Certainty Jesus Returns No Later than 2023

Bible2,
Please don't respond to my posts when you are on my ignore list.

It's so obvious. What more proof would one need?

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To see it actually happen.

eclipsenow said in post 415:

Mark 10:30 = "in the age to come eternal life."

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Mk. 10:30 doesn't mean obedient believers won't be in immortal bodies during the current age's final stage, i.e. the future millennium (Rev. 20:4-6), just as Mk. 10:30 doesn't mean believers don't have eternal life in a spiritual sense currently (1 Jn. 5:13).

1 Cor 15:26 = "The last enemy to be destroyed is death".

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1 Cor. 15:26 refers to when the 1st death will be cast into the 2nd death, the lake of fire, at the great white throne judgment (Rev. 20:11-15). The resurrection at the great white throne judgment is the resurrection at "the end" (1 Cor. 15:24), & will include everyone who wasn't part of the 1st resurrection (Rev. 20:5), the bodily resurrection of the church at Jesus' 2nd coming (1 Cor. 15:23, Rev. 19:7-20:6).

2 Peter 3:10-13 = DAY OF LORD = like a thief = "a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells."

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Re: 2 Pet. 3:10-13, in the day of the Lord (the DOTL) will occur the destruction of heaven (the 1st heaven: the sky, the atmosphere) & the earth (the surface of the earth) at the great white throne judgment (the GWTJ) (Rev. 20:11, 21:1), & this will be followed by the creation of a new atmosphere & surface for the earth (2 Pet. 3:13, Rev. 21:1) onto which New Jerusalem, the Father's house (Jn. 14:2, Rev. 21:2-3), will descend from the 3rd heaven (Rev. 21:2-3). But the DOTL won't immediately bring the destruction of earth's atmosphere & surface, for the DOTL will begin at Jesus' 2nd coming (1 Cor. 1:7-8) as a thief (2 Pet. 3:10a, Rev. 16:15). After his 2nd coming, he'll establish his kingdom physically on the earth with the bodily resurrected church for 1,000 years (Rev. 19:7-20:6, 5:10, 2:26-29, Zech 14:3-21). After the 1,000 years, the Gog/Magog rebellion will occur (Rev. 20:7-10, Ezek. chs. 38-39), & after its defeat at least 7 more years will occur (Ezek. 39:9b) before the earth's atmosphere & surface are destroyed at the GWTJ (Rev. 20:11). All these events, from Jesus' 2nd coming to the GWTJ, will be part of the DOTL, for it's not a 24-hour day, but to God is like a 1,000-year "day" (2 Pet. 3:8).

Luke 20:35

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Lk. 20:35 doesn't mean there won't be mortal, married, unresurrected, unsaved people in the current age's final stage, i.e. the future millennium (e.g. Zech. 14:16-19).

eclipsenow said in post 415:

1 Corinthians 15
"50 I declare to you, brothers and sisters, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.

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1 Cor. 15:50 refers to people in mortal/corruptible flesh & blood bodies -- as opposed to people in immortal/incorruptible, resurrection "flesh and bone" bodies (possibly without blood as we know it) like Jesus was resurrected into (Lk. 24:39, 1 Cor. 15:21-23,51-53, Philip. 3:21, Rom. 8:23-25) -- not inheriting the eternal (as opposed to the millennial) aspect of the kingdom of God, which will be on the new earth in the descended New Jerusalem (Rev. 21:1-22:15) after the future millennium & subsequent events are over (Rev. 20:7-22:15). For the elect Jews who won't become believers until the 2nd coming (Rom. 11:25-29, Zech. 12:10-14) could inherit the millennial kingdom (Zech. 14:5-21, Mt. 19:28, Lk. 22:30) in their mortal bodies. For the resurrection/changing of believers into immortal bodies (1 Cor. 15:21-23,51-53) could be experienced only by those who had become believers before the 2nd coming. Also, the people left alive at the 2nd coming (Mt. 24:39b-40) who won't get saved at that time will also enter the millennial kingdom in their mortal bodies, but without inheriting it, for they will be its forced subjects (Zech. 14:16-19, Ps. 66:3), ruled over with a rod of iron (Rev. 2:26-29, 5:10, 20:4-6, Ps. 2).

Revelation is full of biblical symbols and is not dependent on modern newspaper headlines and geopolitics to understand.

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Rev. chs. 6-22 are an almost entirely literal future timeline, for Revelation is unsealed (Rev. 22:10), meaning it shouldn't be difficult for saved people of any time to understand it if they simply read it as it's written: chronologically & almost entirely literally. The few parts of it that are symbolic are usually explained afterward (e.g. Rev. 1:20, 17:9-12), & Revelation's few symbols not explained afterward (e.g. Rev. 13:2) are usually explained elsewhere in the Bible (e.g. Dan. 7:4-7,17).

Just as Jesus' 2nd coming in Rev. 19:7-20:3 will be fulfilled almost entirely literally, so the events of the preceding tribulation in Rev. chs. 6-18 will be fulfilled almost entirely literally. Also, the millennium in Rev. 20 will be literal, & will begin after Jesus' 2nd coming (Rev. 19:7-20:6, Zech. 14:3-21), when he will reign on the earth with the bodily resurrected church for 1,000 years (Rev. 20:4-6, 5:10, 2:26-29, Ps. 2, 66:3-4, 72:8-11). After that, the events of Rev. 20:7-22:5 will occur literally.

. . . and is not dependent on modern newspaper headlines and geopolitics to understand.

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Futurism considers modern geopolitics (as well as modern technology) in order to help believers consider different ways for how exactly the never-fulfilled, yet still understandable, & almost entirely literal, highly-detailed prophecies in Rev. chs. 6-18 might be fulfilled in our future. E.g., Christians at any time in the past could understand Rev. 6:4-8 refers to a horrible, literal war which will start the tribulation, & which, with its aftermath of famines & epidemics, will end up killing 1/4 of the world. They could understand this without having to know, e.g., what nation will start the war, or what weapons will be employed in the war. All futurism does it consider these things. For another example, Christians at any time in the past could understand Rev. 13:14-15 refers to a literal image (Greek: "eikon", something made in the likeness) of the Antichrist, which will appear to be alive, which will speak, & which people will have to worship or be killed. Christians in the past could understand this without having to know, e.g., whether the image will be 2-dimensional or 3-dimensional (or both), or what it will be made of, or how it will be made to speak & appear to be alive. All futurism does is consider these things.

No one knows when Christ will return, and the rapture will come as a thief in the night.

Meanwhile, we should be careful not be spend all our energy up trying to work out when the 2nd coming is going to come, rather we should be telling people about Jesus making disciples of Christ.

bobsterInJapan said:

No one knows when Christ will return, and the rapture will come as a thief in the night.

Meanwhile, we should be careful not be spend all our energy up trying to work out when the 2nd coming is going to come, rather we should be telling people about Jesus making disciples of Christ.

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Hear, hear! Even if we could figure out precisely when Jesus is coming back, would it make any difference in our daily lives? I don't see how it would.

Leggomyegolas said:

Hear, hear! Even if we could figure out precisely when Jesus is coming back, would it make any difference in our daily lives? I don't see how it would.

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Agreed. It's sad to see so many people here sick with 'End times table distraction'. EG: Look at Bible2's standard reply to my post. He just copies and pastes the same stuff every time. But there's no biblical scholarship backing this or wisdom in it. It's just an automatic, autistic copy and paste exercise. It's sad.

PS: I asked him not to reply to my posts but he keeps going. See what a troll he is?

Hey, Bible2, copy and paste boy, catch this! (This is copied and pasted from another thread on the slightest provocation, just the way you do to everyone here every chance you get).

Bible2 said:

Rev. is almost entirely literal, for it's unsealed (Rev. 22:10), meaning it shouldn't be difficult for saved people of any time to understand it if they simply read it as it's written. The few parts of it that are symbolic are almost always explained afterward (e.g. Rev. 1:20, 17:9-12), & its few symbols not explained afterward (e.g. Rev. 13:2) are usually explained elsewhere in the Bible (e.g. Dan. 7:4-7,17).

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Jesus having 7 eyes and 7 horns and a sword-tongue was of course literal. Oh, and the passage explained it sooooo well. Right there in Revelation 5 it says "And of course, Jesus having 7 eyes and 7 horns was all a parable, a metaphor, just in case you dumbheads who can't distinguish different forms of literature were tempted to take this chapter literally. Like the rest of this book really!"

See, Bible2, your problem is that you can't have it both ways. On the one hand you demand that the TEXT ITSELF must proclaim, "This readingeth be a metaphoreth". Otherwise it is literal. But Rev 5 says Jesus has 7 eyes and 7 horns and never, ever explains it away as a parable or a metaphor. It doesn't explain it at all. It's just stated. Like a fact. But I know you have previously said it is one of the *few* metaphors in Revelation.

My challenge to you? Prove it. The writing is EXACTLY the same as the rest of the book. Every time you fall back on "Revelation is literal" I'm just going to throw Rev 5 back to demonstrate how illiterate you are.

It's there. Read it. Revelation 5. Because the text doesn't 'explain it' as you suggest. What do you do? Assume it is literal? Is that what you do *every* time you read? Assume it's literal?

What about poems? Are poems literal? What about love sonnets. "Your teeth are like the sheep going down Mt Hermon." Literal? No. Too easy. The word 'like' is in there, it's a simile.

But according to your whacked out, ignorant, illiterate definition of 'literal' writing it's all literal unless the text specifically spells out something different. So what do you do about metaphors? It seems to me that you don't have the first clue how to detect metaphorical from literal writing.

Tell me sunshine, do I call you 'sunshine' literally? Or is it a metaphor? (Sarcastic at that.) Are you my little ray of sunshine or not?

Or what about this?

All the world’s a stage,
And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances;

Literal or metaphor?

See, the problem you have, sunshine, is that metaphor is *never* explained. No good writer turns around and says "Oh, that was a metaphor!" That's up to the reader.

Imagine if Shakespeare had written:


All the world’s a stage (But that was just a metaphor)
And all the men and women merely players (I just extended the metaphor)
They have their exits and their entrances (But not literally, as it's just another metaphor).

If by definition a metaphor *never* explains itself, how are we to recognise one when we stumble over it? What clues are *you* going to look for? By your ignorant definition we have to believe *everything* is literal unless the text specifically says otherwise. But that's not how writing works.

You simply don't want metaphors to be real. You don't allow them. You want everything to be similes, where Shakespeare would have instead said

All the world is LIKE a stage,
And all the men and women are LIKE mere players;
They all live life LIKE they have exits and their entrances;

But that isn't in Rev 5 is it? IS IT? No sunshine, it isn't. Rev 5 just says it like it is. (Or isn't, depending on whether or not you have a clue about metaphors). So Jesus HAS "seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth." There you go. No reason to argue about it. It's literal. The bible says so. Revelation 5 says so. Unless.... unless you can help us recognise a metaphor?

You have *no* reason to assert Rev 5 is any different to the rest of the book. This is the most metaphorical book in the entire bible! How do we know? By reading it! By recognising the metaphors as biblical images all mixed together to write a beautiful poetic sermon. And how do we know the rest of it is metaphor? By being biblically literate and recognising the bible's older, other metaphors for what they are. Anyone well versed in the bible is going to *recognise* these biblical metaphors from other areas that help to describe these symbols. They are most definitely NOT literal.

I hope this helps you clear away some of the fog before your eyes, blinding you to what is in the text. Because you've got a lot of this 'fog' and you've got it bad. (By the way, that last bit was a metaphor).

bobsterInJapan said:

No one knows when Christ will return, and the rapture will come as a thief in the night.

Meanwhile, we should be careful not be spend all our energy up trying to work out when the 2nd coming is going to come, rather we should be telling people about Jesus making disciples of Christ.

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HE WILL COME ON THOSE THAT ARE NOT LOOKING FOR HIM AS A THIEF IN THE NIGT.

BUT YOU ARE MAKING JESUS A LIAR.

MAT 21:22 AND ALL THINGS, WHATSOEVER YE SHALL ASK N PRAYER, BELIEVING, YE SHALL RECEIVE.

And how is Jesus going to tell you something that He says not even He knows, but only the Father does?

doright said:

HE WILL COME ON THOSE THAT ARE NOT LOOKING FOR HIM AS A THIEF IN THE NIGT.

BUT YOU ARE MAKING JESUS A LIAR.

MAT 21:22 AND ALL THINGS, WHATSOEVER YE SHALL ASK N PRAYER, BELIEVING, YE SHALL RECEIVE.

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Charming.

You're right that to those who are not looking, he will come as a thief in the night. But no one knows when he will come, though there will be signs that the time is near.

In the 1980s people were saying that Jesus will come by the early 90s, in the 90s he was coming in or around 2000, now that it is 2012 he's due in 2023? You could put a mathematical formula on peoples predictions.

Current date + 13 years +\- 6 years?

Anyway, my point is this, people around are spiritually hungry, thirsty and naked, lost. Put more energy into dealing with that.

bobsterInJapan said:

Charming.

You're right that to those who are not looking, he will come as a thief in the night. But no one knows when he will come, though there will be signs that the time is near.

In the 1980s people were saying that Jesus will come by the early 90s, in the 90s he was coming in or around 2000, now that it is 2012 he's due in 2023? You could put a mathematical formula on peoples predictions.

Current date + 13 years +\- 6 years?

Anyway, my point is this, people around are spiritually hungry, thirsty and naked, lost. Put more energy into dealing with that.

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How unusual! A Pentecostal saying pretty sane stuff in an Eschatology forum! OK, that's blown my mind. You've shattered a few preconceptions I have of Pentecostals. Well done. I'm actually going to have to go and have a very strong cup of Earl Grey, and ponder this strange sensation... I agree with a Pentecostal! Woah!

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hang on a minute. I thought it was too good to be true... what do you mean by this bit?

though there will be signs that the time is near.

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doright said:

HE WILL COME ON THOSE THAT ARE NOT LOOKING FOR HIM AS A THIEF IN THE NIGT.

BUT YOU ARE MAKING JESUS A LIAR.

MAT 21:22 AND ALL THINGS, WHATSOEVER YE SHALL ASK N PRAYER, BELIEVING, YE SHALL RECEIVE.

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Caps lock automatically makes whatever you're saying righter.

eclipsenow said in post 427:

Jesus having 7 eyes and 7 horns and a sword-tongue was of course literal.

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Jesus isn't literally a lamb with 7 horns & 7 eyes (Rev. 5:6) because other verses show he's literally a human (Lk. 24:39, 1 Tim. 2:5, Heb. 7:24-26, 2:17). Parts of Rev. 5:6 are literal (God's throne in heaven, the 4 beasts, the 24 elders, Jesus having been slain, the 7 Spirits of God, the earth) & parts of Rev. 5:6 are symbolic (Jesus being a lamb, his having 7 horns, his having 7 eyes).

This is the most metaphorical book in the entire bible!

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Rev. chs. 6-22 are an almost entirely literal future timeline (see the middle section of post 424).

Leggomyegolas said in post 426:

Even if we could figure out precisely when Jesus is coming back, would it make any difference in our daily lives?

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It could make a difference at some point in the future (see post 412).

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post 429:

And how is Jesus going to tell you something that He says not even He knows, but only the Father does?

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At the time of his Olivet Discourse in the 1st century AD, Jesus didn't know the date (as in the year, month, & day) of his 2nd coming (Mk. 13:32), but he did know that he would return immediately after the future tribulation of Mt. 24/Rev. chs. 6-18 (Mt. 24:29-31, 2 Thes. 2:1-8, Rev. 19:7-20:6, cf. Jn. 16:12), & that this tribulation will include the antitypical fulfillment of the abomination of desolation (Mt. 24:15, Dan. 11:31). Also, re: Jesus not knowing, before his resurrection, the date of his 2nd coming (Mk. 13:32), that was because at his incarnation (Jn. 1:1,14), he temporarily laid aside (Philip. 2:6-8) his divine omniscience re: his own conscious human knowledge (Mk. 13:32) in order to completely share in our mortal human condition (Heb. 2:17) & be tempted in every way that we're tempted (Heb. 4:15). Nonetheless, he still remained God (Jn. 10:30, 1:1,14, 1 Tim. 3:16). And after his physical resurrection into fully-human immortality (Lk. 24:39), he regained his divine omniscience (Col. 2:2b-3), just as he regained his divine omnipotence (Mt. 28:18). And so now he does know the date of his 2nd coming.

Dont we (or the world) have to get chipped up first? The mark of the beast?

eclipsenow said:

EDIT TO ADD:

hang on a minute. I thought it was too good to be true... what do you mean by this bit?

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I suppose I was thinking of Matthew 24 when I said that. There going to be signs, isn't there?

bobsterInJapan said:

I suppose I was thinking of Matthew 24 when I said that. There going to be signs, isn't there?

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I guess even Covenant Theology Amils like Dr Kim Riddlebarger suggest there is 3 signs of the end; all Israel being saved; gospel going to ends of the earth; and a great tribulation.

As a Sydney Anglican, I'm sceptical of such claims. The Lord could return and Judge the world and bring in the New Heavens and New Earth tonight! Everything's been fulfilled in Jesus death and resurrection and the current reign of the church (the Kingdom of God future reflected in the reign of Christ in our hearts now). Basically, I'm coming to see that as far as Christian theology goes, the bigger the end-times the smaller the gospel. Futurists get so caught up in how many Old and New Testament verses are all about the FUTURE that they fail to see how many of these things have been fulfilled in the past: in the death and resurrection of the Lord. So much more happened then than 'just' our salvation (as magnificent and gracious of God as that is!), but we are so individually 'me' focussed in our thinking that we miss it.

jinx25 said in post 435:

Dont we (or the world) have to get chipped up first? The mark of the beast?

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While the Antichrist could seek to inject RFID microchips into everyone (which could be used like debit cards), the microchips would be separate from the "mark of the beast" (Rev. 16:2, 13:16-18). For Rev. 13:17b-18 shows that the mark won't be a microchip, but only the Antichrist's name or the gematrial number of his name (666). Also, Rev. 13:16's original Greek shows that the mark will be placed only "on" (epi), not inside, people's right hands or foreheads, & probably by scarification. For one of the definitions of "charagma" (the original Greek word used in Rev. 13:16 to refer to the mark) is a scratch or etching, & scarification is the scratching or etching (i.e. the cutting) of the skin to leave a permanent mark. The reason people will be given the mark in Rev. 13:16, in the context of what had been shown just previously in Rev. 13:4,8,15, will be to serve as a visible indicator to other people that they're loyal worshippers of Lucifer (the dragon, Satan) (Rev. 13:4, 12:9) & of the Antichrist (the AC, the individual-man aspect of the beast) & his image (Rev. 13:4,8,15), just as some Luciferians today put a mark on themselves by scarification.

The mark will be placed only on the right hands (probably on the palms) of people "or" on their foreheads (Rev. 13:16), meaning it will be placed on the right hands of some people & on the foreheads of other people. Those who refuse to receive the AC's mark won't be allowed to buy or sell anything (Rev. 13:17), & they will be executed by being beheaded if they refuse to worship the AC & his image (Rev. 13:15, 20:4). Christians must be willing to suffer this fate rather than agree to receive the AC's mark or worship him or his image, for those who agree to do those things (even if they're Christians) will suffer God's wrath in fire & brimstone forever (Rev. 14:9-13), whereas those Christians who refuse to do those things, even though they will be beheaded, will subsequently be physically resurrected into immortality (along with the rest of the obedient church) at Jesus' 2nd coming (Rev. 20:4-6, 1 Cor. 15:21-23,52-58). And even before their resurrection, at the moment of their death their still-conscious souls will be brought into the presence of Jesus in heaven (2 Cor. 5:8, Philip. 1:21,23, Rev. 6:9-10, Lk. 23:43,46).

In the future, when the world begins to worship the AC as God (Rev. 13:8, 2 Thes. 2:4, Dan. 11:36), some people could gladly be willing to have his name placed by scarification on their right palms, just as lovers in the past were sometimes known to have their loved ones' initials placed by scarification on their palms (cf. also Isa. 49:16, Jer. 48:37, Lev. 19:28, 21:5). Other of the AC's worshippers could gladly be willing to have his name placed by scarification on their foreheads, thinking (mistakenly) that they're fulfilling the Christian idea of Rev. 22:4, which refers to the future point in time when Jesus will put God's name visibly on the foreheads of obedient Christians (Rev. 3:12). The AC's miracle-working False Prophet (the FP), who will be the one to cause everyone to be marked with the AC's mark (Rev. 13:16-18), could even convince people that he (the FP) is Jesus returned (but he won't say that he's the Christ, for he & the AC will deny Jesus is the Christ, & will deny Christ is in the flesh: 1 Jn. 2:22, 2 Jn. 1:7).

Instead of having the AC's name engraved on their right hands or foreheads, some of his worshippers will have the gematrial number of his name (Rev. 13:17c-18) engraved on their right hands or foreheads. The gematrial number of the AC's name is 666 (Rev. 13:17c-18). But because some people could refuse to have this number placed on their bodies, in order to make a mark of 666 acceptable to all people, it could be disguised to look like something else in those cases where people demand something other than "666". E.g., it could be disguised in some cases to look like "777", "WWW", "VVV", "|| || ||", or "FFF". For the 6th letter of the ancient Hebrew alphabet (Vav) represents the number 6, but it looks like a "7", & it's transliterated into English either as a "W" or a "V". Also, 2 thin vertical lines "||" represent the number 6 on many UPC codes. And the letter "F" has a numerical value of 6 in English gematria. In an awful coincidence (or maybe it's not just a coincidence), "FFF" also stands for an extremely powerful type of nuclear bomb: Fission-Fusion-Fission. Could this be the type of bomb the 10 kings of the AC's empire will employ to burn up the cities of the world at the end of the future tribulation of Rev. chs. 6-18/Mt. 24 (Rev. 17:12,16-17a, 16:19, 19:2,11)?

eclipsenow said in post 437:

The Lord could return and Judge the world and bring in the New Heavens and New Earth tonight!

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He couldn't, for the Lord Jesus won't come & gather together (rapture) the church until immediately after the future tribulation of Rev. chs. 6-18/Mt. 24 (Mt. 24:29-31, 2 Thes. 2:1-8). That's why the marriage of the church doesn't happen until Rev. 19:7, in connection with Jesus' 2nd coming & the bodily resurrection of the church at that time (Rev. 19:7-20:6, 1 Cor. 15:21-23,51-53, 1 Thes. 4:15-16). Mt. 24:30-31 refers to the same 2nd coming of Jesus & gathering together (rapture) of the church as 2 Thes. 2:1, which refers to the same 2nd coming of Jesus & catching up together (rapture) of the church as 1 Thes. 4:15-17.

Jesus won't return & gather together (rapture) the church until sometime after there is a falling away (an apostasy) in the church, and the Antichrist sits in a 3rd Jewish temple in Jerusalem & proclaims himself God (2 Thes. 2:1-4, Dan. 11:31,36, Mt. 24:15-31, Rev. 11:1-2, 13:4-8), and the abomination of desolation (possibly a standing, android image of the Antichrist) is set up in the holy place of the 3rd Jewish temple (Mt. 24:15-31, Dan. 11:31). For when Jesus returns to gather together (& marry) the church he will destroy the Antichrist (2 Thes. 2:1,8, Rev. 19:7,20). Before Jesus returns, the church will have to go through the future, literal 3.5 years of the Antichrist's worldwide reign (Rev. 13:5-10, 14:12-13, 20:4-6, Mt. 24:9-31). At Jesus' 2nd coming (1 Thes. 4:15, 2 Thes. 2:1, Mt. 24:30), the church will be resurrected & caught up together/gathered together (raptured) (1 Thes. 4:16-17, 2 Thes. 2:1, Mt. 24:31), not to remove the church from the earth (Prov. 10:30, Jn. 17:15,20), but to take the church only as high as the clouds of the sky to hold a meeting in the air with the returned Jesus (1 Thes. 4:17).

At that meeting, Jesus will judge everyone in the church (Ps. 50:4-5, cf. Mk. 13:27) by their works (2 Cor. 5:10, Rom. 2:6-8, Lk. 12:45-48, Mt. 25:19-30) & then will marry in the clouds the obedient part of the church (Rev. 19:7-8, Mt. 25:1-12), those in the church (of all times) who "overcame" (Rev. 3:5), before they mount white horses & come back down from the sky (the 1st heaven) with Jesus (Rev. 19:14) as he defeats the Antichrist (the individual-man aspect of the beast) & all the unsaved armies of the world (Rev. 19:15-21). Jesus will then make the marriage supper of Rev. 19:9 for the resurrected & married obedient part of the church in the earthly Jerusalem (Isa. 25:6-9, 1 Cor. 15:54). Jesus & the obedient part of the church will then reign on the earth for 1,000 years (Rev. 20:4-6, 5:10, 2:26-29).

Everything's been fulfilled in Jesus death and resurrection and the current reign of the church (the Kingdom of God future reflected in the reign of Christ in our hearts now).

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Everything hasn't been fulfilled, for Rev. chs. 6-22 are still future, for they're about "things which must be hereafter" (Rev. 4:1), & just as Jesus' 2nd coming in Rev. 19:7-20:3 has never been fulfilled, for nowhere in history books do we find its fulfillment, so the highly-detailed events of the preceding tribulation in Rev. chs. 6-18 have never been fulfilled, for nowhere in history books do we find their fulfillment. Also, while presently the kingdom of God is already on the earth spiritually within Christians (Rom. 14:17, Lk. 17:21), just as the kingdom of God is also presently in heaven (2 Tim. 4:18, Heb. 12:22-24), in the future, the kingdom of God will come fully upon the earth as it is in heaven (Mt. 6:10). It will be physically (Lk. 22:30, Mt. 19:28) on the earth (Rev. 5:10), first during the millennium (Rev. 20:4-6, 2:26-29) & then on the new earth (Rev. 21:1-8).

Jesus' kingdom is Israel (Jn. 1:49, 12:13-15, 19:19, Lk. 22:30). That's why at his 2nd coming, he will sit on the earthly throne of David (Lk. 1:32, Isa. 9:7) & restore the kingdom to Israel (Acts 1:6-7, 3:20-21). Jesus is, in his humanity, the son of David (Mt. 1:1, 21:15-16, Rom. 1:3), of the house of David (Lk. 1:69). So at Jesus' 2nd coming, he will restore the tabernacle, the house, of David (Isa. 16:5, Amos 9:11), to its royal glory (2 Sam. 5:12), which it had lost (2 Kin. 17:21a), & fulfill the prophecy & prayer of 2 Sam. 7:16-29. And Jesus will bring salvation to all the unbelieving elect Jews of the house of David, for they (along with all other unbelieving elect Jews) will come into faith in him when they see him at his 2nd coming (Zech. 12:10-14, 13:1,6, Rom. 11:26-31). And so they will all become part of the church at that time, for there are no believers outside of the church (Eph. 4:4-6).

bobsterInJapan said:

No one knows when Christ will return, and the rapture will come as a thief in the night.

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Uhhh....if there was a rapture alls you would have to do is count 7 yrs and you would know when Christ would return. But anyone who knows the scriptures knows theres nose rap t sure.