REMEMBRANCE OF THE MILLENNIUM

REMEBRANCE OF THE MILLENNIUM

I WOULD LIKE TO SHARE SOME THOUGHTS WITH YOU
ABOUT THE MILLENNIUM
WHICH WE CELEBRATED IN 1999

FIRST
THE WORD ITSELF
COMES FROM THE LATIN MILLE
WHICH MEANS ONE THOUSAND
AND ANNUS, WHICH MEANS YEAR
SO MILLENNIUM IS A THOUSAND YEARS.

THE THOUGHT OF MILLENNIUM
IS FOUND IN REVELATION, CHAPTER 20
IN WHICH JOHN WRITES.
"AND I SAW THE SOULS
OF THOSE WHO HAD NOT WORSHIPED THE BEAST
OR HIS STATUE,
NOR ACCEPTED HIS MARK ON THEIR FOREHEAD
OR THEIR HANDS
THEY CAME TO LIFE AGAIN,
AND THEY REIGNED WITH CHRIST
FOR A THOUSAND YEARS".

THE WORD CALENDAR
COMES FROM THE LATIN CALENDARIUM
WHICH MEANS A MONEYLENDERS ACCOUNT BOOK
THE LATIN WORD FOR THE FIRST OF THE MONTH
IS CALENDS

SO ON THE FIRST OF THE MONTH
(THE CALENDS)
YOUR DEBT WAS DUE TO THE MONEY LENDER
WHO KEPT HIS RECORDS OF YOUR PAYMENT
IN AN ACCOUNT BOOK
CALLED THE CALENDARIUM

A CALENDAR
IS A DEVICE FOR MEASURING TIME
BY DAY, WEEK, MONTH, YEAR, CENTURY
AND TEN CENTURIES IS A MILLENNIUM.

TO THE CHINESE WE ARE LIVING IN THE YEAR 4396
TO THE JEWS WE ARE LIVING IN YEAR 5760
TO THE MOSLEMS WE ARE LIVING IN THE YEAR 1377
AND TO THE CHRISTIAN WORLD WE ARE LIVING IN THE YEAR 1999

SO TO MUCH OF THE WORLD
IF IT WASN'T FOR THE Y2K COMPUTER PROBLEM
THERE WOULD BE NO MILLENNIUM PROBLEM.
AND FOR CHRISTIANS
IT IS NOT THE MILLENNIUM.
BECAUSE CHRIST WAS NOT BORN ON DEC 25
YEAR ONE AD, 2000 YEARS AGO



HE WAS BORN
MOST SCHOLARS BELIEVE
IN THE YEAR 6 BC
IN THE SPRING OR THE FALL

WHY DO WE SAY SPRING OR FALL.
BECAUSE THE BIBLE TELL US
THE SHEPHERDS WERE IN THE FIELDS ABIDING
AND IN PALESTINE
THAT MEANT SPRING OR FALL
IN THE WINTER IT WAS TOO COLD TO LIVE OUTDOORS
IN THE SUMMER THE GRASS WAS GREEN
CLOSE TO THEIR HOME
AND THEY DID NOT HAVE TO PASTURE THEIR FLOCKS
AWAY FROM THE VILLAGE

SO WHAT WILL HAPPEN
NEXT NEW YEARS EVE
MOST LIKELY NOTHING
DICK CLARK WILL HOST THE TIME SQUARE PARTY.
WE WILL ALL COUNT DOWN THE LAST TEN SECONDS,
BLOW HORNS,
KISS OUR LOVED ONES,
MAKE RESOLUTIONS
AND WONDER
WHAT DOES GOD REQUIRE OF ME
AND ALL THE PEOPLE OF THE WORLD,
WHAT DOES HE REQUIRE OF A PEOPLE
WHO CANNOT EVEN GET HIS SON'S BIRTHDAY CORRECT

WHAT GOD REQUIRES OF US
IS TO REMEMBER
THAT BEFORE TIME BEGAN
WHEN ALL THAT EXISTED
WAS ONLY ETERNAL GOD
THAT, THAT SAME GOD
LOVED US BEFORE HE CREATED US,
LOVED US KNOWING WE WOULD FAIL HIM,
LOVED US KNOWING WE WOULD SLAY HIS SON
LOVED US KNOWING HIS SON'S DEATH
WOULD AVENGE OUR GUILT

ALL HE ASKS IS OUR LOVE
THIS IS THE DEBT HE DEMANDS OF US
THIS IS THE DEBT
HE WILL MARK
IN HIS MONEY LENDERS BOOK
HIS CALENDARIUM

AND IN RETURN FOR THIS DEBT
THAT WE OWE HIM
HE WILL BE OUR FATHER
LONG AFTER TIME IS ENDED

HE WILL BE OUR SAVIOR
LONG AFTER TIME IS ENDED

HE WILL BE OUR COMFORTER
LONG AFTER TIME IS ENDED


FOR AS PAUL SAYS IN CORINTHIANS
NOW IS THE ACCEPTABLE TIME
NOW IS THE DAY OF SALVATION

OR AS IN THE PSALMS
THIS IS THE DAY THE LORD HAS MADE
LET US REJOICE AND BE GLAD IN IT

SO THE MILLENNIUM
SHOULD NOT BE
A TIME OF FEAR FOR US

FOR THE GOD WHO LOVED US
BEFORE TIME BEGAN,
WHO LOVES US NOW
AS DAYS BECOME WEEKS
AS WEEKS BECOME MONTHS
AS MONTHS BECOME YEARS
AS YEARS BECOME CENTURIES,
AND AS CENTURIES BECOME MILLENNIUMS

THIS GOD
THROUGH ALL THE CIRCLE OF ETERNITY
PAST THE POINT WHERE TIME SHALL CEASE
WILL LOVE US STILL

SO WE SHOULD EMBRACE GOD'S LOVE
NOT WITH FEAR
THAT GOD IS COMING TO PUNISH US
AT THE START OR END OF A MILLENNIUM

BUT RATHER WE SHOULD RECEIVE GOD'S LOVE
AS A FAVORED CHILD
WHO KNOWS THAT GOD’S HEART
AND CAPACITY FOR LOVE
IS GREATER THAN HIS OR HER ABILITY
TO COMPREHEND IT

SO ON Y2K
COMPUTERS MAY CRASH
BUT GOD'S LOVE
AND GOD'S WORD
WILL GO ON
AS IF IT NEVER HAPPENED


f. a. vollmer