Christian Church of God, Grand Junction, Colorado Statement #10 page three
The THIRD Resurrection: There are those who prefer to not employ the word ‘third’ as it relates to this resurrection, choosing instead to see it as a second phase of the post-millennial ‘second’ resurrection. Under whichever term one prefers, Christ describes a further resurrection event that is distinctly different from the previous two. The first provides Life to those who are ‘in Christ’ at the time of the Second Coming, and they only. The second raises those who were not provided opportunity in their first lifetimes to an opportunity which they never had. This is a limited resurrection also. Only certain ones are selected to hear its call.
But in this final resurrection, ALL will hear, which tells us that it will involve emptying out the graves of all who are dead at this point in time. Christ continues, again after another exclamation: “Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth - those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation.” (John 5:28-29 / Rev. 20:13-14) “And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works…This is the second death.” This final ‘sentencing and consignment’ resurrection involves all who ever lived (excepting only those in the first resurrection) and is that ‘sheep-from-the-goats’ separation for sentencing that Christ explicitly referred to in Matthew 25: verses 31-46. Those who lived and died during the millennial age, both converted and unconverted, those who were raised in the second resurrection era and who remain alive, and those who had opportunity for salvation in their lifetimes prior to the Second Coming and who rejected it, will all stand together alive in physical form before the White Cloud Judgment seat (Rev. 14:17-20) to be sentenced to their just assignments: either to Life in the Family of God as progeny of Christ and His Bride, or to the Second Death, which is a total extinction in the Lake of Fire. This Hell ( gehenna fire ) is all-consuming, not ever-tormenting. (Malachi 4:1: which provides the concluding reference to this subject in the Old Testament ).
A Brief Summation: The first resurrection is direct into Life involving only the righteous at and prior to the time of Christ’s Second Coming. Then the second, after the 1000 years, is to afford ‘judgment and justice’ to those who died never having had opportunity. To assign these to either Eternal Life or the Lake of Fire at this point would be a serious injustice! Revelation 20:11 explains that there are people at that point in time for which “there is no place for them”. The third resurrection is to occur at that time when the earth’s harvest has attained its ‘fully ripened’ condition, (Rev. 14:18) and is for final sentencing of ALL, either to Life or to condemnation: the second death! The second death is to be experienced by no-one without their first having passed through an evaluative judgment period. (Having an opportunity for Salvation.) For the Saints of God, that evaluation period is now! (1st Peter 4:17) “…judgment must begin at the house of God…“ This is for our
present evaluation, (evidence gathering) not for condemnation. For the rest, the dead who were never called at least, that period of evaluation is after the thousand years are finished!
Understanding Eternal Judgment: Now that we can identify from the above passages the essential doctrine of the resurrections of the dead, and as a result, the final Doctrine listed there in Hebrews 6: that of Eternal Judgment; how judgment and justice will come to all in their appointed time, we are ready to understand the vital purpose for what is identified as the Last Great Day. God has a PLAN that ‘not any should perish’ (needlessly). That plan also happens to be His WILL! This Last Great Day is the Day of opportunity for ‘them too’! It provides them with the opportunity that they never had! At that time, “Whosoever Wills” to come may come, as opposed to the present Christian Era in which ones‘ calling is specifically of and by God the Father. (John 6:44 / Rev. 22:17)
After the Millennial Age, and after Satan’s brief release, those dead from before Christ’s Second Coming, who never had an opportunity to know the Truth, and to respond to it, by having God’s Spirit offered to them (the receipt of which is essential to True Conversion) will be raised again, still physical, to be offered that opportunity. They will live in an age absent of Satan’s influence, as did their physical predecessors in the Millennial Kingdom. They will be allowed to live out their restored lifetimes and will stand with those brought up after them in the third resurrection, for Final Sentencing, whether good or bad. (consider also Matthew 22:30).
Life in the Millennial Age: A great number of Bible verses are devoted to present the Kingdom of God and what conditions will be like in it. One distinct difference we see is the absence of Satan and his demons affecting society. The beginning and the middle of Revelation chapter 20 explains that clearly. Christ and His Saints will be the government of the whole world during the 1000 years. (Rev. 11:17; 5:9-10 & 20:4) Among the greatest differences will be the abolition of all religions except for the True Religion of the worship of God. (Rev. 14:6-13) We address this matter more specifically under Statement #11.
Life in the Post-Millennial Age: Much like in the millennium, those who are raised and who live in this era are to be ruled by Christ and His Immortal Saints. The astounding aspect of this age will be that peoples of all past ages will be raised to live out their lives together. Christ had much to say regarding this era, in fact, He devoted a lot of narrative to it. Ancient peoples will rise and live among later-era peoples, some severely criticizing one another for their disregard and non-responsiveness to what they had in their day. (Mt. 11:21-24; Lk. 10:14; etc.) This will be their day of (evaluative) Judgment. The sentencing event comes later.
A Holyday Connection: Most churchgoers remain blissfully unaware that there are Biblical Holydays, (See Statement #7), much less that they have relevance to the resurrections. The Christian Era begins with Christ's resurrection and ends with the First Resurrection (the resurrection of the Saints.) The Millennial