The Two Resurrections

Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, (Hebrews 9:27—NIV)

We have spoken much in other writings concerning the two resurrections from the dead, the resurrection that occurs at the beginning of the thousand-year Kingdom Age and the resurrection at the end of the Kingdom Age, at the time earth and sky flee from the face of God.

At the beginning of the Kingdom Age:

I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony for Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or his image and had not received his mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years. (Revelation 20:4—NIV)

At the conclusion of the Kingdom Age:

And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. (Revelation 20:12—NIV)

The common interpretation of the two resurrections is that every saved person takes part in the first resurrection and every individual raised in the second resurrection is cast into the Lake of Fire. In our opinion this interpretation raises insurmountable difficulties when the entire Bible is considered.

Our point of view is that the first resurrection is the resurrection of the royal priesthood only and that it must be attained. We think this is the out-resurrection toward which the Apostle Paul was pressing. (Philippians 3:11).

We believe further that the second resurrection is the general resurrection of the dead and that most people raised at this time will be brought into the Kingdom. For example, the ushering into the Kingdom of the sheep nations, as described in the twenty-fifth chapter of the Book of Matthew.

Although some hold that the division between the sheep and goat nations takes place at the coming of the Lord, the time of the first resurrection (and it is possible this is true), our own opinion is that the sheep and goat nations are divided at the time of the second resurrection, at the general resurrection of the dead.

The sheep nations have assisted and blessed the Lord's brothers, His witnesses. The goat nations are those people who have neglected or persecuted the Lord's brothers throughout world history.

If the sheep and goat nations are divided at the time of the first resurrection we would have people being led away into the fiery Gehenna prior to the judgment of the White Throne.

"Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.’" (Matthew 25:41—NIV)

To us this does not appear likely.

It must be remembered that the thousand-year period dividing the two resurrections was not mentioned by the Apostles prior to the writing of the Book of Revelation, except for the implication contained in the Apostle Paul's mention of the out-resurrection from the dead.

If you will notice the following passage from Second Peter.

But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness. So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him. (II Peter 3:10-14—NIV)

Now if you will think carefully about the above you will see that Peter was exhorting the saints to live holy, godly lives because of the coming of the day of God. But the day of God Peter describes comes at the end of the thousand-year Kingdom Age. It is possible Peter had no idea there would be a resurrection of the royal priesthood a thousand years before the day of God he is pointing toward.

It is obvious from the Scriptures that the first resurrection is that of the royal priesthood, and unless we are ready to send everyone except the members of the royal priesthood to the Lake of Fire, we must accept the fact that most of the people who have lived on the earth will be raised in the second resurrection. We are confident God will judge each person fairly. The righteous will enter the Kingdom (as in the case of the sheep nations) and the wicked will go into the Lake of Fire.

"He will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life." (Matthew 25:46—NIV)

In fact, the wording of the text that describes the White Throne judgment implies it is the minority whose names are not found in the Book of Life, and this is what we would expect, unless we imagine that God created billions of people for the purpose of having them suffer endless torment in the Lake of Fire.

If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. (Revelation 20:15—NIV)

"If anyone's name was not found written." This to our way of thinking implies it will be the exception whose name is not found written. What do you think about this?

As described in the third chapter of the Book of Philippians we discover the Apostle Paul, toward the end of his life, was laying aside all else that he might attain to the out-resurrection (Greek noun), the resurrection from the dead as compared with the resurrection of the dead.

The contemporary teaching is that every believer automatically will participate in the first resurrection, the resurrection that will take place when Jesus returns. When we read the third chapter of Philippians and observe the extraordinary statement of consecration the aged Apostle was making, and compare this with the relatively casual stance of today's believers, we are led to believe Paul was seeking something more than we are aware of.

I would suggest the first resurrection must be attained to by total consecration, that a minority of believers are pressing to this level, that those who attain to the first resurrection are a firstfruits to God and the Lamb and will rule with Jesus during the thousand-year Kingdom Age.

I cannot see from the second and third chapters of the Book of Revelation, the description of the seven churches of Asia, that any except the victorious saints will rise from the dead and be caught up to meet the Lord when He appears.

I think those who reach Paul's mark consist of a holy remnant, the true saints of history. I do not observe in the Scriptures that the great majority of God's elect will participate in the first resurrection.

Jewish Israel and Christian Israel include multitudes of people who have lived or are living lives that come short of the glory of God, as we know from the Scriptures and from our experience. They do not appear to be prepared to govern the nations. Nor do I believe they will be cast into the Lake of Fire. The Lake of Fire is the home of the wicked whether they are Christians or non-Christians, not the future home of all but an elect few of mankind.

The division between the wheat and the tares is not between the Christians and the non-Christians, you may notice (in Matthew, 13), but between the righteous and the wicked.

Since the above seems scriptural and reasonable, perhaps we need to think about the differences between the two resurrections and discover why the Apostle Paul was so intent on attaining to the resurrection from the dead.

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