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The testimony of the Apocalypse.
The fact that the book of the Revelation speaks of a future day of the Lord, the day
when He Who once wore a crown of thorns shall come with many crowns, "Kings of
kings and Lord of lords", is of itself a testimony to the resurrection, for there could be no
`Second Coming' if the first coming of the Saviour had ended in the grave. The title of
Christ, given early in the first chapter is:
"The First begotten from the dead" (Rev. 1: 5).
This title is found in Col. 1: 18. Here in Rev. 1:, the title is followed by "The Prince
of the kings of the earth", whereas in line with its distinctive teaching, this title is
followed in Col. 1: 18 with the words "That in all things (not only over kings on earth)
He might have the pre-eminence".
The opening vision of the Saviour was such, that we read that John "fell at His feet as
dead", but the Lord said:
"Fear not, I am the first and the last: I am He that liveth, and was dead; and behold I
am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death" (Rev. 1: 17, 18).
Here the Risen One is seen vested with full authority, and these keys are seen in
Rev. 20: 1. In keeping with his whole history we find the Evil one giving a travesty of
the resurrection in chapter 13: 3:
"And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death, and his deadly wound was
healed: and all the world wondered after the beast."
The word used here, "wounded", is the same that is used of the "Lamb as it has been
slain" (Rev. 5: 6); "marveling" or "wondering" (thaumazo) is associated with both the
false and the true resurrection. "Marvel not at this" (John 5: 28), the disciples `wondered'
(Luke 24: 41); for the raising of the dead is indeed a marvelous miracle. The special
reference to resurrection however in the Revelation is that spoken of in chapter 20::
"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" (Rev. 20: 4, 5).
What does the Apostle mean by "the first resurrection"? The Greek word so
translated is protos, and this same word is translated "former" in Rev. 21: 4 where the
reference is not to the primal creation of Gen. 1: 1, but to the creation of the six days.
So, Luke could not say "The first treatise have I made" (Acts 1: 1) but "the former
treatise" when referring to the Gospel under his name. Proteros and proteron in
Ephesians 4: 22, Heb. 10: 32 and I Pet. 1: 14, refer to something earlier by comparison.
In Rev. 20: 5, 6 two resurrections are in view, namely the resurrection of "the
overcomers", who live and reign with Christ a thousand years, and "the rest of the dead"
who do not live again until the thousand years are finished. On such as attain to this