"9) 40 year Millennium? Mt.23, Rev.20, Revelations Recapitulation Structure
Hank a 40 year millennium seemed to bother you, and Steven you said it was “possible.” Please see my section on Peter’s 1,000 years and John’s in Rev.20 on (pp.46-52). Also, note my quotes of Rabbi’s who understood (Ps.90) to teach a 40 year millennium."
My Response: UNIVERSALISM and the 30-70AD MILLENNIAL VIEW
Blue = those martyred for the Word of God, for refusing to worship the Beast (aka Nero Ceasar), rejecting the Beast's mark.
Brown = those who accepted the Mark of the Beast (aka Nero Ceasar), that is, “the rest of the dead” of Rev 20:5.
Rev 1:9 (penned circa 62-66AD at beginning of the Tribulation to encourage rejection of the Beast and his mark)
I, John, your brother and fellow partaker in the tribulation and kingdom and perseverance which are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos, because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.
...
Rev 13:16-18 (penned circa 62-66AD at beginning of the Tribulation to encourage rejection of the Beast and his mark)
16 And he causes all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free men and the slaves, to be given a mark on their right hand, or on their forehead, 17 and he provides that no one should be able to buy or to sell, except the one who has the mark, either the name of the beast or the number of his name. 18 Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for the number is that of a man; and his number is six hundred and sixty-six.
...
Rev 20:1-7 (penned circa 62-66AD at beginning of the Tribulation to encourage rejection of the Beast and his mark)
1 And I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand. 2 And he laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, 3 and threw him into the abyss, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he should not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were completed; after these things he must be released for a short time.
4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of the testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark upon their forehead and upon their hand; and they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. 5 The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were completed. This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years.
7 And when the thousand years are completed, Satan will be released from his prison, …
NASB.
Virtually all Bible students agree that
Rev 20:4’s “came to life” = “resurrection” of Rev 20:5.
No argument there.
But those who insist that Rev 20:1-10 describes the 30-70AD situation are seduced to suppose that
Rev 20:4-5’s “came to life" = "resurrection" = "have everlasting life" of John 3:16
Thing is,
Rev 20:4’s “came to life” must equal “come to life” of Rev 20:5
That is,
Rev 20:4’s “came to life” reward to those beheaded & Martyred from the Tribulation who rejected Beast & his mark
= Rev 20:5's “came to life” reward to the rest of the dead at the end of the "thousand years" (of 30-70AD supposedly).
So,
IF Rev 20:4’s “came to life” = "have everlasting life" John 3:16
AND Rev 20:4’s “came to life” = “come to life” of Rev 20:5
THEN Rev 20:5’s “come to life” = "have everlasting life" John 3:16
THEREFORE,
Rev 20:5’s
“The rest of the dead did not "come to life" until the thousand years were completed.”
= “The rest of the dead did not "have everlasting life" until the thousand years were completed.”
THAT IS,
The "life" rewarded the Martyrs from the Tribulation for being beheaded for the Gospel and for rejecting Beast & his mark,
= the same "life" automatically granted freely to the rest of the dead, ie, everybody else, after the “thousand years,”
("Really just 40, but not really, probably only 14, possibly less, Claudius to Nero, but it was enough nonetheless, it was “perfectly complete” ")
SO,
What do we normally call it when
The dead, Beast-accepters get to “come to life" = "have everlasting life" as the beheaded, martyred Beast-rejecters?
(Remember, we all agree that Rev 20:4’s "came to life" = "resurrection" of Rev 20:5).
What do we normally call it when
dead, Beast-marked sinners automatically receive “resurrection" = "have everlasting life" as the Saints?
WE CALL IT "UNIVERSALISM."
THEY CALL IT "UNIVERSAL SALVATION."
So we see that Pre-70AD Millennialism has an inescapable connection with
Universalism via its Gnostic-style deviation from orthodox
resurrection. Remember, it was Hymenaeus & Philetus who were saying things like, "Since the 1st Resurrection of the Just that is already past was all about people "coming to
covenant life" in Christ (Rev 20:4), then the Resurrection of the Rest of the Dead when Jesus comes back will be about everybody else "coming to
covenant life" in Christ (Rev 20:5), too: nobody but the Devil is going to Hell! Yippee!" (2 Tim 2:11-18). But Paul strongly affirmed that he had not yet attained to the Resurrection of the Just because it had not yet occurred as of his writing of Phillippians 3:10-13 around 62AD.
Note: It should not be overlooked that
And for those "Full" Preterists who oppose Universalism, I find it highly ironic that those who vigorously oppose Preterist Universalism should just as vigorously cling to the very eschatological & soteriological foundations that provide the support for it. Eventually, one would think that a reasonable mind would put 2 & 2 together and realize they've been defending the very foundations of what they attack.
And this is love, that we walk after Christ's commandments ~2 John 6