Well, first of all, thanks for your reply.It says first resurrection. It says nothing about a second resurrection; it says second death.
Rev 20:6 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.
What does Revelation 20:6 mean?
According to this verse whoever participates in the first resurrection is blessed and holy. "Blessed" is a beatitude that means "happy" or "spiritually prosperous." A blessed person may not be materially rich, but he is happy and spiritually prosperous. All who rise from the dead in the first resurrection, regardless of when or how they died, are blessed, and they are free forever from the second death. The second death refers to suffering forever in the lake of fire (Revelation 20:14).
What does Revelation 20:6 mean? | BibleRef.com
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. - What is the meaning of Revelation 20:6?www.bibleref.com
I think this interpretation incorrect firstly because nobody is ever going to be raised from the dead. That contradicts what Paul said in 1 Cor 15.
Secondly, I guess that second death is supposed to mean dying a second time, so those who are blessed will never die again. It is true that the blessed will never die again since we only die once, but it is also true that nobody is ever going to die twice so second death is an oxymoron.
The souls of people who are distant from God will continue to exist in the spiritual world after their physical body dies but they will be “as dead” compared to those souls who are close to God.
“In the same way, the souls who are veiled from God, although they exist in this world and in the world after death, are, in comparison with the holy existence of the children of the Kingdom of God, nonexisting and separated from God.”
Some Answered Questions, p. 243
I do not believe that Heaven is a place people go to after thy die, I believe it is a state of the soul who is near to God, and since not all souls are near to God not everyone will be in Heaven after they die. However, since the soul is immortal all souls will go to the spiritual world and souls that are far from God will be as dead souls since they will be spiritually dead.
Wherever the Bible says that the meek will inherit the earth that means that the new earth/kingdom of God on earth will be inherited by people who are living on earth and their progeny. Nowhere does the Bible say that means that dead people who were meek will rise from their graves and live on earth forever.
You wrote: “It says first resurrection. It says nothing about a second resurrection;”
Come on, Trailblazer…
If I said something was “the first”, you automatically know there’s gonna be a second.
Look at the context, vss.4&5. It states in the New Living Translation:
4”Then I saw thrones, and the people sitting on them had been given the authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their testimony about Jesus and for proclaiming the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or his statue, nor accepted his mark on their foreheads or their hands. They all came to life again, and they reigned with Christ for a thousand years.
5This is the first resurrection. (The rest of the dead did not come back to life until the thousand years had ended.)”
The second resurrection.
If you would, please read vs.6 again:
“Happy and holy is anyone having part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no authority, but they will be priests of God and of the Christ, and they will rule as kings with him for the 1,000 years.”
So these in the “first resurrection”, what do they become? It says “they will be priests of God and of the Christ, and they will rule as kings with him for the 1,000 years.”
Can everyone be a king? No.
Do kings have subjects? Always.
These subjects are those who pray for / want God’s Kingdom to “come”, for His “will to be done on Earth, as it is in Heaven.” — Matthew 6:9,10.
These make up the “mankind” over whom “the tent of God” will be spread. “And death will be no more.” (Revelation 21:3,4.) Isaiah 45:18 tells us that God ‘formed the Earth to be inhabited.’ And if there’s ‘no more death’…. I’m sure you can see the implication.
One thing the Bible is telling us, from beginning to end, is how mankind started in perfect surroundings… a paradise… then how mankind’s perfect start was marred by sin & rebellion, and God’s Sovereignty was challenged (Genesis 3), through an enemy (John 8:44). Physical death resulted (Romans 5:12…. “For just as through one man, sin entered into the world and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men because they had all sinned.” ; 1 Corinthians 15:21,22…“For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.”)
And at 1 John 3:8, we are told the reason Christ came: “ to break up the works of the Devil”, and ‘to unify all things, in Heaven and on Earth.’ - Ephesians 1:10.
Read about the War in Heaven, @ Revelation 12:7-12. It portrays Satan and his angels, aka demons, as real entities misleading the entire inhabited earth. BTW, “the sea” mentioned there, refers to the wicked, the more tumultuous part of society. (See Isaiah 57:20.) The same as the “sea” at Revelation 21:1 & the “roaring of the sea” at Luke 21:25,26. We can see Luke 21 being fulfilled, it seems, everywhere we look.
(But honestly, since you don’t have faith in all of the Bible, I doubt what I say will have any impact. Hope so…)
Have a good day, Trailblazer!
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