Since we believe that the millennial kingdom begins at the Resurrection of Christ:
Acts 2
29 Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day.
30 Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne;
31 He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption.
32 This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses.
33 Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear.
34 For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand,
35 Until I make thy foes thy footstool.
36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made the same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.
According to the infallible Word of God, the Bible tells us ~LITERALLY~ that at the Resurrection, Jesus became the ~JEWISH~ Messiah sitting on David's throne! (Just because it is a spiritual reality does ~NOT~ mean that it is not literally true!)
Since Jesus returns at the end of the age, this obviously is the end of the "millennial kingdom" and thus, Jesus returns ~AFTER~ the Great Tribulation!
Furthermore, we are told in Revelation 7 that an innumerable and uncountable throng from ~ALL~ nations (apparently including Jews) has come out of the Great Tribulation and have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb!
Revelation 7
9 After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;
10 And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.
11 And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God,
12 Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.
13 And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they?
14 And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of the ~great tribulation~, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
Note to pre-tribbers: Just who are these guys??? The 'church' takes 2000 years (and counting) to amass its members, yet this group described here as which "no man could number" takes a mere 3 1/2 to 7 years to assemble????
Of course, I must note that, in amillennial theology, this is literally all believers from all time -from the time of Adam until the time of Christ's second coming!
Jean
OK, I get it.
Are you saying that somewhere between his departure and his return that a tribulation occurs and that, therefore, it is necessarily post-trib?
When is the "great tribulation?"
"Who will populate the millennium in natural bodies?" It cannot be the church because it will be raptured and gain new bodies. It cannot be unbelievers because they will all be destroyed when Christ returns to earth. We cannot make an exception for Israel, because any Israelite, just like any Gentile, must be saved before Christ returns to earth or else they will be destroyed with the rest of the unbelievers. Who will enter the millennium with natural bodies? Only one answer remains. It has to be tribulation saints. Tribulation saints are saved during the tribulation after the rapture. You think no one will not notice what is going on at this peroid of time? A great multitude of folks that were playing church will have their eyes WIDE OPEN during the Tribulation and turn and be saved. Since they miss the rapture they remain in their natural bodies to enter the millennium.
BigMack