This is the First Resurrection

Then the Rapture by Dean Holcombe

“This is the First Resurrection” Revelation 20:5 is a powerful literal presentation of biblical evidence concerning the order of end times events that lead up to the second coming of Jesus Christ. The author upholds the facts of only one Acts 24:15 first resurrection of the just, only one second resurrection of the unjust, and only one rapture of all the saints of God—“the dead in Christ” will rise first, and then we who are alive and remain. The title is a direct quote from the Bible that brings the first question to the reader’s mind—when is the first resurrection and then the rapture of the church?

Complicated end times positions are the result of attempting to harmonize inherent contradictions. This causes confusion which breeds discouragement that replaces understanding. The author laid aside a life long position to extract exactly the order of events and let the Bible speak for itself rather than allowing a position to pour obscure meanings into words. The truth is simple to understand however the tough skin of eschatological positions and a refusal to re-examine usually requires hundreds of proofs to penetrate—and so this book.

Dean Holcombe

The author was raised in and attended Pentecostal churches for fifty years and predisposed to the associate doctrines of experience-based theology as well as the pre-tribulation secret rapture position. Searching the scriptures to defend his positions revealed more contradictions than answers. Believing that the Bible was written by common men for the common man, the author shares his understanding of the “as it is written” truth in its simplest literal form. His books are the outcome of personal Bible study notes over two decades on the most controversial subjects—eschatology, the day-age creation theory, Spirit baptism, tongues, and experiences. The books seek to challenge the Christian church towards reformation through sound biblical teaching supportable by the facts of Scripture.