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. The last trump is when Christ comes down to destroy the armies of Satan and chain Satan in the pit.

This is how the Chiliasts see it. Everyone else recognizes that Satan, the strong man, is already bound (Mk 3:27;Mt 16:19;18:18) so that he can't deceive the nations(Rv 20:3) and that the Gospel can go forth to all the nations - which empirical evidence tells us - it has

The Futurist also denies that the "Bride", the "New Jerusalem", "True Israel", "living stones" (1 Pe 2:5) are names for the Church, just like Jesus has many names: "Son of God", "Son of Man", "Messiah", "High Priest", the "Lamb". Satan's names: "Lucifer", "The Morning Star", "Beezlebub", "The Serpent". Instead, and by choice, the Futurist replaces these names for the Church from Spiritual things of a Spiritual Kingdom, but to temporal things of a assumed temporal kingdom. That is why you feel that there is a third temple, because "The Temple" made without hands (Mk 14:58; Heb 9:11,24) must be made with soiled hands and be physical. The Futurist rejects the characterization of God as The Temple spoken of in the prophecies (Dan 2:34,45; Ezek 40) and its fulfillment spoken of by the apostles (1 Cor 3:16; 6:19; 2 Cor 6:16) because its more fun to play "Jew" and long for a physical Temple you have no intention of ever seeing.

Likewise, the New Jerusalsm, adorned as the Bride (Rv (Rv 21:2) descends from Heaven. If that wasn't clue enough, just seven verses later the angel said "I will show you the bride, the Lamb's wife" which undoubtedly must mean what is next to be seen. What is then shown to John? "the holy Jerusalem descending out of heaven from God" (v10) which the foundation of the Church are the apostles (v14) and what was the Temple within? One of human hands? No! It is clearly defined as the Lord God Almighty (v22)

So here the Scriptures asks and answers the questions making it apparent to those who can see that what is described here is the Church and our LORD, not some freak cube building stretching up 1500 miles into low earth orbit. Seriously. You think that will be cool having spy and weather satellites crashing into and pock-marking the sides of the "New Jerusalem"? At 20,000' breathing gets a bit more difficult, what another 7.9 million feet?

Rather the cube nature and the massive size, 12 times 1000, tells us that the Church will be massive as far as the east is from the west, and its massive height tells us that the harvest includes souls of all generations. The 12 disciples and the "myriad"/1000 (perverted by modern translations into a calculated modern distance hides the symbolic nature of the numbers) is consistent with the Spiritual nature of the vision of the Church.

Thus when you try to convert a picture of the Church, she who has been preparing since Pentecost for her Bridegroom into this science-fiction thriller movie you will be asking the wrong questions - questions based on a gross misunderstanding of what has been properly conveyed and understood since the first century.

The city descending from Heaven is not a single event that can be marked on a calendar. Its describing the on-going work of our LORD to gather in ALL of the Harvest. Then, as Peter tells us in his second letter 3:9, once all have been gathered, our LORD will return to judge the nations and to handover the Kingdom to His Father.(1 Cor 15:28)

Ezekiel's temple is therefore describing God, the waters gushing for represent the Gospel (ch 47) "beginning in Judea, Samaria, and unto the uttermost parts of the world" (Acts 1:8). The living waters of the Gospel produce an abundance of fish (v10) which is a theme our LORD picks up when calling His disciples "fishers of men" (Mk 1:17). There are books filled with the imagery of the Old Testament found again in the New and once again in the Revelation. There is no need to destroy the continuity of Scriptures, the Revelation of Christ and His Church to pave way for chapter upon chapter of wasted "prophecy" getting people all excited about the enemy of God.

Excellent post !!

" ... because its more fun to play "Jew" and long for a physical Temple you have no intention of ever seeing."

That's more interesting than you may have considered. The Jews, as I understand the Bestselling Rapture Doctrine, will finally come to Christ and ask Him to save him during the Tribulation. If the Church isn't His work now, but something separate from the Jews, then when they turn to Christ isn't that the end of the Jewish people? There can't be be a thousand year rule by Jewish folks, by becoming Christian there is no long Gentile or Jew in Christ.

So, Jewish folks aren't the same as Christians even when they become Christian is what they're really saying, that is a clear contradiction of His Word. Period. No wiggle room.

See what I mean?

And what about four resurrections? (it's all so clear!!)

Regards

>>Everyone else recognizes that Satan, the strong man, is already bound (Mk 3:27;Mt 16:19;18:18) so that he can't deceive the nations(Rv 20:3) and that the Gospel can go forth to all the nations - which empirical evidence tells us - it has<<

Ok, so Mark 3 where Jesus is explaining how He cannot possibly be Satan and using the powers of Satan is somehow supposed to mean that Satan is already bound. Got it. Oy!

Now, Matthew 16:19 and Matthew 18:18 where Jesus says the keys to the Kingdom of heaven and the power to bind and loose includes binding and loosing Satan. So you’re saying that the “keys to the Kingdom of heaven” would allow someone with those keys to allow Satan into heaven. Hmmmm?

Then you use Revelation 20:3 and want us to believe that the events of Revelation 20 have already happened and that Satan is now bound and that we are in the 1000 years and that Satan is not deceiving nations. It’s good to know that Hitler, Pol Pot, I’madinnerjacket, Chavez, and other leaders who just appear to be controlled by Satan really aren’t. Could you please tell us who it is exactly who is controlling or influencing them?

Then again out of Revelation 20 when Satan is released at the end of the thousand years to deceive it’s actually going to get worse then it is today. But I believe you also say that when Jesus comes at the end of the thousand years it’s all over for this world and that it is then that we Christians are taken to heaven. Could you explain who Satan is going to deceive at the end of the thousand years when he is released if nobody is on earth?

I’ll be waiting for you thoughtful scriptural explanations.