Resurrections of the Justified & Unjustified

Resurrections of the Justified & Unjustified
One must recognize that a clear distinction exists between the First Resurrection and the Second Resurrection as described in the Scriptures.

•  The First Resurrection consists of Abraham and his justified descendants: the 24 Elders and the 144,000 Elect from 12 of the 13 tribes of Israel.

•  The Second Resurrection includes both the justified and the unjustified (the unrighteous or unjust) from every nation and people who have ever lived. This also encompasses all Israelites who did not participate in the First Resurrection.

Definitions

The Greek term for someone “just” and “righteous” is δικαίων (dikaion), which means, “equitable
(in character or act); by impl. innocent, holy (absol. or rel.)… just or innocent,” 1 “observant of right,
righteous.” 2

This Greek term is a translation of the Hebrew word צדק (tzadaq), and its cognate forms צדקה (tzadaqah), צדיק (tzadiyq), etc., 3 meaning, “to be (causat. make) right (in a moral or forensic sense)… just,” 4 “was righteous, equitable… acted justly… was in the right… was acknowledged to be just… innocent,” 5 “be in the right, be right, have a just case… (what is) right… (legal) rightness.” 6

The Hebrew and Greek terms are commonly translated into English as “just,” “justified,” and “righteous.” 7 The Hebrew and Greek terms contain both meanings, for one who is just and right with Yahweh is justified and determined to be righteous with regard to receiving the Eternal Inheritance of the Adamic and Abrahamic Covenants.

Abraham, for example, was reckoned to be a צדקה (tzadaqah; justified) man under the Torah of Trust; 8 and, as such, a Covenant of Inheritance (the Abrahamic Covenant) was made with him, allowing both Abraham and his son Isaak, as well as the plural seed of Isaak, to one day receive the Eternal Inheritance by means of his single seed (Yahushua the Messiah). 9

The Greek term for someone “unjust” and “unrighteous” is ἀδίκων (adikon), which means, “unjust; by extens. wicked; by impl. treacherous,” 10 “wrong-doing, unrighteous… of things, wrongly done, wrong, unjust.” 11 This Greek term is primarily used as a translation of three different Hebrew words שקר (shaqar), עון (aun), and עול (aul). 12

•  שקר (shaqar), “a prim. root; to cheat, i.e. be untrue (usually in words)… an untruth,” 13 “acted falsely… a deceitful thing,” 14 “lie, falsehood, deception (in words).” 15

•  עון (aun) and עוון (auun), “perversity, i.e. (moral) evil,” 16 “activity that is crooked or wrong,” 17 “was crooked, perverse, did wrong.” 18

•  עול (aul), עולה (aulah), etc., meaning, “a prim. root; to distort (morally):—deal unjustly, unrighteous… evil (morally):—unjust, unrighteous, wicked,” 19 “acts unjustly… wicked… one habitually unfair, unjust wicked… unfairness… injustice… iniquity,” 20 “wrong, injustice… evildoer, transgressor, criminal… perversity, wickedness.” 21

Both the Greek and Hebrew terms are translated as unjust and unrighteous, 22 including the act of lying or being a liar as well as acting perversely. In essence, these terms refer to a man who is not justified (i.e., by grace) to receive the Eternal Inheritance.

Different Resurrections

There are two different resurrections that come under the Adamic and Abrahamic Covenants:

(1) The First Resurrection is for Abraham and his justified descendants (e.g., Isaak, Jacob, Moses, etc., as well as 144,000 Elect from 12 of the 13 tribes of Israel).23 They obtain their authority to be resurrected under the Adamic Covenant but acquire a right to the First Resurrection by means of the Abrahamic Covenant.

(2) The Second Resurrection consists of everyone else, both the just and the unjust. The just are those justified by grace under the Torah of Trust, like Enoch and Noah, but who do not qualify for the First Resurrection. They are counted as the “good seed” of the Second Resurrection. All others are those unjustified (from the wicked to those who have not yet qualified). Both have received a right to a resurrection under the Adamic Covenant.

Nevertheless, having experienced the first death, everyone has paid the required wages for their sin. Therefore, everyone of the Second Resurrection will be given a fresh start in the Millennial Judgment Day. Indeed, Yahweh wants everyone from the Second Resurrection to come to repentance during this period. 24

To illustrate these two categories of resurrections, when brought up on charges by other Jews, the apostle Saul pleaded his case before Felix, the Roman governor. In his defense, Saul told Felix:

I confess this to you that in the manner which they call a heresy, so I serve the ancestral deity, trusting all things which throughout the Torah and the Prophets have been written, a hope having in the deity, which they themselves also received, μέλλειν ἔσεσθαι (mellein esesthai; that there will definitely be) 25 a resurrection of the dead, both of the δικαίων (dikaion; justified) and the ἀδίκων (adikon; unjustified). (Acts 24:14-15)

Saul’s statement confirms that both the justified and the unjustified are part of the same single resurrection. Yet, as noted previously, there are two separate resurrections.

•  The First Resurrection is for those the Messiah declares justified in this life and who qualify for that Resurrection under the Abrahamic Covenants (e.g., the 24 Elders and the 144,000). They will be quickened into eternal life shortly after being resurrected, and the second death will no longer have authority over them.

•  The Second Resurrection, on the other hand, is for all the rest of mankind—those justified in this life but who do not qualify for the First Resurrection under the Abrahamic Covenants, as well as those who are not justified. Although everyone will live during the Millennial Judgment Day, only those who remain qualified at the Final Judgment or end of that millennial day will be quickened into eternal life.

To begin with, the Messiah told the Jews:

Truly, truly, I say to you, he that hears my word and trusts him who sent me, has eternal life, AND DOES NOT COME INTO JUDGMENT; but passes out of death into life. (John 5:24)

He then continued by stating:

Wonder not at this, for an hour is coming in which all those in the tombs will hear his (the Messiah’s) voice, and will come forth, THOSE WHO PRACTICE GOOD INTO A RESURRECTION OF LIFE, AND THOSE WHO DO EVIL INTO A RESURRECTION OF JUDGMENT. (John 5:28-29)

One would not know which kind of resurrection he actually had until the end of the Millennial Judgment Day (looking back), for all those of the Second Resurrection—both the justified and the unjustified under the Torah of Trust—are under the threat of the second death. One must endure until the end, and even those justified at their resurrection may fall away.

Therefore, how one behaves during the Millennial Judgment Day determines what kind of resurrection they have during the Second Resurrection; those who practice good during the Millennial Judgment Day are defined as having had a resurrection of life, while those who practice evil have a resurrection of judgment.

Conversely, those who attain the First Resurrection through the Abrahamic Covenants (i.e., Abraham and his justified offspring) will inherit eternal life with their resurrection. The second death will have no authority over them. 26

However, all those of the Second Resurrection, both those who died in justification as well as those who were unjustified, having paid for their sins by their death, will be brought up together in the truth. Not long after their resurrection, even the unjustified will reach a stage of justification, and all will be part of the kingdom of Yahweh.

All Must be Tested

Yet all must experience the Millennial Judgment Day to be tested to see whether they will endure until the end and remain justified. To be saved, they must acquire the divine nature to attain the inheritance of eternal life at the end. Some of the wicked are so evil that they will fall away from justification and will be executed during the Judgment Day, never returning to life.

Nevertheless, most of the wicked, having produced no fruit of the divine nature (being revealed as the bad seed), will be allowed to prosper during the latter part of the Millennial Judgment Day. In turn, they have to endure the punishment of a Final Judgment at the end of the Millennial Judgment Day, being put to death by the Gehenna Fire. The justified, on the other hand, will be quickened into eternal life and will not suffer this judgment of eternal death.

This construct is further confirmed in a parable Yahushua told a rich ruler of the Pharisees who had invited him to dinner at his house on the Sabbath. He told the man:

When you make a dinner or supper, do not call your friends nor your brothers, nor your relatives, nor rich neighbors, lest they also should invite you in return, and a recompense be made to you, but when you make a feast, call the poor, crippled, lame, blind; and you will be blessed, for they have nothing to recompense you, for it will be recompensed in the RESURRECTION OF THE δικαίων (dikaion; JUSTIFIED). (Luke 14:12-14)

Colossians defines the recompense as coming with the divine “inheritance” 27. Meanwhile, in a Psalm composed by King David we read:

Hear my prayer Yahweh; give ear to my supplications in your trustworthiness, answer me in your righteousness, and do not enter this one, your servant, into Judgment; FOR כל חי (kal khi; EVERY LIFE) WILL NOT BE צדק (tzadaq; JUSTIFIED) TO YOUR FACE. (Ps. 143:1-2)

In this prayer, a devout follower of Yahweh requests a pardon from the Final Judgment, for not every life will be JUSTIFIED before Yahweh’s face when the Final Judgment comes. David’s plea clearly shows that those who remain unrighteous at the time of the Final Judgment belong to those coming from the Second Resurrection.

Those of the First Resurrection will automatically avoid the Final Judgment because they will be reckoned as justified, as in the case of King David. After their resurrection, there will be no further testing to qualify for the inheritance of eternal life.

Meanwhile, others called justified, who do not qualify for the First Resurrection, seek a “better resurrection” in the Second Resurrection and also wish to avoid judgment. These are the justified, whom Yahushua calls “the good seed” planted in the field (the world), who will sprout up during the Millennial Judgment Day. 28

If they continue to be justified until the end, they will not stand before the face of Father Yahweh naked and ashamed when he comes to judge the unrighteous. The wicked who remain will then be cast alive into the Lake of Fire (i.e., Gehenna Fire). 29

Who are the Justified?

Who, then, are the justified who experience the Resurrections? Do the Scriptures imply that everyone in the Second Resurrection is evil? To answer these questions, we must first ask another: “Why would anyone want to be considered justified by Yahweh?” Here is the real heart of the matter. To have the will to seek justification, a person must have a purpose and a goal to spur them on.

In Scriptures this goal is the inheritance of eternal life found in the Abrahamic Covenants of Promise. For now, we need only consider that the conditions for receiving these promises are that we are found righteous (i.e., worthy and justified) and clothed with the sacred ruach (spirit), thereby being unashamed, so that we can be granted the Eternal Inheritance.

All Have Sinned

Nevertheless, everyone is inadequate, “for all have sinned and have come short of the glory of the deity.” 30 Indeed, those with corruptible flesh-and-blood bodies cannot inherit eternal life. 31

Because of sin, the Torah of Moses was attached to the Adamic and Abrahamic Covenants as a precondition for living in the land of the Inheritance. 32 A person could be justified (made righteous) if they kept all the eternal laws and commandments of the Torah of Trust, but the Torah of Moses, with all of its augmentations—works of the Torah (e.g., sacrifices, washings, and other customs)—only further complicated matters.

No human, except Yahushua the Messiah, succeeded in the Torah of Moses; it only pushed the Inheritance further out of mankind’s reach.

Recognizing mankind’s inability to be sinless, Job asked, “How can a man be justified with el?” 33 Similarly, Bildad the Shuhi asked his friend Job:

How then can a man be justified with el? And how can one born of a woman be pure? “Behold,” unto the moon, and it does not shine, and the stars are not pure in his eyes. How much less a male, who is a maggot, and the son of Adam, who is a worm! (Job 25:4-6)

The problem is resolved by the appearance of the man, Yahushua the Messiah, who preexisted as a divine member of the eloahi. 34 Yahushua had to come to save mankind because no earthly man was capable. 35

Yahushua Never Sinned

For example, Yahushua never sinned. 36 Therefore, unlike all other men, he was the only one who was truly a justified man on his own merits. 37 Furthermore, the preexistent Yahushua, being one of the eloahi who appeared as Yahweh in the Old Testament, was a grantor of the Eternal Inheritance, via the Abrahamic Covenants of Promise, that was given to Abraham and his single seed (the Messiah). 38

As the testator of the Will, containing the promise of grace and eternal life, Yahushua’s death enabled the Eternal Inheritance to be passed on. 39 Then, as a descendant of Abraham and a keeper of the conditions of both the Adamic and Abrahamic Covenants, as well as coming under the Torah of Moses and its augmentations without sinning, Yahushua not only remained in the Promised Land during his earthly ministry but also qualified to receive the very Inheritance he left to Abraham and his single seed.

As the only heir to the eternal promises given to Adam and Abraham, and having separately received from father Yahweh the promise of his resurrection and eternal life, he can now grant a share of the Eternal Inheritance to whomever he chooses, declaring them justified if they meet certain criteria. 40

Justified by Trust

The primary qualification for receiving the Eternal Inheritance is trust, for the Eternal Inheritance comes by means of a Torah of Trust. 41 As a result, men must be declared justified by their trust. Yet, why trust? Trust is required because no one will follow Yahweh or do what is right in Yahweh’s eyes unless they trust in his promise that he will reward them with the Eternal Inheritance.

The Israelites under the Old Covenant (the Torah of Moses) given at Mount Sinai, for example, subsequently “disobeyed” Yahweh. As a result, they were relegated to wandering in the wilderness for 40 years and were forbidden to enter Yahweh’s future rest in the land of Kanaan “on account of not trusting.” 42

The Epistle to the Hebrews adds:

Therefore, we should fear lest perhaps a promise being left to enter into his (Yahweh’s) rest, any of you might seem to come short. For indeed we have had the good news announced (to us) even as they (those under Moses) had, but the word of the report did not profit them, those who heard not having mixed it with trust. (Heb. 4:1-2)

Job provides us with an important demonstration of this principle. Job was an Edomite. Therefore, he will come up with all the nations in the Second Resurrection. Yet Job observed, “I know that I will be JUSTIFIED.” 43 How can Job so confidently trust that he will be justified? And who does Yahweh choose to declare and make righteous (i.e., justified)?

The answer is those whom Yahweh forgives by grace, because they have repented of their sins, love and know him (i.e., keep his commandments), 44 and WHO TRUST IN HIM AND HIS MESSIAH AND OBEY HIS VOICE.

The following verses are examples of the doctrine of trust:

Behold, the person puffed up inside himself is not upright; and the justified WILL LIVE BY TRUST. (Hab. 2:4)

Be it known therefore, to you, men, brethren, that through this one (Yahushua) is announced to you the forgiveness of sins, and from all things from which you could not be justified in the Torah of Moses, EVERYONE THAT TRUSTS IS JUSTIFIED BY HIM. (Acts 13:38-39)

For I (Saul) am not ashamed of the good news of the Messiah: for it is the power of the deity unto salvation for all who trust, both first to the Judaeans then Hellenes (i.e., Greek-speaking nations), for the righteousness of the deity is revealed in it out of trust unto trust; accordingly as it has been written, “BUT THE JUSTIFIED WILL LIVE BY TRUST.” (Rom. 1:16-17)

For yet, a very little while, he who comes will come, and will not delay. Yet THE JUSTIFIED WILL LIVE BY TRUST; and if he draws back, my nephesh (person) delights not in him. But we are not of those who draw back unto destruction, but of trust unto saving the nephesh. (Heb. 10:37-39)

Drawing Back from Trust

To draw back, one must first be in a place from which he is drawing back. This statement indicates that the wicked will be brought to the truth after the Second Resurrection, and then will draw back from it to their own destruction. 45

These wicked ones will first receive the gifts of the sacred ruach but will later reject and blaspheme the same ruach given to them. 46

Saul also teaches the doctrine of justification by means of trust in the Eternal Inheritance when he writes:

Now we know that whatsoever the Torah (of Moses) says, to those in the Torah it speaks, so that every mouth will be stopped, and all the universe will come under the Judgment of the deity. Wherefore NOT ANY FLESH WILL BE JUSTIFIED OUT OF WORKS OF THE TORAH before him; for by means of the TORAH is knowledge of sin. But now the justified of the deity has been made manifest apart from the Torah (of Moses), being borne witness to by the Torah (of Moses) and the Prophets.

Moreover, the justification of the deity by means of the trust of Yahushua the Messiah is toward all and upon all of those that trust. For there is no difference, for all have sinned and come short of the glory of the deity; BEING JUSTIFIED BY A GIFT OF HIS χάριτι (khariti; GRACE, FAVOR), 47 by means of the redemption that is in the Messiah Yahushua; whom the deity set up as a mercy seat by means of the trust in his blood (i.e., his death), unto a showing forth of his justification, in respect of the passing by of the sins that had taken place before, in the forbearance of the deity; toward the showing forth of his justification in the present time, in that he is just and justifies him that is out of the trust of Yahushua.

Where then is the glorying? Was it excluded through the Torah of Works (i.e., the Mosaic Covenant)? No. Rather (it was excluded) through the Torah of Trust (i.e., as represented by the Adamic and Abrahamic Covenants). 48

Therefore, we reckon that a man is justified by trust apart from the works of the Torah (of Moses). Is he the deity of the Judaeans only? And not also of the nations? Yes, also of the nations: since indeed one deity will justify the circumcision (i.e., Israel) out of trust and the uncircumcision (other nations) through trust. Do we then make the Torah (of Moses) of no effect by means of trust? Let it not be! But we establish the Torah. (Rom. 3:19-31)

We establish the Torah of Moses because one who is justified will inherit the right to remain in the Promised Land, which was the stated intent of the Torah of Moses. 49 Therefore, if we become justified outside of the Torah of Moses, then we fulfill the intent of the Torah (Old Covenant).

Therefore, δικαιωθέντες (dikaiothentes; having been justified) out of trust, we have peace toward the deity by means of our sovereign Yahushua the Messiah, by means of whom also we have access by trust unto this χάριν (kharin; graciousness) 50 in which we stand, and we glorify in hope of the glory of the deity. (Rom. 5:1-2)

This trust is defined as the type held by Yahushua the Messiah.

We, Judaeans by nature and not sinners of the nations, knowing that a man is not made justified by the works of the Torah (of Moses), BUT BY MEANS OF THE TRUST OF YAHUSHUA THE Messiah, we also trust unto Yahushua the Messiah, so that we will be justified out of the trust of the Messiah, and not out of the works of the Torah (of Moses); because out of works of the Torah all flesh will not be justified. (Gal. 2:15-16)

Is Opportunity Limited?

It has been popular in various neo-Christian denominations to claim that if one has not accepted the Messiah, repented, and received the truth before the Messiah’s second coming, that person will be lost and never receive eternal life. What of the innocent men, women, and children who have never had an opportunity to know Scriptures or the truth? Did Yahweh abandon these people?

Yet without hearing the truth or knowing Yahweh or his Messiah, how can these millions of innocents (who, despite an evil world, have continued to be kind and caring people who unknowing continue to sin) be declared justified? Why shouldn’t they have a chance to gain trust in Yahweh or have an opportunity to repent?

A second issue is also relevant. Abel, Enoch, Noah, and others not descended from Abraham were counted as justified—i.e., they trusted Yahweh, and it was counted to them for righteousness. Yet they are not part of the seed of Abraham promised in the Abrahamic Covenant, which makes them eligible for the First Resurrection. Are these men abandoned because they are not part of the First Resurrection?

To begin with, billions of humans have, since the days of Adam, never had any opportunity to hear the truth. They have come from regions all over the earth: remote parts of Africa, China, India, Australia, the Amazon, and Siberia, to name a few.

Certainly, it is not logical that a loving deity would charge millions of now-deceased innocent infants and young children with wickedness, yet allow an evil person, who confesses on his deathbed that he believes in Christ and/or is baptized with water, to be saved. Indeed, Abraham, Isaak, and Jacob were never baptized with water. Would Yahweh permit billions of ignorant people to suffer an eternal death or an existence in a fiery hell yet never allow them an opportunity even to see the truth?

Further, are those of the First Resurrection the only ones saved? Should we be angry that only certain ones chosen from Israel by Yahweh are the Elect of the First Resurrection and are not subject to the second death?

What has complicated the issues even further is the fact that, according to Scriptures, knowledge of the truth, for the most part, has been deliberately limited to the Israelites by Yahweh from the time of Moses until the resurrection of the Messiah. 51

Israelites Blinded by Sin

Due to sin, Yahweh has, throughout the ages, blinded the Israelites to the truth. 52 In fact, the Messiah spoke to his people in parables specifically to conceal the truth, making it extremely difficult for even those who possess Scriptures to understand, 53 much less to repent and follow that truth. Nevertheless, he has reserved only a few from Israel for himself. 54

Another major problem we face is that, in our present condition as corruptible flesh-and-blood human beings, we cannot inherit the promise of eternal life, 55 let alone be strong enough to abide by the attached conditions.

The difficulty in achieving trust and obedience stems from several factors:

•  Our current fleshly nature is corruptible, making it challenging to be entirely trustworthy and obedient;

•  The restrictions imposed by the Abrahamic Covenants—such as the requirement for a group of kings to come from Abraham 56—play a role;

•  The Elect of Israel, who will return to life during the First Resurrection, are required to endure the Great Tribulation. 57

As a result, only a few individuals will likely qualify for the First Resurrection. 58 However, to assume that Yahweh will never offer everyone an opportunity diminishes Him to a malevolent and callous deity.

The truth is that Yahweh is reserving an opportunity for everyone, but for a time when humans are far more capable of achieving success. In this life, our primary commandment is to “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the land, and subdue it.” 59

During the Millennial Judgment Day, we will no longer procreate. Rather, the prime command will be to be fruitful by forming the divine nature and producing the fruit of the sacred ruach. 60

The Elect, consisting of the 24 Elders and the 144,000 from Israel, are resurrected first, (i.e., the First Resurrection). This is because, while the Adamic Covenant promises a resurrection, the subsequent Abrahamic Covenants of Promise guarantee it through an Eternal Inheritance given to Abraham and a select group of “kings” from his descendants through the Messiah.

This Eternal Inheritance is granted to them at the beginning of the Millennial Sabbath day. These individuals will assist the Messiah in fulfilling the duties required during the Millennial Sabbath day and the subsequent Millennial Judgment Day. 61

Adamic Covenant was Eternal

The rest of the Israelites and those from all other nations originally received this opportunity through the Adamic Covenant. The Adamic Covenant initially offered eternal life to mankind, making the agreement eternal.

For Yahweh not to break his word requires Adam’s fulfillment. Yet Adam sinned, and when he sinned, all his descendants, who were within him, were cursed by that sin to suffer death.

All Must Return to Life

Since there remains a need for Adam (who includes all of his descendants) to fulfill their part in this Eternal Covenant, the entirety of mankind must return to life—thus, the Second Resurrection.

That this resurrection must include those from all nations is further guaranteed by the fact that in the Abrahamic Covenants, Abraham was promised in an Eternal Inheritance to be the father of many nations, defined as nations from all over the world. 62 He cannot be the eternal father of many nations unless these families are resurrected back to life and inherit eternal life.

Resurrected on the Millennial Judgment Day, all humankind will be in a higher form (i.e., with an incorruptible body) 63 and far more capable of abiding by the truth.

During this future period, marriage, child-rearing, illness, hunger, poverty, and other distractions of our present condition will not be pressing concerns. With a ruach-type body of incorruptible flesh, the flesh will not dominate a person’s mind; it will be far easier for them to trust and obey Yahweh.

Now we return to the issue of the justified who do not qualify for the First Resurrection but belong to the Second Resurrection.

These justified include

•  Those from among the nations (e.g., Abel, Enoch, Noah, Job, etc.) who, not being the descendants of Abraham through the line of Isaak and his son Jacob, are not eligible to participate under the authority of the Abrahamic Covenant

•  Those descendants of Abraham, through the line of Isaak and his son Jacob Israel, who are not part of either the 24 Elders or the 144,000 Elect of Israel

•  Those Israelites who trust in Yahweh but do not live during the time of the Great Tribulation

•  Those Israelites living during the Great Tribulation, but are not part of the 144,000 Elect of Israel.

According to the parable of the sower, these justified of the Second Resurrection are the good seed planted by Yahweh, who will enrich the growth of those previously unjustified and will obtain justification before the great end-time harvest.

All Will Know Yahweh

Unlike today, during the Millennial Judgment Day, all will know Yahweh. For example, Isaiah says that during this future period, “every knee will bow,” and all will acknowledge Yahweh. 64

Keph (Peter) notes that the Millennial Judgment Day will last at least 1,000 years, but that “Yahweh does not delay the promise, as some esteem delay, but is long-suffering toward us, NOT WILLING THAT ANY SHOULD PERISH, BUT ALL TO COME TO REPENTANCE.” 65 This statement makes no sense unless the people of the Second Resurrection are given an opportunity during the Millennial Judgment Day to come to the truth and repent.

The Division of the Second Resurrection

Let us look further into the issue of the division between the justified and unjustified who come up in the Second Resurrection (i.e., the General Resurrection).

As we have already demonstrated, Saul believed in a resurrection of the dead, both of the δικαίων (dikaion; justified) and the ἀδίκων (adikon, unjustified), 66 i.e., a resurrection of both those that acted justly by remaining within Yahweh’s Covenants and those not doing so (whether by lack of knowledge or purposely).

Since the justified are raised with the unjustified, they are clearly not part of the First Resurrection, in which only the justified are resurrected and over whom the second death has no authority. 67

The resurrection of the justified and unjustified during the Second Resurrection comprises

(1) Those already justified by grace due to their trust to receive the Inheritance but did not attain the First Resurrection

(2) Those who have never been justified. Luke 14:14 states that there is recompense in the resurrection of the δικαίων (dikaion; just, justified).

In Colossians 3:24, this recompense is the Inheritance. Therefore, the unjustified are those who have not yet been justified to receive the Eternal Inheritance. This definition encompasses all those who are unaware of the conditions and have not yet acquired the trust necessary to qualify under the Torah of Trust.

Therefore, the term “unjustified” is not limited to the wicked but includes a much broader classification of people merely unaware or untrained in the trust of Yahweh.

Those participating in the First Resurrection, meanwhile, do so by means of the Abrahamic Covenant, which advances Abraham and certain of his descendants to an earlier resurrection.

Those of the Second Resurrection (the General Resurrection) are raised through the Adamic Covenant, but due to the Abrahamic Covenant, they are subject to the 24 Elders and the 144,000 Elect of the First Resurrection.

A Better Resurrection

In Hebrews 11:1-35, after listing both those belonging to the First Resurrection—such as Abraham, Isaak, Jacob, and David—and others that will be part of the Second Resurrection—such as Abel, Enoch, Noah, and so forth—it then states, “And others were tortured, not having accepted deliverance, so that they will obtain A BETTER RESURRECTION.” 68

After describing other persecutions and sufferings, the discussion ends with the statement:

And ALL OF THESE, having been borne witness to by means of trust, did not receive the promises, the deity having foreseen something better for us, so that not apart from us they will be made perfect. (Heb. 11:36-40)

Therefore, those who qualify for both the First Resurrection and Second Resurrection will be made perfect together at father Yahweh’s coming. For example, Abel, Enoch, Noah, Sarah, and others continued to act justly (that is, they continued to trust Yahweh) prior to their deaths.

Nevertheless, they are not eligible for the First Resurrection under the Abrahamic Covenants of Promise because they are among those of the wrong family, gender, or time. Yet they will find a better resurrection in the Second Resurrection.

Because they were justified before their deaths, they have an advantage: they return already trusting Yahweh. Having a better chance of enduring until the end, they will markedly increase their likelihood of being quickened into eternal life.

The Good Seed

The “just” are the “good seed” mentioned by Yahushua in the book of Matthew. These are sown by the Messiah and will come up in the Second Resurrection during the first years of the Millennial Judgment Day. They will be harvested at the end of the world-age. 69

The definition of being a good seed before being planted (i.e., before one’s death and burial) and well before one is eligible to receive the Inheritance shows that people will be declared “just” by grace prior to their death.

Lazarus, for example, was considered by Martha, and not denied by the Messiah, to be part of the resurrection of the last day (the Millennial Judgment Day). He was also a loyal follower and dear friend of Yahushua the Messiah. 70

As another example, Yahushua certainly believed Lazarus to be a justified man; otherwise, Yahushua would not have raised (i.e., reawakened) him from the dead as a type of the just. 71

The book of John, as quoted above, notes that the hour is coming when:

ALL those in the tombs will hear his voice, and will come forth, those who practiced good to a resurrection of life, and those who do evil to a resurrection of judgment. (John 5:28-29)

In other words, both good and bad rise up in the same resurrection, the Second Resurrection at the beginning of the Millennial Judgment Day, but those who continue during the Millennial Judgment Day to practice evil will be brought into the consequences of the Final Judgment at the end of that millennial day.

Perfected at the Baptism of Fire

Those who continue to do good during the Millennial Judgment Day will be made perfect, along with those of the First Resurrection, at the time of the Baptism of Fire at the Final Judgment.

Daniel renders the division between the two Resurrections this way. During a time of great distress, a period unlike any ever seen before, Daniel’s people (the Israelites) will be delivered by the archangel Michael; everyone who is found written in the book (i.e., those of the First Resurrection). 72

At some point after this, he adds, those of the Second Resurrection will rise up. He writes:

And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth will awake, these to eternal life, and these to shame and eternal contempt. (Dan. 12:1-3)

Accordingly, those of the Second Resurrection are divided into two camps: (1) one that will be justified at the end of the world-age, (2) and another that will be unjustified (their true state unknown until the end). Revelation defines most of those of the First Resurrection separately.

The Book of Revelation

In Revelation 7:1-8, we learn of the 144,000 Elect, who come from 12 of the 13 tribes of Israel and attain the First Resurrection. These are priests of Yahweh who will reign with the Messiah for 1,000 years, which is before the beginning of the Millennial Judgment Day. 73

Meanwhile, in Revelation 7:9-17, we read about those who come from every nation of the world during the Great Tribulation (which would include Israelites who were not part of the First Resurrection). They are a type of the justified from all previous periods.

At the end of the world-age (i.e., at the end of the Millennial Judgment Day), they will stand before the throne of Yahweh, having been led by the Messiah to living waters. These are part of the good seed who will come up in the Second Resurrection.

There is no authority of the second death over those of the First Resurrection. 74 On the contrary, the second death does hold authority over all those of the Second Resurrection, both the just and the unjust. Until their quickening into eternal life and despite any persecution, those of the Second Resurrection must endure in hope until the end. 75

The unjust must repent, and, along with those remaining repentant and already considered just, they must continue to remain justified until the end.

The Epistle to the Hebrews, for example, states that it is impossible, once having come to the truth and tasted the gifts of the ruach and then falling away again, to be renewed to repentance. 76

Accordingly, those of the Second Resurrection, even if they repent and begin as justified, can potentially fall away (draw back) from the truth. 77 For this reason, they must maintain the divine nature within themselves and remain justified until the end of the Millennial Judgment Day.

Conclusion

This evidence proves that the 24 Elders (including Abraham, Isaak, and Jacob) and the 144,000 Elect of Israel are justified by the Messiah to be the first to receive parts of the Inheritance of the Adamic and Abrahamic covenants. They will be raised in the First Resurrection to sit on thrones.

Subsequently, judgeship will be given to them so that they can assist the Messiah during the Millennial Judgment Day as the few workmen of the field and in the harvest. The second death will have no authority over them.

Everyone else, ranging from the justified to those who have been manifestly wicked, will be raised in the Second Resurrection. During this time, the second death will hold authority.

Throughout that time, Yahushua the Messiah and the Elect will teach the rest of mankind, enabling everyone to grow and develop the divine nature. The wicked will choose to serve themselves, while the justified will humble themselves and serve Yahweh, even enduring persecution from the wicked until the end of the world age.

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Endnotes

  1. SEC, Gk. #1342, 1343, 1344. ↩
  2. GEL, p. 202. ↩
  3. CS, 1, pp. 330-332. ↩
  4. SEC, Heb. #6662, 6663, 6664. ↩
  5. HEL, p. 218. ↩
  6. CHAL, p. 303. ↩
  7. SEC, pp. 725-726, 1136-1138. ↩
  8. Gen. 15:6. ↩
  9. Gen. 26:1-5; Gal. 3:15-18. ↩
  10. SEC, Gk. #94. ↩
  11. GEL, p. 13. ↩
  12. CS, 1, pp. 25-27. ↩
  13. SEC, Heb. #8266–8267. ↩
  14. HEL, p. 277. ↩
  15. CHAL, p. 383. ↩
  16. SEC, Heb. #5771. ↩
  17. CHAL, p. 268. ↩
  18. HEL, p. 189. ↩
  19. SEC, Heb. #5765, 5766, 5767. ↩
  20. HEL, p. 189. ↩
  21. CHAL, p. 267. ↩
  22. SEC, p. 1402. ↩
  23. Rev. 7:1-8. The tribe not included is Dan. The mentioning of Joseph is a reference to Ephraim (e.g., Gen. 48:17-19; Ps. 78:67; Ezek. 37:16, 19). ↩
  24. 2 Pet. 3:3-13, esp. v. 9. ↩
  25. The Greek term μέλλειν (mellein) is a form of μέλλω (mello), “to be about to do, to be on the point of doing” (ILT, p. 63) but is also an emphatic or definite future form, i.e., “the fut. infin. (the regular classical use)” which “occurs only in the phrase μέλλειν ἔσεσθαι (only in Ac.); the verb may often be adequately rendered by our auxiliaries, will, shall, must” (ILT, p. 63). NIV, LSB, and NJB have, “that there will be,” and REB has, “there shall certainly be,” while NTB gives “that there is to be.” ↩
  26. Rev. 2:11, 20:5. ↩
  27. Col. 3:24. ↩
  28. Matt. 13:24-30, 36-43. One is to be clothed with the sacred ruach (spirit) so that he is not found naked before father Yahweh, i.e., without eternal life (e.g., 2 Cor. 5:1-5; Rev. 16:15). ↩
  29. Rev. 20:11-15. ↩
  30. Rom. 3:23. ↩
  31. 1 Cor. 15:50; Rom. 3:20. ↩
  32. Gal. 3:15-20. ↩
  33. Job 9:2. ↩
  34. That Yahushua preexisted as the divine being of the eloahi, see FSDY 1, App. A. ↩
  35. Isa. 59:15-21, cf., v. 1-8. ↩
  36. 2 Cor. 5:21; Heb. 4:14-15; 1 Pet. 2:21-22; 1 John 3:5. ↩
  37. Ps. 14:3; Rom. 3:9-11; cf., Matt 27:24; Luke 23:47; Acts 3:13-14, 7:52, 22:14; 1 John 2:1-2. ↩
  38. Gal. 3:15-17. ↩
  39. Heb. 9:6-28. Also see FSDY 1, App. B & App. C. ↩
  40. Rom. 8:15-17. ↩
  41. Rom. 3:25-31. ↩
  42. Heb. 3:17-19. Read in context with Heb. 3:7-4:11. ↩
  43. Job 13:18. ↩
  44. E.g., Gen. 26:1-5; 1 John 2:3-4, 3:21-24, 5:1-21; 2 John 1:6; Rev. 12:17, 14:12, 22:14. ↩
  45. That this statement refers only to the Second Resurrection, since none from the First Resurrection shall fail, see Rev. 20:6. ↩
  46. Heb. 6:3-8; Matt. 12:31-32; Mark 3:28-30; Luke 12:8-11. ↩
  47. The Greek term χάριτι (khariti), means, “to grace, i.e. indue with special honor:—make accepted, be highly favoured” (SEC, Gk. #5487); “to favor, bestow freely on… pass., to be favored” (ILT, p. 107); “to shew grace to any one… Pass. to have grace shewn one, to be highly favoured” (GEL, p. 883). ↩
  48. For the Adamic and Abrahamic Covenants, see Why Yahushua the Messiah Had to Die and The Abrahamic Covenants. ↩
  49. Exod. 23:20-32, esp. v. 30, “until you are fruitful and inherit the land”; cf., Gal. 3:15-20, esp. v. 19, “until the sperma (plural seed) come to whom the promise has been made.” ↩
  50. The Greek term χάριν (kharin), means, “graciousness (as gratifying),” “benefit, favour, gift, grace” (SEC, Gk. #5485); “Grace, Lat. gratia… outward grace or favour (as we say well or ill favoured), grace, loveliness… on the part of the Doer, grace, graciousness, kindness, goodwill… on the part of the Receiver, the sense of favour received, thankfulness, thanks, gratitude” (GEL, pp. 882f); “inclination towards, favor, kindness, liberality, thanks” (ILT, p. 107). ↩
  51. Acts 7:37-38; Rom. 3:1-4. ↩
  52. Isa. 29:9-14, 42:17-25, 43:1-10, 44:9-20, 56:10-12; Jer. 5:21-31; Ezek. 12:2; Rom. 2:17-23. ↩
  53. Matt. 13:10-17. ↩
  54. Rom. 11:1-10, which refers back to the time of Elijah, when Yahweh informed his prophet that a chosen few of Israel, numbering only 7,000, still followed Yahweh, and cf., v. 5, noting “in the present time there has been a remnant according to election of grace,” and v. 7, “What then? What Israel sought for, this it did not obtain; but the Elect will obtain it, and the rest being hardened, according as it has been written, ‘Yahweh has poured out upon you a ruach of deep sleep,’ eyes so as not to see, and ears so as not to hear until this day” (from Deut. 29:4; Ezek 12:2). ↩
  55. 1 Cor. 15:50. ↩
  56. Gen. 17:6. ↩
  57. That the Elect of Israel must experience the Great Tribulation, note the events of the 5th through 6th seals in Rev. 6:9-7:17, and cf., Rev. 20:4-6, which expressly states that the Elect of the First Resurrection “did not give reverence to the beast (anti-messiah) nor his image.” The beast and his idol image are not set up until the last three and one-half years of the Great Tribulation (e.g., Rev. 11:1-13, 12:6 13:1-10; Dan. 12:1-7). ↩
  58. E.g., Matt. 7:13, 22:14; Luke 12:32. ↩
  59. Gen. 1:27-28; and again in Gen. 9:1-2. ↩
  60. 2 Pet. 1:3-9 (cf., Gal. 5:22; Eph. 5:9; Col. 1:10; Heb 12:11, 13:15, 18); Matt. 3:10, 7:17-19, 12:33, 13:8, 23; Mark 4:7-8, 20; Luke 3:9, 6:43-44, 8:8, 14-15, 13:6-9; John 4:36,12:24, 15:2-8, 16; Rom. 6:21-22, 7:4-5; Col. 1:6; James 5:7; Jude 1:12. ↩
  61. E.g., Rev. 20:4-6, cf., 7:1-8. ↩
  62. Gen. 17:4-5; Rom. 4:17-18. ↩
  63. For an in-depth discussion, see the forthcoming study: A Mortal Incorruptible Body. ↩
  64. Isa. 45:23; cf., Philip. 2:8. ↩
  65. 2 Pet. 3:9. For those actions which would keep one from renewing repentance, see Heb. 6:4-6. ↩
  66. Acts 24:24-25. ↩
  67. Rev. 20:6. ↩
  68. Heb. 11:35. ↩
  69. Matt. 13:10-43. ↩
  70. John 11:24. ↩
  71. John 11:11-44. ↩
  72. Dan. 12:1-2. ↩
  73. Rev. 20:1-15. ↩
  74. Rev. 20:1-8. ↩
  75. Heb. 3:6, 14, 6:11; Mark 13:13; Matt. 24:13; Rev. 2:26-27. ↩
  76. Heb. 6:4-6. ↩
  77. E.g., see 1 Cor. 10:11-13; Jude 1:24; Heb. 4:10-11, 10:37-39; 2 Pet. 1:10-11; 2 Pet. 3:17 (referring to judgment); Gal. 5:4, which states you can fall from grace. ↩
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Bibliography and Abbreviations

CHAL
A Concise Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament. William L. Holladay. Based upon the Lexical Work of Ludwig Koehler and Walter Baumgartner. William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1971.
CS
A Concordance to the Septuagint and the Other Greek Versions of the Old Testament (including the Apocryphal Books). Edwin Hatch and Henry A. Redpath. 3 vols. Vols. 1 & 2 are a reprint of the 1897 edition published by the Clarendon Press (Oxford). Vol. 3 is a reprint of the 1906 edition published by the Clarendon Press (Oxford); reprinted by Baker Book House, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1991.
GEL
An Intermediate Greek-English Lexicon. Founded upon the seventh edition of Liddell and Scott’s Greek-English Lexicon. Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1961.
HEL
Hebrew-English Lexicon. Zondervan Edition, 1970. Catalog #6264. Samuel Bagster & Sons, Ltd., London. Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan.
IB
Green, Jay. The Interlinear Hebrew/Greek English Bible. 4 vols. Associated Publishers and Authors, Inc., Indiana, 1979.
ILT
Greek–English Lexicon to the New Testament, in the back of The Interlinear Literal Translation of the Greek New Testament. George Ricker Berry. Zondervan Publishing House, Michigan, 1958.
LSB
Holy Bible: Lindsell Study Bible, The Living Bible Paraphrased. Ed. Harold Lindsell. Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Illinois, 1971.
NIV
The Holy Bible, New International Version. International Bible Society. Zondervan Publishing House, Michigan, 1984.
NJB
Wansbrough, Henry, gen. ed. The New Jerusalem Bible. Doubleday & Company, Inc., New York, 1985.
NTB
Moffatt, James. A New Translation of the Bible. Harper & Row, New York, 1954.
REB
Rotherham, Joseph Bryant. Rotherham’s Emphasized Bible. Kregel Publications, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1959.
SEC
Strong, James. Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible.

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