Blessing 5 of the 7 Blessings of Tribulation – Reward

This passage confuses many people, as it did for me when I started studying the End Times and biblical prophecy. I will try to make it clear, without adding a lot of extraneous material, but in all circumstances, you MUST always check everything you are told against the Word of God. My intentions are good, but I am human, and just like you, I am fallible. So check things out. Read the Word and know it.

Two Resurrections

There are two resurrections in the Word of God. The first resurrection is of believers and leads to eternal life. The second resurrection takes place after the end of the Millennial Kingdom of Christ, (that is after the thousand year reign of Christ) and is for the unjust, or unbelievers. The second resurrection leads to the second and eternal death. Remember that everyone who ever lived, will eventually be resurrected to an eternal life and an eternal body. Which means even unbelievers will be resurrected and then judged.
Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt. Daniel 12:2 (NIV)

Even Jesus spoke about both resurrections.

• “… and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.” Luke 14:14 (NIV)
• “… and I have the same hope in God as these men themselves have, that there will be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked.” Acts 24:15 (NIV)

Tribulation Era Believers Participate in First Resurrection

So, the fifth blessing is once more looking at the believers of the Tribulation era. They are blessed because they get to share in, participate in, and be counted in the first resurrection. That is the resurrection of the believers. Even though they missed the boat before the start of the Tribulation, for they missed the Rapture, they are still counted among those worthy to enter heaven and eternal life.

The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done. 14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. 15 Anyone whose name was not found written in the Book of Life was thrown into the Lake of Fire. (Highlight added) Revelation 20:13-15 (NIV)

Honor for Believers of the Tribulation

In fact, those who come to faith and maintain it to the end during the Tribulation, are given the great honor of being priests of God and Christ and ruling with Him for a thousand years. I believe this speaks directly to all Jews who come to faith during the Tribulation, for God had chosen Israel, the Jews, to be His holy nation. They were to be the priests of the world, bringing the news of salvation to a fallen people. However, they failed to follow God and did not receive Jesus Christ as the Messiah. In fact, they crucified Him as a common criminal.

Be Reconciled with God

But the blessing here is that both, the believing Jews and Gentiles, will be reconciled with God. They will enter heaven, and still be given the honor of serving as priests to God and Jesus Christ, even beyond the millennial kingdom.[ 1 Page 253-255] Those who do not share in the first resurrection, but are part of the second resurrection, will be punished, by being thrown into the Lake of Fire, which is called the second death.

The BIG thing to remember or understand here, is that those who are part of the second resurrection, and punished by the second death, have been resurrected before their judgment. Having been resurrected, they now have new, eternal bodies. These bodies are like those of Christ, and cannot die, but they can feel pain, and suffering and be in agony. Therefore, those who are thrown into the Lake of Fire, suffer pain and agony for the rest of all eternity.

For clarification purposes:

The first death is the earthly death we all experience before the rapture. Only those raptured, will not experience the first death. The second death belongs only to those whose names are not written in the book of life. They are the unbelievers who have scorned God, his mercy and grace, and rejected Christ’s atoning sacrifice on their behalf. These unbelievers do not rise to eternal life until after the thousand-year reign of Christ is over. This is called the resurrection of the wicked dead or the second resurrection. They will rise to face Christ at the Great White Throne judgment following the millennial kingdom. This second resurrection of the wicked dead leads to immediate judgment and being cast alive into the Lake of Fire. I cannot stress this enough, their new and eternal bodies, experience great pain and suffering for all eternity.

Many First Resurrections

In addition, one must be aware or understand that there are many first resurrections recorded in the Bible. The first resurrections, which lead to life, are of the righteous believers, even though they are separated by many years. This is also called the resurrection to life, of which Christ was the first, for he rose to eternal life. There are other examples of people being raised from the dead, such as Lazarus, but he/they did not rise to eternal life. His resurrection by Christ was to show God’s power and instill hope for the future resurrection to life. These are the rest of the first resurrections to an eternal life of the Bible:

• The resurrection of the righteous which is the Rapture takes place before the start of the Tribulation. Found in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17. 
• Another is during the Tribulation, which is of the two witnesses. Revelation 11:3, 11.
• Then another takes place at the end of the Tribulation and is of the martyred dead. Those who died as believers during the Tribulation. Revelation 20:4-5
• Finally, the resurrection of the wicked dead takes place at the end of the millennial kingdom. This is not recorded in scripture but understood to take place.[ Ibid Page 254]

Revelation 20:12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books.

Proclaim Christ

Note: the most important and only MUST action on anyone’s part, is to proclaim Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord, give your life to Him, having repented of your sin. That action writes your name into the Book of Life. Without it, your name will not be recorded.

Those whose names are recorded in the Book of Life are then rewarded in accordance with their deeds while they lived on earth, as followers of Christ. One cannot earn their salvation, but your heavenly rewards are based on how you lived and served God once you were saved.

Blessings,
Jana

For the previous four blessings, see Jana’s Gleanings

1 – Rhodes, Ron. 40 Days Through Revelation. 2011. Harvest House Publishing.