THE FIRST RESURRECTION
By John Nevins Andrews
The first resurrection is presented in Rev. 20: 4-6. It takes place at the commencement of the one thousand years, six times mentioned in six consecutive verses, in Rev. 20: 2-7. During this period of 1000 years those who have a part in the first resurrection will unite with Christ in the judgment of the wicked—Rev. 20: 4; 1 Cor. 6: 1-3; Dan. 7: 22. Another resurrection is presented in Rev. 20: 5, where it is said that the rest of the dead lived not again until the 1000 years were finished. Thus we see there are two resurrections in the future, one at the commencement and the other at the end of the 1000 years. But besides these two resurrections, can there not be several others? We respond, No. There can be no resurrection before that which John calls the first. He had this vision in the year 96 A. D. If a resurrection took place between the time when this vision was given and the resurrection which will take place at the commencement of the 1000 years, then the resurrection which John calls the first resurrection would not be the first, but the second. But when the spirit of God gave this vision to John, he chose this term to designate the resurrection which shall take place at the commencement of the 1000 years, and this expression, first resurrection, shows with certainty that no other will precede. There can be no resurrection during the 1000 years, because the Spirit of God says of those who are not raised at the commencement of this period, that they will not live again until the 1000 years are accomplished. But this proves that when the 1000 years are accomplished, the rest of the dead will be raised. There is, therefore, a first and a second resurrection. There will be no resurrection before the first, and there can be no other after the second; because at the second will be raised those who had not part in the first, or, according to John, it is “the rest of the dead” who will not live until the end of the 1000 years. We have this important fact clearly established that there will be two future resurrections separated by the period of 1000 years. In the first resurrection those only who are blessed and holy will have part; Rev. 20: 6. At the second resurrection all of the unjust will be raised from the dust, for then the rest of the dead will be resurrected—verse 5. The first resurrection will take place at the commencement of the 1000 years; but when will this period be? We can answer this question by mentioning an important fact. Those who belong to Christ will be raised from among the dead at the sound of the last trumpet, when he shall descend from Heaven; 1 Thess. 4: 16, 17; 1 Cor. 15: 21-23, 51, 52. Seeing there are but two resurrections in the future, that which takes place at the coming of Christ, must be either that which takes place at the commencement of the 1000 years, or at the end of that period. But in the resurrection which will take place at the coming of Christ, the just only are raised, whereas at the resurrection at the end of the 1000 years, all the unjust will be raised. It is therefore certain that the 1000 years commence at the coming of Christ, because the resurrection which takes place at the coming of Christ, is the same as that which John calls the first resurrection, and it is impossible that it should be the same as that which takes place at the end of that period. But since it is true that those only who are “blessed and holy” will be raised at the first resurrection, is it true that all those who are blessed and holy will have a part in this resurrection? Does not the 4th verse imply that only the martyrs will be raised at this resurrection? We reply that if the number is limited to the martyrs, it must, by the same reasoning, be limited to a particular class of martyrs, as this verse speaks of those who are beheaded, but it says nothing of those who have been burned at the stake or torn by wild beasts, or stoned to death, or thrown in the sea; or of those who have starved to death in prisons, or been slowly roasted by fire during the tortures of the inquisition, But in the case of the martyrs one class is taken for the whole; those who have been beheaded represent all those who have suffered death for the cause of Christ. At the same time the martyrs are not the only ones who will have a part in the first resurrection. The 4th verse translated literally represents all the just who are dead. It should be read thus: “And I beheld also the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and WHOSOEVER [Greek, kai hoitines] had not worshiped the beast,” etc. Dr. Bloomfield, in his New Testament in the Greek, and Mr. Elliott, in his Commentary on Revelations, draw attention to the fact that the literal translation of this verse, such as we give, shows that besides the class of martyrs, mention is made of a second class of persons, and these will be all those who have not worshiped the beast. And these two classes include really all those who have died in Christ; or perhaps we should say that these two classes represent all the martyrs and all those others who are dead in Christ. We can again establish the case thus: The first clause of the 4th verse represents those who will have part with Christ in the judgment. But we know from 1 Cor. 6: 2, 3; Dan. 7: 22, that all the saints will then have a part. The first clause of Rev. 20: 4 represents, therefore, all the saints, whereas the second and third clauses present two representative classes, namely, those who have been beheaded and those who have not worshiped the beast. Thus the first resurrection is that at which will be raised all those who are blessed and holy, and must consequently take place at the coming of Christ, because, “the dead in Christ” or “those who are his” will be raised at his appearing. 1 Cor. 15: 23; 1 Thess. 4: 16, 17. Surely if those who are Christ’s are raised at his appearing, all those who have a part in the first resurrection must be raised at that time. We see, therefore, that at the coming of Christ all the saints will be raised, and that this resurrection is the same as that which will take place at the commencement of the 1000 years. The resurrection of the rest of the dead at the end of this period is therefore one other than that of those who are dead in their sins. It is therefore with the strictest conformity or appropriateness of language that the Bible designates these two resurrections by different names. The one is called the resurrection of life; and the other the resurrection of condemnation. John 5: 29. The one is the resurrection of the just; the other is the resurrection of the unjust. Acts 24: 15; Luke 14: 14. The one is called the better resurrection, or the first resurrection; the other is the resurrection of the rest of the dead. Heb. 11: 35; Rev. 20: 4-6. The first is the resurrection to which Paul wished to attain, and in which all the saints who have been accounted worthy will have a part. Phil. 3: 11; Luke 20: 35. Those who will have part in the other resurrection will awake to shame and everlasting contempt. Dan. 12: 2. Those who will have part in the first resurrection will be united with Christ in the work of judgment, and this honor is promised to the saints in general, which indicates that the first resurrection will bring with it all of the just dead. Rev. 20: 4; 1 Cor. 6: 3; Dan. 7: 22. Thus we have shown that there will be two resurrections; the one will be that of the just at the coming of Christ; the other that of the unjust, 1000 years later. But to that some object that all the dead are raised at the same moment, as Christ says (John 5: 28, 29) that the time or the hour (Greek, hora) will come when all who are in their graves shall come forth. But in immediate connection with this declaration Christ employs the same Greek word which we have translated hour or time to represent the entire gospel dispensation, a period of more than 1800 years. Thus He says to the Samaritan woman that the hour would come when they would not worship the Father at Samaria or at Jerusalem, and added that the hour would come and was already arrived when the true worshipers would worship Him in spirit and in truth. John 4: 21-23. Again He says (John 5: 25), The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God, and they that hear shall live. This hour commenced at the time of Christ and is not yet finished. We can, therefore, well understand that the hour or time of John 5: 28 accords perfectly with the declaration of Rev. 20: 4-6, which teaches that between the two resurrections should be a period of 1000 years. After the second resurrection Satan will assemble all the wicked in a great army against the city of God. The human family will then be but a vast assembly; all the just will be within the city and all the wicked outside surrounding it. Then shall fire come from heaven on the unjust when they will be forever destroyed. J. N. A.