Understanding the Two Resurrections

Daniel 12:2, Revelation 20

Revelation chapter 20 talks about the very special resurrection of Daniel 12:2. It’s not the same one that happens at the rapture, when the dead in Christ rise first. What’s going to happen in this final resurrection? There are two parts to it: Positive and negative. It’s going to be for life and it’s going to be for contempt.

Look at what Jesus said early in His ministry…

John 5:28-29

… the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth…unto the resurrection of life; [or] …unto the resurrection of damnation.

Jesus said everybody’s going to come out of the grave, all bodies will be resurrected; some to life and some to death. That’s the choice, life or death. That’s our choice today. And that’s exactly what the angel says is the hope of Israel in the tribulation.

Let’s look first at the resurrection to everlasting life. In Acts 24:15, it’s called the resurrection of the just. In John 5:29, it’s called the resurrection of life. Hebrews 11:35 calls it the better resurrection. But it is the resurrection of all glorified saints, all believers, all the redeemed. Old Testament, New Testament, tribulation, everybody will get in on everlasting life. But specifically here, he’s referring to Israel. And that’s very important.

The first resurrection, as it’s called in Revelation 20 verse 4, has three parts. First Christ, the first fruits, that’s part number one. And by the way, when He was raised from the dead there were several others with Him, right? The graves were open and they came forth, too. And that was a genuine resurrection, apparently. So Christ was the first fruits. And that was a picture of what was going to come in the Kingdom. Christ was the first fruits.

The second part of the first resurrection is the church. And when does our resurrection take place? At the Rapture. First Thessalonians 4, “The dead in Christ shall rise first and then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air and so shall ever be with the Lord.” I believe that Christ is the first fruits. The church comes second.

Then comes the tribulation period, the church is removed, we weren’t in the first 69 weeks, we aren’t going to be in the seventieth. God goes back to dealing with Israel. At the end of that seven-year period, at the end of that time of testing, purging, purification comes the third and final part of the first resurrection. The raising of the Old Testament saints’ bodies and the tribulation saints. Now, it will include some Gentiles because there will be Gentiles saved during the tribulation who will be martyred just as there have been Gentile proselytes to Judaism through its ancient history. So these will be raised at the end of the tribulation.

The second resurrection just has one part. It happens a thousand years later, at the end of the thousand years when God raises from the dead the bodies of the unjust.

Revelation 20:4

⁴ 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.

Now that implies a resurrection. John in his vision sees the Kingdom. He sees a thousand-year millennium. And there living alive and reigning with Christ are all the saints, those who were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, for the Word of God, those who wouldn’t worship the beast, those who wouldn’t take his mark, they’re alive.

Revelation 20:5

⁵ But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.

This is the first resurrection that is prior to the thousand years. Then, verse 7. “When the thousand years are ended,” – that’s the time frame.

Revelation 20:11-15

¹¹ 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. ¹³ And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. ¹⁴ And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. ¹⁵ And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

That is the resurrection to shame and everlasting contempt. Now, Daniel does not see a thousand years in between. But that’s just because the whole concept was a mystery to him. The whole flow of redemptive history had some big gaps for the Old Testament prophets as they were looking at distant mountaintops it wasn’t as clear which followed which. That’s why Peter says they looked into what they wrote to see what it really meant because they didn’t have the full range of revelation. Daniel says there’s a resurrection to life and a resurrection to shame and contempt and in Revelation we see they’re a thousand years apart.

The church, born on Pentecost, is consummated at the Rapture, and that’s an entity in itself. Then God has seven more years to deal with His people Israel. Then comes their resurrection.

Now, people have always asked the question, “Who is this that’s going to be saved in the tribulation? Obviously many lost Gentiles who never heard/rejected the gospel. But our passage is talking about Jews…

Romans 11:26

²⁶ And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:

Who is this “all Israel”? Let’s find out.

Ezekiel 20:33-34

³³ As I live, saith the Lord GOD, surely with a mighty hand, and with a stretched out arm, and with fury poured out, will I rule over you: ³⁴ And I will bring you out from the people, and will gather you out of the countries wherein ye are scattered, with a mighty hand, and with a stretched out arm, and with fury poured out.

In other words, God's going to bring Israel back.

Ezekiel 20:35-37

³⁵ And I will bring you into the wilderness of the people, and there will I plead with you face to face. ³⁶ Like as I pleaded with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so will I plead with you, saith the Lord GOD. ³⁷ And I will cause you to pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant:

Passing under the rod seems to be a shepherd’s term. Each sheep was passed under the rod. He would drop the rod, stop — stop the next sheep and examine it. God says, I'm going to examine you.

Ezekiel 20:38  And I will purge out from among you the rebels, and them that transgress against me: I will bring them forth out of the country where they sojourn, and they shall not enter into the land of Israel: and ye shall know that I am the LORD.

Now listen. Who is the all Israel that will be saved? Well, in the end time, first during the testing period, the apostates and the rebels will be purged out. Only the remaining ones will be protected. Zechariah 13:8 says two-thirds of them will die. That leaves one-third purged as the remnant. That one-third purged then becomes the duly constituted nation, they are the all Israel, they are the Israel that’s promised redemption, the godly remnant. As Revelation chapter 12 in verse 17 tells us, they are the ones protected by God who affirm their relationship to Him.

Revelation 12:17  And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

What remnant? “Those who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.” It is against them that the attack is made.

Remember in Malachi, it says “I will spare them, as a man spares his own son that serves him. For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, and all the proud and wicked shall be stubble; the day that comes it shall burn them up. But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings.”

In other words, even in the end time, there will be a distinction between those Jews who believe and those who did not, those who will be condemned and those whose names are written in His book.

Now some people would ask the question, “How does this remnant come to believe? How do they come to faith?” I think one of the very key things to remember is that God sets apart – according to Revelation chapter 11 – two witnesses. Remember them? Two olive branches, two witnesses who can do miracles. In fact, they’re killed. And they’re going to lie in the street and they’re going to be murdered because of their testimony and because they’re preaching the gospel.

And they’re going to lie dead in the streets and, of course, everyone’s going to watch and look and the whole world is going to take notice and all of the commentators will be saying: “There they are, aren’t we glad they’re dead, these two who are preaching this foolishness?” And then, you remember, after a given period of time, they rise from the dead. That will be interesting on instant replay. They rise from the dead. And I imagine their message becomes somewhat more convincing.

In addition to them, in Revelation 7 and Revelation 14, you have 144 thousand Jews who are sealed and protected by God as evangelists during this period of time, twelve thousand from every tribe. And I believe it is the ministry of the two witnesses and it is the ministry of the 144 thousand that reaches the Jewish people. But that isn’t all of it. Then the Jewish people that they reach begin to reach others. And even in the midst of all of the holocaust, Jews will become true believers and they will win other Jews to Christ so that many will come to know Him and they will be preserved as a living remnant, a redeemed nation.

Jeremiah 46:28 Fear thou not, O Jacob my servant, saith the LORD: for I am with thee; for I will make a full end of all the nations whither I have driven thee: but I will not make a full end of thee, but correct thee in measure; yet will I not leave thee wholly unpunished. [they see a lot of wrath, unlike the church]

They have their names in the Book of Life. The Book of Life is a key feature in the Old Testament and, particularly, in the book of Revelation. Chapter 13 verse 8, chapter 17 verse 8, chapter 20 verse 15, chapter 21 verse 27. All of those verses talk about the Book of Life, a book in which God places the names of the redeemed. They are the elect for whose sake the tribulation is shortened lest even they would perish.

The nation Israel will be saved and ushered into the long-awaited and long-promised Kingdom.

I’m glad to be part of the first resurrection. And there’s room for many more, though the time be short.