The Two Resurrections
What in the World is Going on? • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Once Jesus returns several things happen, it seems, at once. The beast and the false prophet are stopped and cast into the lake of fire. The army of the beast is destroyed, completely and without contest. Satan is bound by an angel and imprisoned in the abyss for a thousand years and Jesus sets up His kingdom.
A question immediately comes to mind: Who will enter the kingdom? The answer is found in...Revelation 20:4-6
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.
5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
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.
There are thrones and there are judges, there are priests which means there will be people living in the kingdom, but what arrests our attention is that verse 5 mentions a “first resurrection” which implies a second, and verse 6 describes a “second death” which must be different from the first. I want today to answer the question regarding who will be in the kingdom by answering the questions regarding the two resurrections.
We believe the Bible is true and the Bible mentions two resurrections, or to be fair, two kids of resurrections.
Here is what we are to understand about...
The First Resurrection
The First Resurrection
5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
The first kind of resurrection is the resurrection of the just.
The Bible tells that those who are involved in this resurrection are those who have placed their trust in Jesus and have either died or been raptured. The first resurrection happens in stages. Stage one is...
Jesus - we say Jesus because His resurrection was the first of this kind
Not Lazarus
Lazarus was not a resurrection, but a resuscitation
A resurrection is eternal
Lazarus had to die again
Jesus was the first resurrection.
When He got up, He stayed up!
He is seated today at the Father’s right hand waiting on the order to come get us, because guess what, we’re next !
The Church - happens at...
The rapture
1 Thessalonians 4:16–17 “16 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.”
1 Corinthians 15:51–54 “51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.”
Jesus, then the church next...
The OT Saints and the Trib Saints
Takes place at the beginning of the Kingdom
Those OT saints who placed their faith in the promise of Messiah will now have their faith become sight!
What will it be like to walk and talk with Moses? Daniel? David?
The kingdom will not be boring!
Those saints that gave their lives for Jesus in the Tribulation who asked time and again, “How long Lord until you avenge us?” will walk again!
These will have been given glorified bodies, just like us, but not at the same time!
Our’s takes place at the rapture, their’s at the beginning of the kingdom
BOTH are the first resurrection, the reusrrection of the just!
Notice, however, there is another group that will enter the kingdom....
The Millennial Saints
A key difference here:
These are saints who have trusted in Jeuss through the tribulation and have survived until the very end.
They will enter the kingdom, not in glorified bodies, but in their earthly bodies
Why is this necessary?
Easy answer: It’s the will of God.
Full answer: Because they will be needed to populate the earth during the kingdom
While marriage is a thing of the past for the resurrected saints, it will not be for the millennial saints
They will marry, and they will have children
It will be fore their children’s sake we read Revelation 20:6 “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.”
Those descendants of the tribulation survivors will need to hear the gospel and will need mediators between them and God - that will be our responsibility.
This is also one of the greatest tragedies of the Millennial reign...
Revelation 20:7–9 “7 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. 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.”
You may ask, “Why would God loose Satan?” Consider this answer...
Those born during the Mill. will have lived in a world not tainted by Satan.
They will be living in conditions similar to what heaven was like prior to his rebellion, what Eden must have been like.
They will have never faced temptation.
God will loose Satan to give them a choice - will they choose God, whom they have seen and served for a thousand years, or will they choose Satan?
Sadly, many of them, a number “…as the sand of the sea...” will rebel against God.
The mention of Gog and Magog has given rise to the belief that Russia would be the center of the Rebellion, but in the aftermath of the great war and the kingdom age, it is likely there will be none of the world powers remaining. Most likely the reference is that the army will march against God from the North. From here we read the greatest news in the Bible Revelation 20:10
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.
But what about those who had joined him? What about those who served him in this life? We see this answered in...
The Second Resurrection
The Second Resurrection
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.
There is not just a body suited for eternity that awaits believers, but there is one for unbelievers as well. At the second resurrection, the resurrection of the unsaved, all those who sided with Satan, that rejected the gospel, that put off eternity for another day, they will stand before the throne of Jesus.
There they will have no excuses, there they will offer no explanation, there they will not accuse anyone or pass the blame for their actions, there they will only accept the righteous judgment of the Savior whose blood was shed for them, but whom they rejected.
Judgment will follow in this fashion:
They will be called up -
From hell - realm of the unholy departed, from the sea
They will stand before the judge
They will give an answer
There will be no consideration for their former position
Jesus is not a respecter of persons
Small and great means all, from the king to the beggar will be on equal terms.
The charges will be read - there are two books:
The book of the living
Everyone who has ever been born has their name written here, along with all their actions
It will be form this book they will be judged “according to their works”
Let it be known today that while your works cannot save you, they will certainly condemn you!
The secret sin you think no one knows about - God knows. He is keeping a record, and you will answer, unless your name is found written in...
The book of Life
Life here means “eternal life”
AKA - the Lamb’s book of Life”
See, everyone who is saved has their name written here
Those who are not found with their names recorded are then...
Carried away into judgment…Revelation 20:14 “14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.”
Conclusion:
Which resurrection will you be in? The first, having placed your trust and nothing but your trust in Jesus? or the Second, where you will stand before Him as your judge?
I’ll leave you with something I heard my theology professor say to us repeatedly, “Born once, die twice. Born twice, die once.”
The most important question you can answer right now is this: “Have I been born again?”
Let’s bow for prayer...