THE GLORIOUS DESTINY OF THE FIRST RESURRECTION SAINTS

By Jun P. Espina | 10/18/2026 | 9 min read

THE FIRST RESURRECTION SAINTS

The most wonderful end result of a saved Christian is taking part in the first Resurrection. Without understanding this prophetic triumph, your Christianity could not have been as meaningful. Scriptures have foretold that those early resurrections that will end with the raising of the Tribulation saints from the dead would be needed to inhabit the Holy City. They are called the “first Resurrection.” It would be the fulfillment of Christ’s promise: “Where I am, there you may be also.” (John 14:3)

After the resurrection of the Raptured Church and the Tribulation saints, the next resurrection will occur after the Millennium. But it is not a “second” but a “resurrection of judgment” (John 5:29). There is no second resurrection. The first Resurrection saints are numbered just as their final home, the Holy City, has fixed dimensions and size. Now, we have topics to explain further, the “first Resurrection” and the “Holy City,” before we can elaborate on the eternal future of the saved believers in Christ.

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WHO IS THE SAVED BELIEVER IN CHRIST?

We need to clarify first the truth about being a saved believer in Christ. It is the key point of the whole discussion. A saved believer in Christ will be resurrected and given a new spiritual body. Our Lord Jesus rose from the dead with a new body that could get through walls or closed doors. These types of believers—setting aside their respective denominational shades—have Christ’s Spirit in their souls. That is to say, a forgiven Christian is possessed by Christ.

The apostle Paul puts it tersely: “Christ liveth in me.” (Gal. 2:20)

In Romans 8, Paul also said, “If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.” (vv. 10-11)

Thus, a saved Christian is indwelt with Christ, the Father, and the Holy Spirit. The triune God (John 14:23) possess your body as their “temple.” (1 Cor. 6:19) The good news is that if you’re truly saved, forgiven, and accepted by heaven, you know it. The apostle John has taught it plainly. “These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.” (1 John 5:13)

THE LIMITED PARTICIPANTS OF THE FIRST RESURRECTION EVENTS

After the Resurrection of the Tribulation saints, there will be no other similar events until the Millennium is over. Revelation 20 states this truth: “The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were completed. This is the first resurrection” (v. 5). Arthur E. Bloomfield** (author of “The Key to Understanding Tribulation”) wrote that “The Tribulation Saints are included in the first Resurrection (Rev. 20:4, 5). The Rapture and the resurrection of the Tribulation Saints, taken together, are the first Resurrection” (p. 207).

In verse 6, John added, “Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years” (Rev. 20).

It will be one of the turning points of being a saved believer in Christ. They will be priests and kings in Christ’s eternal kingdom on Earth. “[T]hey will reign forever and ever.” (Rev. 22:5b)

For biblical doubters concerning the roles of Christian believers as “priests and kings” in Christ’s kingdom, here are a few Scriptures we need to erase any skepticism about (see Table 1).

Table I

Bloomfield said, “Notice that in several instances the functions of judge and king are combined. Paul asked: ‘Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world?’—I Cor. 6: 2.” (Revelation. p. 10)

WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO THE OLD TESTAMENT SAINTS?

A semi-flawless grasp of the book of Revelation varies according to who interprets this highly sacred book. As a pre-tribist, I believe the Old Testament saints will be resurrected during the Rapture. In short, they will be a part of the first Resurrection. As we mentioned earlier, there will be two “first resurrection” events. The first one will happen during the Rapture, and then, during the resurrection of the Tribulation saints.

There will be no third “first resurrection” or occurrence of this miraculous raising of the dead and the provision of their immortal bodies. Placing the resurrection of the Old Testament saints at the Rapture makes sense.

From a post-tribist viewpoint, they say that the Old Testament saints will resurrect at the end of the Tribulation. Daniel 12:1-2 states that there will be a resurrection at a “time of distress.” Revelation 4:4, however, talks about the twenty-four elders representing the Old and New Testament saints before the resurrection of the Tribulation saints.

The Tribulation saints were recorded by Apostle John away from the first appearance of the twenty-four elders, which is in the seventh chapter of Revelation, to be exact. The pre-tribist viewpoint just appears more accurate from John’s narrative.

HOW DOES SALVATION TAKE PLACE IN THE OLD TESTAMENT?

We will let AI answer this question: “Salvation for Old Testament saints is grounded in faith in God’s promised Messiah, with key Scriptures including Genesis 15:6 (Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness), Habakkuk 2:4 (the righteous shall live by his faith), and Hebrews 11, which details the faith of patriarchs and prophets who looked forward to Christ’s coming.”

In the New Testament, salvation will take place after sincerely trusting that Christ, the Messiah, has already come. From the same faith-based salvation teaching, the Old Testament saints were saved after truly trusting that the Messiah was still about to come.

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HOW DOES REVELATION ADDRESS THE DISTINCTIVENESS OF THE FIRST RESURRECTION SAINTS?

What are the heavenly roles of first Resurrection saints? This question is just as important, but we need to first clarify that the first Resurrection saints are numbered, and they would assume varied names according to their workloads. Bloomfield has discussed this matter quite clearly: “‘Church’ is an earthly name for the organization of the saints of God. The name is not applied to the saints after the Rapture. Other names are used to indicate the particular work that the saints will do at that time: such names as Elders, Living Ones, Horsemen, Angels, Bride of Christ, Kings, and Priests. Most of the confusion in the interpretation of Revelation has been caused by a failure to recognize the saints in their heavenly organization and work.” (“The Key to Understanding Revelation,” p. 3)

By saying that first Resurrection saints are fixed in number, we can promptly see their distinctiveness in God’s kingdom business. They will be priests and kings in God’s eternal kingdom on earth. The saved believers who will partake of the first Resurrection will rule on the earth forever. May I quote again what I just quoted above, given its significance: “[T]hey will reign forever and ever” (Rev. 22:5b) — not just during Christ’s millennial reign! John said, “I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them.” (Rev. 20:4)

THE FIRST RESURRECTION SAINTS AND THEIR PLACE IN DIVINE REVELATION

One of my most cherished Scriptures is found in 1 Corinthian 2:9, where Apostle Paul said, “[B]ut just as it is written, ‘Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, And which have not entered the heart of man, All that God has prepared for those who love Him.’” God has put together things exclusive only to the first Resurrection saints. One is the Holy City. When Christ said, “I go to prepare a place for you,” it was the Holy City. And when He said, “In my Father house are many mansions,” He meant the mansions in the Holy City.

Now, we have a semi-complete picture. The first Resurrection saints are highly special in the heart of God. They are God’s administrators in running Christ’s eternal kingdom on Planet Earth. They have their own special city in which to live.

You may believe in climate change and that Mother Earth is dying, and you’re free to believe them. But they are not biblical. In Isaiah 45, the prophet said, “But Israel shall be saved in the Lord with an everlasting salvation: ye shall not be ashamed nor confounded world without end. For thus saith the Lord that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the Lord; and there is none else.” (vv. 17-18, KJV)

Three phrases are visibly prominent at this point about the dying earth. One is “world without end.” Second, “he created it [the earth] not in vain.” And third, God formed the earth “to be inhabited” forever. And the first Resurrection saints are the rulers and priests of the earthly people of this world—even after the Millennium.

THE EARTHLY PEOPLE: WHO ARE THEY?

The conventional interpretation of the Book of Revelation is that there will be a Rapture, a Great Tribulation under Antichrist, Armageddon, the Millennium, and the melting of the earth. This prophetic structure will leave hundreds of prophecies unfulfilled. Here’s one good example from Isaiah 60:

There will be people on Earth forever. “They shall inherit the land for ever, the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that I may be glorified. A little one shall become a thousand, and a small one a strong nation: I the Lord will hasten it in his time.” No denominational or scholarly bias can successfully bend this promise of God. A seemingly insignificant individual will become a strong nation—ad infinitum. The anti-population and demonic globalists will certainly hate this Scripture.

Now, for the specific Scripture found in the very last chapter of Revelation: “[A]nd the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.” (v. 22:2b) The peoples on the earth after Christ’s 1000-year reign will be called “the nations” — note that we are now in Revelation 22, its last chapter, when the word “nations” is mentioned. They will be the earthly “people”—whereas we called the first Resurrection saints as the “heavenly people.”

Bloomfield correctly stated that, for a better perspective, prophecy has to focus on the “nations,” the “Jews,” and the “Church.” For clarity, he suggested the following kind of outline: “The book of Daniel completes the story of the nations; the book of Ezekiel completes the story of the Jews; the book of Revelation completes the story of the church.” (Bloomfield: “The Key to…” p. 1) From this, we can effortlessly find the points about the “Jews,” the “nations,” and the “church” in the Book of Revelation from a more scripturally sensible order in prophecy and future events.

Note also that from a different context (concerning meals) Paul said, “Give no offense either to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God.” (1 Cor. 10:32) The point is that the Jews, the Church, and the Gentiles (or nations) are not a tied subject concerning the church (or the saints) and their advance as “priests and kings” to Christ’s eternal kingdom on Earth.

To the church in Thyatira, Apostle John wrote, “And he [the first Resurrection saint] that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron.” (Rev. 2:26, 27) The first Resurrection saints will have power “over the nations.” It means that the earth will be populated forever as prophesied (see Isaiah 45:17-18). The nations will be the subjects of Christ’s eternal kingdom on earth.

The prophecy in Daniel states that “And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.” (Daniel 2:44) The kingdom referred to here that consumes all other kingdoms is Christ’s kingdom, as affirmed in Isaiah 9:7 and Luke 1:32-33.

Luke wrote this word from an angel to Mary (a quote from Isaiah 9:7): “He [Jesus] shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.” (Luke 1:32-33) Jesus will reign in His kingdom on earth forever. The first Resurrection saints will assist Him in His “kingdom business” as “priests and kings.” (See Revelation 22:5b)

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THE HOLY CITY: THE HOME OF THE FIRST RESURRECTION SAINTS

In Bloomfield’s book on “Revelation,” he wrote, “The first thing Revelation says about itself is that it is a prophecy. ‘Blessed is he that readeth and they that hear the words of this prophecy.’ Prophecy is more than history written in advance; it is the completion of a story. The Bible deals with time—all time—beginning with the creation as recorded in Genesis and ending with the new heaven and the new earth which includes the Holy City that comes down out of heaven from God, the ‘long home’ of the saints.”

Concerning the future of the Christian church, the first Resurrection saints, and the Holy City, Bloomfield further said, “It is the story of Christ and His church, beginning with the first church, and revealing the whole history of the church through its earthly experiences: its gathering around the throne of God to continue the work of redemption from heaven, its return with Christ to the earth, its reign with Him for a thousand years, and its final home—the Holy City. Revelation is written to the church, for the church, and about the church. It completes the story of the church which began in the Gospels. Its whole purpose is to tell the future of the church—on earth, in heaven, on earth again with Christ, and in the Holy City forever.”

What is This Holy City?

Here’s how Scriptures have described the New Jerusalem, or Holy City: “And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.” (Rev. 21:1-2)

The Holy City or New Jerusalem would be located above the new earth. I have a handful of books and e-books about the Revelation, and almost all authors believe that the New Jerusalem would be a part of this land mass we call Earth. There is a problem with that because the New Jerusalem would come “down from God out of heaven.” Why would it be located above the Earth? Because it would be the final home of God, the angels, and the first Resurrection saints. Take note that the saints will have immortal bodies like that of the risen Christ. John 14:3 now makes perfect sense: “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.” The first Resurrection saints will be Christ’s administrators in His eternal kingdom on Earth. And they qualify for the job since they can roam the universe with Christ.

THE HOLY CITY IS LOCATED ABOVE THE EARTH

About the Holy City, Bloomfield wrote, “The location is not specifically told. It is near the earth, but not a part of the earth. The nations of the earth walk in the light of it. It is above them” (p. 317). It is the “home of ‘the bride, the Lamb’s wife.’” He added, “The city is twelve thousand furlongs (about 1400 miles) square and twelve thousand furlongs high. It is a cube; it is foursquare (vs. 16)” (p. 318).

Revelation 21 provides more details about this place. In verses 22-24, for example, John wrote, “And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it. And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it.”

The Holy City is the temple of Christ and the Father. It serves as the sun for everyone, including those nations on earth, the subjects of Christ’s eternal Kingdom. “And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it.”

EMBRACING THE HOPE AND RESPONSIBILITY OF THE FIRST RESURRECTION SAINTS

The concept of the First Resurrection Saints invites believers to a profound hope rooted in biblical prophecy and the promise of eternal life with Christ. Understanding their unique role as priests and kings in God’s eternal kingdom on earth not only enriches our faith but also calls us to live with purpose and anticipation. These saints, resurrected with immortal bodies, will reign with Christ forever, embodying the fulfillment of God’s divine plan and the ultimate victory over death.

As we reflect on the prophetic truths surrounding the Holy City, the eternal earth, and the everlasting kingdom, we are reminded that Christianity is more than just a present belief—it is a future reality guaranteed by God’s promises. Embracing this truth empowers believers to remain steadfast in faith, encouraged by the assurance that their salvation leads to an eternal and glorified existence alongside Christ and the first Resurrection saints.

Note that the book of Revelation requires more study and thus more posts for this subject. (I desire to write more of it in my upcoming posts.)

>>> Understanding the First Resurrection Saints: A Prophetic Triumph. The Eternal Kingdom. Who Is the Saved Believer in Christ? Biblical Authority for the Priestly and Kingly Roles of Believers. Kingdom and Purpose. Living in the Light of the First Resurrection: Faith, Hope, and Authority. The Transformational Power of Resurrection and Eternal Life. The Promise of the New Jerusalem: Our Eternal Home Above the Earth. First Resurrection, Resurrection Saints, Biblical Prophecy, Holy City, New Jerusalem, Christian Salvation, Tribulation Saints, Millennium, Eternal Kingdom, Priests and Kings, Revelation Interpretation, Old Testament Saints, Prophetic Timeline, Eternal Earth, Kingdom of God, Christian Theology, Rapture, Salvation in Christ, First Resurrection, Resurrection Saints, Biblical Prophecy, Holy City, New Jerusalem, Christian Salvation, Tribulation Saints, Millennium, Eternal Kingdom, Priests and Kings, Revelation, Old Testament Saints, Prophecy, Christian Faith, Rapture <<<<

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** Arthur E Bloomfield. “The Key to Understanding REVELATION”. BethanyHouse, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 2002.

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