Featured God's word [and] Dispensationalism

The following Scriptures are why I left [Edited] Dispensationalism [Edited]
("Church" is not a biblical word, it is an eccesiastical word. The Scripture is "assembly" or "congregation")

Promises made to Israel have been totally, completely fulfilled:
Josh. 21:43-45; 23:14-16; Neh. 9:22-25; 2 Chron. 9:26; 1 Kgs 4:20,21 compared to Gen. 15:18

The Jewish theocracy has been brought to an end:
Matt. 21:43; Luke 20:16; John 4:21,23

God's people are only one people:
Rom. 10:12,13; 2:28,29; Eph.2:15,16; Col. 3:11; 1 Cor.12:13; Gal.3:7-9; Phil.3:3

The Congregation of Christ (New Covenant believers) is true Israel continued:
1 Pet. 2:9,10 (see Ex 19:6; Dt. 7:6; Isa. 61:6); Gal. 6:15,16; Heb. 12:18, 22-24
(The Assembly of Christ did not replace Israel, it is Israel continued.)

OT Prophecies fulfilled in the New Covenant, Congregation of Christ:
Joel 2:28 >> Acts 2:16,17
2 Sam 7:12 & Psa.132.11 >> Acts 2:30,21
Zech.12:9,10 >> John 19:36,37
Amos 9:11,12 >> Acts 15:13-16
Jer. 31:31,33 >> Heb. 8:1, 4, 6-8
Mal. 4:5,6 >> Lk 1:17; Matt. 11:13, 14
Acts 3:24, 25
1 Pet. 1:10-12

The kingdom arrived in the 1st century, exists now:
Matt.4:17/Mk 1:15; Matt. 12:28; 16:28; Lk 11:20; 17:20,21; Col. 1:13

Christ is King now:
John 12:14-16; 1:49; Matt. 2:2; Lk 1:32,33; Acts 1:5; 2:30,31; 1 Tim. 6:15

Christ reigns now:
1 Pet. 3:22; Heb. 2:8; Phil. 2:9, 10; Eph. 1:20,21; Matt. 28:18

Christians are new creation and reign now:
Rom. 5:17; 8:17; 2 Cor. 5:17; Eph. 2:6

Satan is bound now:
Matt. 12:28,29; Lk 10:17, 18; John 12:27, 31; 16:11; Col. 2:14,15; Heb. 2:14; 1 John 3:8

The 1000 years of Revelation 20 is symbolic as in:
Psa. 50:10; 91:7; 105:8; Isa 30:17; 60:22
(KJV "signified" in Rev.1:1 means "symbolized" as John used it: John 12:33; 18:32; 21:19)

There is one general resurrection on "the last day":
John 6:39,40, 44, 54; 5:28,29; 11:24; Acts 24:15; 17:31,32

There is one general judgment, also on "the last day":
John 12:48; 2 Pet. 2:9; 3:7; 1 John 4:17; Rev. 20:12-15

Kingdom of God and Kingdom of heaven refer to the same thing:
Matt. 19:23,24... then the following parallels from the synoptic gospels:
Matt. 4:;17, 23 >> Mk 1:14, 15
Matt. 5:3 >> Lk 6:20
Matt. 8:11, 12 >> Lk 13:28,29
Matt. 13:11 >> Mk 4:11

Time of the second coming of Christ unknown, no signs given:
Matt. 24:36,44; Acts 1:7; 1 Thess. 5:1, 2
Rev. 16:15 (v15 appears to be a parenthesis between v14 & 16)

Examples of symbolic, apocalyptic language in the OT:
God in clouds - Isa. 19:1; Nah. 1:3; Psa. 104:3
Sky, sun, moon, stars - Isa. 13:1, 10, 19, 20; 34:4, 5; Eze. 32:2, 7, 8
Hail, fire, brimesone - Ex. 9:18; Psa. 18:12, 13; Isa. 28:1,2
Earthquakes - 2 Sam. 22:1, 7-16
Smokes forever - Isa 24:5, 10
Water into blood - Ex. 4:9; 7:17
Darkness - Ex. 10:21; Dt. 4:11
Famine & pestilence - Jer. 14:12
A 'seal' - Esth. 8:8; 2 Tim. 2:19
A 'mark' - Jer. 2:22

I will discuss sane questions or challenges, only.

 

James, thanks for giving me a serious question and I struggled for many years on this passage and must say my viewpoint is theoretical. When the great Puritan Matthew Poole says on this: " For my own part, I shall freely confess that I do not understand this and the two next verses, nor shall I be positive as to any sense of them: for the spiritual resurrection, as to the martyrs, it was long since past, or else they had died in their sins" I hold to the best understanding I can muster. You can read Poole's full comment here: Revelation 20 Commentary - English Annotations on the Holy Bible

I approach the symbolism of Revelation understanding that the literal, more clear passages of Scripture must form the structure around which the symbols must fit. I take note that it is "the souls of them" on the thrones, not bodies. I also notice that when thrones are mentioned in the Revelation, they are in heaven. I also notice that this is referred to as "the first resurrection", but that is not contrasted with a second resurrection, but with "a second death", v6. For these reasons I can't believe this speaks of a bodily resurrection after which the thrones are on earth for 1000 years. The persons are those beheaded for the witness of Jesus, so they are not just Christians in general. I believe these persons are those mentioned in Rev. 6:9-11.

I am convinced that the scholars are correct that Revelation was written prior to 70AD. The book gives its time frame, Rv.1:1 "to show his servants1 what must soon take place", Rv.1:3 " keep what is written in it; for the time is near." and it is repeated for emphasis at the end, Rv.22:6 " to show his servants what must soon take place" and Rv.22:10 "Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near". There is no way I can view chapters prior to 20 to be our future with those timings given.

As to what the 1000 years represent, I believe the following is Scriptural: Rv.20:2 shows the 1000 years begin with the binding of Satan. Go back to my notes and look at the verses of when Satan was bound and it is at Christ's first advent. Therefore, I am convinced in my mind that the 1000 represents the period between the first and second advents of Christ. The problem text you mention in v5 is indeed difficult, I admit that. I will give you what my favorite commentary has on it, by David Scott Clark:

"In verse five we find the expression, "But the rest of the dead lived not (again) until the thousand years were finished." This expression is not found in some manuscripts notably the Vatican and Syriac. But assuming that it is a genuine part of our text it will come up for some reference as we proceed. These six verses have been the subject of much debate in the controversies over this book. We will notice a few variant views.
1st. The premillennial view assumes that the nineteenth chapter describes the second coming of Christ and that these six verses teach that all the righteous dead will be resurrected and live on the earth during the thousand years, and the wicked dead will not be resurrected till the thousand years are ended. Then at the end of the postmillennial period they will be resurrected and brought to judgment as described in the end of this chapter which is a judgment of the wicked only according to the premillennialist. The difficulties in this view are these:
(a) It contradicts everything taught elsewhere in the Bible about the resurrection and the judgment. It contradicts Christ's repeated declarations that the resurrection is at the last day, and the judgment of the righteous at the last day. It contradicts Christ's teaching in Joh 5:28 that the just and unjust are raised at the same time, one resurrection for all that are in their graves.
It contradicts the teaching of Christ in Mat 25:31 that when Christ comes then will ensue the general judgment and the assignment of destiny to the righteous and wicked.
It contradicts the closing part of this twentieth chapter where we see all the dead, small and great, coming from their graves and from the bottom of the sea and standing before God in one general judgment.
(b) It makes this obscure passage a key to interpret the plain portions elsewhere, whereas the true rule is that the obscure must be interpreted by the obvious.
(c) This view is supposed to be strengthened by the statement: "The rest of the dead lived not again till the thousand years were finished." But even the premillennialist would not be ready to admit that the wicked dead were actually resurrected at the end of the thousand years, and actually "lived" during the post-millennial period, which his literal interpretation would seem to require.
(d) Besides, the premillennial view makes the resurrection precede the "Tribulation," and therefore should show us the resurrection at the beginning of the fourth chapter (and not a line of it is there) instead of at the beginning of the twentieth chapter.
If this is a living of resurrected saints on earth, what becomes of them at the end of the thousand years? Do they die again? or ascend again? To this, premillennialism has no answer.
Besides if the end of the chapter describes only the resurrection and judgment of the wicked, what provision is made for the resurrection of all the righteous who were born and lived in the millennial and post-millennial periods? And for this also premillennialism has no answer.
These difficulties seem fatal to the premillennial view.
2nd. Another view held by Saint Augustine, by Dr. David Brown, a great authority on the subject, and by Dr. A. H. Strong, the great theologian of the Baptist church, is to the effect that the reigning saints are the triumphant church on earth in the millennial period.
The Christian cause or body that was smitten with the sword and burned in the persecutor's fire, will rise to triumph and domination in the millennial days. That is the resurrection, it is the resurrection of the cause, or party or church of Christ. It will rise to power and rule the world while the Satan party or serpent party will be overcome. But when the thousand years are finished that Satan-party will rise again to live and fight and persecute the church in the post-millennial period as this chapter depicts.
This view brings out the antithesis expressed in these verses. The saint-party rose and lived, the serpent-party also rose and lived. No bodily resurrection in either case; that occurs at the end when the dead small and great stand before God.
3rd. The view honored by the names of Prof. C. A. Briggs and Prof. B. B, Warfield is that this vision shows the saints and martyrs in heaven. It was meant to show that the redeemed are in heaven safe from all the persecutions that raged below, and that John wrote this to encourage the church facing the persecution of that and subsequent times. It would nerve them to faithfulness to see the glory of the martyr when the persecutor's sword had done its worst. It was not meant to show the raising of bodies, but the raising of souls to their heavenly home. This is the first resurrection, the entrance upon heavenly joys, and the second resurrection is the bodily resurrection of all the dead at the end of the world.

It should not pass without notice that the heavenly scene reflects the earthly. The reason why the saints rejoiced in heaven was because the church on earth was triumphant. They were judged and avenged by the destruction of the persecutors and the binding of Satan, but that meant that the church on earth was regnant. If the millennium means anything it means the triumph of Christ's cause on earth. Thus Christ's cause and people were dominant during the thousand years, and Satan's allies were subdued till the thousand years were ended, and after that they rose to power again. This may express the antithesis between the saints that lived and reigned and the rest that lived not till the thousand years were finished, and then they did live and rose to their old time power and persecution."

I believe chapters 4-11 detail the lead up to 70AD, and chapters 12-19 show events leading up to the overthrow of Rome. Sorry for such a long answer, but I felt you were sincere and it deserved my time in an answer. Thanks!

 

James, the promises to Israel I referenced were about the statements in Joshua and keyed this back to Gen. 15:18, speaking of the land promised to Israel. Scripture says it was fulfilled, nothing failed. Matt. 3:2, 12:28, 8:11 seem clear enough, the kingdom of God had come at the first advent, like a mustard seed, it started out small. In Acts 1:6, Christ refused to answer the question, so in light of 1 Cor. 4:6, I'll not read into it more than what is stated. But, your reference to Matt. 13:41 I find very interesting and I'll quote it more fully:

"He answered, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man; the field is the world, and the good seed are the children of the kingdom; the weeds are the children of the evil one, and the enemy who sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. Just as the weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers, and they will throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." (Matt 13:37-42, NRSV)

I do not see a "rapture" of the saints being removed here, I see the evildoers are "raptured" here and removed from the kingdom.