There is a path we must follow if we hope to attain the glory of the royal priesthood. Before the general resurrection of those who have died takes place, God first will bring back to life the members of the royal priesthood. They will work with Jesus Christ in establishing the Kingdom of God on the earth.

To arrive at the resurrection of the priesthood requires a lifelong quest. We will attempt to describe some of the experiences involved as we make our way to the crown of life, to the fullness of Divine glory that God has prepared for His elect.

Before we can understand the path to the glory of the priesthood we must be aware there are two resurrections: the resurrection at the beginning of the thousand-year Kingdom Age, which will occur at the appearing of Christ, and then the general resurrection of the dead, which will take place at the end of the thousand-year Kingdom Age.

The current understanding is that the first resurrection is for the saved and the second, general resurrection is for the lost—that all who are raised in the general resurrection will be thrown into the Lake of Fire. This is not true, as we understand the Scriptures. We think those who have done good, at the second resurrection, will enter eternal life, and those who have done evil will be cast into the Lake of Fire.

The first resurrection must be attained. The general resurrection, however, is inevitable. Every person who is not raised in the resurrection of the priesthood will be resurrected in the general resurrection.

The first resurrection is portrayed as follows:

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)

Notice that nothing is said about salvation. No books of judgment are opened because those found worthy to attain the first resurrection are judged beforehand.

The second resurrection, the general resurrection, is portrayed as follows:

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. The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. (Revelation 20:12-14—NIV)

Can you see the great difference between the two resurrections?

To be continued.