How many future resurrections are there in the New Testament?

Question

How many resurrections that are still to take place are implied in the New Testament?

Could what is described in Revelation 6:9-10 be considered as resurrection?:

And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?

In the end of Revelation we see at least two separate resurrections on each side of the millennium kingdom:

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 worshiped 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 (Revelation 20:4)

And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is [the book] of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works (Revelation 20:12)

But in the First Thessalonians Paul speaks about one more resurrection:

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 (1st Thessalonians 4:16)

On the other hand, I also heard that in Philippians 3:11 Paul also speaks about some kind of extra-resurrection:

If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead

And also, both the Savior and Martha mention resurrection that will happen on the last day:

And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day (John 6:40)

Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day (John 11:24)

Some of all these resurrections may actually be referring to the same resurrection.

There may also be other resurrections mentioned in the New Testament that I haven't brought up here.

So, how many different instances of the future resurrections are reserved in the New Testament?

Answer 1

Revelation 20:5-6 makes it clear that there are two resurrections:

(The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.) This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years.

First note the use of "first resurrection". If there was only one resurrection, the word "first" would be superfluous.

Second, note the part in brackets. In context (Revelation 20:4-5):

I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years. (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.) This is the first resurrection.

So we see that there are two resurrections:

1. The first is before the thousand years. These are believers¹ who reign with Christ.
2. The second is after the thousand years. They are here described as "the rest".

Notes

1. "Temporary resurrections" are not included here, eg John 11:43-44 and Matthew 27:52-53.
2. In another Christian meaning of the word, there is only One Resurrection (the source of all other resurrections).

_{1 It is not clear if this is all believers or a subset. Hence it is also not possible to determine if "the rest" are only unbelievers or also some believers.}

Answer 2

In his letter to the disciples in Philippi Paul wrote (3:11)

ει πως καταντησω εις την εξαναστασιν την εκ νεκρων

Exanastasis is what he tried to attain - literally an out-upstanding, out of (and prior to) the resurrection of all. It is the rising of the dead in Christ (1Thess 4), of the 'beheaded' for their witness for Jesus (Rev 20), the first resurrection (20:6).

Because it is for kingship (judgement) and priesthood in behalf of renewed mankind (in the resurrection of all), they will be raised up before all else.

Addendum: Rev 20 : 5 first part of verse ("the rest of the dead did not live before the thousand years were over") is not present in the majority of the koine manuscripts, not in the Syriac Peschitta, not in Codex Aleph (Sinaiticus), not in the commentaries to the Apocalypse by Victorinus (3rd century) and Beatus (7th c.). It was erroneously introduced there. Rev. 20 to 22 is not refering to time after Christ's reign with mankind but to the fulfillment of all things in His presence and in His handing over of everything to the Father.

Answer 3

Ezekiel 37:1-10

The hand of the Lord was upon me, and carried me out in the Spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones, and caused me to pass by them round about: and, behold, there were very many in the open valley; and, lo, they were very dry. And He said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord God, Thou knowest. Again He said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the Word of the Lord. Thus saith the Lord God unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live: and I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live; and ye shall know that I am the Lord. “So I prophesied as I was commanded: and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone. And when I beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh came up upon them, and the skin covered them above: but there was no breath in them. Then said He unto me, Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord God; Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live. So I prophesied as He commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army.

Answer 4

Resurrection is always a corporate event - like a harvest. When Jesus was resurrected, saints also came out of their graves to testify as legal witnesses in Jerusalem.

The pattern is also architectural, and the architecture of the Bible and history is triune. The house of God has the Most Holy Place, the Holy Place, and the Courts. Israel had the Tabernacle, the Land of Israel, and the nations. The pattern is always Garden - Land - World.

Adam's sin corrupted the Garden. Cain's sin corrupted the Land. The intermarriage of the priestly sons of God with the daughters of Cainite kings led to the corruption of the entire world.

Just so, we see Jesus arrested and condemned in the Garden (High Priest), sent to the king of the Land for a second legal witness (Herod), and then condemned by the representative of the emperor of the World, Pilate.

Now we can understand the architectural nature of the resurrections. Jesus crushed the serpent and reclaimed the Garden. He sent the Spirit and His apostles' witness defeated the fiery serpents (brood of vipers) in the Land, which led to the destruction of the Temple. With this victory over Cain (the false brother), the blood of Abel was avenged, and all the Old Testament saints could ascend into heaven.* This is the "first resurrection" of Revelation 20.

Then we have the final resurrection, in the "World," at the end of time.

We see this architecture in 1 Cor. 15:

GARDEN: Christ the firstfruits, (AD30)

LAND: THEN at his [soon] coming those who belong to Christ. (AD70)

WORLD: THEN comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying nevery rule and every authority and power. (Future)**

*They are referred to as "beheaded" to correspond them to John the Baptist, the final Old Covenant witness. They all waited for their Covenant "head," Christ. The body of the sacrifice could not ascend until the head ascended to God. Read Lev. 1.

**The 1000 years of Revelation is a symbolic allusion to the administration of the Tabernacle (1000 years from Isaac on Moriah to David's purchase of the site), and the Temple (1000 years from the completion of Solomon's Temple to the destruction of Herod's Temple). Notice that the Tabernacle and Temple both went through a death-and-resurrection process: Moses' silent Tabernacle - David's Tabernacle of music (with Gentile worshipers) Solomon's Temple of Stone - Ezekiel's living temple of the oikoumene (Gentile empires with the Jews as a priesthood)

Answer 5

There are many minor resurrections; Enoch; Genesis 5:24 KJV [24] And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.

Then we have the two witnesses; Revelation 11:12

Then there is the 144,000 Jewish witnesses resurrected.

Then at the return of Christ the general resurrection of the saved, to include the beheaded trib saints who refused the mark of the beast.

Then after the 1,000 year rain of Christ with his saints there is a final resurrection of all the dead at the Great White throne Judgment.

The Apostle Paul also mentions that the Church at the last trump, or the trumpet? This seems to be a mystery, or part of the first resurrection? Which would lend to a mid trip rapture, or even a post trib rapture. I can see the multitude from all nations in Heaven in Revelation chapter 7 after the 6th seal is opened.

I welcome some discussion on the subject.

[email protected] Rev Wilmoth