Occasionally I receive a letter which inquires about the resurrection and the first fruits.

There seems to be a great deal of confusion about resurrections, particularly the so-called third resurrection, so today let’s talk about the resurrection of the dead.

The word "first fruits" in the New Testament has the same general meaning as in Leviticus 23:10, where the first fruits were the first stalks of grain gathered from the new crop. In the New Testament "first fruits" generally brings to mind 1 Cor 15:20-26. 1 Cor 15 is, of course, the resurrection chapter, so let’s start out by looking at 1Corinthians 15.

So, as verse 22 points out, we are all going to die, regardless of what Satan told Eve in Genesis 3:14. The question of course is, "then what?" Some say there are two resurrections. Some have taught there are three. In essence, here are the three:

1. The Saints at Christ’s return.

2. Those who have never had a chance to learn God’s way to live.

3. Those who have been taught God’s way to live but have not lived as taught.

The word "condemnation" is from the Greek word "krises ", meaning decision or judgment , Strongs number G2920. Nearly every translation of that word is "judgment", not "condemnation". So the last part of that scripture should indicate that those who have done evil are headed for the resurrection of judgment. As we shall see, they probably won’t be condemned.

Isaiah 26:12-21 also describes the resurrections. We’ll look at the various parts of these scriptures in the order presented, which is the same order as their occurrence.

What could Isaiah be talking about, "They will not rise?" You mean there is no resurrection for some? That’s right. There is no resurrection for some. Who? Perhaps you thought there was a resurrection for everyone.

How many of you remember my sermons in which I discussed the Nephilim? I think one was entitled "Giants in the Land"; the other "The Sons of God". I also alluded to the Nephilim as "other humanoids" in my sermon "The Science of Creation."

I won’t go into all the details of these sermons, but let’s review some of the highlights:

Who are these spirits in prison? It has always been my understanding that Satan and his angels would be put in chains at Christ's return. Were there some in prison at the time of His death on the cross? We will refer back to the days of Noah and read of it, but first let's be sure we agree with the translators of 1 Peter 3.

Verse 20 specifies that these were spirits who disobeyed in the days of Noah. Does Genesis have anything to say about them? Let's go to Genesis 6 and see.

This seems to say that the "sons of God" were marrying the daughters of men. Who were the sons of God? Who were the Nephilim mentioned in verse 4? As I said, I read from the New International version. Let's read the same verses from the KJV:

The two versions seem to be very similar. Both refer to "sons of God" but the KJV doesn't have the words Nephilim in verse 4. Let's first check out "sons of God". Who are the "sons of God"?

The KJV shows 11 verses with the words "sons of God". Let's look at them. We have already read Gen 6:2 and 4 but this time let's look at the translation of "sons of God":

"Sons of God" comes from the Hebrew "ben 'elohiym". "Ben" means son and 'elohiym means God. No apparent contradiction here.

Notice the distinction "sons of God" and "daughters of men". Let's check the translation of the word "men". The word men comes from the Hebrew word 'adam (pronounced aw-dawm') meaning ruddy or mankind or the species of man. I think we would have to conclude that "sons of God" and "daughters of men" mean just what they say.

But who are the sons of God? They are obviously not the same as "sons of man" or the Bible would call them that. The only other Old Testament occurrence of the words "sons of God" is in Job:

Here we have the sons of God being able to present themselves before the Lord, along with Satan. Could they be anything but spirit? Let’s look at John 3:13 to answer that..

Let’s turn to Job 2.

Here again both the sons of God and Satan are presenting themselves before the Lord. Again I ask, could they be anything but spirit?

In Job 38 God is asking Job if he was present when the earth was created. In verse 7 he refers to the morning stars singing and the sons of God shouting for joy. Many scriptures in Revelation refer to stars as angels. Some feel that "morning stars" are arch-angels. Which ever they were, the creation was a time of joy and happiness in heaven. The most likely translation is that the angels (sons of God) were jubilant. Who else could have been there? Certainly not mankind.

What have we learned so far? Sons of God in the Old Testament seems to refer to angels or spirit beings. We didn’t prove it but, Sons of God in the New Testament refers to God's Spirit-led people. You may want to prove that on your own. See Romans 8:14 & 29.

In Genesis 6:4, the NIV referred to Nephilim in the land. The KJV called them giants. What or who were they? The Hebrew word for giant is Nephil (Nef-eel') (H5303). What is a Nephil? The only other reference to Nephil (H5303) is in Numbers 13.

The KJV uses the word "giants" for Nephilim. The definition of Nephilim is a bully or tyrant; a giant. Numbers 13 is describing the journey of the spies God had Moses send to the land of Canaan. Was Numbers 13:33 an exaggeration or was it real? Could the giants have been that big? If they were, was it any wonder the faithless Israelites were so filled with terror they wanted to return to Egypt? Only Joshua's and Caleb's assurances that with God's backing the land could be their's, prevented a full-scale rebellion. Joshua and Caleb saw the giants too, but they had faith that God could and would protect the Israelites.

So here we have two irruptions (meaning bursting forth suddenly and violently) of these giants. One during the days of Noah; the other during the days of Moses. Who were these creatures? Let's go back to Genesis 6:4.

Do we see any other examples of Nephilim during these periods? Let’s look at another one:

Now the question is: Who would kill Cain? Most Christians believe that only Adam and Eve and Cain and his sisters were alive at this time. Seth had not been born yet and Abel was dead. Yes, there had to be other humanoids alive at that time who Cain was deathly afraid of.

But how did the Nephilim survive the flood and survive until the days of Moses? Some Jewish sages have suggested that one hid on top of the ark. I’m not sold on that theory. Another guess is that the giants of Moses’ day came through the flood via one of Noah’s daughters-in-law whose ancestors carried their genes. Another: Gen 6:4 indicates that the sons of God came to the daughters of men after the days of Noah too. Anyway, however they arrived, as we read in Isa 26:14, these huge, violent, humanoid creatures will not be resurrected from the dead. Only the sons of Adam will be resurrected. Let’s continue reading Isa 26 concerning those who are or are not resurrected.

These scriptures seem to describe the future troubles of a distraught, pleading people or nation of Israel. But these people may not be limited to what we see today as the country of Israel. They may include all of the elect. Our pleadings seem at times to have brought forth nothing but wind. The elect have been unsuccessful in bringing the vast majority of peoples of the earth to repentance or to destroying their evil political systems.

Let’s look at some related scriptures which seem to describe the dilemma of the Jews.

Here we see the giving of the responsibility to teach God’s principles to a multitude including gentile nations (G1484) instead of Jewish rabbis. The result is that Jewish priests and scribes (rabbis, not necessarily all Jews) will probably not be a part of the Kingdom of God after Christ’s return. We know, of course, that there will be 12,000 of the 144,00 first-fruits of God who will be Jews, as well as 12,000 Levites, probably 12,000 from Simeon, and some from Benjamin who migrated to the tribe of Judah when the ten tribes departed. You can read of that in Rev 7:5.

Here we see that all, Jew and Christian alike, who keep God’s commandments and believe the words of the Messiah, will be persecuted by Satanically motivated forces.

Now let’s complete our reading of Isaiah 26, this time beginning in verse 19.

This is the promise of the resurrection. Let’s compare verses 19-21 with Revelation 20:4.

All these people were either killed, many by decapitation, or persecuted, some apparently in resisting the beast political system. It appears that if you are to be in the first resurrection, you will have been persecuted and judged.

Isa 26:20 can also be compared with Matthew 25:10 in the sense that the affairs of the outside world will be shut out of their lives for a period of time. The analogy, of course, is that both Isa 26:20 and Mat 25:10 can describe the hiding away of the saints during the tribulation.

Now let’s describe the first resurrection from the dead. We are all familiar with the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ - Yeshua ha Meshiach in Hebrew. Three days and three nights in the grave, followed by His resurrection from death. We’ll look at Matt 28:6 and Matt 12:40.

But there have been other resurrections, Lazarus for example. The Saints at the time of Christ’s crucifixion, for another. But the resurrection of the Saints, described in 1 Cor 15:51-54 and 1 Thes 4:13-18 is what most people associate with the first resurrection. Let’s read them.

It should be pointed out here that in order to be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, one must apparently be changed to spirit. That means that even those who live to see the Lord’s return will have to momentarily die.

The resurrection of the Saints begins the millennial rule of the Saints. Why do we describe it as ruling? There are three scriptures in Revelation which answer that. Let’s read them.

Yes, our Lord and His Saints will RULE with a rod of iron. There will be no more speaking out of both sides of their mouths by the world’s politicians. There will be no more deception to and by the public. There will be no more terror by night. There will be no more worship of false gods and their images. There will be no more adultery. There will be no more retaliation. There will be no more deceitfulness by business owners trying to make illicit gain. There will be no more theft of unguarded goods. There will be no more disrespect of parents and elders. There will be no more breaking of God’s Sabbaths. There will be no more hate or violence. The world will be taught by the Saints just how they should live. Every person will be guided by the words, "Go this way." And every person shall reap the rewards of living a God-fearing life. Zechariah 14 describes the pains of disobedience.

But the first resurrection involves only a very, very small part of all the descendants of Adam. Only those chosen by God will be in the first resurrection. Those in the first resurrection will be kings and priests in the Kingdom of God, teaching others the right way to live.

But is it all a bed of roses? Is there no sacrifice we have to be willing to make?

What about the myriads of other people who have lived since Adam? The second resurrection is for them. The second resurrection occurs at the end of the seventh millennium, just like the eighth day follows the seven day Feast of Tabernacles. So why not just wait for the second resurrection? Because the first resurrection is the better resurrection.

As we said before, the first resurrection is for those chosen by God to be in his kingdom. They will not have to be judged during the millennium and risk the second death - a permanent death. They are being judged now, in this life. We will discuss their fate if they do not qualify for the first resurrection in a moment, but first let’s consider the second resurrection.

A moment ago I mentioned that those in the first resurrection would not have to face the second death. What is the second death? Let’s read Rev 20:6 again.

So the second death is Death and Hades being caste into the lake of fire. Death and Hades are not people. Death is a state of being; hades (the grave) a place. For people, the lake of fire is permanent. It simply burns one up forever. Even the memory of them is gone. It is as if they never existed.

So we know that to avoid the second death we must overcome our sins; our weaknesses. And so we can see the value of the first resurrection: kings and priests in the Kingdom of God, avoiding the second death, and an opportunity to teach God’s way to mankind.

The second resurrection occurs at the end of the millennium. In the meantime they will lie in their graves, be it on the earth or in the sea or wherever, until after the millennium. Then they will be called up to begin training under the supervision of the Saints. In as much as the life-span in the days of Noah was 120 years, it is expected that the training period will be for 120 years. Isaiah seems to write of a period of time of 100 years in Isaiah 65. Perhaps that constitutes their adult years.

Whether or not this verse describes those of the second resurrection and however long it is, each participant in the second resurrection, billions of them, will be trained and finally judged as to whether they will join the saints in God’s Kingdom or go to the lake of fire and be destroyed.

A little earlier I asked the question: What happens to those who God calls but when they are judged, they fail? There are two answers to this question and they do not agree. Actually, man has come up with three answers, but the third, which we’ll get into in a moment, is illogical.

One answer is that if they are called and fall short when they are judged, they will die and have to wait for the second resurrection. Mat 25 may tell us that. Let’s look at it:

Now we need to discuss verse 46. Please follow me carefully. On the surface it certainly appears to indicate that those who are not judged to be righteous will have to suffer never-ending punishment. The noun "punishment" comes from the Greek word "kolasis", G2851 in Strong’s Concordance. To determine what this kolasis or punishment is, we need to refer back to verse 41.

So let’s now investigate this "everlasting fire". We’ll see what John the Baptist had to say about this action. Please turn to Matthew 3:12.

Here is the answer in a nutshell: Christ will separate the sheep from the goats – the blessed from the cursed – the wheat from the chaff. One group he will keep as His own. The other will be burned up with unquenchable, everlasting fire. The people will not burn forever. They will simply be burned up. Only the lake of fire will continue to burn, apparently forever

Another scripture which seems to indicate that those who are called and fall short are resurrected at the second resurrection is found in Daniel 12.

My impression is that this describes the judgment following the second resurrection when everyone will have had a chance to learn the right way to live. The question of whether the "some to shame and everlasting contempt" includes called-out ones who have failed is left unanswered.

Another answer to the question of what happens to those who are called and fall short is that since they were selected before the very creation of the world, that God would not let them fail. I tend to support that explanation and will describe my rationale after we discuss the so-called third resurrection.

The third answer involves what is called by some as the third resurrection. The theory of the third resurrection is based upon several things. One is a distortion of Rev 20:11-13. Another is man’s greed for money and power. Let’s read Rev 20:11-13 again.

These verses obviously describe the second resurrection, the general resurrection. Those who believe in a third resurrection believe that verse 13 is a separate resurrection.. The logical meaning is that all these people are resurrected from wherever they are buried, whether in the ground, the sea, or burned up in the air as some have been in wartime and in the Challenger Shuttle disaster.

I described the theory of the third resurrection as being the result of man’s greed for money and power. Let me explain. The third resurrection is believed to be for those who have been called by God and who later leave the Church. They will then supposedly be resurrected and assigned directly to the lake of fire.

Now back to what I tend to believe regarding the question of what happens to those who are called and fall short during their judgment. Remember that the Saints are judged while they are alive. Let’s look at a scripture which tells us when the Saints are being judged.

The saints are being judged as they live. They are already being led by God’s Spirit, know God’s will, and do what is right. In Romans 8 we read of God’s selection of the Saints for the first resurrection. Think very seriously about the following verses as I read them.

How then, can God predestine someone who will fail? To believe that is to question God’s omniscience (all knowing), for in Rom 8:28 we read:

No, if God has called you and you have not committed the unpardonable sin described in Heb 6:4, Mat 12:31-32, and Heb 10:26 (and I wonder if one who was called could do that), I doubt He is going to allow you to fail, then assign you to the lake of fire.

You say you have sinned after receiving the Holy Spirit and you think you are thereby disqualified. We have all sinned after receiving the Holy Spirit. Sinning through weakness or impulse is not the question. A sense of guilt and repentance is the question. No one blasphemes the Holy Spirit by sinning through weakness. The measure is, do we have repentance over the sins we commit? Do we resolve not to fall into that sin again? If we have the motivation and desire not to sin, we still have the Holy Spirit. From what other source would that desire come? It is those who don’t care, who aren’t interested in whether they please God who are not motivated by the Holy Spirit.

If God knew that He was going to call us, individually, before the creation of the world, He will stick by us, arrange things so that we can work out our problems, continue to motivate us through the power of His Holy Spirit. He desires that we will all make it; that no one will fail. Only if we intentionally reject God, turn our backs on Him, will He let us go. And maybe not even then.

God is love. He cannot act without love and concern for His people. He cannot call someone, then consign them to death through a system which He Himself designed simply because they erred in judgment in following Christ. That could give the impression He is not omniscient. Nor, in the same rationale, could He be omnipotent if His called and chosen failed. This rationale brings to mind Moses’ argument with God in Exodus 32.

God is careful not to leave Himself open to criticism about His judgments and promises.

Yes, God is omniscient. God is omnipotent. God is perfectly good. God is forgiving. God is love.

In conclusion we see that a glorious future is offered by God to all the sons of Adam. The predestined Saints of the first resurrection are to be kings and priests. But all the rest of mankind have the opportunity to join them after their resurrection following the millennium. As we consider all this, we just have to thank God for his love and mercy and for calling us at this time.

The perception of much of Christianity is that someone who has never heard the name of Jesus Christ or of the commandments of God will be condemned to the lake of fire or an ever-burning hell fire. Is it conceivable that a loving God could design such a fate? Of course not. That is why He designed a second resurrection. All mankind will have the opportunity to learn to live God’s way.

We have to thank God that He has provided a way for all the sons of Adam to join Him in His Kingdom, no matter what their background.

Sermon given by Wayne Bedwell

February 27, 2010