We are glad to explain this highly misunderstood topic in detail. As we will see, the Bible clearly teaches THREE resurrections–not just one.

Paul was inspired by God to write in 1 Corinthians 15:20-26:

“But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep [who have died]. 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 [true converted Christians] at His coming. THEN COMES THE END, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an END to all [rebellious human and demonic] rule and all authority and power. For He must reign till he has put all ENEMIES under His feet. The LAST ENEMY that will be destroyed is death.”

Paul reveals that there is an ORDER of resurrections.

(1) THE FIRST RESURRECTION: When Christ returns, only those who died IN CHRIST will be resurrected. They will be resurrected to immortality. Not all the dead will be resurrected at that time.

Romans 8:11 reads: “But IF the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in YOU, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give [eternal] life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit [which] dwells in YOU.”

This resurrection to eternal life at the time of Christ’s return is described in 1 Corinthians 15:50-54.

It is also referred to in 1 Corinthians 6:14: “And God both raised up the Lord and will also raise US up by His power.”

The New King James Bible, as quoted above, does not accurately convey the Greek meaning of this passage–and neither do most other English translations. Paul is actually saying here that God will raise us up from among the dead.

The German Elberfelder Bible points out in a footnote that the literal meaning is that God will raise us out of the dead; that is, that He will bring us back to life from among and out of the dead. The passage shows that not all the dead will be resurrected at that time.

The same concept is conveyed in Philippians 3:11, where Paul speaks about his desire to “attain to the resurrection from the dead.” The choice of the word “from” is not the best. The German Menge Bible translates, “resurrection out of the dead.” Again, the Elberfelder Bible points out that Paul is talking about a resurrection from among the dead. In German, the word is “Heraus-Auferstehung”; that is, a resurrection out of the dead. This passage does not talk about a resurrection of all the dead. V.E. Vine, Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, gives the literal meaning of the word as “the out-resurrection from among the dead.”

That there will be more resurrections than just one, is also clearly revealed by Jesus in John 5:28-29: “… 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.”

Those in the first resurrection will become immortal Spirit beings–they will be part of the resurrection of ETERNAL LIFE. In speaking to the Church of God in Smyrna, Jesus said that those who overcome, “‘…shall not be hurt by the second death'” (Revelation 2:11). The nature of the “second death” will be explained below. Jesus’ promise, not to be hurt by the second death, is made to all who are called NOW to be a part of the first resurrection–as the firstfruits of God’s plan of salvation (Compare Revelation 20:6). But, the resurrection of condemnation will come later.

The first resurrection will be attained by those God has specifically called, who have repented, overcome in this lifetime and who have endured to the end–those who have not given up on their calling and returned to the ways of the world! Christians are being judged NOW. Peter states: “For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God? Now ‘If the righteous one is scarcely saved, Where will the ungodly and the sinner appear?'” (1 Peter 4:17-18).

In his second letter to the Church, Peter very specifically addresses the issue of accountability that those who are called NOW face if they turn away from God. Verses 18 through 22 of 2 Peter chapter 2, contain somber warnings for anyone so foolish as to reject God’s calling and who allow themselves to be overcome by the world, Satan or their own desires, to the point that they permanently cut themselves off from God.

(2) THE SECOND RESURRECTION: Following the first resurrection of those who died “in Christ” will be the second resurrection of those who had not accepted Christ when they died. They will come back to live, and then they are given their first opportunity. But their resurrection will come LATER–it will NOT occur at the time of Christ’s return.

Revelation 20:5, 11-12 describes the SECOND resurrection: “But the REST OF THE DEAD [who were not in the FIRST resurrection] did not live again UNTIL the thousand years [the Millennium] were finished… Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it… And I saw the dead, small and great, STANDING before God… And the dead were JUDGED…”

This second resurrection is not one to eternal life, but to physical life. It is a resurrection to JUDGMENT–but NOT to condemnation!

Ezekiel 37:7-11 describes the resurrection of the entire house of Israel to PHYSICAL LIFE. They will be resurrected in the SECOND resurrection. When the dead of Israel are brought back again to physical life, God will deal with them as He deals with true Christians today. Once a person comes to true understanding, accepts God’s way of life, repents of his sins, believes in Christ‘s sacrifice and the gospel and becomes baptized, then God grants him forgiveness and offers him the gift of the Holy Spirit. We see in Ezekiel 37:14 that the Holy Spirit is offered to the resurrected Israelites–obviously after they have repented of their sins and have become baptized. The people of the house of Israel will know God and begin to live a life pleasing to God. If they overcome and endure, they will receive immortality (compare Romans 11:32; Romans 11:26).

But it is not only the people of Israel who will be resurrected at that time. We read in Matthew 12:41-42 that the men of Nineveh and the queen of the South “will RISE UP in the JUDGMENT” with people who were alive at the time of Jesus Christ. Compare, too, Matthew 10:14-15 and Matthew 11:21-24, referring to other unconverted people who had died in the past.

Some commentaries understand that the Bible teaches more than one resurrection. The Nelson Study Bible comments on Revelation 20: “The resurrection of the dead will not encompass all people at the same time… there will be a first resurrection of dead believers before the thousand years of Christ’s reign and a final resurrection after the millennium is finished, before the great white throne judgment…” However, as we will see, the resurrection before the Great White Throne is NOT the final resurrection.

Halley’s Bible Handbook states: “… there will be Two resurrections, one before, and one after, the Millennium…”

But this is not accurate, either. There will be actually TWO resurrections after the Millennium. The SECOND resurrection, after the Millennium, was discussed above. But there will a FINAL resurrection which will follow the second resurrection. We refer to it as the THIRD resurrection.

(3) THE THIRD RESURRECTION: Sadly, there are those who have had their opportunity. They have committed the “unpardonable sin.” They knew and understood perfectly well, that they had to submit to Christ, but they refused to do so. They became bitter, hateful, resentful and malicious. They made the unchangeable decision NEVER to repent. If a person has reached that stage that he cannot repent, because he has made the final decision NOT to WANT to repent, then God will not force repentance on such a person. God grants repentance, but a person must want to receive it. A person, though, who maliciously rejects Christ, would only continue to live in misery and pain–and that is why God will save such a person from eternal misery, by DESTROYING him in a lake of fire.

Revelation 20:13-15 describes the THIRD resurrection, which will occur some time AFTER the judgment period of the second resurrection:

“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. Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.”

God refers to the coming THIRD resurrection in the book of Daniel. In contrasting the FIRST resurrection with the THIRD resurrection, we are told, in Daniel 12:2: “And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, Some to EVERLASTING life, Some to shame and EVERLASTING CONTEMPT.”

Notice, it does not say that they will live forever in everlasting contempt. But it says that they will WAKE UP “to” everlasting contempt–their fate will be one of everlasting consequences.

The following Scriptures also describe the fate of those who will be brought back to life in the third resurrection: Obadiah 16; Malachi 4:3; Matthew 3:10; Hebrews 6:4-8; Hebrews 10:26-27; and 2 Peter 3:7.

The vast majority of all of humanity will be judged during the second resurrection. Even at this time, it may well be that some will ultimately reject God’s offer of salvation and eternal life–just as some called before the first resurrection will have turned away from God.

However, God is “…not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9); and, God “…desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4). Yet, God will not force people to choose life– even though He will give all an opportunity for eternal life in His Kingdom.

You might also want to read Christ’s parable of Lazarus and the rich man, in Luke 16:19-31. While Lazarus was resurrected to immortal life in the FIRST resurrection, the rich man is being resurrected, more than 1,000 years later, in the THIRD resurrection. He sees the flames and acknowledges his fate, knowing that he will be cast into the lake of fire to be burnt up.

In spite of what many preach and believe today, the Bible clearly reveals that there will be some who will have committed the unpardonable sin. They will be destroyed by fire: “‘But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death'” (Revelation 21:8).

Some have wondered why there should be a third resurrection, if their fate was already sealed at the time of their death. Why wouldn’t God just leave them in their graves–rather than resurrecting them again to physical life to destroy them forever? We may not know completely the answer to this question, but God gives us several hints. God is a God of JUSTICE. In raising those who have committed the unpardonable sin to physical life, their attitude will become manifest to all alive at that time. When they witness their conduct, they will never be able to question God’s compassionate and uncompromising justice; as well as His merciful wisdom to free those hateful human beings from their emotional misery and pain.

While most professing Christians don’t believe in more than one resurrection–if they believe in a resurrection at all–the Bible clearly reveals three resurrections. True Christians are to strive to attain the FIRST or “better resurrection” (Hebrews 11:35). We read that if they attain that resurrection to eternal life, they will not “come into judgment” of the second resurrection (compare John 5:24).

God has given the responsibility of judgment to Jesus Christ (Compare John 5:22), and all will appear before Christ for this judgment–whether called now or in a future resurrection (Compare 2 Corinthians 5:10).

For further information on the important subject of the three resurrections, please read our free booklets, “Do We Have an Immortal Soul?“, “God’s Commanded Holy Days,” “The Meaning of God’s Spring Holy Days” and “The Meaning of God’s Fall Holy Days.” In addition, you might want to read our Q&A on, “Do You Teach a Resurrection of the Physical Body?,” and you may want to listen to Norbert Link’s audio sermon, dated October 18, 2003, titled, “The Three Resurrections.”

Lead Writers: Norbert Link and Dave Harris

Indeed there are numerous examples of resurrections, both in the Old
and the New Testament! For instance, 2 Kings 13:21 relates the record
of a dead person who “revived and stood on his feet,” when the bones of
Elisha touched him. There was no magic associated with Elisha’s bones
but it was a demonstration of God’s power and His approval of
Elisha–showing that he died as a servant of God, even though he died
from a sickness (verse 14). Also, John 11:38-44 records the story of
the resurrection of Lazarus who had been dead for several days. We also
read, in Luke 8:49-56, that Christ brought a dead girl back to life. In
the case of the young girl, we read that Christ commanded the parents
“that she be given something to eat” (verse 55) — proving that this
was a resurrection to physical life, as immortal beings have no need to
eat physical food. And after Jesus had died and was resurrected to
immortality, “the graves were opened and many bodies of the saints who
had fallen asleep were raised” (Matthew 27:52; compare verse 53).
However, all of these were resurrections to temporary physical
lives–not to eternal, immortal life. A Question & Answer about
Matthew 27:52 has previously been covered in Update #152, dated July
16, 2004.

In addition, those who are alive at Christ’s return
will not suffer death in the way that we understand it today, but will
be changed instantly from physical existence to Spirit beings (compare
1 Thessalonians 4:15-17).

Why, then, do we read that it is
appointed to all men to die once, and after that the judgment? The
physical resurrections which we have discussed herein were not followed
by judgment; rather, their resurrection to judgment in the resurrection
will still occur.

The King James Commentary has this to say
about Hebrews 9:27: “’As it is appointed unto men once to die.’ The
relation of verse 27 to its context is often dismissed in order to
stress the certainty of man’s future judgment. It is axiomatic that man
dies once. Exceptions do exist (then cited)… But no exceptions
concerning God’s judgment can be cited. There is no reincarnation…
Yet the full significance of verse 27 cannot be seen apart from verse
28. As it is appointed unto men once to die… So Christ was once
offered to bear the sins of many (cf. Isa 53:12). The
author is clearly presenting a comparison. As it is with man, so it was
with Christ. As man can only die once, so the man Christ could only die
once as a sacrifice. His relation to humanity would be marred if he
would have to die more than once. Similarly, a second comparison seems
evident. Beyond death there exists another reality. For man it is the
reality of appearing for judgment; for Christ it is the certainty of
appearing with deliverance from condemnation unto them that look for
him.”

Taking into account the above examples of those who were
resurrected back to life, how is Hebrews 9:27 to be rightly understood?
The key words are “but after this the judgment,” showing that judgment
is not something that will be avoided by anyone. Those who were raised
from the dead lived a little longer as physical human beings for
specific purposes such as showing the power of God and the healing
power of the Messiah.

The Broadman Bible Commentary states of Hebrews 9:27:

“Our
High Priest, who has entered into the heavenly tabernacle, will come
again for his own. He wants his people to be ready for his coming.
Christ’s people are to live under the awareness that they must one day
give an accounting to God. After death there is the reality of
judgment. For those who are ready, the Judge is also the Saviour. The
early church never forgot that, beyond death, every man has a
rendezvous with God. For the enemies of God, this thought is full of
terror. For the friends of God, it is full of hope for his appearance
will mean salvation.”

We must all die once, or at least, undergo
a change equivalent to death (at Christ’s second coming) and then the
judgment. Those who were raised back to life, albeit temporarily, had
not been (finally) judged when they initially died, and they lived on
for a number of years before dying again. And having died they, like
everyone else, will face the judgment in due course. Notice that
Hebrews 9:27 does not say that man dies once, and that he will then
immediately be judged afterwards. Rather, the Scripture allows for much
time to pass before the judgment. It also allows for a temporary
resurrection back to physical life, which is just–so to speak–a
continuation of their physical life span. But ultimately, they will
die, and then there will be the judgment waiting for them, in due time.
It is also true, of course, that the judgment has already begun today
for the house of God–that is, for converted Christians (1 Peter 4:17).
But even they will still have to appear before the judgment seat of
Christ at the time of their resurrection or change to immortal life to
give account (Romans 14:10-12; 2 Corinthians 5:10). This aspect of
God’s plan is more fully discussed in our free booklet, “The Gospel of
the Kingdom of God.”

After we die, we will be raised back to
life. Those in the first resurrection will be immortal Spirit
beings–they will not have to face the possibility of death, but they
have “passed from death into life” (compare John 5:24). But they still
will appear before the judgment seat of Christ (compare, too, 1 John
4:17). Those in the second resurrection will be physical human
beings–they will be going through a judgment period before they are
ultimately judged worthy to receive eternal life or eternal death
(compare Revelation 20:5-6, 11-12). And those in the third resurrection
will be physical beings who have their judgment of eternal death
pronounced to them at that time–they will be thrown into the lake of
fire to be destroyed and burnt up (Revelation 20:13-15). So we see that
in each case, men will “die once, but after this the judgment,” as
Hebrews 9:27 says.

Lead Writers: Brian Gale and Norbert Link

In Matthew 5:21-22, Jesus speaks about literal murder as well as feelings and expressions of hate. The passage reads as follows:

“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’ But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ [Margin: Lit, in Aram., Empty head] shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell [Margin: Gr. Gehenna] fire.”

As seen above, the New King James Bible, as well as most translations, render the last expression as “fool.” However, as this word is understood today by the common reader, it does not seem to be much worse than the term “Raca” (i.e., “empty head”). Why, then, the strong difference in potential judgment?  Some commentaries and
translations admit that they don’t really know what the word means, which they render “fool.” Some say, one cannot translate this word.

Others equate the word for “fool” with “child of hell” or “profane.” Some say, “godless person,” or, “go to hell.” Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words feels, the word means, “a morally worthless person.”

An interesting possibility is proposed by the Lamsa Bible, which renders the passage in this way:

“You have heard that it was said to those who were before you, You shall not kill, and whoever kills is guilty before the court. But I say to you that whoever becomes angry with his brother for no reason is guilty before the court; and whoever should say to his brother, Raca (which means, I spit on you) is guilty before the congregation; and whoever says to his brother, you are effeminate [Footnote: Aramaic, brutish; abnormal. We might want to add here that the word “effeminate” conveys the thought of being “womanly” or “unmanly”–a sexual reference to homosexuality], is condemned to hell fire.”

Throughout the Bible, the concept of a “fool” is equated with one who denies the existence of God or His role in man’s life. In Romans 1:21-22, 26-27, Paul explains the truth that man, when acting and being foolish, may engage, in some cases, in the practice of homosexuality: “… although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their FOOLISH hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became FOOLS [Note that this is not the same word as the one used in Matthew 5:22, but it conveys a similar concept]… For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the women, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful…”

The Nelson Study Bible gives the following explanation to Matthew 5:21-22:

“‘You have heard’ refers to the teaching of various rabbis rather than to that of Moses. Jesus was questioning the interpretation of the Jewish scholars, not the Old Testament itself. The scribes and Pharisees said that a person who referred to another as Raca, meaning empty head, was in danger of being sued for libel before the council (or the
Sanhedrin). On the other hand, Jesus said that whoever calls another a fool will have to answer to God. That is not to say that calling someone a fool will condemn a believer to eternal punishment in hell. Rather Jesus was saying that to utter such words is to place oneself in a worse condition at the time of judgment (see 1 Cor. 3:12-15).”

We might note, in this context, Christ’s warning in Matthew 12:36-37:

“But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

Matthew Henry makes the following well-considered comments to Matthew 5:21-22:

“The laws of God are not novel, upstart laws, but were delivered to them of old time; they are ancient laws, but of that nature as never to be antiquated nor grow obsolete. Killing is here forbidden, killing ourselves, killing any other, directly or indirectly, or being any way accessory to it. The law of God, the God of life, is a hedge of protection about our lives.”

We remark, in passing, that these comments do not leave any room and do not give any exception or justification for killing in war. God considers killing in WAR as MURDER as much as any other intentional killing of a human being, including abortion and suicide (Please read our free booklets, “Should YOU Fight in War?” and “Are You Already Born Again?”). To continue with Henry’s comments:

“[The Jewish teachers contended that] the law… was only external, and forbade no more than the act of murder, and laid no restraint upon the inward lusts, from which ‘wars and fightings come’ [compare James 4:1-2]. This was indeed the fundamental error of the Jewish teachers, that the divine law prohibited only the sinful act, not the sinful thought… Christ tells them that ‘rash anger’ is ‘heart-murder’ (v. 22)… he that is thus angry [please note here that righteous indignation is excluded, i.e. godly anger with cause; compare Mark 3:5], would kill if he could… he has taken the first step towards it… He tells them, that giving opprobrious [i.e., showing scorn or reproach; abusive] language to our brother is tongue-murder, calling him ‘Raca,’ and ‘Thou fool’… ‘Raca’ is a scornful word, and comes from pride, ‘Thou empty fellow.’… ‘Thou fool,’ is a spiteful word, and comes from hatred; looking upon him, not only as mean and not to be honoured, but as vile and not to be loved… ‘he that is angry with his brother shall be in danger of the judgment’ and anger of God; he that calls him ‘Raca, shall be in danger of the council,’ of being punished by the Sanhedrin for reviling an Israelite; ‘but whosoever saith, Thou fool,’ thou profane person, thou child of hell, ‘shall be in danger of hell-fire,’ to which he condemns his brother. Christ would thus show which sin was most sinful, by showing which it was the punishment whereof was most dreadful.”

Jamieson, Fausset and Brown likewise point out in their “Commentary on the Whole Bible,” that Christ, as the “Lawgiver and the Judge,” gave the “true sense” of the law against murder, explaining with an “authoritative tone” the “deep rich of the commandment.” The violation of the commandment, “Thou shalt not kill,” leads to “judgment,” that is, “to the sentence of those inferior courts of judicature which were established in all the principal towns, in compliance with Deuteronomy 16:16. Thus was this commandment reduced, from a holy law of the
heart-searching God, to a mere criminal statute, taking cognizance only to outward actions.”

The commentary continues to explain that Christ focused on the heart and mind of the perpetrator.  We might add that John later explained: “Whoever hates his brother IS a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him” (1 John 3:15).

Jamieson, Fausset and Brown also take the position that all three punishments, listed in Matthew 5:21-22, are references to “divine retribution… though this is expressed by an ALLUSION to Jewish tribunals. The ‘judgment’… was the lowest of these; the ‘council,’ or ‘Sanhedrin,’–which sat at Jerusalem–was the highest; while the word used for ‘hell fire’ [in Greek: Gehenna fire] contains an allusion to the ‘valley of the son of Hinnom’ (Josh. 18:16). In this valley the Jews, when steeped in idolatry, went [to] the length of burning their children to Molech ‘on the high places of Tophet’–in consequence of which good Josiah defiled it, to prevent the repetition of such abominations (II Kings 23:10); and from that time forward… a fire was kept burning in it to consume the carrion and all kinds of
impurities that collected about the capital.”

The commentary continues to explain that the ancients understood that “the final punishment of the [unrepentant] wicked [was] described in the Old Testament by alluding to this valley of Tophet or Hinnom (Isa. 30:33; 66:24).”

In other words, Christ’s allusion to punishment in Gehenna–elsewhere described as the lake of fire (Revelation 20:14-15), which will DESTROY or “BURN UP” the wicked [compare Malachi 4:1]–has reference to those who maliciously refuse to repent of their evil ways. Christ said that EVERY sin can and will be forgiven man, upon repentance, except the sin against the Holy Spirit (Matthew 12:31-32). If we reject the workings of the Holy Spirit in our lives, we reject God’s power in us which could change us. Permanent refusal to change is tantamount to sin against God and His Spirit. For instance, if we refuse to overcome hate toward others, God’s Holy Spirit, dwelling in us, will ultimately leave us (compare again 1 John 3:15).

To understand why it is so serious to call a brother a “fool”–the meaning of which might include a “child of hell” or an “effeminate,” that is, a sexually abnormal person–is because it is the fate of those kinds of people to end up in the lake of fire, unless they repent (compare Revelation 21:8; 22:15). It is a serious matter to falsely call a brother or a sister in Christ a sexually immoral person or a “dog,” i.e., a homosexual. This is not to say that we must blind our eyes to true facts. Paul was not afraid to point out that some, including in the church, were–or had been–sexually “abnormal” (compare 1 Corinthians 6:9-11; 5:9-13). However, Christ warned us not to make incorrect charges of immoral conduct against others, and especially our brethren, because of motivation of hate and malice.

To conclude, we want to quote from the following helpful analysis, found in The Broadman Bible Commentary:

“Jesus traced sin back to disposition, attitude, or intention. The overt act of murder has its root in anger, hostility or contempt for another. Jesus cited anger…, insulting one’s brother… and calling another fool… as being crimes for which one is [or should be] brought before the court (local court of 23 persons), the Sanhedrin (highest ruling body of the Jews), or for which he is liable to Gehenna. No court seeks to convict a person on the grounds of feeling or attitude, but feelings of anger or contempt are as dangerous as are the outward crimes for which one is brought into the courts or considered liable to hell [i.e. Gehenna fire–that is, ultimate extinction]. Jesus’ words… are to be understood as radical protests and warnings against wrong feelings toward another… That Jesus had his own community in mind is reflected in the recurrence of ‘his brother,’ a term reserved in Matthew for a Christian brother. Anger and contempt are not only self-destructive but destroy the fellowship of the church.”

Lead Writer: Norbert Link