Your quite right. Those personal attacks were unwarranted by that particular poster.
I don't remember exactly what Zenas said. Nevertheless I believe that my position can be adequately defended. I take the Bible literally and avoid allegorization. A thousand years means a thousand years. If you disagree with me on eschatology that is your prerogative, but it doesn't change the fact that there are still three judgements.
Your disagreement with me is all based on one thing--your rejection of pre-millennialiism.
First consider the time-line.
In 1Thes.4, the rapture occurs.
1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
--This same event is the resurrection. It happens before the Tribulation.
After that the Man of Sin shall be revealed.
2 Thessalonians 2:3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
2 Thessalonians 2:4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
--This is the Antichrist, and signals the beginning of the Seven year tribulation, which is described in the Book of Revelation from chapters 6 through 19. Note well there are no believers in the Tribulation period. They have all been raptured. They have been taken out of the way. This is a period of God's wrath upon the unbelievers of this world
At the end of seven years, Christ will come in his glory with his holy angels. He will come for the nation of Israel. At that time Israel will look to him and be saved.
Romans 11:26 And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:
Revelation 1:7 Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.
Revelation 19:16 And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.
Revelation 19:19 And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army.
Revelation 19:20 And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.
Go back one chapter. What precipitated such?
Revelation 18:20 Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her.
God was taking vengeance on the enemies of Israel.
After the Coming of Christ, He will set up his Kingdom.
Revelation 20:4 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.
Before entering into that Kingdom, a judgment will take place. remember that the Tribulation has just taken place.
Remember that all the believers were in heaven with Christ.
Remember that only the Jews and unbelievers went through the Tribulation.
Remember that Christ promised to come for the Jews; he promised to David that he would save (keep) a remnant for David's sake.
The Jews did turn to Christ.
What about the rest of these nations, all composed of unbelievers.
Thus we have the judgment of the nations.
Matthew 25:31-32 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:
32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:
Note how this takes place right after his coming for the Jews, and right before he sits on his throne, in the MK
The sheep are those nations which have been good to "his brethren", the Jews which he has just come for.
The goats are those nations which have treated the Jews badly.
What are that attitudes of Islamic nations toward the Jews.
What are the attitudes of the U.S. and Canada toward the Jews.
These are the ones which are allowed into the Kingdom, but does not give them automatically salvation, only salvation from a death sentence right there and then. We will see later, at the end of a thousand years that many of them will rebel anyway.
Revelation 20:7-9 And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.
You don't deal with time.
While the Tribulation is happening on earth, the judgment for believers is happening in heaven--the bema seat of Christ.
At the end of the Thousand years Satan is let loose. There is one last revolt. Satan's army is destroyed. And then is the final judgment:
Revelation 20:11-15 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
These judgments can hardly take place all at once.
, I do think having a view, based on study and reading support for and against the major views, is helpful.