[Starwind]: "No I don't."
If you are charging us with "forcing" our interpretation on the passage, then you most certainly ~must~ show us why your interpretation is the ~NECESSARY~ one!
You "don't" because you ~can't~!
[Jean Chauvin]: "First of all, you will have to show us that the "1000" years must necessarily be understood as a literal time frame"
[Starwind]: "No I don't."
If you are charging us with "forcing" our interpretation on the passage, then you most certainly ~must~ show us why your interpretation is the ~NECESSARY~ one!
You "don't" because you ~can't~!
"How do their non-resurrected physical bodies have a life span of a thousand years?"
Another "straw man" argument! We never claimed that their "physical bodies" have a "life span" of a "thousand years". We simply say, as John 11:25,26 tells us, "they NEVER die"!
Obviously, John 11 is not meant to be understood as their physical bodies never dying!
"And you never did explain how if no one is ever physically dead, no one ever physically died, then how did all these 'not resurrected again' 'physically alive' people live for a thousand years? How did they live through two different thousand years?"
Another "straw man" argument! We never claimed that "no one" is ever "physically dead" or that "no one ever physically died".
Furthermore, the text does not say "resurrected again". You continue to add words to Rev 20 and then charge us with forcing our interpretations on the text! LOL!
If Rev 20 is so clear and must be interpreted literally, then why the need to change definitions of words in that text and add words to that text?
But to answer your question:
John 11
25 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:
26 And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?
Those who liveth and believeth shall ~NEVER~ die! That is how they can "live" for a "thousand years". The Apostle John who wrote Revelation has been physically dead for around 1900 years. Yet, as the words of Christ he recorded above testify, he ~NEVER~ died! "This Day" he lives and reigns with Christ in paradise!
Blessed and Holy is John who "This day" lives and reigns with Christ in paradise! For John shall be a priest of God and of Christ! And John shall live with Christ for all eternity!
That ~is~ what Rev 20 is telling us! Rev 20 is not telling us about some stinking filthy sin filled "millennial kingdom". Rev 20 is telling us that those who believe in Christ are now alive with him! We have already been "made alive" (Eph 2) and we have already been seated in high places (Eph 2). It is those of us who already have been made alive and already live with Christ in Paradise who are to live with him for all of eternity!
That is the beautiful and wonderful message of Rev 20!
Jean
No I don't. This isn't about my interpretations. This is about you explaining yours. You invited examples of your forced interpretations. You've been given them (in post #2564 and a subset again in post #2594). You must show how your interpretations are not forced. I provided your (and other amil's) statements showing your forced interpretations. You explain how those interpretations are not forced. You have avoided explaining each one of your interpretations to date. Now please do explain, as per your invitation.
"How do their non-resurrected physical bodies have a life span of a thousand years?" Another "straw man" argument! We never claimed that their "physical bodies" have a "life span" of a "thousand years". We simply say, as John 11:25,26 tells us, "they NEVER die"! Obviously, John 11 is not meant to be understood as their physical bodies never dying!
Your forced interpretation claimed they never died, nor were resurrected, but lived with Christ a thousand years. So, if John 11 is not meant to be understood as their physical bodies never dying, how does your answer explain "How do their non-resurrected physical bodies have a life span of a thousand years? How do their physical bodies never die throughout the thousand years? If their physical bodies never die and John 11 obviously doesn't address physical bodies never dying, then you explain your forced interpretation as to how they never die physically.
You've not explained why the thousand years must be symbolic and why there must two different symbolic thousand years periods.
You've not explained how the dead given up by the sea weren't physically dead at the white throne.
You've not explained how any one not resurrected, who did not live again, has physically lived for a thousand years, or for two thousand-year periods.
You've not explained what is Christ who is our spiritual head, teaching us in this metaphor of believers in Christ testifying to Him, rejecting Satan, and yet losing their metaphorical heads to an already bound Satan?
You've not explained how Satan is bound now.
You've not explained how his binding is only partial, why simultaneously stating Scripture has already told us that Satan is bound: Matthew 12, Mark 3, 2 Peter 2 and Jude 6.
Now you explain your interpretations.