Hi Judess,
Rev 20:4 And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.
v. 5
But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the
first resurrection.
v. 6 Blessed and holy is he who has part in the
first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.
The part of the verse slashed through is considered spurious, is on Tischendorf's list, so we will disregard that part. But we see that the passage does mention a "
first resurrection," so we can assume that if this is a first, there must be another. The book of Acts mentions the resurrection of the dead, but has a distinction of the "just and the unjust."
Acts 24:15 I have hope in God, which they themselves also accept, that there will be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and the unjust.
I think the confusion mainly comes because of the spurious part of Rev. 20:5, where it made it to appear that the first resurrection of the just and the second of the unjust is separated by 1000 years. That is the only place in Scripture that suggest such a thing and it is spurious. So I think we should consider that there is 'a' resurrection of the dead, the first resurrection of the just and the quickly followed by the second part with the resurrection of the unjust.
Here are a couple of places where this is mentioned in Ray's articles.
http://bible-truths.com/lake16-A.html -----------
Hosea informed us that God will be death’s PLAGUE. In other words, God will be a plague to "sheol" itself, not the dead people who reside in sheol. In fact God says He will RANSOM AND REDEEM those in "sheol." Oh yes, God will ransom and redeem them ALL who go down to sheol, but not all at the same time. Remember there are TWO resurrections—One to life with Christ in His Kingdom, and Another to the great white throne/lake of fire/second death, Judgment.
http://bible-truths.com/lake16-D5.htm ------------
"Likewise also these filthy dreamers defile the flesh, despise dominion, and speak evil of dignities. But these speak evil of those things which they know not: but what they know naturally, as BRUTE BEASTS, in those things they corrupt themselves. Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core. These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds they are without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots; RAGING WAVES OF THE SEA, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever [for the eon]" (Jude 1:8-13).
Not a pretty picture of humanity. This is not speaking of just a few evil men that crept into the congregation of Christ's Church. This short book of Jude is speaking of two classes, two kinds, of people--believers and non-believers, those saved and those destroyed:
"I will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not" (Jude 5).
Notice it: those saved and those destroyed. These represent the entire race. These represent the entire world of humanity coming up in two resurrections: "The resurrection of the JUST and the UNJUST." Clearly the "raging waves of the sea" represent the "brute beasts" that have "corrupted themselves." "Foaming out their shame..." Jude tells us. What is this but Daniel's prophecy of all such filthy dreamers coming into eonian shame and judgment:
"And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting [eonian] life, and some to shame and everlasting [eonian] contempt" (Dan. 12:2).
These brute beasts, these ranging waves of the sea, MUST BE TAMED, until they become a beautiful, crystal, clear sea of glass.
"And I saw another sign in heaven...And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God" (Rev. 15:1 & 2).
Yes, these are the Elect of God who are now before the Throne of God and are standing on a beautiful crystal clear sea of glass. They have been tamed. They have conquered the beast within and the beast of Babylon without. They are shown victorious over the beast, his image, his mark and his name, but it came at a price. Did you notice the words "sea of glass mingled with FIRE?" Yes, the world must go through the fire, the lake of fire/second death, and so must God's Elect. But here they are pictured SAFE (saved) not unlike when Jesus calmed the sea and saved His Own disciples from the raging waves of the sea. When there is no faith, the beast appears, and the sea rages.
And He [Jesus] arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. And He said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith" (Mark 4:39-40).
Now for how and when the Elect must once die before their second death.
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mercy, peace and love
Kat