Some Will Face Death Three Times
Jesus gave reference to certain group of individuals that will face death three times in the following verses:
“And the high priest answered and said to Him, “I put You under oath by the living God: Tell us if You are the Christ, the Son of God!” Jesus saith unto him, thou hast said: nevertheless, I say unto you, hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven” (Matthew 26:63-64).
“And again another scripture saith, they shall look on him whom they pierced” (John 19:37).
“Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen” (Revelation 1:7).
The actions of the wicked men that pierced Jesus were predicted in the Old Testament in Psalm 22:16-18 and Zechariah 12:10.
The wicked that were involved in the death of Christ and those that pierced Him will receive a special resurrection at the second coming of the Lord when He arrives as King of kings and Lord of lords. When they see the Lord coming in glory and honor, they will realize the magnitude of their awful sin and mourn. At that time, they will be destroyed by the glory of God, but will be resurrected again with the rest of the wicked to face their eternal death or the second death that is appointed to all the evil ones.
The first death is the death that comes to all (1 Corinthians 15:22; Hebrews 9:27). All, both the righteous and the wicked, are raised from this death (John 5:28, 29). The righteous come forth from their graves immortal (1 Corinthians 15:52–55). The second death is the death that comes to the wicked after their resurrection at the close of the 1000 years (Revelation 20: 14; ch. 21:8).
The wicked are raised to receive their punishment and to die an eternal death (Revelation 20:9; 21:8). God destroys them, both body and soul, in hell (Matthew 10:28). This means annihilation. The “second death” is the exact opposite of an endless life under torture in hell, which some wrongly teach will be the fate of the wicked (Matthew 25:41).
Summary
The first death: the natural death that all experience in this earth “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27; 1 Corinthians 15:22).
The second death: all those that “pierced Him” will be “resurrected” to see Jesus “coming on the clouds” and then die in Plague #7 (Matthew 26:63-64; John 19:37; Revelation 1:7).
The third death: the wicked will be resurrected at the end of the 1000 years to be judged and die in what the Bible calls the “second death” (Revelation 20:14; 21:8).
For a Bible study of the State of the Dead, check:
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In His service,
BibleAsk Team
