RESURRECTION OF THE DEAD

 

THE RESURRECTION FORETOLD

 

God has foretold by the mouth of his prophets the resurrection of the dead.

 

Isa 26:19 Your dead shall live; Together with my dead body they shall arise. Awake and sing, you who dwell in dust; For your dew is like the dew of herbs, And the earth shall cast out the dead.

 

EVERYONE WILL BE RESURRECTED.

 

The prophets wrote of the resurrection of all the dead, the righteous and the unrighteous. However, after the resurrection, the fates of the two groups will be quite different (see also chapter 6, Eternal Judgment).

 

Acts 24:14 "But this I confess to you, that according to the Way which they call a sect, so I worship the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the Law and in the Prophets. 15 "I have hope in God, which they themselves also accept, that there will be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and the unjust.

 

Dan 12:2 And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, Some to everlasting life, Some to shame and everlasting contempt.

 

John 5:28 "Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice 29 "and come forth; those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation.

 

THE ORDER OF THE RESURRECTION

 

There is a definite order in the resurrection. God resurrected his Son Jesus first. Though others have been raised from the dead, they died again, and their bodies remain in the grave. Christ is the first to be resurrected to eternal life. The second company who will attain to the resurrection are those who are Christ's at his coming. Finally, approximately one thousand years after the first resurrection, the wicked also will be raised.

 

1 Cor 15:20 But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. 23 But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ's at His coming.

 

Rev 1:5 and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood,

 

Col 1:18 And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.

 

1 Th 4:15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.

 

Rev 20:4 And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshipped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. 5 But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.

 

THE RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE

 

God has given Jesus all authority in heaven and on earth (Mat. 28:18). Christ has been given the authority to raise the dead.

 

John 11:25 Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.

 

John 5:25 "Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live.

 

John 6:38 "For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. 39 "This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day. 40 "And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day."

 

Rev 1:18 "I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.

 

A GLORIFIED BODY

 

The body in which believers will be resurrected will be quite different from our mortal bodies. Christ has the power to raise the dead and transform our corruptible bodies to be like his own glorious body. This transformation will take place in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye.

 

1 Cor 15:35 But someone will say, "How are the dead raised up? And with what body do they come?" 36 Foolish one, what you sow is not made alive unless it dies. 37 And what you sow, you do not sow that body that shall be, but mere grain; perhaps wheat or some other grain. 38 But God gives it a body as He pleases, and to each seed its own body. 39 All flesh is not the same flesh, but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of animals, another of fish, and another of birds. 40 There are also celestial bodies and terrestrial bodies; but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. 41 There is one glory of the sun, another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for one star differs from another star in glory. 42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption. 43 It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. 44 It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. 45 And so it is written, "The first man Adam became a living being." The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. 46 However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural, and afterward the spiritual. 47 The first man was of the earth, made of dust; the second Man is the Lord from heaven. 48 As was the man of dust, so also are those who are made of dust; and as is the heavenly Man, so also are those who are heavenly. 49 And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man. 50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption. 51 Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed; 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: "Death is swallowed up in victory."

 

Phil 3:20 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself.

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1 John 3:2 Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.

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SERIOUS ERROR

We should beware of false teaching concerning the resurrection. Since this is part of the foundation, errors here can lead to even greater error. A case in point is the teaching of a religion that falsely identify its followers as “Christian” (i.e. Mormons). This religious cult teaches that the resurrection is a time for eternal marriages and bearing children. It is good to consider the instruction of the Lord Jesus on this matter and to avoid this false teaching.

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Luke 20:27 Then some of the Sadducees, who deny that there is a resurrection, came to Him and asked Him, 28 saying: "Teacher, Moses wrote to us that if a man's brother dies, having a wife, and he dies without children, his brother should take his wife and raise up offspring for his brother. 29 "Now there were seven brothers. And the first took a wife, and died without children. 30 "And the second took her as wife, and he died childless. 31 "Then the third took her, and in like manner the seven also; and they left no children, and died. 32 "Last of all the woman died also. 33 "Therefore, in the resurrection, whose wife does she become? For all seven had her as wife." 34 And Jesus answered and said to them, "The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage. 35 "But those who are counted worthy to attain that age, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry nor are given in marriage; 36 "nor can they die anymore, for they are equal to the angels and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection.

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A TIME FOR REWARDS

For God's people, the resurrection will be a glorious day. We will be rewarded by the Lord for good works and faithful service.

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Luke 14:12 Then He also said to him who invited Him, "When you give a dinner or a supper, do not ask your friends, your brothers, your relatives, nor rich neighbors, lest they also invite you back, and you be repaid. 13 "But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind. 14 "And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you; for you shall be repaid at the resurrection of the just."

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Mat 10:40 "He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me. 41 "He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward. And he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward.

 

42 "And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward."

 

Rev 22:12 "And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work.

 

TEST YOUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE RESURRECTION OF THE DEAD

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1. The __________________ foretold the resurrection of the dead.
 

2. _________________________________ (how many, what portion) will be resurrected.
 

3. ______________________________ was the firstfruits (first resurrected).
 

4. _______________________________ will be resurrected second in the order of the resurrection.
 

5. The dead will hear the voice of __________________________ and come forth.
 

6. Our earthly bodies will be changed to be like ______________________________________.
 

7. In the resurrection, the righteous will be _______________________ for their works.
 

8. The righteous will be resurrected at the ______________________ (an event) of Christ.
 

9. The resurrection of the wicked will be approximately ________________ years after that of the righteous. 
 

10. In the resurrection, some will awaken to everlasting life and some to __________________________. (Dan 12:2)

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