Hello everyone.
In our last video, we tackled what is likely a spurious statement in Revelation 20:5. While I don’t consider it part of the vision John received, I do believe it reflects an accurate understanding of the hope associated with the second resurrection.
To refresh your memory, the phrase in question is:
(The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.) Revelation 20:5 NIV
Or as the Weymouth New Testament put it:
“No one else who was dead rose to Life until the thousand years were at an end.”
The understanding that works exegetically is that those who return in the second resurrection are still dead in God’s eyes, but they do come to life—everlasting life—after the thousand years are over.
To see how that works, we’ll now look at the second part of the second of the three visions John received, recorded in the 20th chapter of Revelation.
I’ll be using the Berean Standard Bible throughout unless otherwise specified.
When the thousand years are complete, Satan will be released from his prison, and will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth—Gog and Magog—to assemble them for battle. Their number is like the sand of the seashore.
And they marched across the broad expanse of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. But fire came down from heaven and consumed them. And the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur, into which the beast and the false prophet had already been thrown. There they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. (Revelation 20:7-10)
There is a lot here that could distract us from our theme today. Who or what is “Gog and Magog”? What does it mean that “they will be tormented day and night forever and ever”?
Those are important topics worthy of their own video, and I won’t shy away from addressing them as part of this Good News series. But right now, our focus is on understanding how people resurrected during the thousand years will only come to life after the thousand years are over.
To answer that, we need to go back to what Paul tells us about the purpose of the Kingdom of God under Christ and the 144,000—not a literal number.
“For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own turn: Christ the firstfruits; then at His coming, those who belong to Him.” (1 Corinthians 15:22, 23)
Here, Paul is not simply talking about a resurrection, but about a special type of resurrection. We all die because we have inherited sin from Adam, and death is the consequence. That means we are all dead in our sins, even while physically alive. But those who belong to Christ will be made alive. That is the resurrection to life—eternal life.
Did Adam have that kind of life? No, because he was capable of sin, and when he sinned, he died. But that is not the case for those who make up the first resurrection:
“Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection! The second death has no power over them…” (Revelation 20:6a)
What about those who come back in the second resurrection? Paul doesn’t speak about them directly. Instead, he goes on to say:
Then the end will come, when He hands over the kingdom to God the Father after He has destroyed all dominion, authority, and power. For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. For “God has put everything under His feet.” (1 Corinthians 15: 24-28)
Paul says, “the last enemy to be destroyed is death.” He’s referring to the first death—Adamic death—the inherited death that comes from being born in the line of Adam.
Whether a person survives Armageddon or is brought back in the second resurrection, if they accept God’s provision for salvation through Christ, they will be forgiven.
Remember, God doesn’t change. Neither does Jesus.
"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." (BSB)
So, God’s standard for salvation doesn’t change, right? Then take a look at us now. We aspire to be part of the first resurrection. But is that simply a matter of believing in Jesus and being saved?
At first glance, we might think so after reading what Jesus says here:
“Truly, truly, I tell you, whoever hears My word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life and will not come under judgment. Indeed, he has crossed over from death to life.” (John 5:24)
But we don’t cherry-pick verses to fit our personal theology. We dig deeper.
Jesus suffered for us. Are we to expect anything less for our own salvation?
“In bringing many sons to glory, it was fitting for God, for whom and through whom all things exist, to make the author of their salvation perfect through suffering. For both the One who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are of the same family.” (Hebrews 2:10, 11)
We must share in his suffering if we are to share in his life as his brothers.
The writer of Hebrews continues to make this point:
“Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from what He suffered. And having been made perfect, He became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey Him…” (Hebrews 5:8, 9)
The path to eternal life is through suffering, by which we are made perfect and learn obedience. Peter acknowledges the importance of this process, through which we gain eternal life.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, reserved in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power for the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.
In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in various trials so that the proven character of your faith—more precious than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 1:3-7)
Now think it through. With the Devil and his demons out of the picture, imprisoned for a thousand years, with all enemies of God—every human dominion, authority, and rule—destroyed by Jesus, and with a perfect government led by loving rulers, with priests there to minister to everyone in love and compassion, what refining tests, trials, or suffering will there be?
Do you see what’s missing? Where are the tests needed to grant these people eternal life?
Adam had the prospect of eternal life, but when he was tested, he lost it.
When you and I put faith in Jesus after hearing his word—when we believed in the one who sent him, and when we were baptized—we passed from death to life. But what kind of life? Eternal life? If that were the case, then the second death would have no power over us. But that’s not true, is it? Not yet, at least.
Paul warns us about this:
Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize of God’s heavenly calling in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:12-14)
Paul spoke about not yet being made perfect. That brings us to what Hebrews tells us about Jesus.
“Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from what He suffered. And having been made perfect, He became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey Him.” (Hebrews 5:8, 9)
We follow Jesus in his life course. Like him, we learn obedience through what we suffer, and when we are made perfect, we receive the prize of eternal life. Again, we turn to Paul’s words, but now, the situation has changed. He is at the end of his life, and so he can say the following:
For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. From now on there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but to all who crave His appearing. (2 Timothy 4:5-8)
To reiterate, Adam was a son of God and had the prospect of everlasting life, but with a condition—he had to obey God. The day he disobeyed, he died. If failing the test, whether through temptation or suffering, can cause someone to lose life, then the opposite must also be true. By not failing, a person can reach a point of no return—in a positive sense. At that point, God can grant eternal life. This is why what Revelation says is true:
“Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection! The second death has no power over them…” (Revelation 20:6)
Those who return in the second resurrection can, like us, accept the benefits of Christ’s ransom, repent, and submit to God. And if they do, his grace will apply to them just as it has to us. Like us—who count ourselves among the children of God—they will pass from death to life. But that life is not yet eternal.
Adam was a child of God, and so are we, through adoption. And like Adam, we now have the prospect of eternal life. But that life is dependent on obedience to God. Through the tests that we endure, we are refined, we learn obedience and we are made perfect.
God does not change. That standard for salvation remains in place for those in the second resurrection. But there is a difference, at least at first.
During the thousand-year rule of Christ, there will be no Devil to tempt them. There will be no earthly authorities, government, and dominions to oppress them. There will be no one lying to them and misleading them with false hope and empty promises. Instead, they will know perfect love from above.
Now we can see why the Devil wasn’t destroyed at the start of the thousand years—why he has been kept around.
When the thousand years are complete, Satan will be released from his prison, and will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth—Gog and Magog—to assemble them for battle. Their number is like the sand of the seashore.
And they marched across the broad expanse of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. But fire came down from heaven and consumed them. And the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur, into which the beast and the false prophet had already been thrown. There they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. (Revelation 20:7-9)
Like Adam and Eve, the humans alive after the thousand years have ended will have free will, the freedom of choice. Sadly, many will choose to follow Satan in his rebellious course, and that will eventually lead them to hate and attack those who remain loyal to Yehovah as both Father and God.
They will march across the broad expanse of the earth, surround the camp of the holy ones, but God will save his children bringing down destruction from heaven upon those who return to wickedness. These will suffer the second death, eternal death.
Those who do not give in to temptation will be declared righteous by God. Thus, they will come to life after the thousand years are over, truly eternal life.
I would imagine that this final test of obedience will take a long time to complete. I mean, we’re talking about a world filled with billions, yet the number who will assemble to do battle will be as the sands of the sea. That would mean that our Father will allow things to develop for quite some time before they come to a head. Again, we’re speculating—looking through a blurred reflection in a mirror.
This now brings us to the third vision given to John, the judgment of those making up the second resurrection.
We’ll get to that in our next video.
Thank you for your attention and support.