When do you believe the resurrection takes place? And what occurs at that point?
Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
I Corinthians 15:51-52
But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.
For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
I Thessalonians 4:14-17
Clearly, Paul thought he would be alive for the resurrection, but even he got that wrong (for even if it was in 70AD he didn't make it that far). And we read this in Revelation :
And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
Revelation 20:4-5
Verse 5 clearly puts a 1000 year (at minimum) hiatus between the ruling and reigning of the saints (with Christ) and the resurrection. Per Paul's descriptions above, the resurrection involves Christ's return.
Do you separate the resurrection from Christ's return?
EDIT : And note the contrast....those in verse 4 who refused the mark of the beast LIVED and reigned with Christ 1000 years. The rest of the dead LIVED NOT until that thousand years were up. So they actually lived....
It seems to me that the Preterist position requires this to mean the apostles (and other believers) were raised up and live for this 1000 years or more (starting in 70AD) while the others who die simply have to wait until that period is over. If this is all in the past, that is....
