Bible Study Seattle

How are people coming back to life in the Millennium? This must happen as others are dying their first time. Nicodemus asked this question:

“Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicode′mus, a ruler of the Jews.  This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do, unless God is with him.”  Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born anew, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”  Nicode′mus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” John 3:1-4

And what about Ezekiel 37?

“The hand of the Lord was upon me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley it was full of bones.  And he led me round among them; and behold, there were very many upon the valley; and lo, they were very dry.  And he said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” And I answered, “O Lord God, thou knowest.”  Again he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord.  Thus says the Lord God to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live.  And I will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live; and you shall know that I am the Lord.” Ezekiel 37:1-6

This is probably metaphorical. God is telling us that Israel will be regathered. This was true after the Exile with Nebuchadnezzar and the Diaspora after the Romans destroyed Jerusalem in 70AD. David says something interesting:

“For thou didst form my inward parts,
    thou didst knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise thee, for thou art fearful and wonderful.
    Wonderful are thy works!
Thou knowest me right well;
    my frame was not hidden from thee,
when I was being made in secret,
    intricately wrought in the depths of the earth.” Psalm 139:13-15

Depths of the earth? Will people reemerge directly out of the earth? In any case, sometime in the next several centuries people will come back from the dead probably starting with Israel. Then we will have people on their first life and people on their second. The second will prove superior and the first will become jealous. This will lead to a situation similar to Egypt, where the Israelites multiplied miraculously and Pharaoh became nervous. The world will scheme to attack peaceful Israel. This will be at the Day of Atonement.

“Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and with a loud voice he called to all the birds that fly in midheaven, “Come, gather for the great supper of God, to eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all men, both free and slave, both small and great.”  And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth with their armies gathered to make war against him who sits upon the horse and against his army.  And the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who in its presence had worked the signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped its image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulphur.  And the rest were slain by the sword of him who sits upon the horse, the sword that issues from his mouth; and all the birds were gorged with their flesh.” Revelation 19:13-17

The churning of generations is probably also indicated during the Wandering in the desert.

“For the people of Israel walked forty years in the wilderness, till all the nation, the men of war that came forth out of Egypt, perished, because they did not hearken to the voice of the Lord; to them the Lord swore that he would not let them see the land which the Lord had sworn to their fathers to give us, a land flowing with milk and honey.” Joshua 5:6

Coming into the desert after the Red Sea miracle were:

“for every one who was numbered in the census, from twenty years old and upward, for six hundred and three thousand, five hundred and fifty men.” Exodus 38:26

Coming into the Promised land after the first generation died off in the Wilderness were:

“This was the number of the people of Israel, six hundred and one thousand seven hundred and thirty.” Numbers 26:51

The future Promised Land will be Christ’s Millennial Jubilee where every tear is wiped from their eyes. It’s possible most of the remaining first life people will die in the battle at Armageddon.