All for you, James, even though I was very, very tired...
Thank you for becoming a "living sacrifice" (Rom 12:1)
James, which verse in Revelation 20:4-15 speaks of a third resurrection? Im trying to figure out how you came to the conclusion that there will be any more than two resurrections one at the beginning of Christs millennial reign and the other at the end of that reign. Im sorry, but I just dont see Revelation 20:4-15 as referring to a Third Resurrection at all. I see the repentant thief as rising in the First Resurrection, as I have explained.
2. A careful read of Revelation chapter 20 will reveal more information than meets the eye. Verse 6 gives us info on the first resurrection. We both agree that is exclusive to those who have overcome in this age.
Verse 5 gives us important details about the 2nd resurrection. After the 1,000 years have expired, the "rest of the dead" are those who lived during this 6,000 year dispensation without a fair opportunity to know the only name by which to attain salvation (Acts 4:12). They will be resurrected to physical mortal life along with the inhabitants of Sodom, Gomorrah (Matt 10:15) Tyre, Sidon, Bethsaida, Chorazin (Mat 11:21-22) Nineveh, the Queen of Sheba (Mat 12:41-42). This 2nd resurrection is described as a period of judgment which Isa 65:20 hints could be as long as 100 years. They will be judged [not condemned] according to their works and obedience to what is written in the "books" of the bible (vs 11-12) much in the same way Christians are being judged today (1 Pet 4:17).
Now consider vs 13: "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." This is yet another resurrection! Most likely after the 100 yr judgment period. Notice there is no statement that the "book of life" is opened to this group. Why? Simply because they must have already had their chance for salvation and rejected it! God will not force anyone to choose his way of life.
The last human beings will be resurrected to physical mortal life from their graves which could have been at sea (where they may have perished in their first life); from death (without burial in their first life); or from a hole in the ground [hades]. They will lamentably be sentenced and executed in the lake of fire (vs 14-15) which at this point will engulf the whole earth (2 Pet 3:7) This is the dreaded second death to which there is no resurrection. The parable of Lazarus and the Rich Man illustrates the essence of this 3rd resurrection.
What do you mean, obviously? Are you saying that someone who had been baptized could not possibly be guilty of theft? I would agree that the likelihood that hed been baptized is probably not all that great, but is certainly isnt obvious. According to my belief, after the thief died, since he had repented of his sins and acknowledged Christ as someone who had the power to save him, his soul would have entered a place of peace and rest after leaving his body at death.This place was referred to by Jesus Christ as paradise. Having taken the first two steps towards salvation faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and repentance for his sins he would indeed rise in the First Resurrection.
3. To imply the thief will come up in the first resurrection would contradict every thing Jesus and the Apostles taught about salvation--that it would be difficult (Matt 7:14), full of trials, hardship, and tribulation (Acts 14:22). Those in the first resurrection would have been tried and tested in this life and had to endure and overcome before given the awesome responsibility of possessing a powerful, eternal, spirit body (Rev 2:26). There is no way the few words uttered by the thief, moments before his death, would satisfy these criteria. Now for him to be resurrected, after the millennium, when the effect of obeying God's laws would have transformed the earth to a beautiful paradise, then be given a period of time to be tested and proven, with Christ and the saints assisting him along the way. This scenario would render Christ's reply to the thief more inline with biblical teaching.
Though his body would have remained in the grave, his spirit would have continued to exist as a cognizant entity, and once in paradise, he would have had the opportunity to learn of Gods plan of salvation and to receive (by proxy) the ordinances (or sacraments) of baptism and the laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost. (Im going with your assumption that he had not been baptized during his life, although I do believe it to have been a possibility). Then, when Christ returns and the Millennium begins, his mortal body will be resurrected and made perfect and immortal. His spirit will re-enter it, giving it new, eternal life.
4. The belief that our soul or spirit is conscious independent from the body is commonly known as the immortal soul doctrine. It was first introduced by the devil himself when he told Eve, "You shall not surely die." It was adopted by the Greeks from the Egyptians (see book of the dead) which was later embraced by the Jews and perpetuated by mainstream Christianity. Nowhere in the Old or New Testament will you find this idea of an immortal spirit conscious outside the human body. Furthermore, from a Christian perspective, the concept of an immortal soul is illogical. If man had an immortal conscious spirit, what benefit and or need would there be to reunite an already living, conscious, coherent entity with a dead one through a resurrection?
But, lets consider the fate of the other thief, the one who died without having repented. As happened with the first thief, his spirit would have left his body at death. But his spirit would not have been received into paradise but into hell or prison. During the period of time between his death and his resurrection, he would have also been given the opportunity to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ, as taught to the spirits in the spirit world by those who had accepted it while on earth. It is altogether possible that he would have never known anything about Jesus Christ during his life, and may very well have seen the man, Jesus, for the first time as they hung dying together. If during the time when he awaits his resurrection, he comes to repent of his sins and accept Jesus Christ, acknowledging him as his Savior, he will have been released from hell and be allowed to spend the remaining time until his resurrection in the state of paradise. So far, hes had about two thousand years to suffer and to think things over.
5. You must be referring to 1 Pet 3:19. Some Christians maintain the tradition that Christ was preaching to departed human "spirits in prison" while He was in "hell." That idea is simply not scriptural. Verse 20 makes it plain that those to whom Christ preached (concerning their rebellious activities on earth) were demon spirits which were, and still are, in a type of spiritual prison and that He preached to them during the days of Noah. Notice how 2 Pet 2:4-5 parallels and expounds on the meaning of 1 Pet 3:19-20:
1Pet 3:19-20 by whom also He went and preached to the spirits in prison, 20 who formerly were disobedient, when once the Divine longsuffering waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water.
2 Pet 2:4-5 For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell [tartarus]and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment; 5 and did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly;
The Greek word translated "hell" in vs 4 is "tartaroo" or "tartarus" . Notice what Vine's Expository Bible Dictionary has to say:
"The verb tartaroo, translated "cast down to hell" in 2Pe_2:4, signifies to consign to Tartarus, which is neither Sheol nor hades nor hell, but the place where those angels whose special sin is referred to in that passage are confined "to be reserved unto judgment"; the region is described as "pits of darkness."
1 Pet 3:19-20 is not talking about the three days and nights Jesus was dead in the grave at all! He was in "hell" or "tartarus", during the days of Noah, preaching to the demon spirits confined there! This is the only time in the whole NT the term "hell" is referred to as "tartarus" and it's distinctly referring to demon spirits not unrepentant human spirits!
