How does Revelation 20:5 connect with 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 about resurrection? Setting the stage • Scripture consistently presents two distinct resurrections—one for the righteous and one for the unrighteous (Daniel 12:2; John 5:28-29). • Revelation 20 and 1 Thessalonians 4 sit at the heart of this teaching, describing the timing and participants of the first resurrection. What Revelation 20:5 says “The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were complete. This is the first resurrection.” • John divides humanity into two groups: – “the rest of the dead” (unbelievers) who stay in the grave until after the Millennium. – those who share in “the first resurrection” (believers). • The verse follows verse 4, which pictures martyrs and other saints coming to life to reign with Christ for a thousand years. What 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 says “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will be the first to rise. After that, we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air…” • Paul highlights the same “dead in Christ” who rise first. • Living believers are transformed and caught up immediately afterward. How the passages dovetail • Same group identified: “dead in Christ” (1 Thessalonians 4:16) = participants in “the first resurrection” (Revelation 20:5-6). • Same timing indicator: both events occur at Christ’s visible return (Revelation 19 flows into 20; 1 Thessalonians 4 anticipates the Lord’s descent). • Same outcome: believers receive resurrection bodies and reign with Christ (Revelation 20:4, 6; 2 Timothy 2:12). Sequence of end-time events 1. Christ descends (1 Thessalonians 4:16; Revelation 19:11-16). 2. Trumpet/command—dead in Christ rise (1 Thessalonians 4:16). 3. Living believers are caught up and glorified (1 Thessalonians 4:17; 1 Corinthians 15:51-52). 4. Saints reign with Christ on earth for a literal thousand years (Revelation 20:4-6). 5. Unbelieving dead remain in their graves until the Millennium ends (Revelation 20:5, 11-13). 6. Final judgment and the second death follow for those not written in the Book of Life (Revelation 20:14-15). Other confirming scriptures • Luke 14:14—“the resurrection of the righteous.” • Hebrews 11:35—believers await “a better resurrection.” • John 14:3—Jesus promises to “take you to Myself,” harmonizing with the catching up of 1 Thessalonians 4. Why this matters today • Assurance: believers have a guaranteed place in the first resurrection. • Hope: death is temporary; reigning with Christ is certain. • Motivation: knowing this timeline urges holy living (1 John 3:2-3) and faithful service (1 Corinthians 15:58). |
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