In the preceding article we explored the Scriptures pertaining to three common theories concerning death: The Cessation of Life; The Immortality of the Soul; and Reincarnation. In that article, we learned that at death the body is consigned to a place called sheol, which is synonymous to the grave, and that the ‘soul’ is not immortal, but is merely the physical life force which is contained within the living blood. We concluded that death is the cessation of life, and that it takes the individual into a state of unconscious darkness similar to dreamless sleep.
      However, it also became apparent that a third element, the spirit in man, is what imparts personality, emotion and intellect to an individual, and that it is man’s spirit, given by God, that returns to Him for safe keeping once the body and soul cease to live.
      In this article we will explore what happens when a dead body is resurrected; how the body is reconstituted, and how the ‘spirit,’ which was returned to God for safe keeping, is rejoined to the resurrected body causing the once dead individual to live again with all of their memories and faculties. We will also focus on the two resurrections and the two deaths, as well as the judgment which must fall upon all men.

— What Is Resurrection? —

      The Scriptural method for obtaining the afterlife is through resurrection. This means that the body is reconstituted and given life, either in physical or spiritual form, along with the thoughts, emotions, intellect, and personality of the formerly dead individual. Some teach that only the righteous will receive a resurrected body, while others teach that all men will be resurrected, some to a life of bliss in heaven, others to a life of cruelty in hell.
      Two differing beliefs of resurrection are commonly held:

• One belief popular among both Christians and Jews, is that the ‘immortal soul’ is reunited with the resurrected body and given eternal life.

• A second belief is that the entire person is resurrected; body, soul and spirit. As we will see, this is the view that is most in line with the teachings of the Scriptures.

      Resurrection is the reconstitution of the body, where the reactivating of the soul (to bring the body back to life), and the return of the spirit causes the resurrected individual to become similar to his pine-death existence. When the new body is reconstituted as a spirit body, with a spirit soul or life force, then the individual is apparently also capable of manifesting him/herself in a physical manner. This phenomena was shown to us by Yeshua when he appeared to His disciples after His resurrection:

      “But while they still did not believe for joy., and marveled, He said to them, ‘Have you any food here?’
      “So they gave Him a piece of a broiled fish and some honeycomb. And He took it and ate in their presence.”
(Luke 24:41-43)

—The Hope of the Resurrection —

      The New Testament is brimming over with scriptures that teach about the resurrection of Yeshua HaMashiach and of the coming resurrection of the dead.

      “Now if Christ is preached that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?”
(ICor. 15:12)

      If the Corinthians believed in eternal life, but did not believe in the resurrection, then they may well have held to the doctrine of the Immortality of the Soul. This seems to be a logical conclusion, since the Corinthian gentiles were steeped in pagan practices and Greek philosophy. Paul counteracts this doctrine by saying that if there is no resurrection from death, then all those who died have permanently perished and are without hope:

      “But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is vain and your faith is also vain. Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up — if in fact the dead do not rise. For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.”
(I Cor. 15:13-19)

      Because our hope is in the resurrection, it is our firm belief that those who have “fallen asleep in Christ” (those who have died in Messiah) have not perished forever, rather we believe that their spirit is currently held in the custody of our Father in heaven until that day when He sends His Son to raise the righteous dead and fetch His Bride for a heavenly wedding.

      “But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. ...

      “But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming.”
(I Cor. 15:20, 23)

      “But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus.
      “For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.
      “Therefore comfort one another with these words.”
(I Thess. 4:13-18)

      In the Hebrew Scriptures (especially the Torah), the emphasis is more toward receiving rewards for obedience in this life, rather than in the world to come. However, there are a handful of Scriptures in other portions of the Tanakh (Tah-nahk = Old Testament) which also clearly state that a resurrection of the dead is to take place at some time in the future. For example:

“And He will destroy on this mountain
The surface of the covering cast over all people,
And the veil that is spread over all nations.

“He will swallow up death forever,
And the Lord God will wipe away tears from nil faces;
The rebuke of His people
He will take away from all the earth;
For the LORD has spoken.”
(Isa. 25:7-8)

      This passage is somewhat elusive, but it seems to indicate a universal resurrection to life.
      The next passage is a very personal one. Here the prophet Isaiah looks forward to the day of his own resurrection. This verse seems to point to the first resurrection (more on that later), which will be more limited in scope than the second:

“Your dead shall live;
Together with my dead body they shall arise.
Awake and sing, you who dwell in dust;
For your dew is like the dew of herbs,
And the earth shall cast out the dead.”
(Isa. 26:19)

      The prophet Daniel is much more explicit about the coming resurrection of the dead.

“‘At that time Michael shall stand up,
The great prince who stands watch over the sons of your people;
And there shall be a time of trouble,
Such as never was since there was a nation,
Even to that time.
And at that time your people shall be delivered,
Every one who is found written in the book.
And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake,
Some to everlasting life,
Seine to shame and everlasting contempt.
Those who are wise shall shine
Like the brightness of the firmament,
And those who turn many to righteousness
Like the stars forever and ever.”’
(Dan. 12:1-3)

      It seems that Job also foresaw an eventual resurrection, although the translators do not agree on exactly what he said. The New King James Version translates as follows:

“For I know that my Redeemer lives,
And He shall stand at last on the earth;
And after my skin is destroyed, this I know,
That in my flesh I shall see God.”
(Job 19:25-26)

      Dr. David Stern, in his new translation, The Complete Jewish Bible (CJB), renders this passage differently:

“... so that after my skin has been thus destroyed,
then even without my flesh, I will see God.”
(Job 19:26)

      The Jewish Publication Society’s (JPS) Tanakh has this rendering:

“But I know that my Vindicator lives;
In the end He will testify on earth --

This, after my skin will have been peeled off.
But I would behold God while still in my flesh,

I myself, not another, would behold Him;
Would see with my own eyes:
My heart pines within me.”
(Job 19:25-27)

      In the JPS translation it seems as though Job is referring to seeing his ‘Vindicator’ during his then current physical life, while the NKJV clearly indicates a death and resurrection back to physical life. One thing sure, Job knew he was going to see God at some time in the future, although he (and the translators) may not have understood exactly when or how.

— First Century Understanding —

      By Yeshua’s day it was well established, among the sect of the Pharisees, that the resurrection was an actual coming event. However, the Saducees only accepted the Torah (first five books of the Bible) as authentic Scripture, so they did not believe in a resurrection, since the Torah nowhere speaks of one. Whether or not they believed in the Immortality of the Soul is not clear, but it is a possibility that some of them may have held that belief, since some of the more corrupt Saducees were involved in the Hellenistic practices of the day, and that concept may have worked its way into their belief system. If this were the case, then Paul’s hearing before the Sanhedrin takes on additional meaning:

      “But when Paul perceived that one part were Sadducees and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, ‘Men and brethren, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee; concerning the hope and resurrection of the dead I am being judged!’
      “And when he had said this, a dissension arose between the Pharisees and the Sadducees; and the assembly was divided. For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection — and no angel or spirit; but the Pharisees confess both.”
(Acts 23:6-8)

      Yeshua also addressed this controversy, concerning the resurrection, as recorded in the following passage:

      “The same day the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Him and asked Him, saying: ‘Teacher, Moses said that if a man dies, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife and raise up offspring for his brother. Now there were with us seven brothers. The first died after he had married, and having no offspring, left his wife to his brother. Likewise the second also, and the third, even to the seventh. And last of all the woman died also. Therefore, in the resurrection, whose wife of the seven will she be? For they all had her.’
      “Jesus answered and said to them, ‘You are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God. For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels of God in heaven. But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God, saying, “I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob?” God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.’
      “And when the multitudes heard this, they were astonished at His teaching.”
(Matt. 22:23-33)

      Once again it looks like a case for the Immortality of the Soul. However, if we believe that the Scriptures do not contradict themselves, then we must take into account that King David (a man after God’s own heart and of a status similar to that of the Patriarchs) is both dead and buried:

      “Men and brethren, let me speak freely to you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us to this day.
      “‘For David did not ascend into the heavens ...’”
(Acts 2:29, 34a)

— Two Deaths —

      The explanation of these seemingly contradicting passages lies in the fact that the Scriptures speak of both two resurrections and two deaths. Currently, the spirits of those who have died are with the Father in heaven, and are in a condition where resurrection is assured, for they have only experienced the first death. In that respect all those who have died could be considered to be ‘alive,’ in the sense that they have not yet experienced the permanent or second death, even though they are in a state of unconsciousness, i.e., when a person is asleep he is unconscious but is still alive).
      However, once a person experiences the second death, resurrection is no longer available to them. God has apparently set a limit, and the first death does not pass that limit, but the second death does. Thus, we see that Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, having not experienced the second death, are still eligible for resurrection to eternal life. This would also explain what Yeshua meant when He said:

      “‘Most assuredly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he shall never see death.”’
(John 8:5 1)

      Yeshua clarifies this verse with an-other, where He indicates that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are currently residing in sheol awaiting their resurrection:

      “‘Now even Moses showed in the burning bush passage that the dead are raised, when he called the Lord “the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” For He is not the God of the dead but of the living, for all live to Him.”’
(Luke 20:37.38)

      In other words, to God all those who ever lived are still as though they were alive, because He has the power to resurrect them according to His timing and will.

“That which has been is what will be,
That which is done is what will be done,
And there is nothing new under the sun.”
(Eccl. 1:9)

— Two Resurrections —

      Likewise, much of the confusion about resurrection clears up when it is understood that the Scriptures teach two resurrections, not just one:

      “And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshipped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. (First Resurrection)
      But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. (Second Resurrection) This is the first resurrection.” (The one mentioned in the previous paragraph.)
(Rev. 20:4-5)

— The First Resurrection —

      “Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power. but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.”
(Rev. 20:6)

      It is a great honor to be counted worthy of a place in the first resurrection. This resurrection is called by Yeshua ‘the resurrection of the just.’

      “‘When you give a dinner or a supper, do not ask your friends, your brothers, your relatives, nor your rich neighbors, lest they also invite you back, and you be repaid. Rut when you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind. And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you; for you shall be repaid at the resurrection of the just.”’
(Luke 14:12-14)

      The first resurrection is to a spirit life, not a physical one, and its recipients are no longer susceptible to death:

      “And Jesus answered and said to them, ‘The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage. But those who are counted worthy to attain that age, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry nor are given in marriage; nor can they die anymore, for they are equal to the angels and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection.”’
(Luke 20:34-36)

      Since those in the first resurrection can no longer die, that which was mortal has now become immortal:

      “But someone will say, ‘How are the dead raised up? And with what body do they come?’
      “Foolish one, what you sow is not made alive unless it dies. And what you sow, you do not sow that body that shall be, but mere grain —perhaps wheat or some other grain. But God gives it a body as He pleases, and to each seed its own body. ...
      “The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption. It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. It is sown a natural body. it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.
      “And so it is written, ‘The first man Adam became a living being.’ The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural, and afterward the spiritual. The first man was of the earth, made of dust; the second Man is the Lord from heaven.
      “As was the man of dust, so also are those who are made of dust; and as is the heavenly Man, so also are those who are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man.”
(I Cor. 15:35-38, 42-49)

      At death, the human body becomes, in analogy, like a seed of grain that is planted in the earth. What grows out of that seed looks nothing like the seed itself. For example, a corn stalk does not at all resemble a corn seed. However, eventually there is fruit born of that new plant, which does look exactly like the seed that was planted.
      Even so, our physical body will disappear just like a corn seed that has been planted in the earth. If you dig up a corn plant you will not find the original seed, it is gone. However, from that tiny seed a great plant grows. Paul likens this physical life process of plants to the resurrection. We are buried in a physical state and our bodies disappear into dust. Those revived in the first resurrection are raised up not with physical, but with spiritual bodies. It is very important to notice that Paul says we will have spirit bodies. We do not become disembodied spirits:

      “Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed —in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible has put on in-corruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: ‘Death is swallowed up in victory.’
      “‘O Death, where is your sting?
      O Hades, where is your victory?’
      “The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
      “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.”
(I Cor. 15:50-58)

      The mystery of the resurrection, an event that defies all known science, is not just in the raising of the dead, it is also in the changing of those who are still alive in the flesh from mortal physical human beings into spirit beings, both groups becoming children of the Living God.
      The first resurrection is also known as the ‘better resurrection’ and is spoken of in the great ‘Faith Chapter’ of Hebrews:

      “And others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection.”
(Heb. 11:35b)

— Obtaining The First Resurrection —

      Our resurrection to spirit life is possible only because Yeshua took upon Himself our sins (which would otherwise have led to our being subject to the second death), and suffered death in our stead. Because Yeshua did not sin He was not liable to die the second death Himself. Since Yeshua’s father was God (He was not descended through the male line from Adam) neither was He subject to the first death (see previous article: The Sting of Death).
      The Scriptures teach that the only way to obtain the first resurrection is through acceptance of Yeshua as our personal Savior and Messiah. His atoning sacrifice (He willingly gave Himself to suffer death in our stead) pays the full penalty for all of our sins and frees us from the second death, the permanent death.

      “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.”
(Eph. 2:8-9)

      “For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.”
(Rom. 6:5-6)

      “But indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.”
(Phil. 3:8-11)

      Even though we have been freed from the second death, each one of us must still suffer the first death, because we are descended from Adam through our male line. However, we no longer have to fear the ultimate death; the eternal, second death.
      When Yeshua went to visit Martha and Mary, after their brother Lazarus died, He said to Martha:

      “... ‘Your brother will rise again.’
      “Martha said to Him, ‘I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.’
      “Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. ...“‘
(John 11:23-26)

      Here again we see Yeshua promising that those who accept Him as Messiah and Savior will not die permanently. This is true because Yeshua, being perfect in the flesh and also being the Son of God, has already been resurrected to an eternal spirit life.

      “‘Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know — ... whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it.”’
(Acts 2:22, 24)

      Yeshua has been taken up to heaven where He sits at the right hand of the Father, awaiting the time when He will be sent by the Father to return for His Bride.

      “‘Men and brethren, let me speak freely to you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. Therefore, being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his body, according to the flesh He would raise up the Christ to sit on his throne, he, foreseeing this, spoke concerning the resurrection of the Christ, that His soul was not left in Hades, nor did His flesh see corruption. This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses. Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear. For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he says himself:

“‘The LORD said to my Lord,
Sit at My right hand,
Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.’

      “‘Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus. whom you crucified. both Lord and Christ.”’
(Acts 2:29-36)

      Having become victorious over death, Yeshua now sits at the right hand of the Father so that Believers have a high priest who can mediate with the Father on their behalf.

      “But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel.”
(Heb. 12:22-24)

      Here we see that those who have died in the faith, and are awaiting the first resurrection, are said to be ‘spirits,’ “registered in heaven.”

— The Second Resurrection —

      “But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. ...“
(Rev. 20:5a)

      While the first resurrection is the resurrection to eternal life, the second resurrection, which takes place one thousand years later, has the potential of ending in eternal death, for it is a resurrection to physical life not to a spirit life. A major passage that has to do with this physical second resurrection is found in the famous “dry bones” passage of Ezekiel 37:

      “The hand of the LORD came upon me and brought me out in the Spirit of the LORD, and set me down in the midst of the valley; and it was full of bones. Then He caused me to pass by them all around, and behold, there were very many in the open valley; and indeed they were very dry.
      “And He said to me, ‘Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, “0 dry bones, hear the word of the LORD! Thus says the LORD God to these bones; ‘Surely I will cause breath to enter into you and you shall live. I will put sinews on you and bring flesh upon you, cover you with skin and put breath in you; and you shall live. Then you shall know that I am the LORD.””
      “So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and suddenly a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to bone. Indeed, as I looked, the sinews and the flesh came upon them, and the skin covered them over; but there was no breath in them.
      “Then He said to me, ‘Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, “Thus says the Lord God: ‘Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.””
      “So I prophesied as He commanded me, and breath came into them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, an exceedingly great army.
      “Then He said to me, ‘Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They indeed say, “Our bones are dry, our hope is lost, and we ourselves are cut off’.”
      “‘Therefore prophesy and say to them, “Thus says the Lord God: ‘Behold, O My people, I will open your graves and cause you to come up from your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. Then you shall know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves, O My people, and brought you up from your graves. I will put My Spirit in you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I, the LORD, have spoken it and performed it,’ says the LORD.””’
(Ezek. 37:1-14)

      Many scholars view this passage as having nothing at all to do with a literal resurrection of the dead. They teach that the entire passage is a metaphor for the return of the house of Israel to the land of Israel. However, armed with the understanding that Scripture teaches two separate resurrections, not just one, the resurrection pictured here seems clearly to be the second resurrection, the one in which all people who ever lived (including those of the house of Israel who are not in the first resurrection) will be resurrected to a physical existence. There is no reason why this passage (like many others in Scripture) cannot have both a literal and a metaphorical meaning.

— Judgment —

      According to the Scriptures, everyone who has ever lived will eventually be judged:

      “... it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment ...“
(Heb. 9:27)

      “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.”’
(II Cor. 5:10)

      Those in the first resurrection were judged during their own lifetime:

      “For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God? Now,
      ‘If the righteous one is scarcely saved,
      Where will the ungodly and the sinner appear?’
      Therefore let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in doing good, as to a faithful Creator.”
(I Pet. 4:17-19)

      Those who are not a part of the first resurrection, will experience a physical (second) resurrection, of indeterminate length, during which time their judgment will take place:

      “The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged each one according to his works.”
(Rev. 20:13)

      Occasionally, we hear Believers questioning the conversion of other Believers, usually because they do not hold all of the same doctrinal beliefs as the accuser. Brethren, this ought not to be so. It is our Father in heaven and His Son, Yeshua HaMashiach, who are responsible to judge both our conversion and our works.

      “But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. For it is written:
      ‘As I live, says the LORD,
      Every knee shall bow to Me,
      And every tongue shall confess to God.’
      “So then each of us shall give account of himself to God.”
(Rom. 14:10-12)

— Great White Throne Judgment —

      Those who are given physical life in the second resurrection will face what is commonly called the ‘Great White Throne Judgment:’

      “Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great. standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books.”
(Rev. 20:11-13)

      There are a number of interpretations concerning what constitutes the ‘books’ which are opened for this judgment. The only book actually identified in Scripture is the Book of Life. Some believe the other books mentioned here are all of the books of the Bible.
      Another view, from Jewish teaching, has to do with three books which are said to be opened each year during the high holydays of Rosh HaShanah (Rohsh Hah-Shah-nah = Feast of Trumpets) and Yom Kippur (Yohm Key-purr = Day of Atonement). They are: the Book of Life, the Book of Death, and the Book of the Intermediates. It is said that on Rosh HaShanah all of the totally righteous have their names inscribed in the Book of Life for the coming year. Meanwhile, the totally wicked have their names inscribed in the Book of Death, while everyone else (the vast majority of people) have their names inscribed in the Book of the Intermediates. Those who have their names in this last book have until Yom Kippur (ten days away in the yearly cycle) to reconcile with both God and their fellow man so that their names can be transferred to the Book of Life. If they fail to do so during this time period (called the Days of Awe) their names will be moved to the Book of Death at the close of Yom Kippur. (See Hebrew Roots issue 96-2 for more details.)
      We believe this Jewish teaching is an annual rehearsal’ for great events that are yet to come, and we believe these events are clearly laid out for us in the passage of Scripture commonly known as The ‘Great White Throne Judgment, found in Revelation 20. Following is a summary of how the functioning of these three books takes place:

• At the time of their first death, every person will have their name written into one of the three books:

• The Book of Life: Those who were made totally righteous by the blood of Messiah during their lifetime, will have their names written into the Book of Life. They will be resurrected to eternal life at the beginning of the one thousand year period. This resurrection of the righteous will take place when Yeshua returns for His Bride at the ‘Last Trump,’ which is a euphemism for Rosh HaShanah.

• The Book of Death: Those who were deemed by God to be totally wicked, during their lifetime, will have their names written into the Book of Death. These are the people for whom there is absolutely no hope, for they knew the Scriptures yet continued in their sin.

• The Book of the Intermediates: All of the remaining people, not found in the first two categories (the vast majority of people), will have their names inscribed into the Book of the Intermediates at the time of their death. Their fate will be determined at the time of ‘The Great White Throne Judgment.’

At the end of the Millennium two major events occur:

1. The rest af the dead (those not raised in the first resurrection) will be resurrected back to a physical life.

2. HaSatan is released “for a little while” (Rev. 20:3), and He will once again go forth to deceive the nations. Those nations will consist of the billions of people who have come up in the second resurrection and may also include people who were alive during the thousand year period. The armies of Gog and Magog will eventually be gathered together to battle the saints at Jerusalem:

      “Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison and wili go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea. They went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city (Jerusalem). And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them.”
(Rev. 20:7-9)

      It is after this event that HaSatan will be taken captive once again, this time to be cast into the Lake of Fire.

      “And the devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are (were cast). And ... will be tormented day and night forever and ever.”
(Rev. 20:10)

      It is also after this war that the three books will be opened and a final judgment will be made, based on what the people of the second resurrection chose to do during the period when all of those events took place. In reality they will have only two choices:

• To following the instructions (Torah) of God as taught by the King Messiah, Yeshua. These will be the people who resisted HaSatan, reconciled themselves with God, and made peace with their enemies. They will have their names transferred from the Book of the Intermediates into the Book of Life.

• To follow HaSatan into rebellion. These will be the people who have rejected Yeshua as King of kings and Lord of lords. They will find their names transferred into the Book of Death.

      When this judgment is finished no one will have their name left written in the Book of the Intermediates; all will be either in the Book of Life or the Book of Death.

      “And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.”
(Rev. 20:15)

— HaSatan’s Judgment —

      Not only will all the people who have ever lived be judged, the Adversary, HaSatan will also be required to go through two judgments. The first judgment occurs at the beginning of the Millennium:

      “Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be released for a little while.”
(Rev. 20:1-3)

      This initial judgment binds HaSatan for one thousand years, during which time he will be unable to deceive anyone. But after the thousand years are completed he will be loosed again for a short period of time. Once loosed, HaSatan will again take up the business of deceiving:

      “Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison and will no out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea.”
(Rev. 20:7-8)

      It is evident that an enormous number of people will be alive on earth at this time. If our estimates are correct, the earth’s population following the second resurrection will run in the billions. Even though HaSatan will succeed in deceiving many of these people, ultimately his efforts will once again be thwarted. His last gamble will be to bring a huge army of deceived nations against the saints at Jerusalem:

      “They went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them.”
(Rev. 20:9)

      Following his abortive war, HaSatan will be brought for his second judgment. lt appears this judgment will occur just prior to the Great White Throne Judgment of men. Perhaps it is the very first sentence that is passed down at that judgment:

      “And the devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.”
(Rev. 20:10)

      Please note that the word ‘are’ in the next to last sentence of the previous passage, is an added word. Many translations add the word ‘were’ at that point, instead of ‘are.’ The implication, of this latter rendering is that the ‘beast’ and the ‘false prophet,’ who are human, were burned up in the fire and do not exist permanently in a state of torment, as does the ‘devil.’ Also, The New Englishman’s Greek Concordance and Lexicon by Wigram-Green, translates the phrase “they will be tormented” as “shall be tormented,” thus showing that
the translation does not imply that the ‘beast’ and ‘false prophet’ are alive in the ‘lake of fire.’ Thus, another legitimate translation of this passage might be:

““And the devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake offire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet were cast, and he shall be tormented day and night forever and ever.”

      The Adversary would like us to believe that human beings will receive the punishment that is reserved for him. However, our God is a merciful God who takes no delight in the torture of those who do not wish to follow His righteous way of life, as delineated in the Torah. Rather, God, being merciful, will put those rebellious people out of their misery by consigning them to the ‘second death,’ a permanent absence of life.

— Who Will Judge? —

      The Scriptures also indicate that those who have their part in the first resurrection will be involved in the judging process.

      “Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unrighteous, and not before the saints? Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world will be judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters? Do you not know that we shall judge angels? How much more, things that pertain to this life?”
(I Cor. 6:1-3)

      Of course, as we have already seen, the final decisions will fall to the Father and the Son.

      “‘Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.”’
(Acts 17:30-31)

— The End of an Age —

      This brings us to the conclusion of this age. According to Jewish tradition, the total time that men will exist in a physical state on the earth is seven thousand years. The first six thousand years have been given over to man’s rule, under the influence and deception of HaSatan, the Adversary. The last one thousand year period (commonly called the Millennium) will be the time when the King Messiah (Yeshua) will reign on the earth and HaSatan will be chained in the bottomless pit.
      It is clear that the final (Great White Throne) judgment period takes place following the Millennium, and is for an indeterminate period of time. However, it seems that it must be of some fair length of time in order for the Adversary to once again create enough deception in the world so that men will be willing to join the armies which will be formed to come against Jerusalem.

— The Death of Death —

      The last event of this era is the death of death, when death and hell (or the grave) will be also be cast into the Lake of Fire, never more to exist among those who remain alive after the two resurrections.

      “Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.”
(Rev. 20:14)

      This concept is given additional support by the Apostle John when he writes about what he saw concerning the new heaven and the new earth:

      “And I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea.
      “Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, ‘Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God.
      “And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death. nor sorrow, nor crying; and there shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”’
(Rev. 21:1-4)

      However, there are some people who will not have a part in this most blessed era:

      “‘He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son.
      “‘But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”’
(Rev. 21:7-8)

      And so, the Book of Revelation echoes what the prophets Isaiah and Hosea said centuries earlier:

“And He will destroy on this mountain
The surface of the covering cast over all people,
And the veil that is spread over all nations.
He will swallow up death forever,
And the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces;
The rebuke of His people
He will take away from all the earth;
For the LORD has spoken.

“And it will be said in that day:
‘Behold, this is our God;
We have waited for Him, and He will save us.

This is the LORD;
We have waited for Him;
We will be glad and rejoice in His salvation.”’
(Isaiah 25:7-9)

“‘I will ransom them from the power of the grave;
I will redeem them from death.
O Death, I will be your plagues!
O Grave, I will be your destruction!
Pity is hidden from My eyes.’”
(Hosea 13:14)

— A New Beginning —

      Now the Messiah and His Bride come to dwell in their brand new home.

      “Then He who sat on the throne said, ‘Behold, I make all things new.”’
‘(Rev. 2 1:5)

      The Scriptures seem to suggest that everyone found alive at this period of time will be housed in spirit bodies rather than physical ones. Yet, the earth itself, and the New Jerusalem, seem still to be made of the physical:

      “And the construction of its wall was of jasper, and the city was pure gold, like transparent glass. And the foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with all kinds of precious stones: ...“
(Rev. 21:18-19a)

      Of course, this could just be a physical description of a spirit city, so that we, (currently still physical beings) can understand to some degree what a city composed of spirit essence will be like. Let us all pray that we will have a place in the New Jerusalem.

      “And He said to me, ‘It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son.”’
(Rev. 21:6-7)

— Summary —

      This brings to a conclusion our efforts to understand death and resurrection. Let us see if we can summarize the resurrection portion of this study in a reasonably succinct manner.

• Yeshua, being descended through His male line from God the father instead of Adam, was not susceptible to the first death. (See previous article.) Likewise, since Yeshua lived a sinless life, He was not condemned to the second death.

• By taking our sins upon Himself, Yeshua subjected Himself to the second death for all mankind. However, death could not hold Him because He was both sinless and the Son of God.

• God the Father resurrected Yeshua from the sleep of death after three days and nights in the grave, during which time His body and soul were dead and His Spirit was with God.

• By coming into a covenant relationship with Yeshua, as His betrothed Bride (by accepting Him as our husband and Messiah), we become one with Him and therefore vicarious partakers of His death. This eliminates the need for us to experience the ‘second death’ as ‘wages’ for our sins and removes the hold of death from us. (See Romans 6:23) This is pure grace!

• Because Yeshua was resurrected to life from the grave, we too have already been ‘spiritually’ resurrected from the grave of our second death, and will never need to actually experience it. Thus, eternal life is figuratively already present in us.

• Each person, who is in Messiah, will still have to expenence the first death.

  • Those who are dead in Messiah will be resurrected to eternal spirit life as the Bride of Messiah, at His coming.

  • Those who are blessed to still be alive when Yeshua returns to fetch His Bride (at the first resurrection) will be able to bypass the first death and have their physical bodies immediately changed into spirit.

• The rest of the dead (the vast majority of people) will be resurrected to a physical life at the end of the one thousand year period. HaSatan, the Adversary, will be loosed from the bottomless pit at the same time.

• An indeterminate period of time will occur during which HaSatan will once again attempt to deceive those who have been brought up in this second resurrection.

• A rebellion will occur which will cause the armies of Gog and Magog to attack Jerusalem.

• Once this rebellion has been quelled, HaSatan will be cast into the Lake of Fire and rendered unable to deceive anyone ever again.

• Those who were resurrected to a physical life (the second resurrection) will be judged according to their works. Some will be rewarded with eternal life while others will be condemned to the second death.

• The present earth will then be replaced by a new heaven and new earth where death will no longer exist.

— Hope for Loved Ones —

      All of us should receive a great deal of comfort from what God has planned for those who have already died. Consider our loved ones who have died without knowing Yeshua as their personal Lord and Savior. Are they forever ‘lost’ to an eternity of torture in hellfire even though they were not totally ‘wicked’ people? Granted, they were sinners, for:

      “... all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God ...“
(Rom. 3:23)

      But if God did not call them, or if He actually blinded their eyes so they could not see Yeshua as their Savior; is that their fault, or is God the responsible party? For it is written:

“Therefore they could not believe, because Isaiah said again:
“‘He has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart,
Lest they should see with their eyes
And understand with their heart,
Lest they should turn, so that I should heal them.’
(John 12:39-40)

      In these cases we believe that God is the One who is responsible, and that He has a plan whereby everyone who ever lived will be given the opportunity to obtain eternal life. The requirements for this being their willing submission to: YHVH (as God and ruler of the universe) and Yeshua, His Son (as Lord and Savior): submitting to His rulership by becoming obedient to the rules of His house. When these prerequisites are met, God will change their hearts and they will come to desire a life without sin (i.e. a Torah lifestyle) for all eternity.
      Some may say this teaching gives people a “second chance,” which is not possible if this is the only ‘day’ of salvation, as it seems to be written:

      “Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.”
(II Cor. 6:2b)

      However, please note the literal translation of this verse reads: “Behold, now a time acceptable; behold now a day of salvation -- ...” This is definitely “a” day of salvation, but it is not “the only” day of salvation.
      The point is, if God has not called someone, or if He had actually blinded their eyes to the truth, then the Great White Throne Judgment will be their very first and only day of salvation. It is our contention that at the period time known as the ‘Great White Throne Judgment,’ those who’s names have been written in the Book of the Intermediates will receive their very first opportunity to have their names transferred into the Book of Life.

      Hallelujah!!!

— Finally —

      It is not our expectation that everyone will readily accept this understanding of life, death and resurrection. All of us are learning, and no one, including us here at Hebrew Roots, have all the answers. However, we believe what we have written squares with what the Scriptures teach.
      Sometimes old beliefs die hard. However, if you have been living with an unbiblical belief system, then we encourage you to replace it with what the Scriptures teach, for:

“To everything there is a season,
A time for every purpose under heaven: ...
A time to keep, And a time to throw away ...”
(Eccl. 3:1, 6b)

      Over the past several years we too have had to change our view on a number of our long held unbiblical beliefs and, no doubt, in the future will have to do so again, as YHVH reveals more truth to us. However, when it comes to a statement of what exactly is our hope for the future, we must say that it truly is:

THE HOPE OF THE RESURRECTION!!!

      May each one of you reading this article be one of “those who are Christ’s at His coming.”

DEW

— Sources —

Gillman, Neil, The Death of Death, Jewish Lights Publishing, Woodstock, VT., 1997.
Green, Jay P., Sr., The Interlinear Bible, Hendrickson Publishers, Peabody, 1985.
The Holy Bible (KJV), Oxford University Press, London.
Lieth, Norbert, And Death Shall Be No More, from Midnight Call Magazine, March, 1999, Midnight Call, Inc., W. Columbia, SC., 1999.
The Open Bible, The New King James Version, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, 1985.
Sonsino, Rifat & Syme, Daniel B., What Happens After I Die?, UAHC Press, New York, 1990.
Strong, James, S.T.D., L.L.D., Strong’s New Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, World Bible Publishers, Inc., Iowa Falls, 1986.
Thayer, Joseph Henry, D.D., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, Baker Book House, Grand Rapids, 1977.
Tregelles, Samuel Prideaux, LL.D., Gesenius’ Hebrew and Chaldee Lexicon, Baker Book House, Grand Rapids, 1979.
Weissman, Rabbi Moshe, The Midrash Says; The Book of Beraishis, Benei Yakov Publications, Brooklyn, 1980.
Wigram-Green, Jay P., The New Englishman’s Greek Concordance and Lexicon, Hendrickson Publishers, Peabody, MA., 1982.
Wigram, George V., The Englishman’s Hebrew and Chaldee Concordance of the Old Testament, Baker Book House, Grand Rapids, 1980.

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