Posted by Gary [GLamotta] on March 29, 1999 at 09:58:31 {boLUiPtahcWJ0LnB8RfQMW4MSSTtTA17s}:
In Reply to: ***New Messianic Truths posted by Joseph Malik on March 28, 1999 at 14:20:44:
Hello Joseph,
Thanks for your reply.
You constantly ask who are these "nations" that Satan is no longer able to deceive.
These "nations" based upon my understanding are all those millions of survivors of Armageddon.
As far as them being "dead", it is as you noted, they are symbolically dead because they do not have approval for eternal life yet as does the 144,000. And it is over these millions of survivors of Armageddon whom the 144,000 are kings and priests to, and it is their responsibility during the millennium to try and help them know and understand Jehovah and his requirements in preparation for the final test by Satan.
As far as there being parallel accounts and events in the Bible, I can accept that. In fact, I have no problem with making this a parallel comparison as well, that's your choice, EXCEPT, as noted, the critical phrase "heaven and earth fled.
That changes everything since it is a transitional statement in direct reference to the previous event. Therefore, even if I accepted your explanation, I would not be able to transplant this event of the judging into any previous period. It is critically locked by this statement immediately after Satan is destroyed.
Furthermore, at Rev. 21:1 again we find "heaven and earth" fleeing which again shows a critical change of venue and a new "system of things" being instituted.
So ultimately, even if your arguments work during the 1,000-year reign, the textual wording prevent it from being taken out of order, that is,immediately after Satan is destroyed.
So at this point, I'd only note that the resurrection of the dead and the judging of the dead work just as well after the millennium as it does before.
Another point is that I believe as the Bible says that these people are being judged for what they did in their former life. That's what the scrolls are about. It doesn't seem to make sense to me that they are being judged at this time and the scoll of life is being opened for those who are already written in the scroll of life during the millennium, when in fact Satan is yet to be released and he will cause to rebel a great many persons. Are they getting judged twice?
Again, the key points:
1. The "nations" are the millions of nations who survive Armageddon who do not have everlasting life yet and thus are still considered to be "dead." They come to life when they go to the trees of life after the 1,000 years are ended, and after they prove faithful after Satan's final test.
2. The only ones, therefore, needing to be resurrected are those of the 144,000 who had died before the millennium begins. They are both resurrected and receive eternal life before the millennium and serve as kings and priests to the millions of people who survive Armageddon, including the "great crowd."
Gary