The 1,000 Year Reign Of Christ? Literal or Figurative? (Full Preterism)

random person · Oct 18, 2016

The 1000 Year Reign of Christ ?

Richard Anthony

Did you know that the phrase "1000 Year Reign of Christ" does not appear anywhere in scripture? Nor the word "millenium"? Does this surprise you? Notice in the above title, we did not spell out the word "thousand," but used "1000" instead. This is because numbers are fictions in numerical form and have no substance. And the "1000 year reign of Christ" is also a fiction according to Scripture, which has has no substance. It is born and bred from the doctrines of man, not from the Holy Scripture.

The "thousand year reign" appears nowhere in the sixty-six books, 1,189 chapters, 31,173 verses of the Bible except in this one passage where it occurs six times in six consecutive verses (Revelation 20:3-8). It is not solid study to build an entire system of beliefs about the end of the age and the status of the kingdom on such a highly symbolic passage. More especially when that interpretation conflicts with other plain passages of scripture.

Revelation 20:3-8 is the only passage in the entire scriptures that the so-called premillinialists have as the basis for the "1000 year reign." What endless variations of concocted fables have resulted! Clearly it does not contain the detail that they attribute to it.

First, it should be pointed out that scripture does not speak of "the thousand year reign of Christ." Revelation 20:4 says, "...and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God,...and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years." It's not Christ that reigns 1000 years, but those who were killed for God's sake that reign with Christ 1000 years.

To illustrate, consider the phrase, "John Doe reigned with the king for one year." Does this mean the king reigned for only one year? No, it does not. The king could reign for many years, but the point is not how long the king reigned but how long John reigned with the king. The king isn't the subject, it is speaking about how long John reigns with him. Likewise, Revelation 20:4 is not about how long Jesus will reign, but how long others will reign with Jesus. There's a big difference.

There are some things not mentioned in Revelation 20.

First, it does not mention the second coming of Christ.
Second, it does not mention a reign on earth.
Third, this passage does not mention a bodily resurrection.
Fourth, it does not mention Christ on earth.
And fifth, it does not mention us, it says "they" lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.

Who are the "they" that lived and reigned with Christ? The souls of them that had been beheaded for their testimony of Jesus. In an earlier chapter of this same book of Revelations, in Chapter 6:9-11, the picture is of the souls of martyrs who had been slain for the word of God under an altar crying for vengeance. Here the martyrs are on thrones, God's inevitable judgment has come. The victory came in the spirit world (not the physical), and God assured their victory. This passage only speaks of the "dead" reigning with Christ, this passage does not speak about those who are "alive" reigning with Christ.

The passage also mentions the first resurrection, which is in contrast with the second death. The point is not that the righteous is raised a thousand years before the wicked, for a physical reign on earth, but that the cause of Christ for which the martyrs died is triumphant. Evil is not forever on the throne. God has overcome.
This passage says nothing about Jesus coming to this earth and establishing a worldly kingdom at Jerusalem -- those that so teach are duty-bound to prove their doctrines with scripture, not just their imaginations.

Revelation 20:4, "…and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years."
This is where the phrase "1000 year reign" came from. Its proper use would be limited to exactly what John was describing at this point. The so-called "premillinialists" believe that they will be worldly conquerors with Christ when He comes to reign on this earth for 1000 years; but Paul says that "we are more than conquerors through him that loved us" now! And this is the essence of what John the Revelator is communicating. There is no reason to differentiate between these reigns. There is no reason to believe (other than impatience or dissatisfaction with God's plan for us) that there is anything sweeter on this earth than reigning in His kingdom, now.

At Revelation 20:6, the first resurrection clearly applies to those dead in Christ who lived and reigned with Christ for the figurative "1000-year period" in wait for the final judgment and the general resurrection of the just and the unjust. The second death is explained further below. It is the ultimate death that those who are lost will experience at that judgment, the first death being physical death. While the saints and true believers who die physically experience this first death, the second death will have no power over them.

While the main thrust of Revelation 20:6 is that the righteous dead are reigning with Christ, there is no reason to believe that those of us on this earth do not share in this reign now. One of the major losses of the "premillinialists" is that, in their quest for a worldly kingdom in the future, they fail to recognize the blessings of Christ reigning in our lives now.

Let us now compare scripture with scripture to interpret the "thousand years." In scripture, the term "thousand," when in reference to time, is always used symbolically of a predetermined time that God chooses. In other cases, it is always used symbolically for a large number of people or things. Surely, nobody can honestly interpret the following "thousands" as literal:

People or Things

Job 9:3, "If he will contend with him, he cannot answer him one of a thousand."

Psalms 50:10, "For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills."

Ecclesiastes 7:28, "...one man among a thousand have I found; but a woman among all those have I not found."

Song of Solomon 4:4, "…whereon there hang a thousand bucklers, all shields of mighty men."

Daniel 5:1, "Belshazzar the king made a great feast to a thousand of his lords, and drank wine before the thousand."

Daniel 7:10, "...thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him."

Days, Years, and Generations

Deuteronomy 7:9, "…which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that…keep his commandments to a thousand generations;"

1 Chronicles 16:15, "Be ye mindful always of his covenant; the word which he commanded to a thousand generations;"

Psalms 84:10, "For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand."

Psalms 90:4, "For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past,"

Psalms 105:8, "He hath remembered his covenant for ever, the word which he commanded to a thousand generations."

Ecclesiastes 6:6, "Yea, though he live a thousand years twice told, yet hath he seen no good: do not all go to one place?"

2 Peter 3:8, "...one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day."

It should be obvious from the above that every occurance of the word "thousand," by itself, throughout scripture, is not literal but symbolic for a large number or long period of time. Then, why is it when we go to the book of Revelation (the most symbolic book of them all), many interpret this thousand years as literal? Especially when there is no scriptural warrant for doing so?

Futurists make the same mistake that the Jews who crucified Christ made -- they were not satisfied with a spiritual kingdom; they had to have a literal, worldly, physical kingdom. The Truth of the matter is not that Christ will reign for a thousand years some time in the future, but that Christ is reigning now, and will continue to reign for eternity. We do not have to wait for His Kingdom to come sometime in the future before He starts reigning over our lives, for Christ's Kingdom is here now, and He desires that we reign with Him now, whether we choose to recognize it or not!

http://www.ecclesia.org/truth/1000.html

jerry kelso · Oct 18, 2016

random person said:
The 1000 Year Reign of Christ ?

Richard Anthony

Did you know that the phrase "1000 Year Reign of Christ" does not appear anywhere in scripture? Nor the word "millenium"? Does this surprise you? Notice in the above title, we did not spell out the word "thousand," but used "1000" instead. This is because numbers are fictions in numerical form and have no substance. And the "1000 year reign of Christ" is also a fiction according to Scripture, which has has no substance. It is born and bred from the doctrines of man, not from the Holy Scripture.

The "thousand year reign" appears nowhere in the sixty-six books, 1,189 chapters, 31,173 verses of the Bible except in this one passage where it occurs six times in six consecutive verses (Revelation 20:3-8). It is not solid study to build an entire system of beliefs about the end of the age and the status of the kingdom on such a highly symbolic passage. More especially when that interpretation conflicts with other plain passages of scripture.

Revelation 20:3-8 is the only passage in the entire scriptures that the so-called premillinialists have as the basis for the "1000 year reign." What endless variations of concocted fables have resulted! Clearly it does not contain the detail that they attribute to it.

First, it should be pointed out that scripture does not speak of "the thousand year reign of Christ." Revelation 20:4 says, "...and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God,...and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years." It's not Christ that reigns 1000 years, but those who were killed for God's sake that reign with Christ 1000 years.

To illustrate, consider the phrase, "John Doe reigned with the king for one year." Does this mean the king reigned for only one year? No, it does not. The king could reign for many years, but the point is not how long the king reigned but how long John reigned with the king. The king isn't the subject, it is speaking about how long John reigns with him. Likewise, Revelation 20:4 is not about how long Jesus will reign, but how long others will reign with Jesus. There's a big difference.

There are some things not mentioned in Revelation 20.

First, it does not mention the second coming of Christ.

Second, it does not mention a reign on earth.

Third, this passage does not mention a bodily resurrection.

Fourth, it does not mention Christ on earth.

And fifth, it does not mention us, it says "they" lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.

Who are the "they" that lived and reigned with Christ? The souls of them that had been beheaded for their testimony of Jesus. In an earlier chapter of this same book of Revelations, in Chapter 6:9-11, the picture is of the souls of martyrs who had been slain for the word of God under an altar crying for vengeance. Here the martyrs are on thrones, God's inevitable judgment has come. The victory came in the spirit world (not the physical), and God assured their victory. This passage only speaks of the "dead" reigning with Christ, this passage does not speak about those who are "alive" reigning with Christ.

The passage also mentions the first resurrection, which is in contrast with the second death. The point is not that the righteous is raised a thousand years before the wicked, for a physical reign on earth, but that the cause of Christ for which the martyrs died is triumphant. Evil is not forever on the throne. God has overcome.
This passage says nothing about Jesus coming to this earth and establishing a worldly kingdom at Jerusalem -- those that so teach are duty-bound to prove their doctrines with scripture, not just their imaginations.

Revelation 20:4, "…and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years."
This is where the phrase "1000 year reign" came from. Its proper use would be limited to exactly what John was describing at this point. The so-called "premillinialists" believe that they will be worldly conquerors with Christ when He comes to reign on this earth for 1000 years; but Paul says that "we are more than conquerors through him that loved us" now! And this is the essence of what John the Revelator is communicating. There is no reason to differentiate between these reigns. There is no reason to believe (other than impatience or dissatisfaction with God's plan for us) that there is anything sweeter on this earth than reigning in His kingdom, now.

At Revelation 20:6, the first resurrection clearly applies to those dead in Christ who lived and reigned with Christ for the figurative "1000-year period" in wait for the final judgment and the general resurrection of the just and the unjust. The second death is explained further below. It is the ultimate death that those who are lost will experience at that judgment, the first death being physical death. While the saints and true believers who die physically experience this first death, the second death will have no power over them.

While the main thrust of Revelation 20:6 is that the righteous dead are reigning with Christ, there is no reason to believe that those of us on this earth do not share in this reign now. One of the major losses of the "premillinialists" is that, in their quest for a worldly kingdom in the future, they fail to recognize the blessings of Christ reigning in our lives now.

Let us now compare scripture with scripture to interpret the "thousand years." In scripture, the term "thousand," when in reference to time, is always used symbolically of a predetermined time that God chooses. In other cases, it is always used symbolically for a large number of people or things. Surely, nobody can honestly interpret the following "thousands" as literal:

People or Things

Job 9:3, "If he will contend with him, he cannot answer him one of a thousand."

Psalms 50:10, "For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills."

Ecclesiastes 7:28, "...one man among a thousand have I found; but a woman among all those have I not found."

Song of Solomon 4:4, "…whereon there hang a thousand bucklers, all shields of mighty men."

Daniel 5:1, "Belshazzar the king made a great feast to a thousand of his lords, and drank wine before the thousand."

Daniel 7:10, "...thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him."

Days, Years, and Generations

Deuteronomy 7:9, "…which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that…keep his commandments to a thousand generations;"

1 Chronicles 16:15, "Be ye mindful always of his covenant; the word which he commanded to a thousand generations;"

Psalms 84:10, "For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand."

Psalms 90:4, "For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past,"

Psalms 105:8, "He hath remembered his covenant for ever, the word which he commanded to a thousand generations."

Ecclesiastes 6:6, "Yea, though he live a thousand years twice told, yet hath he seen no good: do not all go to one place?"

2 Peter 3:8, "...one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day."

It should be obvious from the above that every occurance of the word "thousand," by itself, throughout scripture, is not literal but symbolic for a large number or long period of time. Then, why is it when we go to the book of Revelation (the most symbolic book of them all), many interpret this thousand years as literal? Especially when there is no scriptural warrant for doing so?

Futurists make the same mistake that the Jews who crucified Christ made -- they were not satisfied with a spiritual kingdom; they had to have a literal, worldly, physical kingdom. The Truth of the matter is not that Christ will reign for a thousand years some time in the future, but that Christ is reigning now, and will continue to reign for eternity. We do not have to wait for His Kingdom to come sometime in the future before He starts reigning over our lives, for Christ's Kingdom is here now, and He desires that we reign with Him now, whether we choose to recognize it or not!

http://www.ecclesia.org/truth/1000.html

randomperson,

1. You are wrong as usual because you love to allegorize and spiritualize scripture to the excess to fit your wrong narrative.

2. All the people in the tribulation in the book of Revelation will be in heaven at the Marriage of the lamb and will come down with Christ out of heaven with the saints who are already in heaven before the tribulation to do battle at Armageddon. Those in Revelation 20 that are the dead in Christ that are resurrected are the same ones in Revelation 15 of those that didn't take the mark of the beast. This is the last group in the first resurrection which is right before the wrath of God in Revelation 16 which is judgement on the beast kingdom worshippers. Read your bible.

3. Revelation 19 shows the beast and the false prophet both thrown into the lake of fire at the end of the battle of Armageddon.

4. Revelation 20 is specific to Satan being bound in the bottomless pit for 1000 years and then he is loosed at the end of the 1000 years. Satan is thrown into the lake of fire before the WTJ of the sinners which says it is after the 1000 years where the beast and false prophet have been.
The distinction of the 1000 years is made between the first and the second resurrections which is a believer's resurrection and the sinner's resurrection.

5. Now you can say that the 1000 years is not literal according to Christ when being defined as a day as a thousand and a thousand as a day because that is how God views time since he is not bound by time as we are.
At the same time the passage is specific to man's time of 1000 literal years according to the wording and the context of the events and the people involved as well as the resurrections.

6. So you are wrong again and all you are doing is giving cadence of false reasoning over the actual truth of the context.
Random person seems to fit your views and that is why you cannot understand the truth of the context. Jerry kelso

John Hyperspace · Oct 18, 2016

random person said:
The 1000 Year Reign of Christ ?

Richard Anthony

Did you know that the phrase "1000 Year Reign of Christ" does not appear anywhere in scripture? Nor the word "millenium"? Does this surprise you? Notice in the above title, we did not spell out the word "thousand," but used "1000" instead. This is because numbers are fictions in numerical form and have no substance. And the "1000 year reign of Christ" is also a fiction according to Scripture, which has has no substance. It is born and bred from the doctrines of man, not from the Holy Scripture.

The "thousand year reign" appears nowhere in the sixty-six books, 1,189 chapters, 31,173 verses of the Bible except in this one passage where it occurs six times in six consecutive verses (Revelation 20:3-8). It is not solid study to build an entire system of beliefs about the end of the age and the status of the kingdom on such a highly symbolic passage. More especially when that interpretation conflicts with other plain passages of scripture.

Revelation 20:3-8 is the only passage in the entire scriptures that the so-called premillinialists have as the basis for the "1000 year reign." What endless variations of concocted fables have resulted! Clearly it does not contain the detail that they attribute to it.

First, it should be pointed out that scripture does not speak of "the thousand year reign of Christ." Revelation 20:4 says, "...and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God,...and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years." It's not Christ that reigns 1000 years, but those who were killed for God's sake that reign with Christ 1000 years.

To illustrate, consider the phrase, "John Doe reigned with the king for one year." Does this mean the king reigned for only one year? No, it does not. The king could reign for many years, but the point is not how long the king reigned but how long John reigned with the king. The king isn't the subject, it is speaking about how long John reigns with him. Likewise, Revelation 20:4 is not about how long Jesus will reign, but how long others will reign with Jesus. There's a big difference.

There are some things not mentioned in Revelation 20.

First, it does not mention the second coming of Christ.
Second, it does not mention a reign on earth.
Third, this passage does not mention a bodily resurrection.
Fourth, it does not mention Christ on earth.
And fifth, it does not mention us, it says "they" lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
Who are the "they" that lived and reigned with Christ? The souls of them that had been beheaded for their testimony of Jesus. In an earlier chapter of this same book of Revelations, in Chapter 6:9-11, the picture is of the souls of martyrs who had been slain for the word of God under an altar crying for vengeance. Here the martyrs are on thrones, God's inevitable judgment has come. The victory came in the spirit world (not the physical), and God assured their victory. This passage only speaks of the "dead" reigning with Christ, this passage does not speak about those who are "alive" reigning with Christ.

The passage also mentions the first resurrection, which is in contrast with the second death. The point is not that the righteous is raised a thousand years before the wicked, for a physical reign on earth, but that the cause of Christ for which the martyrs died is triumphant. Evil is not forever on the throne. God has overcome.
This passage says nothing about Jesus coming to this earth and establishing a worldly kingdom at Jerusalem -- those that so teach are duty-bound to prove their doctrines with scripture, not just their imaginations.

Revelation 20:4, "…and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years."
This is where the phrase "1000 year reign" came from. Its proper use would be limited to exactly what John was describing at this point. The so-called "premillinialists" believe that they will be worldly conquerors with Christ when He comes to reign on this earth for 1000 years; but Paul says that "we are more than conquerors through him that loved us" now! And this is the essence of what John the Revelator is communicating. There is no reason to differentiate between these reigns. There is no reason to believe (other than impatience or dissatisfaction with God's plan for us) that there is anything sweeter on this earth than reigning in His kingdom, now.

At Revelation 20:6, the first resurrection clearly applies to those dead in Christ who lived and reigned with Christ for the figurative "1000-year period" in wait for the final judgment and the general resurrection of the just and the unjust. The second death is explained further below. It is the ultimate death that those who are lost will experience at that judgment, the first death being physical death. While the saints and true believers who die physically experience this first death, the second death will have no power over them.

While the main thrust of Revelation 20:6 is that the righteous dead are reigning with Christ, there is no reason to believe that those of us on this earth do not share in this reign now. One of the major losses of the "premillinialists" is that, in their quest for a worldly kingdom in the future, they fail to recognize the blessings of Christ reigning in our lives now.

Let us now compare scripture with scripture to interpret the "thousand years." In scripture, the term "thousand," when in reference to time, is always used symbolically of a predetermined time that God chooses. In other cases, it is always used symbolically for a large number of people or things. Surely, nobody can honestly interpret the following "thousands" as literal:

People or Things

Job 9:3, "If he will contend with him, he cannot answer him one of a thousand."

Psalms 50:10, "For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills."

Ecclesiastes 7:28, "...one man among a thousand have I found; but a woman among all those have I not found."

Song of Solomon 4:4, "…whereon there hang a thousand bucklers, all shields of mighty men."

Daniel 5:1, "Belshazzar the king made a great feast to a thousand of his lords, and drank wine before the thousand."

Daniel 7:10, "...thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him."

Days, Years, and Generations

Deuteronomy 7:9, "…which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that…keep his commandments to a thousand generations;"

1 Chronicles 16:15, "Be ye mindful always of his covenant; the word which he commanded to a thousand generations;"

Psalms 84:10, "For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand."

Psalms 90:4, "For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past,"

Psalms 105:8, "He hath remembered his covenant for ever, the word which he commanded to a thousand generations."

Ecclesiastes 6:6, "Yea, though he live a thousand years twice told, yet hath he seen no good: do not all go to one place?"

2 Peter 3:8, "...one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day."

It should be obvious from the above that every occurance of the word "thousand," by itself, throughout scripture, is not literal but symbolic for a large number or long period of time. Then, why is it when we go to the book of Revelation (the most symbolic book of them all), many interpret this thousand years as literal? Especially when there is no scriptural warrant for doing so?

Futurists make the same mistake that the Jews who crucified Christ made -- they were not satisfied with a spiritual kingdom; they had to have a literal, worldly, physical kingdom. The Truth of the matter is not that Christ will reign for a thousand years some time in the future, but that Christ is reigning now, and will continue to reign for eternity. We do not have to wait for His Kingdom to come sometime in the future before He starts reigning over our lives, for Christ's Kingdom is here now, and He desires that we reign with Him now, whether we choose to recognize it or not!

http://www.ecclesia.org/truth/1000.html

Could you comment on this verse: Jeremiah 25:11-12 and whether or not 70 years is 70 years, or if 70 years represents an unknown length of time? What about Genesis 15:13?

Is there any other prophetic length of time that is not to be measured according to that stated length of time? Or is the Revelation the only prophecy containing measurements of time that are not that measurement?

miknik5 · Oct 19, 2016

random person said:
The 1000 Year Reign of Christ ?

Richard Anthony

Did you know that the phrase "1000 Year Reign of Christ" does not appear anywhere in scripture? Nor the word "millenium"? Does this surprise you? Notice in the above title, we did not spell out the word "thousand," but used "1000" instead. This is because numbers are fictions in numerical form and have no substance. And the "1000 year reign of Christ" is also a fiction according to Scripture, which has has no substance. It is born and bred from the doctrines of man, not from the Holy Scripture.

The "thousand year reign" appears nowhere in the sixty-six books, 1,189 chapters, 31,173 verses of the Bible except in this one passage where it occurs six times in six consecutive verses (Revelation 20:3-8). It is not solid study to build an entire system of beliefs about the end of the age and the status of the kingdom on such a highly symbolic passage. More especially when that interpretation conflicts with other plain passages of scripture.

Revelation 20:3-8 is the only passage in the entire scriptures that the so-called premillinialists have as the basis for the "1000 year reign." What endless variations of concocted fables have resulted! Clearly it does not contain the detail that they attribute to it.

First, it should be pointed out that scripture does not speak of "the thousand year reign of Christ." Revelation 20:4 says, "...and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God,...and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years." It's not Christ that reigns 1000 years, but those who were killed for God's sake that reign with Christ 1000 years.

To illustrate, consider the phrase, "John Doe reigned with the king for one year." Does this mean the king reigned for only one year? No, it does not. The king could reign for many years, but the point is not how long the king reigned but how long John reigned with the king. The king isn't the subject, it is speaking about how long John reigns with him. Likewise, Revelation 20:4 is not about how long Jesus will reign, but how long others will reign with Jesus. There's a big difference.

There are some things not mentioned in Revelation 20.

First, it does not mention the second coming of Christ.

Second, it does not mention a reign on earth.

Third, this passage does not mention a bodily resurrection.

Fourth, it does not mention Christ on earth.

And fifth, it does not mention us, it says "they" lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.

Who are the "they" that lived and reigned with Christ? The souls of them that had been beheaded for their testimony of Jesus. In an earlier chapter of this same book of Revelations, in Chapter 6:9-11, the picture is of the souls of martyrs who had been slain for the word of God under an altar crying for vengeance. Here the martyrs are on thrones, God's inevitable judgment has come. The victory came in the spirit world (not the physical), and God assured their victory. This passage only speaks of the "dead" reigning with Christ, this passage does not speak about those who are "alive" reigning with Christ.

The passage also mentions the first resurrection, which is in contrast with the second death. The point is not that the righteous is raised a thousand years before the wicked, for a physical reign on earth, but that the cause of Christ for which the martyrs died is triumphant. Evil is not forever on the throne. God has overcome.
This passage says nothing about Jesus coming to this earth and establishing a worldly kingdom at Jerusalem -- those that so teach are duty-bound to prove their doctrines with scripture, not just their imaginations.

Revelation 20:4, "…and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years."
This is where the phrase "1000 year reign" came from. Its proper use would be limited to exactly what John was describing at this point. The so-called "premillinialists" believe that they will be worldly conquerors with Christ when He comes to reign on this earth for 1000 years; but Paul says that "we are more than conquerors through him that loved us" now! And this is the essence of what John the Revelator is communicating. There is no reason to differentiate between these reigns. There is no reason to believe (other than impatience or dissatisfaction with God's plan for us) that there is anything sweeter on this earth than reigning in His kingdom, now.

At Revelation 20:6, the first resurrection clearly applies to those dead in Christ who lived and reigned with Christ for the figurative "1000-year period" in wait for the final judgment and the general resurrection of the just and the unjust. The second death is explained further below. It is the ultimate death that those who are lost will experience at that judgment, the first death being physical death. While the saints and true believers who die physically experience this first death, the second death will have no power over them.

While the main thrust of Revelation 20:6 is that the righteous dead are reigning with Christ, there is no reason to believe that those of us on this earth do not share in this reign now. One of the major losses of the "premillinialists" is that, in their quest for a worldly kingdom in the future, they fail to recognize the blessings of Christ reigning in our lives now.

Let us now compare scripture with scripture to interpret the "thousand years." In scripture, the term "thousand," when in reference to time, is always used symbolically of a predetermined time that God chooses. In other cases, it is always used symbolically for a large number of people or things. Surely, nobody can honestly interpret the following "thousands" as literal:

People or Things

Job 9:3, "If he will contend with him, he cannot answer him one of a thousand."

Psalms 50:10, "For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills."

Ecclesiastes 7:28, "...one man among a thousand have I found; but a woman among all those have I not found."

Song of Solomon 4:4, "…whereon there hang a thousand bucklers, all shields of mighty men."

Daniel 5:1, "Belshazzar the king made a great feast to a thousand of his lords, and drank wine before the thousand."

Daniel 7:10, "...thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him."

Days, Years, and Generations

Deuteronomy 7:9, "…which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that…keep his commandments to a thousand generations;"

1 Chronicles 16:15, "Be ye mindful always of his covenant; the word which he commanded to a thousand generations;"

Psalms 84:10, "For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand."

Psalms 90:4, "For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past,"

Psalms 105:8, "He hath remembered his covenant for ever, the word which he commanded to a thousand generations."

Ecclesiastes 6:6, "Yea, though he live a thousand years twice told, yet hath he seen no good: do not all go to one place?"

2 Peter 3:8, "...one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day."

It should be obvious from the above that every occurance of the word "thousand," by itself, throughout scripture, is not literal but symbolic for a large number or long period of time. Then, why is it when we go to the book of Revelation (the most symbolic book of them all), many interpret this thousand years as literal? Especially when there is no scriptural warrant for doing so?

Futurists make the same mistake that the Jews who crucified Christ made -- they were not satisfied with a spiritual kingdom; they had to have a literal, worldly, physical kingdom. The Truth of the matter is not that Christ will reign for a thousand years some time in the future, but that Christ is reigning now, and will continue to reign for eternity. We do not have to wait for His Kingdom to come sometime in the future before He starts reigning over our lives, for Christ's Kingdom is here now, and He desires that we reign with Him now, whether we choose to recognize it or not!

http://www.ecclesia.org/truth/1000.html

What do you do with the rest of the WORD OF GOD in Revelation 20 which says the Rest of the dead did not live again until after the 1000 year reign. This is the first resurrection

random person said:
The 1000 Year Reign of Christ ?

Richard Anthony

Did you know that the phrase "1000 Year Reign of Christ" does not appear anywhere in scripture? Nor the word "millenium"? Does this surprise you? Notice in the above title, we did not spell out the word "thousand," but used "1000" instead. This is because numbers are fictions in numerical form and have no substance. And the "1000 year reign of Christ" is also a fiction according to Scripture, which has has no substance. It is born and bred from the doctrines of man, not from the Holy Scripture.

The "thousand year reign" appears nowhere in the sixty-six books, 1,189 chapters, 31,173 verses of the Bible except in this one passage where it occurs six times in six consecutive verses (Revelation 20:3-8). It is not solid study to build an entire system of beliefs about the end of the age and the status of the kingdom on such a highly symbolic passage. More especially when that interpretation conflicts with other plain passages of scripture.

Revelation 20:3-8 is the only passage in the entire scriptures that the so-called premillinialists have as the basis for the "1000 year reign." What endless variations of concocted fables have resulted! Clearly it does not contain the detail that they attribute to it.

First, it should be pointed out that scripture does not speak of "the thousand year reign of Christ." Revelation 20:4 says, "...and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God,...and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years." It's not Christ that reigns 1000 years, but those who were killed for God's sake that reign with Christ 1000 years.

To illustrate, consider the phrase, "John Doe reigned with the king for one year." Does this mean the king reigned for only one year? No, it does not. The king could reign for many years, but the point is not how long the king reigned but how long John reigned with the king. The king isn't the subject, it is speaking about how long John reigns with him. Likewise, Revelation 20:4 is not about how long Jesus will reign, but how long others will reign with Jesus. There's a big difference.

There are some things not mentioned in Revelation 20.

First, it does not mention the second coming of Christ.

Second, it does not mention a reign on earth.

Third, this passage does not mention a bodily resurrection.

Fourth, it does not mention Christ on earth.

And fifth, it does not mention us, it says "they" lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.

Who are the "they" that lived and reigned with Christ? The souls of them that had been beheaded for their testimony of Jesus. In an earlier chapter of this same book of Revelations, in Chapter 6:9-11, the picture is of the souls of martyrs who had been slain for the word of God under an altar crying for vengeance. Here the martyrs are on thrones, God's inevitable judgment has come. The victory came in the spirit world (not the physical), and God assured their victory. This passage only speaks of the "dead" reigning with Christ, this passage does not speak about those who are "alive" reigning with Christ.

The passage also mentions the first resurrection, which is in contrast with the second death. The point is not that the righteous is raised a thousand years before the wicked, for a physical reign on earth, but that the cause of Christ for which the martyrs died is triumphant. Evil is not forever on the throne. God has overcome.
This passage says nothing about Jesus coming to this earth and establishing a worldly kingdom at Jerusalem -- those that so teach are duty-bound to prove their doctrines with scripture, not just their imaginations.

Revelation 20:4, "…and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years."
This is where the phrase "1000 year reign" came from. Its proper use would be limited to exactly what John was describing at this point. The so-called "premillinialists" believe that they will be worldly conquerors with Christ when He comes to reign on this earth for 1000 years; but Paul says that "we are more than conquerors through him that loved us" now! And this is the essence of what John the Revelator is communicating. There is no reason to differentiate between these reigns. There is no reason to believe (other than impatience or dissatisfaction with God's plan for us) that there is anything sweeter on this earth than reigning in His kingdom, now.

At Revelation 20:6, the first resurrection clearly applies to those dead in Christ who lived and reigned with Christ for the figurative "1000-year period" in wait for the final judgment and the general resurrection of the just and the unjust. The second death is explained further below. It is the ultimate death that those who are lost will experience at that judgment, the first death being physical death. While the saints and true believers who die physically experience this first death, the second death will have no power over them.

While the main thrust of Revelation 20:6 is that the righteous dead are reigning with Christ, there is no reason to believe that those of us on this earth do not share in this reign now. One of the major losses of the "premillinialists" is that, in their quest for a worldly kingdom in the future, they fail to recognize the blessings of Christ reigning in our lives now.

Let us now compare scripture with scripture to interpret the "thousand years." In scripture, the term "thousand," when in reference to time, is always used symbolically of a predetermined time that God chooses. In other cases, it is always used symbolically for a large number of people or things. Surely, nobody can honestly interpret the following "thousands" as literal:

People or Things

Job 9:3, "If he will contend with him, he cannot answer him one of a thousand."

Psalms 50:10, "For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills."

Ecclesiastes 7:28, "...one man among a thousand have I found; but a woman among all those have I not found."

Song of Solomon 4:4, "…whereon there hang a thousand bucklers, all shields of mighty men."

Daniel 5:1, "Belshazzar the king made a great feast to a thousand of his lords, and drank wine before the thousand."

Daniel 7:10, "...thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him."

Days, Years, and Generations

Deuteronomy 7:9, "…which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that…keep his commandments to a thousand generations;"

1 Chronicles 16:15, "Be ye mindful always of his covenant; the word which he commanded to a thousand generations;"

Psalms 84:10, "For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand."

Psalms 90:4, "For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past,"

Psalms 105:8, "He hath remembered his covenant for ever, the word which he commanded to a thousand generations."

Ecclesiastes 6:6, "Yea, though he live a thousand years twice told, yet hath he seen no good: do not all go to one place?"

2 Peter 3:8, "...one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day."

It should be obvious from the above that every occurance of the word "thousand," by itself, throughout scripture, is not literal but symbolic for a large number or long period of time. Then, why is it when we go to the book of Revelation (the most symbolic book of them all), many interpret this thousand years as literal? Especially when there is no scriptural warrant for doing so?

Futurists make the same mistake that the Jews who crucified Christ made -- they were not satisfied with a spiritual kingdom; they had to have a literal, worldly, physical kingdom. The Truth of the matter is not that Christ will reign for a thousand years some time in the future, but that Christ is reigning now, and will continue to reign for eternity. We do not have to wait for His Kingdom to come sometime in the future before He starts reigning over our lives, for Christ's Kingdom is here now, and He desires that we reign with Him now, whether we choose to recognize it or not!

http://www.ecclesia.org/truth/1000.html

I guess you don't like what is said in Revelation 20:5? You refer to revelation 20:4 and revelation 20:6 but you seem to pass over 20:5

miknik5 · Oct 19, 2016

I think you are overlooking that to GOD one day is as a thousand years.

delaD3 · Oct 24, 2016

random person said:
The 1000 Year Reign of Christ ?

Richard Anthony

Did you know that the phrase "1000 Year Reign of Christ" does not appear anywhere in scripture? Nor the word "millenium"? Does this surprise you? Notice in the above title, we did not spell out the word "thousand," but used "1000" instead. This is because numbers are fictions in numerical form and have no substance. And the "1000 year reign of Christ" is also a fiction according to Scripture, which has has no substance. It is born and bred from the doctrines of man, not from the Holy Scripture.

The "thousand year reign" appears nowhere in the sixty-six books, 1,189 chapters, 31,173 verses of the Bible except in this one passage where it occurs six times in six consecutive verses (Revelation 20:3-8). It is not solid study to build an entire system of beliefs about the end of the age and the status of the kingdom on such a highly symbolic passage. More especially when that interpretation conflicts with other plain passages of scripture.

Revelation 20:3-8 is the only passage in the entire scriptures that the so-called premillinialists have as the basis for the "1000 year reign." What endless variations of concocted fables have resulted! Clearly it does not contain the detail that they attribute to it.

First, it should be pointed out that scripture does not speak of "the thousand year reign of Christ." Revelation 20:4 says, "...and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God,...and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years." It's not Christ that reigns 1000 years, but those who were killed for God's sake that reign with Christ 1000 years.

To illustrate, consider the phrase, "John Doe reigned with the king for one year." Does this mean the king reigned for only one year? No, it does not. The king could reign for many years, but the point is not how long the king reigned but how long John reigned with the king. The king isn't the subject, it is speaking about how long John reigns with him. Likewise, Revelation 20:4 is not about how long Jesus will reign, but how long others will reign with Jesus. There's a big difference.

There are some things not mentioned in Revelation 20.

First, it does not mention the second coming of Christ.

Second, it does not mention a reign on earth.

Third, this passage does not mention a bodily resurrection.

Fourth, it does not mention Christ on earth.

And fifth, it does not mention us, it says "they" lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.

Who are the "they" that lived and reigned with Christ? The souls of them that had been beheaded for their testimony of Jesus. In an earlier chapter of this same book of Revelations, in Chapter 6:9-11, the picture is of the souls of martyrs who had been slain for the word of God under an altar crying for vengeance. Here the martyrs are on thrones, God's inevitable judgment has come. The victory came in the spirit world (not the physical), and God assured their victory. This passage only speaks of the "dead" reigning with Christ, this passage does not speak about those who are "alive" reigning with Christ.

The passage also mentions the first resurrection, which is in contrast with the second death. The point is not that the righteous is raised a thousand years before the wicked, for a physical reign on earth, but that the cause of Christ for which the martyrs died is triumphant. Evil is not forever on the throne. God has overcome.
This passage says nothing about Jesus coming to this earth and establishing a worldly kingdom at Jerusalem -- those that so teach are duty-bound to prove their doctrines with scripture, not just their imaginations.

Revelation 20:4, "…and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years."
This is where the phrase "1000 year reign" came from. Its proper use would be limited to exactly what John was describing at this point. The so-called "premillinialists" believe that they will be worldly conquerors with Christ when He comes to reign on this earth for 1000 years; but Paul says that "we are more than conquerors through him that loved us" now! And this is the essence of what John the Revelator is communicating. There is no reason to differentiate between these reigns. There is no reason to believe (other than impatience or dissatisfaction with God's plan for us) that there is anything sweeter on this earth than reigning in His kingdom, now.

At Revelation 20:6, the first resurrection clearly applies to those dead in Christ who lived and reigned with Christ for the figurative "1000-year period" in wait for the final judgment and the general resurrection of the just and the unjust. The second death is explained further below. It is the ultimate death that those who are lost will experience at that judgment, the first death being physical death. While the saints and true believers who die physically experience this first death, the second death will have no power over them.

While the main thrust of Revelation 20:6 is that the righteous dead are reigning with Christ, there is no reason to believe that those of us on this earth do not share in this reign now. One of the major losses of the "premillinialists" is that, in their quest for a worldly kingdom in the future, they fail to recognize the blessings of Christ reigning in our lives now.

Let us now compare scripture with scripture to interpret the "thousand years." In scripture, the term "thousand," when in reference to time, is always used symbolically of a predetermined time that God chooses. In other cases, it is always used symbolically for a large number of people or things. Surely, nobody can honestly interpret the following "thousands" as literal:

People or Things

Job 9:3, "If he will contend with him, he cannot answer him one of a thousand."

Psalms 50:10, "For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills."

Ecclesiastes 7:28, "...one man among a thousand have I found; but a woman among all those have I not found."

Song of Solomon 4:4, "…whereon there hang a thousand bucklers, all shields of mighty men."

Daniel 5:1, "Belshazzar the king made a great feast to a thousand of his lords, and drank wine before the thousand."

Daniel 7:10, "...thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him."

Days, Years, and Generations

Deuteronomy 7:9, "…which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that…keep his commandments to a thousand generations;"

1 Chronicles 16:15, "Be ye mindful always of his covenant; the word which he commanded to a thousand generations;"

Psalms 84:10, "For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand."

Psalms 90:4, "For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past,"

Psalms 105:8, "He hath remembered his covenant for ever, the word which he commanded to a thousand generations."

Ecclesiastes 6:6, "Yea, though he live a thousand years twice told, yet hath he seen no good: do not all go to one place?"

2 Peter 3:8, "...one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day."

It should be obvious from the above that every occurance of the word "thousand," by itself, throughout scripture, is not literal but symbolic for a large number or long period of time. Then, why is it when we go to the book of Revelation (the most symbolic book of them all), many interpret this thousand years as literal? Especially when there is no scriptural warrant for doing so?

Futurists make the same mistake that the Jews who crucified Christ made -- they were not satisfied with a spiritual kingdom; they had to have a literal, worldly, physical kingdom. The Truth of the matter is not that Christ will reign for a thousand years some time in the future, but that Christ is reigning now, and will continue to reign for eternity. We do not have to wait for His Kingdom to come sometime in the future before He starts reigning over our lives, for Christ's Kingdom is here now, and He desires that we reign with Him now, whether we choose to recognize it or not!

http://www.ecclesia.org/truth/1000.html

Maybe the idea of Christ reigning for 1000 years comes from: Revelation 20:2
"And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,"

And if the devil, satan, is no longer ruling the earth, then maybe Christ would take over for that 1000 year period. After the 1000 years, the devil is released for a short time.

delaD3 · Oct 24, 2016

delaD3 said:
Maybe the idea of Christ reigning for 1000 years comes from: Revelation 20:2
"And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,"

And if the devil, satan, is no longer ruling the earth, then maybe Christ would take over for that 1000 year period. After the 1000 years, the devil is released for a short time.

Besides, what's wrong with Christ reigning on Earth if He should desire to?

delaD3 · Oct 24, 2016

delaD3 said:
Besides, what's wrong with Christ reigning on Earth if He should desire to?

James 4:4
"Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God."

But even this verse will apply within any Godly reign on earth. The world will always remain the world since this current world is the result of the expelling of Adam from the Garden of Eden. So even if Christ should reign for 1000 years on earth, all people will still undergo the normal daily effects of the 'expelling' from The Garden. We will all still be sinners needing a Savior. Maybe the only difference there will be with Christ's reign, if there is such a one, would be that there will be less corruption and more righteousness.

Stillicidia · Oct 24, 2016

random person said:
and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years

That means what it says.

You, looking at the bigger picture, look more simply at this.

It is not false, because it is one sentence.

How many other scriptures could be dismissed in this manner? The commands of Jesus could likewise be dismissed with this logic.

Don't dismiss calling it a millennial reign, because millennia is 1000 years.

There is a thing, hitting someone on the head with a book. Just because it isn't written the way people say it, doesn't mean what they say is false.

miknik5 · Oct 24, 2016

delaD3 said:
James 4:4
"Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God."

But even this verse will apply within any Godly reign on earth. The world will always remain the world since this current world is the result of the expelling of Adam from the Garden of Eden. So even if Christ should reign for 1000 years on earth, all people will still undergo the normal daily effects of the 'expelling' from The Garden. We will all still be sinners needing a Savior. Maybe the only difference there will be with Christ's reign, if there is such a one, would be that there will be less corruption and more righteousness.

And that's why it's a 1000 years. Because after this time of peace Satan will be let loose to gather those who had enjoyed thus time of peace who will still, in the end, rebel...choosing evil over good

And GOD who can see one thousand years as a day, already knew this

Thus a second and final cleansing of the earth and evil and iniquity

victorinus · Oct 24, 2016

the opening post was way too long
-so-
I can only say I think I agree
-
they reigned with Christ
-
this is discussed in my thread
-
the apocalypse

miknik5 · Oct 24, 2016

victorinus said:
the opening post was way too long
-so-
I can only say I think I agree
-
they reigned with Christ
-
this is discussed in my thread
-
the apocalypse

Those Who reigned with CHRIST were those who had a part in the first resurrection

delaD3 · Oct 24, 2016

miknik5 said:
And that's why it's a 1000 years. Because after this time of peace Satan will be let loose to gather those who had enjoyed thus time of peace who will still, in the end, rebel...choosing evil over good

And GOD who can see one thousand years as a day, already knew this

Thus a second and final cleansing of the earth and evil and iniquity

But the 1000 years is not guaranteed to be a time of peace.

As mentioned earlier, the 1000 years is as a day.
Zephaniah 1:7-10
"Hold thy peace at the presence of the Lord GOD: for the day of the LORD is at hand: for the LORD hath prepared a sacrifice, he hath bid his guests.

And it shall come to pass in the day of the LORD'S sacrifice, that I will punish the princes, and the king's children, and all such as are clothed with strange apparel.

In the same day also will I punish all those that leap on the threshold, which fill their masters' houses with violence and deceit."

Zephaniah 1:14-18
"The great day of the LORD is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the LORD: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly.

That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness,

A day of the trumpet and alarm against the fenced cities, and against the high towers.

And I will bring distress upon men, that they shall walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the LORD: and their blood shall be poured out as dust, and their flesh as the dung.

Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the LORD'S wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land."

delaD3 · Oct 24, 2016

:and their blood shall be poured out as dust.

Deuteronomy 12:23
"Only be sure that thou eat not the blood: for the blood is the life; and thou mayest not eat the life with the flesh."

Isaiah 40:28-31
"Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.

He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.

Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:

But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint."

victorinus · Oct 24, 2016

miknik5 said:
Those Who reigned with CHRIST were those who had a part in the first resurrection

can you tell us what that means?

random person · Oct 24, 2016

John Hyperspace said:
Could you comment on this verse: Jeremiah 25:11-12 and whether or not 70 years is 70 years, or if 70 years represents an unknown length of time? What about Genesis 15:13?

Is there any other prophetic length of time that is not to be measured according to that stated length of time? Or is the Revelation the only prophecy containing measurements of time that are not that measurement?

Jeremiah 25 is commenting on the Babylonian Captivity which lasted precisely 70 years.

Genesis is commenting on the Egyptian bondage of the Israelites.

random person · Oct 24, 2016

jerry kelso said:
randomperson,

1. You are wrong as usual because you love to allegorize and spiritualize scripture to the excess to fit your wrong narrative.

2. All the people in the tribulation in the book of Revelation will be in heaven at the Marriage of the lamb and will come down with Christ out of heaven with the saints who are already in heaven before the tribulation to do battle at Armageddon. Those in Revelation 20 that are the dead in Christ that are resurrected are the same ones in Revelation 15 of those that didn't take the mark of the beast. This is the last group in the first resurrection which is right before the wrath of God in Revelation 16 which is judgement on the beast kingdom worshippers. Read your bible.

3. Revelation 19 shows the beast and the false prophet both thrown into the lake of fire at the end of the battle of Armageddon.

4. Revelation 20 is specific to Satan being bound in the bottomless pit for 1000 years and then he is loosed at the end of the 1000 years. Satan is thrown into the lake of fire before the WTJ of the sinners which says it is after the 1000 years where the beast and false prophet have been.
The distinction of the 1000 years is made between the first and the second resurrections which is a believer's resurrection and the sinner's resurrection.

5. Now you can say that the 1000 years is not literal according to Christ when being defined as a day as a thousand and a thousand as a day because that is how God views time since he is not bound by time as we are.
At the same time the passage is specific to man's time of 1000 literal years according to the wording and the context of the events and the people involved as well as the resurrections.

6. So you are wrong again and all you are doing is giving cadence of false reasoning over the actual truth of the context.
Random person seems to fit your views and that is why you cannot understand the truth of the context. Jerry kelso

The whole Book of Revelation is about the divorce of Israel and its final judgment. Chapter 19 is speaking about the divorce that happened in A.D. 70. It is not about a literally descent of Christ on a horse with an army of saints. But at the destruction of the Mosaic Covenant came the Resurrection - Daniel 12:1-7, Hebrews 9:8, Hebrews 9:26-28, Revelation 15, Revelation 20.

Only four nations in the whole Old Testament are referred to as a harlot... Israel, Judah, Tyre, and Nineveh. These are the only nations God made a covenant with. Thus they are the only nations labeled as harlots because they broke their covenants with God.

Thus Babylonian harlot, Israel was taken captive to Babylon and when it was regathered back into the land it took with it Babylonian legalistic rabbinical traditions, that is what Jesus referred to as the "Traditions of the Elders" aka what was later compiled and canonized into the Talmud of modern Judaism.

Jesus referred to the followers of this corruption of the Torah as children of the Devil John 8:44, and Revelation refers to them as the Synagogue of Satan.

The "1,000" year reign is the resurrection of the saints and martyrs into Heaven where they reign with Christ forever more.

random person · Oct 24, 2016

The 1,000 year binding of Satan occurred during Christ's Ministry, from A.D. 30-A.D. 70. The binding of the strong man and robbing his house. The Beast and the False Prophet was cast into the Fire in A.D. 70 that is when Israel faced its final judgment. And the Mosaic Covenant officially ceased existing forevermore.

The first Resurrection is the believers' faith in Christ, the Second Resurrection occurred when Heaven opened its gates to received the Resurrected in A.D. 70. Revelation 15, John 14:1-4, Hebrews 9:8, Hebrews 9:26-28.

The Binding of Satan.
Posted by: Don K Preston on 28 August, 2009 in Don K Preston Leave a comment

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by Don K Preston

“Satan is bound?!? Why that is ridiculous; just look around. There is evil, temptation, suffering, and immorality. Satan cannot be bound if these things are present.”

This is a typical response to the contention of realized eschatology that Jesus has fully conquered Satan and destroyed his power. We well recognize the emotional response such a suggestion evokes. But we kindly challenge the reader to consider for a moment the exciting and comforting concept that Jesus has indeed cast Satan into hell and broken his power. Would it disturb you to know that Satan can have no power over you? Would it be upsetting to know that God has fulfilled his word and gives everlasting life now? Is it unsettling to know we can truly overcome the world? Would your life be more confident and victorious if you knew that Satan had no authority to accuse you before God?

Why Did Jesus Come?
Did Jesus come to bind Satan and destroy his power? Think carefully now for the answer has tremendous significance. Let us see what the Scriptures say about Jesus’ reason for coming. In Matthew 12:22-30, Jesus cast a demon out of a man. The Pharisees insisted it was by the power of the Devil. Jesus logically demonstrated the fallacy of Satan casting out Satan. He then challenged them “how can one enter into a strong man’s house and spoil his goods except he first bind the strong man? and then he will spoil his house.” Jesus’ power to cast out demons demonstrated two facts: the imminence of the kingdom (v. 28); and the binding of Satan (v. 29). Satan was being bound by Jesus!

When the Lord sent seventy disciples out on a “missionary tour” he empowered them to cast out demons, heal the sick, and raise the dead (Luke 10). Their message was “The kingdom of God is come nigh unto you” (v. 9). When they returned they were ecstatic: “Lord even the devils are subject unto us through thy name.” He responded “I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.” Reader was Satan being bound? Was Satan suffering defeat? Was Jesus foreseeing his utter destruction? Was Satan only suffering a temporary set-back or was something even worse in store for him?

The apostle John records Jesus’ words as to the fate of Satan and his, Jesus’, power over him. In John 12:31, as he stood in the shadow of the cross and contemplated his victory there he said “Now is the judgment of this world, now is the god of this world cast out.”

Friends, Jesus saw Satan as about to be defeated! Do you see the word now? Jesus said now is Satan cast out; not 2000 thousand years later, he said now!

In chapter 16 of the same book, Jesus spoke of the sending of the Holy Spirit. He said the Spirit would convict the world of judgment because “the prince of this world hath been judged.”

In his first letter, I John 3:5-8, the apostle of love tells us in no uncertain terms that Jesus was manifested to destroy the works of the devil.

Hebrews 2:14f says Jesus came to destroy the devil. Question: Did Jesus fail to do what he came to do?

Amillenialists often chide the dispensationalist for saying that Jesus came to establish the kingdom but because of the Jew’s rebellion could not do so; Jesus failed! The amillenialist says this impugns the power and omniscience of God. But those same amillenialist also say that while Jesus came to bind Satan and destroy his works that Satan is not yet bound; he is still the god of this world! Well, Jesus came to destroy the works of Satan. Did he fail? He came to bind Satan. Did he fail? If it is wrong for the dispensationalist to say Jesus came to do something but failed, why is it not equally wrong to say Jesus came to bind Satan but he has not done it yet?!?

An Objection Considered
It will be rejoined that in his death and resurrection Jesus SET THE STAGE for the final defeat and destruction of Satan at the judgment. He did bind him by his resurrection but he will destroy him at his coming. This is accurate: the Bible does speak of the DECISIVE action of the cross and the CONSUMMATING action at the return of Jesus (I Corinthians 15:24f). It is also to be noted that in the interim between the resurrection and the judgment Satan is depicted as very actively engaged in attempting to destroy God’s people. Peter depicts Satan as a “roaring lion” seeking whom he may destroy (I Peter 5:8). Paul warns the Corinthians of Satan’s ministers who paraded as ministers of light, (II Corinthians 11:11f) Revelation 12-13 depicts Satan’s actions in his attempts to thwart God’s Scheme of Redemption. The above being true, one consideration is missing from the objection: the Bible saw the consummating action, the judgment of Satan at Christ’s return, as imminent.

The Imminent Judgment of Satan
The passages cited above indicate the decisive defeat of Satan at the tomb. Yet other texts, written post resurrection and during the time when Satan was depicted as a roaring lion walking about seeking to devour, indicate his impending final downfall.

In Romans the brethren were undergoing the “sufferings of this present time” (8:18; this conflict centered around the question “Who is a Jew,” 2:25f). In the following chapters Paul addresses that question and the conflict between the two sides. It was a conflict between law and grace (chapters 3-6), between death and life (chapter 5), between freedom and bondage (chapters 7-8). Paul, chapter 8, develops in depth the conflict between the life of the Spirit, the New Covenant life, and the life of the flesh, the Old Covenant life. He speaks of the promise of the coming manifestation of the Sons of God (8:18f), when God would settle the issue of identity as to the true Jew. That the anticipated time was imminent is seen in their “earnest expectation” of it; they “eagerly awaited” it; and the miraculous “first-fruits of the Spirit” had been given to them until the climactic, the redemption of the body. In chapter 13:11-12, inspiration promised the anticipated day was “at hand;” and in chapter 16:20 Paul told them God would “bruise Satan under your feet shortly.”

First Corinthians also foresaw the imminent demise of Satan and his power. In the famous resurrection passage (chapter 15), Paul said the victory over sin and death, i. e. the resurrection, would be when the power and sting of sin and death were destroyed. Now since the “power of sin is the law,” the Old Law, it therefore follows that the resurrection, the defeat of Satan in the resurrection is nothing less than the full demise of the Old Law. And when did Paul envision this as happening? He unequivocally stated to the Corinthians “we shall not all sleep.” This chronological statement, which has Paul stating in no uncertain terms that the generation then living would not pass until the resurrection occurred, cannot be ignored or passed off as simply a use of the “editorial we.” It should be compared with the other similar statements (Matthew 16:27-28; Matthew 24:30,34; I Tessalonians 4:15-17).

Finally, Revelation posits the final downfall of Satan as “at hand.” The entirety of the book, not just parts of it, were said to be “at hand” (1:1-3; 22:6f). In chapter 12, John saw Satan fall from heaven; he also noted that Satan had only “a short time” (12:12), in which to accomplish his devilish designs. His demise was at hand! In chapter 20, we see him finally defeated and cast into the fiery lake.

The honest student simply must find some way to correlate these passages which predicted Satan’s final defeat with the emphatic time parameters placed there by inspiration. To deny the CHRONOLOGY of the predictions is nothing less than a denial of the inspiration of the predictions.

How Is Satan Bound?
But if Satan is bound there should be no evil today, right? There is evil today; therefore Satan is not bound. (Sounds like a strange twist on the atheistic argument about God and the existence of evil doesn’t it?) This sounds impressive; but it fails to consider several Biblical issues. Satan is bound! Space forbids full examination, but we would like to suggest a few areas in which Satan is quite clearly bound.

There is no more demon possession. Jesus, God incarnate, came into the world and met Satan “incarnate.” Jesus’ personal ministry was truly the war of the Gods. Satan in-dwelt individuals and did not want to come out (Matthew 17, Mark 5). But Jesus “by the finger of God” (Luke 11:20) cast him out and spoiled his house.

Jehovah predicted he would cause the evil spirit to “pass out of the land” (Zechariah 13:2). With the passing of the miraculous power (Ephesians 4:8f) this was accomplished.

Satan cannot condemn the Christian! Romans 8 is the Christian paeon of victory, “there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ.” Paul asks rhetorically, “Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect?”; and “Who is the one that condemns?” The answer is No one! The christian is saved and Satan cannot do a thing about it! (A Christian can renounce his salvation (II Timothy 2:12), but that is not in Paul’s mind here.) Under the law, one sin condemned; under Christ grace covers our error. Satan cannot accuse us because we have the righteousness of Christ and our sins are not imputed to us because of his blood (Romans 4). That friends, is good news!

Satan utterly failed in his attempts to thwart God’s Scheme Of Redemption. This is the very picture depicted in Revelation.

Is the Bible a collection of unrelated stories or books? Far from it. From Genesis to Revelation it is the story of sin, God’s Scheme to redeem man, and Satan’s attempts to foil God’s plan. We see this best in the promised Seed line.

Was Satan simply interested in getting Cain to kill Abel? Look deeper. The promise of the savior would come through the righteous ones. If Satan can kill the obedient Abel he can thwart the promise of salvation before it really gets started. Wrong! Seth, the one from whom righteous Noah eventually comes is born.

Was Satan simply interested in getting the world to be corrupt in Genesis 6, or was there a larger purpose? Surely! If all are evil, whence the righteous seed? But there is good Noah and Satan’s plans fail again.

Consider the Davidic line. From David would come the Savior. But Satan will seek to destroy the line. Were Saul’s murderous attempts on David’s life simple jealousy, or was Satan seeing the larger implications of David’s death? And what of the time when wicked Athaliah killed every male offspring of David save one seven year old boy named Joash (II Kings 11)? Was that simply a case of internecine political in-fighting? Why, Satan has the salvation of the entire world hanging on the slim thread of a seven year old boy. Kill him and God cannot bring salvation through the Davidic line. But the boy is saved, reigns for forty years, and the Davidic line prospers. Satan was foiled again.

Time will not permit investigation of the story of Ruth, of Esther, the reasons for God forbidding inter-marriage with other nations, and a host of other related subjects, all of which are related to God’s Scheme of Redemption and Satan’s attempts to thwart it. Pursue this fascinating subject yourself.

In Revelation, inspiration depicts the imminent consummation of God’s scheme of Redemption. Satan has attempted to kill Jesus. His last resort is to destroy the church in her infancy before she can grow to maturity (chapter 12). He incorporates the city “where our Lord was crucified,” (11:8), which becomes drunken with the blood of the saints (17:6f). But Jesus comes in judgment on that apostate city and destroys her. In chapter 20 judgment is set, Satan is cast into the lake of fire; and Jesus takes his glorious bride unto himself! This all happened in 70 AD with the full destruction of the Theocracy of Israel, the persecuting city of Jerusalem, the Old Heavens and Earth. The New Creation is complete–what Satan had succeeded in getting man to forfeit, communion with God and eternal life, is restored. Satan lost — God finished His work.

Whence Comes Evil
But if all this is true why do we still have evil in the world? Consider: in Revelation 20, Satan is cast into the lake of fire. He is fully defeated. But in chapter 22:15 we find that outside the New Jerusalem, the perfected church, [it is not heaven!] is all manner of evil. Here is the continued existence of sin and evil AFTER Satan is depicted as destroyed! How is this possible?

Are Plato, Aristotle, Socrates, dead? Of course. Are we still influenced by them? Positively! Is Hitler dead? Nero? To be sure. Are we still influenced by them? Unquestionably! In the very same way it is possible for a Christian today to maintain that Satan has been finally defeated, cast into hell. Evil still exists because man is still a free moral agent with dilemma ever present. (Incidentally, Adam and Eve had free agency and dilemma BEFORE Satan appeared to Eve. They could have sinned.) But man needs to recognize his own responsibility for his own actions.

James says we are tempted and drawn away of our own lusts (James 1:13f). Every temptation we have can be summarized under the three headings of I John 2:15-17. Our great need is to take responsibility in curbing our own appetites. We need to rely more on God and his promises!

Yes, there is still evil and temptation in the world. But the Christian has the truly good news that Jesus overcame the world and we can too!

Is it frightening to know there is no demon possession? Is it dangerous to believe that our Savior has accomplished what he came to do — destroy Satan and his works? Is it heretical to believe the Christian has eternal life, and Satan cannot touch him? Does it destroy faith to know that God has fulfilled his word and restored man to himself despite Satan’s best (worst?) efforts? Does it destroy hope to know we can overcome the world because Jesus did?

One thing is certain: the Bible says Jesus came to destroy Satan, and he would return quickly to consummate his victory. The Christian must ask: did Jesus fail? If so, we are hopelessly lost. Personally, this writer believes Jesus returned as he promised, and consummated his grand Scheme of Redemption. Victory is assured! Mankind need never again say, “The devil made me do it.”

http://fullpreterism.com/the-binding-of-satan/

random person · Oct 24, 2016

The First Resurrection - John 11:25-26

The Resurrection A.D. 70 - John 6:39-40, John 6:40, John 6:44, John 14:1-3, 1 Peter 1:4,

Daniel 12:2/Daniel 12:7

Revelation 15:8/Revelation 20:4.

Hebrews 9:8/1 Corinthians 15:24-26/2 Corinthians 3:7/1 Corinthians 15:50-56/Hebrews 9:28

The Last Day occurred in A.D. 70 according to Daniel 12:2 and Daniel 12:7.

random person · Oct 24, 2016

When is Christ's earthly ministry placed in Hebrews 1:2? At what time?

When is Christ's death placed in Hebrews 9:26? At what time?

The 1,000 Year Reign Of Christ? Literal or Figurative? (Full Preterism)

1 COR. 10:11; HEB. 1:2; HEB. 9:26,28; 1 PET. 1:20

Food For Thought

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"Let not your heart be troubled"

"Let not your heart be troubled"

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Revanche Flower

"Let not your heart be troubled"

catholic

"Let not your heart be troubled"

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catholic

1 COR. 10:11; HEB. 1:2; HEB. 9:26,28; 1 PET. 1:20

1 COR. 10:11; HEB. 1:2; HEB. 9:26,28; 1 PET. 1:20

1 COR. 10:11; HEB. 1:2; HEB. 9:26,28; 1 PET. 1:20

1 COR. 10:11; HEB. 1:2; HEB. 9:26,28; 1 PET. 1:20

1 COR. 10:11; HEB. 1:2; HEB. 9:26,28; 1 PET. 1:20

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