Initial evidence

[Evang.Benincasa]

I was just told to watch Anime

Jesus is the name the Church has been calling him for 2,000 years and counting .

[Esaias]

Originally Posted by Evang.Benincasa

If it was in a book then it would be easier

The book I am still trying to work on doesn't really even get to Revelation, since I am a firm believer that people do err when they try to tackle Revelation without a foundation in Genesis and the Old Testament and the "big picture".

But as far as the immediate subject about the successive phases of the advance of the Plan of God, let me say this: this is my current understanding. I am not super dogmatic about premillennialism or the millennium, there are some things I am pretty sure of but I acknowledge there are difficulties with all the various eschatologies, including premillennialism. I am studying things like (hopefully) everybody else is.

But let's begin here:

Part 1

Deuteronomy 4:1-8 KJV
Now therefore hearken, O Israel, unto the statutes and unto the judgments, which I teach you, for to do them, that ye may live, and go in and possess the land which the LORD God of your fathers giveth you. [2] Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you. [3] Your eyes have seen what the LORD did because of Baal–peor: for all the men that followed Baal–peor, the LORD thy God hath destroyed them from among you. [4] But ye that did cleave unto the LORD your God are alive every one of you this day. [5] Behold, I have taught you statutes and judgments, even as the LORD my God commanded me, that ye should do so in the land whither ye go to possess it. [6] Keep therefore and do them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations, which shall hear all these statutes, and say, Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people. [7] For what nation is there so great, who hath God so nigh unto them, as the LORD our God is in all things that we call upon him for? [8] And what nation is there so great, that hath statutes and judgments so righteous as all this law, which I set before you this day?

God took Israel out of Egypt and they were to be a witness to the nations, who were to come to an understanding of how great the True God is and how great his Ways are, as a result of observing Israel's Covenant relationship with God. So we see here first God takes Israel and makes them His people so that second the other nations would learn of God and be moved to love Him and serve him.

Deuteronomy 4:32-37 KJV
For ask now of the days that are past, which were before thee, since the day that God created man upon the earth, and ask from the one side of heaven unto the other, whether there hath been any such thing as this great thing is, or hath been heard like it? [33] Did ever people hear the voice of God speaking out of the midst of the fire, as thou hast heard, and live? [34] Or hath God assayed to go and take him a nation from the midst of another nation, by temptations, by signs, and by wonders, and by war, and by a mighty hand, and by a stretched out arm, and by great terrors, according to all that the LORD your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes? [35] Unto thee it was shewed, that thou mightest know that the LORD he is God; there is none else beside him. [36] Out of heaven he made thee to hear his voice, that he might instruct thee: and upon earth he shewed thee his great fire; and thou heardest his words out of the midst of the fire. [37] And because he loved thy fathers, therefore he chose their seed after them, and brought thee out in his sight with his mighty power out of Egypt;

Israel was a unique thing, God's calling of them and making them His people was something He had not done before. It was an expansion of what He did with Abraham, calling a man to be His friend and to know His ways, speaking directly with him and teaching him. So He called that man's descendants, directly speaking with them, to make them undeniably His people:

Deuteronomy 4:20 KJV
But the LORD hath taken you, and brought you forth out of the iron furnace, even out of Egypt, to be unto him a people of inheritance, as ye are this day.

And, as seen in the first quotation, the intention was so that the other nations would learn of God. God was not going to reveal Himself to each nation on earth by signs and wonders, He did that with Israel alone. Rather, He would then reveal Himself to the other nations by His chosen witnesses, Israel:

Isaiah 43:9-12 KJV
Let all the nations be gathered together, and let the people be assembled: who among them can declare this, and shew us former things? let them bring forth their witnesses, that they may be justified: or let them hear, and say, It is truth. [10] Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me. [11] I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no saviour. [12] I have declared, and have saved, and I have shewed, when there was no strange god among you: therefore ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, that I am God.

Israel was to be God's witnesses to all the world that Jehovah alone is the true God. The other nations were to learn from Israel, and serve God. So there is a two-part phase to God's plan: first He calls Israel, then Israel is to be the witnesses to the other nations. Abraham was to be a "blessing to all families of the earth", and this is how it was to be fulfilled.

Unfortunately, as we all know, Israel largely failed their mission. While it can be said there was some success, in that even their failures and disobedience was used to spread the knowledge of God throughout the surrounding nations, it was in reality a defective witness they providing. That is, it was mixed. In fact, what we see largely happening is this:

Ezekiel 36:17-23 KJV
Son of man, when the house of Israel dwelt in their own land, they defiled it by their own way and by their doings: their way was before me as the uncleanness of a removed woman. [18] Wherefore I poured my fury upon them for the blood that they had shed upon the land, and for their idols wherewith they had polluted it: [19] And I scattered them among the heathen, and they were dispersed through the countries: according to their way and according to their doings I judged them. [20] And when they entered unto the heathen, whither they went, they profaned my holy name, when they said to them, These are the people of the LORD, and are gone forth out of his land. [21] But I had pity for mine holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the heathen, whither they went. [22] Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; I do not this for your sakes, O house of Israel, but for mine holy name's sake, which ye have profaned among the heathen, whither ye went. [23] And I will sanctify my great name, which was profaned among the heathen, which ye have profaned in the midst of them; and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, saith the Lord GOD, when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes.

Israel disobeyed, and was deported from their land, and they caused the name of God to be blasphemed and profaned as the heathen saw these Israelites scattered out of their land. "Oh, these are the people of Jehovah, huh?" But God says the heathen will know that He is God when He is sanctified in Israel before their eyes. Again, this is a repeat of the basic Plan, the heathen know God through the witness and testimony of His people, for good or ill. If His people give a bad testimony by their lawlessness and sinfulness, then the heathen have no regard for God. If however His people are a living example of God's Word being true, then the heathen come to know that Jehovah is truly God.

Ezekiel 36:24-36 KJV
For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land. [25] Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. [26] A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. [27] And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them. [28] And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be my people, and I will be your God. [29] I will also save you from all your uncleannesses: and I will call for the corn, and will increase it, and lay no famine upon you. [30] And I will multiply the fruit of the tree, and the increase of the field, that ye shall receive no more reproach of famine among the heathen. [31] Then shall ye remember your own evil ways, and your doings that were not good, and shall lothe yourselves in your own sight for your iniquities and for your abominations. [32] Not for your sakes do I this, saith the Lord GOD, be it known unto you: be ashamed and confounded for your own ways, O house of Israel. [33] Thus saith the Lord GOD; In the day that I shall have cleansed you from all your iniquities I will also cause you to dwell in the cities, and the wastes shall be builded. [34] And the desolate land shall be tilled, whereas it lay desolate in the sight of all that passed by. [35] And they shall say, This land that was desolate is become like the garden of Eden; and the waste and desolate and ruined cities are become fenced, and are inhabited. [36] Then the heathen that are left round about you shall know that I the LORD build the ruined places, and plant that that was desolate: I the LORD have spoken it, and I will do it.

Since God's people had defiled themselves by their disobedience, their witness was no good. So God Himself would cleanse them and cause them to be obedient, by giving them a new heart and a new spirit. As a result of the blessings of this new redeemed condition, the heathen would now know assuredly that Jehovah is God who does all these things. So the Plan now has a redemption phase. Israel was supposed to be the Witness to the nations, but had sinned. So God must reclaim them to obedience so they can be the Witness they were called to be.

[Esaias]

Part 2

This is the purpose of the New Covenant, to give Israel a new heart and a new spirit:

Jeremiah 31:31-34 KJV
Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: [32] Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD: [33] But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. [34] And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.

These people were to receive a new heart and a new spirit by God making a new covenant with them, writing His law in their heart and in their mind, in their inward parts. Then they could truly be God's people, and He could truly be their God. Which of course means they could then fulfill their duty as His Witnesses to all the world.

The fact they were to receive a new covenant did not mean they would cease to be a people. The idea that the new covenant somehow abrogated the existence of Israel as a people simply doesn't make any sense, as the new covenant is specifically made with those people:

Jeremiah 31:35-37 KJV
Thus saith the LORD, which giveth the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, which divideth the sea when the waves thereof roar; The LORD of hosts is his name: [36] If those ordinances depart from before me, saith the LORD, then the seed of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before me for ever. [37] Thus saith the LORD; If heaven above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth searched out beneath, I will also cast off all the seed of Israel for all that they have done, saith the LORD.

The Plan still stands, Israel is to be God's Witnesses to the nations of the earth, only they are to do it under the new covenant. Because they failed to do it under the old covenant, God would redeem them and purify them with a new covenant, so they could perform their divinely appointed purpose.

Luke 1:67-75 KJV
And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied, saying, [68] Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people, [69] And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David; [70] As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began: [71] That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us; [72] To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant; [73] The oath which he sware to our father Abraham, [74] That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear, [75] In holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life.

Christ came to redeem His people, to purify them so they could serve God in holiness and righteousness. By doing this, as we saw already through the other Scripture references, they would be God's Witnesses to all the families of the earth. This is what was promised to Abraham, that he would be a blessing to all the families of the earth, that in his seed all the nations and families of the earth would be blessed. His descendants would bring that blessing to the other nations, but they could only do it through Christ, the true SEED of Abraham. Because only through Christ do they receive and enter in the new covenant, and receive a genuine change of heart by the power of the Holy Ghost.

Acts 1:8 KJV
But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

Israel, in the new covenant, was to be witnesses to Christ unto the uttermost part of the earth. They were to take the knowledge of God to all nations:

Matthew 28:18-20 KJV
And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. [19] Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: [20] Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

The new covenant, Gospel "dispensation" or "age" is the mission assigned to Israel in the beginning, to be the people of God and to be witnesses to all the world about the truth of God, to teach them to love and obey Him. So again we see the phases involved, Israel --> the nations.

Isaiah 2:2-5 KJV
And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD'S house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. [3] And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. [4] And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. [5] O house of Jacob, come ye, and let us walk in the light of the LORD.

Mountains are used in Scripture to represent nations. The mountain of the house of the Lord is the nation of the Temple of God, that is to say, it is the redeemed new covenant Israel. It is prophesied that it will be exalted above the other mountains, and all nations shall flow unto it. Many people would go to the mountain of God to learn of His Ways, because the law goes forth from Zion. That is, the people of God (redeemed new covenant Israel) speak forth the Word of God to teach all nations. God would judge the nations, that is, He would exercise rule over them and discipline them. How was He to do this? By the Law/Word going forth from Zion (redeemed Israel). This is why JACOB is called to "walk in the light of the Lord", so they could get busy with the Plan and quit being a hindrance to what God is doing.

Daniel 2:44-45 KJV
And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever. [45] Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure.

Daniel 7:13-14 KJV
I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. [14] And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.

Daniel 7:27 KJV
And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.

Here in Daniel chapters 2 and 7, we see that the Kingdom of God would stand victorious over the kingdoms of man, that the SAINTS or people of God would possess the dominion and rule, that the "greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven shall be given" to them. All dominions would serve and obey God, because His saints have been given the dominion and they are the ISRAEL - the Divine Ruler, or "God's Prince", the representative of God upon the earth to teach all nations to serve and obey God.

Revelation 20:4-8 KJV
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. [5] But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. [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. [7] And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, [8] And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.

Here we have the first resurrection, which is the overcoming saints of God, the elect of God, the church of God, the "144,000 of the 12 tribes" and the "great multitude which no man can number who have washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb". That is to say, redeemed new covenant Israel, who having survived the persecutions of the Beast and the dragon are now victorious (just as in Daniel). As we saw in Isaiah, they are destined to be God's Witnesses and the nations are destined to obey God, being taught by Zion. In Revelation, we see their overcoming the tyranny of the Beast and enjoying the first resurrection, and "reigning".

Then, after the period called "the thousand years", there are these nations in the four quarters of the earth who are deceived by the serpent power to make war against God and His saints. It is CLEAR that these "nations" who are deceived to make war against the camp of the saints (the church) are NOT themselves part of the first resurrection. Therefore it necessarily follows that there are people simultaneously existing with the first resurrection overcomers. Two people groups - one resurrected, one clearly not because they are deceived and then destroyed by Divine intervention.

So that there are two distinct groups during the millennium seems inescapable to me. Regardless of how a person understands the millennium, whether premil, postmil, or amil, there is no denying that there are two contemporaneous groups of people, one called the first resurrection, and the other contributing to those who finally get deceived into making war against the first group.

[Evang.Benincasa]

Thank you my brother

[Esaias]

Part 3

(So that there are two distinct groups during the millennium seems inescapable to me. Regardless of how a person understands the millennium, whether premil, postmil, or amil, there is no denying that there are two contemporaneous groups of people, one called the first resurrection, and the other contributing to those who finally get deceived into making war against the first group.)

From a premillennial perspective, the only way I see that this can be, is we have the resurrected saints (the overcomers of the new covenant commonwealth of Israel), and others who were not resurrected. These are not the enemies of God who were part of the Beast system that warred against Christ, for those had already been destroyed prior to the beginning of the thousand years. They must therefore be the nations that are now the objects of God's Plan. During the millennium, however long it may last (the 1000 years being a symbolic time frame indicating a greatly extended time), the resurrected church is reigning upon the earth, and the nations that are left are walking in the Light of the Lord.

Yet the fact there is a final rebellion requires that those who participate are not resurrected yet. They are natural people who, the serpent power being unrestrained, are subject to being deceived into trying to (once again) rebel against God. Not that everyone outside the church is deceived, but that there is a general deception that occurs among these people. Which of course means they are also unregenerate. It would hardly make sense for regenerate people to be massively deceived into rebelling against God. So while the nations are learning God's ways and are subject to the rule and dominion of God through His church, it is clear there are unregenerate persons still around.

Zechariah 14:16-19 KJV
And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles. [17] And it shall be, that whoso will not come up of all the families of the earth unto Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, even upon them shall be no rain. [18] And if the family of Egypt go not up, and come not, that have no rain; there shall be the plague, wherewith the LORD will smite the heathen that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles. [19] This shall be the punishment of Egypt, and the punishment of all nations that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles.

This prophecy in Zechariah speaks of a war against the people of God, who (the enemies) are then defeated. AFTER that, all the families of the earth are to be worshipping God in Jerusalem. This is parallel to the prophecies in Isaiah where the nations go up to the Mountain of the Lord to learn of His ways. Here, there is a warning about those who fail to worship God: there is disciplinary action taken against them. This clearly implies that during this period, there are those who are unregenerate. Or at least, not entirely fully obedient. Which makes sense as this is a TEACHING phase for the other nations. The ones who fail to "go up to worship" aren't obliterated, they are chastised. The context is the nations that came against Jerusalem who are left after the destruction of Israel's enemies.

Remember, the Big Plan was for Israel to be a Witness to all nations and families. Meaning, there is a two-part phase to God's Plan: first Israel, then the rest of the nations. Currently, we are in the "God is redeeming Israel" phase, as the Gospel is going to the multitude of nations that Israel was to become. when the fullness of the nations be come in, "all Israel will be saved". More importantly, it is THUS that all Israel would be saved. Therefore, the "multitude of nations coming in" is specifically the nations of Israel. Once that occurs, once "all Israel is saved", that is, once Israel has received the redemption as a people, once it has been fulfilled, then the OTHER nations must be the focus.

This is because the Plan is Israel ----> the nations, that is, Israel is to be the Witness to the nations. Israel must be redeemed in order to fulfill that destiny. Israel is still in the process of being redeemed, until the fullness of the (Israel) nations are come in.

This of course does not mean that people outside of "Israel" are not subjects of the Gospel message, or that they cannot enter in. When God took a nation out of Egypt He also took a "mixed multitude" with them. There were "strangers in Israel" who were subject to the Law of God just as Israel was, they learned of God and followed Him. But that did not obviate the Plan for Israel to be God's Witnesses to all nations, for even though there were strangers with Israel in Deuteronomy, the commission to the other nations was still declared.

Revelation 20:7-15 KJV
And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, [8] And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. [9] And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them. [10] And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. [11] And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. [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. [13] And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. [14] And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. [15] And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

After that final rebellion, there is the general judgment scene. ALL the dead are before God. This is the great judgment that is mentioned throughout Scripture. Not a judgment upon various nations for various things, resulting in various temporal punishments. But a judgment upon each individual for their works. And the final disposition of each one is determined by whether or not their name is written in the Lamb's Book of Life. AFTER THIS EVENT there does not exist anyone who is NOT in the Book of Life. Since death and hell (the grave, hades) are destroyed in the Lake of Fire along with all sinners (transgressors), anyone left is clearly immortal. There are no "leaf munchers outside the gates" who need Divine Salad to stay alive, all people who exist at this time are immortal because there simply is no more death, period.

Now I realise this interpretation of events is premillennial, and non-premillennialists will of course disagree with what is here posted. And I also realise this interpretation may certainly raise questions (I expect it too). I myself still have some questions. But I cannot help but see "premillennialism" as what is being described here in Revelation, at least in the most basic sense of the term.

The first resurrection is distinguished and contrasted with "the rest of the dead lived not again until" after the thousand years. How do the rest of the dead live again at the end of the thousand years? By standing before God, coming OUT of "death and hell and the sea". Meaning, the rest of the dead "live again" by a very real genuine resurrection out of the grave. This however requires that the first resurrection be of the same kind, meaning, a very real resurrection "out of the grave".

Revelation 20:4-5 KJV
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. [5] But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.

If the first resurrection is simply a religious symbolic resurrection, meaning "being born again", then it is saying the rest of the dead are born again at the end of this period. But we know that is not true, because the rest of the dead are judged and at least some are cast into the Lake of Fire. If on the other hand, the "rest of the dead living again" is a genuine actual resurrection, then the first must be of the same kind otherwise there is no basis for the comparison. The saints "live" BUT "the rest of the dead lived not" meaning whatever the first experienced, the second did not. UNTIL the thousand years were finished. Meaning the second DID experience what the first did at the end of the thousand years. And the only thing that EVERYONE is said to experience is resurrection from the grave, whether unto Life or unto Damnation:

John 5:28-29 KJV
Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, [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.

[Evang.Benincasa]

Originally Posted by Esaias

Part 2

This is the purpose of the New Covenant, to give Israel a new heart and a new spirit:

Jeremiah 31:31-34 KJV
Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: [32] Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD: [33] But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. [34] And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.

These people were to receive a new heart and a new spirit by God making a new covenant with them, writing His law in their heart and in their mind, in their inward parts. Then they could truly be God's people, and He could truly be their God. Which of course means they could then fulfill their duty as His Witnesses to all the world.

The fact they were to receive a new covenant did not mean they would cease to be a people. The idea that the new covenant somehow abrogated the existence of Israel as a people simply doesn't make any sense, as the new covenant is specifically made with those people:

Jeremiah 31:35-37 KJV
Thus saith the LORD, which giveth the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, which divideth the sea when the waves thereof roar; The LORD of hosts is his name: [36] If those ordinances depart from before me, saith the LORD, then the seed of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before me for ever. [37] Thus saith the LORD; If heaven above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth searched out beneath, I will also cast off all the seed of Israel for all that they have done, saith the LORD.

The Plan still stands, Israel is to be God's Witnesses to the nations of the earth, only they are to do it under the new covenant. Because they failed to do it under the old covenant, God would redeem them and purify them with a new covenant, so they could perform their divinely appointed purpose.

Luke 1:67-75 KJV
And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied, saying, [68] Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people, [69] And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David; [70] As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began: [71] That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us; [72] To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant; [73] The oath which he sware to our father Abraham, [74] That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear, [75] In holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life.

Christ came to redeem His people, to purify them so they could serve God in holiness and righteousness. By doing this, as we saw already through the other Scripture references, they would be God's Witnesses to all the families of the earth. This is what was promised to Abraham, that he would be a blessing to all the families of the earth, that in his seed all the nations and families of the earth would be blessed. His descendants would bring that blessing to the other nations, but they could only do it through Christ, the true SEED of Abraham. Because only through Christ do they receive and enter in the new covenant, and receive a genuine change of heart by the power of the Holy Ghost.

Acts 1:8 KJV
But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

Israel, in the new covenant, was to be witnesses to Christ unto the uttermost part of the earth. They were to take the knowledge of God to all nations:

Matthew 28:18-20 KJV
And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. [19] Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: [20] Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

The new covenant, Gospel "dispensation" or "age" is the mission assigned to Israel in the beginning, to be the people of God and to be witnesses to all the world about the truth of God, to teach them to love and obey Him. So again we see the phases involved, Israel --> the nations.

Isaiah 2:2-5 KJV
And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD'S house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. [3] And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. [4] And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. [5] O house of Jacob, come ye, and let us walk in the light of the LORD.

Mountains are used in Scripture to represent nations. The mountain of the house of the Lord is the nation of the Temple of God, that is to say, it is the redeemed new covenant Israel. It is prophesied that it will be exalted above the other mountains, and all nations shall flow unto it. Many people would go to the mountain of God to learn of His Ways, because the law goes forth from Zion. That is, the people of God (redeemed new covenant Israel) speak forth the Word of God to teach all nations. God would judge the nations, that is, He would exercise rule over them and discipline them. How was He to do this? By the Law/Word going forth from Zion (redeemed Israel). This is why JACOB is called to "walk in the light of the Lord", so they could get busy with the Plan and quit being a hindrance to what God is doing.

Daniel 2:44-45 KJV
And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever. [45] Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure.

Daniel 7:13-14 KJV
I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. [14] And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.

Daniel 7:27 KJV
And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.

Here in Daniel chapters 2 and 7, we see that the Kingdom of God would stand victorious over the kingdoms of man, that the SAINTS or people of God would possess the dominion and rule, that the "greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven shall be given" to them. All dominions would serve and obey God, because His saints have been given the dominion and they are the ISRAEL - the Divine Ruler, or "God's Prince", the representative of God upon the earth to teach all nations to serve and obey God.

Revelation 20:4-8 KJV
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. [5] But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. [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. [7] And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, [8] And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.

Here we have the first resurrection, which is the overcoming saints of God, the elect of God, the church of God, the "144,000 of the 12 tribes" and the "great multitude which no man can number who have washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb". That is to say, redeemed new covenant Israel, who having survived the persecutions of the Beast and the dragon are now victorious (just as in Daniel). As we saw in Isaiah, they are destined to be God's Witnesses and the nations are destined to obey God, being taught by Zion. In Revelation, we see their overcoming the tyranny of the Beast and enjoying the first resurrection, and "reigning".

Then, after the period called "the thousand years", there are these nations in the four quarters of the earth who are deceived by the serpent power to make war against God and His saints. It is CLEAR that these "nations" who are deceived to make war against the camp of the saints (the church) are NOT themselves part of the first resurrection. Therefore it necessarily follows that there are people simultaneously existing with the first resurrection overcomers. Two people groups - one resurrected, one clearly not because they are deceived and then destroyed by Divine intervention.

So that there are two distinct groups during the millennium seems inescapable to me. Regardless of how a person understands the millennium, whether premil, postmil, or amil, there is no denying that there are two contemporaneous groups of people, one called the first resurrection, and the other contributing to those who finally get deceived into making war against the first group.

The Nations are converted to Israel? As Isaiah points out in Isaiah 2:2-5? The Nations ethnos flow into the Lord’s temple.

[Evang.Benincasa]

Sorry, should’ve waited for part 3

[Esaias]

Originally Posted by Evang.Benincasa

Thank you my brother

[Esaias]

Originally Posted by Evang.Benincasa

The Nations are converted to Israel? As Isaiah points out in Isaiah 2:2-5? The Nations ethnos flow into the Lord’s temple.

Not sure what you mean "converted to Israel"?

The nations are Christianised, converted to Jesus Christ, by the witness and testimony of the church. Or, at the very least, the nations of the world are converted to a Christian-Gospel based operating system, not that every single individual member of each nation is born again.

As I think about this, it seems to be a reversal of the current situation. Currently, the "world system" is antichrist, anti-God, but within it are a remnant of people genuinely living for God. In the future, it looks like there will be a time where the "world system" will be in fact prochrist, pro-God, but within it there may be individuals who are not getting with the program.

Of course, that is all pre-Judgment Day, because after Judgment Day there won't be anyone not born again.

[Esaias]

Again, let me reiterate, this is my current understanding, I am still studying and learning. So questions that make me think are welcome. But don't be surprised if I try to "prove all things" rather stubbornly.