Dear Brother John Tng,
 
Is it possible for my article below to be posted on your website?  I believe that my subject is vital for Christians.
 
Your brother in Christ,
Edgar Meneses
Manila, Philippines
 
 
THE MILLENNIUM:  NOW AN OBSOLETE/UNIMPORTANT DOCTRINE?
 
By Edgar Meneses
 
The church I belonged to has made these statements:  "Although [this church] has traditionally been premillennial, the church does not require its members to believe that Christ will set up a temporary kingdom after he returns . . . Millennialism is not a doctrinal point on which we must seek conformity . . . Raising premillennial dispensationalism to the level of primary doctrine causes division in the body of Christ . . . Neither Jesus nor the apostles preached a millennial gospel . . . No other scriptures [other than the Revelation] speak of a temporary kingdom to be set up when Christ returns . . . The Millennium was not a part of Jesus' gospel" (insets mine).  
 
Those are pretty bold declarations.  But are they really Bible-based statement of facts?  Is it true that neither Jesus nor the apostles preached a millennial gospel?  Is it true that only the book of the Revelation speaks of a kingdom to be set up when Christ returns?  Is it true that the Millennium was not a part of Jesus' gospel?  
 
In this day of the social/prosperity gospel, ecumenism, and Dominionism, it is not a wonder that the doctrine of the premillennial coming of the Lord Jesus Christ and His 1,000--year reign on Earth is set aside and almost ridiculed by a growing number of Christians.  Such charisma coming from such evangelical leaders as Joel Osteen, C. Peter Wagner, Rick Warren, and Eddie Villanueva is more than enough to lure unsuspecting Christians to place their hope on a reformed world that those leaders are trying to project and which they believe is feasible in the not-too-distant future.  Belief in the Millennium under the reign of the Messiah is therefore being abandoned or relegated to the optional or "peripheral items" of Bible truths.  As the above source further says, "Since the New Testament books do not emphasize the nature of the millennium [or so they think], we conclude that it is not a central plank in the church's commission.  People can be saved without any particular belief about the millennium" (inset mine).
 
The task before me is to show, from the Word of God, that the Millennium is indeed a "central plank" in God's revelation of His plan to mankind; that the Millennium is not to be trifled with; and that the knowledge of the Millennium doctrine is critical and vital to a Christian's growth to maturity.  
 
THE PROBLEM OF POSTMILLENNIALISM AND AMILLENNIALISM
 
I forgo documentation of early Christians' belief in premillennialism or chiliasm.  Suffice it to say here that only in the fourth century was the belief begun to be abandoned with Augustine of Hippo as the famous and foremost advocate of amillennialism, although it could be said that Origen's allegorical method of interpretation in the previous century was the origin of this particular departure from Bible truth.  
 
I would not say that lack of faith is the root cause of amillennialism and postmillennialism today.  In fact, people who hold on to these erroneous teachings are full of faith.  The problem is that the objects of their faith are wrong, as far as eschatology is concerned.  To put it another way, their faith is selective.  They believe what they want to believe according to their preferred theology.  They do not take the Bible at Its face value; I say this because if they did they would have to accept the premillennial view.  
 
Biblical faith is simply believing what God has to say about a matter.  On this matter of the Millennium God says that it will come after -- not before -- the Lord's Second Coming.  Either we believe that or we don't.  Now, many will protest the literal approach to Bible interpretation which leads to premillennialism.  But like it or not, literal interpretation has been proven to be the best and primary way to do it.  The rest of this article follows this rule.  
 
THE MILLENNIUM IN PLAIN BIBLE LANGUAGE
 
It is supposed that the Millennium is mentioned in the Bible only in Revelation 20:
 
"And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.  And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years.  And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.  And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.  But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished.  This is the first resurrection.  Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.  And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison" (verses 1 -- 7).  
 
The above scripture mentions "the thousand years" six times in seven verses.  I believe the Holy Spirit would not have caused it to be written that way if "the thousand years" meant "an indefinitely long period" as amillennialists and postmillennialists say it does.  Obviously, God means exactly what He says here.  I think that if one would not take this passage for what it plainly says it is almost certain that he will also wrongly allegorize the many Messianic-Millennial scriptures that are scattered throughout the whole Bible.  
 
If one would not accept the fact of the Millennium from Revelation 20, other scriptures may not also convince him because he has made the decision not to believe in it; otherwise, he needs a personal repentance or conversion over this matter.  Such a person needs to realize that the Millennium is also referred to in the New Testament as:
 
1) "the kingdom of heaven [or, the heavens]" (Matthew 5:10)
 
2) "the regeneration" (Matthew 19:28)
 
3) "the kingdom of God" (Mark 1:14)
 
4) "the last day" (John 6:40)
 
5) "the times of refreshing" (Acts 3:19)
 
6) "the times of restitution of all things" (Acts 3:21)
 
7) "the world to come" (Hebrews 2:5)
 
THE CERTAINTY AND PURPOSES OF THE MILLENNIUM
 
The Lord Jesus says in Matthew 24:36, "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away."  How certain can we get?  One of the things that He predicted was the establishment of His kingdom on earth (Matthew 4:17; 16:27,28; 19:27,28; 20:20-23; Luke 22:28-30; Acts 1:3; etc., etc.).  Therefore, the millennial kingdom is sure to come.  But what are some of the reasons/purposes for its coming?
 
1) To restore ruined creation --
 
We know from the book of Genesis that the Devil was quick to ruin man at the foundation of the world.  Not only was man ruined, but the earth also was cursed because of the introduction of sin.  The Millennium will be the time to restore that which was ruined (Matthew 19:28; Romans 8:19-23; Acts 3:19-21).  
 
2) The septenary structure of Scripture --
 
Genesis 1:1 -- 2:3 has set the pattern for the 7,000 -- year history of man.  The six days of creation/restoration of ruined earth correspond to the 6,000 -- year Age of Man to be followed by the 1,000 -- year Sabbath, the Age of the Messiah, which is the Mllennium.  Just as God rested on the Sabbath day after six days of labor, He will rest on the 7th thousand years after working on man's restoration for six thousand years (2 Peter 3:8; Hebrews 4:9-11; Matthew 16:28 -- 7:1).
 
An ancient document explains it this way:  "And 6,000 years must needs be accomplished, in order that the Sabbath may come, the rest, the holy day 'on which God rested from all His works.'  For the Sabbath is the type and emblem of the future kingdom of the saints, when they 'shall reign with Christ,' when He comes from heaven, as John says in his Apocalypse: for 'a day with the Lord is as a thousand years.'  Since, then, in six days God made all things, it follows that 6,000 years must be fulfilled" (Hippolytus, On the HexaMeron, Or Six Days' Work, from Fragments from Commentaries on Various Books of Scripture).  
 
3) To fulfill the Abrahamic Covenant --
 
"I will make of thee a great nation" (Genesis 12:2) is still waiting to be fulfilled.  This particular promise from God to Abraham will come to pass in the Millennium when Israel will be the leading nation in the world (Isaiah 2:2-4).  
 
4) To fulfill the Davidic Covenant --
 
Second Samuel 7:16 was confirmed by God through the angel Gabriel saying to Mary: " . . . Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.  And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.  He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever, and of his kingdom there shall be no end" (Luke 1:30-33).  
 
5) To complete the New Covenant --
 
"Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD; But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.  And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive them their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more" (Jeremiah 31:31-34).  
 
In case the reader has got the notion that God is finished with Israel (replacement theology) he is advised to continue reading verses 35 to 37 which dispels such an idea.  Israel has yet a great future ahead -- in the Millennium.  Thus saith the LORD.  
 
6) The answer to the model prayer --
 
Matthew 6:9-13 and Luke 11:1-4 contain the Lord's model prayer that He gave the disciples when they asked Him, "Lord, teach us to pray."  "Thy kingdom come" will at last be answered when the Lord Jesus returns to establish His millennial rule on earth.  
 
7) The gospel of the Glory of Christ --
 
"But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost; In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ [lit. the gospel of the glory of Christ], who is the image of God, should shine unto them" (2 Corinthians 4:3,4).  
 
When will the Glory of Christ be revealed to all nations?  At His return, of course, and during the Millennium.  Who says Christ and the apostles did not preach a millennial gospel?  If we take away the millennial reign of the Messiah from the Bible we throw away the whole purpose of God for His Son.  I dare not think of it (see Revelation 22:18,19).  
 
"For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works" (Matthew 16:27).  What kind of reward do you suppose are in store for those who religiously deny (unbelief) the Millennium?
 
THE MILLENNIUM AND THE KINGDOM OF THE HEAVENS
 
I am amazed at how some ministers can have the audacity to declare that the Millennium is not a part of the Lord Jesus' gospel.  The fact is, proclaiming the millennial kingdom was the thrust of His message to the Jews.  And He commissioned the apostles to give the same message to the Israelites first and then to the Gentiles as well.  "The kingdom of heaven," or more accurately, the kingdom of the heavens, is a prominent phrase in the book of Matthew.  Let me quote C. I. Scofield as to the meaning of the phrase:
 
"The phrase, kingdom of heaven (lit. of the heavens), is peculiar to Matthew and signifies the Messianic earth rule of Jesus Christ, the Son of David.  It is called the kingdom of the heavens because it is the rule of the heavens over the earth (Mt. vi.10).  The phrase is derived from Daniel, where it is defined (Dan. ii.34-36,44;vii.23-27) as the kingdom which 'the God of heaven' will set up after the destruction by 'the stone cut out without hands' of the Gentile world-system.  It is the kingdom covenanted to David's seed (2 Sam. vii.7-10,refs); described in the prophets (Zech. xii.8,note); and confirmed to Jesus the Christ, the Son of Mary, through the angel Gabriel (Lk. i.32-33)."
 
It is by "spiritualizing" the Lord's statements about the kingdom that the meaning is changed.  I wonder why it should be difficult for many to take literally the plain words of the Lord's and His disciples' such as the following:
 
1) "In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand [had drawn near]" (Matthew 3:1,2).  "The kingdom of heaven" that the Baptist was talking about is not a kingdom in heaven.  Rather, it is the same Messianic kingdom to be established on earth as prophesied by the prophets of Israel.  John was Christ's forerunner announcing or preaching the millennial kingdom.  
 
2) "From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matthew 4:17).  Having proclaimed the millennial kingdom, the Lord Jesus proceeded to elucidate the laws of the kingdom.  Hence, the Sermon on the Mount.  It is to be noted that the offer of the heavenly rulership of the kingdom was conditioned on repentance and recognition of the Messiah.  But the Jews rejected and crucified Him.  Thus the kingdom was postponed and the regal positions in it offered to another "nation bringing forth the fruits thereof" (more on this later).  There remains a divine program for Israel, though.  Israel is not finished, or God is not finished with Israel.  At the Second Coming of the Messiah, the people will finally believe (Zecheriah 12-14), and the millennial kingdom will be set up (Matthew 23:39).
 
3) "Then answered Peter and said unto him, Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore?  And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye shall also sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel" (Matthew 19:27,28).  The regeneration of the world will begin with the onset of the Millennium.  
 
4) "Ye are they which have continued with me in my temptations.  And I apoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me;  That ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel" (Luke 22:28-30).  The twelve tribes of Israel are on earth, not in heaven.
 
5) Matthew 20:20-28 relates the story of John's and James' mother requesting the Lord for top positions for her sons in the coming kingdom.  The Lord did not question the validity of the request.  There was indeed a kingdom coming; only, He said that "to sit on my right hand, and on my left, is not mine to give, buit it shall be given for whom it is prepared of my Father" (verse 23).  
 
6) "These twelve [apostles] Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.  And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matthew 10:5-7).  The kingdom rulership was offered to Israel until the time of Acts 28.  Thereafter it was given to the Church.  
 
7) "When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?" (Acts 1:6)  From the beginning of John the Baptist's ministry, no clarification was needed as to what the "kingdom' was.  It was the Jews' hope of a coming Messianic (millennial) kingdom foretold by their prophets.  Again, the Lord did not censure the disciples' question; it was a valid question.  His answer:  "It is not for you to know the times and seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.  But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth" (verses 7,8).  Because of the Jews' rejection of the offer of the kingdom of the heavens, judgment must first come, the kingdom being postponed (all the while the "New Man" being prepared) until the Second Coming when Israel at last will accept their Saviour (Matthew 23:39; Romans 11:26).  
 
THE MILLENNIUM AND THE WORD OF THE KINGDOM
 
Recently I have begun to attend in a small church in Manila composed of former Seventh-Day Adventists.  Often a subject of conversation during and after lunch (conducive to digestion?) is the deteriorating morality in Philippine government -- big-time corruption, bribery, unabashed greed of government officials, orchestrated cheating, etc.  And they would ask, "Where is it all leading to?"  
 
Well, it might have sounded defeatist if I said that the situation will only get worse, and we would have to just throw up our hands in resignation and hopelessness.  That is, if we did not know better.  We know that a change is coming, and we Christians had better prepare ourselves if we want to have a part in that soon-coming change in the Millennium.  "The word of the kingdom" is the message for us.  
 
Israel was God's firstborn son (Exodus 4:22); therefore the nation should have received double portion of the Father's inheritance.  That is why the kingdom of the heavens was proffered to Israel when the Messiah first appeared.  But the Jews ("Jews" and "Israelites" are synonymous, by the way) despised the offer, the people having been deceived by their spiritual leaders the Pharisees.  "Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes?  Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof" (Matthew 21:42,43).  
 
The word of the kingdom was still being preached to the Jews during the first few decades of the Church's existence until shortly before the Temple was destroyed by the Romans (Acts 28:25-30).  Israel being set aside for a whole dispensation, the word of the kingdom has had relevance primarily to the Gentile members of the Body of Christ for the past almost-2,000 years.  But, tragically, as things are, and as depicted in the parables in Matthew 13, the word of the kingdom is virtually forgotten in Christendom today.  As the Lord Jesus said in Luke 18:8, He will come (the Rapture) to a Christendom which has not "the faith."  No wonder because Satan will do all in his power to block the message coming to Christians because it has to do with a government change in the world.  "The word" (Matthew 13:19-23) has to do with replacing Satan and his angels by the Lord Jesus Christ and His co-heirs in ruling over the nations (Ephesians 3;10; Hebrews 2:5).  
 
But what should we do in order for us to be worthy of a position in the coming kingdom?  The answer is in the Parable of the Sower:  "But he that received seed [lit. he that was sown] into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty" (Matthew 13:23).  
 
Right here we can see that the word of the kingdom has to do with . . .
 
THE MILLENNIUM AND THE SALVATION OF THE SOUL.
 
I believe God is a Trinity.  And I believe man is also a "trinity" -- "And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Thessalonians 5:23).  
 
The unregenerate man cannot begin to appreciate the word of the kingdom.  He is "dead in trespasses and sins" (Ephesians 2:1).  He must first be "born again" (John 3:3).  It is his spirit that must be born again (verse 6).  When that is accomplished by the Holy Spirit, he is "passed from death unto life" (John 5:24).  He can now understand spiritual things (1 Corinthians 2:11).  
 
Salvation of the spirit is by grace through faith in Christ alone (Ephesians 2:8,9).  Our works have absolutely nothing to do with it; it is a gift from God.  "Once saved always saved" is true.  God cannot "unsave" us anymore because He has given to us eternal life (1 John 5:11-13).  There is such a thing called "assurance of salvation" (John 6:37; 10:27-29; Romans 8:1,35-39; etc.).  
 
But the salvation of the soul is another matter.  Haven't you wondered why there are warnings in the Word of God addressed to Christians concerning "death" (Romans 8:13; 1 John 5:16,17; James 5:20), "loss" (1 Corinthians 3:15), "fall away' (Hebrews 6:6), "fall into the hands of the living God" (Hebrews 10:31), "the terror of the Lord" (2 Corinthians 5:11), "draw back unto perdition" (Hebrews 10:39), and many other such like warnings and admonitions to the Church (the saved)?  It is because of the possibility of us not realizing the salvation of our souls!
 
Soul salvation has to do with our overcoming self, the world, and the Devil in relation to the promised inheritance in the kingdom (Romans 8).  In Revelation 2 and 3, it is to him that "overcometh" that God will grant to have the reward of reigning with Christ in the Millennium.  We work (overcome) for rewards and for the salvation of our souls relative to millennial verities:
 
"Receiving the end [goal] of your faith, even the salvation of your souls" (1 Peter 1:19).  
 
"Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted [implanted] word, which is able to save your souls" (James 2:21).  
 
"But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition, but of them that believe to the saving of the soul" (Hebrews 10:39).
 
"Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.  For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.  For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?  or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?  For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and he shall reward every man according to his works" {Matthew 16:24-27).  
 
Let me dwell a bit on the last passage.  The soul of a man is his life -- the seat of his emotions, affections, desires, the flesh.  His character is developed by control of his soul or lack of it.  The tendency of the soul is to sin because of the sin nature in man.  The born-again spirit must exercise the will to control the soul if the person is to avoid sinning.  "Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh" (Galatians 5:16).  The Lord Jesus is saying that if one is living it up in this world in a carnal way, or living after the flesh (Romans 8:13), enjoying his life of sin, then he will lose it in the age to come, resulting in the death of his soul -- loss of soul-life -- because "to be carnally minded is death" (Romans 8:6).  Whereas if he "through the Spirit do[es mortify the deeds of the body . . .  [he] shall live" (verse 13), thereby saving his soul for the future age, the Millennium.  This will be determined at the Judgment Seat of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:10) which will take place immediately after the Rapture of the Church.  "For . . .  judgment must begin at the house of God [the saved]" (1 Peter 4:17).  
 
Having been saved from eternal death, the Christian should not rest on his laurels.  Spirit salvation is only the beginning of a journey to maturity.  Salvation is in three tenses:  Past salvation, which is based on the Blood of the Lamb, the present salvation that is going on -- present progressive -- and the future redemption (Romans 8:23).  Our part in the present salvation is the subject of Paul's injunction when he said, " . . . work out your own salvation with fear and trembling" (Philippians 2:12).  
 
It is to be noted as well that the salvation of the soul is the emphasis in the New Testament, not the salvation of the spirit.  (The latter is the restoration of man to have a fellowship with God, to be spiritually alive first, the passing from death unto life.  The former is the realization of the purpose of God in creating man.)  This is demonstrated in the book of Jude.  Notice:  "Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints" (verse 3).  Jude had thought first of writing about the common salvation, i.e., the salvation by grace through faith in Christ.  But the Holy Spirit guided him to write about something else.  He was led to write about the apostasy that would come in the last days.  The apostasy has to do with perverting "the faith."  In the first century, Christians were universally taught about the kingdom of the heavens (Colossians 1:6).  This particular message -- the word of the kingdom, the gospel of the Glory of Christ, the coming Reign of the Messiah on earth -- would be corrupted or altogether forgotten, Jude warned.  The doctrine of the Millennium and how the saints are to become co-heirs with Christ in ruling over the nations have been the object of Satanic attack ever since.  Co-heirship with Christ has to do with . . .  
 
THE MILLENNIUM AND THE BRIDE OF CHRIST.
 
"Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.  And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints" (Revelation 19:7,8).  
 
The setting is just before the Second Coming.  The Lord Jesus Christ has determined the composition of His Bride at the Judgment Seat.  The Bride will be His Consort Queen in ruling over the earth from heavenly realm.  The 24 Elders (angelic rulers) have relinquished their crowns, Revelation 4:10,11, and Satan's and his angels' crowns are about to be wrested from them.  
 
I used to believe that the whole Church will compose the Bride of the Lamb.  But further study has made me see that that is not so.  Even from a practical point of view it should be obvious that not all saved people will be the Bride.  Would it be just to have both the carnal and spiritual Christians in rulership positions in the Millennium?  The Bible, stressing the principle of rewards, is not vague about this matter.  
 
We have mentioned some scriptures that talk about the possibility of the saved "dying" and "losing."  The loss of soul means not qualifying to rule in the coming kingdom.  The Parable of the Sower is about fruit-bearing of the saved.  Only one group among the four groups of Christians is seen as bearing fruits, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.  Only they qualify for positions in the kingdom; the others do not.  And there are other parables that teach the same thing: the parable of the evil servant (Matthew 24:45-51); the parable of the ten virgins (Matthew 25:1-13); the parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30); and the parable of the ten pounds (Luke 19:12-27).
 
Second Peter, the first chapter, also talks about fruit-bearing in connection with entering the kingdom "abundantly" (verse 11) and with making the Christians' calling and "election [out-calling]" sure.  It is evident here that only the out-called among the called who will compose the Bride.  "For many be called, but few chosen" (Matthew 20:16).  
 
Why did the apostle Paul "press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 3:14)?  Verse 11 is very revealing:  "If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead."  "Resurrection" here does not mean the first resurrection that all the dead saints are going to experience.  The word actually is "out-resurrection."  Exanastasis in Greek, as distinguished from Anastasis.  Exanastasis means "to stand up out of."  Therefore, Paul was talking about a selection from among the saved. Some Christians are to be elevated from the rest.  The Bride of Christ is in view here.  And this separation of the Bride from the Body of Christ has to do with the Millennial Age to come.
 
Being part of the Bride of Christ is the "so great salvation" referred to in Hebrews 2:3 and the "better things . . . that accompany salvation" in 6:9.  How do we attain it?  The answer is in Romans 8:16-18:  "The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:  And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.  For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in [to] us [in the Millennium]."
 
Reigning with Christ in the Millennium is conditioned upon patient endurance now, Revelation 2 and 3.  "If we suffer, we shall also reign with him . . . " (2 Timothy 2:12).  Suffering with Christ means "patient continuance in well doing," Romans 2:7; in other words, perseverance in doing good -- spiritual perseverance.  
 
The scriptures that discuss the Christian's inheritance are messianic in contexts, meaning, they refer to the Millennium.  To be glorified with Christ, as the Bride, is to be awarded a share in His glory in the coming age.  "For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps" (1 Peter 2:21).  His example:  " . . .  let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God" (Hebrews 12:1,2).  
 
We should view present hardship, persecution, humiliation, and shame that accompany obedience to and worship of God after the same fashion the Lord Jesus viewed these things at Calvary:  Sufferings now, glory later.  "But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings: that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy" (1 Peter 4:13).  
 
I could go on talking about the Millennium.  It is a huge Biblical topic (e.g., the lengthy warnings in the book of Hebrews against ignoring the Millennium).  In fact, the eschatological emphasis of the Bible is the Tribulation-Millennial Age, not the Eternal Ages.  The Word of God reveals very little on the past ages and the ages past the Millennium.  
 
Now, who says the Millennium is a peripheral doctrine?