The First Resurrection
Last Updated:
06/03/2012 00:14
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First, we must look
at where the “first resurrection” is mentioned in scripture. It is actually
only mentioned by this name once in the whole Bible.
Revelation
20:4-6
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. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first
resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests
of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.
The
resurrection is that of the dead and there are two types, there’s a resurrection of
the just and of the unjust. Belief
in the resurrection from the dead is central to the Christian faith. 1
Corinthians 15:12-30
John 5:25-29
Verily, verily, I say unto you,
The hour is coming, and now
is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that
hear shall live. For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he
given to the Son to have life in himself; And hath given him authority
to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man. Marvel not at
this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves
shall hear his voice, And shall come forth; they that have done
good, unto the resurrection of life; and
they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of
damnation. Acts
24:15
And have hope toward God, which
they themselves also allow, that there shall be a resurrection of the dead,
both of the just and unjust.
Unjust - “second resurrection”
I’ll
start with the unjust because we
know the unjust resurrection occurs only once, after the millennium. We know
this because
the
rest of the dead (the unjust) don’t live again at the first resurrection until
the second death.
Revelation 20:5 That is at the great white throne judgment, the time of
the second resurrection. This takes
place after the end of the 1,000
year reign of Christ on the earth.
Revelation 20:4 And just after this, the elements
are melted with a fervent heat,
2 Peter 3:9-13, and the
new
heavens and new earth are brought forth.
Revelation 21
Revelation
20:11-15
And I saw a
great white
throne,
and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and
there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great,
stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the
book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in
the books, according to their works. And
the sea gave up the dead, which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the
dead, which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their
works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire.
This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of
life was cast into the lake of fire.
So we see that the resurrection of the unjust
doesn’t happen before the end-times, nor does it occur when the just are raised,
but is held off until the great white throne judgment. They are specifically
said to remain dead until the end of this world.
Just
- “first resurrection”
For
the just, we know there are at least three resurrections (explained below), but no specific number is attached to
this first resurrection.
Who are
the just?
1
Corinthians 15:22,23
For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But
every man in his own order: 1.Christ the firstfruits;
2.afterward they
that are Christ’s at his coming.
3.Then cometh the end, when
he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he
shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. For he must reign,
till he hath put all enemies under his feet. The
last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.
Here
we see that this first resurrection has three cases at least.
1) Christ,
the firstfruits.
2) Those
that are Christ’s at His coming. Christ comes twice at the end
(1st for His bride, then to destroy the armies at Har Megiddo: “Armageddon”):
Christ
Comes At Unknown
time (aka: “day of the Lord”) Matthew
25:1-13 for the bride of Christ,
The
harpazo (Christ comes to the clouds and leaves with
His bride, not returning to earth and touching His feet upon the mount of
Olives as
prophesied in Zechariah 14:4,
but coming in the clouds to call His bride to be with Him and then leaving
again with her to the
marriage. Revelation 19:7-8)
This is part of the resurrection of the just. (first resurrection)
NOTE:
The harpazo itself occurs after the resurrection. The dead in Christ are
resurrected first, THEN we are caught up to meet Christ in the
clouds. The harpazo isn’t actually the resurrection, but the resurrection
occurs before the harpazo. It is simply the raising of the dead. Not all
who go in the harpazo will have to be resurrected. Not all will die before
Christ returns.
That
is why death is swallowed up in victory through Christ! 1 Corinthians 15:54-58
1
Thessalonians 4:15-18
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. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
1
Corinthians 15:50-53
Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood
cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit
incorruption. 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. For this
corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on
immortality.
Matthew 25:1-13
Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins,
which
took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. And five
of them were wise, and five were foolish. They that were foolish took
their lamps, and took no oil with them: But the wise took oil in their
vessels with their lamps. While the bridegroom tarried, they all
slumbered and slept. And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the
bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. Then all those virgins
arose, and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said unto the wise,
give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. But the wise
answered, saying, not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but
go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. And while they
went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in
with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. Afterward came also
the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. Matthew 7:13-23 But he answered and
said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. Watch
therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of
man cometh.
People
are living life like normal, not expecting anything to change like it
will:
Matthew
24:37-44
But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the
coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the
flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage,
until the day that Noe entered into the ark, And knew not until the
flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the
Son of man be. Then shall two be in the field; the one
shall
be taken, and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the
mill; the one
shall
be taken, and the other left. Watch therefore: for ye know not
what hour your Lord doth come. But know this that if the Goodman of
the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have
watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.
Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the
Son of man cometh.
Luke 17:26-37
(The Son of man first revealed to the world)
And
as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of
man. {Unexpected}--> They did eat, they
drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe
entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all. Likewise also
as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold,
they planted, they builded; But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it
rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. Even
thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.
{Abomination
of desolation (Matthew
24:15-22 | Mark
13:14-16)}--> In that day, he which shall be upon the housetop, and his stuff in the
house, let him not come down to take it away: and he that is in the field, let
him likewise not return back. Remember Lot’s wife. Whosoever shall seek
to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve
it. I tell you, {harpazo (1
Corinthians 15:50-53 | 1
Thessalonians 4:13-18 | Matthew
24:40-42)}--> in that night, there shall be two men in one bed; the one
shall be
taken,
and the other shall be left. Two women shall be grinding together; the one
shall
be taken, and the other left. Two men shall be in the field; the one
shall be
taken, and the other left. And they answered and said unto him, Where, Lord? And
he said unto them, wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered
together.
3) Christ
Returns At Known
time to destroy the gathered armies and take the kingdom
(We know it because of
Revelation
13:5. The Beast is given his power for 3 ˝ years (42 months) and the reason
his power is taken away is that
Christ
returns and throws him and the false prophet into the lake of fire.
Revelation 19:20)
That means that he gets his power 3 ˝ years prior to Christ’s return,
the
abomination of desolation,
when
indwelt
by Satan.
Revelation 13:11-18
Revelation
19:11-21
And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse;
and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in
righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of
fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no
man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in
blood: and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies which
were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen,
white and clean. {Bride of Christ (Revelation
19:7-8)} And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it
he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron:
and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS,
AND LORD OF LORDS. And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried
with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of
heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great
God; That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and
the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on
them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great.
And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies,
gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and
against his army. And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet
that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had
received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These
both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. And the
remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which
sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their
flesh.
*
This is 42
months after the beast is given power at the abomination of desolation
Revelation
13:3-7
And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and
his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.
And they worshipped the dragon, which gave power unto the beast: and they
worshipped the beast, saying, who is like unto the beast? Who is able to
make war with him? And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great
things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and
two months. And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme
his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. And it was
given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and
power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.
4) The
“first resurrection” of
Revelation
20:5 is after the second coming
Revelation 19 & 20
It is therefore after “the end” in context of
1
Corinthians 15:22-23.
In review, we have
2
resurrections:
1) First resurrection:
Resurrection of the just (Acts
24:15) ~ Split into at least three instances through
time.
- Christ the firstfruits
[32 AD]
(1
Corinthians 15:22,23)
- They that are Christ’s at His coming
[harpazo yet future] (1
Corinthians 15:22-24)
- Last day resurrection
of the just
2 Peter 3:8
[End of the 70th week/Start
of the millennium]
(Revelation
20:4,5) (After Christ returns with
wife
in glory [Revelation
19:11])
2) Last resurrection:
Resurrection of the unjust ~ Known to be held to
only one instance (Revelation 20:4-5) just before
the current heavens and earth are destroyed (2 Peter 3:9-13). At this point, they
will be the only ones who have not been resurrected yet.
- Last day resurrection
of the unjust at the great white throne
judgment
2 Peter 3:8 [End
of the millennium] (Revelation
20:11-15)
That means that all the resurrections
are foretold. Just some were referred to as the resurrection on the last day. In
1 Corinthians 15:22-24, the bride of
Christ is being told about the resurrection she will take part in.
In
John 5,
6,
11,
12 it is being preached to the Jews. For
the past almost 2,000 years they have been blinded and do not represent the
bride of Christ. (Luke
19:41,42 |
Romans 11) Of course there are Old
Testament Jews who are the bride of Christ, but the nation as a whole was
blinded at the triumphal entry. So Israel represents a people who God has made
irrevocable promises to of salvation, yet they are not the bride of Christ. God
knows the heart and who are His. Many
times in Christ’s ministry, he spoke in parables to fulfill prophecy that
hearing they would not hear and seeing they would not see.
1 Corinthians 15:22-24 lays out the
resurrections of the just that only the bride of Christ and the Groom
participate in. (Christ the firstfruits and
those that are His at His coming.) There are still just that will be
resurrected “in the last day,” they are just not the bride.
We see this verified in
Revelation 19:7-8, where the marriage of
the Lamb occurs before Christ returns in glory in
Revelation 19:11-14, so we must have
been taken before then in order to be at the wedding. That means that we cannot
be the resurrection in Revelation 20:4-5, which is clearly after Christ has
returned in glory with His wife.
This fits because the
day of the Lord starts God’s wrath
pouring out and we are not appointed to His wrath. (1
Thessalonians 5:9) but salvation through Christ. That means
the harpazo would be before the “day of the Lord” which is 1,000 years. So 1
Corinthians 15:22-24 doesn’t cover all “first resurrections,” but only those for
the bride of Christ, since that was who was being spoken to.
Hebrews 11:32-40
And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell
of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also,
and Samuel, and of the prophets: Who through faith subdued kingdoms,
wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of
lions. Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out
of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the
armies of the aliens. Women received their dead raised to life again: and
others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a
better resurrection: And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings,
yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: They were stoned, they were sawn
asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in
sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; (Of whom
the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and
in dens and caves of the earth. And these all, having obtained a good
report through faith, received not the promise: God having provided some
better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.
It seems evident from this
passage that it won’t be until the harpazo that all the just will be
resurrected, including those who have died in faith before. This means that
Matthew 27:52-53 must not have been a
resurrection to the immortal bodies, but a resurrection from sleep in their
mortal bodies.
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