VERSES ON RESURRECTION
2Sam. 12:22 And he said, While the child was yet alive, I fasted and wept: for I
said, Who can tell whether GOD will
be gracious to me, that the child may live?
2Sam. 12:23 But now he is
dead, wherefore should I fast? can I bring him back
again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me.
Observations:
á At some point in the future, David expected to go and see his baby
that had died.
Job
19:25 For I know that
my redeemer liveth, and that he shall
stand at the latter day upon the
earth:
Job 19:26 And though after my skin worms
destroy this body, yet in my flesh
shall I see God:
Job 19:27 Whom I shall see for myself, and mine
eyes shall behold, and not another; though my reins be consumed within me.
Observations:
á Job
expected to see God in the flesh after his flesh had decayed.
Is. 26:19 Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye
that dwell in dust: for thy dew is as
the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead.
Is. 26:20 Come, my people, enter thou into thy
chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little
moment, until the indignation be overpast.
Observations:
á Isaiah expected his dead body to live again along with the others who were men of faith in Judah.
Dan. 12:1 And at that time shall Michael stand
up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there
shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that
time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in
the book.
Dan. 12:2 And many of them that sleep in the
dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.
Dan.
12:13 But go thou thy way till the end be: for thou shalt rest, and stand in thy
lot at the end of the days.
Observations:
á Daniel was told by a messenger from God that those of
Israel found Òwritten in the bookÓ would be delivered after the greatest time
of trouble ever for the Jewish nation.
á The
wording indicates that at that time many who ÒsleepÓ will then
awake—some to everlasting life and some to everlasting contempt (state of
being despised and ashamed).
á Daniel
seems to be included in this time of resurrection according to verse 13. (1/09) My current study of Hebrews 11
clarified that the OT saints will be Òmade perfectÓ with all other people of
faith. Verse 13 is a reference to
DanielÕs place of service during the millennium kingdom.
Matt.
22:29 Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye
do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God.
Matt.
22:30 For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are
given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven.
Matt.
22:31 But as touching the resurrection of the dead, have ye
not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying,
Matt.
22:32 I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the
God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.
Observations:
á Jesus referenced Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as living.
Matt.
27:50 Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice,
yielded up the ghost.
Matt.
27:51 And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain
from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;
Matt.
27:52 And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the
saints which slept arose,
Matt.
27:53 And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and
went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.
Matt.
27:54 Now when the centurion, and they that were with him,
watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they
feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God.
Observations:
á When
Jesus died, graves were opened.
á After
JesusÕ resurrection, many bodies of the ÒsleepingÓ saints
came out of their graves and appeared to many people in Jerusalem.
Luke
14:13 But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed,
the lame, the blind:
Luke
14:14 And thou shalt be blessed; for
they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection
of the just.
Observations:
á Luke appears to be making a distinction of the resurrection of the just.
Luke
20:34 And Jesus answering said unto them, The
children of this world marry, and are given in marriage:
Luke
20:35 But they which shall be
accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead,
neither marry, nor are given in marriage:
Luke
20:36 Neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto
the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of the
resurrection.
Luke
20:37 Now that the dead are raised, even Moses shewed at the
bush, when he calleth the Lord the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and
the God of Jacob.
Luke
20:38 For he is not a God of the dead, but of the living: for
all live unto him.
Observations:
á Those who are Òaccounted worthyÓ will be resurrected to live as children of God.
á Again, Jesus makes the statement that the Lord is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob who are accounted alive and not dead.
Luke 24:39 Look at my hands and my feet —
it is I, myself! Touch me and see — a ghost doesnÕt have flesh and bones,
as you can see I do.Ó
á JesusÕ
resurrected body was made of flesh and bones.
John 5:25 Verily, verily, I say unto you, The
hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of
God: and they that hear shall live.
John
5:28 Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice,
John
5:29 And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done
evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.
Observations:
á The hour is coming and now is when those who are dead
(spiritually) and hear the voice of the Son of God will live.
á There is a time coming when at the sound of the voice of the Son
of God, ALL that are in the graves will hear Him and will come out of their
graves.
á Some will be resurrected to life and some to damnation.
á There is no specific indication here that the resurrection of those
who have done good and those who have done evil are at
the same time.
John
11:21 Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been
here, my brother had not died.
John
11:22 But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of
God, God will give it thee.
John
11:23 Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again.
John
11:24 Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again
in the resurrection at the last day.
John
11:25 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the
life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:
John 11:26 And whosoever liveth and believeth in
me shall never die. Believest thou this?
Observations:
á LazrusÕ sister Martha believed in a resurrection Òat the last
day.Ó
á Jesus didnÕt dispute that belief.
á Jesus did say that whoever lives and believes in Him would never
die (spiritually).
John
14:1 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God,
believe also in me.
John
14:2 In my FatherÕs house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
John
14:3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come
again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
Observations:
á Jesus
tells His disciples that He is going to prepare a place for them in His
fatherÕs house.
á He will
come again
to take them home with Him.
Acts
2:29 Men and
brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both
dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day.
Acts
2:30 Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had
sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the
flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne;
Acts
2:31 He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of
Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see
corruption.
Acts
2:32 This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are
witnesses.
Observations:
á The
Christ would come from the fruit of DavidÕs loins—through his progeny.
á The
Christ would be resurrected to take His place on the throne of David.
á Peter
taught that the Christ (the Messiah) would die, His soul would go to hell
(Hades, the place of departed spirits—not the lake of fire), but His
flesh wouldnÕt have time to be corrupted (rot thoroughly, decay).
á Peter
then equates the Christ to Jesus.
Acts
24:15 And have hope toward God, which they themselves also
allow, that there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and
unjust.
Observations:
á Paul
told Felix that there would be a resurrection of the dead—both of the
just and unjust.
á The
wording allows for separate times of resurrection.
Rom. 8:22 For we know that the whole creation
groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.
Rom. 8:23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the
Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.
Observations:
á Paul
speaks of waiting for the redemption of his body.
Rom.
6:4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death:
that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father,
even so we also should walk in newness of life.
Rom.
6:5 For if we have been planted together in the likeness of
his death, we shall be also in the
likeness of his resurrection:
Rom.
6:6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be
destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.
Rom.
6:7 For he that is dead is freed from sin.
Rom.
6:8 Now if we be dead with Christ,
we believe that we shall also live with him:
Observations:
á Paul
states that just as Christ was raised to a new life, believers will be raised
to a new life to live with Him (Christ).
1Cor.
15:16 For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised:
1Cor.
15:17 And if Christ be not raised,
your faith is vain; ye are yet in
your sins.
1Cor.
15:18 Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are
perished.
1Cor.
15:19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of
all men most miserable.
1Cor.
15:20 But now is Christ risen from
the dead, and become the firstfruits
of them that slept.
1Cor.
15:21 For since by man
came death, by man came also the
resurrection of the dead.
1Cor.
15:22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be
made alive.
1Cor.
15:23 But every man in his own order: Christ the
firstfruits; afterward they that are ChristÕs at his coming.
1Cor.
15:24 Then cometh
the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and
power.
1Cor.
15:25 For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under
his feet.
1Cor.
15:26 The last enemy
that shall be destroyed is death.
Observations:
á Paul
states that our resurrection is just as sure as ChristÕs.
á Christ
is the firstfruits (the first of more to come). The word ÒtheÓ is missing in the Greek
for the statement ÒChrist the firstfruits.Ó I think this allows for the possibility that Christ and firstfruits are distinct.
In that case I think the firstfruits would be referring to those saints
who came out of their graves at the time of His resurrection that are
referenced in Matthew 27. In fact,
this seems to be a more like meaning to me since you donÕt expect that these
saints would have been sent back to the grave.
á Next
will be the resurrection of those who are ChristÕs at His coming.
á Then He
will reign until He has subdued/destroyed all His enemies.
á The
last enemy to be destroyed will be death.
1Cor.
15:35 But some man
will say, How are the dead raised up? and with what body do they come?
1Cor.
15:36 Thou fool,
that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die:
1Cor.
15:37 And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body
that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other grain:
1Cor.
15:38 But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to
every seed his own body.
1Cor.
15:39 All flesh is
not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of
beasts, another of fishes, and
another of birds.
1Cor.
15:40 There are also
celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the
glory of the celestial is one, and
the glory of the terrestrial is another.
1Cor.
15:41 There is one
glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the
stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory.
1Cor.
15:42 So also is the
resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in
incorruption:
1Cor.
15:43 It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is
sown in weakness; it is raised in power:
1Cor.
15:44 It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual
body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.
Observations:
á Paul is
painting a word picture of the resurrection of the believer.
á The
body dies in corruption and is raised to incorruption.
á It dies
in dishonor and is raised to glory.
á It dies
in weakness and is raised to power.
á It dies
a natural body and is raised a spiritual body (given life by the Spirit and not
by blood).
1Cor.
15:50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot
inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.
1Cor.
15:51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We
shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
1Cor.
15:52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last
trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible,
and we shall be changed.
1Cor.
15:53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this
mortal must put on immortality.
1Cor.
15:54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption,
and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass
the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.
Observations:
á Flesh
and blood cannot inherit the
kingdom. Note: The OT tells us that the life is in the
blood. (Genesis 9:4, Leviticus
17:11, 14)
á Paul
states that not all believers will die.
á ALL
believers, however, will be changed (made different).
á When? At the last trump.
á At that
time the dead will be raised incorruptible and the mortal will put on immortality.
2Cor.
5:6 Therefore we are
always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home
in the body, we are absent from the Lord:
2Cor.
5:7 (For we walk by faith, not by sight:)
2Cor.
5:8 We are confident, I
say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with
the Lord.
2Cor.
5:9 Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we
may be accepted of him.
2Cor.
5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of
Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body,
according to that he hath done, whether
it be good or bad.
Observations:
á Paul
states Òat home with the body, absent from the Lord.Ó
á He also
states Òabsent from the body, present with the Lord.Ó
á All
believers will appear before the judgment seat of Christ.
Eph. 4:8 Wherefore he saith, When he ascended
up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.
Eph. 4:9 (Now that he ascended, what is it but
that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?
Eph. 4:10 He that descended is the same also
that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)
Eph. 4:11 And he gave some, apostles; and some,
prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
Eph. 4:12 For the perfecting of the saints, for
the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
Eph. 4:13 Till we all come in the unity of the
faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the
measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
Observations:
á When Jesus
ascended on high, He led captivity captive and gave gifts to men. (The Greek for ÒcaptivityÓ indicates
prisoner of war.)
á Before
He ascended, He descended to the lower part of the earth. (The Greek for ÒlowerÓ indicates
Hades.)
á The
gifts He gave to men were some: apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, teachersÉ..
1Th. 4:14 For if we believe that Jesus died and
rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus
will God bring with him.
1Th. 4:15 For this we say unto you by the word
of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord
shall not prevent them which are asleep.
1Th. 4:16 For the Lord himself shall descend
from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump
of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
1Th. 4:17 Then we which
are alive and remain shall be caught
up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall
we ever be with the Lord.
1Th. 4:18 Wherefore comfort one another with
these words.
Observations:
á Those
who sleep in Jesus (their soul/spirit), God will bring with Him (Jesus).
á Those
who live until Jesus comes will not be with Him before those who Òsleep in
Jesus.Ó
á The
Lord will descend from heaven: 1)
with a shout, 2) with the voice of the archangel, and 3) with the trump of God.
á The
dead (bodies) in Christ shall rise first. (The Greek for ÒinÓ denotes a fixed position, a relation of
rest.)
á Those
believers who are still alive will be caught up with them (the dead in Christ)
in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.
á All
these believers will be with the Lord forever.
á No
mention here of a white horse or the armies of heaven.
2Tim.
2:18 Who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the
resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some.
Observations:
á The
resurrection of believers had not happened as of PaulÕs writing to Timothy.
1Pet.
1:3 Blessed be the
God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy
hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ
from the dead,
1Pet.
1:4 To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that
fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,
1Pet.
1:5 Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto
salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
1Pet.
1:6 Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if
need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations:
1Pet.
1:7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious
than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto
praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:
Observations:
á The
believer has an inheritance reserved in heaven.
Rev.
20:2 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which
is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,
Rev.
20:3 And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up,
and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the
thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little
season.
Rev. 20:4 And I
saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were
beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not
worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in
their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
Rev.
20:5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the
thousand years were finished. This is
the first resurrection.
Rev.
20:6 Blessed and holy
is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death
hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign
with him a thousand years.
Observations:
á Satan
will be bound for 1,000 years while Jesus rules on the throne of David on earth
for 1,000 years.
á The rest
of the dead wonÕt live again until the 1,000 years are over.
á Those
who have part in the first resurrection will be priests of God/Christ and will
reign with him for the 1,000 years.
Rev.
20:12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God;
and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were
judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their
works.
Rev.
20:13 And the sea gave up the dead which
were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and
they were judged every man according to their works.
Rev.
20:14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This
is the second death.
Rev.
20:15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life
was cast into the lake of fire.
Observations:
á After
the 1,000 years, the rest of the dead face judgment.
á At this
time death and hell are cast into the lake of fire; this is the second death.
á Those
whose names are not written in the book of life are thrown into the lake of
fire.
Summary
The fact of a bodily resurrection of those who had faith
in God was expected as far back as the time of Job. (Job 19:26)
Men of faith who are dead physically are considered alive
spiritually.
(Matthew 22:32, Luke 20:37-38)
Flesh and blood will not inherit the kingdom. Jesus made a point of referring to His
resurrected body as flesh and bones.
(Luke 24:39, 1Corinthians 15:50)
Our resurrected bodies will be sustained by the Spirit of
God and not by blood.
(1Corinthians 15:44)
ALL bodies will be raised from the grave. (John 5:28)
Distinction is made between the resurrection of the
just/good/those accounted worthy and that of the unjust/evil/unworthy—the
resurrection of life and the resurrection of damnation.
(Luke 14:14, 20:35, John 5:29, Acts 24:15, Revelation
20:5)
Jesus told His disciples that He was going to prepare a
place for them in His FatherÕs house (in heaven) and would come back to get
them and take them home with Him.
(John 14)
Paul tells believers that if we are absent from the body,
we are present with the Lord.
(This has to reference our spirit/soul and not our body or there would
be no need for a resurrection of those with faith in Jesus Christ.)
Daniel expected to be raised to stand in his lot at
the end of days when his people (Israel/the Jews) have been delivered after
the greatest time of trouble they would ever experience of planet earth.
(Daniel 12:1-2, 13) (1/09) Again, as noted previously, my current study of
Hebrews 11 clarified that the OT saints will be Òmade perfectÓ with all other
people of faith. Verse 13 is a
reference to DanielÕs place of service during the millennium kingdom.
1 Corinthians 15 outlines the resurrection as:
1) Christ
the firstfruits OR Christ and the firstfruits
2) Those
who are ChristÕs at His coming
3) The
wording allows for both the rapture and the Second Coming to rule on planet
earth.
Not all believers will die, but ALL will be changed.
(1 Corinthians 15:51)
When? At the last trump.
(Much debate abounds as to the definition of the last trump.)
1Thessalonians outlines the following:
1) The
Lord will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel,
and the trump of God.
2) The
dead bodies in Christ will rise first to join with their souls/spirits.
3) Believers
who are alive at this time will be caught up with them to meet the Lord in
the air to be with the Lord forever.
Note: Number
3 above seems to be more connected to John 14 (where Jesus comes to take His
disciples home with Him to His FatherÕs house) than to Revelation 19 (where
Jesus comes on a white horse in judgment with the armies of heaven). 1Peter 1:4 also affirms a place for the
believer in heaven.
The rest of the dead are judged according to their
works after the 1,000 year reign of Christ
on earth. (Revelation 20:5, 13)
Believers are judged according to faith in the finished
work of Jesus Christ. (John 3:16)
The passage that gives me the most difficulty is the one
in Daniel that seems to equate the resurrection of those rising to everlasting
life and to everlasting shame at the same time. Research on the phrase Òat that timeÓ hasnÕt helped resolve
the issue. (1/09) I think an
excerpt from my study in Hebrews 11 will shed some light here.
Heb.
11:39 And these all, having obtained a good report through
faith, received not the promise:
Heb. 11:40 God
having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be
made perfect.
As
the writer closes this chapter, he makes a point of noting that all these
people singled out for their faith died without having received Òthe promise.Ó
I believe this to be a reference to resurrection to a glorified body and
eternal life with the Father. In GodÕs sovereign plan He has determined
that people of faith under both the old and new covenants until the return of
the Savior will be resurrected together. Well, this just adjusted my
thinking regarding the resurrections as I have been taught. In looking
over my notes on my topical study of this subject, I realized I again had made
assumption according to previous teaching without really opening my eyes to
possible error. I think most assume that the Old Testament saints will be
resurrected after the tribulation because of their reading of Daniel
12:1-2. In reading it with new eyes, I now see that the reading allows
for their inclusion in the rapture of the body of believers. They are the
dead Òin ChristÓ (cf 1Thessalonians 4:16) just as surely as are those in the
church, since He is the person through whom all men of faith were redeemed.
I had always understood Ephesians 4:8 to reference the
transporting of ÒParadiseÓ to heaven with Him when He ascended to heaven after
His glorious victory over Satan/sin as evidenced by His resurrection. This still makes a lot of sense to me,
but most of the study I have done points to a reference of His taking
Òprisoners of warÓ in reference to His enemies. On the other hand, spiritual warfare has been continual
since Satan became the god of this world, the prince of the power of the air,
when man chose to sin.
(2Corinthians 4:4, Ephesians 2:2)
In essence, people of faith were held captive in Paradise until Jesus
redeemed creation at the cross. As
the victor, Jesus recaptured His people (those who were being held captive) and
took them home when He ascended to the Father.
If Jesus didnÕt take Paradise to heaven with Him, then
there must still be that section of Hades known as ÒAbrahamÕs bosomÓ where the
spirits of those people of faith before JesusÕ are waiting to be raised up with
Daniel and Isaiah. I just donÕt
believe this. Daniel and the
others may have to wait longer to receive their glorified bodies, but I think
Paradise is already in heaven. I
just wish I had more scripture to back up this opinion.
Conclusion:
The term resurrection seems to apply specifically to the reunification of the body with the soul/spirit.
Everyone will be resurrected—either to everlasting life or everlasting damnation.
There appears to be a difference to me in the verses referencing Jesus coming for His own to take them to heaven and His coming to rule and reign on planet earth.
Some believers will experience the privilege of not having to experience physical death; they will be immediately transformed into their glorified bodies.
As to the believerÕs physical death before Jesus comes to
take His own, Paul has given us the confidence through the inspiration of the
Spirit that Òabsent from the body (that references a separation of soul/spirit
and body), present with the Lord.Ó
So I know that as a child of God, I have nothing to fear regarding
physical death.