Resurrections 1-2-3 play download MP3
This study is actually a survey of two papers on the subject of the
resurrections. The first is a general description of each of the three
resurrections. The second focuses on the third resurrection and shows
where it is indicated in the Word of God.
1] General paper
2] Third Resurrection
SUBJECT: The three
resurrections
QUESTION: What information can you give me on the three resurrections?
ANSWER:
Following are most all our explanations and references/resources regarding the
Resurrections.
1] Listen to sermons by Garner Ted Armstrong on the resurrections: http://www.garnertedarmstrong.org/sermons.shtml
2] See our Doctrine on the Resurrections: http://www.intercontinentalcog.org/STP/stp14.htm
3] See our Statement of Beliefs on the Resurrections: http://www.intercontinentalcog.org/statementofbeliefs.shtml#14._RESURRECTIONS
4] See our Correspondence Course on the Resurrections: http://www.intercontinentalcog.org/ICGCC/Lesson_Twenty-three.shtml
5] Read the booklet, “When I Die, What Happens Next?” http://www.garnertedarmstrong.org/pubs/whenidie.htm
6] Watch the TV program, “When I Die, What Happens Next?
http://www.garnertedarmstrong.org/pubs/whenidie.htm
7] Listen to the audio booklet, “When I Die, What Happens Next?
http://www.garnertedarmstrong.org/Audio_Booklets/whenidieaudio.shtml
8] See our Specific Bible Study on the Third Resurrection http://www.intercontinentalcog.org/bibleclassspecificstudies19.shtml
Explanation of the 3 Resurrections:
1st resurrection:
For all who were called to the Salvation Process prior to the return of Christ. Covers the time from Adam to the return of Christ. These people are in judgment NOW. The Salvation Process is the judgment when someone is in it. These people are turned to spirit beings at the return of Christ.
Any who were in the Salvation Process and fell away and are dead at the time of Christ's return, will be in the Third Resurrection.
Any who were in the Salvation Process and fell away and are alive at the return of Christ are thrown into the Lake of Fire immediately.
1,000 year reign of Christ:
These are non-firstfruit humans that live into the 1,000-year reign of Christ. They never had the Holy Spirit and were never in the Salvation Process. These people will be ruled by Christ and the First Resurrection spirit beings.
They all are called into the Salvation Process. These people will not be in the first, second or third resurrections. There judgment takes place during the 1,000 years. They, at the end of a natural life [say 3 score and ten or longer] will immediately be turned to spirit beings at the end of this natural human life regardless of how old their were at the return of Christ.
Marriage will continue and so will the birthing of babies who will grow up in this 1,000-year reign and who will go into the Salvation Process and will be turned to spirit beings at the end of a normal human life.
ANY of these humans who fall away from the Process during this time are immediately thrown into the Lake of Fire. No need to save them to the Third resurrection. Besides, say a man is 27 years old and falls away from the Salvation Process he was called into at age 18. God is not going to let him live on in this human life to 70,80 or 90 for no purpose.
2nd Resurrection:
This takes place at the end of the 1,000-year reign of Christ. It involves all of the people who were never called in their human lives and who died before the return of Christ. They are resurrected into new bodies. There will be a rebellion at the end of this period and clearly these people will be put into the Lake of fire.
3rd Resurrection:
This is ONLY for people who were called to the Salvation Process in the time from Adam to the return of Christ, who were called to the Salvation Process and who fell away from that process and who happened to die prior to the return of Christ. They will be resurrected and immediately put into the Lake of Fire and die.
The Third Resurrection is probably the smallest.
General:
The House of Israel is NOT slated for any particular resurrection. The 3 resurrections involve MANKIND and not just Israel.
The 144,000 and the great multitude [perhaps a million] will be in the first
resurrection.
See booklet on this subject:
http://www.garnertedarmstrong.org/pubs/Who144000.htm
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QUESTION: I am having trouble seeing anything about the third resurrection in Revelation or anywhere else in the Bible. Could you show me where this is indicated?
ANSWER:
As we know, the Bible is a guide book to Salvation. Its primary focus is on the elements that help one to salvation and the Kingdom of God. Therefore, one is not going to get a "thus saith the Lord" on every little aspect and on every little question we might think up.
The third resurrection is clearly indicated for no other reason than it is absolutely logical. Think about it for a moment. Clearly there are people who have been given the Holy Spirit from Creation to the present. These are the firstfruits the Bible speaks of. These are the more than 3000 who were baptized in Acts 2 and the beginning of God's church. Now along the way, certain people, having that
Holy Spirit rejected God and their calling...they fell away from the Salvation Process. Some have committed the unpardonable sin by bringing blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. These people have their fate, the Lake of Fire. Clearly many of these people are already dead and merely awaiting the Lake of Fire. There is no repentance for these people and there is no second chance at Salvation. No one ever gets a second chance. Once given the truth via the Holy Spirit and entering the Salvation Process, they have their ONE chance. Now, if a person has committed the unpardonable sin and/or rejected their calling and their God AND are lying in the grave, where does God resurrect them?
Can it be the first resurrection with the firstfruits at the return of Christ? Hardly.
Can it be the second resurrection which is for all the billions who never knew Christ and/or never had the Holy Spirit? No way. The second resurrection is ONLY for those who never had the truth and never had the Holy Spirit. Those rejecting their calling and/or bringing blasphemy against the Holy Spirit DID have truth and the Holy Spirit. Clearly they will not be resurrected into new physical bodies to live out 100 years learning the truth and having the Holy Spirit. Why would God give His Holy Spirit to someone who has already rejected it?
So when the 1st and 2nd resurrections are done there MUST, by definition and spiritual logic, still be some bodies in the ground!!
Now a word about the language of the Bible. The Hebrew and the Greek do not spell things out like the English speaking world is so fond of. These languages speak in such a way that certain assumptions are present such as the logic of the resurrections. Neither these languages, as used in the Bible, nor the truth of God spells out every little detail in massive discourses of explanation. The writers of the Bible, all writing under the absolute inspiration of God (2 Tim 3:16), covered this subject of the resurrections in spiritual logic and by use of line upon line, precept upon precept (Isa 28:10, 13). Notice a few scriptures to understand what we have been talking about.
Luke 9:62
And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.
Note: If a person rejects the Holy Spirit and/or his calling is NOT fit for the Kingdom and clearly will not be there.
2 Peter 2:20
For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning.
Note: What do you think this "latter end" is?
James 1:6-8
But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.
Note: Is a double minded man fit for the Kingdom?
Heb 10:38
Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.
Note: In what form will this lack of pleasure be?
2 Tim 4:10-14
For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica; Crescens to Galatia, Titus unto Dalmatia. Only Luke is with me. Take Mark, and bring him with thee: for he is profitable to me for the ministry. And Tychicus have I sent to Ephesus. The cloke that I left at Troas with Carpus, when thou comest, bring with thee, and the books, but especially the parchments. Alexander the coppersmith did me much evil: the Lord reward him according to his works:
Note: Paul is talking of church
members here. Demas and Alexander will be rewarded according according to their
works by not being allowed into the Kingdom. Indications are these men fell
away from the Salvation Process.
Luke 17:31-33
In that day, he which shall be upon the housetop, and his stuff in the house, let him not come down to take it away: and he that is in the field, let him likewise not return back. Remember Lot's wife. Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it.
Note: Lose what life? Clearly we are talking about life eternal.
Now notice a very important passage of scripture that indicates both the 3rd resurrection and what happens to them.
Rev 20:7-15
7 And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,
8 And 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.
9 And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.
10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
11 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
Verse 7: Clearly the 1,000 year reign of Christ is over, the 2nd resurrection has taken place. We know this because:
1) Satan is loosed. He would not be loosed on the Spirit beings of the first resurrection. He would have no power.
2) There are humans present.
Verse 8: Satan goes out to deceive the nations. He is deceiving nations formed by the billions brought up in the second resurrection. Since this is AFTER the 1,000 years, we are clearly in the 100 year period of that 2nd resurrection where everyone is given the absolute truth of God and given access to the Holy Spirit.
Verse 9: Satan causes war and there is a great battle in and around Jerusalem but all of the spirit beings including Christ bring fire down and devour these rebellious humans who have clearly rejected their calling and the Holy Spirit and who are rebelling against God. These humans are dead and join those humans still in the grave who rejected their calling and/or committed the unpardonable sin before the return of Christ.
Verse 10: Satan finally put away forever.
Verse 11: Judgment Day in which everyone who lived through the 100 years are judged to see if they require the Second Death---eternal death.
Verse 12: The book of life is opened. In it are the names of everyone who gets to be in the Kingdom. The book of life is actually the Bible and all those not reflecting that spirit and truth and condemned to the Lake of Fire.
NOW NOTICE THE VERY IMPORTANT VERSE 13:
Verse 13: Both the sea and the earth (hell means grave) give up their dead.......THAT IS, THERE IS A THIRD RESURRECTION.
It cannot be the first, which took place at the return of Christ. It cannot be the second because that took place at verses 7 and 8 between the 1,000 years being expired and Satan being loosed to deceive physical people resurrected after the 1,000 years. This must be and IS the third resurrection!!! You also have other verses in the Bible, which firmly establishes both the 2nd and 3rd resurrections.
Verse 14: This verse establishes the fact that the Lake of Fire is the place of the Second Death.
Verse 15: Whoever was not in the Book of Life was thrown into the Lake of
Fire and are dead forever.
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