What is the first resurrection? What is the second resurrection?

The Word of truth teaches in the clearest and most positive terms that all of the dead will be raised. No doctrine of the faith rests upon a more literal and emphatic body of Scripture authority than this, nor is any more vital to Christianity. "But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen. And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain" (I Cor. 15:13-14.) But it is important to observe that the Scriptures do not teach that all the dead are raised at one time. A partial resurrection of saints has already occurred. "And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, and came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many" (Matt. 27:52-53). Two resurrections, differing in respect of time and of those who are the subjects of the resurrection, are yet future. These are variously distinguished as "the resurrection of life," and "the resurrection of damnation," "the resurrection of the just and the unjust," etc. The following Scriptures refer to this important subject. "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" (John 5:28-29.) If it be objected that the word "hour" would indicate a simultaneous resurrection of these two classes, it is answered that the "hour" of verse 25 has already lasted eighteen hundred years. (See also "day," in 2 Pet. 3:8; 2 Cor. 6:2; John 8:56). "But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind: and thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just" (Luke 14:13-14). In this passage our Lord speaks of the first resurrection only. In I Corinthians 15 the distinction still further appears: "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" (1 Cor. 15:22-23). "But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. 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 (precede] 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" (I Thess. 4:13-16). If the apostle had in mind a resurrection of all the dead, how could he speak of attaining it "by any means," since he could not possibly escape it? In Revelation 20:4-6 the two resurrections are again mentioned together, with the important addition of the time which intervenes between the resurrection of the saved and of the unsaved. "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." Verses 12 and 13 describe the second resurrection - that "unto damnation." The testimony of Scripture, then, is clear that believers' bodies are raised from among the bodies of unbelievers and caught up to meet the Lord in the air a thousand years before the resurrection of the latter. It should be firmly held that the doctrine of the resurrection concerns only the bodies of the dead. Their disembodied spirits are instantly in conscious bliss or woe (Phil. 1:23 2 Cor. 5.8; Luke 16:22-23).

In vain, however, do we look in the New Testament for such a restoration--second probation doctrine. Such a doctrine is not even hinted at in the New. However, the New Testament gives the fullest revelation concerning resurrection and the future state. It tells us that there is indeed a resurrection of the body for every human being. This revelation of resurrection as contained in the New Testament leaves no room whatever for the Sodomites and all the wicked idolatrous Israelites to be raised up for another chance. Our Lord, in John 5:29, reveals a twofold resurrection, a resurrection unto life and a resurrection unto damnation. The human race, those who have died, are therefore in resurrection divided into two classes; they must come forth either unto life or unto damnation: there is no middle class. Later the New Testament teaches a first resurrection, an out-resurrection from the dead. Only those who have believed and died in Christ will have a share in this resurrection. Both Old and New Testament saints belong to it, but none have a part in it who died in their sins. The rest of the dead, meaning of course, the wicked dead, are not raised up till after the thousand years. This is a second resurrection, and this takes place not when the Lord comes the second time, but after His millennial reign (Rev. 20). The subjects of this second resurrection appear before the great white throne and are cast into the lake of fire. Now, these teachers claim that the return of Sodom and Samaria to their former estate means their resurrection for another chance when the Lord comes. But, as these departed, wicked people are wicked still, how can they have part in the first resurrection when the Lord comes, which is the resurrection of the righteous?

While these three companies are distinguished, they are linked together as living and reigning with Christ (in heaven, of course) for a thousand years. This therefore includes all of those who at this future time have been raised from death as well as the living taken at the Rapture. The rest of the dead will not be raised until the end of the thousand years (v. 5). They will have their part in the second resurrection — a resurrection to damnation or judgment (John 5:29). Referring to verse 4 the declaration is made, “This is the first resurrection: ” it will be complete when the martyrs are raised at the end of the Tribulation, but of course it includes all who have been raised before. Thus the first resurrection includes all true believers who have left this world. Christ was the firstfruits of the first resurrection, then all who are His at His coming (1 Cor. 15:23). “His coming” here embraces both aspects of it, the Rapture and His Appearing.

Those who have part in the first resurrection are blessed and holy (v. 6): their happiness is complete and they are set apart for God's glory for eternity. The second death (eternal separation from God) has no effect whatever in regard to them, but it will in regard to all who are raised in the second resurrection to judgment. The first or physical death is separation of the spirit and soul from the body. The second death is eternal separation of the unsaved (though physically resurrected) from God under His judgment in hell, the Lake of Fire. All of those in the first resurrection are said to be priests of God and of Christ, though not all are of the Bride, the Lamb's wife. Many Old Testament scriptures speak of the blessedness of the thousand years' reign of righteousness. A few samples of this are: Psalm 21:1-6; Psalm 24; Psalm 36:5-9; Psalm 96; Psalm 98 and Isaiah 11:1-10; 12. But these wonderful things are not mentioned here in Revelation.

But these points, so full of solemn interest to the believer, have not been left without a clear solution in the word of God. Enough may be gathered from the Lord's own lips to prove conclusively that promises and expectations, which can have no possible fulfilment but at the resurrection of the just, are connected immediately with the present earth and its inhabitants.7 The passages which might be alleged, both from the apostolic and prophetic Scriptures, in confirmation of this general statement, are far too numerous for insertion here. I shall beg the reader's attention at present only to the words of God's last witness, when recording "the revelation of Jesus Christ," and whose declarative testimony on these topics is in strict and circumstantial agreement with the apostle's doctrine in this chapter. For we are there expressly told- That at a time appointed the kingdoms of this world are to become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ.8 That the Lord will come personally to execute the vengeance written against those who are found, at the close of the present age, in array against His name.9 That "the time of the dead" will then have come;1 and, lastly, and with especial reference to the crisis so described, that that "time" is divided into two epochs: "the first resurrection," comprising only His departed saints, whose time will then be come to reign, while "the rest of the dead" are left still in their graves, until the days of the kingdom are accomplished. As to the duration of this kingdom, and the consequent interval between the first and second resurrection, it is limited expressly to a thousand years.2

The second resurrection (although never actually called that in the Bible) is to bring all unsaved to final judgment. It thus occurs after all the unsaved are dead, which only happens after fire destroys those who only pretended to be obedient to God during the Millennium. So, about 1000 years after the end of the First Resurrection, the unsaved are resurrected to stand before the Great White Throne for sentencing to an eternity of hell.

When we look further at this last company, we find, as already intimated, that it also consists of two parts: first, of those martyred in the time of the seals, and spoken of under the fifth seal; and secondly, the objects of the beast's wrath, as in rev. 13:7, 15. This particularization is a perfect proof of who are embraced in this vision, and that we must look to those first seen as sitting on the thrones for the whole multitude of the saints of the present and the past. To all of which it is added that "the rest of the dead lived not again till the thousand years were finished," when we find in fact the resurrection of judgment taking place (vv. 11-15). All ought to be simple, then. The "first resurrection" is a literal resurrection of all the dead in Christ from the foundation of the world, a certain group which might seem not to belong to it being specialized, as alone needing this. The first resurrection is "first" simply in contrast with that of the wicked, having different stages indeed, but only one character: "Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection! upon 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."

When we look further at this last company, we find, as already intimated, that it also consists of two parts: first, of those martyred in the time of the seals, and spoken of under the fifth seal; and secondly, the objects of the beast's wrath, as in Rev. 13:7, 15. This particularization is a perfect proof of who are embraced in this vision, and that we must look to those first seen as sitting on the thrones for the whole multitude of the saints of the present and the past. To all of which it is added that "the rest of the dead lived not again till the thousand years were finished" — when we find, in fact, the resurrection of judgment taking place (vers. 11-15). All ought to be simple, then. The "first resurrection is a literal resurrection of all the dead in Christ from the foundation of the world; a certain group, which might seem not to belong to it, being specialized, as alone needing this. The first resurrection is "first" simply in contrast with that of the wicked, having different stages indeed, but only one character: "Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection! upon 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."

No one rises again independently of Christ, for as He is the giver of life eternal, God also gives the prerogative of all judgment to Him as the despised but glorious Son of man. It is His voice that expressly calls for resurrection, for “all who are in the tombs shall hear His voice,” just or unjust, well-doers or evil-doers. Hence there are to be two bodily resurrections, as we read in the prophecy of Revelation 20:4-6 and 11-15: a resurrection of life and reigning with Christ, and a resurrection of judgment and endless woe. We need not wonder at the quickening (making alive) of the spiritually dead, when the Lord will call from their tombs the physically dead to come forth — the godly and believing who have life in Him now unto a resurrection of life, and the worthless unbelievers unto a resurrection of judgment, ending in the lake of fire.

For scripture never speaks of one common, simultaneous, and indiscriminate resurrection. There shall indeed be a resurrection of both just and unjust. But God's word is clear and positive that the resurrection of the just differs not more in character and consequence than in time from that of the unjust. Hence the Lord calls the former a resurrection of life, the latter a resurrection of judgment (John 5:29): the one for such as have believed on Him and done good; the other for those that, dishonouring both the Son and the Father, only did ill, and are judged accordingly. In the great prophecy of the Revelation (Rev. 20:4-15), we find the gap, which severs these two resurrections, to be that special reign with Christ which follows the resurrection of life before the resurrection of judgment.

The Father has given Him authority also to execute judgment because He is the Son of Man. As such He has been made known to mankind, has entered into and known their circumstances, has proven His own blessed subjection to proper authority, so that no possible excuse is left for men to object that He is not fully qualified to execute judgment. Verses 28 and 29 enforce the solemn reality of the issues of life and of judgment being in His hand. As to this he bids them not to marvel, for the literally dead, those in their graves (in contrast to the spiritually dead in v. 25), will eventually, when the hour comes, hear His voice. That voice will awaken all the dead, and all will come forth from their graves. Not that all will rise at the same time, for He immediately speaks of two resurrections, that of life and that of judgment. In fact, the first is a full thousand years before the second. Compare Revelation 20:4-5, where the resurrection of martyrs is seen to be the completion of the first resurrection. The main part of this is when the Lord Jesus comes for His saints before the great tribulation.