REVE 20:5-6 "THIS IS THE FIRST RESURRECTION"

[Erik Nelson]

No.

There are two resurrections in John chapter 5.

The first is spiritual, and the second is of the body.

Joh 5:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.

All Christians, both dead and living have been through the spiritual resurrection found in John 5:24.


Joh 5:27 And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man.
Joh 5:28 Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice,
Joh 5:29 And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.
Joh 5:30 I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.

The timing of the bodily resurrection and judgment above is found in Revelation 11:15-18, at the future Second Coming of Christ.

Since the Book of Revelation is not in chronological order, both of the above are found in Revelation chapter 20.

.

Well, please remember that all Christians are born again. However, the first resurrection. Only involves those who were martyred for Christ before the Millennium. And in fact. Only includes those who were "beheaded" such as Saint Paul. Technically, Apostles, who were crucified for Christ do not even qualify for the first resurrection. It is very specific. Not general.

So the general experience of being born again required of all Christians cannot be identical. With the first resurrection for only a very select. few

 

[BABerean2]

Well, please remember that all Christians are born again. However, the first resurrection. Only involves those who were martyred for Christ before the Millennium. And in fact. Only includes those who were "beheaded" such as Saint Paul. Technically, Apostles, who were crucified for Christ do not even qualify for the first resurrection. It is very specific. Not general.

So the general experience of being born again required of all Christians cannot be identical. With the first resurrection for only a very select. few

We know the Book of Revelation is not in chronological order.

The "time of the judgment of the dead" is found in Revelation 11:15-18.

Christ returns "in flaming fire" in 2 Thessalonians 1:7-10.

When is the judgment of the dead in Revelation 20?

When does the fire come in Revelation 20?

.

 

[Marilyn C]

.

Hi LittlelambofJesus,

As BABerean has said - `Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice, and come forth - those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation.` (John 5: 28 & 29)

There are 2 important points there -

1. `all who are in the graves...` The Body of Christ and the just men are NOT in the grave but in the general assembly. (Heb. 12: 23) and they will have spiritual bodies fit for the heavens. (1 Cor. 15: 44)
Elijah and Moses, the 2 witnesses, will be among the OT saints, the just men, in the general assembly. (`and the prophets,` Heb. 11: 32)

Those who are in the graves are all those not in the Body of Christ, or the OT saints.

2. `the resurrection to life....the resurrection to condemnation..` Two types of resurrection from those in the graves. The first type of resurrection ones to life will be on the new earth. (Rev. 21: 24) The other type of resurrection will be to condemnation and to the lake of fire. (Rev. 20: 15)

Thus we see that those who were martyred and didn`t take the mark of the A/C will be those of the first type of resurrection, to life. `they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.` (Rev.20: 4)

Marilyn.

 

[Erik Nelson]

We know the Book of Revelation is not in chronological order.

The "time of the judgment of the dead" is found in Revelation 11:15-18.

Christ returns "in flaming fire" in 2 Thessalonians 1:7-10.

When is the judgment of the dead in Revelation 20?

When does the fire come in Revelation 20?

.

The next few times that Greek verb krino (G2919) Is used is

• revelation 16:5 = judgements on "Babylon" ( Jerusalem) and the "Beast" (pagan Roman Empire) in the lead up to "Armageddon" (First Jewish Roman War of 66-73 Ad)
• Revelation 18:8, Revelation 18:20, Revelation 19:2 = judgment of "Babylon" (70ad)

Crisis (G2920) The noun form of the same word is also used for these events.

 

[Erik Nelson]

We know the Book of Revelation is not in chronological order.

The "time of the judgment of the dead" is found in Revelation 11:15-18.

Christ returns "in flaming fire" in 2 Thessalonians 1:7-10.

When is the judgment of the dead in Revelation 20?

When does the fire come in Revelation 20?

.

also true

revelation, clearly depicts a conflict between Babylon and the beast known as Armageddon. the Beast emerges victorious. Only to be subsequently defeated. By the church in revelation 19. Which then reigned for 1000 year long Millennium? The first part of Revelation 20. Which must precede the time of? Apostasy of Gog and Magog. Which in turn precedes final judgment? All of that has to be chronological.

The Beast is already long gone by the time that fire from heaven, judges Gog and Magog. Armageddon between the beast and Babylon CANNOT be fire from heaven, initiating final judgement at the end of Gog and Magog and of earth time.

But it is also the case that revelation 11. Verse 18. Best reflects final judgment. At the Second Coming.

Offer that the best view. Is that? The song of praise you quoted in revelation 11. Is praising God for EVERYTHING that follows? Everything from Armageddon in the first century. Up through final judgment at some unknown time in the future.

ALL of those events have been prophesied. All of those events have been carved into the fabric of space time so to speak. They are bound to occur. They were foreseen already in revelation 11. And foreseeing the entire future sweep of terrestrial earth history. The heavenly beings praise God for his sweeping plans for earth from then on.

 

[BABerean2]

also true
View attachment 251856

revelation, clearly depicts a conflict between Babylon and the beast known as Armageddon. the Beast emerges victorious. Only to be subsequently defeated. By the church in revelation 19. Which then reigned for 1000 year long Millennium? The first part of Revelation 20. Which must precede the time of? Apostasy of Gog and Magog. Which in turn precedes final judgment? All of that has to be chronological.

The Beast is already long gone by the time that fire from heaven, judges Gog and Magog. Armageddon between the beast and Babylon CANNOT be fire from heaven, initiating final judgement at the end of Gog and Magog and of earth time.

But it is also the case that revelation 11. Verse 18. Best reflects final judgment. At the Second Coming.

Offer that the best view. Is that? The song of praise you quoted in revelation 11. Is praising God for EVERYTHING that follows? Everything from Armageddon in the first century. Up through final judgment at some unknown time in the future.

ALL of those events have been prophesied. All of those events have been carved into the fabric of space time so to speak. They are bound to occur. They were foreseen already in revelation 11. And foreseeing the entire future sweep of terrestrial earth history. The heavenly beings praise God for his sweeping plans for earth from then on.

The following by Pastor Steve Gregg is the same as my understanding of Revelation chapter 20.

.

 

[TribulationSigns]

The Two Witnesses are Elect of the New Testament who have experienced the first resurrection in Christ.

 

[Erik Nelson]

The Two Witnesses are Elect of the New Testament who have experienced the first resurrection in Christ.

The 2 witnesses are persecuted by Babylon. Those experiencing the first resurrection. Are those who were beheaded by the beast? They must therefore represent 2 different groups of people. The 2 witnesses confined to Babylon. The first resurrection being those. Within the larger beast.

 

[Erik Nelson]

The following by Pastor Steve Gregg is the same as my understanding of Revelation chapter 20.

.

A valiant argument.

When Jesus came in the flesh the first time. He apparently found the strongman. On Revelation 20 speaks of both a binding and a ceiling. The Dragon is not only chained but CAGED. I think that's an important extra distinction.

Also again the first resurrection is only those who were murdered by being beheaded for their witnessing testimony. Of Christ and his church. By the beast. That is extremely specific. That cannot refer to the general widespread Christian experience of being born again.

Moreover, the Millennium has a well defined, beginning and a well defined end. But obviously the church lives on after the Millennium. Such that gog and Magog directed by the dragon can assault, the camp of the Saints. Therefore amillennialism CANNOT be true. The Millennium cannot symbolize the whole entire church age because the church in revelation is clearly depicted existing both before and after the Millennium.

The Millennium is the high Watermark of the church on Earth. It is one says one age of church history. It's like you being a teenager. You feel strongest in your teenage years. Your teens and twenties say. You were born before that, and you live after that. It's one age of the church.

Likewise, premillennialism cannot be true, it cannot be the case that Jesus Christ comes again at the Second Coming. Only to have Satan escaped his prison and bindings afterwards. Christ's second coming is the ETERNAL victory. Of God in heaven.

Moreover, the 1000 years in revelation. Echo's The 70 weeks of Daniel. Biblical eschatological chronology is exact Jesus came exactly when Daniel predicted. So it seems likely that the Millennium would be just about 1000 literal terrestrial earth years.

And speaking of Daniels 70 weeks revelation 11 clearly and unambiguously. Alludes to Daniels final divided week. With 3 and a half days before the abomination of Desolation and 3 and a half days afterward.

Now, because Babylon symbolizes apostate first century Jerusalem per revelation, 11 verse 8. Therefore, the divided week is the 7 year Jewish Roman war from 66. to 73. AD Exactly halfway through which the temple was in fact destroyed in 70 ad.

Similarly, the beast of the Sea of Revelation is Daniels Fourth Beast, which is unambiguously. The Pagan Roman Empire, which conquered the Holy Land after the empire of Alexander the Great after. The Persians after. The Babylonians. It's a Pagan Roman Empire was defeated by the gospel and the church as the body of Christ on Earth in the third and fourth centuries AD.

There has been no Pagan Roman Empire or Pagan persecution of Christianity. Since Constantine and the Council of Nicaea, which literally means Council of VICTORY named after the Greek goddess of victory Nike.

Emperor Constantine was a Christian conquering figure. reminiscent of revelation 19 and the church unambiguously declared victory in 325 AD.

Every history book on Earth describes the Byzantine Empire as the 1000 year long Christian Empire of Constantinople.

All of the nefarious cultic influences the video discuss is as erupting in the mid 19th century have their roots in the Renaissance. Of the 15th century. Exactly at the time Constantinople fell. Renaissance literally means rebirth. And was touted as the literal rebirth of all the paganisms of Classical Era, Rome. It's why modern science has named all the newly discovered planets after Pagan Greek and Roman deities. The whole point is that the pagan beast was Unchained once again.

Every Christian Forums current event post about the libertine events, occuring in modern times is implicitly, acknowledging that the present is the postmillennial "little time" of gog and Magog.

There is no escaping the ironclad logic that if BABYLON symbolizes apostate first century JERUSALEM, then its judgment in revelation 18 occurred in 70 AD

and there is no escaping the ironclad logic that if the BEAST of Revelation symbolizes the PAGAN EMPIRE. That its defeat. Occured in 312 AD at Milvian Bridge by the hand of Constantine. Which victory was celebrated in 325 AD at the Council of victorious Nicaea

and until they are burned or otherwise crumble into dust. Every surviving hard copy of every history book on Earth will continue to describe. the Empire of Byzantium as the quote Unquote 1000 year long Christian Empire of Constantinople.

And presumably from here on out. Earth will get more and more libertine - Gog and Magog - Until the end of earth time. As the current events forum will continue to. Report.

Until, allegedly, Fire from heaven destroys the Internet and most everything else along with it.

 

[LittleLambofJesus]

also true
The Beast is already long gone by the time that fire from heaven, judges Gog and Magog. Armageddon between the beast and Babylon CANNOT be fire from heaven, initiating final judgement at the end of Gog and Magog and of earth time.

But it is also the case that revelation 11. Verse 18. Best reflects final judgment. At the Second Coming.

Offer that the best view. Is that? The song of praise you quoted in revelation 11. Is praising God for EVERYTHING that follows? Everything from Armageddon in the first century. Up through final judgment at some unknown time in the future.

Interesting post Eric.
Both Judgement and Wrath are shown coming upon 1 century Jerusalem and foretold in the pre 70ad Olivet Discourse.
I have just got done studying on "wrath<3709>" and perhaps it will help bring clarification to some members here on why I have always viewed the 1st century Temple and Jerusalem being in Revelation.

Has anyone really taken a real close look at where this greek word for "wrath<3709>" is used in the NT?

It is used only 5 times in the Gospels,

4 of those against the 1st century pre70ad Jews:

Mat 3:7
But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “Brood of vipers!
Who warned you to flee from the being about wrath<3709>?

Mar 3:5
And when He had looked around at them with wrath<3709>, being grieved by the hardness of their hearts, He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.”
And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored as whole as the other.

Luk 3:7
Then he said to the multitudes that came out to be baptized by him,
“Brood of vipers!
Who warned you to flee from the being about wrath<3709>?

And the great 70ad Olivet Discourse in Luke 21:

Matthew 24, Mark 13 and Luke's Temple/Jerusalem Discourses harmonized

Luk 21:
5 and of some saying concerning the Temple, that to goodly stones and votive-offerings<334> it has been adorned<2885>
23 “But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days!
For there will be great distress in the land and wrath<3709> upon this people.

Then in John before Paul came and preached to the Gentiles pre 70ad

Jhn 3:36
“He who believes in the Son has everlasting life;
and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life,
but the wrath<3709> of God abides on him.”
======================
6 verses in Revelation

Same form of the word #2064 is used in Reve 6:17 and Reve 11:18

G2064 (NKJV)
ἦλθεν — 91x G2064 ἔρχομαι
<ἦλθεν 2064>
V-2AAI-3S (91x)

Parsing: Second Aorist Indicative Active
3rd Person Singular

Greek and Hebrew Reader Online
Revelation 6:17

Rev 6:
16 - and they said to the mountains and rocks,
“Fall on us! and hide us! from the face of Him Who sits on the throne
and from the wrath<2709> of the Lambkin!
17 - “That came <ἦλθεν 2064> the great day of His wrath<2709>, and who is able to stand?”

Greek and Hebrew Reader Online
Revelation 11:18

Rev 11:18
and the nations were angered, and came<ἦλθεν 2706> Thine wrath<3709>
and the time of the dead, to be judged<2919>,
and to give the reward to Thy servants, to the prophets, and to the saints,
and to those fearing Thy name, to the small and to the great,
and to blight<1311> those who are blighting the land.'

Used in 2 verses of the 70ad Jerusalem/Temple discourse concerning the "flood"

Mat 24:39
“and did not know till came<ἦλθεν 2706> the flood and took them all away,
so also shall be the PAROUSIA of the Son of Man.

Luk 17:27
They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark,
and came<ἦλθεν 2706> the flood and destroyed them all.
==========================
The other 3 verses in Revelation

Rev 14:10
“he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath<3709> of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His wrath<3709>.
He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lambkin.

Please visit my "Great City/Harlot/Babylon" thread, which I update from time to time.

The Great City/Harlot/Queen Revelation chapts 17-19

Rev 16:19
Now the great City was divided into three parts, and the cities of the Nations fell.
And great Babylon was remembered before God,
to give her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of His wrath<3709>.

Rev 19:15
Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will shepherd them with a rod of iron.
He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath<3709> of Almighty God.

 

[Erik Nelson]

Jesus Said He’d Return Soon, So Where Is He?

 

[BABerean2]

Also again the first resurrection is only those who were murdered by being beheaded for their witnessing testimony. Of Christ and his church. By the beast. That is extremely specific. That cannot refer to the general widespread Christian experience of being born again.

Rev 20:4 And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.

Can the group above also contain John the Baptist, and the Apostle Paul?

Is the beast a symbol of Satan, who is a dragon in this chapter?

.

 

[Erik Nelson]

Rev 20:4 And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.

Can the group above also contain John the Baptist, and the Apostle Paul?

yes

Is the beast a symbol of Satan, who is a dragon in this chapter?

no, Satan is the ancient DRAGON who empowered the beast

 

[LittleLambofJesus]

Jesus Said He’d Return Soon, So Where Is He?
1 foreshadow 2 He Is Near 3 Coming Soon 4 The Time Is Unknown 5
When He Comes

Those are my five pointers, but my main suggestion and the pointers are just that. It’s all they are. My main suggestion for Ron is that he be very slow to assume that the apostles and Jesus himself show themselves to be false prophets because of a quick and superficial reading of the New Testament. Be patient and be careful. There are answers to these seemingly problem texts.

Good site. Using Greek resources, concordances, lexicons also comes in handy.

He is a thread on the words "nigh" and "in swiftness" if you and or others are interested.

"THE TIME IS NIGH AT HAND" AND "COMING IN SWIFTNESS" REVELATION PROPHECY

Matthew 3:2
and saying, “be repenting/reforming<3340>, for the Kingdom of the Heavens is nigh<1448>!”
Matthew 4:17
From that time Jesus began to preach and to say,
“Be repenting/reforming<3340>! for the Kingdom of the Heavens is nigh<1448>.”
Matthew 21:34
“Now when vintage-time drew near, he sent his servants to the vinedressers, that they might receive its fruit.
Mark 1:15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the Kingdom of the God is nigh<1448>.
Repent! and believe in the Gospel.”

Looks like the Kingdoms of the Heavens and God come upon the destruction of 1st Jerusalem and it's Temple?

Luke 21:
20 Whenever yet ye may be seeing Jerusalem being compassed by armies,
then be ye knowing that nigh<1448> the desolating of Her. [Revelation 18]
28 “Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads,
because your redemption is nigh<1448>.”
30 - When they now shoot forth,
ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh<1451>.
31 - So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the Kingdom of the God is nigh<1451>

Romans 13:
11 And this knowing the time, that hour it-is already out of sleep to be roused,
for now nearer<1452> of us the Salvation than when we believed.
12 The Night progresses, the yet Day is nigh<1448>.
We should be putting off then the works of the Darkness, we should be putting on the implements of the Light.

Hebrews 8:13
in the to be saying `New', He hath made old the former.
The yet being aged and being obsolete nigh<1451> of disappearance

1 Peter 4:7
Of all-things yet the End<5056> is nigh<1448>
be sane then, and be sober into the prayers,

James 5:8
be patient! and stand-fast! the hearts of ye,
that the Parousia <3952> of the Lord is nigh<1448>

Revelation 1:3
Blessed/happy the one reading, and the ones hearing, the words of the Prophecy and keepings in it having been written
That the Time<2540> is nigh/1451.

Revelation 22:10
And he is saying to me "no thou should be sealing the Words of the Prophecy of the Scroll, this.
That the Time is nigh<1451>

 

[shilohsfoal]

I believe thier resurection takes place at the time of the first resurection,but im not sure this is a good thing for them.
I question thier works.
Thier works dont quite seem to correspond to the comandments of Christ.

Revelation 11:10 And those who dwell on the earth will gloat over them, and will celebrate and send one another gifts, because these two prophets had tormented them.

Are we supposed to torment other people?If these are churches,Im not seeing the works of Christ here.

 

[Erik Nelson]

I believe thier resurection takes place at the time of the first resurection,but im not sure this is a good thing for them.
I question thier works.
Thier works dont quite seem to correspond to the comandments of Christ.

Revelation 11:10 And those who dwell on the earth will gloat over them, and will celebrate and send one another gifts, because these two prophets had tormented them.

Are we supposed to torment other people?If these are churches,Im not seeing the works of Christ here.

what about the resurrection of the man in Elisha's tomb in about 830 BC?

or Lazarus? Or those raised at the crucifixion?

not everything "telescopes" or "accordions" together

 

[LittleLambofJesus]

shilohsfoal said: ↑
I believe thier resurection takes place at the time of the first resurection,but im not sure this is a good thing for them.
I question thier works.
Thier works dont quite seem to correspond to the comandments of Christ.

what about the resurrection of the man in Elisha's tomb in about 830 BC?
or Lazarus? Or those raised at the crucifixion?
not everything "telescopes" or "accordions" together

Ezekiel's valley of the bones is an interesting "resurrection"

Lazarus and 2 witnesses of Reve 11 similarity

Ezekiel 37:10
So I prophesied as He commanded me and a breath/spirit came into them and they lived and they stood upon their feet, an exceedingly great army.
11 Then He said to me, "Son of adam, these bones are the whole house of Israel.
[Revelation 11:11]

John 10:
38 Then Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it.
39 Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, “Lord, by this time there will be an odor, for he has been dead four days.”

Revelation 11
11 And after the three days and half-equal, a spirit/breath of life out of the God entered in them and they stand/esthsan <2476> (5627) on their feet and great fear falls upon the ones observing them.
12 And they heard a great voice out of the heaven saying to them "ascend ye here!"
and they ascended into the heaven in the cloud and observed them the enemies of them.

 

[DavidPT]

2 Timothy 2:18 "SOME SAYING RESURRECTION ALREADY BECAME"

[This is a sort of a off-shoot of the above thread concerning the resurrection]

I was translating/studying on those 2 witnesses in Revelation 11 and something just stood out at me concerning the word "stand<2476" and remembered that is also the word used in the word for "resurrection<2476>" which literally means to "stand up", such as from a laying down or sitting position.

Could it be possible/plausible that those 2 witnesses could be symbolizing those of the 1st resurrection in Revelation 20?

I put some verses up from Revelation that use #2476, along with the Greek.

Revelation 11:11
And after the three days and a half,
a spirit of life out of the GOD entered into Them,
and They stand<esthsan 2476> upon their feet.
And great fear fell upon those beholding them,

Revelation 20:
5 The rest of the dead not live until should be being finished the thousand years,
This the First Resurrection<ἀνάστασις/ana-stasiV 386>
6 Happy/blessed and holy the one having part<3313> in the first Resurrection<ἀναστάσει ana-stasei 386>,

Revelation 14:1
And I saw and behold!
a Lambkin standing<esthkos 2476> upon the mount Sion,
and with him an hundred forty-four thousands, having the name of his Father written upon their foreheads;

Revelation 15:2
and I saw as a glassy<5193>sea having been mingled to fire,
and those conquering>3528> out of the beast, and out of his image<1504>, and out of the number of it's name,
standing<ἑστῶτας/estwtaV 2476> upon the glassy sea, having harps/lyres of Lord the God,

Revelation 20:12
and I saw the dead, the great<3173> and the small<3398>, standing<ἑστῶτας/estwtaV 2476> before *God[*throne],
and scrolls were opened, and another scroll was opened, which is being of the life,
and were judged the dead out of the having been written in the scrolls according to their works

Strong's Concordance with Hebrew and Greek Lexicon

386. anastasis
a standing up again, i.e. (literally) a resurrection from death (individual, genitive case
or by implication, (its author)), or (figuratively) a (moral) recovery (of spiritual truth):
raised to life again, resurrection, rise from the dead, that should rise, rising again.
G386 ἀνάστασις (anastasis) occurs 42 times in 40 verses

303. ana a primary preposition and adverb;
properly, up; but (by extension) used (distributively) severally, or (locally) at (etc.)

2476. histemi a prolonged form of a primary stao stah'-o (of the same meaning, and used for it in certain tenses);
to stand (transitively or intransitively), used in various applications (literally or figuratively):--abide, appoint, bring, continue, covenant, establish, hold up, lay, present, set (up), stanch, stand (by, forth, still, up).
G2476 ἵστημι (histēmi) occurs 163 times in 152 verses

Revelation 20:1-4

Some greek resources I use:

Greek and Hebrew Reader Online
Reve 20:1-6

Revelation 20 - Parallel Greek New Testament - HTML Bible by johnhurt.com
Reve 20:1-6



.

I don't know whether they symbolize the 1st resurrection or not, but I'm willing to entertain the idea since I don't see it being far-fetched. So let's say the 2W can symbolize the 1st resurrection. The first question to ask in that case would be based on the following.

Revelation 11:11 And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them.
12 And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them.


When do you conclude this event is initially fulfilled? Because the way it looks to me, until Revelation 11:11-12 are fulfilled first, they can't yet symbolize the first resurrection at that point.

Revelation 20:4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.

Revelation 20:6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.


In order to reign with Christ a thousand years, and assuming the 2W symbolize the first resurrection, this would indicate that Revelation 11:11-12 are initially fulfilled at the beginning of the thousand years. So IOW, assuming the 2W do symbolize the 1st resurrection, wherever one places in history the fulfilling of Revelation 11:11-12, that would have to be when the thousand years also initially begin.


One thing that appears to match would be this, still assuming the 2W do symbolize the 1st resurrection----and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands(Revelation 20:4)---And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them(Revelation 11:7).

It seems to me the 2Ws come back to life just prior to the sounding of the 7th trumpet. When the 7th trumpet initially sounds, would it be towards the end of this age, or would it be a much earlier time in history? If the former, still assuming the 2Ws symbolize the 1st resurrection, this would indicate that the beginning of the thousand years begins at the end of this age and not an earlier time in history, such as Amils would conclude. Keeping in mind, once the first resurrection initially occurs, that is followed by reigning with Christ a thousand years.