"Why should it be thought a thing incredible with you, that God should raise the dead?" (Acts 26:8). The apostle Paul uttered those words when he stood before the one whom he called "King Agrippa" (Acts 26:27). What about you? Do you find it difficult to accept the teaching that the dead will be raised? Friends, the Bible plainly declares that it will happen. Christians in Corinth were told, "Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection from the dead . . . But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept" (1 Corinthians 15:12,20). There is, indeed, such a thing as a bodily resurrection. The Christ arose, and the fact that He was the firstfruits indicates that there will be more resurrections to come.

Will every dead person be resurrected, or will the resurrection only be for the righteous? Once, when Jesus was teaching at a meal in the home of a Pharisee, He spoke about "the resurrection of the just," but in that setting the Master made no mention of the unjust being raised (Luke 14:14). Should we conclude, then, that the unrighteous will just be left in the tomb? The apostle Paul declared that "there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust" (Acts 24:15). That is plain enough. Jesus also said, "Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation" (John 5:28,29). So, yes, the Lord will raise "all that are in the graves."

But will the resurrection of the godly and ungodly take place at the same time, or will there be two separate resurrections? At least some who believe in the theory of Premillennialism say that the righteous will be raised at one point, then the ungodly will be raised much later. How much later? Per the false theology of some, the Lord will come to raise the righteous, then after 1007 years He will raise the unrighteous (He will supposedly remain in heaven for 7 years, then come to reign on earth for 1000 years). The Bible does not teach that Jesus will come again two times, nor does it teach that Jesus will remain in heaven for a period of seven years, then come and reign on earth for 1000 years. The theory is filled with errors.

The Christ said that He will raise believers on "the last day" (John 6:39,40). Martha, the sister of Lazarus, spoke to Jesus about "the resurrection at the last day" (John 11:25). Since Jesus did not correct Martha’s statement, then there will be a general resurrection at the last day. Here is a mighty important question: How many more days will there be after "the last" day? None, of course. When the righteous are raised, as far as time is concerned, that is it – there will be no more time on earth after the last day. So, that means there will not be some fanciful 1000-plus years before a second group (the unrighteous) will be raised. The righteous and unrighteous will be raised at the same time – there will be one resurrection day.

Consider this also. There is one future day, and only one such day, when the Lord will judge all men. God has appointed "a day" in which He will judge the world (Acts 17:31). Judgment will take place on one day, and on that day all people will be judged. Yes, there is only one future day that is called "the day of judgment" (2 Peter 3:7). There are not two days of judgment, just one.

When will the judgment take place? On the day of judgment. When will that be? Listen to what Jesus said: "He that rejected me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day" (John 12:48). So, on "the last day," what will happen? The Lord Jesus will come again, He will raise the dead, He will judge all men, and He will deliver the kingdom up to the Father (1 Corinthians 15:24).

Those that are faithful to the Lord will be raised to enjoy life eternal. All others will also be raised on the same day, but they will enter into a state of eternal punishment. With which of those two groups are you preparing to have a part? A foolish person says, "I’ll worry about that when the time comes"; a wise one says, "I’m gonna do my best to be prepared for that great event every hour of every day of my life, because we never know when ‘the last day’ is coming." What kind of person would You say that You are, foolish or wise? Better yet, what kind of person does the Lord consider You to be?

-- Roger D. Campbell