Indiana Jones Found the Missing Link!

Dr. Jones carefuly threaded his way through the musty subterranean  maze.  Suddenly, his torch accidentally ignited the limb of a nearby mummy!  Quickly, he beat out the flame before it spread to the other mummies nearby.  "Ha!" he thought. "I almost created a little hell for these mummies!"  Then his thoughts became more serious.  "The Egyptians embalmed these people because they expected them to...rise again?"   

Leaving the site that evening, Indy returned to his hotel room and unpacked his most valuable ancient writings.  He recalled how some of his esteemed colleagues insisted on three resurrections at the end of the ages. 

THREE RESURRECTIONS???  

1) A secret resurrection of the good and faithful with living people flying up to join them. I Thess. 4:16-17

2) A later gathering of the living faithful after a time of great trouble on the earth. (Indy assumed it would also include those penitent people who died during that time.) Matt. 24:31

3) A final resurrection for all the evil people of the earth. Rev. 20: 4-5

Yet something didn't seem quite right to Indy. The three resurrections these people were proposing did not align with the two resurrections taught by scripture and thus believed by Christians for centuries. To determine whether the "three-resurrection" theory held water, he decided to cross-reference an ancient Greek text called "The Apocalypse." (Indy knew that God could obviously do anything within the realm of time. But if he went strictly by the written text, that would determine the truth of the matter.)

He carefully pored over the ancient passage penned by the Apostle John until he came to Chapter 20. His eyes fell upon verses 4 and 5 "...and I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their testimony about Jesus and for proclaiming the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or his statue, nor accepted his mark on their foreheads or their hands. They all came to life again, and they reigned with Christ for a thousand years. This is the first resurrection. (The rest of the dead did not come back to life until the thousand years had ended.)"

After the initial shock of his discovery, a triumphant smile slowly spread over Indy's stubbled face. There were only two resurrections! This passage described a first resurrection of all the righteous dead since the beginning of the world, and a second resurrection of the unrighteous. Obviously, there could be no resurrection BEFORE the FIRST resurrection. The missing link was the term "First Resurrection!" Indy knew that this First Resurrection was also referred to by the Apostle Paul as "the dead in Christ will rise first." He carefully laid the passage beside another fragile manuscript in his possession -- one written to a group of people in ancient Macedonia. A section from THAT letter read: "For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first".

(I Thess. 4:16-17)

Indy moved his hands like a scale balancing itself and whispered, "Rise first / first resurrection. Rise first / first resurrection." He nodded imperceptibly. Obviously, John and Paul were referring to the same event. No doubt about it, both passages were speaking of the SAME resurrection.

The evidence was irrefutable, but there was a kicker... those who have been killed by the antichrist are included in this "rise first / first resurrection" (1Thess 4:16-17 / Rev. 20) "THEN we who are alive, who remain, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord".

The rapture on Indy’s face disappeared as he pondered the implications of this discovery. He knew the prestigious Millennial Flying Club had been passionately promoting three resurrections and issuing ‘PRE-TRIP’ RESERVATIONS. But, in light of this puzzle piece that fit so well, he could picture them grudgingly opening the bottom drawer, and once again bringing out the dusty boarding passes labeled: "POST-TRIP ITINERARY," (No luggage permitted.)

For more on this subject, read "Rapture - Do We Really Need a Rocket Scientist".