Intro:
A. Generally speaking, those who teach and believe in more than one
resurrection do so because of the influence of premillennial doctrine.
1. From this same doctrine also comes the teaching of the "Rapture".
B. Basically, millennialists teach:
1. Christ will return and the saints will be resurrected and
"raptured" with Him to heaven.
2. There will be a period of "Tribulation". (Some say it will
be for 7 years.)
3. Christ will again return with the saints. He will establish
His kingdom and rule in person on earth for a 1000 yrs. on
the throne of David in Jerusalem.
4. During which time He will restore Israel as a nation to
the land of Palestine and exalt Israel over the nations of
the earth.
5. At the end of the 1000 years, the wicked will be resurrected.
C. These doctrines not only teach the necessity of two resurrections
but also of two returns of Christ: one return to resurrect and rapture
the saints and another return to establish His kingdom and resurrect
the wicked.
D. The "proof" the millennialists use to "prove" their doctrine of a
1000 year reign of Christ is Revelation 20 and they give
1 Thessalonians 4:14-17 to "prove" the "rapture".
I. The Scriptures Do Not Teach That Two Returns Of Christ Are Yet To Occur.
A. 1 Thessalonians 3:13 - "To the end he may establish your
hearts unblamable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the
coming of the Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints."
1. While the millennialists teach Christ is coming "for
his saints", this teaches He will come "with all his saints".
2. Thus, Paul has Christ coming seven years too early
to fit the millennial doctrine.
B. 1 Thessalonians 4:14 - "For if we believe that Jesus died and
rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God
bring with him."
1. When the Lord comes, He will "bring with them" those
"which sleep".
2. This passage is also totally opposite to millennial
teaching.
C. 2 Thessalonians 1:6-10
1. He will recompense tribulation "to them that trouble
you"-the wicked.
2. He will recompense rest to those "who are troubled"-the
righteous.
3. He will take vengeance on them that refuse to know
God and reject the gospel of Christ.
4. He will punish all cases of disobedient described with
everlasting punishment from His presence.
5. He will reward all who are worthy of the calling with
his own glory.
a. What we have in these passages is judgment 1000
years too early.
b. These passages puts the judgment of the wicked
and the reward of the righteous at the same time.
6. There is no time for the rapture nor two resurrections
and two comings as the rapture doctrine teaches.
II. The Scriptures Do Not Teach There Will Be Two Resurrections.
A. Acts 23:6; 24:15
1. Paul only speaks of the "resurrection" in the singular.
2. There is but one resurrection and it is of "the dead" -
all the dead!
3. There is to be no play made of the phrase "of the dead"
and "from the dead" because Jesus is called the "firstborn
from the dead" in Colossians 1:18 and the "firstborn of
the dead" in Revelation 1:5.
a. Paul did not hope to be in two resurrections:
one FROM the dead and the other OF the dead.
b. Neither is Christ the firstborn of two
resurrections.
4. Also, note Matthew 22:30,31 and the parallel account
in Luke 20:35.
a. The same event, the same people being spoken to,
the same resurrection, yet Matthew says "of the
dead" and Luke says, "from the dead".
III. Examination Of Their "Proof"Text.
A. Revelation 20
1. Things we must keep in mind about the book of Revelation:
a. Uses signs and symbols to reveal its message.
b. The reason for this is John wrote during
troublesome times. The personal safety of both
the writer and the reader were in danger if the
enemy understood the true meaning of the book.
c. Revelation conceals and reveals: Conceals the
message from the enemy and reveals the message
to people of God.
d. Other examples of this style of writing is
Daniel, Ezekiel,Isaiah, and Joel.
e. No interpretation of Revelation is correct if
it is meaningless and fails to bring practical
help and comfort to Christian's of John's day.
f. Symbols are qualities, ideas, and principles
represented by things concrete. It is a language
with a double meaning.
g. The proper way to understand symbols is like that
of understanding parables: find the main point
and let the details fit in the most natural way.
h. The main point of Revelation is: Despite
persecution and oppression, whatever it's source,
if we will remain true and faithful to the Lord,
the victory will ultimately be ours through Christ.
"Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive
power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and
honor, and glory, and blessing." (Rev. 5:12)
2. A look at the context in which Revelation 20 is found.
a. In chapter 17 John describes Babylon and in
chapter 18 John tells of her fall.
(1) What Babylon was to fleshly Israel, Rome
was to the Christians of John's day.
(2) What Jabin and Sisera was to fleshly Israel,
the beast and false prophet were to the
Christians of John's day (Judges 4)
3. Revelation 20 is similar to Ezekiel 37.
a. In Ezekiel 37 we have the restoration of Israel
out of Babylonian captivity compared to the
resurrection of a valley of dry bones.
b. However, neither passage is talking about a
bodily resurrection. It is symbolical:
(1) As God resurrected Israel from the
captivity of Babylon, He would resurrect
the martyred saints who had been killed
by the beast.
4. Revelation 20 says nothing about:
a. Christ setting up a kingdom.
b. Christ reigning on earth a thousand years.
(It does not mention the reign of Christ but
rather the reign of souls with Christ.)
c. A rapture.
d. A bodily resurrection.
e. All Christians reigning.
f. Second coming of Christ.
g. Throne of David, or any other throne on earth.
h. Jerusalem or Palestine.
I. Us.
B. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
1. Christians in Thessalonica were concerned about what
would happen to Christians who had already died when
Christ returned. Would they be forgotten?
2. Paul is laying their fears to rest, thus these verses
are dealing only with the righteous. The wicked are
not under consideration in these verses.
3. Nothing is said of a rapture of saints to occur before
the resurrection of the wicked. The dead in Christ will
rise first and then those who are living will "be caught
up together with them".
IV. What The Scriptures Teach About Christ's Second Coming:
A. All the dead will raise. John 5:28,29
1. Millennialists says just the dead saints will raise
and the wicked will later.
2. Yet, Jesus says, in "that HOUR"!
B. It will occur on "last day". John 6:40,44,54.
1. How is it possible to get 7 years and 1000 years in
the "last day" and "that hour"?
C. All will be changed. 1 Corinthians 15:51,52
D. Will meet Jesus in the air. 1 Thessalonians 4:16
1. Millennialists says Jesus is coming back to earth
to establish a kingdom but Scriptures say the
closest Christ will come to this earth is for us to
meet Him "in the air".
E. Judgment will take place. Hebrews 9:27; 2 Corinthians 5:10
1. As we are in death, so will we be in judgment.
F. Heaven and earth will "pass away". 2 Peter 3:12
G. Will bring an end to Christ's kingdom. 1 Corinthians 15:25
1. When will the last enemy, death, be destroyed? Answer:
When everyone is resurrected.
2. Millennialists says just the opposite.
a. They say Christ is coming back to set up
His kingdom.
H. Saints will be glorified (Colossians 3:4) but the wicked
will be damned (Philippians 3:21; 2 Thessalonians 2:8-12).
Conclusion:
A. The Scriptures do not teach:
1. Thousand year reign of Christ on earth with all
saints.
2. A rapture of only saints when Jesus returns.
3. Two or more resurrections.
B. The Scriptures teach two deaths. Revelation 20:6; 21:8
but there is not resurrection from that death.
1. The second death is not a bodily death but a
spiritual death. If we can understand this,
we should also be able to understand that the
resurrection of Revelation 20 is likewise, not
a bodily resurrection, but a spiritual resurrection.
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