The Bible tells us that there are two births, two deaths, and two resurrections. But we can’t experience all of them. In fact, if we are born twice, we can only die once, but if we are born only once, we will die twice. How does this work, and what does it have to do with two resurrections?
The First and Second Birth
The first birth is when we take our first breath of air in this world as an infant, “By You I have been upheld from birth; You are He who took me out of my mother’s womb” (Psalm 71:6). Each person is a living human before they are born, but birth is the moment when we are delivered to take our first breath. Jesus, talking to Nicodemus, describes the second birth, “‘Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God’” (John 3:3). This is the time of starting over spiritually in a new life with God. We are no longer on the side of sin that leads to death, “…he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life” (John 5:24). The change is so complete as to be compared to starting over as a child of God. We continue to grow spiritually.
The First and Second Death
As long as we continue to breathe, we remain alive, “As long as my breath is in me, and the breath of God in my nostrils” (Job 3:7). The first death takes place when we cease to breathe, and the blood no longer carries life-giving oxygen to the cells of the body and the brain so life ceases. “So Isaac breathed his last and died, and was gathered to his people, being old and full of days. And his sons Esau and Jacob buried him” (Genesis 35:29). This death is compared to a sleep, because everyone who dies will eventually be awakened by God. “These things He said, and after that He said to them, ‘Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up.’ Then His disciples said, ‘Lord, if he sleeps he will get well.’ However, Jesus spoke of his death, but they thought that He was speaking about taking rest in sleep. Then Jesus said to them plainly, ‘Lazarus is dead’” (John 11:11-14).
There are a few people who will never die the first death. The righteous who are alive when Jesus returns will go with Him to Heaven without dying. “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” (1 Thessalonians 4:15-17). When Jesus returns, these living saints will just continue living on forever, changed into the glorious bodies of the redeemed when Jesus returns. “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” (1 Corinthians 15:51-52).
The second death takes place a thousand years after Jesus’ Second Coming. The wicked who are alive when Jesus returns pass away on the Earth, “And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming” (2 Thessalonians 2:8). After the thousand years, the wicked from all times of Earth’s history will be raised to life to receive the sentence that has been confirmed in the judgment in Heaven during the thousand years. The Bible calls this the second death, “Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire” (Revelation 20:14-15).
Jesus spoke about this death in Matthew 10:28, “‘And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.’” The second death is the consequence of sin that is final, with no possibility of resurrection. No record of the person’s sinful life is preserved to be continued at a later time. The second death is what God promised Adam would be the result of sin, “And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, ‘Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die’” (Genesis 2:16-17).
The redeemed, who experienced the second birth, will never experience the second death. They may sleep in the grave because of the first death, but they will be resurrected and will never die again. The wicked, who were born the first time, but were not cleansed from sin by a new birth and changed life will experience the second death. “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).
The First and Second Resurrection
We have read a brief description of the first and second births as well as the first and second deaths. But what are the two resurrections? The first resurrection happens when Jesus returns. Only the righteous who have died throughout all periods of Earth’s history will be raised at Jesus’ appearing. “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” (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17). Notice how it is only the “dead in Christ” who rise. They not only rise out of the grave, but into the air to be joined by the righteous who are living when Jesus returns. See how Jesus refers to this resurrection, “And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you; for you shall be repaid at the resurrection of the just” (Luke 14:14).
The resurrection of the wicked takes place a thousand years after Jesus’ Second Coming. “But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished” (Revelation 20:5). The death of the wicked during this time is an act of mercy so that the wicked will not be tortured by Satan in his anger while the righteous are in Heaven confirming God’s judgment.
There are two separate resurrections because they rise to receive different rewards. “But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who ‘will render to each one according to his deeds’: eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality; but to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness—indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish, on every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek; but glory, honor, and peace to everyone who works what is good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek” (Romans 2:5-10).
In Paul’s defense of his faith to Felix, he spoke of the two categories of people who would be raised to their separate rewards. His mention of judgment on the wicked briefly pricked Felix’s burdened conscience, “I have hope in God, which they themselves also accept, that there will be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and the unjust” (Acts 24:15).
Jesus referred to two separate resurrections in John 5:28-29 “Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth—those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation.” The resurrection of condemnation results in the second death for the wicked. The redeemed will experience neither the second resurrection, nor the second death, “‘He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death’” (Revelation 2:11).
The Special Resurrection
When Jesus was on trial before the Sanhedrin, He addressed Caiphas the High Priest. “And the high priest answered and said to Him, ‘I put You under oath by the living God: Tell us if You are the Christ, the Son of God!’ Jesus said to him, ‘It is as you said. Nevertheless, I say to you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven’” (Matthew 26:63-64). The rest of the wicked who die before Jesus returns will be raised a thousand years after Jesus returns, but He promised these men who knew He was the Son of God and killed Him anyway, that they would be raised to witness His Second Coming. John shared this promise as well in Revelation 1:7, “Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen.”
We also find reference to this special resurrection in the book of Daniel. Before Jesus returns, there will be a great time of trouble, but God’s people will be delivered from the threatening forces and people who want to destroy them. “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, some to shame and everlasting contempt” (Daniel 12:1-2). Many will be raised at this time, but not all. Remember that the wicked are not raised until after the 1000 years. Some who are raised are the righteous who are raised to see Jesus return in glory. They waited for Him and longed for His appearing (Isaiah 25:9; 2 Timothy 4:7-8). The others who are raised are the wicked who participated in His crucifixion. They are not raised to live forever. They will die along with the wicked who are alive when Jesus returns, but before they do, they will see that they took the life of the Son of God. This fulfills what Jesus promised when He spoke to the Jewish leaders at His trial.
“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” (Revelation 20:6).