Revelation 20.5, First resurrection
A reader asked about Revelation 20:5 and the meaning of the “first resurrection”. Maybe the following brief remarks are useful. I think we should make up our minds to this first: John is revealing a truth by means of a picture. What he describes is what he sees but we’re supposed to say, “Yes, that’s what he sees but what is the truth he wants to convey by the images?”In chapter 19 he has just described the battle of Armageddon (see it anticipated in chapter 16) where the Christ and his followers triumph over Satan, the beasts and the armies that followed them. Imagine a battlefield and imagine that when the smoke clears there are dead scattered all over the place. Imagine the Dragon/Serpent being imprisoned, the beast-leaders being thrown into a fire and now look at the scattered dead.
None of what you imagined is literally true as described. Whoever you make the Serpent and the beasts to be (I see them stand for Satan and the Roman Empire) the description in 19:19--20:3 is not to be taken literally. We’re supposed to say, “That’s what he saw, now what does he mean?”
The same is true regarding the dead and the resurrections. Imagine a battlefield littered with the dead. Now imagine many of them coming to life while a host of others remain dead. We’re told that those who come to life FIRST are those who had lived and died for the Lamb (20:4). This resurrection is just as surely a truth told in picture form as the binding and imprisoning of the Dragon. The now resurrected ones climb up on to thrones along with others who are already enthroned (20:4, beginning and end of verse). And what does the picture say? It says the followers of the Lamb are victors whether they die in battle or not. And who are they victorious over? In this case it is the Roman Empire, which is the instrument of Satan’s hatred against Christ and his church.
They are said to reign a thousand years (20:4 and compare 20:2-3). A thousand-year binding and reigning has nothing to do with chronology; it is a use of time to express a truth. It expresses the perfection of the defeat of Satan and the victory of the church. In his use of Rome the Satan is utterly defeated and not just slightly winded. In their conflict with Rome the followers of the Lamb don’t gain a slight advantage they triumph completely.
There are still corpses lying on the battlefield. They lie dead for the thousand years. Their utter loss is proclaimed by a thousand-year death just as a thousand-year living and reigning proclaims the triumph of the saints. When the thousand years have ended (that stays consistent with the vision’s use of time) the corpses left on the battlefield rise from the dead. But they rise to what? To die again (20:11-15). That is the “second” resurrection (though the term isn’t used in the text) in contrast to the first resurrection.
John said all the truth he was telling would soon be seen paraded before the eyes of the world and the city that claimed to be “the eternal city” (Rome) is ruined and its armies destroyed (compare 1:1 and 3 with 22:6,10).
So what do I think the first resurrection speaks of? It’s the triumph of the followers of the Lamb told in picture form and it contrasted with the utter defeat and loss of the followers of Satan.
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