Patti C (24 June 2013)
"TO JFH / HOPE THIS MAKES IT CLEARER"
TO JFH / HOPES THIS MAKES IT CLEARER
Dear JFH,
Maybe what I wrote to you did not explain my position as clearly as I wanted to. There are only two resurrections one for the righteous and one for the unrighteous, or what is called the White Throne Judgment. I am including a really good article from Bible.org that probably says it way better than I can.
If this still does not convince you that there are only two resurrections and what they are and when they take place, then let's just agree to disagree. May the Lord bless you richly!
Patti C.
Two Resurrections
bible.org/series/two-resurrections
When men are raised, not all will be raised at the same time nor in the same condition. Right There will be two resurrections for two classes of men. One will be raised to eternal life and immortality, while the other will be raised to condemnation and banishment from the presence of the Lord. There is a “resurrection of life and a “resurrection of damnation.
Actually, we are raised at death/sleep to eternal life with Jesus or condemnation. The first resurrection was when Jesus was raised on the third day.
Ezekiel 37:12 "Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel.
"Matthew 27:52-53 "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."
And thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just. [Luke 14:14]
Surely language could be no clearer than this--“The dead in Christ shall rise first. Paul said: "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me." [Galatians 2:20]
I take this to mean that when we receive Jesus as Lord and Saviour we are thus "dead in Christ" as we continue to live and witness.The Second Resurrection is when Jesus comes at the End of the World. He takes first the dead in Christ (the first martyrs to the last martyrs) then he takes all those that are still alive (good and bad) in the twinkling of an eye: Some go up and some go down to everlasting death to the soul called the second death.
We see first that the time of the First Resurrection is the coming again of our Lord Jesus Christ in the clouds of Heaven to rapture all of the [remaining alive physically] saints to Himself. Here we must distinguish between Christ's coming for His own before the millennium and His coming again to raise the rest of the dead (unbeliever) who remained in their graves during the thousand years. Let there be no misunderstanding that it is a settled fact that there is at least a one thousand year interval between the First and the Second Resurrection. The Apostle John, by Divine inspiration, confirms this,
And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them; and I saw the souls of them that were be headed for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshiped 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. But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. (Revelation 20:4-5).
[Those first believers and Apostles began to rule and reign as priests and kings with Him. Jesus gave them the Holy Spirit to do the works that he did.] "And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.] [Rev. 5:10] Their ruling began at that Pentecost and that has been almost 2,000 years, but the Crusades began about a thousand years after John the Revelator died. Then the Red Horse of the Apocalypse went forth with the SWORD. For believers their sword is the Scripture or Word of God.
(?) At the consummation of the First Resurrection there are three companies of believers who will have been raised at different times. Let us say, for clarity, there are three stages of the resurrection of believers:
(1) When our Lord was crucified on the Cross, we read: “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 (Matthew 27:51-52). Yes, this was prophesied in the Old Testament and I agree.
(2) There is the second stage of the First Resurrection to which we already have made mention (1 Thessalonians 4:16), when all true believers are raised at the first appearance of Christ. To this we add the Apostle Paul's word in First Corinthians: “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 (1 Corinthians 15:52). You have to be DEAD IN CHRIST to be raised incorruptible and changed. We will be given new spiritual bodies to reside in the New Jerusalem where no evil can enter. One must have on the proper garment on for the wedding of the bride and groom.
(3) The third and final stage of the First Resurrection occurs about seven years after the resurrection of saints at Christ's coming at the rapture. “Those resurrected near the close of the seven years' period of the tribulation are the multitude of believers who were led to the truth through the witness of the 144,000. Because they would not receive the mark of the beast in their hands and foreheads, they were Marty red. These are brought forth from the dead at the end of the Tribulation just before Christ comes to earth to reign for one thousand years. [I have yet to discover in Scripture where it says 7 years of tribulation. I have noticed the 10 days of tribulation in Revelation. "Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life. [Rev. 2:10]
Christ the First fruits
But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the first fruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
After the firstfruits followed the harvesting of the larger part of the crops. We read: “Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at His coming (1 Corinthians 15:23). So...when does Christ come to you? Yes, when you first believed and received after you repented of your sins. The Harvest has been going on since Peter preached at that first Pentecost and 3,000 believed and received the Holy Ghost. It is still white unto harvest time all the time.
But the harvest is not ended as yet. It is not completed until the gleanings are added. Always there are loose ears that fall by the way, and these must be gathered up. This is called the gleaning. We recall how Ruth “came, and gleaned in the field after the reapers (Ruth 2:3). The gleanings are those tribulation saints who had not heard and believed the Gospel before the rapture of the Church. So we have Christ the firstfruits, then we have the harvest or the resurrection of the saved at the rapture, and finally the gleanings or the saved of the seven years' tribulation period. Then follows the millennial age during which all the saints of every age will reign with Christ a thousand years. What bright prospect for those who put their trust in the Son of God! But tell me, are you prepared for the coming of the Lord and the first Resurrection?
The Second Resurrection
When the thousand years are expired, Satan [with his sword and power] will be loosed for a season and will carry on his rebellion where he left off before the millennium when he was cast into the bottomless pit. Then God will have done with Satan forever, for “the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever (Revelation 20:10). We shudder at this unceasing torment without intermission, this never-ending existence in painful agony.
The Crusaders were mimicking Judas. He was a believer and from the tribe of Judah but was bribed to reveal Jesus. We are not to be led by our lusts but by the Holy Spirit. He had definitely not let go of his sins and the Holy Spirit had not been given. Zech. 4:6 "This is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts."
The final resurrection occurs, John says: “I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; . . . 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 (Revelation 20:12, 14). Who will be judged here? The answer is that there will not be one single believer in Christ that will appear before the judgment of the Great White Throne. Only the unsaved will be there, appearing in a physical body to be condemned to Hell.
Everyone, good and bad, will be judged. What are the works of Jesus? "For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also. " [James 2:26]
Mark 16:15-20 "Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat... and he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. [16] He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. [17] And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; [18] They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.
[19] So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God. [20] And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen." These are the works of Jesus and commanded of His followers. The reason for his coming was to set the captives free. They were in bondage since Adam and Eve sinned. They inherited that sinful nature. John said REPENT. Jesus said REPENT AND BELIEVE AND RECEIVE. He thus gave us the gift of Salvation and indwelt us with His Holy Spirit.Isaiah 61:2 "To proclaim the Acceptable Year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;"
Luke 4:18-21
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, [19] To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. [20] And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him. [21] And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears."The last judgment in the Bible will be that of the unsaved dead who will stand before the Great White Throne in living, resurrected bodies to receive their final sentence of doom and be cast into the lake of fire.
Did I clarify my beliefs? Thanks for the challenge. Even I learn more by doing this. Keep loving God 'cause he's coming SOON.
May God bless the reading of His Word and our testimony, jfh