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The Third Resurrection: What Is Its Value?

'Ready Answer' by Staff

The God for His plan of salvation, which includes the order of resurrections as described in Scripture. There is an appointed sequence: Christ the firstfruits, followed by those who are Christ's at His coming. The third resurrection, however, stands as a solemn event for those who have rejected God across all time periods and will not repent. These incorrigibles, when raised in the third resurrection, face no hope for salvation and are doomed to the Lake of Fire, known as the second death, with an unbridgeable gulf separating them from immortality. The concept of dying multiple times raises questions, as Scripture states that all are appointed to die once. Yet, some have physically died and been resurrected, only to die again, such as Lazarus and others. It is conceivable that a few might even die a third time, depending on their calling and conversion. If not called or converted, they may rise in the second resurrection, live again, and face either transformation to spirit or a final death in the Lake of Fire. The term "second death" emphasizes the permanence of this judgment, where no further resurrection is possible, though for some it could represent a third physical death. The purpose of the third resurrection is rooted in God's justice. He is not vengeful in a hateful sense, nor does He punish for mere cruelty. His judgment is swift and just, as seen in the burning and forgetting of those who merit the Lake of Fire. Fairness demands that all stand before the judgment seat of Christ to answer for their lives. To allow the wicked to escape punishment would be unjust to those who strive to overcome. Thus, the third resurrection holds real value, serving as a deterrent and a powerful motivation to remain close to God, even as He draws us primarily with love. For those few who will never respond, their fate in the third resurrection fulfills God's perfect justice and stands as a warning to others.

Basic Doctrines: The First Resurrection

Bible Study by Martin G. Collins

Death is a reality all must face, yet the hope of the Christian lies in the resurrection of the dead. The same God who resurrected Jesus Christ from the grave will also raise all the dead to life again. The New Testament consistently teaches hope in the resurrection, grounded in Christ's resurrection as the firstborn from the dead. By means of the resurrection, the vast majority of mankind will receive the opportunity for salvation and the gift of eternal life, though a few who willfully reject God's way of life will not. The Bible identifies two types of resurrections: special acts of God's mercy restoring people to physical life, and resurrections to spiritual, eternal life. It also contrasts resurrection to life with resurrection to judgment or condemnation. Our resurrection to eternal life is made possible because Jesus Christ died to pay for our sins and rose from the grave as the firstborn of many brethren. His resurrection to life enables our own, for we are saved because Christ lives now and forever. There is more than one resurrection of the dead. The saints of God will be part of the first and better resurrection, while the Bible indicates at least two separate resurrections for the just and the unjust. Only the just, the righteous, will rise at Christ's second coming. God will raise the martyred saints to eternal life, but the unjust dead will not be resurrected until a later period. If we have the Holy Spirit dwelling in us when we die, we will be resurrected through the power of that same Spirit at that time. Additionally, those who are true Christians at His coming will rise in the first resurrection. Paul speaks of the redemption of our body, expressing willingness to suffer the loss of all things to experience the power of Christ's resurrection. Since our citizenship is in heaven, our hope lies there, and Christ our Savior will change our corrupt bodies into bodies like His glorious body, from mortal flesh to immortal, incorruptible spirit. Jesus promises the overcoming saints a new name known only to the recipient, as well as the names of God and His city, New Jerusalem. God will give the saints power over the nations under Christ, and they will be clothed in righteousness and sit with Him on His throne. God has established an order of resurrections. His saints will rise first, followed by a second resurrection of most of mankind who never had a chance to know God's truth during their lives. Finally, in a third resurrection, the wicked who knew God's truth and rejected it will come up to face eternal judgment, death in the Lake of Fire. It is far better to be in the first resurrection, to live as eternal spirit beings in the God Family, filled with God's own character and incapable of sin.

Resurrection AD 31

'Ready Answer' by Staff

The Bible describes two main types of resurrection. The first type is resurrection to immortal, spiritual life, exemplified by Jesus Christ's own resurrection, which is often referred to as the First Resurrection. The second type is resurrection to mortal, physical, temporary life, similar to the life humans currently experience. This physical resurrection, termed the Second Resurrection, is detailed in scripture as a future event where billions who never had an opportunity for salvation will be physically reconstructed to live again with the chance for eternal, spiritual life. Physical resurrections are not limited to this future event. Numerous instances of miraculous resurrections to physical life are recorded in the Bible. A notable example occurred in AD 31, as described in Matthew 27:52, where the graves were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised. These resurrected saints appeared to many in Jerusalem, without any remarkable or outstanding appearance noted, unlike the spiritual resurrections. Like others raised physically, they lived for an undetermined period, served their purpose, and then died again, with no record of eternal life following this event. In contrast, Jesus Christ stands as the first of God's firstfruits, the only one raised to eternal life at His resurrection. His resurrection and initial ascension are symbolically represented by the Wavesheaf Offering, while the resurrection of the saints is depicted by the Feast of Trumpets, occurring later at Christ's return. This sequence underscores a significant interval between Jesus Christ's resurrection and the future resurrection of the saints, who currently sleep in death, awaiting the sounding of the seventh trumpet for their ultimate resurrection.

Basic Doctrines: The Second Resurrection

Bible Study by Martin G. Collins

For the billions of people who have never known the truth, the second resurrection offers them an opportunity for future salvation.

The Miracles of Jesus Christ: Resurrecting Jairus' Daughter

Bible Study by Martin G. Collins

The resurrection of Jairus' daughter is one of Jesus' greatest miracles. Here Christ's curious actions in raising the girl from premature death are explained.

The Resurrection From the Dead

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

Our lives revolve around the hope of a resurrection from the dead. Hope, deriving from Christ's resurrection, gives faith and love impetus and energy.

The Resurrection: A Central Pillar

Sermon by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

Christ's resurrection is of paramount importance to us, because Jesus alone has the keys to our own resurrection and eternal life as firstfruits.

Raising Our Conception of the Resurrection

CGG Weekly by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

If we are satisfied with the fact that Jesus was resurrected, we miss its full glory and significance, as it has eternal consequences for God's elect.

Christ's Responsibility, Resurrections, and All in All

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

Christ's resurrection was bodily. He will destroy death before returning control back to the Father, at which time the entire creation would be all in all.

Consequences of Resurrection and Ascension

Sermon by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

Neither Christmas or Easter appear in the Feasts of the Lord, but we find plenty of emphasis on the resurrection and ascension of Christ in the Holy Days.

Comfort One Another With These Words

CGG Weekly by Martin G. Collins

The death of someone close hits us hard, but God provides comfort, often through others. We need to comfort the grieving with the hope about the resurrection.

From Dust to Dust

CGG Weekly by John Reiss

The frailty and brevity of this life are bitter truths, but they are realities that we must confront. Yet there is life beyond the grave, as Scripture shows.

Death Is Not the End (Part Five)

CGG Weekly by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

Two of history's wisest men, Job and Solomon, contemplated the possibilities of an afterlife, and both concluded that something better awaited us after death.

Should a Christian Pray for the Dead (Ecclesiastes 9:5)?

Bible Questions & Answers

Prayers for the dead are useless. The idea is based on the false teaching that man has an immortal soul. The Bible says that the soul itself can die.

God's Plan and the False Immortal Soul Doctrine

'Ready Answer' by Craig Sablich

Worldly Christianity's Doctrine of the Immortal Soul, unsupported in Scripture, fails the litmus test of God's Plan, in which eternal life is God's gift.

Death Is Not the End (Part Four)

CGG Weekly by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

While various religions and some philosophies suggest an afterlife of some sort, the fear of the unknown transforms death into a foreboding Grim Reaper.

Taking It Through the Grave

Article by William R. Gray

We have to live life with the thought that some things will stick with us through the grave. We will take nothing out of this life except our character.

God of the Living (2019)

Sermonette by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

Christ's comment in Matthew 22:32 about "the God ... of the living" gives absolutely no mention about a place of the afterlife, but only a condition.

Parable of Lazarus and the Rich Man (Part Two)

Bible Study by Martin G. Collins

Jesus' parable preaches the gospel of the Kingdom by revealing salvation, the resurrection to eternal life, and inheritance of His Kingdom on the earth.

Heaven Must Wait

Sermon/Bible Study by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

Going to heaven is not scriptural. The soul is not immortal; it is equivalent to life. Mankind does not have a soul; he is a soul, subject to death.

Time and Life

'Ready Answer' by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

The way men and God look at time and life are very different. But if we come to understand God's perspective, we have a greater chance of living His way!

Was Jesus Dead?

Herbert W. Armstrong Booklet

Can God die? Was Jesus really dead, or did only His body die? Was Jesus the Divine One alive during the three days and three nights a body was in the tomb?

We Shall Be God

Sermon/Bible Study by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)

Though it may sound pretentious or even blasphemous, God's Word shows that we will become literal offspring of the Eternal God, sharing His name and nature.

Trumpets and Hope

Sermon by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

Our hope is founded on Jesus rising from the dead. If there is no resurrection, our faith is worthless; if Christ did not rise, we are still under condemnation.

The Final Harvest

'Personal' from John W. Ritenbaugh

Are millions lost because they never heard the name of Christ? What about infants who died? Are the doors forever shut on those born into false religion?

Be There!

Article by Mike Ford

Many have friends and relatives who will rise in the second resurrection, but what a shame it would be if we were not there to greet them!

Christ's Death and the Immortality of the Soul

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

The dangerous false belief of inherent immortal life has led to an acceleration of sin and the danger of eternal oblivion. Only God can give eternal life.

Ode to Sleep

Sermonette by Jarod Ritenbaugh

Rest is an essential element for mankind. It is also a metaphor for God's short- and long-term message of His Kingdom.

Death Is Not the End (Part Two)

CGG Weekly by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

Jesus Christ's approach to death should guide our view of death. He considered His death a work of God, not to be regarded with fear or hostility.

Does Paul Condone Baptism for the Dead (I Corinthians 15:29)?

Bible Questions & Answers

The New Testament Church did not follow this practice, and the apostle Paul did not teach it. This custom was introduced by Marcion, who created his own religion.

Of Death

Sermon by James Beaubelle

While some view death as a transition or displacement of cosmic energy, scripture affirms that death is real, appointed to all, and occurs under God's authority.

Disproving Hell

Sermon/Bible Study by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

Most of Protestant and Catholic theology is immersed in pagan concepts of hell, reinforced by Dante's Inferno. Here is what the Bible says, without tradition.

Lazarus and the Rich Man

Sermon/Bible Study by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

The Parable of Lazarus and the Rich Man is often held up as proof of the torments of an ever-burning hell. However, the rest of Scripture gives a clearer picture.

Ecclesiastes Resumed (Part Thirty-Four): Ecclesiastes 9:2-12

Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

Although some try to make their lives easier by compromising, Solomon warns that all evil leads to death, and that doing evil in any circumstance is insane.

God of the Living

Sermonette by Clyde Finklea

Jesus proclaimed that God was not the God of the dead but the living, identifying Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who were physically dead and in their graves.

What Happened to the Thief on the Cross? (Part Three)

CGG Weekly by David C. Grabbe

If the thief on the cross went to heaven the day that he was crucified, He would he have gone there without Jesus Christ, who was not in Paradise that day!

Themes of I Corinthians (Part 8)

Sermon by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

In I Corinthians 15, Paul expounds the resurrection, recalling the basic facts of the gospel message, stressing that salvation is an ongoing process.

Is Heaven the Reward of the Saved?

'Ready Answer' by Staff

Most of Christianity believes humans go to heaven or hell after death. This belief does not originate in the Bible, which reveals a very different destiny.

Death: The End of the Beginning

Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

Looking at death as 'gain,' Jesus Christ and Paul calmly looked upon death as a natural part of life, as a transition to a better life in the resurrection.

The Judgments

Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

Multiple billions of people have lived and died without even hearing the name of Jesus Christ. But God has distinct periods of judgment and resurrection.

The Third Day (Part One)

Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

Biblically, the third day carries much historic and prophetic significance.

Whatever Happened to Gnosticism? Part Three: Satan's Three Heresies

Article by David C. Grabbe

When Satan confronted Adam and Eve, he fed them three heresies that Gnosticism incorporated into its parasitic philosophy and way of life.

Acts (Part Twenty-Five)

Sermon/Bible Study by John W. Ritenbaugh

Had Paul not appealed to Caesar, Agrippa (moved by Paul's testimony and convinced of his innocence) would have set him free. But God had other plans.

The Miracles of Jesus Christ: Raising a Widow's Son

Bible Study by Martin G. Collins

The gospels present Jesus performing three resurrections, one of which is the raising of the widow's son. The episode shows the depth of Christ's compassion.

Four Views of Christ (Part 7)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

Our lives parallel what Christ experienced: crucifixion, burial, resurrection, and glorification. The death of self must precede resurrection and glory.

The Eighth Day (2019)

Sermonette by David C. Grabbe

The Eight Day (or Last Great Day) has little written about it, but the patterns of Scripture reveal much about the abundance of this holy day.

From Pilgrims to Pillars (Part Two)

Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by David F. Maas

The intensity of the heat in both the refiner's furnace and the potter's kiln resembles the fiery trials we must endure for the Refiner to remove the dross.

The Wavesheaf Offering

'Personal' from John W. Ritenbaugh

Most know little about the wavesheaf offering, even though it represents one of the most significant acts: the resurrection and ascension of Christ!

Are You Alive to God?

Sermon by Martin G. Collins

Ephesians 2 says Christians were spiritually dead. Thankfully, God resurrected us from the grave through the substitutionary sacrifice of Christ.