It does in Revelation 20:4. It doesn't matter if it does anywhere else. It was a colossal waste of time for you to list all the verses where it isn't used that way. You'll never get that wasted time back.
The only way you could prove that it can't be used to refer to those who are physically dead but are spiritually alive in heaven is if you proved that soul sleep was true. And you know soul sleep isn't true. So, you have proved nothing here.
Your time would be better spent explaining why the word "zao" is used in verse 4 in reference to the souls of the dead who John saw while the word "anazao" is used to refer to the rest of the dead living again after the thousand years. So, what is your explanation for that? The word "anazao" is used in other scripture in relation to people being bodily resurrected, but the word "zao" is never used in that way in other scripture. If verse 4 was intending to refer to the bodily resurrection of the dead martyrs that John saw then why was the word "zao" used in reference to them instead of "anazao"?
"
But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. The second death has no authority over these, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and will reign with Him a thousand years." (Revelation 20:5).
The crossed out sentence is considered spurious by textual scholars and Bible translators. Most believe it's a later addition and shouldn't be there at all.
So argue away using a spurious sentence as the basis for you argument.
It's really telling that you accept that every other time zao appears in the New Testament it's talking about people who are alive in their bodies, but not when it comes to Revelation 20:4.
It's also telling that you argued with
@ewq1938 for a length of time, falsely claiming what has now been proved to you was not the case.
I don't mind if you regard the effort I go to to check up if the arguments of Amillennialists have any validity as a waste of time, but for me it was not a waste of time, and never is.
1. Wihout exception the word anastasis (resurrection) appearing in verses 5 & 6
is only used in reference to the bodily rising again from the dead (You will no doubt claim that Revelation 20:5-6 is the only exception in the entire New Testament in this regard also).
2. Without exception the word zao in verse 4
is only used in reference to living people who are alive in their bodies (You have claimed that Revelation 20:4 is the only exception).
3. People being killed for refusing to worship the beast or his image or receive his mark or the number of his name is only mentioned twice in the New Testament: Revelation 13 and Revelation 20.
4. Beheading of saints is only mentioned twice in the New Testament, and each time the same saint/s seen living after their beheading is associated with their
bodily resurrection (anasstasis). Revelation 20 even calls it the first anastasis (which refers only to a
bodily Resurrection wherever the word appears in the New Testament), and we know that because Christ
IS the resurrection and the life, it's through His own bodily resurrection that
any later bodily resurrection takes place.
5. At the same time and for the same period, Satan is said to be bound, put in the abyss and a seal set on him so that he is unable to deceive the nations, yet you regard the fact
as of naught value that
in scripture in-between Christ's ascension and return,
Satan is called the god of this aion (Age) and prince of the power of the air who works in the sons of disobedience, who will give the beast and false prophet his seat, power and great authority; and the saints are warned that they should be weary of his wiles and are told to resist him, and to put on the full armour of God because we do not wrestle against flesh and blood (2 Corinthians 4:3-4; Ephesians 2:2; 1 Peter 5:8-9; Ephesians 6:11-12; Revelation 2:9-10 & Revelation 2:13; 1 Thessalonians 2:18; James 4:7).
6. In the Greek New Testament, one thousand, two thousand, three thousand, four thousand, five thousand, seven thousand .. goes like this:
chílioi, dischílioi, trischílioi, tetrakischílioi, pentakischílioi (or pénte chiliás), heptakischílioi ..
144,000 hekatón tessarákonta téssares chiliás (one hundred) (forty) (four) (thousands).
20,000 eíkosi chiliás (20 x 1,000), example Luke 14:31.
12,000 dṓdeka chiliás (12 x 1,000), example Revelation 7:5.
10,000 déka chiliás (10 x 1,000), example Luke 14:31.
7,000: ἑπτακισχίλιοι heptakischílioi, example Romans 11:4.
5,000: πεντακισχίλιοι pentakischílioi, example Matthew 14:21,
OR pénte chiliás (5 x 1,000), example Acts 4:4.
4,000: τετρακισχίλιοι tetrakischílioi, example Matthew 15:38.
3,000: τρισχίλιοι trischílioi, example Acts 2:41.
2,000: δισχίλιοι dischílioi, example Mark 5:13.
1,000 χίλιοι chílioi,
and it means exactly one thousand in Revelation 12:6 and Revelation 14:20.
Yet you continue to hold onto an impossible theory about a symbolic millennium despite a cloud of Biblical witnesses that prove the opposite, ignoring
any and all the evidence against your belief and considering it of naught value.
I haven't wasted my time, and I will never be sorry that I go and check up to see if any of your claims have any validity, because it always exposes the falsehood of your position, each and every time.
So whether or not you choose to hold onto a wonky, flawed eschatologicial position and any wonky, flawed theology it produces, I don't regard as my problem. I doesn't keep me out of my sleep. It just makes me ensure I find out what the Bible is saying so that I know when someone doesn't know what he's talking about because he buries his head in the sand of his flawed eschatology every time biblical facts expose it for the flawed position it is.
Neither does it make me judge you or think I'm in any way, shape or form any better than you. I see these things objectively.
I know it's a historical novel type of show that's full of added scenes not in the Bible (just like Amillennialism I guess), but I really love The Chosen series. To me it's one of the best Christian gospel movies or series ever produced. What stands out in the show the most in my mind after the words "Come and see" are Simon's words to Jesus when after the apostles had been arguing angrily with one another, Simon told Jesus they were unified behind Him.
"Unified"? Jesus asked.
After hesitating a second, Simon answered, "Yeah well, we all agree on You."
That's Christians for you, especially when it comes to biblical prophecy and eschatology.
I didn't waste my time. I never do when I study the Word as received from the apostles of Jesus to see if your claims regarding the millennium carry any validity.
