The Resurrection of the Righteous
All the righteous, all the saved, of all ages and times, will be resurrected during the first resurrection. But we need to understand that first here as it is used is in regard to the second resurrection of the unrighteous. The first resurrection by the power of God took place in the Old Testament under the power of Elijah and Elisha. In the New Testament, Jesus stopped a funeral procession and raised a son to his mother and brought back to life a precious daughter to her parents. Lazarus was raised 4 days after his death and all Jerusalem heard of the miracle. Jesus was the first fruit of all the resurrected. Some graves were opened when Jesus was crucified. (Matt. 27:52–53) Paul and Peter both were able to bring back to life disciples of Jesus during the early days of the church.
So, this is not first resurrection in the sense of chronology, it is first as regards the book of Revelation and as contrasted with the second resurrection. This first resurrection begins at the Rapture of the saved during the church age. It continued with the resurrection of the two witnesses will took place as the whole world looked on in Revelation 11. Next here we have the resurrection of the faithful heroes of the tribulation, martyred by the beast and his followers, This will occur soon after Christ returns to earth, Revelation 20:4–5. The last resurrection will be that of the Old Testament saints also at this this time, though not specifically spelled out here, but we read of it in Isaiah, Ezekiel and Daniel
Daniel 12:1-3 And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.
Ezekiel 37:11-14 Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel: behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off for our parts. Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. And ye shall know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves, And shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land: then shall ye know that I the LORD have spoken it, and performed it, saith the LORD.
You must also understand that this is a bodily resurrection. John has seen the saints, Old Testament and New Testament, in heaven with the Lord as souls, spirits. But we were created as body and soul and Jesus in his resurrection was not spirit but once again body and soul. So, all the resurrected will be following the “first” resurrection. Our souls which have “been absent from the body, but present with the Lord” will now be reunited with a perfect sinless, ageless body.
And yes, I will have hair. You won’t even recognize me.
After the last of the “first” resurrections the saints shall reign with their King.
This will include the Old Testament Saints, the true Israel but it will also include us, the church, the Bride of Christ, in some way.
Jesus said in Luke 22:29–30 And I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me; That ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
Not sure exactly how this is going to be done and it really doesn’t matter. Personally, I’m hoping the Lord gives me a mountaintop somewhere like Joshua gave Caleb but an island would be just as nice.
