It seems you wish to take my hand and lead me down a certain path.
Well, I wouldn't put it like that, but yes, I do want show you a path that could be missed, and has been by many.
Vs 13 speaks of physical death...they are blessed. They've received their reward.
Thank you.
That "certain path" was seen by you, wasn't it? I just showed you, that's all. No forcing, or leading you blindfolded.
Revelation 14:13 Then I heard a voice from heaven say, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.”
“Yes,” says the Spirit, “they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them.”
The verse says, they will rest.
We are expecting them to wake up at some point. I hope this is the same with you.
When do they wake up?
According to John, "I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years. " Revelation 20:4
He continues...
5 ..."This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years." Revelation 20:5, 6
That's according to John.
I'm not going to take you anywhere else, but here.
Your eyes would allow you to see, that it is at this point, that they are physically made alive.
If you feel a tugging elsewhere, that's not me pulling your hand. It could be a number of things - your heart, which the Bible says is treacherous (Jeremiah 17:9), or your mind, which the Bible says, the Devil blinds (2 Corinthians 4:3, 4). Or, uncertainty, that can be cleared up, as pieces of the puzzle are put in the right place.
I'm hoping it's the latter.
If you believe I missed something
in Revelation, please point it out.
With that stone turned over though, I'll give my "out of this world" comments.
Verse 5, is actually, as you recognize, separate from the verses 4, and 6, which I am thankful, many Bible scholars recognize - hence the brackets in some translations.
That's because verse 5 refers to another kind of coming to life - the figurative one, which you were referring to.
This can be seen in verse 12. "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."
You would notice that it says
- the dead are standing before the throne
- the dead are judged out of those things which were written in the books
The physically dead aren't standing before the throne, being judged. The figuratively dead are. That is, those who have not come to life, according to the purpose of the 1,000 year rule.
Since no offspring of Adam is sinless, dead or alive, all those who are in the
μνημεῖον mnémeion: a memorial, a monument who hear Christ's voice, and comes out (John 5:28), are still sinful.
Hence, during Christ reign as high priest, along with those who rule as kings and priests with him (Revelation 20:6), mankind will have 1,000 years without the Devil around, to grow to the perfect beings God wants his human family to be. That is, come to life.
After the 1,000 years, those whom have not taken opportunity given them during that period, will not have their names written in the book of life, and when Satan is loosed at the end of the 1,000 year reign of Christ, they will be carried along with Satan, to final destruction - never to be seen again.
That is the second death.
Foreign, but simple. What are your thoughts?
