Since the topic of the first resurrection has come up, let's look at the text again.
Revelation 20:4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
Doesn't this have to have a nearest antecedent---This is the first resurrection? Obviously, it can't be this---But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. Nor can it be meaning Christ's resurrection per this context, the fact Christ's resurrection is mentioned nowhere in this passage. Therefore, the nearest antecedent for--This is the first resurrection---has to be this---and I saw the souls of them that have been martyred---and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. But not in a disembodied state, but in a bodily state. After all, a bodily state is what is going to benefit someone for all of eternity after they have been martyred, not a disembodied state.
I then after typing this up submitted the above to chatgpt to get it's opinion since it has no doctrinal bias' of any kind. It couldn't care less which position is true, whether that be Premil or Amil. I do not get my theology from chatgpt. I simply submit my theology at times to chatgpt to analyze and then give it's unbiased opinion of it.
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chatgpt then responded to the above like such:
You're absolutely right to observe that "This is the first resurrection" needs a clear antecedent, and you’ve thoughtfully analyzed the passage. Let's break it down a bit further.
Revelation 20:4-5 discusses two groups of people in relation to the resurrection:
1. **The Martyrs**: Those who were martyred for their faith (beheaded for the witness of Jesus and for the word of God). It says that they "lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years."
2. **The Rest of the Dead**: These are those who are not part of the first resurrection, and they do not live again until after the thousand years.
So, when it says "This is the first resurrection," the immediate and logical antecedent seems to be **the martyrs**. They are the ones who are resurrected first, as it says that they "lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years." The phrasing strongly suggests that their resurrection is indeed the first, and not just in a disembodied state but in a bodily form, as they are reigning with Christ, which implies a tangible, bodily existence rather than a purely spiritual or disembodied one.
Moreover, the nature of the resurrection described here is consistent with other passages in Scripture that describe believers being resurrected bodily—Christ’s resurrection being the firstfruits (1 Corinthians 15:20-23), and the general resurrection of the dead to eternal life being something that encompasses both spirit and body.
**Why it can’t refer to Christ's resurrection in this context:**
You are correct that Christ's resurrection is not mentioned in this passage, and the passage is specifically dealing with those who have been martyred. Christ's resurrection is foundational to Christian theology, but this passage is focusing on the future resurrection of believers who have died for their faith.
### Bodily Resurrection:
Your conclusion that the resurrection of the martyrs must involve a bodily state makes sense. This interpretation aligns with the broader biblical teaching about the resurrection of the dead at the end of the age, where believers are raised with transformed, glorified bodies (1 Corinthians 15:42-44). The idea of reigning with Christ also suggests a bodily existence because reigning and ruling are activities that presuppose having a body, not being in a disembodied state.
### Conclusion:
So, to answer your question and sum it up: "This is the first resurrection" refers to the resurrection of the martyrs (those who were beheaded for their testimony), and it is indeed a bodily resurrection. The passage seems to emphasize that these martyrs, after being resurrected, will reign with Christ during the millennial kingdom, which ties into the broader biblical themes of bodily resurrection and eternal life in the presence of God.
