First Thessalonians 4:16 says, “The dead in Christ will rise first.” The dead believers, signified by the ten virgins, will be the first to rise up and be raptured into the Lord’s parousia.
Speaking of resurrection, Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:23, “Each one in his own order: the firstfruits, Christ; then those who are Christ’s at His coming.” Those who are Christ’s are the believers in Christ, the righteous ones, who will be resurrected unto life at the Lord’s coming back before the millennium (John 5:29; Luke 14:14; 1 Thes. 4:16; 1 Cor. 15:52; Rev. 20:4-6).
In John 5:28 and 29 the Lord Jesus said, “An hour is coming in which all in the tombs will hear His voice and will come forth: those who have done good, to the resurrection of life; and those who have practiced evil, to the resurrection of judgment.” In these verses we have two kinds of physical resurrection. The resurrection of life is the resurrection of the saved believers before the millennium. The dead believers will be resurrected to enjoy eternal life at the return of the Lord Jesus. Hence, their resurrection is called the resurrection of life. When the Lord Jesus comes back, all the dead believers will be resurrected and will be taken along with the living believers to the air (1 Thes. 4:16-17). However, the dead unbelievers will be resurrected after the millennium in order to be judged at the great white throne (Rev. 20:11-15). Hence, their resurrection is called the resurrection of judgment.
In Luke 14:14 the Lord Jesus said, “It will be repaid to you in the resurrection of the righteous.” The resurrection of the righteous is the resurrection of life; it is the time when God will reward the saints at the Lord’s return (Rev. 11:18; 1 Cor. 4:5). Therefore, the resurrection of the righteous is a resurrection with a reward.
Revelation 20:4-6 says, “They lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years...This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no authority, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years.” Here the word lived means “were resurrected”; it refers to the first resurrection and the best resurrection. It is not only the resurrection of life (John 5:29; 1 Cor. 15:23; 1 Thes. 4:16) but also the resurrection of reward (Luke 14:14), the out-resurrection, that is, the extraordinary resurrection, which the apostle Paul sought (Phil. 3:11), the resurrection of kingship as a reward to the overcomers so that they may reign as co-kings with Christ in the millennial kingdom. Therefore, “blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection.” This is the highest blessing—to inherit the kingdom of God manifested on earth and even to be co-kings with Christ within the kingdom. Not only the resurrected overcomers, such as the man-child in Revelation 12:5 and the later martyrs in 15:2, but also the raptured living believers, such as the firstfruits in 14:1-5, will have part in this first resurrection. We should not be content merely to be in the general resurrection; rather, we should aspire to be in the first, the best, resurrection.
In Philippians 3:11 Paul says, “If perhaps I may attain to the out-resurrection from the dead.” The out-resurrection from the dead denotes the outstanding resurrection, the extra-resurrection, which will be a prize to the overcoming saints. This means that it is the resurrection set apart from the common resurrection. It is the resurrection with honor and respect and is comparable to a graduation with honors. This is a resurrection of kingship as a reward to the overcomers so that they may reign as co-kings with Christ in the millennial kingdom. All believers who are dead in Christ will participate in the resurrection from the dead at the Lord’s coming back, but the overcoming believers will enjoy an extra, outstanding portion of that resurrection. This is the better resurrection spoken of in Hebrews 11:35. The better resurrection is not only the first resurrection, the resurrection of life, but also the out-resurrection, the extra-resurrection, the resurrection in which the Lord’s overcomers will receive the reward of the kingdom (v. 26).
To arrive at the out-resurrection means that our entire being has been gradually and continually resurrected. God first resurrected our deadened spirit (Eph. 2:5-6). Then from our spirit He proceeds to resurrect our soul (Rom. 8:6) and our mortal body (v. 11), until our entire being—spirit, soul, and body—is fully resurrected out of our old being by His life and with His life. This is a process in life through which we must pass until we arrive at the out-resurrection as the prize. Hence, the out-resurrection should be the goal and purpose of our Christian life.