Is there a literal camp of the saints? Is there a literal beloved city? Unless these are symbolic terms for some spiritual application, these are literal places that are about to be surrounded by a very large amount of literal people.
Revelation 20 declares they live some where, and you know that it does. You do not seem to want to call that somewhere, Jerusalem. I still am not sure why you think Revelation 20 has to spell everything out to satisfy those, who are dead set against the words that are found in the chapter.
In 1 Peter 4:1, 5 Peter contrasts the righteous and the wicked, and then concludes:
“Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin … Who shall give account to him that is ready to judge the quick (or the living)
and the dead.”
2 Timothy 4:1 identifies the actual time
when Adam's race will stand to account before the throne of God, saying,
“I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom.”
Adam’s race – in total – is therefore judged “at his (Christ’s)
epifaneian (or) appearing and his kingdom.” Everyman that has ever lived from the foundation of the world will be then brought before the final judgment bar of God to account for their earthly lives. This is undoubtedly an all-inclusive general judgment. The persons involved and the occasion referred to could not be clearer.
- The word zaō in the Greek simply means to live.
- The word nekros in the Greek simply means dead and refers to a corpse.
Again: the text says this is “the time of the dead [Gr.
nekros], that they should be judged” and you try to argue "this is the time
the living unrighteous are judged."
What is more, these are judged at the second coming, not 1000 years+ later as you first claimed.
It doesn't matter whichever way you twist it, it still says the same thing. All mankind is judged when Jesus comes (“the righteous in Christ” or “the spiritually dead outside of Christ”). Mankind is found in one of these 2 camps.
Acts 17:30-31 reinforces my supposition: “
And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.”
He has
not appointed days but "a day" (singular).
NASU says:
"He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness."
NLT says:
"he has set a day for judging the world with justice."
Jesus said in Matthew 16:27,
“For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.”
It is not just the righteous living and the righteous dead that are raised - as you argue, everyone must be raised because Paul says everyone is judged when Jesus comes and introduce His eternal kingdom.
In 1 Peter 4:1-5 Peter contrasts the righteous and the wicked, and then concludes:
“Who shall give account to him (Christ)
that is ready to judge the quick (or the living)
and the dead” (1 Peter 4:5).
2 Timothy 4:1 identifies the actual time
when Adam's race will stand to account before the throne of God, saying,
“I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom.”
Adam’s race – in total – is therefore judged “at his (Christ’s)
epifaneian (or) appearing and his kingdom.” Everyman that has ever lived from the foundation of the world will be then brought before the final judgment bar of God to account for their earthly lives. This is undoubtedly an all-inclusive general judgment. The persons involved and the occasion referred to could not be clearer.
1 Corinthians 4:5 tells us:
“judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.”
When you place Revelation 20:11-15 together with all the other Second coming passages you see that it correlates beautifully with them. In fact, it mirrors them in remarkable detail. You would search in vain to find any Scripture that corroborates the idea of another judgment day 1000 years after the coming of the Lord. Scripture does not divide the judgment of the righteous and the wicked by a protracted period of time. Premillennialism does.
The reading declares:
“And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.”
Revelation 22:12 states:
“behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.”
Romans 2:5, 6 indicates:
“after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God; Who will render to every man according to his deeds.”
Romans 2:16 tells us that Christ’s return will be
“the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel.”
Romans 14:10 asks:
“why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.”
Romans 14:12 relates:
“every one of us shall give account of himself to God.”
Jesus said in Matthew 10:32-33:
“Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.”
Jesus said in Luke 12:8-9:
“Also I say unto you, Whosoever shall confess me before men, him shall the Son of man also confess before the angels of God: But he that denieth me before men shall be denied before the angels of God.”
Jesus said in Mark 14:62:
“ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.”
Jesus said in Matthew 26:64:
“I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.”
Jesus said in Matthew 24:29-31:
“Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.”
Jesus said in Matthew 16:25-27:
“For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.”
The Lord here compares the attitude of the believer to the unbeliever in life. He then relates the stark contrast between the two on judgement day, showing that those that surrender their lives to Christ in this life will experience eternal life on judgement day, whereas those who are selfish and live for themselves in this life will be exposed on judgement day for their folly and rebellion.