The First Resurrection and the Second Death
What do these mean?
1. The First Death
At first, the Bible calls the death of flesh “to sleep”.
Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt. (Dan.12:2)
After he had said this, he went on to tell them, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up." His disciples replied, "Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better." Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep. (John11:11-13)
The death God had said doesn’t mean the death of flesh. It indicates being forsaken by God. Adam committed sin and was thrown out by God, which is the First Death. All his descendants are among the death. Thus Jesus called people the dead.
Another disciple said to him, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father." But Jesus told him, "Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead." (Matt.8:21-22)
After Adam was forsaken from God’s world, he belonged to the Devil so people are being ruled by the Devil. It was revealed by a devil who tested Jesus.
The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And he said to him, "I will give you all their authority and splendor, for it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. So if you worship me, it will all be yours." (Luke4:5-7)
Thus after death of flesh, the spirit is dragged by devils to their world, Hades. The Bible indicates this as Hades follows behind Death.
I looked, and there before me was a pale horse! Its rider was named Death, and Hades was following close behind him. (Rev.6:8)
Thus the dead will come out from Hades and be judged at the Last Judgment.
The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done. (Rev.20:13)
As you saw it, throwing out by God and being ruled by the Devil is called the First Death.
2. Jesus’ Resurrection
To escape from death is called resurrection. The firstfruits of it is Jesus.
But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. (1Cor.15:20)
People think Jesus was resurrected in a fleshly body. Had ever Jesus said the resurrection of body? No.
The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life. (John6:63)
Paul the apostle also said resurrection as raising up with a spiritual body.
So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. (1Cor.15:4244)
God’s world is out of the universe, and spirits live there. We cannot go there with this body of flesh. Jesus was resurrected in a spiritual body, however it was too difficult to acknowledge people the meaning of resurrection for the moment, so he acted as if he had flesh not to be misunderstood as he was a ghost.
While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you." They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. He said to them, "Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have." (Luke24:36-39)
However Jesus who said so had appeared from nowhere. It shows he had not a fleshly body. Also Maria who saw first resurrected Jesus failed to recognize him.
At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus. (John20:14)
That’s because his appearance returned to his original shape he had before he had come to this world.
3. The First Resurrection
To escape from the First Death, that is, from the Devil who has the power of the Death, is called the First Resurrection. Most of those who have part in the First Resurrection are martyrs.
I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony for Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or his image and had not received his mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years. (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.) This is the first resurrection. (Rev.20:4-5)
They are soldiers of heaven. They come to life, however that’s not mean they have flesh again. They are soldiers to fight against the Devil, and the Devil is spirit so they are also spirit. Resurrection means to escape from the Devil’s power. The number of them is 144,000. God’s aim through the work of 6,000 years is to make this army. Only after the completion of the number, the vengeance of the martyrs could be achieved.
When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. They called out in a loud voice, "How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?" Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and brothers who were to be killed as they had been was completed. (Rev.6:9-11)
The scene after the completion of the number is below:
Then I looked, and there before me was the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father's name written on their foreheads. (Rev.14:1)
Those who have the name of the Lamb on their foreheads are the saints of the new Testament era, and the name of his Father, the saints of the old Testament era. That is called to be put a seal.
Then I heard the number of those who were sealed: 144,000 from all the tribes of Israel. (Rev.7:4)
They are composed of 12,000 from each tribe, and all of them are 144,000. They come from Israel which doesn’t mean THE nation Israel, but God’s people. That’s because those who are purchased with Jesus’ blood come from every nation.
And they sang a new song: "You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth." (Rev.5:9-10)
4. The Second Resurrection and the Second Death
After the completion of the army of heaven, the Devil shall be locked in the Abyss for a thousand years and they will be trained to fight against the Devil.
He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. He threw him into the Abyss, and locked and sealed it over him, to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand years were ended. After that, he must be set free for a short time. (Rev.20:23)
After the thousand years, the Devil shall be destroyed, and all souls who were dragged by devils will come out and be judged. This is the Second Resurrection. At that time some will go to eternal life, and others, eternal punishment.
"Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life." (Matt.25:46)
At that time, those who have part in the First Resurrection will judge them. Those who will be saved in the judgment will be people in the kingdom of heaven. And others whose name is not in the book of life will be thrown into the lake of fire, which is the Second Death.
The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. (Rev.20:13-15)
Then the soldiers of heaven will be the eternal kings and rule people of the kingdom of heaven.
There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever. (Rev.22:5)
After the Judgment, there will be a new heaven and a new earth.
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. (Rev.21:1)
At that time, this fleshly world which we see now with our eyes will be disappeared and exist no more. The new world God will create is for spirits. This fleshly world is a temporary one to produce God’s army to fight against the Devil. There is no breeding in the world of spirit, so God made this world of flesh to produce offsprings of man and woman. At the new world, God will put the Devil and the bad in the lake of fire eternally to alert spirits not to do evil anymore.
And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever. (Rev.20:10)
"And they will go out and look upon the dead bodies of those who rebelled against me; their worm will not die, nor will their fire be quenched, and they will be loathsome to all mankind." (Is.66:24)
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