The BIG Picture (Q&A)

(See part #4 here) Let's now look at the 'gleanings' and determine who had a part in this resurrection.  The descriptions of the second half Tribulation Martyrs The next stage of resurrection, (at the end of the tribulation), pertains to the GLEANINGS (of Physical Israel). Those that make up the 'gleanings' part of the first resurrection are (for the most part)  ' Physical' Israel'. But before we get to this physical group, there are a few other things to mention that occur at this endpoint, but still have a connection to the mid-point events. I want to remind you of three words that were mentioned in the course of this series when we discussed the harvest terminology and the mid-point resurrections. Read the following two scriptures again to get the context, Brethren   Revelation 6:9 And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: 10 And they crie...

(See part #3 here) Let's now look at the 'main harvest' and determine who had a part in this resurrection.  Who are those who are awakened in the main harvest? The next stage of resurrection, (at the mid-point of the tribulation), pertains to the MAIN HARVEST (of Spiritual Israel). Those that make up the 'main harvest' part of the first resurrection are 'Spiritual' Israel' and can be considered as, Group #1 (Resurrection) The resurrection of the ACTS church (that existed between Pentecost and 70AD with the fall of Jerusalem) . This group is also known as the 'Little Flock'  of believers under the administration of the 12-apostles. The interesting thing with this group is that their souls are before the alter in heaven at the opening of the fifth seal (which is a certain amount of time BEFORE the mid-point of the tribulation. The scripture below tells us that they receive white robes (which I interpret as resurrection bodies) at this point. This...

(See part #2 here) Let me put some focus on what is the meaning of 'first fruits', and then we will look at who makes up this part of the resurrection.  What is first fruits? The harvest began with the first fruits, which concerned the first fruits and grains to ripen in the season and were offered to the LORD as a sacrifice of thanksgiving (Exodus 23:16,19).  Leviticus 23:9 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 10 Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: 'When you come into the land which I give to you, and reap its harvest, then you shall bring a sheaf of the first fruits of your harvest to the priest.  Just as the firstfruits of the harvest were a sacrifice to the LORD so Jesus Christ was sacrificed for our sins and raised to life for our justification (Romans 4:25); hence, he's the firstfruits of the resurrection of the righteous.  In 1 Corinthians 15:20, 23, Paul teaches that Christ in his bodily resurrection is the "firstfruits of those who have fall...

(See part #1 here) The resurrections throughout the end times have a close correlation to how Jews would harvest their fields or vineyards under the law. To provide you with some context, let's have a look at the following two scripture passages, Harvest Terminology Leviticus 23:9 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 10 Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: 'When you come into the land which I give to you, and reap its harvest, then you shall bring a sheaf of the first fruits of your harvest to the priest. ——— Leviticus 19:9 When you reap the [main] harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field, or gather the gleanings of your harvest. 10 Do not go over your vineyard a second time or pick up the grapes that have fallen. Leave them for the poor and the foreigner. I am the LORD your God. There are three terms above that I'd like to draw your attention to. They emphasize the three parts of the full harvest process; the first fruits, the mai...

The Bible speaks of 2 resurrections:   The resurrection of the Righteous  The resurrection of the Unrighteous Both Jesus and Paul mention these resurrections in the following scripture verses, John 5:28 ...for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice 29 and come out— those who have done what is good will rise to live, and those who have done what is evil will rise to be condemned. Acts 24:15 having hope toward God, which they themselves also wait for, that there is about to be a rising again of the dead, both of righteous and unrighteous;   (Also see: Daniel 12:2) As you can see, there will be resurrections of both the righteous and unrighteous. This doesn't mean, however, that there will only be two resurrections in number, — just that there are two TYPES of resurrections:  In Revelation we find some more details pertaining to the resurrections, Revelation 20:4-6 I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority ...

The Bible speaks of two types of resurrections:  (1) The Resurrections of the Righteous and (2) the resurrection of the Unrighteous. Jesus and Paul plainly declared two basic resurrections: John 5:28 "for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice 29 and come out— those who have done what is good will rise to live, and those who have done what is evil will rise to be condemned. " Acts 24:15 having hope toward God, which they themselves also wait for, that there is about to be a rising again of the dead, both of righteous and unrighteous; (Also see: Daniel 12:2) As you can see, there will be resurrections of both the righteous and unrighteous. This doesn't mean, however, that there will only be two resurrections in number, just that there are two TYPES of resurrections :  The resurrection of the righteous (called "first resurrection", Revelation 20:5-6) ...

The first death is when someone comes to the end of their human life and they pass away. At a later point they are called up in one of the resurrections, either to enter life, or to enter eternal death, — which is the second death . Notice this verse, Revelation 20:6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection [having died the first death ]: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years. The person is blessed if they have part in the first resurrection, (having died in order to be resurrected). Why are they blessed? Because the first resurrection is to eternal life and an eternal and glorious inheritance. How did they come to be blessed? They responded in faith to the gospel (or good news) that God provided them in their day to come into right-standing with Him and receive salvation from His righteous and holy wrath on all who reject Him in unbelief. The second death has no power o...

Answer Request: What is the difference between "The Judgement Seat of Christ" in 2Cor.5:10, Rom.14:10, and "Judgement at the Great White Throne" in Rev.20:11-15, or are these references to one and the same event? The judgement seat of Christ (also called the Bema Seat) is part of the FIRST resurrection (which is for the righteous in God, Revelation 20:5-6). This judgement is not a judgement for sins or wrongdoings, but rather, it’s an assessment for rewards. The actual “Bema Seat” in the 1st century was a place where athletes received their rewards from the event judges after winning in a race or whichever event. Similarly, Jesus will reward you for how faithful you were in what you did with the truth you learned and knew in this life. This event is naturally only effective for members of the Body of Christ, (ie: people who are saved by the grace gospel in this age) and will (IMHO) happen shortly after the rapture of the Body of Christ into heaven. 1 C...

There are several resurrections that occur throughout the pages of the bible. However, these must not be confused with the  TWO TYPES  of resurrections that are also referred to. The two types of resurrections referred to are (1) the resurrections of the Righteous and (2) the resurrection of the  Unrighteous . Jesus and Paul plainly declared these two basic resurrections: John 5:28 "for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice 29 and come out—those who have done what is good will rise to live , and those who have done what is evil will rise to be condemned ." Acts 24:15 having hope toward God, which they themselves also wait for, that there is about to be a rising again of the dead, both of righteous and unrighteous ; (Also see: Daniel 12:2) As you can see, there will be resurrections of both the righteous and unrighteous . This doesn't mean, however, that there will only be two resurrections in number, just that there are two TYPES of resurre...