Sun, moon, stars

[Zao is life]

It seems to me, according to what you have said in other posts in this thread or maybe a different one, you are applying this to the time involving Matthew 24:29 when I would think it fits with the time involving Matthew 24:15-26 better. Keeping in mind, verses 29 is meaning after verses 15-26 have been fulfilled. What fits during verse 29 is God's wrath. Which brings up another point. Obviously, what is recorded in verse 29 isn't to be taken literally, which means Preterists can't argue, since it is not meaning literally, this proves this verse is being applied to events involving the 1st century. No it doesn't.

Since it's not meaning literally that means it can apply to the end of this age if it can apply to the first century. Context determines where to apply it. And part of that context is verse 30. If one applies verse 29 to the first century, but in reality verse 30 is meaning His 2nd coming in the end of this age, that places a 2000 year gap into the mix, which of course is unreasonable. Preterists then have no choice but to conclude verse 30 is involving a coming 2000 years ago based on their interpretation of verse 29. I get that, and that would be fine if verse 30 actually applies to 2000 years ago, except it obviously doesn't. Or at least it is obvious to most of us.

I do agree, but not because Matthew 24 on its own places what we read 1,900+ years later, but because Paul places the return of Christ at the time of the resurrection from the dead of those who sleep in Christ and the rest who are alive being changed and caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air - and this is after the apostasy and man of sin seating himself up in the church which Paul says will be the sign of the Lord's imminent coming.

And since the Lord gave the great tribulation of the elect as the sign of His imminent coming in Matthew 24, and Revelation also does the same, the rest of the New Testament interprets the Olivet Discourse and Matthew 24 especially (not the other way around).

Paul was far more informed than any of the rest of us and he did not speak ambiguously about when the resurrection will occur and he also did not speak ambiguously about the apostasy and man of sin occurring very soon before the coming of Christ.

 

[parousia70]

That's no Jesus appearing in the clouds. It's Stephen being given a vision of heaven. His 'spiritual eyes' were opened for that brief period before his death.

And Yet He saw Jesus appearing in the clouds....
You say no, Jesus did not appear in the clouds for Stephen to see.
Stephen says. "There He is, I see Him"

When faced with accepting which of these two polar opposite views is true and correct, that of Stephen or that of you, my money is on Steve.

You really change the meaning of so much stuff you read in scripture that it's impossible to debate with you about it.

Its a plain reading of scripture.
Stephen Looked up to heaven and SAW Jesus Appearing.
It happened.

Fulfilling this:

9 Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. 10 And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, 11 who also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.”

 

[Zao is life]

And Yet He saw Jesus appearing in the clouds....
You say no, Jesus did nto appear int he clouds for Stephen to see.

When faced with accepting which of these two polar opposite views is true and correct, that of Stephen or that of you, my money is on Steve.



Its a plain reading of scripture.
Stephen Looked up to heaven and SAW Jesus Appearing.
It happened.

Fulfilling this:

9 Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. 10 And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, 11 who also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.”

Your implication in the above that the apostles who saw Jesus ascending saw Him standing in heaven at the right hand of the Father isn't helping your case at all.

 

[Hammster]

No, to say that nowhere in scripture does it say the beast will overcome the church and scatter the power of the holy people is a shocking and willful denial of scripture for the sake of faithfulness to a man-made doctrine in my opinion.

The gospel conquers, and has conquered, and has been conquering, because it conquers hearts and minds.

And why do you call Me Lord, Lord, and do not do what I say? Luke 6:46

Many will say to Me in that day, Lord! Lord! Did we not prophesy in Your name, and through Your name throw out demons, and through Your name do many wonderful works?

And then I will say to them I never knew you! Depart from Me, those working lawlessness! Matthew 7:22-23.

Does Jesus reign now in the hearts and minds of those who believe in Him but do not submit to His authority?

Does He reign in the hearts and minds now of those who do not believe in Him and do not submit to His authority?

Matthew 7
21 Not everyone who says to Me, Lord! Lord! shall enter the kingdom of Heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in Heaven.
22 Many will say to Me in that day, Lord! Lord! Did we not prophesy in Your name, and through Your name throw out demons, and through Your name do many wonderful works?
23 And then I will say to them I never knew you! Depart from Me, those working lawlessness!

Post-millennialism ignores scripture, and it ignores reality.

Revelation 13
4 And they worshiped the dragon who gave authority to the beast. And they worshiped the beast, saying, Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with it?
5 And a mouth speaking great things was given to it, and blasphemies. And authority was given to it to continue forty-two months.
6 And it opened its mouth in blasphemy toward God, to blaspheme His name and His tabernacle, and those dwelling in Heaven.

7 And it was given to it to war with the saints and to overcome them. And authority was given to it over every tribe and tongues and nation.

7 And when they complete their testimony, the beast coming up out of the abyss will make war against them and will overcome them and kill them.

You will and have already clearly done what you want to with all the above scriptures, but the more you do this with the plain meaning of scripture for the sake of a man-made doctrine, the less you will have my ear (and no doubt, I'm not alone).

And this is not being abrasive or goading or trolling. I'm being honest regarding my opinion of what you said above about scripture "not teaching anywhere that the church will be overcome", while I still retain respect for you (and knowing that if Preterists have taught me some things, even Post-millennialists might have some good points).

But not this time.

@Hammster The power of the gospel is the Holy Spirit. Not humans. We are just the instruments. Paul said someone or something is retraining what is coming until He is taken out of the way. Whatever this is, it's restraining for now. God has pre-ordained the way things will continue until He brings an end to all rebellion and the day of the Great White Throne arrives.

But thanks, I now realize that Amillennialism has no major issue, though I do not believe in it, because Post-millennialism, in its denial of and changing of scripture is much much worse than what Amillennialists believe Premillennualism might be doing, and vice-versa.

Something that happened in the first century cannot then be used to say it will happen in the future. And Israel worshipping the beast isn’t indicative of anything that will happen in the future since, again, it’s first century.

 

[Zao is life]

Something that happened in the first century cannot then be used to say it will happen in the future. And Israel worshipping the beast isn’t indicative of anything that will happen in the future since, again, it’s first century.

If the beast was Rome Israel was hardly worshiping the beast. They were not receiving its/his mark or the number of its/his name. They had said "we have no king but Caesar" but they were not building an image.

I don't know. There is so much assuming and adding going on with the way you interpret the historical events of the first century.

70 A.D fulfilled what Daniel 9:26-27 and Jesus in the Olivet Discourse said about the destruction of city and temple. That's all. It did not fulfill what Paul later wrote in 1 and 2 Thessalonians (the resurrection and the man of sin and the apostasy), and it does not fulfill Revelation 11:1-2 's holy city or temple,

but yet if you add assumptions based on nothing but guesses, it will fit as neatly as you have it fitting (in your mind).

 

[DavidPT]

I do agree, but not because Matthew 24 on its own places what we read 1,900+ years later, but because Paul places the return of Christ at the time of the resurrection from the dead of those who sleep in Christ and the rest who are alive being changed and caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air - and this is after the apostasy and man of sin seating himself up in the church which Paul says will be the sign of the Lord's imminent coming.

And since the Lord gave the great tribulation of the elect as the sign of His imminent coming in Matthew 24, and Revelation also does the same, the rest of the New Testament interprets the Olivet Discourse and Matthew 24 especially (not the other way around).

Paul was far more informed than any of the rest of us and he did not speak ambiguously about when the resurrection will occur and he also did not speak ambiguously about the apostasy and man of sin occurring very soon before the coming of Christ.

And what makes things even a stronger case, is by comparing Matthew 24:15-31 with that of Daniel 12. Both record that there is an AOD involved, and during when that it is meaning it leads to a time of trouble, Matthew 24:21 calls it great tribulation. Then there is a deliverance from this time of trouble, which then leads to a resurrection of the dead at that time, this according to Daniel 12. Matthew 24:30-31 explain how the deliverance and resurrection occurs. Matthew 24:31 explaining the resurrection portion.

Based on the above, for the life of me I don't know how anyone can possibly think that Matthew 24:15-21 is involving the first century when Daniel 12 obviously isn't. And it's not just Preterists who insist Matthew 24:15-21 is involving the first century. Plenty of Amils who agree Matthew 24:30 involves the 2nd coming in the end of this age while insisting Matthew 24:15-21 is involving 2000 years ago, thus totally contradicting what is recorded in Daniel 12.

Daniel 12:11 And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days.

Clearly, this is involving what is recorded in verse 1 of this same chapter, that according to Matthew 24:15-21. If we apply Matthew 24:15-21 to the first century, that contradicts what is recorded in Daniel 12:2 in that case. Clearly, there was no resurrection of the dead as outlined in Daniel 12:2 that occurred in the first century. In this particular case, some interpreters apparently prefer to have Scriptures contradicting one another rather than ever admitting that their interpretations might not be correct after all.

 

[Zao is life]

Here's one source:
https://www1.cbn.com/how-christianity-growing-around-world
This story of Christianitys explosive growth is one of the great untold stories of our time -- a story that North American Christians need to hear.

And here's another:
Christian population by country (2020).
Of particular interest is the growth of Christianity in the largest country of the world by population: China. The percentage of the population adhering to Christianity has risen “from 0.1% in 1970 to 7.9% in 2010 and 10.6% in 2020.”

But again, this would be easy to disprove by simply pointing to a date in history when there were more Christians on earth than their are today, therby demonstrating your claim that it is presently on the decline globally.

What Date would that be exactly?

I'd say the global population is greater than at any point in history. The gospel will go out into all the world according to the will of God, but how many are following true Christianity and how many are mixing it with their ancestral religions is another story.

None of it means it's not going to come to a close at the time God has pre-ordained, when the faithful saints (the small remnant) are overcome on a global scale by a beast who rules on a global scale.

 

[Hammster]

If the beast was Rome Israel was hardly worshiping the beast. They were not receiving its/his mark or the number of its/his name. They had said "we have no king but Caesar" but they were not building an image.

I don't know. There is so much assuming and adding going on with the way you interpret the historical events of the first century.

70 A.D fulfilled what Daniel 9:26-27 and Jesus in the Olivet Discourse said about the destruction of city and temple. That's all. It did not fulfill what Paul later wrote in 1 and 2 Thessalonians (the resurrection and the man of sin and the apostasy), and it does not fulfill Revelation 11:1-2 's holy city or temple,

but yet if you add assumptions based on nothing but guesses, it will fit as neatly as you have it fitting (in your mind).

I think you are way off in thinking that Israel didn’t worship Rome/Caesar. “We have no king but Caesar”. Does that sound familiar??

 

[Zao is life]

I think you are way off in thinking that Israel didn’t worship Rome/Caesar. “We have no king but Caesar”. Does that sound familiar??

I mentioned that in my post. Maybe you never saw it.

I also mentioned the fact that there is no record of them worshiping an image of Caesar or anyone else, nor of them receiving his mark or the number of his name.

 

[Hammster]

I mentioned that in my post. Maybe you never saw it.

I also mentioned the fact that there is no record of them worshiping an image of Caesar or anyone else, nor of them receiving his mark or the number of his name.

Based on your misunderstanding, I’m sure that is correct.

 

[Zao is life]

And what makes things even a stronger case, is by comparing Matthew 24:15-31 with that of Daniel 12. Both record that there is an AOD involved, and during when that it is meaning it leads to a time of trouble, Matthew 24:21 calls it great tribulation. Then there is a deliverance from this time of trouble, which then leads to a resurrection of the dead at that time, this according to Daniel 12. Matthew 24:30-31 explain how the deliverance and resurrection occurs. Matthew 24:31 explaining the resurrection portion.

Based on the above, for the life of me I don't know how anyone can possibly think that Matthew 24:15-21 is involving the first century when Daniel 12 obviously isn't. And it's not just Preterists who insist Matthew 24:15-21 is involving the first century. Plenty of Amils who agree Matthew 24:30 involves the 2nd coming in the end of this age while insisting Matthew 24:15-21 is involving 2000 years ago, thus totally contradicting what is recorded in Daniel 12.

Daniel 12:11 And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days.

Clearly, this is involving what is recorded in verse 1 of this same chapter, that according to Matthew 24:15-21. If we apply Matthew 24:15-21 to the first century, that contradicts what is recorded in Daniel 12:2 in that case. Clearly, there was no resurrection of the dead as outlined in Daniel 12:2 that occurred in the first century. In this particular case, some interpreters apparently prefer to have Scriptures contradicting one another rather than ever admitting that their interpretations might not be correct after all.

Yes but the fleeing of Judea overlaps with both 2,000 years ago, but the reason they are told to flee or the sign they are told should tell them to flee (the AOD), does not.

Antiochus is the type of the man of sin. Daniel 11:36-37 and 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 make that clear. So I agree 100% with what you say above.

The beast of Daniel 7 is the same as Revelation's beast. But now I'm going off topic. So I better not paste the other two images I was about to.

 

[Timtofly]

First Post ascension appearance:

Acts 7:55-56
55 But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 56 “Look,” he said, “I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”

Second Post Ascension appearance:

Acts 9:3-6
3 As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven. 4 Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?”

5 And he said, “Who are You, Lord?”

Then the Lord said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads.”

6 So he, trembling and astonished, said, “Lord, what do You want me to do?”

Then the Lord said to him, “Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”

Side Note:
Both of these passages stand as fulfillments of Acts 1:11

"And the men which journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man."

 

[Timtofly]

And Yet He saw Jesus appearing in the clouds....
You say no, Jesus did not appear in the clouds for Stephen to see.
Stephen says. "There He is, I see Him"

When faced with accepting which of these two polar opposite views is true and correct, that of Stephen or that of you, my money is on Steve.

This would be proof that Jesus calls those out of the grave even before they step into that grave. The hour of Resurrection started with Lazarus, continued at the Cross, was evident with Stephen, and every time a redeemed soul leaves this dead corruptible flesh. At the Second Coming those alive and remaining will be called out of this body of death.

 

[claninja]

For someone who has not been sticking to the OP for the sake of winning an argument to be pointing the above out is quite comical, claninja.

@claninja This thread is not about genea. That's the other thread. This thread is about the metaphor in Matthew 24:29 (which I happen to agree is metaphor).

I was giving you my argument for how i determine whether Matthew 24:29 is literal or metaphorical. This includes 1.) how should genea be understood? (I wasn’t asking you to define it, nor to debate it) and 2.) does the Bible employ similar language else where in a metaphorical sense? This is not going outside of the scope of the OP.

@Hammster have I gone outside of the OP?

@Fullness of the Gentiles i still have no idea how your original question posed to me is relevant. How is my belief that it could occur again or not relevant to how i determine if Matthew 24:29 is literal or metaphorical? Can you clarify this?

 

[rwb]

I prefer to look at it from a biblical perspective. Christ’s kingdom will continue to grow until it fills the earth. It’s not a quick process. In fact, it’s likened to tree growth.

This is true. However, there comes a time in human history when the Kingdom is complete, because the Day of the Lord is upon the earth. The day of the Lord the prophets foretell is all coming to pass in this age. That is the age of Messiah, the age of the Gospel being proclaimed unto all the earth, and through the Gospel preached the Kingdom is being spiritually built through the power of the Spirit.

When the prophets of old foretell of the Day of the Lord coming, it becomes clear that day/age/time they foretell came when Christ came to earth a man. Joel especially shows us this. What we must remember is the Day of the Lord has an ending. It ends when the last trumpet sounds the return of Christ, and time is no more.

Revelation 10:5-7 (KJV) And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven, And sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer: But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets.

All the prophets foretell of this age as coming, but in the New Testament it is not written as an age coming, but rather as the Son of Man coming on A day, the last day, the Day of the Lord. Just because the wrath from the Almighty has not yet come, does not mean that all that the prophets and Christ foretell to come will not come. Of that day, when the Lord comes again, all that the prophets foretell shall be upon the earth. None will doubt, all will see, and when the wrath of God has finished and the earth made new again a new age will dawn without sin, and without death. It will be that eternal age that every believer longs for. So with patience we will wait and then we will see that what God has promised will come to pass.

Matthew 24:30-31 (KJV) And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

 

[Hammster]

This is true. However, there comes a time in human history when the Kingdom is complete, because the Day of the Lord is upon the earth. The day of the Lord the prophets foretell is all coming to pass in this age. That is the age of Messiah, the age of the Gospel being proclaimed unto all the earth, and through the Gospel preached the Kingdom is being spiritually built through the power of the Spirit.

When the prophets of old foretell of the Day of the Lord coming, it becomes clear that day/age/time they foretell came when Christ came to earth a man. Joel especially shows us this. What we must remember is the Day of the Lord has an ending. It ends when the last trumpet sounds the return of Christ, and time is no more.

Revelation 10:5-7 (KJV) And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven, And sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer: But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets.

All the prophets foretell of this age as coming, but in the New Testament it is not written as an age coming, but rather as the Son of Man coming on A day, the last day, the Day of the Lord. Just because the wrath from the Almighty has not yet come, does not mean that all that the prophets and Christ foretell to come will not come. Of that day, when the Lord comes again, all that the prophets foretell shall be upon the earth. None will doubt, all will see, and when the wrath of God has finished and the earth made new again a new age will dawn without sin, and without death. It will be that eternal age that every believer longs for. So with patience we will wait and then we will see that what God has promised will come to pass.

Matthew 24:30-31 (KJV) And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

In part I agree, though you are wrong in your usage of Revelation and Matthew.


Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver and the gold were crushed all at the same time and became like chaff from the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away so that not a trace of them was found. But the stone that struck the statue became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.
— Daniel 2:35


He presented another parable to them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field; and this is smaller than all other seeds, but when it is full grown, it is larger than the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches.”
— Matthew 13:31-32


For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ’s at His coming, then comes the end, when He hands over the kingdom to the God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power. For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. The last enemy that will be abolished is death.
— 1 Corinthians 15:22-26

These indicate that Christ’s kingdom will grow until it fills the earth. When He returns, most people on earth will be saved.


And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
— Matthew 28:18-20

 

[rwb]

In part I agree, though you are wrong in your usage of Revelation and Matthew.

Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver and the gold were crushed all at the same time and became like chaff from the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away so that not a trace of them was found. But the stone that struck the statue became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.
— Daniel 2:35

He presented another parable to them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field; and this is smaller than all other seeds, but when it is full grown, it is larger than the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches.”
— Matthew 13:31-32

For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ’s at His coming, then comes the end, when He hands over the kingdom to the God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power. For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. The last enemy that will be abolished is death.
— 1 Corinthians 15:22-26

These indicate that Christ’s kingdom will grow until it fills the earth. When He returns, most people on earth will be saved.

And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
— Matthew 28:18-20

The spiritual Kingdom of Christ does cover the whole earth. Because people from every nation of the earth are saved by grace through faith when they believe the Gospel. But where do we find that most people on earth have entered His Kingdom through salvation? Scripture seems to indicate the exact opposite. For example we read of the beast in Revelation:

Revelation 12:9 (KJV) And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

The Kingdom of God is nearing completion as time marches on. The vast majority of people who have entered the Kingdom of God through the Spirit have already died and gone to the Kingdom of Heaven. As the day comes nearer and nearer for Christ's return the spiritual kingdom of God that is within believers still living on the earth becomes smaller, not greater. I believe that's why Christ rhetorically asks:

Luke 18:8 (KJV) I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?

When the Kingdom is complete and Christ comes again, then the whole NEW earth will be filled by the Kingdom of God. But that will not come on this old earth that will one day pass away.

Revelation 21:1 (KJV) And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.

One last point regarding the usage of the word all in this passage. Paul is not telling us that ALL means without exception, but all without distinction. IOW whosoever believes, whether Jew or Gentile will be made alive. If Paul meant ALL humanity, then we have real contradiction in the Word of God.

For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ’s at His coming, then comes the end, when He hands over the kingdom to the God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power. For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. The last enemy that will be abolished is death.
— 1 Corinthians 15:22-26

 

[Hammster]

The spiritual Kingdom of Christ does cover the whole earth. Because people from every nation of the earth are saved by grace through faith when they believe the Gospel. But where do we find that most people on earth have entered His Kingdom through salvation? Scripture seems to indicate the exact opposite. For example we read of the beast in Revelation:

Revelation 12:9 (KJV) And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

The Kingdom of God is nearing completion as time marches on. The vast majority of people who have entered the Kingdom of God through the Spirit have already died and gone to the Kingdom of Heaven. As the day comes nearer and nearer for Christ's return the spiritual kingdom of God that is within believers still living on the earth becomes smaller, not greater. I believe that's why Christ rhetorically asks:

Luke 18:8 (KJV) I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?

When the Kingdom is complete and Christ comes again, then the whole NEW earth will be filled by the Kingdom of God. But that will not come on this old earth that will one day pass away.

Revelation 21:1 (KJV) And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.

One last point regarding the usage of the word all in this passage. Paul is not telling us that ALL means without exception, but all without distinction. IOW whosoever believes, whether Jew or Gentile will be made alive. If Paul meant ALL humanity, then we have real contradiction in the Word of God.

For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ’s at His coming, then comes the end, when He hands over the kingdom to the God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power. For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. The last enemy that will be abolished is death.
— 1 Corinthians 15:22-26

You keep quoting Revelation as if it’s some future event. That’s an improper use of the text.

As to Luke 18, it follows the OD where Christ talks about His coming in judgement over Israel. It’s not the second advent, as the context bears out.

 

[rwb]

You keep quoting Revelation as if it’s some future event. That’s an improper use of the text.

As to Luke 18, it follows the OD where Christ talks about His coming in judgement over Israel. It’s not the second advent, as the context bears out.

Since the Revelation of Jesus Christ is written for the church, and not explicitly to the Jews, we read the prophesy as being fulfilled during this age for building the Kingdom.

Revelation 22:16 (KJV) I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.

The parable in Luke 18 shows us there is value in prayer. Though our prayers seem at times to go unanswered, for the man of faith God hears and responds. In this parable the persistent woman symbolizes a woman of prayer. Even the unjust judge whom the woman wearies with her persistence acknowledges that God will avenge His elect speedily when the Son of Man comes again. That will be on the last day, when the last trumpet sounds.

 

[Hammster]

Since the Revelation of Jesus Christ is written for the church, and not explicitly to the Jews, we read the prophesy as being fulfilled during this age for building the Kingdom.

Revelation 22:16 (KJV) I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.

The parable in Luke 18 shows us there is value in prayer. Though our prayers seem at times to go unanswered, for the man of faith God hears and responds. In this parable the persistent woman symbolizes a woman of prayer. Even the unjust judge whom the woman wearies with her persistence acknowledges that God will avenge His elect speedily when the Son of Man comes again. That will be on the last day, when the last trumpet sounds.

I looked at it in context. If you want to look at it by itself, I don’t know how it relates to this thread.