Who will occupy the Millennial Kingdom?

[baydoll]

A serious question for you all!

I've always thought all believers would go into the Millennial Kingdom to do various things...some to reign and some to various jobs, serving the Lord and whatnot. I'm reading a book now that says that only SOME believers will go into the Millennial (those who went through the Trib), the rest of the us will be 'sleeping' until the end of the 1,000 years is up. (No the author is not SDA and not writing of soul sleep). I'm a bit upset here because I've always thought I would have a job to do during the Millennial and don't want to 'sleep' or whatever for a thousand years!!

So will we or won't we? And if we will, what do you think we'll be doing? If not, where will we be in the duration of that 1,000 years?

[wateredseeds]

I think it obviously depends on differing rapture scenarios to one extent. I don't think that believers who are dead will be sleeping til after the millenium though no matter what. I think the alive believers who go through the tribulation(converted during trib?) will be the populous persons in the millenium(since we know there will be children). The others will be glorified beings. The question is will we all "inherit" the kingdom at that time? Will it be more like chuck missler's theory of what it means to be cast out of the kingdom? I don't know the answer...but we certainly won't be sleeping during that time. Hey...what about the second coming? Doesn't he come WITH HIS SAINTS?

[popcorn]

Here is a little study I found matches with what waterseeds said
First resurrection "good " second resurrection at the end of the millenial "woe"

FIRST RESURRECTION - "WHO GOES INTO KINGDOM:"

GENTILE BELIEVERS

I don't claim to have any special revelations, and I don't think I teach The Bible that much different than a lot of men who are far more important and educated than I am. But I trust that I am able to make it a little easier to understand. We have been talking about the Kingdom the past few lessons. Christ has returned, the Tribulation has run its course, and I think the questions that come into everybody's mind are, "Who is going to go into the Kingdom? Are they going to be flesh and blood? Will they be having families? Will they be reproducing?" And the answer to all these question is, absolutely! This Kingdom will be on the earth, and will be `Utopia,' (that's the word the secular world likes to use). So let's take a few references out of the Old Testament to show that this Kingdom idea has been on God's mind from the very onset of the Book it-self, but especially after the call of Abraham.

I stressed many months ago that the Abrahamic Covenant you see was the Covenant between God and the Nation of Israel. He would make them a special, separated nation of people. He would put them in a geographic area of land and then, at the appropriate time, He would come to be their King, and set up the government. That comprises the Kingdom that everything is looking forward to.

Book 13 LESSON TWO * PART II

Revelation 20:6

"Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection:... but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years."

Now the question came up in our last coffee break. That in verse 4, it sounds like just Tribulation people will reign and rule with Christ, and I was glad that someone caught that. Because that is probably true, but again you have to take Scripture with Scripture, and you can't make a doctrine, or identify anything with just one verse. Come back to Revelation Chapter 5, and here we have a verse that I would say includes all of us believers in verse 10.

Revelation 5:10

"And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and (what) we (an all inclusive word) shall reign on the earth (with Christ)." We can also look at Chapter 19 verse 7:

Revelation 19:7

"Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb (remember the Lamb is to married to the Body of Christ) is come, and his wife hath made herself ready."

Revelation 19:8

"And to her was granted that she (the Body of Christ, the Church) should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints."

Go over to verse 14 in this same Chapter. Here we are now included in this army that is coming with Christ at His Second Coming.

Revelation 19:14

"And the armies (Heavenly congregation) which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean."

Now can you tie all of that together? Not only are the Tribulation saints going to be included in that reigning and ruling with Christ for a thousand years but we are also included. Since we are talking about the Church Age believer in the Kingdom as this Kingdom will come on earth, come back to the Book of Colossians. Now Paul the Apostle to the Gentiles does not dwell a lot on the Kingdom, not nearly as much as the Old Testament does, and the Gospels as they pertain to Israel. But nevertheless we are involved in the Kingdom. Don't think for a moment that we won't be. In Colossians Chapter 1 (and again I'm going to run out of time in the middle of a subject). But if the Lord tarries there will be another lesson, and if He doesn't, we won't need it. Here in this passage Paul has been praying for the Colossi Gentile believers.

Colossians 1:12

"Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet (or prepared us) to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath (past tense) translated us (you and I as believers) into (what?) the kingdom of his dear Son:"

We are already members of the Kingdom. But always remember, where is the Kingdom tonight? In heaven, in the Person of Christ. When He was on the earth John the Baptist approached Jesus and what did He say? "The Kingdom of heaven is at hand." Why? Because the King was at hand. So when the King went back to glory, then the Kingdom is again in heaven (and we don't refer to Him as the King in the Church Age, but as Savior and Lord.) But always remember the Kingdom won't stay in heaven, but will come back to the earth, and Paul says, "We will be with Him. Part and Parcel of that Kingdom." So we are indeed a part of this coming Kingdom, which will then be on the earth.

[baydoll]

Thanks for your answers, guys! That's pretty much my take on it as well.

Okay whew! I feel better now.

[wateredseeds]

baydoll,

Were you concerned about soul sleep? Tim Mchyde theorizes that the dead are simply sleeping and only wake up at key moments. I completely disagree with that position though....there isn't anything that indicates that from what i can see.

[baydoll]

Well kinda sorta....it's more like I don't want to miss out on the Millennial Kingdom. And I was kinda confused about the 'sleep' part of it, yeah. I've never heard of Tim Mchyde but his theory is weird. (and I don't believe in soul sleep anyway.)

[wateredseeds]

baydoll,

I don't think you would miss it either way. As a saint, even if you weren't to be in the millenial kingdom.....you would be sleeping. I mean.....nothing to miss right? Rest assured, i don't see anything that indicates that saints will be sleeping during that time at all.