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The Two Resurrections

Questions in this section...

How many resurrections will there be?

Will everybody be resurrected at Christ's second coming?

Who was raised from the dead at Christ's resurrection and why?

 

Question: How many resurrections will there be?

“I want to know how many of the resurrections are there.”

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Answer:

There are two general resurrections, one for the wicked, and one for the righteous. “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.” (Acts 24:15) These resurrections will be separated by 1000 years. (Revelation 20:1-7) The righteous will be raised at the second coming of Christ. (1 Corinthians 15:51-53) The wicked will be raised 1000 years later. (Revelation 20:5)

There was a special resurrection when Christ was raised from the dead. Matthew wrote, “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.” (Matthew 27:52, 53)

The Bible also tells us about another special resurrection where not only saints will come forth, but also some wicked people will arise. This takes place just prior to the second coming of Christ. We read about this in Daniel chapter 12. “And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. 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.” (Daniel 12:1, 2)

Some wicked and some righteous will arise at this time. This helps us understand why the Bible says that when Christ comes in the clouds the soldiers who pierced His side will see Him come. “Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.” (Revelation 1:7) The very same people who drove the nails in His hands and feet, and the one who pierced His side will see Christ come with the clouds of heaven. In order for this to happen they will have to be raised from the dead before Christ’s coming.

John Gill claims that this verse refers to “Christ’s second coming… And they also which pierced him; his hands, feet, and side, when they crucified him; both the Roman soldiers, who actually did it, and the body of the Jewish nation, the rulers and common people, who consented to it, and at whose instigation it was done; these, being raised from the dead, shall see him with their bodily eyes, whom they so used.” (John Gill’s Expositor on Revelation 1:7)

John Gill understood that certain wicked people will be raised from the dead before the second coming of Christ. It is clear that he referred to a special resurrection when we compare this with what he wrote regarding Revelation 20:5;

“But the rest of the dead, &c. Meaning not the dead saints, for they will be all raised together, but the wicked dead; and not them as morally or spiritually, but as corporeally dead: these lived not again until the thousand years were finished; so that there will be such an exact term of years between the resurrection of the saints and the resurrection of the wicked; nor will there be any wicked living upon earth, or in bodies, during that time; for the wicked dead will not be raised with the saints at Christ’s coming, and the wicked living will be destroyed in the conflagration of the world, and neither of them shall live again until the end of these years.” (John Gill’s Expositor on Revelation 20:5)

Let me make something clear here. Just because Gill understands these things this way does not mean they are right. We must only accept what the Bible says. I merely quoted Gill to show that the idea of a future special resurrection before the second coming of Christ is not unique to me.

This question and its answer were printed in the June 2001 issue of Present Truth.

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Question: Will everybody be resurrected at Christ's second coming?

“Wouldn’t it seem that everybody will be resurrected at Christ’s second coming (both righteous and unrighteous) the way it reads in Revelation 1:7: ‘and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him.’? Then all the wicked would be slain by the brightness of his coming (2 Thessalonians 2:8), not to live again until the thousand years are finished (Revelation 20:5). But then verse 6 says: ‘Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection.’ So if there is a special resurrection before the first general resurrection, then would not Christ come with each resurrection as Revelation 1:7 says: Behold he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him.’? Can you please help me learn more truth?”

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Answer:

You brought up a very good point. It seems that the trouble you are having is with the understanding of Revelation 1:7. Let us notice some things about this verse. “Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him.” (Revelation 1:7) The word “every” was translated from the Greek word paV. This Greek word was used 1243 times in the New Testament. Let’s notice a few verses where this word was used.

Jesus said, “And ye shall be hated of all [paV] men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.” (Matthew 10:22) Does every person hate you? Certainly not!

John wrote about the second beast in Revelation 13, saying that, “he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. And he causeth all [paV], both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads.” (Revelation 13:15, 16) Will this power be able to cause every person in the world to receive the mark of the beast? Certainly not! The Bible says there will be 144,000 who will not accept the mark of the beast.

Of John the Baptist Mark wrote, “And there went out unto him all [paV] the land of Judaea, and they of Jerusalem, and were all [paV] baptized of him in the river of Jordan, confessing their sins.” (Mark 1:5) Was every person in Jerusalem and Judaea baptized by John in the river Jordan? Certainly not!

Some of John’s disciples came up to him and said, “Rabbi, he that was with thee beyond Jordan, to whom thou barest witness, behold, the same baptizeth, and all [paV] men come to him.” (John 3:26) Did all men in the world come to Jesus at that time? Certainly not!

As you can see from the above verses the Greek word paV can be used to signify every individual or thing in totality, or it can be used in a general sense, to signify a large amount of people or things. Even today, we use the words “all” or “every” in a general sense at times. For example, someone could say, “You mean you don’t know who Osama bin Laden is, everybody knows who Osama bin Laden is.”

So it is possible for Revelation 1:7 to mean that when Christ comes the second time, every eye shall see Him that is alive on the earth at that time. This does not have to include everybody who has ever lived on this earth in the past. It is certain that everyone on the earth at the time of Christ’s second coming will see Him come. Jesus said, “Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not. For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.… 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.” (Matthew 24:26, 27, 30) Notice the last portion of this text that is in bold letters. This is almost word for word with what it says in Revelation 1:7.

Everyone living upon the earth at that time shall see Him come. This, however, does not require God to raise from the dead all those who have died in the past for them to see Him come.

There is a portion of Revelation 1:7 that indicates that at Christ’s second coming at least some of the wicked who have died long ago, will be alive to see Him come. It says, “every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him.” I believe this statement includes people like Caiaphas, Herod, Pilate, the Roman soldiers who pierced Christ’s hands and feet, and perhaps certain others. Jesus told Caiaphas, “Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.” (Matthew 26:64)

The Bible speaks of two general resurrections, one of the just and the other of the unjust. “There shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust.” (Acts 24:15) These resurrections take place at different times, with a thousand years separating the two. (See Revelation 20:4-6.) We know that the first resurrection takes place at the second coming of Christ (1 Thessalonians 4:16), and that the wicked will not take part in this resurrection. (Revelation 20:5)

So in order for there to be some wicked people, who have died long ago, alive when Christ comes, there must be a special, small resurrection before the second coming of Christ. The twelfth chapter of Daniel seems to indicate this as well. Here we read, “And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. 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.” (Daniel 12:1, 2) Here it says that many people will be resurrected, but it does not say “all.” Of those people who will be resurrected, the Bible says that some are raised to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. There will be some righteous, and some wicked raised at this time. This must take place just prior to the second coming of Christ in order for those who pierced Him to be able to see Him when He comes.

A special resurrection just prior to Christ’s second coming does not contradict the biblical teaching that there are two general resurrections, and that the first will be the resurrection of the righteous at Christ’s second coming. We know that there was a small, special resurrection long before Christ comes the second time because it is recorded in the book of Matthew. Here we read, “Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; 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.” (Matthew 27:50-53)

Here again we read of a resurrection where many people arose from the dead. In this case, the righteous were the only ones who took part in this resurrection. This was a special resurrection that took place long before what the Bible calls “the first resurrection” takes place. Christ did not come to earth with the clouds of glory at this special resurrection, and there is no record that He will come at the special resurrection of those who pierced Christ. When Christ comes the second time, then all the righteous dead will be resurrected.

I hope this helps to answer your questions regarding this topic.

This question and its answer were printed in the November 2001 issue of Present Truth.

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Question: Who was raised from the dead at Christ's resurrection and why?

“In Matthew 27:52, 53 it is said the graves were opened and many bodies rose and entered the holy city and appeared to many. At the death of Jesus, who are these people who rose? Why do they rise at Jesus’ death while the Bible promised resurrection at Christ’s second coming? Also, which was this holy city which they entered?”

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Answer:

These are excellent questions. Please take notice of the answer to the previous question, because the scene John described in Revelation chapters 4-6 clearly takes place before the second coming of Christ. We know this because in chapter six, verses 9-11, we read, “And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.” (Revelation 6:9)

Whenever this scene takes place there is a time yet future when other saints would be killed for their faith. This could not be after the second coming of Christ, because after that time death will have no power over the righteous, for they will have put on immortality. (1 Corinthians 15:51-53)

Revelation chapters 4-6 depict redeemed people in heaven worshipping in front of the throne of God before the second coming of Christ. Notice, there is a marked difference between these living redeemed, and the dead souls under the altar. The dead souls under the altar are said to be resting until their brethren are killed. They are not conscious of what is going on around them or the Scriptures could not be true which clearly state that “the dead know not anything.” (Ecclesiastes 9:6; see also Psalm 146:3, 4; Acts 2:29, 34. For a thorough study on this subject, please contact us and request the tract entitled “What the Bible Says About Hell.”) The statement that the souls cried out for vengeance no more indicates that the souls were conscious than the blood of Abel crying out to God for vengeance indicated that the blood was conscious. God said to Cain, “the voice of thy brother’s blood crieth unto me from the ground.” (Genesis 4:10)

The verses you mentioned read, “Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; 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.” (Matthew 27:50-53) We are not told who these people were, other than they were saints—not all the saints, but many saints, and they went into the holy city and appeared unto many. These had to have been saints who lived and died prior to Christ’s death, and are very likely some of the people John described as being in heaven prior to the second coming of Christ.

The term “the holy city” was used nine times in the KJV Bible. In the Old Testament it is used in reference to the literal city of Jerusalem, or to the people of God. In Nehemiah we read, “And the rulers of the people dwelt at Jerusalem: the rest of the people also cast lots, to bring one of ten to dwell in Jerusalem the holy city, and nine parts to dwell in other cities.” (Nehemiah 11:1)

In the New Testament, it appears the same usage is employed. When Jesus was in the wilderness of temptation “the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple.” (Matthew 4:5) This obviously refers to the literal city and temple in Jerusalem. From this evidence, we see that after their resurrection these saints went into the literal Jerusalem to bear witness for Christ, after which they went to heaven.

These saints were resurrected in a special resurrection apart from the two common resurrections mentioned in the Bible, one taking place at the second coming, and the other taking place 1000 years later. This is not the only special resurrection that took place. Moses was resurrected long before Christ’s death.

“So Moses the servant of the LORD died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the LORD. And He buried him in a valley in the land of Moab, over against Bethpeor: but no man knoweth of his sepulchre unto this day.” (Deuteronomy 34:5, 6) Moses died, and was buried, but no man could find his sepulchre because the Lord raised him from the dead. We learn this from Jude, “Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee.” (Jude 9) The fact that Moses was raised from the dead is evident by his appearing with Elijah at the mount of transfiguration. (Luke 9:30) Elijah was taken to heaven by a fiery chariot without seeing death.

We are not told in the Bible why some of the saints were resurrected right after Christ’s resurrection. I believe they were resurrected so they could bear witness on earth to the fact that Christ had conquered the grave, and that Christ could enjoy the reward of fellowshipping with some of the redeemed prior to His second coming. They may be a sort of firstfruits.

I hope this helps to answer your questions.

This question and its answer were printed in the February 2002 issue of Present Truth.

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