There are Two Resurrections: All Will Be Brought to Justice & Salvation

THERE ARE TWO RESURRECTIONS

This post, with the addition of several other topics, may be read at the following link:  Salvation, Hell, & Resurrection

Two Resurrections

Ancient Israel had three major harvests.  The first was the barley harvest, followed later by the wheat harvest, and the last was the grape harvest.  The barley harvest was always prefigured with a wave sheaf offering of barley to determine if the harvest was ready to begin.  Jesus Christ as the first to be resurrected was and is the wave sheaf offering.  Some may ask, “what about Enoch and Elijah?”  They were not resurrected and their final destination is questionable.

The barley harvest symbolizes the first resurrection which will only consist of a certain group of people, both dead and alive, who will function as the priests, leaders, and administrators of the millennial government of Jesus Christ.  This first resurrection will not include everyone calling themselves a Christian or member of a church group.  It will only be those people living the life style of Jesus Christ, who totally believe that God is in complete control of all things and events, and have received an anointing of the Holy Spirit as the people of the Pentecost event that was witnessed in the book of Acts.  This group could be referred to as the overcomers or the elect.

Revelation 3:12 KJV  Him that overcomes will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God……..

Greene’s literal and Young’s literal versions translate as “overcomes” while several other versions use the word “conquers”.

The second resurrection occurs at the end of the Millennium and these people will appear before the White Throne Judgment.  Revelation 20:4 describes the first resurrection group who are the overcomers and verse 20:5 states that the rest of the dead, nominal Christians and non-Christians, were not resurrected until the end of the 1000 year Millennium.  The last sentence of verse 5 (This is the first resurrection) is referring to the overcomers in verse 4 and not to the “rest of the dead” which are the nominal Christians and non-Christians.

Revelation 20:4-5 KJV  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.  (5)  But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.

The second resurrection which takes place, within a parallel time frame, at the Great White Throne Judgment could actually be considered to be two separate groups or two resurrections which will include the wheat harvest (nominal Christians) and the grape harvest (non-Christians).

Revelation 20:11-12 KJV  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.  (12)  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.

The nominal believers will find their names written in the book of life and will be justified with a certain amount of stripes (spiritually symbolic).  One with the knowledge of the expectations of Jesus with many stripes (symbolic) and the unaware with only a few stripes (again symbolic).

Luke 12:47-48 KJV  And that servant, which knew his lord’s will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.  (48)  But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.

John 5:28-29 NET  “Do not be amazed at this, because a time is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice  (29)  and will come out — the ones who have done what is good to the resurrection resulting in life, and the ones who have done what is evil to the resurrection resulting in condemnation.

The procedure of the first resurrection is merely an educated guess.  Those dead will appear first, followed by the living overcomers.  Scripture states they will appear with the Lord in the air.  To be in the air means they will not be in the ground.  If they are standing on dirt, they are in the air.  The overcomers, both past and present, are envisioned to be taken briefly to the dimension of heaven in a similar manner as the new Israelite priests were taken into the tent for eight days during the tabernacle ceremony.  Afterwards, they will be placed into various leadership positions in the earth.

The basically American group of dispensational, pre-tribulational, rapturists who mistakenly believe the people calling themselves Jews of the modern nation of Israel and around the world are the descendants of the ten tribes of Israel and Judah will be highly disappointed and possibly confused.  The majority will not be raptured (Latin transliteration of the Greek harpazo which defines as “caught up”); there will be no world ruler known as the “antichrist”; there will be no seven year tribulation period; and the Gog-Magog invasion of Israel has already occurred during the 1930’s and 40’s and continues today.

Universal Reconciliation

Universal reconciliation is the concept that every person, entity, and object created by God will be reconciled to God.  Everyone will be resurrected to receive correction and training in the ways and laws of God.  It may take a few thousand years but everyone will acknowledge and accept the laws of God.  Every knee will willingly bow and worship God as the Lord of creation.  That doesn’t mean every knee will bow immediately before they are sent to hell.

Isaiah 45:23 NET  I solemnly make this oath — what I say is true and reliable: ‘Surely every knee will bow to me, every tongue will solemnly affirm;

Romans 14:11 NET  For it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee will bow to me, and every tongue will give praise to God.”

Philippians 2:9-11 NET  As a result God exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name,  (10)  so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow — in heaven and on earth and under the earth — (11)  and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.