In John 5: 28 - 29 Christ says: “Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his (Christ) voice and shall come forth; they that have done good unto the resurrection of life; and they that hath done evil unto the resurrection of damnation”. The “resurrection of life” is the first resurrection and is the same as the resurrection of the just. We noted earlier that the second resurrection is the resurrection to judgement. The resurrection of “damnation” is the third and final resurrection. Yes I say again: the third and final resurrection refired to as the resurrection of “condemnation” in John 5: 24. These three resurrections will each occur at different times and in each one Christ will call: the dead will hear His voice and they will come forth.

We also saw earlier that the second resurrection does not take place until a thousand years after the first (Rev. 20: 5). Now let us turn again to Revelation twenty and we will read verse eleven and twelve. Rev. 20: 11 - 12 reads: “And I saw a great white throne and him that sat on it from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there were found no place for them. And I saw the dead small and great stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened which is the book of life: and the dead were judge out of those things which were written in the books according to their works”. Notice an important and absolute fact here: The second resurrection popularly referred to as “the great white throne judgement” is in fact the resurrection to judgement which Christ spoke about in Mat. 12: 36 and Mark 6: 11 also referred to in Heb. 9: 27.

At that time the people of the second resurrection are judged and “the books” (as in plural) were opened and “another book” (as in singular) were opened. The text tells us that the “book” (singular) is the “book of life”; but what are “the books” (plural) that were opened? The word “books” was translated from the Greek word “biblion” and is the same word translated as “Bible”. Yes in the second resurrection the books of the Bible are opened to the understanding of the majority of mankind for the very first time and they are judged “out of” those things contained in the Bible. The vast majority of mankind will be raised at the second resurrection. Most of these people died without ever hearing the name of Christ. Some of them lived even before there was Jesus Christ. Yet we are told in the Bible: “Neither is there salvation in any other (other than Christ): fore there is none other name (name of Christ) under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4: 12). These people were blinded from the truth of God’s word (2 Cor. 4: 4. Rom. 11: 7) and are raised up in the physical form (flesh and blood). Eternal life (the book of life) is then offered (opened) to them.

Notice that the righteous are not judged at the first resurrection but are immediately changed to spirit. They are being judged right now (2 Peter 4: 17). Judgement of God’s church is ongoing and lasts a lifetime.

There is a prophecy in Isaiah 65: 20 which describes conditions as it relates to the people born during the millennial reign of Christ on earth. It reads: “There shall be no more thence (in the Kingdom) an infant of days nor an old man that hath not filled (fulfilled) his days: for the child shall die an hundred years old; but the sinner being a hundred years old shall be accursed”. These people who are alive during the thousand years of Christ reign will live to be at least a hundred years old at which time their character will be sealed. At a hundred years old the sinner who will not turn from sin will be deemed an accursed while on the other hand the righteous at a hundred years old will be deemed as righteous. These people will have families of their own and Christ and His saints will be ruling over them. They will know God and his word because they will be taught by Christ and His saints in person (Isai. 30: 20 21). The book of Rev. makes that clear. It reads: “He that is unjust let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous let him be righteous still: and he that is holy let him be holy still” (Rev. 22: 11). These will be judged throughout the first hundred years of their lives.