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It will really surprise you.)
The Second Resurrection
Christ faced the question about
what will happen to the multitudes
:-vho have lived and died in spiritual
tgnorance. And he answered it! He
spoke of a resurrection to Iife - tbe
first resurrection -
and
of a resur–
rection to ')udgment" (John 5:29).
(This verse is incorrectly rendered in
tbe King James Version. The word
"damnation" in the
KN
is properly
translated ')udgment" in modern
versions.) Tbe resurrection to judg–
ment, of wbicb Jesus spoke, is a sec–
ond resurrection . 1t occurs a
tbousand years after tbe first resur–
rection. Tbat is why we read in Rev–
elation 20:5: "But the rest of the
dead lived not again until the thou–
sand years were finisbed .... " This
part of verse five sbould have been
translated as a parenthetical
tbought.
1t
should bave been placed
within parentheses because the pre–
ceding verses and the Iast balf of
verse
5
are about the first resurrec–
tion.
The apostle John, writing about
what he saw in this second resurrec–
tion - the resurrection to judgment
- says, "And
I
saw a great white
thione ... . And
I
saw the dead
sma ll and great , stand
befor~
God ... " (verses 11 -12).
Here, the rest of the dead - those
billions who never had a previous
opportunity for salvation - are pic–
tured as having come back to physi–
cal life in a second resurrection.
Try to picture this colossal event
in your mind: multiple milüons,
even billions of people, a veritable
sea of human beíngs wbo never had
the opportunity to understand God
and his Word before; the meo and
women, small and great, of ancient
Babylon, Persía, Greece, and Rome;
peasants and nobility of the Middle
Ages; tbe millions wbo have been
taught atbeism in China, the Soviet
Union, and elsewhere; those who
have died from sickness or were
killed in warfare through the cen-
36
turies;
your
friends and relatives
who have died - all suddenly
brought back to life in a resurrec–
tion to "judgment"!
But how will they be judged?
Notice again in Revelation 20
'
verse 12: " ... and the books were
opened .... " What books? The
Greek word for "books" in tbis case
is
biblia,
which is the root word for
"Bible." "The books" here mean the
books of the Bible, by which we a re
all to be judged!
Continuing: " ... and another
book was opened, which is tbe book
of life: and the dead were judged
out of those things which were writ–
ten in the books, according to their
works." Their names are in the book
of life - picturing salvation being
made available to them. They will
be able to compare the results of
Christ's
1
,000-year reign on the
earth (verse 5) with the world of sin
they previously lived in. Tbe over–
whelming majority will certainly
choose life and begin to live God's
way of joy and abundance. (lf you
want your eyes opened to this truth
you probably never understood be–
fore , write for our free article, " Is
This tbe Only Day ofSalvation?")
During this period of judgment,
the "book of life" is still open. Here
are people who have their names
put into the book of life - who can
qualify for e terna! life. This period
ofjudgment will not be a sentencing
for deeds done solely in past igno–
rance. These billions will instead
,
'
be given the wonderful opportunity
to hea r, accept, and live a Iife free
from tbe burdens of a sinful society
such as we now have.
"But," you may ask, "what about
the wicked - those who refuse to
obey God, those who have a1ready
had their chance to do God's will
but have spurned bis merey?
Wha~
wíll happen to them?"
The Third Resurrection
The Bible reveals that they, too,
will be resurrected - in yet a third
resurrection. Turn to Revelation
20:13-14: "And the sea gave up the
dead which were in it; and death
and hell
[hades
in Greek, meaning
"grave"] delívered up the dead
:-vhich were in them: and they were
judged every man according to their
works. And death and hell were cast
into the Jake of tire. This is the sec–
ond death."
Notice that tbere is no book of life
here. Their names have already
been blotted out! What a tragic fate
- and all could have avoided it!
They will be cast into what is
called the "Iake of tire." They will
be burned up. They will sutfer the
"second death" - the death from
wbich there will be no resurrection.
The lake of tire will be tbe absolute
end of the wicked. They will have
no more life, no more existence -
forever!
God doesn ' t look forward to im–
posing such a fate on anyone. He is
"not willing that any should perish,
but that all should come to repen–
tance" (II Peter 3:9). But for the re–
beiJious, God has no other choice.
Disobedience produces unhappi–
ness, and God wiiJ not allow
humans to be unhappy for all eter–
nity. He will, therefore, mercifully
destroy the wicked.
But for the righteous, undoubt–
edly the great majority of human
beings, God otfers "pleasures for
evermore" (Psalm
16: 11).
"He will
wipe away all tears from their eyes,
and there shall be
no more death
'
nor sorrow, nor crying, nor pain. All
of that has gone forever" (Revela–
tion 21 :4,
The Living Bible).
God reveals there is a life after
death - a beautiful, joyous, abun–
dant life in splendor and glory for
all eternity- but only for those who
obey him!
Will that include you?
o
If you would like to know more
about . what happens after a per–
son d1es - whether Christian or
non-Christian - write for our free
booklet
After Death .
. .
Then
What?
PLAIN TRUTH Moy 1973