Are unbelievers resurrected?

[theWind]

Somebody in this thread stated that 1 Thess. 4:16-17 disproves the OP of this thread.

On the contrary, it couldn't support it more.

"For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, (all those with ears to hear, all those who are Christ's sheep, will hear, and recognize, the voice of their Shepherd and will respond) ... and the dead in Christ shall rise first: (the word first here doesn't imply that there will be others who will be physically resurrected after this, it is comparing these who will rise from the dead - from the grave - with those who are still alive and will be raised into the sky thereafter.) Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up (raised into the sky) together with them (those who were raised from the dead), to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord."
1 Thess. 4:16-17

This is the entire resurrection event that takes place on the Last Day at the time that Christ returns to this earth physically and there is not a single mention of unbelievers being resurrected.

 

[Dorothy Mae]

He only resurrects believers.

John 6:39, 40, 44, 54; 11:24; 12:48

All these verses, but one, speak of those who believe, who are sent to Christ by God and those who have been given eternal life.

Saying he will raise up one group does not mean ONLY that group and two, the last promises to raise up unbelievers for sure.

The last verse John 12:48 shows that those who reject Christ, do not receive His words and do not believe, are not resurrected but judged on the Last Day.

They cannot be judged if they’re not resurrected.

Isaiah reveals something very interesting.

"O Lord our God, other lords besides thee have had dominion over us: ... they are dead, they shall not live; they are deceased, they shall not rise: ..."
Isaiah 26:13-14

Until the Judgement Day….

Again, James 2:26 tells us that the body is spiritually dead without the Holy Spirit. All these verses coincide with that and support the concept that unbelievers will not rise at the resurrection when Christ returns.

Not at all. The dead in Christ rise FIRST which means there is a second group.

 

[journeymanisnothing]

????????

You said unsaved people cam't hear our Lord speaking, but when he spoke to them, they answered him.

You are deceived.

Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. Eph.6:11

I'm not deceived because others don't want to do that.

 

[Jethro Bodine]

Again, you believe that all Christians are incapable of deliberate, willful, sin.

Christians are incapable of LIVING in deliberate, willful sin. They would have to stop believing and stop being a Christian to live in willful, deliberate sin again.

The point being, you invented a sinful believer that, Biblically, does not exist. And you say there is only one ressurrection when the Bible speaks of more than one. So there's at least two strikes against your doctrine.

Just read 1 John 3. People who live unchanged and unrepentant in sin do not belong to God no matter how much they say they believe. And Revelation 20:4 shows us there is more than one ressurrection. So your doctrinal theory can not be true.

 

[theWind]

Saying he will raise up one group does not mean ONLY that group and two, the last promises to raise up unbelievers for sure.

You will need to post some Scripture to make your case. I have posted many verses to make mine.

We can't just claim Scripture can't be true because we don't like it. We have to find Scripture that contradicts it.

They cannot be judged if they’re not resurrected.

I've already shown multiple times that is not true. Many were judged in the Flood. Many were judged in Sodom and Gomorrah. None were resurrected.

Until the Judgement Day….

That's not what the verse states. We can't just add Scripture to suit our arguments.

Not at all. The dead in Christ rise FIRST which means there is a second group.

Yes, the second group are those who are alive and remain. They are then raised into the sky to be with Jesus forevermore.

 

[theWind]

You said unsaved people cam't hear our Lord speaking, but when he spoke to them, they answered him.

They heard Him and answered Him while He was in the flesh. They could not hear His spiritual teachings and Truth.
John 8:43, 47

When He returns in the Spirit to raise those who He has given spiritual life to, they will hear His voice when He gives a shout and they will rise. Those who do not have that quickening Spirit, which is what Jesus is (1 Cor. 15:45), will not hear anything and will not rise.

 

[theWind]

Christians are incapable of LIVING in deliberate, willful sin. They would have to stop believing and stop being a Christian to live in willful, deliberate sin again.

Yet the vast majority alive today are doing just that. Sin is the breaking of the Commandments per 1 Jn. 3:4.

The point being, you invented a sinful believer that, Biblically, does not exist.

I didn't invent anything, the Bible shows it in many places.

I only teach what the Bible teaches.

And you say there is only one ressurrection when the Bible speaks of more than one. So there's at least two strikes against your doctrine.

The Bible speaks of one spiritual resurrection that takes place when Christians are baptized into Christ and one physical resurrection when the physically dead in Christ are raised.

No strikes against me. Looks like you're out of arguments against this doctrine that the Bible teaches.

Just read 1 John 3. People who live unchanged and unrepentant in sin do not belong to God no matter how much they say they believe.

The Bible wasn't written to unbelieving sinners, it was written to believers, to the children of God.

And Revelation 20:4 shows us there is more than one ressurrection. So your doctrinal theory can not be true.

The resurrection spoken of in Rev. 20 is at the very beginning of Christ's kingdom which takes place during baptism when our old man dies and we are resurrected with Christ.

Wanna see?

"Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?

4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

5 For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:

6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin."
Romans 6:3-6

That kingdom is taking place right now and ends when Jesus returns in 1 Cor. 15:24.

 

[Robert Pate]

I would really like to discuss this with any level-headed DIY-thinkers out there. This is not a declaration of fact, just a working theory.

I have presented this on one, or more, other sites and was swarmed with negativity and vitriol. Please consider my presentation sincerely and share your thoughts. If this is a heated topic for you, maybe it's not the thread for you to take part in. Please use your own discretion there.

This realization has become more and more apparent to me in recent years. It is not popular, of course, and will not be immediately embraced by all, or any, but I can put together a pretty sound case using Scripture and I will make this OP as terse as possible so the discussion can ensue.

First of all, I believe there is only one resurrection. I will remind repeatedly that this is not a Pre-Mil/Millennium after Christ thread. Please consider the scenario that I present based on Scripture.

The concept that I am proposing is that Christians, those who have been quickened and/or given the Holy Spirit, are the only people that Jesus resurrects at His coming. There are multiple reasons for my perspective on this, not the least of which is that Jesus tells us that it is only His sheep that are capable of hearing His voice. When He returns to gather His people in the resurrection, He gives a shout and those who are in the graves who can hear His voice will rise to Him. Those who cannot hear the voice of The Shepherd, will not rise at all. They are destroyed by death and will never be again.

John 5:28 uses the word 'all', but there are other verses/passages that use 'all' as well and are only referring to 'all' of a specific category of people - just as forever only refers to until the end of time in some passages. The following verse is the real shocker if this theory is correct. John 5:29 tells us that those who have done evil will be resurrected to damnation. On its face, this seems impossible that this would be believers, but Matt. 7:21-23 reveals a similar scenario. In that passage, those believers are rejected for being workers of iniquity (sin).

Now, let's look at what Jesus tells us about how to be quickened. In John 6, we see Jesus go on and on about His Words being the key to being quickened. He says that His words are His spirit and they are life. He speaks of being the Bread of Life and that reading/ingesting God's Words, getting our Daily Bread, is the key to being quickened in our spirit - or being given eternal life to be resurrected when He returns. Those who have not been quickened will not have that component to be resurrected with/by.

Paul even mentions being unsure of having attained to the resurrection in Phil. 3:11-14 and we are told in James 2:26 that the body without The Spirit is dead. Many will jump to the conclusion that this is not speaking of the Holy Spirit, but I have done my due diligence in studying the Greek concerning this verse and it turns out that this use of spirit is absolutely plausible as referring to the Holy Spirit.

So, what does this all mean? Well, it actually means a number of things and the implications are staggering. If it is only believing Christians who are resurrected, that means that it will only be Christians who have a spiritual quickening that would even allow them to exist in an afterlife destination of hell. If that doesn't scare the socks off of you, I don't know what will.

Please consider all that I have presented and point out any apparent inconsistencies and I will elaborate where necessary. This OP does not contain every relevant verse on this subject so there is plenty of room for further discussion.

Enjoy and God bless.

There will be a resurrection of unbelievers, it is called, "The resurrection of the damned" John 5:28-29.

 

[journeymanisnothing]

They heard Him and answered Him while He was in the flesh. They could not hear His spiritual teachings and Truth.
John 8:43, 47

When He returns in the Spirit to raise those who He has given spiritual life to, they will hear His voice when He gives a shout and they will rise. Those who do not have that quickening Spirit, which is what Jesus is (1 Cor. 15:45), will not hear anything and will not rise.

Do you also believe people who never heard God in a spiritual sense and have died, weren't created to live forever?
What happens to them if their still here when Jesus returns?

 

[Jethro Bodine]

I didn't invent anything, the Bible shows it in many places.

I only teach what the Bible teaches.

No you don't teach what the Bible teaches. If you did you'd acknowledge that 1 John 3:10 says the person who does not live righteously is not of God.

 

[Jethro Bodine]

No strikes against me. Looks like you're out of arguments against this doctrine that the Bible teaches.

Revelation 20:5

First resurrection.
That means there's another one.

We're not blind. And we're not going to ignore plain scriprure like you're doing.

 

[Jethro Bodine]

The Bible wasn't written to unbelieving sinners, it was written to believers, to the children of God.

1 John was written so that the church can recognize fake believers, particularly those that teach and lead astray with false doctrine. 1 John 3:7, 1 John 2:26

 

[Jethro Bodine]

The resurrection spoken of in Rev. 20 is at the very beginning of Christ's kingdom which takes place during baptism when our old man dies and we are resurrected with Christ.

It plainly says the first resurrection is the resurrection of those who were beheaded for the witness of Christ and the Word of God and who did not receive the mark of the beast, not those who were resurrected in baptism as you say.

 

[theWind]

There will be a resurrection of unbelievers, it is called, "The resurrection of the damned" John 5:28-29.

The Bible, and Jesus specifically, teach that there is only one way for a person to be raised.

That plainly states that there will be some who will not be raised.

Does that not make sense?

Jesus raises who He chooses to quicken with spiritual Life. Clearly, it follows that He does not choose everyone in the world.

"... the Son quickeneth whom He will."
John 5:21

Not everyone.

Look closely at these verses.

"... this is the Father's will ... that of all which He hath given Me (this specifies a certain select group) I should lose nothing, but should raise it up ... at the Last Day."
John 6:39
"... every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on Him (not unbelievers), may have everlasting Life: and I will raise him up at the Last Day."
John 6:40
"No man (No man) can come to Me, except the Father ... draw him: and I will raise him up at the Last Day."
John 6:44
"Whoso eateth My flesh and drinketh My blood (only those who have read and believe God's Word) hath eternal Life; and I will raise him up at the Last Day."
John 6:54
"I am the resurrection, and the Life: he that believeth in Me, ... shall he live. ... whosoever liveth (in Christ) and believeth in Me shall never die. ..."
John 11:25-26

It is becoming more and more difficult to believe, after all the Scripture that has been presented in this thread, that so many continue to refuse to accept this Biblical teaching.

Nobody can be raised/resurrected if they never believed in Christ.

His words, not mine.

 

[theWind]

Do you also believe people who never heard God in a spiritual sense and have died, weren't created to live forever?
What happens to them if their still here when Jesus returns?

If they never believed, they will be destroyed along with the rest of the wicked.

Why do you believe everyone was created to live forever? Does the Bible declare that somewhere?

 

[Free]

The Bible, and Jesus specifically, teach that there is only one way for a person to be raised.

That plainly states that there will be some who will not be raised.

Does that not make sense?

Jesus raises who He chooses to quicken with spiritual Life. Clearly, it follows that He does not choose everyone in the world.

"... the Son quickeneth whom He will."
John 5:21

Not everyone.

Look closely at these verses.

"... this is the Father's will ... that of all which He hath given Me (this specifies a certain select group) I should lose nothing, but should raise it up ... at the Last Day."
John 6:39
"... every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on Him (not unbelievers), may have everlasting Life: and I will raise him up at the Last Day."
John 6:40
"No man (No man) can come to Me, except the Father ... draw him: and I will raise him up at the Last Day."
John 6:44
"Whoso eateth My flesh and drinketh My blood (only those who have read and believe God's Word) hath eternal Life; and I will raise him up at the Last Day."
John 6:54
"I am the resurrection, and the Life: he that believeth in Me, ... shall he live. ... whosoever liveth (in Christ) and believeth in Me shall never die. ..."
John 11:25-26

It is becoming more and more difficult to believe, after all the Scripture that has been presented in this thread, that so many continue to refuse to accept this Biblical teaching.

Nobody can be raised/resurrected if they never believed in Christ.

His words, not mine.

You are pitting Scripture against Scripture. Rev 20:11-15 make it very clear that unbelievers will be raised, as do Jesus's words in Matt 25:41-46 and John 5:28-29, and Paul's words in Acts 24:15.

 

[theWind]

No you don't teach what the Bible teaches. If you did you'd acknowledge that 1 John 3:10 says the person who does not live righteously is not of God.

You will need to consider all the Scriptures that have been presented, and what the Bible teaches as a whole.

Planting your stake into one single verse, and repeatedly mentioning it, is not productive at all.

First resurrection.
That means there's another one.

I already explained that. There is one spiritual resurrection and there is one physical resurrection.

And I showed you Scripture to back that up.

Romans 6:3-6

We're not blind. And we're not going to ignore plain scriprure like you're doing.

Sure about that?

1 John was written so that the church can recognize fake believers, particularly those that teach and lead astray with false doctrine. 1 John 3:7, 1 John 2:26

False doctrine is not supported by Scripture. Who has presented the most Scripture to support their case in this thread?

It plainly says the first resurrection is the resurrection of those who were beheaded for the witness of Christ and the Word of God and who did not receive the mark of the beast, not those who were resurrected in baptism as you say.

No, it plainly does not. Look at it again. It moves on from that topic before it mentions the First Resurrection and plainly says the rest of the dead.

Not only does that mean it is not referring to those beheaded in verse 4, but "the dead" are explained in Romans to be the dead in Christ; not just dead unbelievers.

Romans 6:7-11

 

[theWind]

You are pitting Scripture against Scripture. Rev 20:11-15 make it very clear that unbelievers will be raised, as do Jesus's words in Matt 25:41-46 and John 5:28-29, and Paul's words in Acts 24:15.

Not one of those passages states that "unbelievers will be raised".

And your interpretation of them to be teaching that cannot be sound if there are many Scriptures that contradict it.

Can you tell me what the Bible, and Jesus, teach concerning how a person is quickened and given spiritual Life? If you refuse to accept that the Bible teaches that there is a specific component needed in order to be resurrected, then you are just refusing to accept the Bible's teaching and making up your own unbiblical doctrine; or embracing one that has been taught to you.

 

[Free]

Not one of those passages states that "unbelievers will be raised".

They all do, quite clearly in fact.

And your interpretation of them to be teaching that cannot be sound if there are many Scriptures that contradict it.

But since they clearly do teach that the unrighteous dead are raised unto judgement, perhaps your interpretation of the passages you think support your position is unsound.

Can you tell me what the Bible, and Jesus, teach concerning how a person is quickened and given spiritual Life? If you refuse to accept that the Bible teaches that there is a specific component needed in order to be resurrected, then you are just refusing to accept the Bible's teaching and making up your own unbiblical doctrine; or embracing one that has been taught to you.

Look at how "life" is defined and used in the NT--it doesn't just mean merely "alive" (John 10:10, for example).

Joh 5:21 For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will. (ESV)

This is likely a reference to Jairus's daughter, the widow's son, and Lazarus. Note also Jesus's response to John the Baptist's disciples:

Mat 11:3 and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?”
Mat 11:4 And Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see:
Mat 11:5 the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. (ESV)

Jesus will raise those who believe in him, so that they alone can be with him and the Father and the Holy Spirit forever, but that doesn't mean that unbelievers are not also raised, judged, and thrown into the lake of fire, as Rev 20:11-15 clearly shows.

 

[Rookie]

You're really worked up, angry and frustrated.

Let's take a break.

Don't reflect yourself on me as how can you assert that without it being what you really are.