LESSON 16 – RESURRECTION OF CHRIST
The Resurrection of Yeshua the Messiah
1 Corinthians 15:12-23
John 5:28,29
Revelation 20:4-6, 11-15
1 Corinthians 15:23-26
1 Corinthians 15:3-8
Job 19:25-27 Mediatorship
Resurrection
Immortality
INTRODUCTION
This is the centrality of the Christian faith and a major part of the gospel message. If there is no bodily resurrection there is no Christianity. The liberals attack the doctrine of the bodily resurrection vigorously.
Most of the denominations nowadays do not hold to the bodily resurrection and therefore exclude themselves from the name Christian. If you deny the physical resurrection you deny the critical doctrine of the Christian faith.
RESURRECTION
In 1 Corinthians 15:12 -23, Paul explains that there is a resurrection for both the saved and unsaved, some to everlasting bliss, and some to the eternal Lake of Fire. In John 5:28-29 it is stated that all are not going to be raised to glory. This gives a resurrection for both the saved and the lost whilst 1 Corinthians gives the mechanics of the resurrection.
Revelation 20:4-6 gives the first resurrection whilst Revelation 20:11-15 shows the Last Judgment or the second resurrection.
In 1 Corinthians 15:23 it is explained that the resurrections are in their own order with the first-fruits being the Lord Jesus Christ, this setting a pattern. The resurrection of Christ is not an isolated incident but an integral part of the plan of the Father as are the virgin birth, perfect life, substitutionary death and session of Christ.
In 1 Corinthians 15:23-26 it says, “Each in their own order”. The Greek word for order means battalion thus there is a battalion review as it were in view there. There are three battalions in the review, the first being the Lord Jesus Christ, the second are the saved whose destiny is eternal life with the Lord Jesus Christ whilst the third comprise unbelievers who will spend eternity in the Lake of Fire. The Lord's resurrection is critical for all this activity in the future.
THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE RESURRECTION
1. Without the resurrection it is impossible for Christ to be glorified. Jesus Christ has to have a human body for his glorification. The humanity of Christ is glorified higher than the angels. (John 7:39, John 16:14)
2. Resurrection indicates completion of justification. (Romans 4:25, 2 Corinthians 5:2 1)
3. Resurrection is a guarantee of ultimate sanctification. (1 Corinthians 1 5:20-23)
4. Without resurrection there is no priesthood. (Psalm 110:4, Hebrews 7:28, Hebrews 10:5, 10:10-14)
5. Without resurrection there is no fulfillment of the Davidic Covenant. (2 Samuel 7:8-1 6)
6. Without resurrection there is no mediator-ship. (Job 9:33)
7. Historical proof of the resurrection:
(a) An empty tomb. (Matthew 28)
(b) The competency of the witnesses. Many of the witnesses died rather than change their testimony.
(c) Subsequent changes to the disciples after the resurrection.
(d) The day of Pentecost.
(e) The observance of the first day of the week as the worship day over 19 centuries.
(f) The historic existence of the church.
If the Lord is not raised we will not be raised and neither will the unbelievers. If the unbelievers are not raised there is no judgment, no lake of fire and therefore it does not matter what you believe in. Those who reject the resurrection reject the second coming and the Last Judgment. Most liberals who reject the resurrection reject almost everything else.
CONTRAST BETWEEN THOSE INVOLVED IN THE FIRST AND SECOND RESURRECTIONS
1. The first resurrection is to commendation. The second resurrection is to condemnation.
2. The first involves witnesses of Jesus. [Revelation 20:4] The second involves those deceived by Satan. [Revelation 20:8]
3. The first are those that live. [Revelation 20:4] The second are the dead. [Revelation 20:12]
4. The first become priests and rulers with God and Christ. [Revelation 20:6] The second are tormented day and night. [Revelation 14:10, 11]
5. The first are God's sons. [Revelation 21:7] The second there was found no place for them. [Revelation 20:11]
6. The first are not subject to the second death. [Revelation 20:6] The second are subject to the second death. [Revelation 20:14, 15]
7. The first enjoy life eternal. [Matthew 25:46] The second suffer everlasting punishment. [Matthew 25:46]
8. The first are happy and holy. [Revelation 20:6] The second weep and gnash their teeth. [Matthew 25:30]
In 1 Corinthians 15 we have the creed of the early church. What Paul is saying is that Christ rose from the dead and that this doctrine combined with the substitutionary efficacious sacrifice is the foundation of the Christian life. The resurrection proves who the Lord Jesus Christ was, that He is the God-man the unique person of the universe. He was not a dead martyr or a ghost, He is the God-man who died and rose again from the dead. If there is no resurrection, there is no faith, no hope, no truth no eternal life. When you have no hope you have no gospel. John 14:6 is a hollow lie unless it is confirmed by the resurrection. Praise God he spoke the truth; we serve a living Saviour, not a dead hero!
He prophesied his own death and resurrection many times. If Christ did not rise you have proved that He was not what He claimed to be and you have not got a Saviour. You can claim that the Bible is trustworthy as you have the Scriptures saying that Christ is going to rise from the dead, He did rise and the early church believed He rose.
Some liberals believe that Christ rose from the dead spiritually in the disciples hearts on Easter Sunday morning. Where the liberal talks about the Easter faith that is probably what they mean. They believe that the disciples sat round after the crucifixion and said that Christ's statements were still important, that his concepts live on and that he has risen spiritually.
Rudolf Bultmann who was a liberal said that every time he preaches Jesus came alive, which is not unlike an English teacher saying that every time he read Shakespeare he came alive. It intimates that Christ is still dead. If it takes a minister to bring Christ back to life every time he preaches on a Sunday, Christ is dead. Paul blows this liberal philosophy away in 1 Corinthians 15.
TWO CONCEPTS OF RESURRECTION
Very few people understand the ancient Jewish and Greek concepts of resurrection which were very different to each other and the views of modern man.
Greeks
[a] The Greeks believed that man was of two parts, the body and the soul - this is the belief called dualism. When the Greeks talked about resurrection they did not mean the resurrection of the body which was anathema to them.
The sooner they could die and get rid of their bodies the better. The Greeks looked forward to being released from their bodies so that they might be just pure spirit. The concept of the after life for the Greeks was the spirit life or “shades”. The Europeans have carried this concept through and most people think that that is what the Bible teaches. It is not but this has been brought into Westernized Christianity.
Hebrews
[b] The Hebrews looked on man as being made up of three parts, body, soul and spirit, and that you cannot split man up into parts; that humans are a true unity.
For the Hebrew mind to think about the resurrection it must involve the body, the Hebrew mind reasoned that man was a unified being, not able to be split up, except for discussion purposes. When Paul is talking about the resurrection he is talking about a bodily resurrection.
The Corinthian’s were Greeks by culture and they did not believe in the resurrection. They were spiritualizing the resurrection very much like the liberals of today because they did not want to have a physical resurrection. They were in the Greek Platonic and Aristotelian tradition that looked forward to a spiritual existence after death freed you of your body.
Paul says to the Corinthians that, ‘whether you like it or not Christ rose from the dead and whether you like it or not you will rise physically from the dead’. In addition the unbeliever will go with a body into the lake of fire. You will have a body like Christ's resurrection body. If you have not got a physical resurrection in your belief system you have not got a biblical and apostolic faith.
OLD TESTAMENT PASSAGES WHICH REFER TO THE RESURRECTION
It was the expectation of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob that they would be resurrected at the end. The concept of being buried with the family was that it would also involve choosing with whom you are going to be resurrected with. You chose your company which is still a tremendous concept to have.
The resurrection passages are the ones you read when you are burying a believer - 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, 1 Corinthians 15, John 14:1-3, Philippians 3:21.
When the Lord calls the people at the Rapture all these people are going to be together. Job 19:25-27 gives a clear concept of bodily resurrection. Job is perhaps the most ancient of the books of the Bible going back to the time of the Patriarchs. He says that he knows that his redeemer lives, and that he will see him in his flesh in the latter days upon the earth. After death our bodies goes back to the minerals which is no problem for the Lord. He can re-gather them and reorganize them in a new way.
When we look at the Lord's resurrection body we are looking at a picture of ours in the future. The structure of the Lord's body was such that it could walk through walls, even though the wall and his body was solid. People could recognize Christ who could eat, teach, breathe and be touched and had abilities which He did not have in His pre cross body.
God's plan for man was that he would live forever. Physical death came into existence due to sin. The last enemy that is destroyed is death. Man is going to live forever. The question is; where are you going to spend eternity in heaven or in the Lake of Fire? In Creation man was created to live forever and he will. Their personal rejection of the gospel is why unbelievers spend eternity in the Lake of Fire. This is a living death where they wish they could die but cannot. The concept of a spiritual resurrection is not new but is a satanic lie from the beginning.
This is what you are facing all the way through from the Gnostics to the Hare Krishna’s. The resurrection was one of the first doctrines to be attacked with the Greeks re interpreting resurrection in 52 AD. In the Talmud the Jews who rejected Jesus as Messiah also reject the concept of resurrection.
Evidence of the Resurrection
The Bible records 17 appearances of the Lord Jesus Christ including one in which there were 500 witnesses most of whom had survived until the writing of 1 Corinthians. Paul is saying that, ‘if you do not believe my testimony get on a boat, go to Palestine and check it out with the hundreds of witnesses there’. In those days no one doubted because the evidence was overwhelming. There is supporting evidence by unbelievers of that day such as Tacitus, Seutonius and Pliny who all wrote about the Christians who were always talking about the resurrection. Christos Anastasias - Christ is risen!
THE CHURCH AND THE RESURRECTION
Every church in the ancient world was seen to be represented by Christ, the Cross and the resurrection. There was not a meeting in which the resurrection was not mentioned. The early church was for the first twenty years mainly Jewish and they met with other Jews at Sabbath services and shared worship as long as they could, until they were expelled by their unbelieving fellow Jews. For their worship of the Lord however, they met before dawn on Sunday rather than Saturday. Then, later in the first century in Palestine, then met in homes or Christian synagogues on a Sunday rather than a Saturday, for which they were vigorously attacked in the Talmud [written between 70 and 90 AD].
They met on the resurrection day and at the dawn service they would sing a resurrection hymn. The response of "He's risen - truly He's risen" was used at these services as it still is in the Orthodox churches today. Nowadays we do not stress the resurrection as we should. If you look through the preaching of the apostles what do they say in the market places Christ died for our sins and He rose again and stressed the resurrection even ahead of the Cross. The reason is clear to see; the resurrection proves the reality of the success of the sacrifice of the cross. This is why Satan has attacked the resurrection message as he has during the last 100 years or so and has corrupted the preaching of this important doctrine. If the resurrection is removed from the Christian message the church that allows it to happen dies. Look at the last two hundred years of church history and you will see it littered with church buildings no longer in use for genuine worship. Without a resurrection there is nothing to worship or follow!
God who keeps the promise of the resurrection can obviously keep all the other promises in the Bible. Resurrection power is live power. We have the living Lord Jesus Christ in us. It is based on a physical, historical reality.
You need to stress the resurrection every week as where believers do not know their faith Satan will take what little they know away from them. As pastors we should get excited about what the Lord has done, will do and is doing and enthusiastic about teaching the Word. The Lord raised Himself, the Holy Spirit raised Him and God the Father raised Him from the dead. The Godhead broke the bands of death.
RESURRECTION OF OLD TESTAMENT SAINTS
1. This resurrection takes place at the Second Advent.
2. The body of David was still in his tomb according to Peter on the day of Pentecost. (Acts 2:25-29) David's body could not have then been resurrected in the scene of Matthew 27:51, 52.
3. Under the concept of Daniel 1 2:1 3, Isaiah 26:19, 20 the resurrection of the Old Testament saints is related to the second advent of Jesus Christ.
4. The dispensation of Israel is not yet completed, the resurrection occurs at the end of a dispensation, the end of the dispensation of Israel - Second Advent. The Age of Gentiles ended with Abraham's call but the saints from that era did not get their resurrection bodies because Jesus Christ had not received his, the first fruits. (1 Corinthians 1 5:20)
5. The two witnesses of Revelation 11:3-13 are Moses and Elijah and they could not be killed if they had received resurrection bodies. (Revelation 11:7, 8). Moses and Elijah therefore have not received their resurrection bodies by the middle of the Tribulation. Matthew 27:52-53 is a transfer scene not a resurrection scene. The transfer is one of saints from paradise to the third heaven of Ephesians 4-8. Some were given resuscitated bodies to witness to the Jews, but later died.
6. The Abrahamic, Davidic, Palestinian and New Covenants are not fulfilled till the second advent of Christ. The resurrection of Israel corresponds to the fulfillment of these four unconditional covenants.
DOCTRINES
MEDIATORSHIP
1. Greek word is mesites which has as its root meaning, to have a neutral group/nation to stand between two warring nations to arbitrate and judge between them. The two concepts are judgement and peacemaking.
2. The mediator had to be equal to both parties and acceptable to each.
3. Old Testament usage of this concept is found in Job 9:9, 32, 33. Job calls for an umpire between man and God.
4. The Hypostatic Union of the Lord Jesus Christ qualifies the Lord to be the mediator between man and God as he alone is equal with both parties. 1Timothy 2:5.
5. The Lord's work on the cross forms the basis of his mediator-ship as he removes the sin barrier between man and God. Hebrews 9:12 1-5.
6. The Mosaic Law pre-figured the Lord's mediator-ship. Hebrews 8:6, 12:24, Galatians 3:19, 20.
RESURRECTION
1. The resurrection of Christ is central to the gospel. (1 Corinthians 15:3-4)
a) Had there been no resurrection then we would all still be in our sins. (1 Corinthians 15:17).
b) Resurrection indicates completion of justification. (Romans 4:25, 2 Corinthians 5:2 1)
c) Resurrection is a guarantee of ultimate sanctification. (1 Corinthians 15:20-23)
d) The resurrection is the Father's seal on Christ's completed work, and the public declaration of its acceptance.
e) Without the resurrection it is impossible for Christ to be glorified. The humanity of Christ is glorified higher than the angels. (John 7:39, John 16:14)
2. Historical proof of the resurrection:
a) The empty tomb. (Matthew 28)
b) Many of witnesses died rather than change their testimony.
c) Subsequent changes and confidence of the disciples after the resurrection.
d) The day of Pentecost. The reality of the resurrection was so well known that when Peter preached the first two sermons in Jerusalem over 8000 people were saved. (Acts 2:41, Acts 4:3-4)
e) The observance of the first day of the week as the worship day. (Acts 20:7, 1 Corinthians 16:2, Revelation 1:10)
f) The historic existence of the church. The church worships a literal risen Saviour, and not merely the memory of a dead martyr . (Romans 5:12,14,17, 6:3-9, 8:2, 1 Corinthians 15:26,54-55, Hebrews 2:14)
3. Baptism is a sign of the new resurrection life. (Romans 6:3-11, Colossians 2:12).
4. The Lord's Supper is a reminder of the expected return of the risen Lord. (1 Corinthians 11:23-26)
5. Order of the resurrections:-
a) The first for believers only including Jesus Christ which is divided into four parts.
i) The resurrection of Christ. (1 Corinthians 15:23, Romans 1:4, 1 Thessalonians 1:10, 1 Peter 1:3)
ii) The Rapture of the church (1 Corinthians 15:51-57, 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18)
iii) The Old Testament saints and tribulation martyrs at the end of the Tribulation. (Daniel 12:13, Isaiah 26-19-20, Revelation 20:4)
iv) The Millennial saints and those who survive the Tribulation to enter the Millennium in their physical bodies.
b) The second resurrection occurs at the end of the Millennium and is for unbelievers only. They are judged and cast into the lake of fire forever. (1 John 5:28, 29, Revelation 20:12-15, 2 Peter 3:7, Matthew 25:41)
c) Jesus; who must be the first eternally resurrected human, was not raised until three days after the crucifixion.
d) People in the Old Testament who were "raised from the dead" were merely resuscitated, and later died.
e) Matthew 27:52-53 is a transfer scene not a resurrection scene. The transfer is one of saints from paradise to the third heaven (Ephesians 4:8). Some were given resuscitated bodies to witness to the Jews.
6. The sequence of events at the Lord's resurrection is as follows:-
a) Mary Magdalene, Salome and Mary the mother of James and Joses head towards the tomb followed by other women carrying embalming spices.
b) The three find the stone rolled away. Mary Magdalene goes back to tell the disciples. (Luke 23:55-24:9, John 20:1-2)
c) Mary the mother of James and Joses draws near to the tomb and sees the angel. (Matthew 28:2)
d) She goes back to the women carrying the spices.
e) Peter and John who have been advised by Mary Magdalene arrive, look inside the empty tomb and go away (John 20:3-10)
f) Mary Magdalene returns weeping, sees two angels and then Jesus.(John 20:11-18)
g) As instructed by the Lord she goes to tell the disciples.
h) Mary the mother of James and Joses meets the women with the spices and returning with them they see the two angels. (Luke 24:4-5, Mark 16:5)
i) They also receive advice from the angels and, going to seek the disciples, are met by Jesus. (Matthew 28:8-10)
IMMORTALITY
1. Immortality means exemption from physical death and should not be confused with eternal life.
2. Immortality is used only with reference to the body (Romans 6:12; 8:11).
3. At this time only Jesus Christ has immortality as He alone has a resurrection body (1 Timothy 1:17; 6:16).
4. All men are currently mortal (Job 4:17; 1 Corinthians 15:22).
5. At the Rapture, our mortal body will put on immortality (1 Corinthians 15:51-54).
6. Death is then conquered and mortality is "swallowed up of life" (2 Corinthians 5:4).
The Resurrection of Yeshua the Messiah
1 Corinthians 15:12-23
John 5:28,29
Revelation 20:4-6, 11-15
1 Corinthians 15:23-26
1 Corinthians 15:3-8
Job 19:25-27 Mediatorship
Resurrection
Immortality
INTRODUCTION
This is the centrality of the Christian faith and a major part of the gospel message. If there is no bodily resurrection there is no Christianity. The liberals attack the doctrine of the bodily resurrection vigorously.
Most of the denominations nowadays do not hold to the bodily resurrection and therefore exclude themselves from the name Christian. If you deny the physical resurrection you deny the critical doctrine of the Christian faith.
RESURRECTION
In 1 Corinthians 15:12 -23, Paul explains that there is a resurrection for both the saved and unsaved, some to everlasting bliss, and some to the eternal Lake of Fire. In John 5:28-29 it is stated that all are not going to be raised to glory. This gives a resurrection for both the saved and the lost whilst 1 Corinthians gives the mechanics of the resurrection.
Revelation 20:4-6 gives the first resurrection whilst Revelation 20:11-15 shows the Last Judgment or the second resurrection.
In 1 Corinthians 15:23 it is explained that the resurrections are in their own order with the first-fruits being the Lord Jesus Christ, this setting a pattern. The resurrection of Christ is not an isolated incident but an integral part of the plan of the Father as are the virgin birth, perfect life, substitutionary death and session of Christ.
In 1 Corinthians 15:23-26 it says, “Each in their own order”. The Greek word for order means battalion thus there is a battalion review as it were in view there. There are three battalions in the review, the first being the Lord Jesus Christ, the second are the saved whose destiny is eternal life with the Lord Jesus Christ whilst the third comprise unbelievers who will spend eternity in the Lake of Fire. The Lord's resurrection is critical for all this activity in the future.
THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE RESURRECTION
1. Without the resurrection it is impossible for Christ to be glorified. Jesus Christ has to have a human body for his glorification. The humanity of Christ is glorified higher than the angels. (John 7:39, John 16:14)
2. Resurrection indicates completion of justification. (Romans 4:25, 2 Corinthians 5:2 1)
3. Resurrection is a guarantee of ultimate sanctification. (1 Corinthians 1 5:20-23)
4. Without resurrection there is no priesthood. (Psalm 110:4, Hebrews 7:28, Hebrews 10:5, 10:10-14)
5. Without resurrection there is no fulfillment of the Davidic Covenant. (2 Samuel 7:8-1 6)
6. Without resurrection there is no mediator-ship. (Job 9:33)
7. Historical proof of the resurrection:
(a) An empty tomb. (Matthew 28)
(b) The competency of the witnesses. Many of the witnesses died rather than change their testimony.
(c) Subsequent changes to the disciples after the resurrection.
(d) The day of Pentecost.
(e) The observance of the first day of the week as the worship day over 19 centuries.
(f) The historic existence of the church.
If the Lord is not raised we will not be raised and neither will the unbelievers. If the unbelievers are not raised there is no judgment, no lake of fire and therefore it does not matter what you believe in. Those who reject the resurrection reject the second coming and the Last Judgment. Most liberals who reject the resurrection reject almost everything else.
CONTRAST BETWEEN THOSE INVOLVED IN THE FIRST AND SECOND RESURRECTIONS
1. The first resurrection is to commendation. The second resurrection is to condemnation.
2. The first involves witnesses of Jesus. [Revelation 20:4] The second involves those deceived by Satan. [Revelation 20:8]
3. The first are those that live. [Revelation 20:4] The second are the dead. [Revelation 20:12]
4. The first become priests and rulers with God and Christ. [Revelation 20:6] The second are tormented day and night. [Revelation 14:10, 11]
5. The first are God's sons. [Revelation 21:7] The second there was found no place for them. [Revelation 20:11]
6. The first are not subject to the second death. [Revelation 20:6] The second are subject to the second death. [Revelation 20:14, 15]
7. The first enjoy life eternal. [Matthew 25:46] The second suffer everlasting punishment. [Matthew 25:46]
8. The first are happy and holy. [Revelation 20:6] The second weep and gnash their teeth. [Matthew 25:30]
In 1 Corinthians 15 we have the creed of the early church. What Paul is saying is that Christ rose from the dead and that this doctrine combined with the substitutionary efficacious sacrifice is the foundation of the Christian life. The resurrection proves who the Lord Jesus Christ was, that He is the God-man the unique person of the universe. He was not a dead martyr or a ghost, He is the God-man who died and rose again from the dead. If there is no resurrection, there is no faith, no hope, no truth no eternal life. When you have no hope you have no gospel. John 14:6 is a hollow lie unless it is confirmed by the resurrection. Praise God he spoke the truth; we serve a living Saviour, not a dead hero!
He prophesied his own death and resurrection many times. If Christ did not rise you have proved that He was not what He claimed to be and you have not got a Saviour. You can claim that the Bible is trustworthy as you have the Scriptures saying that Christ is going to rise from the dead, He did rise and the early church believed He rose.
Some liberals believe that Christ rose from the dead spiritually in the disciples hearts on Easter Sunday morning. Where the liberal talks about the Easter faith that is probably what they mean. They believe that the disciples sat round after the crucifixion and said that Christ's statements were still important, that his concepts live on and that he has risen spiritually.
Rudolf Bultmann who was a liberal said that every time he preaches Jesus came alive, which is not unlike an English teacher saying that every time he read Shakespeare he came alive. It intimates that Christ is still dead. If it takes a minister to bring Christ back to life every time he preaches on a Sunday, Christ is dead. Paul blows this liberal philosophy away in 1 Corinthians 15.
TWO CONCEPTS OF RESURRECTION
Very few people understand the ancient Jewish and Greek concepts of resurrection which were very different to each other and the views of modern man.
Greeks
[a] The Greeks believed that man was of two parts, the body and the soul - this is the belief called dualism. When the Greeks talked about resurrection they did not mean the resurrection of the body which was anathema to them.
The sooner they could die and get rid of their bodies the better. The Greeks looked forward to being released from their bodies so that they might be just pure spirit. The concept of the after life for the Greeks was the spirit life or “shades”. The Europeans have carried this concept through and most people think that that is what the Bible teaches. It is not but this has been brought into Westernized Christianity.
Hebrews
[b] The Hebrews looked on man as being made up of three parts, body, soul and spirit, and that you cannot split man up into parts; that humans are a true unity.
For the Hebrew mind to think about the resurrection it must involve the body, the Hebrew mind reasoned that man was a unified being, not able to be split up, except for discussion purposes. When Paul is talking about the resurrection he is talking about a bodily resurrection.
The Corinthian’s were Greeks by culture and they did not believe in the resurrection. They were spiritualizing the resurrection very much like the liberals of today because they did not want to have a physical resurrection. They were in the Greek Platonic and Aristotelian tradition that looked forward to a spiritual existence after death freed you of your body.
Paul says to the Corinthians that, ‘whether you like it or not Christ rose from the dead and whether you like it or not you will rise physically from the dead’. In addition the unbeliever will go with a body into the lake of fire. You will have a body like Christ's resurrection body. If you have not got a physical resurrection in your belief system you have not got a biblical and apostolic faith.
OLD TESTAMENT PASSAGES WHICH REFER TO THE RESURRECTION
It was the expectation of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob that they would be resurrected at the end. The concept of being buried with the family was that it would also involve choosing with whom you are going to be resurrected with. You chose your company which is still a tremendous concept to have.
The resurrection passages are the ones you read when you are burying a believer - 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, 1 Corinthians 15, John 14:1-3, Philippians 3:21.
When the Lord calls the people at the Rapture all these people are going to be together. Job 19:25-27 gives a clear concept of bodily resurrection. Job is perhaps the most ancient of the books of the Bible going back to the time of the Patriarchs. He says that he knows that his redeemer lives, and that he will see him in his flesh in the latter days upon the earth. After death our bodies goes back to the minerals which is no problem for the Lord. He can re-gather them and reorganize them in a new way.
When we look at the Lord's resurrection body we are looking at a picture of ours in the future. The structure of the Lord's body was such that it could walk through walls, even though the wall and his body was solid. People could recognize Christ who could eat, teach, breathe and be touched and had abilities which He did not have in His pre cross body.
God's plan for man was that he would live forever. Physical death came into existence due to sin. The last enemy that is destroyed is death. Man is going to live forever. The question is; where are you going to spend eternity in heaven or in the Lake of Fire? In Creation man was created to live forever and he will. Their personal rejection of the gospel is why unbelievers spend eternity in the Lake of Fire. This is a living death where they wish they could die but cannot. The concept of a spiritual resurrection is not new but is a satanic lie from the beginning.
This is what you are facing all the way through from the Gnostics to the Hare Krishna’s. The resurrection was one of the first doctrines to be attacked with the Greeks re interpreting resurrection in 52 AD. In the Talmud the Jews who rejected Jesus as Messiah also reject the concept of resurrection.
Evidence of the Resurrection
The Bible records 17 appearances of the Lord Jesus Christ including one in which there were 500 witnesses most of whom had survived until the writing of 1 Corinthians. Paul is saying that, ‘if you do not believe my testimony get on a boat, go to Palestine and check it out with the hundreds of witnesses there’. In those days no one doubted because the evidence was overwhelming. There is supporting evidence by unbelievers of that day such as Tacitus, Seutonius and Pliny who all wrote about the Christians who were always talking about the resurrection. Christos Anastasias - Christ is risen!
THE CHURCH AND THE RESURRECTION
Every church in the ancient world was seen to be represented by Christ, the Cross and the resurrection. There was not a meeting in which the resurrection was not mentioned. The early church was for the first twenty years mainly Jewish and they met with other Jews at Sabbath services and shared worship as long as they could, until they were expelled by their unbelieving fellow Jews. For their worship of the Lord however, they met before dawn on Sunday rather than Saturday. Then, later in the first century in Palestine, then met in homes or Christian synagogues on a Sunday rather than a Saturday, for which they were vigorously attacked in the Talmud [written between 70 and 90 AD].
They met on the resurrection day and at the dawn service they would sing a resurrection hymn. The response of "He's risen - truly He's risen" was used at these services as it still is in the Orthodox churches today. Nowadays we do not stress the resurrection as we should. If you look through the preaching of the apostles what do they say in the market places Christ died for our sins and He rose again and stressed the resurrection even ahead of the Cross. The reason is clear to see; the resurrection proves the reality of the success of the sacrifice of the cross. This is why Satan has attacked the resurrection message as he has during the last 100 years or so and has corrupted the preaching of this important doctrine. If the resurrection is removed from the Christian message the church that allows it to happen dies. Look at the last two hundred years of church history and you will see it littered with church buildings no longer in use for genuine worship. Without a resurrection there is nothing to worship or follow!
God who keeps the promise of the resurrection can obviously keep all the other promises in the Bible. Resurrection power is live power. We have the living Lord Jesus Christ in us. It is based on a physical, historical reality.
You need to stress the resurrection every week as where believers do not know their faith Satan will take what little they know away from them. As pastors we should get excited about what the Lord has done, will do and is doing and enthusiastic about teaching the Word. The Lord raised Himself, the Holy Spirit raised Him and God the Father raised Him from the dead. The Godhead broke the bands of death.
RESURRECTION OF OLD TESTAMENT SAINTS
1. This resurrection takes place at the Second Advent.
2. The body of David was still in his tomb according to Peter on the day of Pentecost. (Acts 2:25-29) David's body could not have then been resurrected in the scene of Matthew 27:51, 52.
3. Under the concept of Daniel 1 2:1 3, Isaiah 26:19, 20 the resurrection of the Old Testament saints is related to the second advent of Jesus Christ.
4. The dispensation of Israel is not yet completed, the resurrection occurs at the end of a dispensation, the end of the dispensation of Israel - Second Advent. The Age of Gentiles ended with Abraham's call but the saints from that era did not get their resurrection bodies because Jesus Christ had not received his, the first fruits. (1 Corinthians 1 5:20)
5. The two witnesses of Revelation 11:3-13 are Moses and Elijah and they could not be killed if they had received resurrection bodies. (Revelation 11:7, 8). Moses and Elijah therefore have not received their resurrection bodies by the middle of the Tribulation. Matthew 27:52-53 is a transfer scene not a resurrection scene. The transfer is one of saints from paradise to the third heaven of Ephesians 4-8. Some were given resuscitated bodies to witness to the Jews, but later died.
6. The Abrahamic, Davidic, Palestinian and New Covenants are not fulfilled till the second advent of Christ. The resurrection of Israel corresponds to the fulfillment of these four unconditional covenants.
DOCTRINES
MEDIATORSHIP
1. Greek word is mesites which has as its root meaning, to have a neutral group/nation to stand between two warring nations to arbitrate and judge between them. The two concepts are judgement and peacemaking.
2. The mediator had to be equal to both parties and acceptable to each.
3. Old Testament usage of this concept is found in Job 9:9, 32, 33. Job calls for an umpire between man and God.
4. The Hypostatic Union of the Lord Jesus Christ qualifies the Lord to be the mediator between man and God as he alone is equal with both parties. 1Timothy 2:5.
5. The Lord's work on the cross forms the basis of his mediator-ship as he removes the sin barrier between man and God. Hebrews 9:12 1-5.
6. The Mosaic Law pre-figured the Lord's mediator-ship. Hebrews 8:6, 12:24, Galatians 3:19, 20.
RESURRECTION
1. The resurrection of Christ is central to the gospel. (1 Corinthians 15:3-4)
a) Had there been no resurrection then we would all still be in our sins. (1 Corinthians 15:17).
b) Resurrection indicates completion of justification. (Romans 4:25, 2 Corinthians 5:2 1)
c) Resurrection is a guarantee of ultimate sanctification. (1 Corinthians 15:20-23)
d) The resurrection is the Father's seal on Christ's completed work, and the public declaration of its acceptance.
e) Without the resurrection it is impossible for Christ to be glorified. The humanity of Christ is glorified higher than the angels. (John 7:39, John 16:14)
2. Historical proof of the resurrection:
a) The empty tomb. (Matthew 28)
b) Many of witnesses died rather than change their testimony.
c) Subsequent changes and confidence of the disciples after the resurrection.
d) The day of Pentecost. The reality of the resurrection was so well known that when Peter preached the first two sermons in Jerusalem over 8000 people were saved. (Acts 2:41, Acts 4:3-4)
e) The observance of the first day of the week as the worship day. (Acts 20:7, 1 Corinthians 16:2, Revelation 1:10)
f) The historic existence of the church. The church worships a literal risen Saviour, and not merely the memory of a dead martyr . (Romans 5:12,14,17, 6:3-9, 8:2, 1 Corinthians 15:26,54-55, Hebrews 2:14)
3. Baptism is a sign of the new resurrection life. (Romans 6:3-11, Colossians 2:12).
4. The Lord's Supper is a reminder of the expected return of the risen Lord. (1 Corinthians 11:23-26)
5. Order of the resurrections:-
a) The first for believers only including Jesus Christ which is divided into four parts.
i) The resurrection of Christ. (1 Corinthians 15:23, Romans 1:4, 1 Thessalonians 1:10, 1 Peter 1:3)
ii) The Rapture of the church (1 Corinthians 15:51-57, 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18)
iii) The Old Testament saints and tribulation martyrs at the end of the Tribulation. (Daniel 12:13, Isaiah 26-19-20, Revelation 20:4)
iv) The Millennial saints and those who survive the Tribulation to enter the Millennium in their physical bodies.
b) The second resurrection occurs at the end of the Millennium and is for unbelievers only. They are judged and cast into the lake of fire forever. (1 John 5:28, 29, Revelation 20:12-15, 2 Peter 3:7, Matthew 25:41)
c) Jesus; who must be the first eternally resurrected human, was not raised until three days after the crucifixion.
d) People in the Old Testament who were "raised from the dead" were merely resuscitated, and later died.
e) Matthew 27:52-53 is a transfer scene not a resurrection scene. The transfer is one of saints from paradise to the third heaven (Ephesians 4:8). Some were given resuscitated bodies to witness to the Jews.
6. The sequence of events at the Lord's resurrection is as follows:-
a) Mary Magdalene, Salome and Mary the mother of James and Joses head towards the tomb followed by other women carrying embalming spices.
b) The three find the stone rolled away. Mary Magdalene goes back to tell the disciples. (Luke 23:55-24:9, John 20:1-2)
c) Mary the mother of James and Joses draws near to the tomb and sees the angel. (Matthew 28:2)
d) She goes back to the women carrying the spices.
e) Peter and John who have been advised by Mary Magdalene arrive, look inside the empty tomb and go away (John 20:3-10)
f) Mary Magdalene returns weeping, sees two angels and then Jesus.(John 20:11-18)
g) As instructed by the Lord she goes to tell the disciples.
h) Mary the mother of James and Joses meets the women with the spices and returning with them they see the two angels. (Luke 24:4-5, Mark 16:5)
i) They also receive advice from the angels and, going to seek the disciples, are met by Jesus. (Matthew 28:8-10)
IMMORTALITY
1. Immortality means exemption from physical death and should not be confused with eternal life.
2. Immortality is used only with reference to the body (Romans 6:12; 8:11).
3. At this time only Jesus Christ has immortality as He alone has a resurrection body (1 Timothy 1:17; 6:16).
4. All men are currently mortal (Job 4:17; 1 Corinthians 15:22).
5. At the Rapture, our mortal body will put on immortality (1 Corinthians 15:51-54).
6. Death is then conquered and mortality is "swallowed up of life" (2 Corinthians 5:4).
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