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I expressed these key thoughts as minor points and footnotes in other posts, but they clearly merit repetition in a separate post. Why? Written across the 2nd and early 3rd ages of human history, The Bible uses 'strategic expressions and phraseology' that are intended to 'reach and speak' to people across the remaining 3 ages on this current version of Earth. The number of cultures, societies and language groups it will reach is unfathomable!!!
So consider how it conveys the concept of the first and last resurrection. In our day, the word, 'first', has an extremely narrow, often erroneous signification. For example, consider how some religions and cultures have relegated God Almighty to a mere number, totally ignoring the many, deeper significations of that word.
Any serious student of the Bible will clearly recognize the phrase, 'first resurrection', does not refer to a numerical event. Rather, it conveys the notion of several phased resurrections to eternal life, of faithful saints across the ages of human history, people who will have died in faith toward the unseen God Almighty, The God Who revealed Himself to Adam, Enoch and others in the 1st age of history, and later to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and many others in the 2nd and 3rd ages of history.
The 'first resurrection' began with the resurrection of all 1st and 2nd ages saints, as indicated in Matthew 27:51-53. This is when the second points of Psalm 68:18 and Ephesians 4:8 were fulfilled. The second phase/event of the first resurrection’ will be at the end of this current 3rd age of history, known as the church age or the age of Grace. The third phase/event of the first resurrection’ will be at the end of the 4th age of human history, the tribulation age. It will include people who will have embraced Christ as Savior and Lord during the 7-year tribulation age. (See: Revelation 7) The Bible is not clear regarding a resurrection/rapture event at the end of The Millennial Reign age. I intuit there will not be such an event, unless The Lord's strategic and tactical moves change significantly. (See: Salvation in The Millennium (Series)) The last resurrection event will be at the end of the 6th age of history, the short post-Millennial Reign age (Revelation 20:11-15). It apparently will include a mix of all saints and sinners who will not have been resurrected and/or raptured during any of the previous ages, and it will precede the promised destruction of the current Earth and universe. In this final resurrection/rapture event, The Lord will consult His Book of Eternal Life (Revelation 20:12) to sort His saints from across the last age(s) of history, from all unrepentant sinners from across the initial 6 ages of history. My, my, what a crowd that will be, folks standing before The Lord God in their brand new, eternal bodies, ready to be assigned to one of two possible eternal experiences.
Thus, the concept of ‘first resurrection’ is not at all related to our narrow numerical concept of merely ‘one’! Have you noticed there is no specific reference in The Bible to ‘the second resurrection’? Though not specifically noted, it is what Jesus inferred in John 5:29, as the resurrection of eternal condemnation, i.e., residency in the eternal lake of fire, with every devil who will have deceived people to commit and not repent of their sins.
Another potentially confusing concept or phrase is 'the second death'. This clearly flies into the face of the notion, 'once dead, always dead!' Therefore, Bible teachers who use this phrase without a clear, contextual explanation, do a potentially serious dis-service to audiences who might not grasp the notion. Perhaps in an effort to avoid confusion, The Lord clearly DEFINED 'the second death'. But... He nestled His definition in the ANTEPENULTIMATE and the ULTIMATE chapters of the ULTIMATE/LAST book of The Bible, the very one most people, even many preachers and teachers, TOTALLY AVOID because it is a challenge to comprehend! The second death is clearly defined as eternal, sentient residency in the lake of fire that burns with brimstone/sulfur, along with every devil (fallen angels) who will have duped people into a life of unrepentant sinfulness. Period. Imagine if this definition was in The Book of Genesis, and several others along the way to The Book of Revelation. I wonder if such might have influenced people's beliefs and decisions... (Any thoughts?)
Moreover, we tend to misconstrue the notion of hell (hades) to refer to an eternal experience. In fact, the Bible clearly, but only once in its LAST book, reveals hell only serves a temporary objective, namely, to host the twin spirits and souls of unrepentant, un-saved sinners UNTIL their resurrection from hell, when they will be raised in immortal bodies, judged before The Lord, then cast into the eternal lake of fire (get this) ALONG with hell! (Revelation 20:11-15). Ergo, I intuit the eternal lake of fire must be so many times bigger and more awful, in so many ways, than hell, which will be cast into this lake, very likely somewhere on the new Earth, per Isaiah 66:22 - 24 and Revelation 22:15. Can your imagination handle that??
Here are my conclusions:
1. Revelation, the last book of the Bible, not about ‘the end of this world’, but is largely about how The Lord will transition from the 4th age of history (the 7- year tribulation age), to the 5th age (the Millennial Reign of Christ with His immortal, glorified saints from all previous ages). The result will be a significantly REFRESHED Earth, possibly similar to the pre-flood, golden age of history. This book warrants iterative readings, and seriously deep study! Even if you don't understand it, READ IT again, and again, and again. Did you know there are blessings to be had just for reading it? (Revelation 1:3) I have read it countless times, and each time, I gain fresh insights, linked to other parts of The Bible. And this year (2023) The Lord opened wide His ‘wisdom vault’, which I shared in 3 series on Revelation. Moreover, read and study it in context of Deuteronomy 32, the last half of Ezekiel 14, Ezekiel 38, 39 and Zechariah 14.2. The last chapters of the primarily prophetic books of The Old Testament (Isaiah to Malachi) convey The Lord's summary or closing perspectives on issues noted in these books. They warrant careful attention and study to perceive The Mind of Christ.
3. Be on guard against quick mis-interpretations of odd expressions and phraseology across the ages and pages of the Bible. First, try to perceive their strategic meanings in context of the times in which they are referenced. Then try to perceive them in the much broader spiritual context of The Lord's multi-millennial plan and messages to humanity. It helps greatly to read such phrases in several Bible versions, e.g., in Biblegateway.com. I always find The Young’s Literal Version and the Complete Jewish Bible to be insightful.
4. Realize none of this is easy or can be done quickly. It takes a lifetime to develop 'deep study roots' and 'disciple's discipline'. And even after that, we'll still be forever learning, per Ephesians 2:7! The concept of being a 'life long learner' applies, not only in this life, but for us saints, will also apply ...throughout eternity!!!
As the expression goes, 'You good with that?'
