Responsibility

The last remaining point about the resurrection of the dead is that not everyone who dies will be raised. There are passages in the Bible that tell us that some people will die and will never be raised; here is one of them

"...who brings forth chariot and horse, army and warrior; they lie down, they cannot rise, they are extinguished, quenched like a wick:"                  (Isaiah 43:17)

 

This passage tells us that at least some of the people that died in the invasion of Judah by the Assyrians were not to be raised from the dead. When we remember that passages like Daniel 12:2 tell us that “many” of those who are dead will be raised we can see that there is a group of people who will not be raised from the dead for judgement. Identifying these people is more difficult, but one can find passages like this:

"Man in his pomp yet without understanding is like the beasts that perish."                     (Psalm 49:20)

​

This indicates that a lack of understanding is the deciding factor in resurrection. Those who do not understand what God requires will never be raised from the dead; even on the day of judgement they remain in the grave. They will therefore not answer for their deeds at judgement.