The First Resurrection

by Dr. Curtis Hutson

"Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first
resurrection: on such the second death hath no power,
but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and
shall reign with him a thousand years." - Rev. 20:6

As a young boy, I never heard a sermon on the
resurrection. As a matter of fact, the pastor of the
country church where I attended did not believe in the
literal, physical resurrection of the dead. He
spiritualized the resurrection and said it occurred
when we were saved, that we were spiritually raised
from the dead. He quoted the verse, "For dust thou art,
and unto dust shalt thou return" (Gen.3:19). And though
he didn't say it, he believed, '...and dust thou shalt
remain.' As I began to read the Scriptures, I soon
discovered that there will be a resurrection of both
the just and the unjust. We have titled this, "The
First Resurrection," because there is a clear
distinction between this resurrection and the
resurrection of the unsaved dead. Revelation 20:4 says,
"And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and
judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of
them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and
for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the
beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark
upon their foreheads, or in their hands: and they lived
and reigned with Christ a thousand years." Then verse 7
adds: "But the rest of the dead lived not again until
the thousands years were finished. This the first
resurrection." Here are two different resurrections
separated by a period of 1,000 years. It is the first
of these two resurrections that we will deal with in
this article.


I. THE PROMISE OF THE RESURRECTION

No one who reads the Bible and believes what it says
can doubt the fact that there will be a resurrection.
Job is the oldest book in the Bible, so old that
scholars cannot agree as to when it was written. And in
chapter 14 Job asked a question that all men at one
time or another have asked themselves: "If a man die,
shall be live again?" (vs. 14). Civilizations
throughout history have always wondered if there was
life after death. I have read of one tribe of people
who buried their warriors sitting upright with their
spears in hand ready for battle when the resurrection
occurred. When visiting the tombs of Egyptian kings, we
discovered that food, clothing, furniture and personal
items were buried with the kings, ready for use when
the king was resurrected. This explains why so many
things were found in the Egyptian pyramids. Long before
I knew what the Bible taught on the subject, I wondered
if there was a resurrection. So did Job; hence this
question: "If a man die, shall he live again?"
Evidently Job found his answer because five chapters
later in Job 19:25-27 he said,

"For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall
stand at the latter day upon the earth: And though
after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh
shall I see God: Whom I shall see for myself, and mine
eyes shall behold, and not another; though my reins be
consumed within me."

Daniel prophesied in Daniel 12:2, "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." The Scripture promises in John 5:28,29,

"Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the
which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice,
And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto
the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil,
unto the resurrection of damnation."

It is almost impossible to misinterpret these verses.
They clearly have reference to people who are in the
graves and plainly say that they "shall come forth."
And the word resurrection is used two times, referring
to the resurrection of the saved and the resurrection
of the unsaved. Acts 24:15 declares both the fact of
the resurrection and the truth of two resurrections,
that of the just and the unjust. Here the Scripture
says, "and have hope toward God, which they themselves
also allow, that there shall be a resurrection of the
dead, both of the just and unjust." Believers will be
raised from the dead to face God at the judgment seat
of Christ, where they will answer for their service.
Unbelievers will be raised from the dead to face Christ
at the white throne judgment, where they will answer
for their sins and be cast body, soul and spirit into
the lake of fire, where they will stay forever and
ever, along with Satan, the Beast and the False Prophet
and all the wicked unbelievers of all the ages. First
Thessalonians 4:16,17 refers only to the resurrection
of the saved. Here the Scripture says,

"For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a
shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the
trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up
together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in
the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord."

The only ones resurrected here are those "in Christ."
This is a clear reference to the saved. There is no
mention made here of the unsaved--only the "dead in
Christ." First Corinthians 15, the resurrection
chapter, also predicts the resurrection of the saved.
Verses 51 and 52 promise,

"Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep,
but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the
twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet
shall sound, and the dead shall be raised
incorruptible, and we shall be changed."

The promise is in I Corinthians 15:22, "For as in Adam
all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive."
This Scripture means exactly what it says, ". . .in
Christ shall all be made alive," shall be resurrected.
The promise of the resurrection paints a rainbow of
hope over my mother's grave and the graves of all my
loved ones and friends. Sad indeed is the man who does
not believe in the resurrection. Someone said, "The
Sadducees did not believe in a resurrection; that's the
reason they were 'sad-you-see.'" No wonder the
Scripture cautions in I Corinthians 15:19, "If in this
life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men
most miserable." Miserable indeed is the man who has no
hope beyond the grave. Shortly before his death my
beloved predecessor Dr. John R. Rice delivered a sermon
in which he made reference to a life beyond the grave.
Hearts were moved as he said,

I remember strangely a little scene of the cemetery. I
remember that hole in the ground. They didn't put any
fake grass up there to cover the clods in that little
country cemetery. I remember there came a little shower
of rain, and my father knelt down by that open grave
with one arm around two little boys and one arm around
two little orphan girls. And a kindly woman came and
held a black umbrella over his head, I remember. We
said good-bye to Mama. Oh, I'll see my mother again. I
went to that Sandyland cemetery in Cooke County one
time, and I stood there, and I said, "Mother, I'll see
you again, It won't be long, but I'll see you again.."
I know my mother heard. She wasn't in that grave. . .
Dr. Bill is gone, I miss him a great deal. He was a
good brother. We were very, very close. My brother Joe,
Evangelist Joe, very dear! Jesse, George, Ruth, Jimmie,
Gertrude--they're all gone! I'll see Dr. Jones. Oh, how
many! I'll see Dr. Walter Wilson, and I'll see Dr.
Riley and Harry Rimmer--and, my, how many, many others!
Oh, I'll see my mother again!

This great saint of God, this spiritual giant, could
face death knowing that it meant reunion with friends
and loved ones on the other side. The Bible contains
many wonderful promises of the resurrection of the
dead.


II. THE PEOPLE OF THE RESURRECTION

The Bible promises that both the saved and unsaved will
be raised. But there is a clear distinction between the
first and second resurrections, the first resurrection
being the resurrection of the saved, while the second
resurrection is the resurrection of the unsaved. The
Scripture says in Revelation 20:4, "And I saw thrones,
and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto
them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded
for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and
which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image,
neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or
in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ
a thousand years." Notice the expression, ". . . and
they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years."
This verse means exactly what it says: people who were
martyred during the Tribulation Period "lived" --that
is, they were resurrected to have a part in the
millennial or thousand-year reign of Christ. But
Revelation 20:5 says, "But the rest of the dead lived
not again until the thousand years were finished. This
is the first resurrection." Then verse 6 continues,
"Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first
resurrection: on such the second death hath no power. .
." Verse 4 describes the Tribulation saints who were
martyred for their testimony and says they lived and
reigned with Christ a thousand years. Then, referring
to the unsaved dead, the Scripture says in verse 5,
"But the rest of the dead lived not again until the
thousand years were finished." Those resurrected after
the millennial reign of Christ, or after the thousand
years, will comprise the second resurrection. If there
were only one general resurrection, as some believe and
teach, then no one would be lost because the Bible
plainly promises in Revelation 20:6, "Blessed and holy
is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such
the second death hath no power . . ." Now notice the
promise: those who have part in the first resurrection
are saved from the second death. What is the second
death? Revelation 20:14 tells us very plainly: "And
death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is
the second death." The second death is when all the
unsaved dead are cast into the lake of fire after the
white throne judgment. If there is only one
resurrection, then one would be forced to preach a
universal salvation because the Scripture plainly
teaches that all who have part in the first
resurrection will miss the lake of fire, or the second
death. And, of course, if there is only one
resurrection, it will have to be the first. If a couple
only has one child, it is understood without saying
that it is their first child. First Thessalonians 4:16
describes the resurrection of those who are in Christ.
Here the Scripture says, "For the Lord himself shall
descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the
archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in
Christ shall rise first." There is no mention made here
of the unsaved dead, only the dead "in Christ." Verse
17 continues, "Then we which are alive and remain shall
be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet
the Lord in the air. . . ." And then this promise: ". .
. and so shall we ever be with the Lord." It is plain
to see that everyone who is included in this
resurrection will "ever be with the Lord." If there is
only one resurrection when both saved and unsaved are
raised at the same time, then again we would be forced
to preach a universal salvation because the Scripture
plainly says that those who are raised in I
Thessalonians 4 shall "ever be with the Lord." It could
not include the unsaved because the unsaved will not
"ever be with the Lord'; they will be cast into the
lake of fire, which is the second death. The Scriptures
plainly teach a separate resurrection for the saved, as
opposed to the unsaved. Again, notice the words of
Scripture in Acts 24:15: ". . .there shall be a
resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust."
The just are those who have trusted Jesus Christ as
Saviour, being justified by faith. The Scripture says
in Romans 5:1, "Therefore being justified by faith, we
have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ."
Everyone who is trusting Jesus Christ as Saviour is
justified; he is just. Those who are not trusting
Christ--that is, the unsaved--are not justified; and
there will be a resurrection both for the just and the
unjust. Again we say, the first resurrection is the
resurrection of the just or saved. ". . .the rest of
the dead lived not again until the thousand years were
finished. This is the first resurrection" (Rev. 20:7).


III. THE PARTS OF THE FIRST RESURRECTION

There are three distinct orders or parts of the first
resurrection. The Scripture says in Revelation 20:6,
"Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first
resurrection: on such the second death hath no power. .
. " Notice carefully the words of I Corinthians
15:22-24:

"For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be
made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the
firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his
coming. Then cometh the end, when he shall have
delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when
he shall have put down all rule and all authority and
power."

Here the Scripture promises that those in Christ shall
be made alive--that is, they shall be resurrected. Then
verse 23 explains, "But every man in his own order." I
am not a Greek scholar; but according to Strong's
Concordance, the Greek word translated order is tagma.
This word means "something orderly in arrangement (a
troop), i.e. (fig.) a series or succession." Those in
Christ will all be made alive, but they will be made
alive in their own troop, or order. There are three
separate orders or troops that comprise the first
resurrection. Verses 23 and 24 give these three
separate orders: " Christ the firstfruits. . . " Order
number one is Christ and those who were raised from the
dead after his resurrection. The Bible says in Matthew
27:52,53,

"And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the
saints which slept arose, And came out of the graves
after his resurrection, and went into the holy city,
and appeared unto many."

The second order or company is described in the
expression, "afterward they that are Christ's at his
coming." The second order of the first resurrection is
in the dead in Christ who will be raised when Jesus
comes for his own.  This troop is described in I
Thessalonians 4:16,17:

"For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a
shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the
trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up
together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in
the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord."

This second order will comprise the largest group,
being all the saints who have died since Christ
ascended into Heaven two thousand years ago and all
those who were not raised as a part of the firstfruits
when Christ was raised from the dead. The third and
final order of the first resurrection is the
Tribulation saints, those saved during the Tribulation
Period. This troop is referred to in the expression,
"Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up
the kingdom unto God. . . ." Revelation 20:4 describes
this order: ". . . I saw the souls of them that were
beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of
God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither
his image, neither had received his mark upon their
foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and
reigned with Christ a thousand years." This verse
clearly describes people who lived during the
Tribulation Period. They "had not worshipped the beast,
neither his image, neither had received his mark upon
their foreheads, or in their hands." The only time
people will be demanded to worship the Beast or receive
his mark will be during the Tribulation Period. These
are folks saved during the Tribulation Period who
refused to bow down and worship the image. As a result,
they were "beheaded." After the resurrection of this
third order or troop, the Scripture says in Revelation
20:5, ". . . This is the first resurrection." When
Christ was raised from the dead and many saints arose
with Him to become the firstfruits, the Bible did not
say, "This is the first resurrection." When the
Scripture describes the second coming of Christ for His
own in I Thessalonians 4:16,17, the Bible did not say,
"This is the first resurrection." This expression was
not used until after the resurrection of the
Tribulation saints. Why? Because the first resurrection
was not complete with the firstfruits. Neither will the
first resurrection be complete at the rapture with the
resurrection of the saints described in I Thessalonians
4. The first resurrection will not be complete and thus
cannot be called the first resurrection until after the
last order (the Tribulation saints) have been
resurrected. Then and then only can the Bible declare,
"This is the first resurrection."

If I had three children and I introduced one child, I
could not say, "These are my children." Later when I
introduced the second child, I could not say, "These
are my children." Not until I had introduced my last
child could I say, "These are my children." And not
until the last part or phase of the first resurrection
can the Scripture say, "This is the first
resurrection," because the first resurrection will not
be complete until all three orders have been raised.

Dr. M. R. DeHaan used to say that the harvest is in
three parts: the firstfruits, the main harvest and the
gleanings. The firstfruits were the first ears of corn
that were ready to be plucked. These were taken in to
the priest as a promise that there was a main harvest
to follow. Then later when the whole field was ready,
the main harvest occurred. But even after that there
were a few ears left. These were know as the gleanings.
Christ and those who were raised from the dead with Him
became the firstfruits--that is, the promise of a main
harvest. The main harvest will occur when Christ comes
for His own, and the gleanings will be the Tribulation
saints. With the resurrection of the Tribulation
saints, the last order, Christ establishes His earthly
kingdom and begins His millennial reign. Thus the
expression, ". . . and they lived and reigned with
Christ a thousand years." The first resurrection occurs
before the millennium, while the second resurrection
for the unsaved dead occurs after the millennium. "But
the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand
years were finished. . . " (Rev. 20:5).