Whenever a person believes the resurrections take place, it is clear from Rev 20:5 that there is 1000 years between them. The dead and the "rest of the dead".
They had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
In Matthew 24:30,31...
30 "Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory.[d] 31 And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.
This appears to integrate with Paul's take on the relationship between the coming of the Lord and the resurrection.
1 Cor 15;51,52 Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed
1Cor 15:20-23 But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him
2 Thess 2:2 Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers and sisters, 2 not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by the teaching allegedly from us—whether by a prophecy or by word of mouth or by letter—asserting that the day of the Lord has already come.
1 Thess 4:14-17 For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. According to the Lord's word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.
From the parrallel of these verses it seems that Paul saw the gathering at the coming of the Lord to involve a resurrection. IMO there is only one coming of the Lord. It is at the end of this age and commences the millenial reign. He comes "in the clouds", meaning, as I see it, "that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in Him". Paul is quite clear that the dead in Christ will rise first, and that we "who are alive and remain" will follow the dead in Christ and meet the Lord "in the air".
So what I see is Jesus returning immediatley after the tribulation of those days, at the last trumpet, surrounded by "ten thousands of ten thousands(see hebrews 12, myriads of angels and the spirits of righteous men made perfect). Those who are alive and remain follow immediately after. The "gathering of His elect" that Jesus speaks of is from "the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other".
All this is IMO the first resurrection of Rev 20:5. The "rest of the dead" will not rise until after the thousand years is over.
Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea. They went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them. The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
Notice the difference between "the four winds of the heavens" and "the four corners of the earth". Where the "elect" and Gog/Magog are gathered.
11 Then I saw a great white throne and Him who 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, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.
Rev 2:14-16 for when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do the things in the law, these, although not having the law, are a law to themselves, who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them) in the day when God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ(Great White Throne), according to my gospel.
In My Opinion the first resurrection is for the overcomers in Christ-it is the resurrection of the reward of the righteous(Philippians 3:7-14). Everyone else follows after in the second resurrection and there are several categories of judgment in it which is the Great White throne judgment- for everyone who rises in the second resurrection, after the 1000 years are done when death and the grave and the sea give up their keep.
I realize all of this is figurative language to a great extent but I think there is some context that can be established through these verses. If "the dead in Christ rise first" and those who remain alive "follow after" and are "gathered together" to "meet the Lord in the air" and shal thus "ever be with the Lord"- then IMO the context of all these other things like the shout, the trumpet, the "clouds", the "gathering" are all speaking of the first resurrection at the beginning of the millenial reign. Peace :o)
Topic: Prophecy (Read 80302 times)