L2J wrote:To my mind, these Scriptures seem to preclude a belief in a literal thousand year reign of Christ on the present earth because they show that on the day that Christ returns we have: 1) The resurrection, which removes from the earth all people, leaving no one to populate the earth. 2) The actual destruction of the present earth and heavens leaving no planet for non-glorified people to inhabit. 3) The abolishing of Death making it awfully hard to see how an infant could literally die at a hundred years, or anyone else, for that matter, and 4) the resurrection is said to occur on the last day leaving no more days at all, not to mention a thousand years.
To set out a whole possible time frame would take some time ---- time I'm not sure I want to invest since eschatology does not take a very high place in my list of spiritual priorities.
However, I will point out that John, in Revelation, does
not seem to see all of these things taking place at the coming of Christ. Rather he seems to teach a resurrection of the righteous at the beginning of the millenium, and a resurrection of "the rest" at the end of the millenium. He taught a "great white throne" judgment of "the rest" at the end of the millenium. Other scriptures teach a judgment of those who will be raised to life when Christ comes (before millenium). In any case, let's examine a passage where John, in his vision, saw these events separated by 1000 years:
In his vision (19:11-16), John sees Christ coming on a white horse to make war against His enemies, those who had put the saints to death. There's no doubt in my mind, that what John saw represents the second coming of Christ.
19:17-21 describes how the armies of the beast and the kings of the earth gather to make war against Christ, and how the beast and the false prophet are captured, and how they are cast alive into the lake of fire, and how Christ puts to death the rest of His enemies with a word (the sword which proceeds from his mouth).
20:1-3 states that Satan is cast into “the bottomless pit” and bound for a thousand years
20:4 And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. NKJV
In his vision, John saw that those who had died then “lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years”. Many translators correctly understand that they “came to life” and so translate it (NIV, NASB, RSV, ESV, Philips). If we are now living in the millennium, in what sense are we “reigning with Christ”? It seems to me that we have little authority on this earth. Others have their way, permitting and protecting the practices of infanticide (“partial birth abortions”), homosexual marriages, etc.
Not only so, but we haven’t died yet. The ones John saw in his vision who would rule and reign with Christ were those who were beheaded for their witness to Jesus.
Some may think that the reference is to the martyrs, who have died over the centuries, for their witness to Jesus. They think the martyrs are now ruling and reigning (as disembodied spirits) with the resurrected Christ in the heavenlies. If that is the case, over whom are they ruling and reigning? Are they ruling and reigning over the Christ's disciples, those of His Kingdom who are alive here on earth? Are your deceased Christian relatives ruling and reigning over you?
We read that Christ is the first-born from the dead, and the first-born of many brethren. Surely it is with these resurrected brethren that He will reign, not with disembodied spirits.
20:5 But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
20:6 Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.
In his vision, John saw that the rest of the dead lived again at the end of the thousand years. This appears to be a resurrection to life of these ones at the end on the millennium. If so, then this is a pretty strong indication that those whom John saw as beheaded in his vision, and who would live and reign with Christ for a thousand years, also experienced a resurrection prior to the millennium (when Christ returned).
This is the first resurrection. (vs5). Because this sentence immediately follows “But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished,” suggests at first sight that the first resurrection refers to “the rest of the dead”. But it doesn’t. It refers back to those who lived (came to life) and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. This is made clear in the following verse (vs 6). So if that is specified as “the first resurrection,” then there must be a second resurrection. The second is doubtless the resurrection of those who “did not live again until the thousand years were finished.”
