Thank you, Michael the Disciple for your response. I appreciate a long-awaited point by point response. Thanks for your time. I know you are busy, so it means that much more.
But, as I will show,
you have some glaring oversights and ommissions in your point-by-point response. You neglected to deal with some MAJOR points I raised, and neglected some MAJOR statements Paul used in 1 Cor 15 that disallow for your millennium.
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Originally Posted by Michael The Disciple
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Originally Posted by Mfblume
Amen. He rules now UNTIL all enemies are beneath his feet. All enemies are beneath his feet when the rapture occurs, since it is then that PHYSICAL DEATH is finished. And since millennialism teaches that physical death continues on after the rapture, millennialism conflicts with scripture.
Since death is swallowed up in victory at the rapture, after which the great white throne occurs, it is no wonder that Paul's references in Isa 25:8 mentions all tears are wiped away at that point, since all tears are specifically said to be wiped away only after the great white throne judgment. This means the rapture is the last thing before the great white throne judgment.
It is THEN, also, that the resurrection of damnation occurs.
Joh 5:28-29
Act 24:15
In order for these passages to coincide with 1 Cor 15's note of physical death ending at the rapture, the resurrection of the just is the rapture, which occurs when the resurrection of damnation, or of the unjust, occurs. Otherwise, scripture contradicts itself!
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Taken in a very narrow context one might agree. Yet we are told to "rightly divide" the word of truth.
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Brother, it is a given that we must rightly divide the word. In light of we read in
1 Cor 15, that is the only conclusion we can come up with without contradicting scripture.
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Well when taking into consideration the WHOLE CONTEXT of scripture 1 Cor. 15 is certainly the truth. But do the few verses in question answer all questions concerning the rapture and WHAT FOLLOWS AFTER? Of course not. Thats why the book of Revelation is given to us. To ADD TO OUR KNOWLEDGE of the truth. If there is AN ETERNITY (trillions of trillions of years) to follow the rapture it reasons there would be more said about it than a few verses.
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No, because if Revelation ADDS to what is already taught in the way you propose it does,
then it contradicts 1 Cor 15.
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In light of ALL scripture:
22: For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
23: But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming.
24: Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.
25: For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.
26: The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.
Verses 22-23 speaks of the resurrection of those who are IN CHRIST. That is the rapture. Following that is the end. The end defined as when he shall have put down all authority and power. As with some other Bible truths this is done in phases.
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There are only TWO "Phases" Every man who will resurrect is mentioned in verse 23. Every man either has to be involved with (1) Christ's resurrection that third day 200 years ago, as saints of old arose then, or (2) at Christ's coming. There is no more resurrection to life that gives victory over death. Paul taught two phases alone. EVERY MAN, he said. Making phases is an alaborate way of adding ot the Word of God to say something the bible never says. It very easily could have said MANY PHASES. But it did not.
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Example:
He who believes and is baptized shall be saved. We take that to mean if someone does this thay are saved right now. And it is true. Yet Jesus ALSO said: He that endures to the end shall be saved. Are these scriptures contradicting each other or do they show PHASES to salvation? The answer is obvious.
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You are presuming that because
1 Cor 15 is not speaking about people saved outside of Christ there are other people outside of Christ who will still resurrect. You might refer to the resurrection of damnation. But the context of
1 Cor 15 states that death (physical death is the context) is destroyed at the rapture. So there can be no more physical dying after the rapture. This means there is no further resurrection after another 1000 years, let alone no physical deaths after the rapture. And since the context is speaking about physical death, it only regards those who will experience victory over it, who can only be in Christ. There are no resurrections to eternal life aside from those who are in Christ.
ALL ENEMIES ARE DESTROYED WHEN DEATH IS DEFEATED IN 1 COR 15. You have sinners in the millennium. ENEMIES OF THE LORD. Is "ALL ENEMIES" to be understood as ALL or not?
Many presume that there are people outside of Christ who will be resurrected, such as old testament saints, or perhaps saints not in Christ during millennium.
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When Jesus comes at the post trib rapture that is the end of the present order of things. It is the end of death for those who are IN CHRIST.
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Incorrect. It is the end of the physical death altogether.
We know that because it is at this point that Paul says death is destroyed and swallowed up in victory, and ALL ENEMIES are destroyed. You have enemies in the millennium. Also, Isai 25:8, from which Paul quotes also, says that THIS is the time when all tears are wiped away.
Rev 21 says this does not occur until after the white throne judgment. This means there is no gap between the rapture and the white throne judgment where you insert your future millennium. This can only mean the millennium stands as the church age in
Rev 20.
Death is swallowed up in victory at the rapture. You claim this is only death for the saints, implying there is death for sinners after the rapture. That cannot be true because Paul quoted
Isa 25:8, saying that prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled when the rapture takes place. That verse also states all tears are wiped away. So you find the reference to all tears being wiped away in
Rev 21 as being fulfilled at the rapture according to Paul's reference to
Isa 25.
The son of God gives up the Kingdom to the Father at the point of the rapture. This also proves your millennialism incorrect. You claim THE SON BEGINS TO RULE at that point, when Paul said He gives up the kingdom at that point. If the Son gives up the kingdom when the rapture occurs, then there can be no 1000 years for the Son of God to rule!
Also, You claim it is only physical death for the saints that is destroyed. However, Paul said that Christ rules until all enemies are beneath His feet. Paul said this is fulfilled when the rapture occurs.
Does Christ have all enemies under His feet at the time of the rapture, and ceases to rule, although physical death continues after the rapture?????
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But it is not the end of everything YAH has planned for the Earth. Neither necessarily for death to unbelievers.
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Wrong. Because Christ ceases to rule as Son of God at the rapture, there can be no additional 1000 years when the Son of God rules, as you propose. That, in turn, disallows everything associated with your millennium to not occur whatsoever after the rapture, including sinners and death of sinners.
So we have the fact that Christ ceases to rule at the rapture, as well as the fact that death is destroyed at the rapture. And both those points make it doubly impossible for there to be a millennium.
continued...