Q: I found your article about the "First Resurrection" to be absolutely intriguing. So intriguing, I've read it 4 times, pretty much dissected it. But I am still having difficulty trying to put things into perspective, meaning some kind of chronological order . Can you please help?
_________________________

 


A: I am sorry if I failed to present the information in the article you mention in the clear and simple way I set out to do. That is probably due to my taking for granted that "the truth is simple" and my having already discussed some of these points in other parts on my site. Let me try to explain it more simply by compiling this condensed version of the
sequence of events, (chronological order) as presented in the Scriptures, and as I was trying to explain in the article "The First Resurrection—and the Great Crowd." This is how matters will proceed:


1. The judgment starts with the house of God. (1 Peter 4:17,18) The first thing that Jesus does upon his return is to judge the members of God’s house, and settle accounts with the slaves whom he had appointed to feed the domestics. This will proof that Jesus is now present! (The judging of God's house did not take place in 1919, as now acknowledged in The Watchtower, July 15, 2013, page 8.) It is at this time that Jesus will identify the true “faithful slave” and  "rip away the veils" of the wicked slave, the man of lawlessness (the governing body) “whom the Lord Jesus will do away with by the spirit of his mouth and bring to nothing by the manifestation of his presence.” (Matt. 24:45-51; 25:14-30; 2 Thess. 2:3-10; Ezek. 13:21,22) The holy spirit will once again guide and direct God's people in the congregations without opposition; and we may find it necessary to meet in private homes as they did in the first century. (John 14:16,17, 26; Acts 1:2; 13:2-4; 20:28-30; Rom. 8:5-9; Gal. 5:16-18, 22,23; 1 Cor. 16:19; Col. 4:15)

The judging of the sheep and the goats, of Jesus illustration, takes place at this time, when "the Son of man arrives in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit down on his glorious throne. . . and he will separate people one from another, just as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will put the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on his left." The judging will be based on how a person treated Christ's brothers prior to his return, in connection with whom he will shortly be glorified, as explained below. (Matt. 25:31-46; 7:21-23)

The many prophecies regarding the wicked being removed from God’s house and the righteous ones “shining as brightly as the sun in the kingdom of their Father,” will then find their fulfillment. (Matt. 13:40-43, 49; Dan. 12:3, 9) Jehovah will replace the wicked shepherds with faithful ones, and gather back his lost and scattered sheep, many of whom had been expelled as apostate because of refusing to put their trust in men. (Psalms 146:3-5) Indeed, the entire 34th chapter of Ezekiel is devoted to Jehovah’s lost sheep and his promise to bring them back. He is already preparing for their return. Although they were lost, they never ceased being his sheep. (Ezek. 34:15,16, 31; 14:23; compare Luke 15:4-7; 17-24)

2. After God’s own house has been judged, “Babylon the Great, the mother of the harlots and the disgusting things of the earth,” that is, all religions of which Satan is the god, will experience God’s judgment and be completely destroyed as by fire. This will happen suddenly, as "in one day," "one hour." (Rev. 17:5, 15-17; 18:8, 10; 19:1-3; 1 Cor. 10:20,21; 2 Cor. 4:4)

The vacuum resulting from the destruction of Babylon the Great will be filled by the setting up of “the image to the wild beast,” which all persons will now be put under compulsion to worship. In fact, "the image of the wild beast [will] both speak and cause to be killed all those who [will] not in any way worship the image of the wild beast." (Rev. 13:14-17) This reminds us of the image of gold that king Nebuchadnezzar set up in the plain of Dura, which everyone was compelled to worship under penalty of death for refusing to comply. (Dan. 3:1-7) The modern day idolaters will receive a "mark in their right hand or upon their forehead" as proof of their compliance (their physical/material support, or indirect mental endorsement), without which no one will "be able to buy or sell," thus being denied the necessities of life. (These are not literal marks, such as the red dot on the forehead in the Hindu religion. But it will clearly identify the individual as being a supporter of the worship of the wild beast and its image. Compare 1 Cor. 10:20-22) 

Of course, Jehovah’s people will not share in any of that, in spite of any hardship they might have to endure as a consequence! We are told: “If anyone worships the wild beast and its image, and receives a mark on his forehead or upon his hand, he will also drink of the wine of the anger of God that is poured out undiluted into the cup of his wrath.” (Rev. 14:912; 15:2-4; 16:2; 19:19-21; 20:4) In spite of intense persecution brought upon them, they will remain faithful to Jehovah as were Daniel and his three companions, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. (Dan. 3:12-28; 6:16)

3. The stage is now set for Jehovah to fight on behalf of his people as he comes to deliver them. (Zech. 2:8; 1 Cor. 3:17) This will be the foretold war of Armageddon. The term “great tribulation” describes "the war of the great day of God the Almighty," namely, Armageddon. (Rev. 16:13,14, 16) This is how the prophet Zephaniah describes Jehovah's day: "That day is a day of fury, a day of distress and of anguish, a day of storm and of desolation, a day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick gloom. And I will cause distress to mankind, and they will certainly walk like blind men; because it is against Jehovah that they have sinned. And their blood will actually be poured out like dust, and their bowels like the dung. Neither their silver nor their gold will be able to deliver them in the day of Jehovah’s fury; but by the fire of his zeal the whole earth will be devoured, because he will make an extermination, indeed a terrible one, of all the inhabitants of the earth.” (Zeph. 1:15-18; Rev. 19:19-21; Ezek. 38:14-23) Jehovah’s day will be so terrible, yes, so severe, as Jesus said, that “unless those days were cut short no flesh would be saved, but on account of the chosen ones those days will be cut short.” (Matt. 24:21,22)

The apostle Paul explains that this is when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven as he comes with his powerful angels to bring “vengeance upon those who do not know God and those who do not obey the good news about our Lord Jesus. These very ones will undergo the judicial punishment of everlasting destruction from before the Lord and from the glory of his strength.” (2 Thess.
1:6-10; Rev. 19:11-16) After the destruction of all the inhabitants of the earth, only God’s people will remain over in it
the "chosen ones” (on whose account the great tribulation was cut short), and the “great crowd” who had “washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb,” and who had done good to Christ's brothers, the holy ones. (Rev. 7:14; 14:1, 3; Matt. 25:40, 45,46) Just as in the days of Noah, only those who heeded God's warning will have escaped the global destruction. (Matt. 24:37-39; 2 Peter 2:5) Now, Jesus comes “to be glorified in connection with his holy ones and to be regarded in that day with wonder in connection with all those who exercised faith (the great crowd), because the witness we gave met with faith among you.” (2 Thess. 1:10; Psalms 37:10,11, 34)
  
4. Jesus' glorification "in connection with his holy ones" includes all his holy ones, not just the few who survived to his presence. This means that the foretold and long anticipated “first resurrection” will now take place, and "the dead in union with the Lord" will rise and come back to life in order to join the holy ones who are still living at this time. According to the apostle Paul, all of the 144,000, all the “holy ones” will be together as one group, and will together meet the Lord in the air as he comes to receive them and take them with him to heaven, to his Father. (1 Thess. 4:14-17; Rev. 14:1-3; Dan. 7:22; Matt. 24:31) The great tribulation survivors will be present to witness this amazing event, just as Jesus’ few disciples watched him ascend to heaven forty days after his resurrection. (Acts 1:9-11) There will be some sort of visible manifestation of the glorified Jesus’ presence, as Paul explains, perhaps similar to his experience when Jesus appeared to him on the road to Damascus. (Acts 9:3-8; 26:12-18)

The time for the marriage of the Lamb has now arrived. “Happy are those invited to the evening meal of the Lamb’s marriage.” (Rev. 19:6-9) The great crowd of true worshipers will have good reason to be "happy," as they are blessed by these events [as the Scriptures explain], and had the opportunity of personally meeting and associating with the Lamb’s bride (including the twelve apostles who return in the first resurrection), for the brief period of time that they spent with them, while they were awaiting the arrival of their Bridegroom. (Matt. 22:1-13) It is after the holy ones ascend to heaven, and the marriage has taken place, that the thousand year rule of God's kingdom begins. (Rev. 20:6)

5. It is shortly after God's kingdom begins its 1,000 year rule that the “resurrection of both the righteous and the unrighteous” takes place, just as Jesus promised and Paul preached. (John 5:28,29; Acts 24:15) God’s many loyal servants of the past will return to “a resurrection of life”; while the majority of mankind, who lived in ignorance of God and his purpose, will return to “a resurrection of judgment.” These ones will have the opportunity to learn about God and avail themselves of his ransom provision for everlasting life without interference from Satan and his perverted form of religions. (Rev. 20:1-3)

As we can well imagine, a tremendous teaching work will open up for the Armageddon survivors, which will be enhanced by being able to relate their own personal experiences, by having survived that world destruction and then having been eyewitnesses to Jesus’ return when he came to be “glorified in connection with his holy ones.” (2 Thess. 1:10) We are not told how soon after God’s kingdom begins its rule that this resurrection will take place, but there is no reason to assume that it will delay. (Rev. 20:6; Dan. 7:21,22, 27)

----------------------

I have now added the above sequence of events at the bottom of the article of The First Resurrection. If any of this information still seems unclear, please do not hesitate to ask further questions. Sometimes it becomes a challenge to replace in our minds a previous understanding with one that differs, although in harmony with the Scriptures, as most of us have come to feel comfortable with something we have believed most of our lives. (Luke 5:36-39)



http://www.perimeno.ca/Index_A.htm