Timing of the Resurrection of the Dead and the Descent of the New Jerusalem
Describing the resurrection, Revelation 20:11-13 states: “I saw a great white throne and the one seated on it. From before him the earth and the heaven fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and scrolls were opened. But another scroll was opened; it is the scroll of life. And the dead were judged out of those things written in the scrolls according to their deeds. And the sea gave up those dead in it, and death and Hades gave up those dead in them, and they were judged individually according to their deeds.” Then, in Revelation 21:1, we read: “I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the former heaven and the former earth had passed away.”
The context thus shows that the general resurrection of the dead takes place after the “former heaven and the former earth” pass away. When does this take place? According to 2 Peter 3:10, the former heavens and earth are to pass away in “Lord’s day.” That day, according to 2 Pe 3 verses 3 through 6, will catch ridiculers unprepared, as did the flood of Noah’s day, and therefore precedes the thousand-year reign of Christ.
In the days of Noah neither the literal earth nor the literal heavens perished. But a wicked human society, under the control of wicked spirit forces, perished in the floodwaters. Similarly, the destruction of “the heavens and the earth that are now” does not mean the end for the literal earth and the material heavens. (2 Pet. 3:7) However, an ungodly human society will perish. And Satan the Devil and his demons, who have been like ruling “heavens” over disobedient mankind, will be put out of action or abyssed.—Rev. 20:1-3.
Inasmuch as Revelation 20:11-13 links the general resurrection of the dead with the ‘fleeing away of the earth and the heaven,’ that resurrection must take place during the thousand years that Satan is in the abyss. The common interpretation found in Revelation 20:5—that the dead will “come to life” after the Millennium—➡suggests a spiritual state from God’s perspective. How, then, should it be understood (if actually part of the inspired text of the Bible)? Cited here
In heaven and on earth, Jesus was also called "Lord of the Sabbath," and said, "7Go and proclaim, 'The kingdom of heaven has come near. 8Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have serious skin diseases, and drive out demons. You have received it for free, so give it to them for free." He also resurrected Lazarus (Matthew 10:7). (Matthew 10:7, 12:7, John 11:23-15) This event of the resurrection of the dead while Jesus was on earth is a foretaste of the millennial Sabbath. It is the Sabbath of Yahuwah God, during which Jesus will be the Lord of the Millennial Reign and resurrect with the sons of the Kingdom, including those who lived faithfully in life, such as Lazarus, as well as extenuating circumstances sinners who suffered the death penalty beside Jesus on the cross. (Luke 23:43)
Isaiah 11:9 They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain, For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord As the waters cover the sea.
Isaiah 65:17 "For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; And the former shall not be remembered or come to mind. 18 But be glad and rejoice forever in what I create; For behold, I create Jerusalem as a rejoicing, And her people a joy. 19 I will rejoice in Jerusalem, And joy in My people; The voice of weeping shall no longer be heard in her, Nor the voice of crying. 20 "No more shall an infant from there live but a few days, Nor an old man who has not fulfilled his days; For the child shall die one hundred years old, But the sinner being one hundred years old shall be accursed. 21 They shall build houses and inhabit them; They shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit. 22 They shall not build and another inhabit; They shall not plant and another eat; For as the days of a tree, so shall be the days of My people, And My elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands. 23 They shall not labor in vain, Nor bring forth children for trouble; For they shall be the descendants of the blessed of the Lord, And their offspring with them. 24 "It shall come to pass That before they call, I will answer; And while they are still speaking, I will hear. 25 The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, The lion shall eat straw like the ox, And dust shall be the serpent's food. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain," Says the Lord.
Ephesians 1:9 having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, 10 that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth--in Him.
2 Peter 3:8 But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. 10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.
Revelation 20:7 Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison 8 and will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea. 9 They went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them. 10 The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
Revelation 21:1 Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. 2 Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. 4 And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away." 5 Then He who sat on the throne said, "Behold, I make all things new." And He said to me, "Write, for these words are true and faithful." 6 And He said to me, "It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. 7 He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son. 8 But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death."
As the scriptures indicate, both events, the descent of the New Jerusalem and the resurrection of the dead, occur at the time of the passing of heaven and earth. Therefore, it is best to interpret the eternal salvation for the righteous and the judgment of the unrighteous as occurring at the same time.
.jpg)
Many of the resurrected peoples, or unbelievers, will have a testing period to accept Christ, and if they pass, they will enter the New Jerusalem on the image, enjoy the water of life, and receive the assurance of eternal life.
Incidentally, the following scripture says that the fish will abound after receiving the water of life, and the fish is a figurative representation of Christians. It is prophesied that many of the people of the resurrected nations will accept Christ.
Ezekiel 47:6 He said to me, "Son of man, have you seen this?" Then he brought me and returned me to the bank of the river. 7 When I returned, there, along the bank of the river, were very many trees on one side and the other. 8 Then he said to me: "This water flows toward the eastern region, goes down into the valley, and enters the sea. When it reaches the sea, its waters are healed. 9 And it shall be that every living thing that moves, wherever the rivers go, will live. There will be a very great multitude of fish, because these waters go there; for they will be healed, and everything will live wherever the river goes. 10 It shall be that fishermen will stand by it from En Gedi to En Eglaim; they will be places for spreading their nets. Their fish will be of the same kinds as the fish of the Great Sea, exceedingly many. 11 But its swamps and marshes will not be healed; they will be given over to salt. 12 Along the bank of the river, on this side and that, will grow all kinds of trees used for food; their leaves will not wither, and their fruit will not fail. They will bear fruit every month, because their water flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for medicine."
A paradise for the righteous where there is no death and where they rule for a thousand years.
In Revelation, we are told that there is no sea, death, or mourning, but in Isaiah there is a sea and death, and in the latter half of Revelation 20, Satan is unleashed after a thousand years and attacks the beloved city with a large number of people joining him like grains of sand in the sea.
First of all, the kjv, which is closer to the original text, inserts the English word "as," which means "as if" in the phrase "as the waters cover the sea;" and according to the Hebrew, the part rendered "kam" is the original word meaning "as if" or 〜 "like".
The word "as if" means "to quote a parable." The "parable of the sea that once was" is probably just being quoted in order to show that the spirit of Yahuwah will spread over the earth as the time Noah's flood covers most of the earth, nearly 70 to 80% of the earth. Therefore, the vast ocean as we know it today will evaporate and disappear, as stated in the second chapter of Peter. Even if there is something like a sea, it will only be a sea that is not a marvel to mankind to the extent that God created the sea in the beginning of Genesis. In this sense, we should expect that the "sea" symbolizing sin in the Book of Revelation will disappear at the Second Coming of Jesus.
Then, regarding whether there will be dead people during the millennial reign, this is very complicated to interpret. There is the statement, "If you are a sinner, you will die at the age of 100 and that is considered young," which could be understood as an interpretation to cite the fact that we now die from sin in about 100 years of life and to emphasize that in the new heaven and new earth we will live forever.
As for who is blessed, as Jesus said in John 10:38, "Love goodness to receive your reward," or "If you do not believe in me, believe in works (cleanliness)," the Bible consistently teaches that by loving and living goodness you will receive the reward of eternal life. The Bible consistently teaches that we can receive the reward of eternal life by loving goodness. That unbelievers and pagans who demonstrate by their actions how to live goodness, rather than those who believe in the Lord or just talk about it, will enter the Kingdom of God and receive the grace and blessings of eternal life is made clear by Jesus' words, "The kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a people who will bear fruit worthy of it." This is made clear by the words of Jesus. (Matthew 21:43)
The "nations" in Revelation 21:24 are described by the original word meaning the Gentiles, but they will enter the New Jerusalem with glory. It is prophesied that the good Gentiles who love goodness and live meekly and peacefully (the good people who died and resurrected without knowing Christ and the good multitudes who passed through the Great Tribulation) will be blessed by God and written in the Book of Life.
The New Testament often describes Israel as Christians and the Gentiles as unbelievers, and describes them being given permission to enter the New Jerusalem and become believers. The day of judgment, the millennial reign of Christ, is the period of hope when the tears of the victims are wiped away by the reversal of form as a great gap and superiority between the good and the wicked might be created. （The day of the Millennial Reign of Christ, when the tears of the victims will be wiped away, will be the day when all will be revealed who was truly righteous.)
Therefore, Christians especially of the martyr class will be granted immortality as spiritual persons by the first resurrection and become so-called invincible, and the righteous, consisting of the descendants of Adam and Eve, will enjoy the fruit of the tree of life by virtue of their goodness during life time at the judgment day of the thousand-year reign and be inscribed in the book of life, they will inherit glorified bodies on earth in the state of having the fruit of the tree of life and will live forever. Or the righteous of the Old Testament, led by Abraham, Jacob, and Isaac, who are described as "living" even though they are physically dead, they will not need the testing period of Judgment Day. Since only the dead can stand before the judgment seat in the Book of Revelation, the millennial reign of believers, both Old and New Testaments, who proved themselves righteous in the world of Satan before their death, will be an eternal Sabbath, not a test period on the Day of Judgment. (Luke 20:37,38)
Job 5:19 He shall deliver you in six troubles, Yes, in seven no evil shall touch you. (The righteous and animals will not be harmed in the seven-thousandth millennium. The problem with Elipaz is that he conveys an accurate interpretation to the wrong person for the wrong reasons. This is similar to Caiaphas prophesying Christ's death in John 11:50 and Balaam prophesying the Messiah's coming in Numbers 24:17.)
The righteous in the Old Testament who have already demonstrated their loyalty to God in the past and in this life, where Satan's deceptions are particularly powerful, during their approximate 100 years of life in existence, are already mentioned in the Book of Life. The "first" in the first resurrection is a Greek word meaning "first in time," primarily "first in rank". Therefore, Christians of the martyr class will receive the "highest rank" of immortality as spiritual persons in heaven at the resurrection. In contrast, in 1 Corinthians 15:40, there is also a "glorified body on earth," so the righteous of the descendants, including Adam and Eve, will be resurrected in a state of perfection that grants them immortality on earth, where they ate the fruit of the tree of life as the second resurrection, "second in rank".
Besides, Revelation is a letter addressed to Christians, and the hope that there will be "no death, no mourning, and no suffering" is addressed to the great crowd of readers who have passed through the Great Tribulation without sin, who have washed their robes and are born again, and to the righteous who have been resurrected. Thus, the life that will be born during the millennial reign, the life that will be aborted in Satan's world and raised in Paradise, or those who have died without knowing Christ, will not be able to enter the New Jerusalem during the days of judgment, especially as the test period is foreseen to be at least 100 years, as Isaiah says, although they will probably enter the New Jerusalem during that period, " to be granted immortality by the assurance of eternal life" will not be able to eat of the fruit of the tree of life.
After the Millennial Reign, those who do not reside in the "Beloved City," which will spread out and consist of the New Jerusalem area on earth, will be deceived by Satan and join him in his onslaught, and this time, unlike the Great Tribulation of this world, those Gog and Magog will be miraculously destroyed without the righteous being touched with a finger.
As Isaiah clearly states, there will be no "murders, bullies, or abuses" during the Millennial Reign, and if the raised ungodly have a propensity for deviant behavior, such as plotting their own evil and harming people and animals without being tempted by the devil who is imprisoned in Abyss for a thousand years, Unlike the sin of "not going to worship" in Zechariah 14:17, which can be forgiven while they are still alive, wilfull wicked will be judged by Christ and the heavenly Christians as "accursed" and erased from the memory of the people to maintain the order of the holy mountain of YAHUWAH God.
In the Genesis account, Satan incited Eve to sin, and Adam was led into sin, so the period of a thousand years without Satan's intervention on earth may be a time when new life is completely free from sin. This would suggest that by the time Satan is unleashed after his 1,000-year reign, adults who have lived for about a hundred years will have died from being enticed into sin by the devil during that attempt. (*Another possibility is also noted later in the note).
All of us human beings living today, including Adam, are tormented by Satan's attacks and temptations even after we have come to know the truth. Those who came to know God for the first time after the resurrection are treated the same way as we are in our life conditions, facing temptation from Satan only once a thousand years later.
In this regard, the Bible teaches that those who live in a world "without death, mourning, or pain" are only the perfectly righteous. The possibility of the death of the unrighteous during the Day of Judgment, or the last part of it, at the judgment of Christ and the heavenly class of Christians, is clearly explained in Scripture. This is because the millennial reign is a world of eternal blessings and no death or mourning for the righteous who have struggled in this life, but it is also a day of judgment for the ungodly.
However, there is no way that the ungodly who died without knowing Christ would be sent to a second death so abruptly and outrageously, and those who are judged to have extenuating circumstances who have already died the first death will be educated and receive mercy from Christ and the heavenly class, or from the righteous people of the Old Testament and the multitudes who have passed through the Great Tribulation.
Like Adam, mankind should be given approximately 1,000 years of life equally, and in light of this, it is fair to expect that even if the ungodly die after about 100 years in this life due to sin without knowing Christ, they, like us, will need to know and learn about Him. As in Psalm 90:10, God has set life at 100 years or less to reduce man's toil, so that through death he may enter into a sleep of ease. Death is only a passing point in the 1000-year span that was Adam's life.
On the other hand, since the multitudes are presumed to have passed through the Great Tribulation and are praising before the throne of God, they will already be in and out of the New Jerusalem, the "Beloved City," where they will lead a peaceful life in a secure paradise thoroughly protected by Christ and heavenly class Christians, where "death and sorrow have passed away forever." They will experience happiness. As the second resurrection, they will have glorious bodies on earth to be thoroughly protected by Christ and the heavenly class of Christians.
Newly born souls and those who were sinners in Satan's world are ethically required to prove that they are of a character worthy to live forever, maintaining a loyal love that is not a threat to God and neighbor. There may be differences as to when each raised person receives the assurance of eternal life.
The righteous who are restored to life do not marry?
Matthew 22:29 Jesus answered and said to them, "You are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God. 30 For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels of God in heaven. 31 But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God, saying, 32 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living." 33 And when the multitudes heard this, they were astonished at His teaching.
It is up to the individual to decide whether this scripture refers only to the righteous of Israel who once were polygamous, or whether it includes the righteous who remained celibate for God all their lives. However, it would seem that there would be no reason why those who were polygamous in this life would necessarily have to return to a marital relationship after the resurrection, since the bondage of the marital relationship would be dissolved upon their death.(1 Corinthians 7:39)
Sexual desires will be eliminated in order to become like the angel, and there will be no fear of falling into sin due to the weakness of the flesh. If desired, the resurrected who were celibate in life may be given a mate. Isaiah 65 also describes the new birth of life. The offspring of the multitudes? It is questionable whether there is a case in which the descendants of the multitude die in sin through misuse of free will, but it is a bit of a mystery and not completely understood.
Since Isaiah 65:23 guarantees, 'They will not toil for nothing, nor will they bear children for distress; because they and their descendants are the people blessed by Jahuvah,' children born in the Millennium will surely be blessed under the best possible conditions.
Ezekiel 37 describes a scene in which the bones of the dead are clothed with flesh, inhabited by a soul, and breathed into with the Spirit, thus being resurrected, and are then nourished by Jesus, the Good Shepherd. The prophecy in verse 14 indicates that it is not only Christ’s co-priests—those of the rank of martyrs—, but that those who are nourished will also be resurrected. Furthermore, verse 25 depicts them living in peace on the premise that their descendants will also be born.
So the cycle of reproduction must eventually end at some point, or sin and death will enter the world, and after the millennial reign, the reproduction of the entire human race will end. The purpose of "filling the whole earth" in Genesis will be accomplished, so no new life will be created at that time. Jesus will then return dominion to Yahuwah, thus completing the work of redemption and salvation of Yahuwah God the Judge and Jesus the Advocate on the White Throne. (1 Corinthians 15:24) God blessed the seventh day of creation as "all was good" and entered into rest; the seventh millennial reign will also be a glorious Sabbath for God. (Genesis 1:31)
summary
-
The resurrection of the dead and the descent of the New Jerusalem will
occur immediately after the start of the millennial reign, as Revelation
20:11-22 indicates that it will occur at the passing of the present
heavens and earth, and Isaiah 11:9, "as the waters constitute the sea," is
a parable quotation.
-
Only the Christians who read Revelation, the multitudes, and the righteous
of the Old Testament era will rest in "the beloved city that stretches out
from the New Jerusalem, where there is neither death nor mourning nor
suffering"; the Millennial Reign is a Sabbath of eternal blessing for the
righteous, but for the unrighteous who died without Christ and for the
potential new births, death can occur to them because it is a period of
judgment.
-
The test period for eating the fruit of the tree of life is at least 100
years, or if there are cases where it is granted upon resurrection, it is
only for the righteous in their lifetime, and even if it is shortened in
other cases, the fair judgment and decision will be made by Christ and
heavenly class.
-
Those who will rebel after the millennium are different from the righteous inhabitants of the beloved city extending from the New Jerusalem. These rebels consist of people born during the millennial reign and the ungodly who learned of Christ after their resurrection; consequently, they are not permitted to eat the fruit of the tree of life, nor are they allowed to inhabit the New Jerusalem or its surrounding beloved city.
- The test through Satan’s temptation after the millennium is intended not for the righteous (including the righteous Gentiles) who possess immortal, glorified bodies, eat the fruit of the tree of life, and inhabit the beloved city, but rather for those who died without knowing Christ, those newly born in Paradise, and those living in the four corners of the earth who have not eaten the fruit of the tree of life.
It can be inferred as outlined above. In any case, exactly who will grant the right to eat from the tree of life inside the New Jerusalem, and at which stage, is known only to Christ and the heavenly-class Christians who search the human heart. However, victims of the past and the present world may receive preferential and abundant blessings based on the judgment of Christ and his co-priests; they might even be exalted, eating from the tree of life immediately upon their resurrection to enter eternal rest. On the other hand, while many unrighteous individuals deemed worthy of clemency and those newly born will be given the opportunity to learn of Christ, many among them will likely end up siding with Satan in the final test.
The judgment and decision on whether or not those with extenuating circumstances can be resurrected to an earthly paradise, learn about Christ, eat the fruit of the tree of life, gain eternal life, and reside in the New Jerusalem and the beloved city will be handled precisely within that long span, since there will be a minimum of 100 years and a maximum of 1000 years. If you wish to enjoy the blessings that are different from those of the ungodly and enter into eternal rest immediately after the second coming of Christ, the best decision you can make is to repent and whiten your garments in victory over Satan's temptations at this stage, as stated in Revelation 22:13. By doing so, unlike the unrighteous who did not know Christ, you will be able to enter eternal rest in the beloved city that spreads out from the New Jerusalem before them.
Matthew 19:28 So Jesus said to them, "Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
Luke 13:24 "Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able. 25 When once the Master of the house has risen up and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock at the door, saying, 'Lord, Lord, open for us,' and He will answer and say to you, 'I do not know you, where you are from,' 26 then you will begin to say, 'We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets.' 27 But He will say, 'I tell you I do not know you, where you are from. Depart from Me, all you workers of iniquity.' 28 There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and yourselves thrust out. 29 They will come from the east and the west, from the north and the south, and sit down in the kingdom of God. 30 And indeed there are last who will be first, and there are first who will be last."
Revelation 22 :13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last." 14 Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city.
*It remains a mystery whether 'Gog and Magog' after the millennial reign are the descendants of the 'great crowd' who survived the Great Tribulation and possess glorified earthly bodies. Rather, considering 1 Enoch 22, it could be inferred that they are the wicked resurrected specifically for judgment. If we interpret Luke 13:24–30 literally, those deemed utterly without clemency might be resurrected solely to be destroyed; upon seeing the righteous entering their rest in the Kingdom of God, they may react like Gog and Magog, gnashing their teeth and charging toward the New Jerusalem in an attempt to break through and seize the benefits of the water of life and the tree of life. As implied by the phrase 'the first will be last and the last will be first,' there is likely a time lag in the resurrection. Furthermore, regarding those considered without clemency—unlike Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who are 'alive' before God—the expression 'the rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended' could potentially be an emphatic phrasing suggesting that no period of atonement will be granted to them.
No comments:
Post a Comment