Who Lives AND Reigns For 1000 years?

[AdHoc]

1 minute ago, Mr. M said:

And yet they are never said to be all seated on thrones to reign for 1000 years.

Indirectly yes. Matthew 24 and 25 have them over their master's goods, for faithful service. And no Church was as applauded by the Bible as that at Thessaloniki (see 1st Thess Chapters 1 and 3 - the perfect Church)

[TheBlade]

Was reminded of song as I was reading here .. I love music.. its was 1993 I think and its called "will you go" About Christ going and dying for the sinner. "Anyone can say a simple prayer" yes and amen my brother..  I don't know what to say to that other then hear I am and as simple as it was did you know every angel rejoiced? Did you know Christ told the Father about me, did you know that? He made it so simple even before Christ came "anyone that calls on the name of the lord shall be saved/delivered. I was written in the lambs book before the foundation of the world and having my name written in heaven.. amen. 

As for how some have glorified losing your head. Every believer already has every  "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.  For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight." 

Only man thinks of things like God saying "if you love me you will die for me". Ooh a movie The Seventh Sign "will you die for him!" Then she gets its.. the baby no life .. yes I will die for him". Not based on truth but.. I melt at "will you die for Him" He freely did. There is no test to prove you love Him or you don't. No believer looks for waits for that moment because its not some test.. we can't earn anything.. its all ready freely given and no man will glory in His sight. Oh so many true stories love to share but.. anyone can say a simple pray.. yet they don't.. do we care

 

[Mr. M]

11 hours ago, missmuffet said:

And we as the Saints who went in the Rapture will rule with Christ.

Those who overcome rule with Christ,

not those raptured. For example...

the blessed and holy beheaded.

 

Revelation 2:26-29 And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations—He shall rule them with a rod of iron; they shall be dashed to pieces like the potter’s vessels’—as I also have received from My Father;  and I will give him the morning star. “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” ’

Revelation 3:

12 He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God. And I will write on him My new name.

 21 To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.

22 He who has an ear, let him hear

what the Spirit says to the churches.

Edited October 6, 2024 by Mr. M

[Mr. M]

9 hours ago, AdHoc said:

Indirectly yes

Indirectly? What does that even mean?

Could you respond to the OP directly,

and on topic?

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

Which of your three groupings are you

assigning to fulfill this word?

Edited October 6, 2024 by Mr. M

[Mr. M]

11 hours ago, Mr. M said:

Revelation 7:13 Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, “Who are these arrayed in white robes, and where did they come from?” 14 And I said to him, “Sir, you know.”So he said to me, “These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 15 Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple. And He who sits on the throne will dwell among them. 

Serving before the throne. Not seated on thrones reigning with...

Serving before the throne...in heaven or on earth?

Edited October 6, 2024 by Mr. M

[AdHoc]

On 10/2/2024 at 6:06 PM, Mr. M said:

Revelation 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. 

The dead in Christ do not participate in the First Resurrection:

5 But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. 

1 Thessalonians 4:

15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep.

16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 

17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.

The beheaded are blessed and holy because they are exempted from the second death, having been "pre-judged" by their refusal to receive the mark of the beast, and prove "they did not love their lives even unto death".

6 Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.

So then when is The Gathering of the Saints?

Other than the blessed and holy beheaded,

at the end of 1000 years.

Anyone can repeat a sinners prayer.

Only the most faithful stand on Christ before the guillotine. 

An "earthly beheading" is the final and possibly highest

blessing this side of heaven.

Mr. Magoo, you have asked me to ay aside what we were discussing and comment on your OP. I do not know you or your background so I may not judge. But when a man consistently does something one cannot but get an impression. Your lack of commentary and your handling of the grammar of Revelation 20:4-6 with its conjunction "and" gives me the impression that English is not your mother tongue. This is not a criticism nor a judgment on how you see things, but in sustained logical debate one has to express themselves in the current language accurately. If my observation is incorrect then strike all this and grant me grace for my ignorance.

Here is my appreciation of your OP. From the title and Revelation 20:4 you came to this conclusion - quote;

Quote

The dead in Christ do not participate in the First Resurrection:

Without a complicated answer I would simply respond with the fact that these men "have the witness of Jesus Christ". How is it possible for a man to have the witness of Jesus Christ without being IN Christ? Secondly, how is it possible to be dead (beheaded) and "live" again and "rule" without being Christ's when 1st Corinthians 15:22 says; "ALL men" are made alive IN Christ? Thirdly, how is it possible that Paul says he is IN Christ, is martyred, is dead and says he has a crown waiting for him, when he won't rule? Fourthly, how is it possible that Jesus PROMISED the eleven Apostles that they will rule and judge the Tribes of Israel and you say that they won't - them being IN Christ? Fifthly, how is it that the Church are given the Keys of the KINGDOM but will not rule? Sixthly, How is it possible that our Lord Jesus said that rebirth and water immersion will cause a man to "ENTER the Kingdom". Did these scriptures make a mistake?

So let me propose where you are going wrong with your thesis.

1. You have taken the "beheaded" as non Christian because you assume that the Church is raptured already when the Beast is in power. But you have ignored FOUR scriptures that show Christians on earth during the 3.5 year Great Tribulation. They are Revelation 7:15, 12:17, 13:7 and 18:4

2. You have taken the word "FIRST resurrection" and compared it to the "Second Death". The word "First" in the Greek is "protos" and it CAN mean two things:
1. The FIRST in time, or
2. The FIRST in importance and/or rank
The "Second Death" is used interchangeably with "The Lake of Fire"; Gehenna, and "perdition". The first two are Types or concepts, but "perdition" is found in the Greek and means "exquisite lack of well-being". Matthew 10:28 describes it as a man who is alive (seeing as he has both body and soul) but who is tortured by God. This is confirmed by Isaiah 66:24 and Mark 9 where "THEIR worm and THEIR fire" continues forever. The "Second Death" has nothing to do with when men die. Men die, according to Romans 5:12-17 because they inherited a poisonous nature from Adam. Only men born to a woman can die, and only men in resurrection can enter the second death.

3. "The REST of the dead" are not Christians. 1st Corinthians 15:23-26 gives the order of resurrection. Christ first, then "those who are His AT HIS COMING". Then "He must reign until all enemies are subdued". So His "REIGN" is until the White Throne "when Hades and the sea give up their dead - 1,000 years! Seeing as all Christians "ARE HIS", all Christians are resurrected AT HIS COMING and there are no Christians 1,000 years still in Hades.

4. Matthew 13 says that the end of the age is a harvest. If the angels are reapers and the Church being gathered is a harvest, the there must be at least THREE raptures!
1. the first-ripe
2. the general harvest
3. the gleanings
THREE scriptures give the rapture of the "Firstfruits" as CONDITIONAL. That is, you will only be part of a pre-tribulation rapture if you are "accounted worthy". They are:
1. Luke 20:35-36 where you must be ACCOUNTED WORTHY to stand "Before the Son of man" in the clouds
2. Philippians 3:14 where the "UP-CALLING" is a PRIZE
3. Revelation 3:10 where you will miss the trial that comes over the whole earth "BECAUSE .... "

In all three scriptures a man's WORKS qualify him - not his faith.

God made a plan with man in genesis 1:26-28. He has not changed His plan. Psalm 8 testifies of this. Israel refused this Kingdom and the Church is raised up to fulfill. But it is offered as a REWARD for faithful and diligent SERVICE. Not all Christians will attain to this calling. Some because of evil works (1st Cor.6:9-10, Gal.5:21, Eph.5:5), and some because they did not have an intimate affair with Jesus (Matt.7:21-23, Matt.25:14). The price for this Kingdom is "self-denial", or, the losing of the soul-life (Matt.10:39, 16:25).

[AdHoc]

4 hours ago, Mr. M said:

Serving before the throne...in heaven or on earth?

 They are, at the moment of prophecy, IN HEAVEN. The 24 Elders and the four creatures belong to heaven (Rev.4). The rapture is a harvest. The farmer always reaps ONLY when the crops are ripe. Some are FIRSTFRUITS and they are ripe early - thus  missing the Great Tribulation. The general harvest must stay on earth longer to be ripened by heat and dryness. So they pass through the Great Tribulation but are still raptured to the clouds for judgment. They were slothful (dirty garments) and so they can never be rewarded. But their fiery trial has matured them and they are fit to SERVE.

But Christ's Throne is not always in heaven. It is set up on earth and gathered before it are "ALL Nations" (Matt.25:31-32).