The first resurrection Revelation 20v5-6.
"But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years are 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 reign with Him a thousand years".
"The rest of the dead live not again until the thousand years were finished." This is another evidence that the thousand years are literal. Many are raised from the dead and join with the living with the purpose of living through the millennium and reigning with Christ. How else do we explain the gap between the two resurrections if the years are not literal? The remainder of the dead remain in the disembodied state. So there is a one thousand year gap between. Special mention is made of the resurrection of the martyrs. All who have remained faithful to God will be rewarded but God has a special place for those who surrender their lives for the faith. Jesus predicted there would be many martyred for His name (Matthew 23v24), (Matthew 23v27), (John 16v2), (Matthew 24v9-13) and (Revelation 6v9: 7v13-15: 12v11: 12v17: 13v15). The wicked dead shall remain so till the time of the great judgment.
The bible speaks of two resurrections. Daniel 12v2 "many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life and some to shame and everlasting contempt. In John 5v28-29 Jesus proclaimed these two resurrections ".......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. There are a number of things we must observe in these verses:
"The rest of the dead live not again until the thousand years were finished." This is another evidence that the thousand years are literal. Many are raised from the dead and join with the living with the purpose of living through the millennium and reigning with Christ. How else do we explain the gap between the two resurrections if the years are not literal? The remainder of the dead remain in the disembodied state. So there is a one thousand year gap between. Special mention is made of the resurrection of the martyrs. All who have remained faithful to God will be rewarded but God has a special place for those who surrender their lives for the faith. Jesus predicted there would be many martyred for His name (Matthew 23v24), (Matthew 23v27), (John 16v2), (Matthew 24v9-13) and (Revelation 6v9: 7v13-15: 12v11: 12v17: 13v15). The wicked dead shall remain so till the time of the great judgment.
The bible speaks of two resurrections. Daniel 12v2 "many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life and some to shame and everlasting contempt. In John 5v28-29 Jesus proclaimed these two resurrections ".......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. There are a number of things we must observe in these verses:
- Firstly we learn that all human beings will be resurrected, and given bodies which will fit them for their eternal destination.
- The voice of Christ will summon all living and dead to the last day resurrections.
- Human beings will be resurrected to one of two eternal life styles, either the resurrection to life or the resurrection to damnation.
- Those who take part in the first resurrection are called blessed. This first resurrection to life takes place in different stages according to 1st Corinthians 15v22-23 "for as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order; Christ the firstfruits afterward they that are Christ's at His coming. Christ was raised, the church will be raised, the Old Testament saints will be raised, and the martyred saints of the tribulation will all be raised thus completing the first resurrection.
- Those raised are not only blessed as to their experience but they are holy in their character.
- "On such the second death hath no power." This second death which is permanent separation from God will be the portion of the wicked dead but not for these. Jesus said in John 10 "I give unto My sheep eternal life and they shall never perish..........the word never is so strong that it could be rendered "never, not to all the ages of eternity." The guarantee of this eternal security comes from both the father and the Son.
- They shall be priests of God and of Christ; they will be occupied in the service of God for all eternity.
- They will reign with Christ for the duration of the millennium. The significant thing about this is that in Old Testament times the offices of priest and king could never be found in the same person. Only Christ could fulfil this role, and now to those who are His servants in glory.
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