The Resurrection of the Just and the Unjust

When will the resurrection of the dead in Christ happen? What about the thousand years reign? In my last post, I have demonstrated from scripture the sequence of events leading to the rapture:

1. Matthew 24:29 “Immediately after the tribulation of those days…”

2. Job 14:12 “… till the heavens be no more.”

3. Job 14:13 “… until thy wrath be past.”

4. 1 Corinthians 15:52 “… at the last trump.”

5. 1 Thessalonians 4:16 “… the dead in Christ shall rise first.”

6. 1 Thessalonians 4:17 “Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds…”

John calls the raising of the dead in Christ to life, “the first resurrection:”

Revelation 20:5 "But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection."

It is called “resurrection” because it is for the dead, and we know from Paul’s account in 1 Thessalonian 4:16-17 that the dead in Christ shall rise first, and then we which are alive and remain shall be “caught up” (Greek: harpazō) together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air.

1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 "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: 17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord."

The same word “harpazō,” which is normally referred to as the rapture, is also used in Matthew 11:12 “the violent take it by force,” in John 6:15 “they would come and take him by force,” or in Jude 1:23 “pulling them out of the fire.” We know from scripture that the rapture will happen after the tribulation, when Jesus shall return as the angel said in Acts 1:11 “this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.” The bible tells us:

Matthew 24:30-31 "And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other."

When the Son of man shall come in the cloud with great power and glory, that’s when he shall send his angels to gather together his elect from the four winds. That’s why Paul used the term “caught up” (Greek: harpazō) to describe how the entire body of Christ, the dead in Christ and them which are alive, shall be carried off by force from the the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven, to meet the Lord in the air. Before that can happen, however, the trumpet must sound and the dead in Christ must be raised up from their sleep. This is would be the first resurrection according to John. The verses immediately before Revelation 20:5 gives us the proper context:

Revelation 20:1 "And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand."

An angel of the Lord having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain will come down from heaven. He has a purpose:

Revelation 20:2 "And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,"

This angel having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain will lay hold on the dragon (Satan) and bound him a thousand years. There is that mention of a thousand years. We read in the next verse:

Revelation 20:3 "And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season."

The Devil (Satan) will be bound and cast into the bottomless pit for a thousand years. The next verse tells us:

Revelation 20:4 "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."

This verse is where we read “the souls of them…,” meaning the dead in Christ. The first resurrection is the resurrection of the dead in Christ including those 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. This is what Paul tells us in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 “… the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air.” John continues:

Revelation 20:5 "But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection."

After the Devil has been cast into the bottomless pit for a thousand years, the next event that follows would be the appearing of the Son of man in heaven, and every eye shall see the Lord Jesus Christ coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory, and he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and the dead in Christ shall rise first. This is the first resurrection, and then those that are alive and remain shall be “caught up” (Greek: harpazō) together with the resurrected to meet the Lord in the air.

Revelation 20:6 "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."

These are the saints of God who hath part in the first resurrection, and they shall reign with the Lord for a thousand years as priests of God and of Christ. Furthermore, Revelation 20:5 also tells us that “the rest of the dead,” meaning, those that were not raised back to life in the first resurrection, lived not again until the thousand years were finished. These are the people who must expect to die again because the bible calls it “the second death,” whosoever is not part of the first resurrection.

Acts 24:15 "And have hope toward God, which they themselves also allow, that there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust."

The bible teaches that there are only two resurrections of the dead:

1. the first resurrection: the resurrection of the just;

2. the second resurrection: the resurrection of the unjust.

This was also witnessed by:

John 5:29 "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."

In fact, that was Jesus quoting from:

Daniel 12:2 "And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt."

The resurrection of the just (the first resurrection) will happen at the return of the Lord Jesus Christ, after the Devil has been bound and cast into the bottomless pit for a thousand years. After the dead in Christ is resurrected and the entire body of Christ is caught up to meet the Lord in the air, the saints of God shall rule with Christ for a thousand years. The resurrection of the unjust (the second resurrection) will only happen much later, after the thousand years were finished.

Revelation 20:7-8 "And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, 8 And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea."

After the thousand years were expired, the Devil will be loosed out of his prison in the bottomless pit, and he will again gather his forces from the four quarters of the earth to fight a battle with the Lord at New Jerusalem, the beloved city:

Revelation 20:9 "And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them."

They will compassed the camp of the saints, but fire shall come down from God out of heaven and devour them.

Revelation 20:10 "And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever."

After this, the Devil would be taken and be cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, to be tormented day and night, for ever and ever. All these things will happen immediately after the thousand years of reign with Christ shall expire, to be followed by the resurrection of the unjust, for a purpose. John continues:

Revelation 20:11 "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."

The first resurrection is the resurrection of the just, and the second resurrection is the resurrection of the unjust. These are the only two resurrections taught in the bible: a man is either resurrected as a just man, or he will be resurrected as an unjust man for the administration of justice. There are no multiple resurrections spaced out over time, like what some dispensationalists like to teach. John continues:

Revelation 20:12-15 "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."

By definition, the second death means that there was a first death, the first death being our physical death. At the second death, all unjust men, the dead, small and great, shall be resurrected to stand before Christ in judgment. The books will be opened and the unjust dead will be judged out of the things which were written in the books according to their works. After this, death and hell will be cast into the lake of fire, along with those names that are not found written in the book of life, to be tormented forever and ever.

Isaiah 66:23-24 "And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the LORD. 24 And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcases of the men that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh."

Isaiah tells us that the from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, the saints of God gather before God to worship him shall behold the carcasses of unjust men who died the second death, whose names were not found written in the book of life. Those unjust men shall be an abhoring unto all flesh, for their worm shall not die, and neither shall their fire be quenched. Their torment shall continue from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another.

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