Daniel Bosqued
Human beings were not created to die. The Scriptures clearly state that God has “put eternity in [the] hearts” of each one of His children (Eccles. 3:11). Sin, however, tarnished God’s plan, and death was introduced into the world as a result (Rom. 5:12; 6:23). Since then, death has been considered the “last enemy that will be destroyed” (1 Cor. 15:26).
In His restoration plan, God offers to every human being the hope of eternal life (John 3:16) through the resurrection of the dead, being the ultimate revelation of the “author of life” (Acts 3:15, NIV). Only God can give back life, and this is what He will do at the end of time to reveal His justice and mercy.
In this article, we will explore a special resurrection that appears in the Bible. It reveals God’s justice at the end of time.
The Scriptures narrate many resurrections.1 In the Old Testament, we find the resurrection of the widow of Zarephath’s son (1 Kings 17:17-23), the Shunammite’s son (2 Kings 4:31-37), and the resurrection of a man who came in contact with Elisha’s bones (2 Kings 13:20-21).2
In the New Testament, in addition to Jesus’ resurrection—which constitutes the foundation for all others (Matt. 28:6; Mark 16:6; Luke 24:5-7; 1 Cor. 15:17-20)—three other resurrections performed by Jesus are mentioned: Jairus’ daughter (Mark 5:38-43; Luke 8:49-56), Lazarus’ resurrection (John 11:38-44) and the one of the son of the widow from Nain (Luke 7:11-17). Later, the Bible narrates the resurrection of Dorcas done by Peter (Acts 9:36-42) and that of Eutychus, performed by Paul (Acts 20:7-12). It is important to point out that, except for Jesus’ (and that of Moses), none of these resurrections that appear in the Bible were “for eternal life,” but all of them implied that their lives continued in this fallen world.
There is one exception, and it was a resurrection that happened during Jesus’ death:
And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit. Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many. (Matt. 27:50-53)
As the first fruits, these saints were resurrected for eternal life and went to heaven with Jesus. Therefore, their resurrection was different from the others.3
However, in eschatological terms, Jesus Himself mentions two general resurrections at the end of time. “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” (John 5:28-29).
The “resurrection of life” (áνάστασιν ζωῆς) that He is referring to is the one that will take place during the Second Coming of Jesus, just as described by the apostle Paul:
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 Thess. 4:15-17)
The “resurrection of condemnation” (áνάστασιν κρίσεως), on the other hand, shall take place after the thousand years. “But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. 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” (Rev. 20:5-6). It is a very brief resurrection that involves all of those who have not accepted salvation and, therefore, get the retribution for their own decision in the so-called “second death” (Rev. 2:11; 20:8, 14).
Thus, throughout the Scriptures, we can find both historical and eschatological resurrections at the end of times. During the Second Coming, the “resurrection of life” of all the redeemed will occur. After the millennium, the “resurrection of condemnation” will occur, in which the wicked will be resurrected to receive the final retribution of non-existence.
In the context of the first eschatological resurrection, we can infer from the Bible text that a “special resurrection”4 will happen before the resurrection of all saints in the Second Coming of Jesus. Such event is made clear when the antagonists of the crucifixion of Jesus are described as they behold His coming: “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” (Rev. 1:7).
During the last hours before His death, Jesus suffered scorn from different members of the Sanhedrin, the Jewish leaders, and Roman soldiers who led Him to the cross. To the high priest and to those who were present, Jesus said: “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” (Matt. 26:64; Mark 14:62). Also, in His farewell from Jerusalem, Jesus pronounced similar words, “See! Your house is left to you desolate; for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’” (Matt. 23:38-39). These passages reveal that at least those who had an active role in the judgment and crucifixion of Jesus will be resurrected at the end of times in a special resurrection. They will see with their own eyes the coming of the One they had despised.
Besides this special class of witnesses of the Second Coming, the Bible states that another group of people will also participate in this “special resurrection.” We find this description in chapter 12 of Daniel.5
This chapter is framed in the time of the end:
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. (Dan. 12:1-2)
The expression “many of those who sleep” is vital in this passage because it establishes a difference from the general resurrection in which “all who are in the graves will hear His voice” (John 5:28).6 On this occasion, it is not “all” but only a special group. Given the context, it is possible to assume that those who are resurrected to “shame and everlasting contempt” are, as we have seen, precisely those who took part in the crucifixion of Jesus since the eschatological resurrection of condemnation happens after the millennium (Rev. 20:5-6).
However, to find out the identity of the “many who sleep” who will be resurrected for eternal life, we need to look at Revelation. In verse 13 of chapter 14, it is said: “Then I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, ‘Write: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.’ ‘Yes,’ says the Spirit, ‘that they may rest from their labors, and their works follow them.’” The context of this passage is crucial since it is situated right after the proclamation of the three angels’ message (Rev. 14:6-12) and before the description of the Second Coming: “Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and on the cloud sat One like the Son of Man, having on His head a golden crown, and in His hand a sharp sickle” (Rev. 14:14). This blessing from heaven (v. 13) is not offered to the dead “who die in the Lord,” but specifically to those who die “from now on”—for this reason, this time frame is important.
The placement of this blessing in a limited time is explained and developed by prophet Daniel when he indicates the time when it will start: “And from the time that the daily sacrifice is taken away, and the abomination of desolation is set up, there shall be one thousand two hundred and ninety days. Blessed is he who waits, and comes to the one thousand three hundred and thirty-five days” (Dan. 12:11-12).7
Although there are several interpretations for these dates, the beginning of the 1,260 years (Dan. 7:25; 12:7 and Rev. 12:14) is firmly established in 538 AD and ends in 1798 AD. The 1,290-day period ends, like the one of 1,260 days, when the abomination of desolation is over in 1798. We see, therefore, that it must start in the year 508 AD when Clovis, king of the Franks, gave temporary powers to the papacy, thus making way for their long supremacy. The passage tells us that those who waited from the same starting point (508) for a more extended period (1,335 days) would be blessed. This period falls precisely at the end of 1843, which is precisely when the Millerite movement proclaimed the message of the purification of the sanctuary in 1844.8
The best explanation for these blessings of Revelation 14:13, “Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on” and the one from Daniel 12:12, “Blessed is he who waits, and comes to the one thousand three hundred and thirty-five days” is that both are made about the believers who died in the Lord after the proclamation of the three angels’ message, starting in 1844. So the blessing that is presented in these passages consists in being part of those “many who sleep,” who entered into their graves having experienced this hope and which shall be resurrected for eternal life in a special resurrection that will allow them to witness the Second Coming of Jesus with their very own eyes.
The most explicit message from Ellen G. White concerning this special resurrection is found in the book The Great Controversy, where she says:
Graves are opened, and ‘many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth … awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.’ Daniel 12:2. All who have died in the faith of the third angel’s message come forth from the tomb glorified, to hear God’s covenant of peace with those who have kept His law. ‘They also which pierced Him’ (Rev. 1:7), those that mocked and derided Christ’s dying agonies, and the most violent opposers of His truth and His people, are raised to behold Him in His glory and to see the honor placed upon the loyal and obedient.9
The purpose of this special resurrection is double, given the two groups that take part in it. For one, the resurrection of those who had an active part in the rejection, judgment, and death of Jesus, in addition to the “most violent opposers of His truth,” allows them to see with their own eyes the culminating event of the plan of salvation. They are allowed to be eyewitnesses of the vindication as “King of kings and Lord of Lords” (Rev. 19:12, 16) of the one whom they rejected. Jesus’ death, as the most transcendent event in global history, requires that His perpetrators realize the far-reaching consequences of what they despised by beholding the majesty of the Son of God coming in all His glory, just as He had promised.
On the other hand, those who lived, believed, and preached the three angels’ messages but died not having seen the promise of the Second Coming fulfilled are vindicated with the privilege of watching with their own eyes what constituted the core of their final message to the world, so that they may listen to God’s covenant of peace with his faithful believers.
According to the description made in Revelation, this resurrection takes place at the beginning of the seventh plague. “Then the seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, ‘It is done!’ And there were noises and thunderings and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such a mighty and great earthquake as had not occurred since men were on the earth” (Rev. 16:17-18). Just like how the resurrection of the firstfruits happened with an earthquake that opened their tombs (Matt. 27:53), an earthquake marks the special resurrection at the end of times. “There is a mighty earthquake, ‘such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great.’ (Rev. 16:17-18) … Graves are opened, and ‘many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth … awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt’ (Dan. 12:2).”10
On the one hand, the special resurrection reveals God’s justice manifested even towards those who rejected Jesus and were capable of causing His death. They will be able to verify that what Jesus proclaimed was true. When they are raised from the dead, the first thing they will see will be this Jesus, whom they condemned “coming in the clouds with great power and glory” (Mark 13:26).
On the other hand, it is comforting to know that all of the sincere Christians who died during the end of times preaching the message of the three angels will have the opportunity to experience, with all of those who are still alive, the most awaited event in the history of redemption, when they see Jesus coming back for the second time to finalize the redemption of His people and enjoy eternity together.
At the end of time, there will be a special resurrection where God’s mercy and justice will be revealed. The Bible declares: “‘As I live,’ says the Lord God, ‘I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live’” (Ezek. 33:11). Therefore, His will is for “all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim. 2:4).
For this reason, even though human beings might have to experience death temporarily as a consequence of sin, He desires that the resurrection of all people will not be for death, but for “eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 6:23).
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1 For a study about the Adventist doctrine on resurrection, see John C. Brunt, “Resurrection and Glorification,” in the Handbook of Seventh-day Adventist Theology, edited by Raoul Dederen, Commentary Reference Series, volume twelve (Hagerstown, MD: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 2000), 347-374.
2 The resurrection of Moses also appears implicitly (Deut. 34:5-6), and it is broadened in the New Testament (Matt. 17:3; Jude 9).
3 “But those who came forth from the grave at Christ’s resurrection were raised to everlasting life. They were the multitude of captives that ascended with Him as trophies of His victory over death and the grave,” Ellen G. White, Selected Messages, 1:304. “They were those who had been co-laborers with God, and who at the cost of their lives had borne testimony to the truth. Now they were to be witnesses for Him who had raised them from the dead.” Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, 786.
4 Also called “partial resurrection” or “limited resurrection.”
5 For a deep analysis about the theology of Daniel 12, see Artur A. Stele, “Resurrection in Daniel 12 and its Contribution to the Theology of the Book of Daniel,” Doctoral Thesis (Andrews University, 1996).
6 Stele, “Resurrection in Daniel 12 and its Contribution to the Theology of the Book of Daniel,” 201-202.
7 Stele, “Resurrection in Daniel 12”, 44-65.
8 See William H. Shea, “Time Prophecies of Daniel 12 and Revelation 12-13,” in Frank B. Holbrook, ed., Symposium on Revelation -Book I, Daniel and Revelation Committee Series, vol. 6 (Silver Spring, MD: Biblical Research Institute, 1992), 327-60; Gerhard Pfandl, “Time Prophecies in Daniel 12”, in Biblical Research Institute Releases-5 (Biblical Research Institute, 2005), 6-9; Francis D. Nichol, ed., Comentario Bíblico Adventista del Séptimo Día, trad. Víctor E. Ampuero Matta y Nancy W. de Vyhmeister (Buenos Aires: Asociación Casa Editora Sudamericana,1996), vol. 4 906. [Translated from the Spanish version of the article]
9 White, The Great Controversy, 637.
10 White, The Great Controversy, 636-637.