With Pastor Joseph Rodrigues
The
bible gives clear direction as to events that will take place at the end of
time, referred to by the theological term ‘eschatology’.
One
of those events is the ‘resurrection of the dead’.
This
is a fundamental Christian teaching and is set out in the early statements of
the Christian faith like the Apostle’s Creed and the Nicene Creed.
The
study covers a biblical view of death, the certainty of resurrection for
everyone who dies, and its eternal consequences, whether for one’s good or for
eternal damnation.
Only the Christian
faith deals with ‘life after death’ with such authority.
We hardly hear this doctrine from pulpits today!
We need to know that God has already told us about certain forthcoming events. This will not only enable us to stand firm in the trials and persecutions of the times, but also to rest assured that God is in control, even though it appears otherwise from the things we see around us!
Before we look at this doctrine, it would pay to be informed about a coming “new order” that the Bible talks about.
1.
The reality we experience in this life is not everlasting. The ultimate reality is spiritual and
eternal. What is visible is physical and temporary; what is invisible is
spiritual and eternal (2 Cor. 4:17-18).
2. For
us to experience this ultimate reality we need to move out of “time” (the zone
in which we presently exist) into “eternity” (the designated permanent
order). This will happen to all
mankind! The eternal state is man’s destiny. There is no such thing as annihilation! We are all going to have a form of existence after this
earthly existence.
3. The
bible clearly states that this present
world is not our home (Hebrews
13:14; 1 Cor. 15:19).
Biblical prophecy offers us the sure conviction that Christ
is coming again (see 2 Pe. 1:16). We have in an earlier session
considered that all prophecy originates with God, not man. We have also seen the accuracy of the Old
Testament prophecies about Jesus which were fulfilled literally (not allegorically). For these reasons,
we can be confident that what God has said about the ‘end times’ and the ‘end
of time’ will come to pass exactly as he
has ordained.
Some
general misconceptions that need to be addressed about the ‘end times’
Many people are under the impression that the whole world
will be converted, and much talk about the great ‘end-time harvest’ really
finds its roots in this belief. The
bible does not teach this! On the contrary, the bible says
that in the midst of all the wickedness
and tribulation prevalent during the last days, the church will complete her
task of preaching the gospel (Matt. 24:8-14) and then Christ will return.
This is what the bible clearly
states about the state of the world just prior to Christ’s return:
-That righteousness and wickedness will mature
simultaneously (Is.
60:1-3).
The parable that Jesus gave about the tares and the wheat is good
evidence of Jesus’ endorsement of this truth (Matt. 13:37-430).
Revelation 22:10-12 reinforces this!
Consider: in the light of this, how are we to pray?
-That there will be tribulation like never before
just prior to the return of Jesus and that corruption in those days will be
irreversible. (Matt. 24:21-22, 29-31)
There
is a whole series of events that take place after Jesus’ return. We will consider those in a separate session.
For this session we will simply consider one of those events, which is
‘the resurrection of the dead’.
What happens when we die?
“Dust Thou
art; to dust thou shalt return”. We are all familiar with the truth of this
biblical pronouncement!
To
understand what follows upon death in this life, we need to have a valid
starting point. That starting point is the composition of the human
personality. (Refer Genesis for man’s creation).
Our human personality consists of: a) spirit
b) soul c) body. We are tripartite
beings (see 1 Thess. 5:23).
When our bodies die,
the soul and the spirit continue to exist. Our bodies return to the dust from
which we were created. Resurrection therefore is an event that relates to the
physical body. It means “to stand up
again” ie, to be full of life again.
It is important to understand that after death there is no loss of personal identity even though there is no body;
that is, souls can still recognize persons, retain recollection of life on earth,
and be conscious of present conditions. That this is true is evident from the parable
in Luke 16:19-31. However, though the soul is
still alive after physical death, it experiences only a sort of ‘shadowy’ or ‘incomplete’ existence
without the body. Upon resurrection of the body the soul is reunited with it (though,
of course the body is now a glorified
one, fit for heaven). For this reason, salvation is not complete until we are
resurrected from the dead! After all, the whole purpose of God’s
redemptive plan was to restore fallen man to eternal fellowship with God. In
other words,
After death there is a
definite separation of the righteous from the unrighteous (evidenced from the
same parable, Luke 16:19-31 discussed earlier).
However, there is a distinction between the prevailing state of those
who died before Christ died and those who died after Christ died. The
following will help us to understand the difference that Christ’s resurrection
made.
Situation
of dead Before Christ died
All souls passed into Hades (Greek) or Sheol
(Hebrew). This was the unseen world, the place for departed souls. However,
this place was divided into two separate areas, keeping the righteous apart
from the unrighteous, with no
possibility of crossing over from one place to the other!
What
happened to Christ when he died?
His spirit was committed to the
Father (Luke 23:46)
His soul descended into Sheol /
Hades (1 Pe. 3:18-19; note: the point is that he visited souls)
His body was laid in the tomb (Acts 2:31, plus gospel accounts)
What
happened to Christ when he was resurrected?
His spirit and soul were reunited
with his body. But it was a body that could never ne subjected to death or
destruction. It was not subject to any
of the rules or limitations of mortal human bodies. It was a glorified body,
having physical form. It was in this condition that he appeared to his disciples
and others during his last days on earth prior to his resurrection.
The
consequences of Christ’s resurrection the dead
1. The righteous souls in Hades were
released into God’s presence; e.g. Abraham etc.
2. Henceforth the spirits of the
dead ascend directly into God’s
presence. This is
evidenced from at least two New Testament passages:
a)
Acts 7:59 - the account
of Stephen, the first martyr, and
b)
Phil. 1: 23-24 - Paul’s desire “to be with
Christ”
3. Jesus’ resurrection guarantees
ours. It is compared to a birth. He is the firstborn from among the dead (Col.1:18). Note: he is the firstborn from ‘among the dead’, not the firstborn ‘of
the dead’. The first
denotes his singularity in resurrection; the second means that many others have
also risen from the dead, of whom Christ was the first (as in the case of ‘John
was the first Australian to fly around the earth’). No one else has been
resurrected from the dead.
4. His resurrection body is the
pattern for ours (Phil 3:20, 21). Space or time does not limit
it.
5.
There will be a change in our present bodies according to the natural pattern
of a seed that is planted (1 Cor.
15:35-38). In fact there will be five specific
changes (1 Cor. 15:42-44; 52-53).
-sown
perishable, raised imperishable
-sown in dishonour,
raised in glory
-sown in weakness,
raised in power
-sown a natural body, raised a spiritual body
- from being clothed
with mortality, to being clothed with immortality
The
mechanics of the resurrection from the dead
Three distinct phases:
1.
Christ the firstfruits (Lev. 23:10-11; Matt. 27:51-53). This phase has already
taken place. It provides the
assurance of those things that will happen in the future. The study of the
concept of ‘first fruits’ is of significance here.
2.
Those who are Christ’s at his coming. (1 Thess. 4:16-17;
Rev. 20:4; Note “end
of first resurrection” in Rev.20: 5).
3.
Final general resurrection (Rev. 20:12-13-at the end of time. We will move into eternity).
Conclusion
There are many other important aspects to deal with in considering
the doctrine of ‘resurrection of the dead’, such as its importance and its
witness in Scripture. They will be
considered at another time.