THE SPREADING IN ASIA MINOR AND EUROPE THROUGH THE MINISTRY OF PAUL AND HIS COMPANIONS (29)
Read and pray: "Except for this one thing I cried out while standing among them: today I am judged by you concerning the resurrection of the dead." (Acts 24:21)
The Resurrection of the Just and the Unjust
In 24:15, he speaks of the resurrection: "Having hope in God, which these men also have, that there will be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and the unjust." The resurrection of the just will be before the millennium, when the Lord returns (1 Cor. 15:23; 1 Thess. 4:16). It will be the resurrection of life (John 5:28-29a; Dan. 12:2). The resurrection of life is that of the believers before the millennium.
The dead believers will be resurrected to enjoy eternal life when the Lord returns. Therefore, it is called the resurrection of life. It is also the resurrection of reward (Luke 14:14), when God will reward the saints (Rev. 11:18) at the return of the Lord (1 Cor. 4:5). The resurrection of the just, which is that of life, also includes the first resurrection, or the better resurrection (Rev. 20:4-6).
Revelation 20:5-6 speaks of the first resurrection, or the better. The first resurrection is the best. It is not only the resurrection of life but also of reward, the extraordinary resurrection, which the apostle Paul sought (Phil. 3:11, lit.), related to the kingdom, as a reward for the victors, so that they may reign as kings with Christ in the millennial kingdom (Rev. 20:4, 6).
Those who will have "part in the first resurrection" (Rev. 20:6) will not only be the resurrected victors, such as the male child (Rev. 12:5) and the late martyrs (Rev. 15:2), but also the living raptured ones, as the firstfruits (Rev. 14:1-5).
In Philippians 3:11, Paul refers to the first, or better, or even the extraordinary resurrection: "If, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead." The word resurrection in this verse can also be translated as extraordinary resurrection. It will be a reward for the victorious believers.
All believers who are dead in Christ will participate in the resurrection from the dead when He returns (1 Thess. 4:16; 1 Cor. 15:52). However, the victors will enjoy a special portion, called the "superior resurrection" in Hebrews 11:35.
To reach the extraordinary resurrection means to have our whole being gradually and continuously resurrected. God first resurrected our deadened spirit (John 5:25; Eph. 2:5-6). Then, from our spirit, He resurrects our soul (Rom. 8:6) and our mortal body (Rom. 8:11), until our whole being (spirit, soul, and body) is fully resurrected, from our old being, through His life and with it.
It is a process in life through which we must pass, and it is also a race that we must run until we reach the extraordinary resurrection as a prize. Thus, the extraordinary resurrection must be the goal and destination of the Christian life. We can only reach it by being conformed to the death of Christ (Phil. 3:10), living a crucified life. In the death of Christ, we undergo a process of resurrection from the old to the new creation.
We have already emphasized that in Acts 24:15, Paul says that there will be a resurrection of both the just and the unjust. The resurrection of the unjust will take place after the millennium (Rev. 20:5). It will be the resurrection of judgment (John 5:29), of shame and eternal horror (Dan. 12:2b). This will be the resurrection of the unbelievers who died, and it will take place after the millennium (Rev. 20:5, 12). All the unbelievers who are dead will be resurrected after the thousand years to be judged at the great white throne (Rev. 20:11-15). Therefore, it is called the resurrection of judgment.
In Revelation 20:12, the expression "standing" indicates that the dead were resurrected. This is the resurrection of judgment for eternal perdition upon the unjust after the millennium. It is the resurrection of which the apostle Paul warned the unjust Felix in Acts 24:25.
All the unsaved will be in the resurrection of judgment. Since they will be condemned to eternal perdition, their resurrection will be of shame and eternal horror. Paul, in his wisdom, mentioned this resurrection as a warning to Felix. What he said implies that Felix should prepare to face the coming resurrection of judgment. As we will see later, he spoke directly to him concerning the coming judgment.
Enjoy more: Hymn 55, 93
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