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Addendum “A”   

FOUR KEYS TO UNDERSTANDING THIS DISPENSATION:

1. THE careful interpretation of Isa.61:1 and 2 is necessary for achieving any proper understanding of this dispensation of grace.

a. Understanding the fulfillment of Isa.61:1, 2a; Lu.4:18, 19 “the year of Jehovah’s favor” as being accomplished at this present time: During this dispensation of the grace of God: “The dispensation of the fullness of times”. 

The time span for this dispensation of grace is seen even now as having a protracted duration.  It has a point of beginning (Jn.5:25; Isa.61:1-2a; Lu.4:18-19), and it has a point of termination (Rev.11:15; Isa.61:2b; 1Cor.15:23-24). 

The Amillennialist define this present dispensation as a millennium.  Just as it is also defined as the sixth day by the Classical Premillenarians.  But this present time span is obviously not a literal one thousand years, since we have now witnessed the passing of nearly two thousand years of world history since the beginning of the Christian era.

          b. Then understanding the fulfillment of Isa.61:2b, the dispensation of “the day of vengeance of our God”, as yet still in the future: It is the expected “day of the Lord” 1Thes.5:2.  The problem that we naturally encountered here, as with the year of Jehovah’s favor, involves time.  The time span for the dispensation of the day of the Lord must also be seen as having a protracted duration.  It too has a definite point of beginning (Rev.11:15; Isa.61:2b), and it has a definite point of termination (Rev.20:11-15; Mat.25:31-46; Jn.5:28, 29). 

We can see that this definition would nicely fit the Classical Premillennialist view of the seventh day.  And we could also, along with the Premillennialist, define this portion of God’s table of time as a millennium: “But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.” 2Pe.3:8  Now here, according to this passage from Peter, God does not intend that we take the terms “day” or “one thousand years” in any literal sense.  But if we do define this time period as a millennium, we must also keep its two-fold purpose in mind.

First, this would be a time of Heavenly bliss for all of the invisible elect priesthood who are reigning with their Lord: The resurrected saints from this dispensation of grace who are at home in heaven (Rev.7:9-14; Rev.19:1-9).

Then second and simultaneously, this would be a time of great tribulation for all the inhabitants of the entire earth as well Rev.11:18b; Rev.15:1-Rev.16:18.  This time of continued tribulation upon the earth would even include the institutional component of Christ’s Church.  Any of God’s peoples who are still pictured upon the earth throughout this time of trouble, are those, who for some reason or another (Rev.2:20-22), fell short of the high calling from God that was necessary for entrance into His holy priesthood.  But the main reason for their being left behind in the pre-Armageddon rapture is simply because they were not a part of God’s high priestly line. 

But this same situation also appears to be a planned part of God’s master plan. Remember, in His great house—the visible institutions of Israel and the Christian Church, God made vessels unto honor and unto dishonor.

2. Yet to properly understand this dispensation of grace, it is absolutely necessary that we understand the two-fold reign of the invisible elect saints during this year of Jehovah’s favor.

          a. First, we must see the saints from this dispensation of grace as established and reigning here on earth: Rev.5:10; Mat.16:18; Zech.2:10-11; 2Cor.6:16; Ref. Rom:5:17  We must also understand that the invisible elect from this dispensation of grace collectively constitute the Kingdom of God: And that the Kingdom is presently being constructed right here on the earth.  Some of the clearest evidence for this earthly presence of the Kingdom is found in Lu.17:20-21 “And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God comes not with observation: Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! For, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.”  Rev.1:4-6 tells us that He has made us to be a Kingdom: to be priests unto God and His Father.  Rev.5:10 is a primary conformation that God’s invisible mystical line has a present reign right here on this earth.  Then this Kingdom that we are defining here, consists of some very special peoples: “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that you should show forth the praises of him who has called you out of darkness into his marvelous light: Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.”  1Pe.2:9-10, Ref.Ex.19:5-6:  As you can plainly see from these passages, that this Kingdom, in this stage of its present development, consists only of the invisible priesthood of God.

b. Secondly, Rev.20:6 also tells us that God’s invisible mystical line has a present reign with God and with Christ in Heaven as well.  For a proper understanding of eschatology, we must be able to see the souls of the departed invisible elect saints as living and reigning in Heaven: Rev.4:4; Heb.12:18-24; Phil.3:20; Eph.2:5-6; Lu.23:43 Ref. Rev.20:4c; Rev.6:9-11; Col.3:1; 2Cor.5:8; Phil.1:23; Jn.13:36

c. Then finally, we must see the consummation of this dispensation of grace occurring when these two groups are brought together at the sounding of the seventh trumpet—Rev.11:15:  “And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.”  Then continuing on in 1Thes.4:16-17: “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.”  It is at this time that all of the elect priests from this dispensation are translated /or resurrected bodily to manifest the glorified body of Christ.  This is the time when the completed Kingdom is delivered up into Heaven to be with our God and Father.  “But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming.  Then comes the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.”  1Cor.15:23-24; Rev.11:15 Ref. Mat.24:29-31; Mk.13:24-27; Lu.21:25-27; Acts.2:20; Rom.10:13; Joel.2:32; Heb.9:28; Mat.6:9-13; Lu.11:2-4; Col.3:4

3. Then the failure in properly understanding these pictures from the Jn.5:28 and 29; Mat.25:31-46 and Rev.20:11-15 resurrection passages in distinction to the Mat.24:31; Mk.13:27; 1Cor.15:23-55 and 1Thes.4:14-18 resurrection passages, is the result of the inability to distinguish the living from the dead.  Those who are in Christ, after hearing His call, have come to life and cannot ever again be classified as being dead: Whether they are awake or asleep, their lives are hidden in Christ.

a. The regeneration of our soul (Jn.5:25) has brought us out of the spiritual depravation that we inherited from Adam, and has brought us back to life in Christ—our souls are infused with Christ’s Spirit and life.  But because Jesus is the true resurrection and the life (Jn.11:25), we must understand this specific event, not as our own resurrection, but only our individual participation (our partaking) in the resurrection of Jesus—which is factually defined in Scripture as the first resurrection (Acts.26:23).  And because it is only our souls that are being infused with life at the time of our regeneration, we must know with certainty that the resurrection of just the soul is only partial and is surely incomplete until the resurrection of the body.  Yet, even in this unfinished state, we can still rejoice with Rev.20:5 in the sure hope of our participation in this blessed first resurrection.

          b. So if the resurrection and transport into heaven of the soul is termed here (Rev.20:6) as just “partaking in the first resurrection”—Christ’s own glorious resurrection, then our bodily resurrection would surely represent the full manifestation of the first resurrection—the literal glorified body of Christ. Eph.1:22, 23; 1Cor.12:27

If we misunderstand any portion of a passage, our whole understanding may become corrupted.  The first resurrection is the resurrection of Jesus!, and this passage (Rev.20:5-6) simply describes the benefits we enjoy because of our participation in Jesus’ own blessed resurrection.

This problem concerning the first resurrection is suitably described by Marcellus Kik in his book—An Eschatology of Victory: “It is thus apparent that the Scriptures speak of two resurrections: that of the soul and that of the body.  The resurrection of the soul first.  Unbelievers have no part in the first resurrection.  The General Resurrection will witness the rising of all from the grave.  We believe that it was to avoid any misunderstanding as to which resurrection he was writing about that the apostle John used the term first.  He was writing about the resurrection of the soul.  The expression, first resurrection, gives the key to the understanding of Revelation Twenty.” p.184

There is one very serious problem with this theory that is being put forward by Mister Kik.  Since they would say that even the invisible elect from this dispensation of grace are included in the resurrection of the last day, then the elect from this dispensation come to life twice; they begin to live two times.  First, they would come to life (v.4) when their souls are resurrected.  Then secondly, they would come to life (v.5) when their bodies are resurrected.  Is this really a workable interpretation?

It is true that “The expression, first resurrection, gives the key to the understanding of Revelation Twenty.”  But unfortunately, the failure of most commentaries begins right here, with their failure to properly understand the first resurrection as simply the resurrection of Jesus.  So by assigning the first resurrection to the resurrection of the soul (which is actually the born again or regeneration experience of every elect believer that infuses them with the essence of eternal life), a considerable amount of confusion has been the natural result of this serious misappropriation.  Though there is some truth to the above statement concerning the change in the condition of the soul: For the souls of all the invisible elect saints, at the time of their regeneration, surely experience a kind of resurrection.  But by assigning the designation the first resurrection that we find in Rev.20:4-6 specifically to the resurrection of the soul, we are missing the primary teaching that is being put forward.  

Three very important points are to be observed in Revelation twenty:

First, by looking at Jn.11:25, we must come to understand that Jesus is in fact the first resurrection: Jesus said this same thing of Himself “I am the resurrection and the life.”

Second, we must understand that the one who is reigning here in Rev.20:4-6 is in fact the Lord Jesus Christ.  Remember, the complete roll of these souls of the departed saints, was only to “live and reign with Christ for a thousand years.”

Third, we must understand that these departed souls that are living and reigning with Christ, according to Revelation Twenty, are only partakers in the first resurrection; they are only participating or sharing in their Lord’s resurrection—“Blessed and holy is he that has part in the first resurrection.”  This is because they are yet in their soul state.  So when Christ comes with His angels and resurrects the bodies of all of His beloved elect priests, they will, at that time, become the full manifestation of the first resurrection.  Collectively, they will become the literal body of Christ.

Then speaking yet again about the resurrected soul, Mister Kik makes this correct analysis on p.187: “With the resurrection of the soul, physical dying is no death at all as our Lord stated to Martha: ‘Whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die.’” 

Now this is the certain reason for the two classes that we see sighted in Rev.20:4-6: The first group is pictured as living; they had a life existence with Christ during this one thousand years, and the second group is pictured as dead; they had no life existence with Christ during this one thousand years. 

The first group would be representative of the souls of the departed elect priests from this dispensation.  Our life existence comes only with our Jn.5:25 zao experience.  It is when we hear the voice of Jesus, that we begin to live—that our dead souls are resurrected and infused with this Spiritual life; this eternal life. 

The second group—“the rest of the dead”, if we were to stretch the definition a bit, could be representative of all of the dead that we see pictured in Jn.5:28, 29; Mat.25:31-46; and Rev.20:11-15, but it could also be defined as representing just the righteous dead.  These righteous dead that receive their reward of eternal life at the final resurrection and judgment; where they inherit the kingdom that was prepared for them from the foundation of the world.

4. So, for the clearest understand of this complex situation, the resurrection of Rev.20:11-15 must be viewed within the context of its own parts. Ref. Mat.25:31-46; Jn.5:28-29:

a. The first part or group pictured, is being resurrected from the place of the dead: Which includes the dead from the sea as well.  These dead are identified as simply the small and the great (Ref.Rev.11:18).  The picture that we have here must be viewed as the resurrection of all of the righteous dead.  These dead that are pictured here, would represent the visible corporate peoples of God who had their relationship established within the broad concept of the Abrahamic Covenant of Grace.  From the perspective of our current understanding, this resurrection of the dead would include all of those visible elect who had come into a relationship through God’s visible institutions.  That is, the visible institution of Israel and the visible institution of the Church.  These institutions would represent the called out ones; all of the visible elect ones who had died in the service of God.  They are the sheep of Mat.25:32-34.  All of these are being resurrected so as to inhabit their own land: The fulfillment of God’s promised inheritance to Abraham and the fathers.  This is surely the case, because of what we are told here in these passages: These blessed ones were to receive the Kingdom that was promised by the Father.  This is completely consistent with God’s sovereignty and His faithful promises.  The only prerequisite for receiving this blessing from God, was that their names had to be written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.  And the principal reason for anyone’s name to be written in the Lamb’s book of life, was because of their association in God’s Covenant of Grace that He first established with Abraham. (Ref.Gen.17:1-27) 

b. The second part or group pictured is being resurrected from the place called Death and Hades.  The picture that we have here must be viewed as the resurrection of all of the unrighteous dead.  These would represent all of the lost souls from the beginning of time to its end.  These are the goats of Mat.25:41.  The certain reason behind these conclusions is their final destination.  Each and every one of those who were resurrected from Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire.  If any was not found written in the Book of Life, that one was immediately cast into the lake of fire.