Eternal hope
The Path to the New Earth.
Scripture paints a sweeping picture of God's plan: Christ returns, the dead are raised, and God ultimately brings about a New Heaven and New Earth where righteousness dwells. The Bible also shows that there is more than one resurrection, and that the first one is both the most challenging path and the greatest invitation.
Why this matters
Jesus urged His disciples to live with the end of the story in mind. He spoke about a narrow path that leads to life (Matthew 7:13–14), about entering the Kingdom of God (John 3:3–5; Matthew 18:1–4), and about a coming age when the righteous will shine like the sun in the Kingdom of their Father (Matthew 13:43). Understanding God's resurrections helps us see where that path is headed and why following Christ now matters so much.
The first resurrection – the narrow path that leads to life.
The first resurrection is the most desirable one: it is for those who belong to Christ at His coming and who will reign with Him in His Kingdom. It is also described as a narrow path that few find.
What Jesus said about entering the Kingdom
- The narrow gate: Jesus said, "Enter by the narrow gate" and warned that the way which leads to life is narrow and few find it (Matthew 7:13–14).
- New birth: He taught that one must be "born again" or "born from above" and "born of water and the Spirit" to enter the Kingdom of God (John 3:3–5).
- Doing the Father's will: Not everyone who says "Lord, Lord" will enter the Kingdom, but those who do the will of the Father (Matthew 7:21–23).
- Childlike humility: Whoever humbles himself like a little child is greatest in the Kingdom of heaven (Matthew 18:1–4).
- Following Him fully: Jesus called people to deny themselves, take up their cross, and follow Him (Luke 9:23–24); to love God with all their heart, soul, and mind, and to love their neighbor as themselves (Matthew 22:37–40).
Firstfruits and the first resurrection
The apostle Paul explains that Christ is the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep, and that those who are Christ's will be raised at His coming (1 Corinthians 15:20–23). Revelation speaks of a resurrection in which those who share in it "shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him" (Revelation 20:4–6).
James writes that God brought us forth by the word of truth so that we might be "a kind of firstfruits of His creatures" (James 1:18). Revelation describes those who follow the Lamb wherever He goes as "firstfruits to God and to the Lamb" (Revelation 14:1–4).
This first resurrection is for those who have repented, trusted in Christ, received His Spirit, and learned to walk in faithful obedience. They are raised to immortal life to reign with Christ in His Kingdom (Romans 8:16–23; 1 Corinthians 15:42–54; Luke 20:34–36).
The second resurrection – judgment and restoration.
Scripture also shows another resurrection after the millennial reign of Christ. This resurrection is to a time of judgment, where people are evaluated by Christ and measured against the light they were given.
Those who never really knew Christ
Revelation describes a "great white throne" where the dead, small and great, stand before God and books are opened, including the Book of Life (Revelation 20:11–12). Many understand this to include all who lived and died without truly knowing Christ—those who never heard His name, or who lived in times and places where the truth was not clearly available.
In this understanding, God raises them to physical life, opens their minds to the truth, and judges them fairly and mercifully based on what they do with the understanding they receive (Ezekiel 37:1–14 can be seen as a picture of such a restoration to life and hope).
Some among them, walking in repentance and faith during that time of judgment, may be given the opportunity to live in what we might call the "New Earth prototype"—a renewed world under the direct rule of Christ, His saints, and the children of the millennium.
Those who resisted their calling
There are also people who, in this age, are called by God but do not respond faithfully. They may find themselves in this second resurrection as well, facing a sober evaluation before Christ and His saints (1 Corinthians 6:2; 2 Corinthians 5:10).
God is perfectly just and perfectly merciful. He will judge each person according to their works and the light they have received (Romans 2:5–11). Some will embrace the truth at last; others will continue to resist.
This second resurrection is real and serious—but it is not the best path. The first resurrection, to eternal life with Christ, remains the highest calling and the greatest privilege.
The third resurrection – the lake of fire.
Scripture also warns of a final, sobering reality: a resurrection to the second death, where those who utterly refuse God's rule face the lake of fire.
When mercy is finally refused
Revelation describes a time when death and Hades are thrown into the lake of fire, called "the second death" (Revelation 20:13–15). Those whose names are not found written in the Book of Life share this fate. Revelation 21:8 lists the "cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars" as those who have their part in the lake of fire.
This is not God's desire; He "is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance" (2 Peter 3:9). Yet He will not force people into His Kingdom. Those who ultimately and stubbornly reject His grace face this final judgment and the end of conscious existence.
The third resurrection is therefore a warning: God's patience is real, but it is not endless. Now is the best time to seek Him.
How to walk the path toward the first resurrection.
The first resurrection is not earned by human effort, but it is entered by a real response to God's grace. Jesus tells us what that path looks like.
Responding to Jesus' call
- Repent and believe: Jesus came preaching, "Repent, and believe in the gospel" (Mark 1:15). We turn from sin and trust in His sacrifice for our forgiveness.
- Be baptized and receive the Holy Spirit: The New Testament pattern is repentance, baptism by immersion, and the laying on of hands for the receiving of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38; Acts 8:14–17).
- Abide in Christ: Jesus said, "Abide in Me" and promised that those who remain in Him will bear much fruit (John 15:1–8).
- Walk in obedience: "If you love Me, keep My commandments" (John 14:15). Followers of Jesus learn to obey God's commands from the heart, empowered by His Spirit.
- Persevere to the end: Jesus said that "he who endures to the end shall be saved" (Matthew 24:13). The path is narrow, but He walks it with us.
Living now with the New Earth in view
Paul encourages believers to set their minds on things above, not on the things of the earth (Colossians 3:1–4). He reminds us that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us (Romans 8:18–23).
Those who hope to share in the first resurrection seek to live now as citizens of the coming Kingdom (Philippians 3:20–21), letting Christ reshape their priorities, their relationships, their use of time and resources, and their willingness to serve.
None of this is about earning God's love. It is about responding to a calling: to be among the firstfruits of His family, to stand with Christ at His return, and to help welcome others into the joy of the New Heaven and New Earth when God is all in all (1 Corinthians 15:24–28; Revelation 21–22).
If you sense that God is drawing you, this is the best time to seek Him, to open His Word, to pray, and to ask what your next step should be. NECM would be honored to walk alongside you as you follow that call.