The Rest of the Dead

[Guest]

Rev 20:4-5
4 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.
5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
(KJV)


I may have the Amillenial application to this wrong, but I understand this to say that those that have died during the Church age will reign with Christ.

However it seems that there is a specific kind of Christian soul that is spoken of here and that is namely the martyr. It says that the souls of those that were beheaded for the witness of Christ lived and reigned with him for the 1000 years or throughout the Church age. The next verse says the "rest of the dead" were not living again yet. Not until the end of the age. Who is being spoken of here?

Are these folks that have lived for the Lord but did not die in defense of the gospel? I am having trouble understanding who the "rest of the dead" are.

I understand the first resurrection to be a resurrection of the dead soul to life as in John 5:24-29. But it almost appears it could mean that the first that would be resurrected are the martyrs and the other Christians will be resurrected at the time of the general resurrection at the second coming.

I have Steve's book and have not looked ahead for the answer but I will. However I was wanting to see this from whatever angle anyone could give........

Thank you in advance for the answers.
Aaron

[Guest]

nevermind. I am abandoning this way of study...thanks anyhow