A. We are to believe, that at the last day there shall be a general resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust:¹ when they that are then found alive shall in a moment be changed; and the self-same bodies of the dead which were laid in the grave, being then again united to their souls for ever, shall be raised up by the power of Christ.² The bodies of the just, by the Spirit of Christ, and by virtue of His resurrection as their head, shall be raised in power, spiritual, incorruptible, and made like to His glorious body;³ and the bodies of the wicked shall be raised up in dishonour by Him, as an offended judge.⁴

We saw that the communion in glory, which members of the invisible church have with Christ, is (1) in this life, (2) immediately after death, and (3) at the Last Day (WLC 82). The present question deals with the third point. It relates to what we will experience at the Last Day. The Last Day is the last of the last days, which is the period between the birth of Christ and the second coming of Christ. The Last Day is the Day when Christ will return.

In that day, there will be a general resurrection. We call it a general resurrection because everyone, whether just or unjust, will be resurrected (Acts 2:24)!

There are many today who believe that the resurrection of the just and the resurrection of the unjust will be separated by a thousand years. They base their conclusion on a literal reading of Revelation 20, from which they surmise that the just will be raised at the Second Coming, but the unjust will be raised at the end of a thousand years known as the Millennium. But this interpretation fails to consider that : (1) the book of Revelation is a symbolic book; and (2) Nowhere else in the New Testament are we given the impression that there will be two separate resurrections. It is far more likely that the first resurrection in Revelation 20:4 refers to regeneration or spiritual resurrection rather than bodily resurrection (cf. Jn 5:24; Eph 2:5-6; Col 2:12-13; 1 Jn 3:14, esp. compare Jn 5:24-25 with Jn 5:26-29).

In any case, our catechism holds that there is only one general resurrection; it will occur at the Last Day.

On that day, all who are already dead would be raised to life, that is, their bodies will be re-constituted and their souls united to their bodies again. But there will be a major difference between the resurrection of the just and the resurrection of the unjust.

The just (i.e. those justified in Christ), would be raised by the power of Christ. By virtue of the fact that they are united to Christ,—who was himself raised as the firstborn from the dead (Col 1:18),—they "shall be raised in power, spiritual, incorruptible, and made like to His glorious body" (1 Cor 15:21-23, 42-44). This body is adapted to a heavenly existence and would enable us to enjoy God and heaven more fully than when we were without the body in heaven.

The unjust (i.e. the reprobate), on the other hand would be raised "in dishonour by [Christ], as an offended judge." The Scripture does not tell us what this body will be like, but we can be quite sure that it would be inglorious and adapted to feel pain and perpetual corruption. Such will be the general resurrection of the just and the unjust.

But at that Last Day, there will be some, both just and unjust, who would still be alive on earth. These will have their bodies transformed according to whether they are just or unjust without their having to taste death. W