Greg
Wilson (6 July 2020)
Re: Garry
B post "Who are They?"
Gary:
Who
Are They?
In verse
11 of Revelation 12, "they" are the Jewish tribulation
saints who have fled into the wilderness, likely Petra,
during the second half of the tribulation or Daniel's 70th
week. They are "remnant Israel" (Romans 9:6,
11:26-27) who will have been keeping the "commandments of
God" and have the "testimony" and "faith" of
Yeshua/Jesus.(Revelation 12:17, 14:12) This period
of time is when the world, especially the Christ rejecting
Jews, suffer Great Tribulation. It is a time of
judgment and condemnation. Christ's own will have
departed planet earth because the body of Christ will not
be subject to these condemning judgments. (Romans 8:1, 1
Thessalonians 1:10; John 5:24). Now, go to
Revelation 20:4 and observe that there is a resurrection
of the tribulation saints who lost their heads for the
testimony of Yeshua/Jesus. This resurrection is the
"third order of the first resurrection". The first
resurrection is the resurrection described by Paul in 1
Corinthians 15:20-24. Count the orders in
these verses: (1) first order was Christ, (2) second order
will be "those who are Christ's at this coming [the
resurrection/rapture], and (3) the comes "the end" which
we see in Revelation 20:4.
Your
statement that the ONLY GROUP that is identified as
"overcoming by the blood of the lamb" is the body of
Christ. I would disagree with your limitation.
The life is in the blood. Salvation is of the atoning
blood. It is the blood which atones for
sin. The body of Christ enjoys this life and
the blood atonement benefits. (1 Peter 118-19)
I would say that all who participate in the resurrection
of righteousness, orders two and three, receive the
benefits of Christ's sacrificial blood atonement including
the tribulation saints we seek in Revelation 20:4.
The second
order of the first resurrection occurs during some period
of time prior to the commencement of Daniel's 70th week, a
sabbath of years where God purges [Isaiah 27:9; Ezekiel
14:21-22, 20:37-38] the Jew in the furnace of affliction
[Isaiah 48:10]. The 70th week is a Jewish
dispensation where salvation is based on (1) keeping the
commandments of God, (2) having the testimony and faith of
Jesus, (3) not taking the mark, and (4) enduring to the
end of life or Daniel's 70th week until the Second Advent
of Christ. This is a works and faith period of
time. Our salvation is not based on our works as we
see in the Book of Revelation, but by faith along through
God's gracious gift of grace. (Ephesians 2:8-9)
Where
Did They Come From?
"They" are
the tribulation saints who we read about in Revelation
20:4. They lost their heads for the testimony of
Jesus and they are participants in the third order of the
resurrection of righteousness. "They" came out of
Daniel's 70th week.
Thanks for
your passion. Search and study the Scriptures of
Truth!
Greg
P.S.
I have question for you. Who are "they" in
Daniel 2:43-44 ? What is the nature of their seed
? Do they produce 10 hybrid kings ?