Why we don’t need to be “overcomers” in order to be resurrected before the rest of humanity (Part Two)

Scripture is clear that everyone in the body of Christ – whether dead or alive – is going to be vivified together at the same moment, and that our inclusion in this glorious future event will be irrespective of our conduct/actions in this life. In Romans 8:29-30 we read the following:

”…whom He foreknew, He designates beforehand, also, to be conformed to the image of His Son, for Him to be Firstborn among many brethren. Now whom He designates beforehand, these He calls also, and whom He calls, these He justifies also; now whom He justifies, these He glorifies also.”

Notice that the same individuals who are called by God are also justified and glorified by God. Just as our justification occurs apart from anything we do (or don’t do) before being called by God, so our glorification will occur apart from anything we do (or don’t do) after being justified. That is, since everyone who has been justified will be glorified, it follows that the glorification of everyone in the body of Christ has nothing whatsoever to do with our conduct (or the progress toward spiritual maturity that we make or fail to make) after being called and justified by God.

Moreover, it’s also evident that the glorification that Paul had in view in Rom. 8:29-30 is something will occur for every member of the body of Christ at the same time, and will involve being vivified and made fit for an eonian allotment that will be enjoyed for more than a thousand years before the rest of humanity is resurrected at the time of the great white throne judgment. This is evident from the following verses (notice especially Paul’s use of inclusive terminology – such as “us,” “we,” “all” and “together” – when referring to the expectation of the body of Christ):

Romans 8

18 For I am reckoning that the sufferings of the current era do not deserve the glory about to be revealed for us. 19 For the premonition of the creation is awaiting the unveiling of the sons of God. 20 For to vanity was the creation subjected, not voluntarily, but because of Him Who subjects it, in expectation 21 that the creation itself, also, shall be freed from the slavery of corruption into the glorious freedom of the children of God. 22 For we are aware that the entire creation is groaning and travailing together until now. 23 Yet not only so, but we ourselves also, who have the firstfruit of the spirit, we ourselves also, are groaning in ourselves, awaiting the sonship, the deliverance of our body.

Based on what we read in this passage, we can conclude that everyone who has “the firstfruit of the spirit” – which is everyone in the body of Christ (2 Cor. 1:22; 5:5; Eph. 1:13-14) – will be among the “sons of God” and “children of God” for whom the “glory” to which Paul was referring is “about to be revealed.”

1 Corinthians 15

50 Now this I am averring, brethren, that flesh and blood is not able to enjoy an allotment in the kingdom of God, neither is corruption enjoying the allotment of incorruption. 51 Lo! a secret to you am I telling! We all, indeed, shall not be put to repose, yet we all shall be changed, 52 in an instant, in the twinkle of an eye, at the last trump. For He will be trumpeting, and the dead will be roused incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal put on immortality.

The “change” to which Paul referred in this passage – and which will occur “at the last trump” – is one that will be undergone by “all” in the body of Christ (and not by just a select few believers who, by their righteous conduct and spiritual maturity, qualified for it).

2 Corinthians 4

13 Now having the same spirit of faith, in accord with what is written, "I believe, wherefore I speak also," we also are believing, wherefore we are speaking also, 14 being aware that He Who rouses the Lord Jesus will be rousing us also, through Jesus, and will be presenting us together with you.

Paul clearly expected to be together with all of the saints to whom he was writing after being roused by God through Jesus.

Philippians 3

 20 For our realm is inherent in the heavens, out of which we are awaiting a Saviour also, the Lord, Jesus Christ, 21 Who will transfigure the body of our humiliation, to conform it to the body of His glory, in accord with the operation which enables Him even to subject all to Himself.

Here, again, we find that Paul seemed to believe that both his own body and the body of everyone to whom he wrote would be transfigured at the same time (i.e., when the Savior whom we’re awaiting descends from the heavens).

Colossians 3

1 If, then, you were roused together with Christ, be seeking that which is above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. 2 Be disposed to that which is above, not to that on the earth, 3 for you died, and your life is hid together with Christ in God. 4 Whenever Christ, our Life, should be manifested, then you also shall be manifested together with Him in glory.

Those whom Paul said had “died” and whose “life was hid together with Christ in God” was everyone to whom Paul wrote this letter. And Paul clearly expected everyone to whom he wrote to be “manifested together with [Christ] in glory” whenever “Christ, our Life, should be manifested.”

1 Thessalonians 4

13 Now we do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who are reposing, lest you may sorrow according as the rest, also, who have no expectation. 14 For, if we are believing that Jesus died and rose, thus also, those who are put to repose, will God, through Jesus, lead forth together with Him. 15 For this we are saying to you by the word of the Lord, that we, the living, who are surviving to the presence of the Lord, should by no means outstrip those who are put to repose, 16 for the Lord Himself will be descending from heaven with a shout of command, with the voice of the Chief Messenger, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ shall be rising first. 17 Thereupon we, the living who are surviving, shall at the same time be snatched away together with them in clouds, to meet the Lord in the air. And thus shall we always be together with the Lord. 18 So that, console one another with these words.

Paul’s words of consolation in this passage wouldn’t be words of consolation at all if it weren’t true that every saint in the body of Christ who is “put to repose” shall be among the “dead in Christ” who “shall be rising first” when “the Lord Himself will be descending from heaven.” And what Paul wrote concerning “the living who are surviving” should be understood as similarly inclusive in meaning. Paul gave no indication that only certain surviving saints who were “qualified” would be snatched away together with the dead in Christ to meet the Lord in the air. Instead, Paul’s words imply the same truth found in 1 Cor. 15:50-53 (i.e., that ”we all, indeed, shall not be put to repose, yet we all shall be changed, in an instant, in the twinkle of an eye, at the last trump”).

This understanding of who shall be snatched away to meet the Lord in the air is further confirmed from what Paul went on to write in 1 Thess. 5:9-11:

”For God did not appoint us to indignation, but to the procuring of salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, Who died for our sakes, that, whether we may be watching or drowsing, we should be living at the same time together with Him. Wherefore, console one another and edify one the other, according as you are doing also.”

The “salvation” to which Paul was referring is that which will involve every living member of the body of Christ being rescued by “our Rescuer out of the coming indignation” (1 Thess. 1:10), and this rescue will involve being snatched away from the earth and meeting Christ in the air. It is not just those saints who are more spiritually mature (and who have more consistently righteous conduct) to whom God did not appoint to indignation; rather, it is every member of the body of Christ (Rom. 5:9). And since we haven’t been appointed to indignation (but rather “to the procuring of salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ”), it follows that every member of the body of Christ (past, present and future) will be snatched away to meet the Lord in the air.

Thus, the future glorification of all who have been justified through faith in the evangel of the grace of God is not an event that’s going to take place at different times (with some members of the body of Christ being glorified before the rest of humanity and others being glorified later). Rather, every member of the body of Christ is going to be delivered from mortality/death and glorified together at the same time. And for those members of the body of Christ who will be dead at the time that the event described in these verses occurs, their glorification will necessarily involve being resurrected (1 Thess. 4:16-17).

The salvation of every member of the body of Christ before the rest of humanity is just as certain to take place as our justification was certain to occur when we were called by God. Although Paul’s letters are filled with exhortations for believers regarding how we should live and conduct ourselves, Paul is clear that the salvation of those in the body of Christ before the rest of humanity is not something that in any way depends on anything we must do, obey or live out during this lifetime. Because God’s grace “reigns” over every member of the body of Christ, we cannot “out-sin” God’s grace; the more that we sin, the more God’s grace “superexceeds” for us, resulting in life eonian (Rom. 5:20-21). For – as we’re told in Romans 6:23 – the life eonian that every member of the body of Christ is destined to enjoy is “the gracious gift of God…in Christ Jesus, our Lord.” In accord with this truth, we’re told in 2 Thess. 2:16 that “God, our Father, Who loves us” is “giving us an eonian consolation and a good expectation in grace.”

The measure of divine grace that’s being given to those called to be members of the body of Christ is referred to in Eph. 1:7 as “the riches of [God’s] grace, which He lavishes on us,” and is such that works/acts have no part whatsoever in our salvation (Rom. 3:22; 4:4-5; 2 Tim. 1:8-11; Titus 3:3-7). According to what we read in Eph. 2:4-9, the salvation that every believer in the body of Christ will be enjoying (and which will involve God’s “displaying the transcendent riches of His grace in His kindness to us in Christ Jesus”) is not “out of” us. It is in no way dependent on or conditioned upon our will or effort. Rather, this salvation is “in grace.” It is “God’s approach present” (or “gift”), and is thus “not of works, lest anyone should be boasting.”

Upon being given the faith to believe “the word of truth, the evangel of [our] salvation,” those called by God are then “sealed with the holy spirit of promise,” which is “an earnest of the enjoyment of our allotment, to the deliverance of that which has been procured” (Eph. 1:13-14). No precept-keeping obedience/ works/godly living is required for any member of the body of Christ to receive the “deliverance” of which Paul wrote in the above verses (which, according to Eph. 2:4-7, will involve being vivified together and seated together “among the celestials in Christ Jesus”). This salvation – which will occur for all who have been justified by faith in Paul’s evangel – is as certain to occur as anything else God has promised to do. There is, therefore, nothing that anyone in the body of Christ must do in order to receive immortality before the rest of humanity, and there is nothing we could do (or fail to do) that could possibly result in our failing to receive this eonian salvation. Although Paul exhorted believers to “walk worthily of the calling with which [we] were called,” a failure to do so will not jeopardize our eonian salvation. Our having been spiritually baptized into the body of Christ (and thus “sealed with the holy spirit of promise”) guarantees our inclusion in the future event to which Paul referred in the above passages. 

The prize of God’s calling above in Christ Jesus

But if the resurrection of every deceased member of the body of Christ at the time of the event referred to in 1 Thess. 4:15-16 is not based on anything that is done (or not done) in this life, then what did Paul mean in Phil. 3:8-15? In this passage we read the following:

8 But, to be sure, I am also deeming all to be a forfeit because of the superiority of the knowledge of Christ Jesus, my Lord, because of Whom I forfeited all, and am deeming it to be refuse, that I should be gaining Christ, 9 and may be found in Him, not having my righteousness, which is of law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is from God for faith: 10 to know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, conforming to His death, 11 if somehow I should be attaining to the resurrection that is out from among the dead. 12 Not that I already obtained, or am already perfected. Yet I am pursuing, if I may be grasping also that for which I was grasped also by Christ Jesus. 13 Brethren, not as yet am I reckoning myself to have grasped, yet one thing -- forgetting, indeed, those things which are behind, yet stretching out to those in front -- 14 toward the goal am I pursuing for the prize of God's calling above in Christ Jesus. 15 Whoever, then, are mature, may be disposed to this, and if in anything you are differently disposed, this also shall God reveal to you.

We know that Paul could not have been striving to be among those who will be resurrected before the rest of humanity, for – as has been already demonstrated – every member of the body of Christ who has died (no matter how much or how little one progresses in their “walk” during this mortal lifetime) will be raised incorruptible when Christ descends from heaven and the “last trump” sounds. And it would be quite odd for Paul to have expressed his desire to secure for himself a blessing that is not at all dependent on anything we do during this lifetime. But what, then did Paul have in mind when he referred to ”attaining to the resurrection that is out from among the dead?”

I believe that Paul’s use of the term “prize” in this passage provides us with a clue as to what he had in mind here. In verses 13-14 we read, ”Brethren, not as yet am I reckoning myself to have grasped, yet one thing -- forgetting, indeed, those things which are behind, yet stretching out to those in front -- toward the goal am I pursuing for the prize of God's calling above in Christ Jesus.”

The only other time that Paul used the term translated “prize” in his letters is in 1 Cor. 9:24-27. In these verses, Paul wrote the following concerning a certain “prize” that he hoped to obtain:

Are you not aware that those racing in a stadium are, indeed, all racing, yet one is obtaining the prize? Thus be racing that you may be grasping it. Now every contender is controlling himself in all things; they, indeed, then, that they may be obtaining a corruptible wreath, yet we an incorruptible. Now then, thus am I racing, not as dubious, thus am I boxing, not as punching the air, but I am belaboring my body and leading it into slavery, lest somehow, when heralding to others, I myself may become disqualified.

Concerning the analogy Paul was using in these verses (and his reference to a “corruptible wreath”), A.E. Knoch remarked as follows in his commentary:

Contestants in the Grecian games had to take an oath that they had been ten months in training, and that they would violate none of the regulations. They lived on a prescribed diet and exercised severe self-restraint. The wreath or "crown" was made of the leaves of the pine. Groves of these trees surrounded the stadium near Corinth. Other leaves were used in other cities. For some time parsley was substituted for pine, but it seems that, in the time of the apostle, they used the pine wreaths. 

Knoch went on to write the following concerning Paul’s reference to becoming “disqualified”:

The subject before the apostle is not salvation, but service and reward. The apostle is not concerned lest he should be a "castaway", but whether he should win the prize. Two things are necessary, self-control and obedience to the rules of the game. Both are essential in order to win a wreath. In these days, when "success" is measured by human standards, it is of the utmost importance to press the fact that a violation of the rules absolutely bars the contestant from all hope of a prize. Service at the expense of truth or of conscience, to gain a livelihood or win popularity, no matter how strenuous, wins no prize. God looks on the motive and method, not on the apparent results. May we all so strive that He will be able to bestow the amaranthine wreath upon us!

I agree with Knoch here. When Paul referred to the possibility of becoming “disqualified,” he wasn’t referring to being disqualified from the blessing of being made immortal/incorruptible before the rest of humanity to enjoy life eonian in the kingdom of God. Rather, he was referring to being disqualified from obtaining the “prize” referred to in v. 24 (and which he referred to as an “incorruptible wreath” in v. 25).

In accord with this understanding of the “prize” that Paul was striving to obtain, we read in 2 Cor. 5:10 that everyone in the body of Christ will “be manifested in front of the dais of Christ” to be “requited for that which he puts into practice through the body, whether good or bad.” Concerning what Paul meant by the expression “dais of Christ,” Knoch commented on this verse as follows:

The dais, or raised platform from which games were judged and awards given, must not be confused with a judicial bench. The quality of our acts may determine the award to which we are entitled, but the question of condemnation is entirely foreign to such a tribunal. We are absolutely absolved from all condemnation, but we are eligible to an award for meritorious service. These awards will be distributed at the dais of Christ, according to our acts in "the" body, that is, our present soulish bodies.

In accord with the fact that everyone in the body of Christ is going to be manifested in front of the dais of Christ, Paul had previously written the following to the saints in Corinth:

Now if anyone is building on this foundation gold and silver, precious stones, wood, grass, straw, each one's work will become apparent, for the day will make it evident, for it is being revealed by fire. And the fire, it will be testing each one's work -- what kind it is. If anyone's work will be remaining which he builds on it, he will get wages. If anyone's work shall be burned up, he will forfeit it, yet he shall be saved, yet thus, as through fire. (1 Cor. 3:12-15)

In other words, some saints in the body of Christ – based on the kind/quality of their work – will be receiving “wages,” while others will be forfeiting the “wages” they could’ve had. However, everyone whose work is going to be tested at this time (i.e., everyone in the body of Christ) will be saved regardless of whether they receive wages or not. That is, everyone in the body of Christ is going to enjoy life eonian in the kingdom of God during the eons of Christ’s reign.

But what, exactly, is the nature of what Paul referred to as “the prize of God’s calling above in Christ Jesus?” I believe Paul had this prize in mind when, in 2 Tim. 2:11-13, he wrote the following:

“Faithful is the saying: “For if we died together, we shall be living together also; if we are enduring, we shall be reigning together also; if we are disowning, He also will be disowning us; if we are disbelieving, He is remaining faithful -- He cannot disown Himself.”

In this passage, “living together” refers to the blessing of life eonian that every member of the body of Christ will be enjoying during the eons of Christ’s reign (which is what Paul had in view when, in 1 Thess. 5:9-10, he wrote the following: “…for God did not appoint us to indignation, but to the procuring of salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, Who died for our sakes, that, whether we may be watching or drowsing, we should be living at the same time together with Him.”). In contrast, “reigning together” refers to the additional blessing and privilege of reigning with Christ during these eons.

In accord with what we read in 2 Tim. 2:11-13, Paul wrote the following in Romans 8:16-17:

“The spirit itself is testifying together with our spirit that we are children of God. Yet if children, enjoyers also of an allotment, enjoyers, indeed, of an allotment from God, yet joint enjoyers of Christ’s allotment, if so be that we are suffering together, that we should be glorified together also.”

What Paul referred to as “an allotment from God” is the “common allotment” of every member of the body of Christ (i.e., life eonian; cf. Titus 3:7), and corresponds with the words “living together” in 2 Tim. 2:11. In contrast with the allotment from God that all members of the body of Christ will enjoy, the expression “joint enjoyers of Christ’s allotment” refers to the privilege of reigning with Christ during the eons to come (and corresponds with the words “reigning together also” in 2 Tim. 2:12).

Based on these verses, we can conclude that only some members of the body of Christ will be reigning together with Christ during the eons to come. However, all members of the body of Christ will be vivified together, and will enjoy the allotment of life eonian “in the heavens” and “among the celestials” during the eons of Christ’s reign. Now let’s compare Paul’s words in Phil. 3:10-11 with the above verses in which Paul referred to the additional blessing of reigning with Christ:

Phil. 3:10-11

“…to know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, conforming to His death, if somehow I should be attaining to the resurrection that is out from among the dead.”

Rom. 8:17

“…enjoyers, indeed, of an allotment from God, yet joint enjoyers of Christ’s allotment, if so be that we are suffering together, that we should be glorified together also.”

2 Tim. 2:11-13

“…if we are enduring, we shall be reigning together also; if we are disowning, He also will be disowning us; if we are disbelieving, He is remaining faithful -- He cannot disown Himself.”

The words I’ve placed in red refer to the way in which a believer qualifies for (or is disqualified from obtaining) the prize of reigning with Christ, while the words in blue refer to the prize itself. But if Paul had in mind the prize of reigning together with Christ in Phil. 3:11, then why did he refer to it as “attaining to the resurrection that is out from among the dead?” Answer: we know that the “death” to which Paul was referring in v. 10 is Christ’s own death. In accord with this fact, the “resurrection that is out from among the dead” should, I believe, be understood as a reference to Christ’s own resurrection (which was when Christ was glorified; see Luke 24:26; cf. John 7:39; 12:16, 23). Thus, just as the qualifying condition referred to in Rom. 8:17 as “suffering together [with Christ]” is referred to in Phil. 3:10 as “conforming to [Christ’s] death,” so the prize that’s referred to in Rom. 8:17 as being “glorified together also [with Christ]” is referred to in Phil. 3:11 as “attaining to the resurrection that is out from among the dead” (since Christ’s resurrection was when he was glorified).

That is, “conforming to [Christ’s] death” is equivalent in meaning to “suffering together,” while “attaining to the resurrection that is out from among the dead” (i.e., Christ’s resurrection) is equivalent in meaning to being “glorified together also” (which refers to “reigning together” with Christ). This is, I believe, the “prize of God’s calling above in Christ Jesus” to which Paul was disposed, and which he was laboring to obtain.

Why we don’t need to be “overcomers” in order to be resurrected before the rest of humanity (Part One)

According to the belief of some students of Scripture, the blessing of being resurrected to enjoy eonian life in the kingdom of God before unbelievers are resurrected at the time of the “great white throne judgment” (Rev. 20:11-15) is not a blessing that’s guaranteed to all – or even most – members of the body of Christ. Instead, it’s believed that this blessing depends on an obedience-based obtainment of (and perseverance in) a certain level of spiritual maturity. According to this view, those members of the body of Christ who fail to reach the required level of spiritual maturity (or who fail to persevere in their mature state) won’t be made immortal and incorruptible (i.e., vivified) until more than a thousand years after those who, by their maturity-reaching conduct, qualify for the earlier resurrection.

One proponent of this view (L. Ray Smith) wrote that a believer’s failure to “do,” “obey” and “live out” certain “new covenant” commands (which Smith believed constituted “obedience” to the evangel) would ”culminate in such an one not even being in the first resurrection or given eonian life ahead of the rest of humanity!” Mr. Smith went on to say that there are ”hundreds and hundreds of commands by none other than Paul himself, clearly stating what a believe must obey” (emphasis mine). By the words “must obey,” Mr. Smith evidently meant that, if a believer didn’t obey these commands (or at least made some kind of effort to obey them over the course of his or her life), he or she would not qualify for the “first resurrection” and be “given eonian life ahead of the rest of humanity.”

Dr. Stephen E. Jones is another proponent of the position that only some believers will be resurrected to enjoy eonian life before the rest of humanity, and wrote the following concerning this view:

“The first resurrection is restricted to the overcomers who will rule with Christ (Rev. 20:5). The second resurrection, which includes everyone else (Rev. 20:12), includes both unbelievers and the rest of the believers, as Jesus said in John 5:28, 29.

“At the second resurrection (God's wheat harvest), all the dead will be raised, "both of the just and unjust," as Paul says in Acts 24:15. The believers from ages past will then be "saved yet so as through fire" (1 Cor. 3:15), some being given few lashes, others many (Luke 12:47) before being given immortality. Their judgment will be of short duration. Even as wheat needs to be threshed to remove the chaff from the germ, so also will this body of believers need some threshing.” (https://www.gods-kingdom-ministries.net/daily-weblogs/2008/02-2008/the-law-of-first-fruits/)

According to Jones, those believers who are “overcomers” are "summoned at the first resurrection to reign with Christ, while the rest of the believers must await their turn a thousand years later." (https://www.gods-kingdom-ministries.net/teachings/books/the-revelation-book-8/chapter-6-the-resurrection/) Thus, according to this position, the only future resurrection that’s going to involve saints/believers exclusively is the resurrection referred to in Luke 14:4, Heb. 11:35 and Rev. 20:4-6. And those members of the body of Christ who fail to qualify for this earlier resurrection are going to be resurrected with those referred to in Rev. 20:5 as “the rest of the dead” (which will occur at least a thousand years after the resurrection of the “overcoming” members of the body of Christ).

Jones also believed that, although members of the body of Christ who missed the first resurrection would be made immortal at some point after being resurrected with “the rest of the dead,” they would still be judged and disciplined:

“The wicked servant of Jesus’ parable [in Luke 12:35-50] will some day stand before the Judge of the whole earth, where it will be determined what sort of judgment he shall receive for his treatment of his fellow man. The limit is “forty stripes.” Whether this will be administered literally or not is a side issue, not important to this study. But the divine law will indeed judge the disobedient Christian who has missed the first resurrection” (https://godskingdom.org/studies/books/the-purpose-of-resurrection/chapter-2-the-first-and-second-resurrection).

And lest anyone misunderstand what Jones meant by “the disobedient Christian,” he went on to say that “this passage deals with God’s servants, not those outside His household. It is dealing with believers, not unbelievers” (and the reader should keep in mind that Jones makes no distinction between the believers to whom Christ spoke during his earthly ministry and those to whom Paul wrote his thirteen letters). But how does one become an “overcomer” and thereby qualify for “the first resurrection” (and thus avoid being among those believers who will, according to Jones, receive “forty stripes” at the great white throne judgment)?

Jones reassures his readers that being an overcomer ”is not really difficult.” However, Jones goes on to make it clear that being an overcomer is based on one’s conduct – i.e., how one lives in relation to God and other human beings: ”Being an overcomer has more to do with the two great commandments: loving God will all your heart and your neighbor as yourself…” In other words, a believer cannot passively become (or remain) an overcomer. Rather, according to Jones, being an overcomer requires ”being faithful to [Christ] to do as He leads.” (https://www.gods-kingdom-ministries.net/teachings/books/how-to-be-an-overcomer/epilogue/)

Jones went on to explain how a believer can become an overcomer (and thus have a part in the former resurrection), as follows: ”Essentially, those who qualify to rule with Christ in the age to come will be spiritually mature. This means their lives will reflect the same agape love that Christ manifested...” Concerning the nature of “the same agape love that Christ manifested” (and which, according to Jones, will be reflected in the lives of overcomers), Jones added, ”The love that God requires of His rulers is first of all loyal to Christ and the divine law that He gave to provide structure and boundaries to all relationships.”

Now, I actually agree with one key feature of the position expressed in the above quotes: righteous, obedient conduct is required (and not merely optional) in order to have a part in the resurrection that’s referred to by Christ as “the resurrection of the just” (Luke 14:4) and by John as “the former resurrection” (Rev. 20:4-6). This resurrection is not, in other words, a resurrection that someone can qualify for by “faith alone,” apart from some degree of spiritual maturity and righteous conduct. Anyone who doesn’t meet the qualifying, conduct-related requirements will not have a part in this resurrection.

Concerning this resurrection, Christ declared the following:

“Yet those deemed worthy to happen upon that eon and the resurrection from among the dead are neither marrying nor taking out in marriage. For neither can they still be dying, for they are equal to messengers, and are the sons of God, being sons of the resurrection” (Luke 20:35-36).

The expression “those deemed worthy” indicates that those who will “happen upon that eon and the resurrection from among the dead” will have lived in such a way that qualified them for this blessing. As I’ve argued in greater depth elsewhere, the salvation of those who are going to enjoy eonian life in the kingdom of God on earth (including those who must be resurrected in order to enter it) is a salvation that depends on both faith and righteous conduct (or a faith that expresses itself in righteous conduct). An example of such righteous conduct that will qualify people for the resurrection of the just is that which we find described in Luke 1:5-6 (where we read that Zechariah and Elizabeth were “both just in front of God, going in all the precepts and just statutes of the Lord, blameless.”). Only by living out one’s faith through such righteous conduct can a member of God’s covenant people, Israel (i.e., those to whom Christ ministered during his earthly ministry), possess a righteousness that was “super-abounding more than that of the scribes and Pharisees,” and thereby qualify for entrance into the kingdom that’s going to be restored to Israel (Matt. 5:17-20; cf. Matt. 19:16-19; 23:1-3; Rev. 14:12). Otherwise, an Israelite risked finding himself (or herself) among those “workers of lawlessness” to whom Christ will be declaring, “I never knew you” (Matt. 7:22-23), and who will be deserving of the judgment associated with Gehenna (Matt. 5:27-30; Mark 9:42-48).

Similarly, in the book of Revelation, it’s clear that the righteousness of those who will be “deemed worthy” for “the resurrection of the just” is not based on “faith alone”; rather, it’s connected with doing righteousness (Rev. 22:11) rather than doing that which is wicked (like “worshipping the wild beast or its image” and not getting the emblem of the beast on one’s forehead and on their hand; Rev. 20:4). In accord with this fact, the saints referred to in Revelation – i.e., those who will have a part in “the former resurrection” – are identified as those “who are keeping the precepts of God and the faith of Jesus” (Rev. 14:12; cf. 12:17), and who refuse to worship the wild beast and its image, etc. (v. 9-10). Christ himself declared that it was those who were “faithful until death” to whom he would “be giving the wreath of life,” and that it was “the one who is conquering” who would “under no circumstances be injured by the second death” (Rev. 2:10-11). What did Christ mean by being “faithful until death” here? Answer: Christ seemed to equate this with “conquering,” and it’s evident from Christ’s words in Rev. 2:26 that “conquering” involves obediently “keeping [Christ’s] acts until the consummation.” In other words, being “faithful until death” involves the conduct of the saints.

In light of the above considerations, the main problem with the view that believers in the body of Christ must be “overcomers” in order to qualify for the “first resurrection” is not in the belief that a person must have a conduct-based righteousness in order to qualify for this resurrection (or that being an overcomer depends on righteous conduct and some degree of spiritual maturity). Instead, the main problem – or one of the main problems – with this view is that it presupposes that the “first resurrection” referred to in Rev. 20:4-6 pertains to the company of saints that Paul referred to in his letters as “the body of Christ” (1 Cor. 12:12-13, 27; Rom. 12:4-5; cf. 1 Cor. 6:15-19; 10:16-17; 12:12-27) and “the ecclesia which is [Christ’s] body” (Eph. 1:22-23; 4:4, 12-16; 5:23-24, 30; Col. 1:18, 24; 2:19; 3:15). But the resurrection referred to in Rev. 20:4-6 – which is the resurrection referred to by Christ as “the resurrection of the just” – is a resurrection that pertains to the saints among God’s covenant people, Israel. And as I’ve argued in greater depth elsewhere (see, for example, here, here and here), the body of Christ is a company of saints that is completely distinct from the saints among God’s covenant people.

Although most Christians do not believe that God made any distinction between the saints to whom Peter, James and John wrote and ministered and those to whom Paul wrote his thirteen letters (or at least, any distinction that pertains to one’s eonian expectation/destiny), few would dispute the fact that, when God began to form the nation of Israel, he began to make a distinction between his covenant people, Israel, and the rest of humanity (i.e., those belonging to “the nations”). However, it is this very distinction between Israel and the nations that is the basis for God’s distinguishing between those saints who belong to his covenant people, and those saints whom Paul referred to collectively as “the nations” (Rom. 1:13; 11:13, 25; 15:16, 18) and who, in Paul’s day, comprised ”all the ecclesias of the nations” (Rom. 16:4).

Moreover, we know that the distinction that God began to make between human beings when he began to form the nation of Israel (and which God continued to make throughout Israel’s recorded history) is not just a past state of affairs. For according to prophecy, this divinely-recognized distinction between Israel and the nations is going to exist in the future as well. Consider, for example, the following verses from Joel 2-3:

15 Blow the trumpet in Zion! Hallow a fast! Proclaim a time of restraint! 16 Gather the people! Hallow the assembly! Convene the elders! Gather the unweaned children and the sucklings at the breasts! The bridegroom shall fare forth from his chamber, and the bride from her canopy!" 17 Between the portico and the altar shall the priests lament. The ministers of Yahweh then shall say, Commiserate, Yahweh, over Your people, and You must not give Your allotment to reproach, that the nations rule among them. Why shall they say among the peoples, Where is their Elohim? 18 Then Yahweh will be jealous for His land, and He will spare His people." 19 And Yahweh will respond and say to His people, Behold Me sending to you grain and grape juice and clarified oil, and you shall be satisfied with it. And I will not make you a reproach among the nations any more."

23 Then, sons of Zion, exult! And rejoice in Yahweh, your Elohim! For He will give to you the former rain in just measure, and He will bring down for you the downpour, the former rain and the latter rain as at first." 24 The threshing sites shall be full with cereal, and the wine vats shall run over with grape juice and clarified oil." 25 I will repay to you for the years which the locust devoured, the grub and the beetle and the larva, My great army which I sent among you." 26 Then you shall surely eat and be satisfied, and you shall praise the name of Yahweh, your Elohim, Who deals with you marvelously, and My people shall not be ashamed for the eon." 27 You shall know that within Israel am I, and I am Yahweh, your Elohim, and there is none else beside Me. And My people shall not be ashamed for the eon."

1 For, behold, in those days, and in that season, when I shall turn back the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem, 2 I will also convene all the nations and bring them down to the vale of Jehoshaphat. And I enter into judgment with them there concerning My people, and My allotment, Israel, whom they disperse among the nations, and My land which they apportion, 3 and they handle the lot for My people.

In these passages, the words “Your people,” “Your allotment,” “His people,” “My people,” “sons of Zion” and “Israel” do not refer to that category of people referred to as “the nations” and “the peoples.” Nor do these various references to God’s covenant people refer to the company of saints that Paul later referred to collectively as “the nations” and ”all the ecclesias of the nations.” What’s being prophesied in these passages does not directly concern or involve the body of Christ (which is a company of saints for whom ethnic and covenant-based distinctions are irrelevant). No, in these prophetic passages, God was referring to those who are descendants of the same ethnically/covenantally-distinct people whom he brought out of Egypt, and who comprised (and will comprise, in the future) a single nation existing in a certain geographical territory on the earth.

In accord with what’s prophesied in these and other passages that affirm a continued, divinely-recognized distinction between Israel and the nations in the future, Paul himself affirmed that God has not “thrust away His people” (Rom. 11:1-2; cf. 11:25-27). The expression “His people” does not refer to the body of Christ, but to the same ethnically distinct people referred to in the above passages from Joel – i.e., the same people whose very identity is based on the covenants that God has made with them (Rom. 9:3-4). Thus, for as long as God continues to recognize a distinction between Israel and the nations, he will continue to distinguish between the saints among God’s covenant people and the company of saints who Paul referred to collectively as “the nations” and ”all the ecclesias of the nations.”[1]

Not only are the body of Christ and the Israel of God not identical, but each company of saints has its own distinct calling and expectation. In accord with what we find prophesied concerning Israel’s covenant-based expectation (including in the passages above from Joel), we read that the saints who will have a part in the “former resurrection” will be “reigning on the earth” (Rev. 5:10). In contrast – and as I’ve argued in greater depth elsewhere (e.g., here and here) – the eonian allotment of those in the body of Christ will be enjoyed “in the heavens” and “among the celestials.” And since the resurrection referred to in Luke 14:4, Heb. 11:35 and Rev. 20:4-6 pertains to the calling and expectation of the saints among God’s covenant people, Israel, we have no good reason to believe that it’s the same resurrection as that to which Paul referred in 1 Thess. 4:15-17 and 1 Cor. 15:50-54 (which pertains to the calling and expectation of the body of Christ).[2] And this means that the resurrection to which John referred as the “former resurrection” is not the only future resurrection that will exclusively involve a certain company of saints.

But do we have any other scriptural reasons to believe that the resurrection pertaining to those in the body of Christ is distinct from (and will be taking place at a different time than) that which belongs to the saints among God’s covenant people? Yes, we do.

The body of Christ vivified before “the former resurrection”

In contrast with the resurrection of those in the body of Christ (which is a resurrection to which Paul alone referred in his letters), the “resurrection of the just” referred to by Christ in Luke 14:4 is an event that we find prophesied in the Hebrew Scriptures. In Daniel 12:3 we read that, “From those sleeping in the soil of the ground many shall awake, these to eonian life and these to reproach for eonian repulsion.” But when will the resurrection of those who shall awake “to eonian life” take place? Since Daniel will undoubtedly be among those believing and faithful Israelites who will awake to eonian life in the kingdom of God, it follows that if we can determine when he will be raised, then we can determine when the rest of the saints among God’s covenant people will be raised as well. And I believe that we’re provided with just enough information in Scripture to determine when, exactly, the resurrection of Daniel (and, by implication, all of the saints among Daniel’s people, Israel) will be taking place.

In Daniel 12:5-7, we’re told that the time of unparalleled trouble referred to in v. 1 would last for “an appointed time, two appointed times and half an appointed time,” and is said to end “when the shattering of the hand of the holy people is concluded.”[3] And in Daniel 7 it's revealed that the chief ruler of the “fourth kingdom” referred to in v. 23 (who is earlier represented as a “little horn” that will emerge from a “fourth beast”) will “speak words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High…and they shall be given into his hand for a season and two seasons and half a season.” This period of time during which the saints will be persecuted by this ruler will continue until the authority of this wicked ruler is taken away, and the saints of the Most High receive the kingdom (Dan. 7:11, 18, 21-22, 25-27). Thus, the day when the authority of this king is taken away and his kingdom is destroyed will take place immediately after the last day on which he will have authority. And according to Rev. 13:5, the ruler of the fourth kingdom (who is represented as a “wild beast”) will be exercising authority for 42 months (i.e., 3 ½ years, or 1,260 days; cf. Rev. 12:14). This means that the authority of this ruler is going to be taken away (and the saints of the Most High will receive the kingdom) the day after these 42 months/1,260 days end.

It’s further evident from Rev. 19:19-20 that the authority of the ruler of the fourth kingdom referred to in Dan. 7 is going to be taken away (and his kingdom destroyed) on the day when the “wild beast” is arrested, and the armies of the kings of the earth are destroyed by Christ. This event – which will involve the removal of the wild beast’s authority and the destruction of its kingdom – will fulfill the prophecy of the image-destroying stone and the arrival of the kingdom of God on the earth (Daniel 2:34, 44-45).

So it follows from this that Christ is going to return to the earth immediately after the final 1,260 days of this eon have transpired. This is further confirmed by the words of Christ in Matt. 24:29-30. In these verses we read that, “immediately after the affliction of those days” (i.e., after the time of “great affliction” referred to earlier in v. 21, which will begin after the “abomination of desolation” is “standing in the holy place”), Christ will be returning to earth (v. 30).

Another (related) reason for believing that Christ's return to earth concludes the second half of the 70^th heptad is as follows: After escaping from the deadly persecution of the “serpent”/”dragon” (i.e., Satan) and fleeing into the wilderness, we read that the “woman” referred to in Rev. 12 (who, as I’ve argued elsewhere, likely symbolizes the believing Jewish remnant who will be dwelling in the land of Israel at this time) is to be “nourished a season, and seasons, and half a season, from the face of the serpent” (Rev. 12:14). Again, this refers to a period of 1,260 days (v. 6), or 3½ years – i.e., the second half of the final heptad prophesied in Daniel 9. Since the people symbolized by the “woman” are to be protected from Satan for this exact period of time, it follows that they will no longer need the sort of miraculous protection they’ll be receiving in the wilderness after this period comes to an end. But the only reason this could be the case is if this period of miraculous nourishment in the wilderness is to end with Christ’s return to earth to deliver faithful Israel from her enemies and set up his kingdom (cf. Luke 21:27-28).

Now, in Daniel 12:11 we read, “And from the time that the regular burnt offering is taken away and the abomination that makes desolate is set up, there shall be 1,290 days.” Here Daniel is told of a period of 1,290 days which will follow the taking away of the “regular burnt offering” and the setting up of the “abomination that makes desolate.” Since this event will begin the time of “great affliction” referred to by Christ (Matt. 24:15-22) – and thus begin the final 1,260 days that will precede Christ’s return to earth – we can conclude that the 1,290 days referred to in Dan. 12:11 will consist of this period of time plus an additional 30 days (the implication is that “the regular burnt offering” will be resumed 1,290 days after it was taken away). In the next verse, we then read: “Blessed is he who waits and arrives at the 1,335 days. But go your way till the end. And you shall rest and shall stand in your allotted place at the end of the days.” The “1,335 days” refers to the final 1,260 days of this eon plus an additional 75 days. Apparently, something of great importance – and which those who will be alive at the time will be blessed to see – is going to take place on the 1,335th day. But what event could this be?

Notice what the messenger’s closing words to Daniel are: “And you shall rest and shall stand in your allotted place at the end of the days” (Dan. 12:13). In other words, Daniel was being told that he would “rest” (that is, die) and then “stand” (be resurrected) at the end of the days being referred to in verses 11-12 (interestingly, the word translated “resurrection” in the Greek scriptures – anastasis – literally means, “to stand up” or “to stand again”). Since Christ will be returning to earth immediately after the 1,260 days following the setting up of the “abomination of desolation” have transpired, we can conclude that the resurrection of Israel’s saints will take place 75 days after Christ’s return to earth – i.e., the last day of the 1,335 days spoken of by the messenger (the “end of the days”). In accord with this fact, we read that Christ repeatedly spoke of the resurrection of believing Israelites as something that will take place on “the last day” (John 6:39, 40, 44, 54). Martha believed that her brother Lazarus would rise on “the last day” as well (John 11:24). They were evidently familiar with Daniel’s prophecy that the resurrection of Israel’s saints will take place on the last day of the 1,335 days referred to at the end of the book. 

Since this prophesied order of events involving the saints among God’s covenant people does not match what we find revealed by Paul in 1 Thess. 4:15-18 and 1 Cor. 15:50-53 concerning the saints in the body of Christ, we have good reason to believe that the resurrection of Israel’s deceased saints and the resurrection of “the dead in Christ” referred to by Paul are completely different events that will be taking place at completely different times.

Moreover – and in accord with the above chronological considerations – we also know that the resurrection involving the saints of Israel is not going to occur until after the indignation of God during the “the day of the Lord” has begun, and the various calamities prophesied in Revelation 6-18 have already occurred. For even apart from what we find revealed in Daniel 12, we have good reason to believe that the resurrection of the saints among God’s covenant people will not be occurring until after Christ has returned to earth. However, Christ will not be returning to earth until after the judgments associated with the seals, trumpets and bowls (which will be expressions of God’s indignation) have already taken place. In contrast, the resurrection of the “dead in Christ” referred to by Paul in 1 Thess. 4:15-17 is going to occur before God’s indignation during the day of the Lord begins. Consider the following argument:

1. God did not appoint those in the body of Christ to indignation, but rather to the “procuring of salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thess. 5:9).

2. The salvation to which those in the body of Christ have been appointed will involve being snatched away from the earth to be with Christ, so that we may “be living at the same time together with him” (1 Thess. 4:15-17; 5:9).

3. The snatching away is the means by which God will prevent the body of Christ on earth from going through “the coming indignation” (1 Thess. 1:10; 5:10).

Thus, in contrast with the resurrection of the saints among God’s covenant people, the resurrection referred to by Paul in 1 Thess. 4:15-17 is going to occur before the earliest judgments that will be preceding the return of Christ to earth have begun to occur. From this fact we can conclude that the resurrection of the saints in the body of Christ will take place before the resurrection of the saints among God’s covenant people, Israel.

But if the resurrection of the saints among God’s covenant people is going to occur sometime after the resurrection of those in the body of Christ, then why is it referred to as the “former resurrection” in Rev. 20:5-6? Answer: the term “former” simply distinguishes this resurrection from the implied latter resurrection that will occur after the thousand years have transpired. In other words, the resurrection referred to in Rev. 20:5-6 is “former” (or “first”) only in relation to the subsequent resurrection of “the rest of the dead” (and not in relation to the resurrection referred to by Paul in 1 Thess. 4:15-17 and 1 Cor. 15:5-53, which John may or may not have even had any knowledge concerning).

For part two, click here: http://thathappyexpectation.blogspot.com/2021/03/why-we-dont-need-to-be-overcomers-in_9.html

---

[1] Any objection that some of the believers who belonged to these “ecclesias of the nations” were Jewish with regard to their ethnicity and descent (i.e., Israelites “according to the flesh”) is invalid, since their inclusion among a company of saints that could be collectively referred to as “the nations” presupposes that these believers no longer considered themselves to be members of God’s covenant people, Israel. Like Paul himself (see Phil. 3:4-9), they had repudiated/forfeited the covenantal standing and covenant-based relationship with God that they’d previously had (and were thus, with regard to covenant standing, indistinguishable from those among the nations). 

[2]It should be noted that, according to Hebrew prophecy, there will be some among the nations who, along with the saints among God’s covenant people, will be enjoying an allotment in the kingdom that is going to be restored to Israel. In accord with this fact, the resurrection that pertains to the calling and expectation of Israel will also include certain people from among the nations who were called (or will be called) through the evangel of the Circumcision. However, according to what we read in Acts 10, it is only those Gentiles who are “fearing God and acting righteously” (and are thus “acceptable to God”) who are being called to this expectation. Cornelius and his household are the most notable examples of those belonging to this special category of Gentiles. 

[3] In v. 6 the messenger asks, “How long until the end of these astonishing things?” The Concordant Version reads, “Until when is the end of the marvels?” The word translated “astonishing things” or “marvels” in this verse is the Hebrew word pele', and appears only here in the book of Daniel. However, it’s derived from the Hebrew word pala', which is found in Daniel twice. Significantly, both occurrences of the word pala’ refer to actions involving the wicked ruler of the prophesied “fourth kingdom” who will be persecuting the saints among Daniel’s people (and who, in Daniel 11:36, is referred to as “the king who does as is acceptable to himself”). In Daniel 8:24 the word is used to describe the “marvelous” or “astonishing” way in which this ruler will “ruin and prosper and deal” during his reign, and in Daniel 11:36 the word is used to describe the “marvelous” or “astonishing” blasphemies that he will be speaking against God during this time. Thus, the “astonishing things” or “marvels” referred to in the celestial messenger’s question in Daniel 12:6 should not to be understood as positive in nature (and most likely would not have been understood by Daniel as such). Rather, they have to do with events involving the persecution of the saints during the final 3 ½ years of this eon (which in Daniel 12:1 is referred to as “an era of distress which will come to pass such as has not occurred since there was a nation on the earth, until that era”).