Revelation 20:13 “The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works.”
The above passage of scripture speaks about the resurrection of the unbelievers, for it mentions that all in Hades will be raised on that day, and currently all unbelievers that have died, are suffering torment in Hades (Luke 16:23). When this passage refers to the dead in the sea, it is not referring to the physical oceans of the earth, but rather the sea of nations on the earth, for the scripture very often likens the nations of the earth to a sea (Daniel 7:2). And so, we see that the dead in the sea are in fact all unbelievers (who are spiritually dead) that will still be living on the earth at that time. This passage, therefore, highlights another truth for us, i.e. just as there will be believers alive on the earth when the first resurrection takes place (1 Thessalonians 4:15), so there will also be unbelievers alive on the earth, when the second resurrection takes place.
1 Corinthians 15:35-44 “But someone will say, "How are the dead raised up? And with what body do they come?" (36) Foolish one, what you sow is not made alive unless it dies. … (42) So also is the resurrection of the dead. The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption. (43) It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. (44) It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.”
And so, the question then arises, when the unbelievers are raised from the dead on that day, will they receive resurrected bodies? The answer to that question is a resounding, “no”. In the above passage of scripture, we see that when the saints are raised from the dead, that their bodies will be made alive, and we see that they will receive spiritual bodies. The children of God will also receive physical bodies when they are raised from the dead. The bodies of the unbelievers will not be made alive however, and so all unbelievers will be raised from the dead in spirit only, and not in body.
Michael E.B. Maher
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