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The Daily Word of Righteousness
Rescued From the Body of Death, #7
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. (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.) This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy are those who have part in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years. (Revelation 20:4-6—NIV)
I know I have written much on the topic of the first resurrection from the dead. But if I were to write all day and half the night to express the urgency of this truth it would not be adequate.
The resurrection of the dead is split into two parts. The first resurrection is actually a resurrection out from among the dead. This resurrection must be attained. It is the resurrection the Apostle Paul was seeking to attain.
The second resurrection will include everyone else. It does not have to be attained. It will take place whether we want it to or not.
The above passage is where the split is announced.
Can you see that the resurrection of the dead is split into two parts? The first part comes before the thousand-year Kingdom Age. The second comes after the thousand-year Kingdom Age.
Here is the second part, the general resurrection of the dead.
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)
If I understand our Evangelical teaching, the belief is held that the first resurrection is the resurrection of salvation and the second resurrection is that of the lost.
I do not think this is true. It does not follow the Scripture. The emphasis of the first resurrection is on the blessedness and holiness of the royal priesthood. It obviously is for God's victorious saints, those who will rule with Christ during the thousand-year Kingdom Age. There is nothing said about salvation, only about rulership. We know from the second and third chapters of the Book of Revelation that only the victorious saints, the overcomers, will rule.
By the same token, there is no statement concerning the second resurrection that all are lost. In fact, the opposite is implied.
So there is no clear scriptural basis for the teaching that all saved persons will participate in the first resurrection, the resurrection that will take place when the Lord appears from Heaven. The opposite is implied—that the first resurrection is for victorious saints, not for those who are "saved by fire" because their works have been burned.
There is no clear scriptural basis for the teaching that all persons raised in the general resurrection, the second resurrection, will be cast into the Lake of Fire. The opposite is implied.
To be continued.