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resurrection of believers; and (3) the end (as they interpret it) of the resurrection, that is, the
resurrection of the wicked. Silver puts it rather picturesquely: “In the resurrection Christ and
many saints who rise in and around Jerusalem appear as the first band. More than 1900 years
afterwards ‘they that are Christ’s, at His coming’ appear as the second band. ‘Then,’ but not
immediately, ‘cometh the end’ (verse 24), the last great body like a band of forlorn creatures
ending the procession.”[The Lord’s Return, p. 230.] It will be noted that the idea “not
immediately” is carried into the text. The argument is that because epeita (then) in verse 23
refers to a time at least 1900 years later, the word eita (then) in verse 24 refers to a time 1000
years later. But this is a mere assumption without any proof. The words epeita and eita do
indeed mean the same thing, but neither one of them necessarily implies the idea of a long
intervening period. Notice the use of epeita in Luke 16:7 and Jas. 4:14, and that of eita in Mark
8:25; John 13:5; 19:27; 20:27. Both words can be used for that which will immediately occur
and for that which will occur only after some time, so that it is a pure assumption that the
resurrection of believers will be separated by a long period of time from the end. Another
gratuitous assumption is that “the end” means “the end of the resurrection.” According to the
analogy of Scripture it points to the end of the world, the consummation, the time when Christ
will deliver up the kingdom to the Father and will have put all enemies under His feet. This is
the view adopted by such commentators as Alford, Godet, Hodge, Bachmann, Findley,
Robertson and Plummer, and Edwards.[For a further discussion of this whole point cf. Salmond,
Christian Doctrine of Immortality, pp. 414 f.; Milligan, The Resurrection of the Dead, pp. 64 ff.;
Vos, Pauline Eschatology, pp. 241 ff.]
d. Another passage to which the Premillenarians appeal is I Thess. 4:16, “For the Lord Himself
shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of
God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first.” From this they infer that those who did not die in
Christ will be raised up at a later date. But it is perfectly clear that this is not the antithesis
which the apostle has in mind. The statement following is not, “Then the dead who are not in
Christ shall arise,” but, “Then we that are alive, that are left, shall together with them be caught
up in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” This is frankly admitted by
Biederwolf.[Millennium Bible, p. 472.] Both in this passage and in the preceding one Paul is
speaking of the resurrection of believers only; that of the wicked is not in his purview at all.
e. The most important passage to which the Premillenarians refer is Rev. 20:4-6:... “and they
lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. The rest of the dead lived not until the thousand
years should be finished. This is the first resurrection.” Here the verses 5 and 6 make mention
of a first resurrection, and this, it is said, implies that there will be a second. But the supposition
that the writer is here speaking of a bodily resurrection is extremely dubious. The scene in the
verses 4-6 is evidently laid, not on earth, but in heaven. And the terms employed are not