These are excellent questions, and we trust we have the answer to them in the scriptures. Let’s begin by quoting Revelation 6:9-11, “When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held. And they cried with a loud voice, saying, ‘How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?’ Then a white robe was given to each of them; and it was said to them that they should rest a little while longer, until both THE NUMBER OF THEIR FELLOW SERVANTS AND THEIR BRETHREN, WHO WOULD BE KILLED AS THEY WERE, was completed.” We believe this passage is speaking of “two groups of martyrs” that are killed during the coming seven-year Tribulation Period. The “first group” (seen in verse 9) are “killed during the FIRST HALF of the Tribulation” and the “second group” (seen in verse 11) are “killed during the SECOND HALF of the Tribulation.” All will be martyred “for the word of God and for their testimony which they held,” but the martyrdom of the “second group” will also include their being faithful in NOT worshipping the Beast and the Antichrist who will be ruling from the middle of the Tribulation until the end of the Tribulation. We will now turn to Revelation 20:4-5 to get a clearer picture of this.

“Then I saw thrones, and THEY SAT ON THEM, and judgment was given to THEM. And I saw the souls of THOSE WHO HAD BEEN BEHEADED because of their testimony to Jesus and because of the word of God, and THOSE WHO HAD NOT WORSHIPED THE BEAST OR HIS IMAGE, and had not received the mark on their forehead and on their hand; and THEY CAME TO LIFE and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were completed. This is the first resurrection” (NASB).

In this passage, which takes place AFTER the Tribulation Period ends, John saw THREE GROUPS OF BELIEVERS who will reign with Christ for a thousand years. He saw 1) the church saints and Old Testament saints sitting on thrones; 2) saints who had been martyred during the “first half of the Tribulation Period” for their faithful testimony (which we saw in Revelation 6:9); and 3) saints who were martyred during the “second half of the Tribulation Period” for not worshipping the beast or taking his mark” (see Revelation 6:11 with Revelation 13:1-8, 11-17). All Three Groups are part of “the First Resurrection,” even though some were resurrected BEFORE the Tribulation began and the Tribulation martyrs experience the resurrection AFTER the Tribulation. The “first group” (the church and Old Testament believers) were raised at the time of the Rapture (1 Corinthians 15:20-23 and 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17) which is just BEFORE the Tribulation (Revelation 3:10-11) and that’s why John already saw them SITTING ON THRONES (see Revelation 4:4). The “second and third groups” (Tribulation saints) “came to life” after they had all been martyred which will be AFTER the Tribulation.

Before I close, we saw in Revelation 20:5 that “the REST OF THE DEAD did not come to life until the thousand years were completed.” This means there are TWO RESURRECTIONS, separated by 1,000 years. Jesus spoke of them in John 5:29 as the “resurrection of life” and the “resurrection of judgment.” We already saw that “all believers” are part of the FIRST RESURRECTION so it is obvious that it is “all unbelievers” who will take part in the SECOND RESURRECTION, the “resurrection of judgment.” That resurrection, which is AFTER the 1,000-year reign of Christ, is spoken of in verses 11-12, 15, “Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them. And I SAW THE DEAD, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and THE DEAD WERE JUDGED from the things which were written in the books. According to their deeds…And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.” How solemn are these words! I pray that all who are reading this will have “a part in the first resurrection; over which the second death has no power” (verse 6). But for that to happen, you MUST “believe on the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior” (Acts 16:31). If you refuse to believe on Him, you will “die in your sins” (John 8:24) and you will face Him as your Judge. Your name will not be found in the book of life, and you WILL be “thrown into the lake of fire.”  (DO)  (658.3)