Do you know how rare today is your understanding of this?
What a pleasure and a privilege to engage in this with you.
Unless. . .Revelation is figurative rather than literal, and in Revelation 20
the "millennium" is figurative for the church age, and
the "first resurrection" is figurative for the resurrection of our spirits from eternal death into eternal life in the new birth, and
the millennial "reign of Christ" with his "resurrected saints" is figurative for the
born-again (resurrected into eternal life) church reigning with Christ now in the church age (Ephesians 1:20-23, Ephesians 2:6). . .
all in agreement with NT teaching.
Unless. . .Revelation is figurative rather than literal, and in Revelation 20 the "millennium" is figurative for the church age.
You've stolen my thunder. In context of 'amillennialism' I was already considering the first resurrection being the 'resurrection' of our souls from being dead in sin. The thrones of Rev 20, being the seats where we sit in heavenly places. The souls of them absent from the body being under or before the altar of God (Rev 6:9), which is in the temple of God, which is in heaven waiting to be opened for all to see. (Rev 11:19)
There is the temple of God and body of Christ on earth in natural bodies, and there is the temple and body of Christ in heaven waiting for the resurrection of the body, to be in the likeness of Christ's resurrection.
Also, them beheaded for the witness of Jesus, being all in the first resurrection, cannot be all physical, because not all the dead in Christ were beheaded as Paul.
Beheaded is only used in Rev 20, to speak of the manner of death of the saint in Christ: it is from the double-headed axe used of old for sacrifice to God. Beheading the old man of sin by the Word of God:
For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.
The chain (alusis) binding Satan is that which destroys (lusis) the works of the devil: the Word of God and manifestation of the Son of God (1 John 3:8). The two-edged sword of the Spirit either looses the believer from sin, or chains the unrepentant to their sins. It is by the same Word of Scripture that we pull down Satan from being the prince and power of the air around us on earth, to defeat his temptation and shut him up, even as Jesus did in the wilderness, which is where His church is in the world that lies in wickedness. (Rev 12)
The beast that makes war with the saints by the power and authority of the dragon (Rev 13) is ministerial warfare, because the weapons of our warfare are not carnal (2 Cor 10:4) (Eph 6:12). Such beasts as Paul fought in Ephesus (1 Cor 15:32), when they had him stoned for preaching the gospel of Jesus. They are false christs and antichrists that minister in the name of Jesus, but after the manner of men (Mark 10:41-44) and not for the glory of God and good of the saints (2 Cor 2:17)(1 Thess 2:13), many of which have already gone out from the apostles' doctrine (Acts 15:24)(1 John 2:19), purposely mishandling the Word (2 Cor 4:2)(1 John 1:1), to deceive even the elect if possible. (Matthew 24:24)
In Revelation the spiritual manifestation of all ministry of Scripture is revealed: it is the crown of Christ, where all Scriptures are the jewels necessary for interpretation of all prophesy of Scripture.
Whether it be to openly show the spiritual wickedness in high places from the depths of Satan, or to prophesy the spiritual glory of the everlasting gospel as preached from the midst of heaven.
This is what is overlooked by them that do not read prophecy, as you say, through the lens of NT teaching of Scripture. From chapter 5 through 19, it's all just 'end times' debates about Jews vs other nations of the earth, with beasts rising up in carnal warfare.
However, I believe there are two distinct places in Revelation that must be taken literally: the two dead witnesses in chapter 11, and the armies gathered at Armageddon to make war with the Lamb at His 2nd coming in the air. (Heb 9:28)(Rev 17:14, 19:16)
The resurrection of the saints is wedded to the Lord's appearing and coming as lightning, which Scripture assures us will be seen by them on
this earth, even as Enoch prophesied. (Matthew 24:27-30)(Acts 1:11)(Jude 1:14)(Rev 1:7)
That must happen, else there is no literal truth of Scripture; therefore, it has to literally happen in that manner.