will start the kingdom He spoke about. I also do not think that denying such a millennium means denying the kingdom itself. The kingdom is real. Its King reigns. Its citizens are already here.
Church and Kingdom: Two Descriptions of One Redeemed People
When we say the church is the kingdom, it helps to see what each term highlights. “Church” refers to Christ’s gathered people. The Greek word ekklēsia means “assembly,” and the New Testament describes this as people God has called through the gospel, out of darkness and into His light (2 Thessalonians 2.14; 1 Peter 2.9). “Kingdom” focuses on Christ’s royal authority and those He rules. The church is these redeemed people seen as an assembly, while the kingdom is the same people seen under Christ’s rule.
These words do not always mean the same thing in every Bible passage. God’s rule covers all creation, even those who resist Him. But when we talk about Christ’s redeemed people on earth, we are not talking about two different groups with separate futures. The people Christ saves and adds to His church are the same ones He brings into His kingdom.
Jesus brought these ideas together. In Matthew 16.18–19, He promised to build His church and then promised to give Peter the keys of the kingdom. This shows a clear link between the community He would build and the kingdom that the gospel would welcome people into. If we separate the church from the kingdom by thousands of years, we lose that connection.
When Did the Kingdom Come? From Mark 9.1 to Pentecost
The timing is important. In Mark 9.1, Jesus said that some people standing with Him would live to see God’s kingdom come in power. Even if the transfiguration that follows is a preview of His glory, this promise means the kingdom would arrive during the lives of those listening. It does not make sense to say the kingdom would wait thousands of years to be established.
Acts tells us that the risen Christ promised the Spirit’s power (Acts 1.8), which was fulfilled at Pentecost (Acts 2.1–4). Peter explained Jesus’ resurrection and exaltation by referring to God’s promise about David’s throne and to Psalm 110 (Acts 2.29–36). On that same day, those who accepted the gospel repented, were baptized, and the Lord added them to His people (Acts 2.38–47). These passages together show that Pentecost was when the church was established under the risen King.
New Testament Evidence That Christ’s Kingdom Exists Now
Other New Testament passages clearly show that the kingdom exists now. Paul told Christians that God had already moved them into His Son’s kingdom (Colossians 1.13). John said he shared in the kingdom with his readers, even while they faced hardship (Revelation 1.9). Hebrews says believers are receiving an unshakable kingdom (Hebrews 12.28). These Christians were already citizens of a real kingdom, not just waiting for one to be created.
Amillennialism and Revelation 20: Christ’s Reign and the Thousand Years
This is why I think the term “amillennialism” can be confusing. It might sound like it simply denies the millennium, and maybe even the kingdom. But this view actually affirms that Christ is reigning now. It sees the thousand years in Revelation 20 as a symbol for the full period of Christ’s reign and His people sharing in His victory, not as a literal future period of exactly one thousand years on earth.
Revelation uses many symbols, like a dragon, beasts, lampstands, a chain, and numbers. Interpreting the thousand years as a symbol fits with this style. The real question is what the symbol means. In this view, John’s vision encourages persecuted Christians that even death cannot take away their life and victory with their King. The martyrs who seem defeated by earthly rulers actually live and reign with Christ.
Satan’s binding has a clear purpose: to limit his ability to deceive the nations (Revelation 20.1–3). This does not mean he is completely inactive. Peter still warned Christians about the devil’s dangerous activity (1 Peter 5.8), which does not go against Christ’s victory over him. Satan’s power is limited, his opposition continues, and his final defeat is certain. The spread of the gospel around the world shows that the enemy cannot keep the earth away from Christ.
For these reasons, I do not believe in a future earthly millennium, but this does not mean I deny the kingdom or Christ’s victory. I also do not accept the postmillennial idea that a golden age must happen before Christ returns. The church’s confidence is based on Christ’s current authority and His promised return, not on the idea that the world must first become mostly Christian.
Was the Kingdom Postponed? Why the Church Is Not Plan B
My main objection is to the idea of a postponed kingdom, especially as taught in classical dispensational premillennialism. This view says that because Israel rejected the kingdom, God delayed its establishment and the church filled the gap in the meantime. Not all premillennialists believe this, and those who do usually affirm God’s sovereignty and foreknowledge. My issue is with the explanation itself: the Bible shows the church as the fulfillment of God’s purpose, not as a backup plan because He could not establish His kingdom.
Ephesians 3.10–11 places God’s work through the church within His eternal purpose, fulfilled in Christ. Acts 2.23 shows that even the crucifixion was part of God’s predetermined plan. The cross was not an emergency response to an unforeseen rejection. Through the very event in which His enemies seemed to triumph, Christ defeated the powers opposing Him (Colossians 2.15; Hebrews 2.14).
I cannot see how Christ’s victory fits with the idea that the church is just a substitute for a kingdom that Satan and human unbelief managed to stop. If opposition could block the promised kingdom once, what would make it succeed the next time? Those who support postponement would say God was not frustrated. Still, I think the New Testament gives a better answer: God fulfilled His purpose through Jesus’ rejection and crucifixion. The King rose, ascended, and now reigns.
To be continued…
