Alright, it seems the dispensationalism tack has basically run its course. Let's do as Arial asks and just see whether this amillennialism idea can hold water on its own merits. Is it internally consistent?
The answer to that question is definitely, "No, it isn't!" and one of the best ways I know of to demonstrate it is to simply ask one of them to explain who the 144,000 are.
Amillennialism teaches that the Kingdom of God preached by Jesus and His apostles is the same as the millennial kingdom of Revelation 20:4-6. The kingdom of God, they say, is a present-day reality with Christ ruling from heaven and it is a kingdom populated by all those who believe and accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Which is to say that there isn't any distinction in their minds between Israel and the church and that the Jew's standing before God is identical to that of the Gentile. Whether they believe that has always been the case is a matter of debate even within their own circles but there isn't any debate at all about it being true now and that it will continue to be so long as mortal men roam the Earth, including the times described in Revelation. They flatly reject any notion that includes any talk of God ending the current church age and returning again to Israel. They don't believe that God ever turned away from Israel to begin with but that the Gentiles were simply folded in and that we are all now one big happy group and will be so from now until the end of days.
If this is so then what is going on in Revelation chapter 7?
Revelation 7:4 And I heard the number of those who were sealed. One hundred and forty-four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel were sealed:
5 of the tribe of Judah twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Reuben twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Gad twelve thousand were sealed;
6 of the tribe of Asher twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Naphtali twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Manasseh twelve thousand were sealed;
7 of the tribe of Simeon twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Levi twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Issachar twelve thousand were sealed;
8 of the tribe of Zebulun twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Joseph twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Benjamin twelve thousand were sealed.
Then later in chapter 9...
Revelation 9:3 Then out of the smoke locusts came upon the earth. And to them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power. 4 They were commanded not to harm the grass of the earth, or any green thing, or any tree, but only those men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads.
In what dark universe do you have to live in not to see that this passage in chapter 7 has to do with Jews and only Jews?! Could it even possibly be any more explicit?
Clete
