There is a "better" resurrection
Hebrews 11:35
Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection:
There are two resurrections!
The dead in "Christ" will rise first. We will rule and reign with Him for a thousand years. After the thousand years is up, the rest of the dead will rise. It at the second resurrection where the Messiah separates the sheep and the goats. How do I know this? Because there are no goats in the first resurrection!
The First Resurrection
1 Thessalonians 4:13-17
But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.
For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep (dead).
For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
This verse shows that only the dead "in Christ" will be apart of the first resurrection. It also implies that there is at least one more resurrection. We can find that resurrection in Revelation 20.
Both Resurrections
Rev 20:4-6
And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.
The above verses show that it is the "first resurrection" that should be our goal. "The second Death hath no power" over the people that obtain this resurrection (they are not going to die again) and they are "blessed and holy". This also implies that death DOES have power over the people in the second resurrection.
The Second Resurrection
Revelation 20:7-15
And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,
And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog, and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.
And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.
And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
Now, let us look at the verses concerning the sheep and the goats:
Matthew 25:31-46
When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:
And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:
And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.
Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:
I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.
Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?
Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.
And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.
We notice the following things from the verses concerning the sheep and the goats:
1. There are goats here! There are no goats in the first resurrection. Only the dead in Christ rise first. So the fact that there are goats in this judgment shows good evidence that this is not talking about the first resurrection.
2. Death has power over at least some of these people. I showed earlier that death has no power over the people in the first resurrection.
3. It mentions nothing about repenting or even believing in the Messiah. I know some Hindus, Muslims, Mormons, and people in some Christian cults that have never repented from their sins (turned from breaking the law), but they treat their neighbor good and meet the criteria laid out in Matthew 25:31-46.
Looking more closer, we find the following:
1. The word "nations" used in Matthew 25:32 is from the Greek word, "ethnos" which usually refers to Gentile (non-Israelite) people* (see footnote at bottom of the page). "The New Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible" has this for the definition: "a race i.e. a tribe; spec. a foreign (non-Jewish) one (usually by impl. pagan): - Gentile, heathen, nation, people". So Matthew 25:32 is saying that the Messiah will gather all Gentile/heathen nations together. If you are planning on making the "better resurrection", you do not want to be a Gentile. You must be grafted into His Kingdom (Romans 11:13-26).
2. Many of these people that are called the "sheep" have never even read the gospels. How do I know this? Because they are going to ask the Messiah, "when did we do this". If they ever read the verses above, they would know.
Now, search your feelings and pray about this...Do you really think that someone who has never heard the gospel would be punished in the lake of fire? What about all those native Americans that lived around 40 AD to 1492AD? Does your spirit tell you that a gracious God would send them to the lake of fire when many of them would fall on their face and worship the true God if they knew better?
The scriptures that I pointed out, show that they have hope. They will miss out on many things and rewards that await people that are in the "better" resurrection (the first resurrection), but they might still be able to enter into His Kingdom at the second resurrection.
There are a lot of people that I know that subscribe to a different faith. They usually do this because they were born into it. Some are REALLY seeking. Some Hindus might be searching for the true God out of all their gods. Some people in Christian cults might also be searching for the truth. At the second resurrection, when the Messiah raises these people up, I do believe that most of them will immediately know, "this is the true God and King that I had been searching for" and they will bow and worship. If they were good to their neighbor, they will at this time be allowed in the Kingdom. It is ultimately Yeshua the Messiah (Jesus the Christ) that will be the judge and that will allow them in.
I have heard it said from many preachers and other people that Mother Teresa will be burning in hell for eternity because she either never repented from breaking God's laws, or because she believed and practiced false doctrines. I am not the Judge, so I not going to say that she won't make the first resurrection. I will say that I do believe that she met the criteria to make it in the second resurrection. So, I believe that at the very least, she will be apart of the sheep in the second resurrection.
Am I saying that there is another way to the Kingdom besides through the Messiah? NO! Yeshua (Jesus) is the ONLY way in. He'll either raise you up in the first resurrection and let you in then, or he will raise you up in the second resurrection and let you in at that time (if you are apart of the sheep).
*If you have accepted Yeshua the Messiah as your King and repented from breaking His laws, then you have been grafted into His Kingdom. (Romans 11:13-26)
