The Second Death
“And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.” – Revelation 11:8
Revelation 20 makes it clear that the “second death” is the lake of fire. But an analysis of the literary structure of Revelation brings out an interesting factor.
The first mention of the second death is in the letter to Smyrna. These Christians are told to be faithful to death so that the second death will be unable to hurt them.
Despite being addressed to Christian churches in Gentile cities, the seven letters recapitulate the history of the Old Testament, beginning with Edenic imagery and ending with first century Judaism. But they also follow the pattern of Israel’s annual feasts (from Leviticus 23). In that context, as the second letter, this letter also concerns Passover. The “first death” was the substituted Passover lamb (or kid: Exodus 12:5) which covered the faithful people of God. The “second death” was the firstborn of the un-“covered” Egyptians. The Christians in Smyrna are being asked to be Passover lambs, following the submission and death of the Lamb who first covered them.
The only other mentions of the second death are in Revelation 20-21. Here, the structure of the passage (which you will have to take my word for, or read my book) puts the second death at Atonement. So the “first death” here is again referring to the “covered” saints as the first goat, and the second death refers to the slaughter of Jews across the empire during the siege and destruction of Jerusalem as the second goat (see Peter Leithart on this, in Jewish War).
So the Jewish leadership crucified Christ, but He forgave them. The second death for Israel as Egypt was postponed until AD70. But with the slaughter of saints in Jerusalem at the beginning of the siege, her protection was gone. She was Sodom (Rev. 11:8) and righteous Lot had been removed. She was Jericho without a scarlet cord. This slaughter of saints as bread and wine, following their Saviour, is the subject of the harvest in Revelation 14:17-20. [1]
Beginning with the ministry of Christ, the history of the first century church follows the feast pattern, with Christ’s death as Passover, His ascension as Firstfruits, Pentecost, and the “ten days” of suffering Trumpets as the summoning of the Jew-Gentile church as a provocation and warning to Herod’s Jerusalem. So the two women in the Revelation are the two goats of the Day of Coverings, the Day of Atonement. The saints who died were, by simple logic, free from the second death. They, along with the slain apostles and the Old Covenant saints “under the altar” ascended to be with Christ. This was the first resurrection. It was the approaching Day referred to in Hebrews, and the “rapture” Paul refers to (1 Thessalonians 4). There is now a human government in heaven, with the apostles as gates of the new city of God.
So, in the Garden sanctuary (Most Holy) Jesus was the first death and Judas typified the second (exiled from the last supper). The “second death” was postponed until after the conquest of the Land (Holy Place) to allow the Gospel to conquer the World (Outer Courts). The last day of Judas and of Judah both prefigure the Last Day.
Apostate Judaism was slain, but the dead from the battle of Har-Magedon [2] will not be resurrected until the Last Day. ”The rest of the dead” are waiting on second-death row.[3] In that day, the un-covered from all of history will be exposed and exiled as the Azal goat, carrying the sins of the people into the wilderness of an eternity without Christ.
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- See James B. Jordan, The Grape Harvest of Revelation 14:17-20.
- “In Hebrew, “Har” means “Mountain”, and “Maged” means “Festival Assembly”. The Battle of the Mountain of Festival Assembly is a battle at Mount Sinai, at Mount Zion, at the Church.” See James B. Jordan, The Vindication of Jesus Christ p. 69-71.
- See The Rest of the Dead.
