Upvote:-2
*The title asks: Does The Revelation chapter 20 tell us that the Rapture will take place after the millennial reign of Christ?
*The answer is YES.
*Revelation 20:9 (KJV) reads AFTER the 1,000 years: And they (the bad guys) went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints (the good guys) about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them (the bad guys).
*Fill in the blank. What happens to the living saints?
*There are 3 choices: a) The bad guys kill all the Saints; b) The Saints are burnt up with the bad guys; c) God evacuates the living Saints just before the earth is destroyed by fire.
*The Evacuation has been misnamed the Rapture.
*Why don't you hear this from the pulpit? It is still a mystery to them (1 Cor. 15:51)
*More on this subject can be found at my website.
Upvote:1
I believe that 1Tthessalonians 4:14-17 and Revelation 20:5-6 refers to after the millennial reign of Christ and after the battle at the end. But it will be before the great white throne Judgement. However the martyrs are the ones who reign with Christ 1000 years. At the end of the millennium we will be raised from the dead, judged and taken to heaven to be with God-Father, son, & Holy Spirit forever. This is what Revelation 20:5-6 and 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 refers to. Tell me if you agree please, and thank you.
Upvote:3
A premillenialist would say, "No."
Tim LaHaye, co-author of the best-selling Left Behind series of novels, wrote a book called Revelation Unveiled, a commentary on the book of Revelation from a premillenial, pre-tribulation viewpoint. The book essentially provides a scriptural basis for the Left Behind series.
There are several chapters in the book devoted to the first few verses in Revelation 20, discussing different viewpoints and defending the premillennial view. In a chapter titled "The First Resurrection," he talks about this "believer's resurrection" occurring in three phases.
Phase 1 is the resurrection of the church age saints. These are Christians who have died from the time of Jesus through the time of the Rapture (which he places before the tribulation). This is the resurrection described in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, with the Rapture happening immediately after.
Phase 2 is the resurrection of the Old Testament saints: those who were servants of God before the time of Jesus. Based on Daniel 12:1-2, he places this resurrection at the end of the tribulation (still before the millennium).
Phase 3 is the resurrection of the tribulation saints. These are the people described in Revelation 20:4: those that had lived during the tribulation, but were martyred and did not worship the beast. This occurs shortly after Phase 2.
These three groups, which together make up all believers of all time, are all considered part of the "first resurrection" described in Revelation 20:6. Mr. LaHaye places the timing of all of these within a 7 year period.
The "rest of the dead" mentioned in Revelation 20:5 are the unbelievers of all ages. They are not resurrected until after the millennium, when they are judged (Revelation 20:11-15).