The First Ressurection

Post-Tribbers like to insist that Revelation 20 tells us when the First Resurrection happens.  I

The Resurrection happens at the Seventh Trumpet, and we see Resurrected Church Believers in the Heavenly Zion in chapter 14.

It is the saints seen in Chapter 15 who are most directly defined as those being refereed to in Chapter 20 as reigning with Christ during The Millennium.  It is an inherently specific group, only those Marytered by The Beast, unless your an Historicist, you can't say that refers to all Believers.

The term "first resurrection" is a classification more so then a sequence.  Like Amalek being called the First of the Nations in Numbers 24:20, when as a bastard grandson of Esau he was no where near the first to come into existence.  Or saying something is First Class.

It begins with Jesus, then those Matthew 27:51-53 refers to as rising soon after Jesus did.  Then The Church at The Rapture, and then those incorrectly called by pre-tribbers 'Tribulation Saints" in chapter 20.

This goes back to my many other posts on The Resurrection.

Those who receive The Mark of The Beast will have been deceived

Revelation 19:20.

"And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone."

I had completely overlooked this in many past studies on this Blog where I was adamant in saying the deception is over when The Abomination of Desolation happens.

This was something that was a product of Chuck Missler's influence.  How he said those who took the Mark were making a conscious decision to knowingly choose The Beast over Jesus.

This however strengthens another premise on this Blog.  The Antichrist may not be as Popular as we assume.  Where I suggested the possibly that The Beast's system may be a form of Torah observance.  Because as far as The Bible is concerned the only Deception it's worried about is something masquerading as true Biblical Worship.

The question however remains.  How is this Compatible with II Thessalonians 2, and part of Revelation 13, describing The Beast as speaking against The God of The Bible?  I don't know exactly.  Maybe they're not as literal as I took them, claiming to be God is speaking against God.  Maybe it's a heresy with a Gnostic aspect of separating Elohim from Yahuah to it.  There are a few aspects to consider.  Or given the emphasis on Blastphemeing His Name, maybe it's about the deception that YHWH is a Pagan name added to the Torah by later scribes.  Or maybe the Name being Blasphemed is Yeshua/Iesous/Jesus not YHWH.

But the big thing about taking The Mark being defined as a deception.  Is how that fits in the context of Revelation 14 guaranteeing all who take The Mark go into the Lake of Fire.

I finally noticed what I overlooked here well before I made this post.  Because you see I was uncomfortable with this before I became a Universalist.  That these people are defined as not fully knowing exactly what they were doing, yet are eternally damned anyway.

But now that I no longer view the Lake of Fire as Eternal Damnation, but merely a purging fire that will not be the same for all who enter it.  It no longer feels as inherently illogical.