The hour started with Lazarus. There is no future single resurrection of the dead, period.
What hour started with Lazarus?
You deny the plain writing from Scripture that tells us an hour is coming when ALL that are in the graves shall be physically resurrected. What you need to reconcile is when did those who lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years begin? Would you agree that we live and reign with Christ physically on this earth when we spiritually enter the Kingdom of God when we are born again, and have the Spirit of Christ eternally in us?
Why is it so hard to accept that Paradise was opened at the Cross, because of the NT Atonement Covenant?
If by paradise you mean 'heaven', I agree spiritual access to heaven for the saints became possible through the cross and resurrection. That's the whole point of Rev 20. John is showing us that death/grave no longer has power over those in Christ. Because those Old Covenant faithful saints who were faithful unto physical death ascended with Christ to heaven a 'spiritual body'. That is exactly the same thing Paul tells us when he says, "
It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body."
Solomon also gives us assurance that the spirit of every human being returns to God when our body physically dies (Ecc. 12:7).
The faithful saints John writes of were physically alive on earth during this time symbolized a thousand years. Since they were faithful unto death, John is given to understand they are still spiritually alive in heaven since the cross & resurrection. They had already lived and reigned with Christ in time (a thousand years), so now since Christ came they are spiritually alive in heaven a spiritual body of believers there, just as they were a physical body of believers while alive in time symbolized a thousand years.
These Old Covenant faithful saints physically lived and died, but unlike the rest of the dead who will not be raised to life again until time symbolized a thousand years expires, they have spiritually risen from their physical bodies of death through their eternal spirit, ALIVE through the Spirit from Christ in them. Death could not keep them because Christ defeated sin and death, and the one who had held them in bondage to fear of death, the Devil.
John goes on to show us that there will be others, or those who are faithful from the cross and resurrection also. These he writes are blessed and holy have part in the first resurrection, so the second death has no power over them either. Just as death could not hold the Old Covenant faithful saints who lived and died before the coming of Christ, so too death cannot hold those who are of faith since Christ has come. While physically alive John writes, they are priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him in time symbolized a thousand years.
There will not be 'two' separate thousand year periods of time. There is only a/the thousand years when both Old Covenant faithful saints lived and died, and when New Covenant faithful saints shall live and reign with Christ as long as they live. That's why we know a/the thousand years does not equate to ONE thousand years, but rather symbolizes time that began with the first advent of Christ being the 'first resurrection' of the dead. Therefore we know the 'first resurrection' is not physical, but is a physical resurrection EVERY saint must have part in to overcome the second death. The OC faithful saints partook of the first resurrection through the resurrection of Christ when they ascended with Him ALIVE, a spiritual body of believers. And NC saints partake of the first resurrection through the resurrection of Christ when we are born again, being made spiritually ALIVE through His Spirit in us. When our physical body dies, our spirit, kept ALIVE through the Spirit of Christ in us, will depart from our dead body and ascend to heaven to join with the spiritual body of believers already there.
We cannot enter heaven (paradise) in physical bodies because our physical bodies will not be resurrected immortal & incorruptible until the last trumpet sounds. No mortal & corruptible being can enter into the realm of God, heaven, because neither flesh & blood, nor corruption may enter there.
"Christ the firstfruits" as Paul put it in 1 Corinthians 15:23.
Yes, Paul writes Christ is the firstfruits, and Paul tells us "
But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept." Christ being risen from the dead has become the firstfruits of them that had already physically died in faith. These are those whom John writes "
have lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years." IOW in TIME symbolized a thousand years they were faithful unto death and therefore when Christ defeated death by His cross and resurrection, John understands (saw them) they are physically dead, but SPIRITUALLY ALIVE, a living spiritual body of believers in heaven, where they wait until the spiritual Kingdom of God in heaven is complete when they will be a resurrected immortal & incorruptible physical body of believers fit for life on the new earth.
Those who came out of their graves came out and appeared to many those 3 days, but ascended on Sunday with Jesus.
There is ZERO confirmation found in Scripture for this opinion! The verse tells us only that they
came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many. There is nothing written about who they appeared to and for how long. Nor does it make sense to write of Jerusalem of old as being "the holy city" after the crucification and resurrection of Christ.
