But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. (Revelation 20:5)   As we have already discussed, only the saints partake in the first resurrection. Nevertheless, the passage quoted above reveals that the rest of the dead  will live again after the Lord’s millennial reign. This raises an important question: who are the rest of the dead  to whom this passage refers? It is not referring to unbelievers. Althoug

But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel. (Hebrews 12:22-24)   Heaven is presently populated by three distinct classes of God’

Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth-- those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation. (John 5:28-29)   In the previous section, we saw that the last major event before the second resurrection is the battle of Gog and Magog. Although Scripture does not reveal exactly how long after this event the second resurrection will occ

3          Destruction of Gog and Magog   Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea. They went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them. The devil, who deceive

1.1         Populations in the Millennium   We have thus far estimated that approximately one million saints will return with the Lord Jesus to reign with Him during the millennium. There are several reasons why this number fits well within the scriptural narrative. Earlier, we estimated that at the battle of Armageddon the Antichrist’s army would number approximately 1.5 million men. Throughout Scripture, the Lord consistently fields a smaller army than His enemies, thereby

1           The millennial reign of Christ   And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. (Revelation 20:4)   After the battle of Armageddon, the Lord Jesus will begin

As with the first resurrection, certain events must take place before the second resurrection can occur. In this section, we will briefly outline the three primary events that must precede the resurrection of condemnation. These events are: 1.       Armageddon 2.      The millennial reign of Christ 3.      The destruction of Gog and Magog   1           Armageddon   And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs coming out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast

Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth-- those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation. (John 5:28-29)   In an earlier section, we discussed the first of the two resurrections—namely, the resurrection of the saints. In the passage quoted above, Jesus refers to both resurrections: the first He calls the resurrection of life, an

But someone will say, "How are the dead raised up? And with what body do they come?" Foolish one, what you sow is not made alive unless it dies. And what you sow, you do not sow that body that shall be, but mere grain--perhaps wheat or some other grain. But God gives it a body as He pleases, and to each seed its own body. All flesh is not the same flesh, but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of animals, another of fish, and another of birds. There are also cele

For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up to

Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come. Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worship

Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come. Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worship

Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, "Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?" And Jesus answered and said to them: "Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many. And you will hear of wars and rumours of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is no

Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, (1 Timothy 4:1)   Spiritual weakness among believers constitutes the second condition  that has already been fulfilled. In the passage quoted above, Paul reveals that the fundamental cause of saints departing from the faith stems directly from the church’s exposure to doctrines of demons.   For the time will come when they will not endu

But the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away. (Luke 8:13)   The first sign that Paul lists is an event he calls “the falling away.”  What does Paul mean by this? He is referring to a time when a significant number of believers will choose to abandon their faith in Christ—when they will fall away  from following Him. The fact that Paul identifies this event

For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up to

But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years. (Revelation 20:5-6)   The doctrine under discussion in this series is the resurrection of the dead, and it is important to note that Scripture speaks of more than one r

But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ's at His coming. (1 Corinthians 15:20-23)   There are six recorded instances in Scripture of people being raised from the dead prior to the Lord’s

Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death; whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it. For David says concerning Him: 'I foresaw the Lord always before My face, for He is at My right hand, that I may not be shaken. Therefore My heart rejoiced, and My tongue was glad; moreover My flesh also will rest in hope. For Y

Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, "Teacher, we want to see a sign from You." But He answered and said to them, "An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. (Matthew 12:38-40)   In the previous section, we saw that altho

The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! (John 1:29)   Before Christ could become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep, He first had to become the spotless Lamb of God. Under the Old Covenant, a lamb without blemish had to be sacrificed during the Feast of Passover (Exodus 12:1–14). The Feast of Passover symbolized God’s sacrifice of His Son for the sin of the world, which is why John ref

If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable. But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ's at His coming. (1 Corinthians 15:19-23)   In the passage above,

But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, (Hebrews 12:22-23)   In the passage above, the apostle Paul identifies three categories of God’s creation that currently reside in heaven: the angels, the saints (the church), and the spirits of just men

His parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. And when He was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem according to the custom of the feast. When they had finished the days, as they returned, the Boy Jesus lingered behind in Jerusalem. And Joseph and His mother did not know it; (Luke 2:41-43)   We have noted that there is an age at which children reach a point where God deems them to have knowledge of good and evil and therefore holds them account