What is the first area of the first resurrection?
The first area of the first resurrection is the first fruits, which Paul identifies in 1 Corinthians as Christ and the sampling of believers resurrected in Matthew 27:52-53. They came out of the grave and went into Jerusalem, forming the initial phase of the first resurrection.
Les explains that the first resurrection is broken down into three areas, and the first area is the first fruits. This consists of Christ as the first fruit and the sampling of believers who had died and were resurrected, as recorded in Matthew 27:52-53. They came out of the grave and walked into the city of Jerusalem. Les notes that Scripture is silent on them, but since they were resurrected, Christ had to take them on up into glory; they were not left in this world. This is what Paul refers to in 1 Corinthians as the first fruits of resurrection. He points out that a bundle of first fruits couldn't be just one stem of grain; there had to be many. So these believers, together with Christ as the first fruit, become the first fruits of them that slept. This is the initial phase of the first resurrection.
But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.