Every grave will open. The Bible does not teach one general resurrection in which all rise to the same end; it teaches two resurrections, separated by the thousand-year reign of Christ, and two judgments, as different as reward is from wrath. This page states both plainly, from the King James Bible, without softening a word.

I. Two Resurrections

“And have hope toward God, which they themselves also allow, that there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust.” — Acts 24:15 (KJV)

“Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.” — John 5:28–29 (KJV)

“And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.” — Daniel 12:2 (KJV)

The Lord Jesus Himself names the two: the resurrection of life and the resurrection of damnation. Paul gives their order — Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at His coming:

“For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.” — 1 Corinthians 15:22–23 (KJV)

“Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.” — 1 Corinthians 15:51–52 (KJV)

The first resurrection belongs to the righteous — the dead in Christ, the martyrs, and the saints of God — at and around the return of Christ:

“But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.” — Revelation 20:5–6 (KJV)

The rest of the dead — the unjust — live not again until the thousand years are finished. Between the two resurrections stands the whole millennial kingdom (see The Return of Christ).

II. The Judgment Seat of Christ — The Bema Seat

Every believer will stand before Christ — not to be tried for heaven or hell, for the saved are justified already and shall not come into condemnation (John 5:24) — but to give account of his service and receive his reward:

“But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.” — Romans 14:10 (KJV)

“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.” — 2 Corinthians 5:10 (KJV)

Paul pictures the building of a Christian life upon the one foundation, Jesus Christ:

“For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.” — 1 Corinthians 3:11–15 (KJV)

Gold, silver, precious stones survive the fire; wood, hay, stubble burn. The careless believer is saved — yet so as by fire — suffering loss of reward. This is the solemn reason the Christian life is not a small thing: crowns are promised to the faithful — the crown of righteousness (2 Timothy 4:8), the crown of life (James 1:12), and the crown of glory (1 Peter 5:4).

III. The Great White Throne Judgment

At the end of the thousand years the unjust dead are raised and stand before the great white throne. There are no believers in this dock; it is the judgment of the lost:

“And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.” — Revelation 20:11–12 (KJV)

“And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” — Revelation 20:13, 15 (KJV)

The books are opened — the books of their works — and another book is opened, which is the book of life. A man’s works can only condemn him, for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified (Romans 3:20); the one question that decides eternity is whether his name is written in the book of life.

IV. Eternal Punishment — The Lake of Fire and Brimstone

Scripture uses one measure for both ends of eternity, and we will not shorten its words:

“And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.” — Matthew 25:46 (KJV)

“And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.” — Mark 9:43–44 (KJV)

The devil’s end, and the end of all who follow him:

“And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.” — Revelation 20:10 (KJV)

And John closes the roll of the lost with the Bible’s own full phrase — the lake of fire and brimstone:

“But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.” — Revelation 21:8 (KJV)

Everlasting punishment and life eternal stand in the same sentence from the Lord’s own mouth; to soften the one is to weaken the other. It is precisely because this is true that the gospel is preached, that the invitation stands open today, and that whosoever will may have his name written in the Lamb’s book of life (Revelation 21:27; 22:17).

V. Matthew 25 — The Judgment of the Nations (A Deep Study)

The Olivet Discourse closes with the Lord’s own picture of judgment. This is neither the judgment seat of Christ (where believers answer for their service) nor the great white throne (where the dead are judged at the end of the thousand years): this is the judgment of the living nations when the Son of man returns in glory and takes His throne — the dividing of the earth’s peoples before the kingdom begins. Read it verse by verse.

“When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.” — Matthew 25:31–33 (KJV)

The scene. The Son of man comes in His glory, all the holy angels with Him, and sits upon the throne of His glory — the same throne Zechariah and Daniel saw (Zechariah 14:9; Daniel 7:13–14). Before Him are gathered all nations, and He does what every shepherd does at evening: He separates. The division is His, not theirs — sheep on the right hand of honour, goats on the left.

“Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.” — Matthew 25:34–36 (KJV)

The word to the sheep. “Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” The kingdom is an inheritance, prepared before they were born — not wages earned. Yet the King names the evidence that marked them: they fed Him hungry, gave Him drink thirsty, took Him in a stranger, clothed Him naked, visited Him sick and in prison. Six plain works of mercy — done, as the next verses show, to others in His name.

“Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” — Matthew 25:37–40 (KJV)

The sheep’s surprise. The righteous do not even recognize their service: “Lord, when saw we thee an hungred?” They were not keeping a ledger. And the King’s answer is the heart of the passage — what was done to the least of these my brethren was done to Him. Mercy shown to Christ’s people is mercy shown to Christ; the works are the fruit and proof of a faith that lives (James 2:14–17), never its purchase price.

“Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.” — Matthew 25:41–43 (KJV)

The word to the goats. “Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.” Mark it well: the fire was prepared for the devil and his angels — not for man. Men arrive there by refusing the mercy the sheep received, and the charge against them is the mirror of the sheep’s praise: every mercy withheld. Not great crimes are read out here, but neglected kindness — they did it not.

“Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.” — Matthew 25:44–45 (KJV)

The goats’ answer. They too ask “when?” — and receive the same rule from the other side: “Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.” Indifference is not innocence. The sin of omission stands in the judgment beside the sin of commission.

“And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.” — Matthew 25:46 (KJV)

The close. One sentence, two eternities, the same word for both: everlasting punishment, life eternal. The Lord Jesus here pronounces with His own mouth the two sentences that this whole tab sets out — the reward of the righteous and the lake of fire and brimstone for the lost — and He makes them equally endless. Let every reader settle which side of the Shepherd’s hand he will stand on, while it is called to day.