Featured Who Populates the Millennial Kingdom?

The point he is making is that in Revelation 20, in the First Resurrection, those raised from the dead are said to "reign with Christ one thousand years." This sets a time limit for a specific reign. In regards to the Sovereignty of God that is an Eternal Reign, so the time limit must identify that particular period. This period precedes the Eternal State, where we know that God will be all in all.


God bless.

 

And I would agree that our resurrection from the dead, which takes place at salvation, is literal. We were literally dead, and literally raised again in the spiritual, in the eternal sense.

But the First Resurrection is a physical resurrection, and seeing that they reign one thousand years implies they are not just bodily raised, as Lazarus, but glorified. It is true that the Old Testament Prophecy concerning the Kingdom promised long lifespans, but glorification is the likely view. Even if we took the position they were only raised physically, and had to wait until the Great White Throne to be glorified, it still does not meet the standard of Rapture teaching which has the entire Church, both dead and living, glorified at the same time.

I would agree in part, the Eternal Declaration of our completed salvation is evident, such as Paul saying we have been glorified in the past tense.

But, Paul's statement that we are seated with Christ speaks of all believers, not just Martyrs. Not all Christians are martyrs.

And the First Resurrection is exclusive to the Tribulation itself, because it is in that time men will be forced to take the mark of the Beast. So even if one took the view that the mark was figurative for the evil men think (forehead) and the evil men do (hand), we still see an exclusive group resurrected, that is...martyrs.


God bless.

 

This is actually an argument that some who believe salvation can be lost use. The general principle is that when "eternal" or "everlasting" salvation is clearly the result of belief, they try to make this simply mean a long time, not that it means it is itself eternal.

But we can see that it's meaning is usually defined in the context it is used.


Ephesians 2:6-7

King James Version (KJV)

6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:

7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.


The links show the separation of the words the words "in" "the ages" "to come." Our being seated with Christ is now, contrasted with the riches of His grace shown to us, which we enjoy now, but that which we will see will exceed our current position, which is not a physical seating with Christ, but yet just the Eternal Declaration. Just as Paul states we have been glorified, yet we are still in unredeemed flesh.

Now we can expand the context of Paul's statement by backing up, where we see...


Ephesians 1:17-21

King James Version (KJV)

17 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:

18 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,

19 And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,

20 Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,

21 Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:


Now we restore the progression of Paul's teaching:


Ephesians 2:6-7

King James Version (KJV)

6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:

7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.


In view is not just a matter of our position in Christ now, but that which shall come. Again we see that there is an age to come. We can see this have an application to the Eternal State ultimately, but, we still have to deal with the Prophecy we have been given, which speaks of an age/period/era which will last one thousand years. If that is viewed as simply a reference to "a long time," then we still have to deal with the exclusivity of Martyrs being raised.


God bless.

 

Nowhere does Scripture teach that the Son of God laid aside His glory, but rather that His Glory was veiled when He manifested in human flesh. Not as taught in the popular teaching of the Kinosis, which teaches that the Son "emptied Himself of that glory, that implies a setting aside of Deity. That glory remained, though veiled in human flesh, which the writer of Hebrews calls the "veil." That veil separated man from God, and only by going through the veil could men come into His presence.

Christ was fully God and fully Man.

Same way they did here:


John 20:26-27

King James Version (KJV)

26 And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you.

27 Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing.


Christ was still God, still in the flesh He took upon Himself, yet raised in glorified form.

That is how He will return.

I would agree this is the Godhead, but let's not forget that God also visited men on a number of occasions where He also took on human form. He met with Abraham on the Plains of Mamre, for example.

We are not talking about God changing, but how God ministered to men differently.

We do see a change in ministry when He veiled His glory in the Incarnation. While the Lord had previously taken on human form to interact with men, this time that form was specifically created that He might die in that body and be raised from the dead in that Body. That same body He took up residence in is at this time the same body He was raised in.

That isn't "God changing," simply God ministering in a way in which prior to the Incarnation He had not.

We distinguish between God in His Eternal Godhead and God stepping into our universe. The Son is Eternal, but the Christ has a point in time when He came into existence...in this realm, the physical universe. He is not the "eternally begotten Son," but by His own Word He has made it clear that there was a day in which He would be begotten, and that took place, whereby God stepped out of Eternity into our sphere for the specific purpose of dying for our sin.

Abraham prophesied this:


Genesis 22:8

King James Version (KJV)

8 And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.


God bless.

 

While I am not dogmatic about it, I think the Martyrs in view are those killed during the Tribulation, based on the surrounding text. It is given at the end of the tribulation, with correlation to the beast:


Revelation 20

King James Version (KJV)

1 And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.

2 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,

3 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.

4 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.

5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.


Only in this Age do we see the witness of Jesus, which begin after the Holy Ghost in the Ministry of Comforter had come:


Acts 1:8

King James Version (KJV)

8 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 Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.


It is possible that one might consider all saints that have been martyred throughout history, but I take the position that only Tribulation Martyrs are in view. And while the Pre-Tribulation Rapture is rejected my many, the view I take has all martyrs, as well as those who were not martyrs, resurrected in the Rapture of the Church prior to the beginning of the Tribulation.

Revelation simply does not have a resurrection which fits the terms of the teaching concerning the Rapture of the Church. It can't be the First Resurrection, because the physically living saints are not glorified at this time. That then denies the general resurrection of the Great White Throne, because no mention of the unjust is in view in the Rapture. We could consider the Mid=Tribulation view, and speculate the Church is Raptured when the Two Witnesses are, but again, only those two seem to be in view.


God bless.

 

In regards to the resurrections, again we distinguish between spiritual and bodily resurrection in regards to the saints. They are two distinctly different resurrections.


God bless.

 

Yes, contrived.

Inarguably.

Read the post again and you will see that.

I stand from the pinnacle of the Word of God.

You shout up to me with the opinions of men.

1 John 1

King James Version (KJV)

1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life;

My source is better.

My point exactly.

No, I do not need to read Polycarp when I can read inspired Scripture.

No, actually it does not.

You need to learn to separate the difference of the weight of what God speaks and what men speak.

Misinterpreting what someone else says in a post is not a technique, it is an error.

And when I do that I apologize.




God bless.

 

It is not boasting...no word of men can be equated to the Word of God.

Your post is based on error, and you do not even know why. You compound the error because your pride has been wounded, and I can assure you, if you persist in this attitude you will be defeating what you should be here to do.

Reread the post you took issue with and understand your error. I am willing to let it go for your sake, but you force me to point out that error if you persist in this contrived argument that looks to men to make a point.

And men are always going to fail.


God bless.

 

And you appealed to Polycarp.

Here is the exchange:

Your first error is in not recognizing that you...

...were not in view.

As I said, go back and read it.

The contrived argument here is that the quote does not say "...the Apostles were pre-millennial." It speaks of a singular Apostle and those who learned from him.

And there you go, I am repeating the same thing I have already said, and the only thing that will change is your understanding of the context of the statement.

You speak of ego on my part, yet it is your ego that seems to be the focus here.

I tried to alert you to the fact that you were in error.

Do you see it now?

And did you not contrive to point out my own error? lol

How's that working out for you?


God bless.