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"But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection".
The dead are the 'dead in Christ'. When Christ died for our sins, it was just as if we had died but he took our place. We are dead with him in that respect (Romans 6:4, Col 2:12). It is not describing the unsaved. That is why the dead are said to live again. The unsaved never live again. When the verse says that the dead live again it means that they are born again to a new life in Christ. It means they become saved. The first resurrection is when Christ rose from the dead. He was the first to rise. When he did so he led captivity captive and gave gifts of new life to men he planned to save. The verse talks about the time period when Satan is bound. Satan is bound during the church age so that he cannot deceive those who are to be saved from believing. The Holy Spirit is the seal that prevents Satan from deceiving people away from salvation at that time. The Holy Spirit allows those who are saved to stay saved. They have a part in the first resurrection (the resurrection of Christ) because it was his atoning death and resurrection which gave them new life in Christ. They are blessed (meaning saved) and holy (meaning Christ paid for their sins). The church age is described as a period of a thousand years, the time when Satan is bound. The thousand years is not a literal thousand years any more than the parable of the ten virgins is a picture of only 5 persons who will ever be saved or 5 who will not. Rather, like the parable of the virgins, numbers have parable meanings in the Bible and are not always literal. The ten virgins were a picture of many persons and the thousand years is simply a particular time period. In the same book of Revelation there are 2 witnesses. This number also is a parable number describing more true believers than just two persons, if you see what I mean.
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.
The thrones that you ask about is simply saying that those who are saved rule and reign with Christ in the spiritual sense as soon as they become saved. We are seated in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. We do not worship the God of false religion, but the real God.
The talk about beheading that you ask about is describing how Satan enters into the people of the congregations of the church age and proclaims himself as the head of the congregations and his idea of the Bible and the gospel is what is followed. He rejects true believers and their true gospel and so the Bible uses the terminology of removing the head, Christ, from the true believers. Of course, they still have Christ as their true head, despite being rejected by the congregations. In much the same way, this terminology is used for John the baptist, whose actual head was removed to illustrate this.
The second death that you ask about is describing how those persons who are unsaved (who have already died spiritually once like all people as a result of man's sin) die later when they are permantly destroyed (cease to exist). It is as if fire burns up the people and they are no more. Fire is a parable word in the Bible for God's judgment rather than life. Jesus himself was a burnt offering in that sense. Anyhow, those who are saved once they are born again, never die again, so there is no destruction for them afterwards, no second death. Sure, their physical body may die at whatever age they live to be, but the real born again them goes on and on forever amazingly, thanks to Jesus who ever lives to interceed for them.[/QUOTE
"The unsaved never live again"...trying to remember something about the unsaved being cast bodily into the lake of fire. Wouldn't they be alive then? Also not understanding "fire is a parable word for God's judgment rather than life".
The dead are the 'dead in Christ'. When Christ died for our sins, it was just as if we had died but he took our place. We are dead with him in that respect (Romans 6:4, Col 2:12). It is not describing the unsaved. That is why the dead are said to live again. The unsaved never live again. When the verse says that the dead live again it means that they are born again to a new life in Christ. It means they become saved. The first resurrection is when Christ rose from the dead. He was the first to rise. When he did so he led captivity captive and gave gifts of new life to men he planned to save. The verse talks about the time period when Satan is bound. Satan is bound during the church age so that he cannot deceive those who are to be saved from believing. The Holy Spirit is the seal that prevents Satan from deceiving people away from salvation at that time. The Holy Spirit allows those who are saved to stay saved. They have a part in the first resurrection (the resurrection of Christ) because it was his atoning death and resurrection which gave them new life in Christ. They are blessed (meaning saved) and holy (meaning Christ paid for their sins). The church age is described as a period of a thousand years, the time when Satan is bound. The thousand years is not a literal thousand years any more than the parable of the ten virgins is a picture of only 5 persons who will ever be saved or 5 who will not. Rather, like the parable of the virgins, numbers have parable meanings in the Bible and are not always literal. The ten virgins were a picture of many persons and the thousand years is simply a particular time period. In the same book of Revelation there are 2 witnesses. This number also is a parable number describing more true believers than just two persons, if you see what I mean.
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.
The thrones that you ask about is simply saying that those who are saved rule and reign with Christ in the spiritual sense as soon as they become saved. We are seated in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. We do not worship the God of false religion, but the real God.
The talk about beheading that you ask about is describing how Satan enters into the people of the congregations of the church age and proclaims himself as the head of the congregations and his idea of the Bible and the gospel is what is followed. He rejects true believers and their true gospel and so the Bible uses the terminology of removing the head, Christ, from the true believers. Of course, they still have Christ as their true head, despite being rejected by the congregations. In much the same way, this terminology is used for John the baptist, whose actual head was removed to illustrate this.
The second death that you ask about is describing how those persons who are unsaved (who have already died spiritually once like all people as a result of man's sin) die later when they are permantly destroyed (cease to exist). It is as if fire burns up the people and they are no more. Fire is a parable word in the Bible for God's judgment rather than life. Jesus himself was a burnt offering in that sense. Anyhow, those who are saved once they are born again, never die again, so there is no destruction for them afterwards, no second death. Sure, their physical body may die at whatever age they live to be, but the real born again them goes on and on forever amazingly, thanks to Jesus who ever lives to interceed for them.[/QUOTE
"The unsaved never live again"...trying to remember something about the unsaved being cast bodily into the lake of fire. Wouldn't they be alive then? Also not understanding "fire is a parable word for God's judgment rather than life".
by the way 