The Eighth Day represents the final step in God’s plan of salvation for humanity, when He will offer the millions of people who have lived and died without ever understanding, or even hearing the truth of the Bible their opportunity for salvation.
Revelation 20:4-5 mentions this resurrection of “the rest of the dead [who] did not live again until the thousand years were finished” after describing the previous resurrection of those who had obeyed God and rise to meet the returning Christ in the air in what John called “the first resurrection.” This first resurrection is also described in I Thessalonians 4:16-17. (See Bible Insights Weekly issue 345, The Feast of Trumpets for a more detailed explanation of the first resurrection.)
Instead of all those who have never had a chance to understand and obey the teachings of the Bible being cast into an ever-burning hell, the Scriptures consistently teach each person who dies remains in his grave, having no consciousness or pain (Ecclesiastes 9:5; Psalms 6:5) until God resurrects them. (See our study guide Heaven And Hell: What Does The Bible Really Teach? for more information.)
In verses 12-15 of Revelation 20 John gives more detail about this later resurrection. It will involve God bringing many millions of people back to physical, perishable life, and is graphically depicted in Ezekiel 37:1-12. In this resurrection the dead of past ages—people such as the Queen of the South (or Sheba) from Solomon’s time, the inhabitants of the ancient Assyrian stronghold of Nineveh from Jonah’s time and the people of Christ’s time—will all be resurrected (Matthew 12:41-42).
The millions who have died not knowing about God’s way of life will come up in the resurrection of the Great White Throne Judgment and have their first chance to know God. This judgment period will take place over time as these people hear and learn God’s truth for the first time. Those who repent of their sins and previous way of life—and the Scriptures indicate that most of them will repent—will receive God’s Spirit. “Then you … will know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. I will put my Spirit in you and you will live … Then you will know that I the LORD have spoken, and I have done it, declares the LORD” (Ezekiel 37:13-14, NIV).
Our loving God will give everyone who has ever lived their opportunity for salvation—an opportunity they never had before. Lost loved ones will meet again and there will be no more sadness, pain or mourning (Revelation 21:4). God’s plan of salvation looks forward to the fulfillment of what the Eighth Day pictures, which is the eternal reign of God and Jesus Christ, and the new heaven and new earth.
Finally, this time of judgment will conclude when the incorrigibly wicked—those who, after receiving their opportunity to repent, still refuse to accept God’s ways—are cast into the lake of fire and cease to exist (Revelation 20:14-15). They will not be tortured forever in an everburning hell fire, as our Heaven And Hell: What Does The Bible Really Teach? explains.
