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If we are currently ruling and reigning with Christ as the preterist claim, what happens at when our personal vital signs drop to zero, physical death? Do we just continue to rule and reign without skipping a beat? Why and for what purpose would we experience this physical death? Why have a physical experience at all after claiming our rights to reign?
Paul explained that like this:
19 For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ,
20 According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death.
21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
22 But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour: yet what I shall choose I wot not.
23 For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better:
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Nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you.
25 And having this confidence,
I know that I shall abide and continue with you all for your furtherance and joy of faith;
26 That your rejoicing may be more abundant in Jesus Christ for me by my coming to you again.
27 Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;
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And in nothing terrified by your adversaries: which is to them an evident token of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that of God.
29 For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake;
Notice....Kingdom service and Kingdom living also has suffering included.
In what ways from a Biblical perspective are we ruling and reigning?
We are as God's witnesses and mouthpiece as we now have the complete word of God to go to war with in the Spirits power. The Nt is loaded with instruction that shows how many of the Ot prophecies are being fulfilled by us right now!
for example.....
2 And it shall come to pass
in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.
3 And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths:
for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
4 And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.
Jesus reigns from the Heavenly Jerusalem...that is the Mountain of the Lord.
Earthly Jerusalem is no longer the Holy Place...it has been desolated....
The church is instructed to :
10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;
11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
12 Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.
13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.
14 Do all things without murmurings and disputings:
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That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, i
n the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;
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Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain
The prophets such as Isaiah, Ezekiel and Jeremiah were given a commission, when were preterists given their commission?
In mT 28...what more do we need...All authority belongs to Jesus He was sent by The Father.....now we are sent with the full revelation of God's law word, to all the nations as God so loved the world that He gave His Son...for everyone believing worldwide. Eph 4-5 speak of the same Kingdom instruction.Much of the teaching comes from the teaching given to Ot Israel.
Here is Zech 8...quoted by Paul in Eph 4.--- If you take your dispensational spectacles off for one minute you will see it-
8 Again the word of the Lord of hosts came to me, saying,
2 Thus saith the Lord of hosts; I was jealous for Zion with great jealousy, and I was jealous for her with great fury.
3 Thus saith the Lord; I am returned unto Zion, and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and Jerusalem shall be called a city of truth; and the mountain of the Lord of hosts the holy mountain.
4 Thus saith the Lord of hosts; There shall yet old men and old women dwell in the streets of Jerusalem, and every man with his staff in his hand for very age.
5 And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in the streets thereof.
6 Thus saith the Lord of hosts; If it be marvellous in the eyes of the remnant of this people in these days, should it also be marvellous in mine eyes? saith the Lord of hosts.
7 Thus saith the Lord of hosts; Behold, I will save my people from the east country, and from the west country;
8 And I will bring them, and they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God, in truth and in righteousness.
9 Thus saith the Lord of hosts; Let your hands be strong, ye that hear in these days these words by the mouth of the prophets, which were in the day that the foundation of the house of the Lord of hosts was laid, that the temple might be built.
10 For before these days there was no hire for man, nor any hire for beast; neither was there any peace to him that went out or came in because of the affliction: for I set all men every one against his neighbour.
11 But now I will not be unto the residue of this people as in the former days, saith the Lord of hosts.
12 For the seed shall be prosperous; the vine shall give her fruit, and the ground shall give her increase, and the heavens shall give their dew; and I will cause the remnant of this people to possess all these things.
13 And it shall come to pass, that as ye were a curse among the heathen, O house of Judah, and house of Israel; so will I save you, and ye shall be a blessing: fear not, but let your hands be strong.
14 For thus saith the Lord of hosts; As I thought to punish you, when your fathers provoked me to wrath, saith the Lord of hosts, and I repented not:
15 So again have I thought in these days to do well unto Jerusalem and to the house of Judah: fear ye not.
16 These are the things that ye shall do; Speak ye every man the truth to his neighbour; execute the judgment of truth and peace in your gates:
17 And let none of you imagine evil in your hearts against his neighbour; and love no false oath: for all these are things that I hate, saith the Lord.
3 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;
24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
25 Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another.
26 Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:
What is the extent of their commission? If they are asked a question from one of their constituents, can they get their wisedom from the King in person, face to face?
Yes,they can by attending to the word preached,and seeking God's face in prayer and bible study
After all, did not John describe the savior as he returns, what he looks like and what he is doing? Could they not approach the throne of Jesus to make inquiries?
Jesus in Matt 19 told the apostles that in the restoration they would be sitting on 12 thrones judging the 12 tribes of Israel. According to preterist the 12 tribes do no longer exist but are instead the church. So are the preterist now ruling and reigning with Christ or are they assisting the apostles on their thrones? And since Israel is in the mind of the preterist the new improved Israel and that they, all of them are ruling and reigning, just exactly who is left besides unbelievers to reign over?
We are still the early church...there is no shortage of unbelievers.:thumbs: