I'm just trying to find errors. Iron sharpens iron. If I'm wrong at least you guys compel me to study more. Otherwise I'd probably just watch reality tv all day long. I'm more interested now in the church's role during the 1000 years than trying to discredit MAD. Because that's going to be a long period of time.
If the bride of Christ is not with Him during His reign that means she goes thru a lennngggthy period of separation from her Husband. Is that warranted?
Also, like MADists, I believe in once saved always saved and so rather than telling Christians that they can lose their salvation I tell them that for 1000 years they will live in a state of regret that they did not live their life for the Lord while here in this life. And that there will be different degrees of authority given to the believers during Messiah's reign, some have no authority.
It is important to study and learn the entire counsel of the Word of God. That must only be done by using a strict literal hermeneutic that includes taking relevant passages into context in order to understand what has been declared.
Now if the believers of verse 4a were given to judgement, what judgement is the Holy Spirit pointing at here? Firstly John is relating prophetic content. The fact is that believers have already been raptured before the Tribulation and have already gone to the judgement of the Bema Seat of Yeshua. That judgement is for reward or loss of reward. Fruchtenbaum takes vs 4a as the first of three categories of believers that will enter the kingdom of our Husband the Messiah of Israel.
It makes no sense to me that we would not share in Messiah's kingdom and according to this passage we do partake and serve God during this time.
Israel is only special in that God called them by a national election. But that calling was on part to serve as a teaching lesson for all mankind. The lesson is that God will one day elevate Israel as head of the nations. That does not mean they are merited for that purpose it means that God keeps His word to those who don't keep their word. Thus there is no reason to assume that Israel is any better than the church in their destiny or ministry, we are equal and will have an equal share of work to do in the kingdom. The difference being that Jewish believers will live in Israel while Gentile believers will rule in other countries over the sheep nations who enter the kingdom in natural non glorified bodies who populate the planet with both those who get saved and those who die during the period.
Sent from my iPhone using
TOL