p. 7 | THE SECOND DEATH

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Jun 8, 1904

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 30, No. 23.

THE SECOND DEATH.

One of the promises to the overcomer is that he shall not be hurt of the second death.” Rev. 2:11. This promise, coming as it does by revelation of Jesus Christ to the church, is infallible proof that there is to be a second death. It is also proof that he who does not overcome sin in this life, by faith in Christ, will suffer a second death. The existence of a second death implies a coming to life after the first death.

The Word of God tells us that “as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.” 1 Cor. 15:22. The reason that in Adam all die is because of sin. “The wages of sin is death.” Jesus Christ has promised that “the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear His voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation,” condemnation. So that, tho all will have a resurrection, only a part will be raised to everlasting life; therefore the other class will be still under condemnation. Jesus also expresses it in this wise: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth My word, and believeth on Him that sent Me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation, but is passed from death unto life.” Then to what have the other class passed?—Logically they have only passed unto the second death. Eternal life is the gift of God through faith in Jesus Christ, and those who have not exercised such faith have no assurance of such life.

While all have a resurrection, the classes come in the order—“Christ the first-fruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at His coming.” 1 Cor. 15:23. This text says nothing about the resurrection of unbelievers, and we pass to another of Paul’s letters, which touches upon the subject of the resurrection. “This we say unto you by the Word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent [or precede] them which are asleep. For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the Archangel, and with the trump of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first; then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air; and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” 1 Thess. 4:15-17.

Neither does this scripture refer at all to the resurrection of unbelievers. It says that the dead in Christ shall rise first; but first of what?—First before the living righteous shall be “caught up;” for the living shall not precede the dead in going up to meet the Lord. The apostle says, just preceding the verse quoted, that “we shall not all sleep;” there will be some living when the Lord comes, and the apostle says that these “shall be changed.” A change will come over the living saints equivalent to a death and resurrection. This change will come “in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye.” See 1 Cor. 15:51-54. So we must learn of the second resurrection and the second death in other scriptures.

Revelation 20 tells us of the binding of Satan for a thousand years, so that he could not deceive the nations any more until the end of that time. This refers to the fact that when the Lord comes to receive His people, “the brightness of His coming” will slay all who are not prepared to receive Him, and to be translated into His kingdom. See 2 Thess. 2:8; Ps. 50:3-6; Isa. 66:15, 16; Rev. 19:11-21. When God’s people are taken up from the earth, the rest are all dead, Satan’s hands will be bound; he can no longer work evil among men, for there will be none upon whom he can work. After the resurrection of the righteous, the prophet saw that “the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished.” “This,” he adds, “is the first resurrection,” as is made clear by the next verse: “Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection; on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.”

During this time the dead are being judged in detail out of the books. Verses 12, 13. “And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison.” Verse 7. This means the resurrection of the wicked, and the renewal of Satan’s opportunity to deceive for a brief period. And he “shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle; the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.” Verse 8.

In the twenty-first chapter we have the vision of the New Jerusalem coming down from God out of heaven. So the continuation of Satan’s deception of the resurrected sinners leads them to attempt to take the city. “And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city.” This is the last of Satan’s deceptions, the end of his long deceptive career, and the end of those who have chosen to follow him. The wickedness and the futility of his great rebellion will then have been demonstrated before the entire universe, including all his victims, and there can be no purpose in a further prolongation of his existence. So the record of the vision says, “and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.” Further on we are told that “this is the second death.” It is this final overthrow that the overcomer shall escape by virtue of his faith in Christ. “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone; which is the second death.” Ch. 21:8. Is it not worth while to be an overcomer, and thereby secure eternal life? “For what shall it profit a man, if he gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” Mark 8:36.