God’s Promise of Life: The Truth of the Resurrection
What does your bible say about the possibility of life after death… AND why should you take it any more seriously than the other ideas that are out there?
Job 14:14b-15 trials, patiently waiting for the change [khaleefaw], calling, answering, God’s desire to accomplish greater purpose in you… it all there. But not explicitly.
Daniel 12:2 Biblical answers begin in the old testament but they remained obscure until Jesus Christ came. He provided additional teaching and clarification. Plus, though His own death and resurrection He provided an object demonstration of human resurrection unto eternal spirit born life John 11:25, John 14:19
The apostles He commissioned to follow after Him carried forward that teaching and provided a witness/testimony to Jesus’ resurrection 1 Corinthians 15:22-24, without it what is the point? verses 13-14
A Fundamental Church Teaching
Hebrews 6:1-2 Teaching and proclaiming God’s promise of resurrection through Christ was [and still is] what set the Church of God apart from all other religious alternatives in the world.
Acts 23:8 the Jews were in disagreement on the matter. Those who did believe it couldn’t explain it.
Greeks and Romans had beliefs that held out little hope for the dead. A disembodied soul living in a murky twilight existence like a ghost. Others held the idea of being absorbed into the consciousness of the universe… which is just a fancy way of saying you cease to exist as an individual.
Acts 17:32 when Paul preached the resurrection to the intellectual class they scoffed. But for others in the Greco-Roman world it was a breath of fresh air in a hopeless and suffocating world.
Acts 2:22-24 the hope of the resurrection was the teaching that launched the church… and on this simple formula the church grew by the thousands:
- Accept Christ to save you from your sin and its consequences
- Repent, be baptized, receive the Holy Spirit through the laying on of hands
- Wait and prepare for resurrection
Acts 2:38; Romans 8:11
1 Timothy 6:19 the Apostles teaching was not unto some disembodied half-life or loss of person-hood. Note: we begin on the path to abundant living now, but the fullness of it takes lace at the resurrection John 10:10.
Purpose For Life
In the Apostles time there was lots of confusion on this subject… yet we today are in the same situation!
Atheism and agnosticism have left their mark… eastern religion and new age theories are everywhere… Catholic, Muslim, and Protestant teaching undermines scriptural truth and sidetracks people from the scriptural teaching on the resurrection.
Anxiety and hopelessness hang over us like a shadow. People need the truth of the resurrection as much as ever!
Resurrection: A Historical Fact
Q: Why should anyone believe in a resurrection? What separates this teaching from mere wishful thinking and speculation?
A: The reality of Christ’s resurrection and the promise that we are to follow in His footsteps
Jesus resurrection is a biblical and historic event. It has all the necessary ingredients of a confirmed fact of history. Note: at other times in the year we spend sermon time going over the authenticity and authority of the scripture… history, archaeology, fulfilled prophecy and so forth. The purpose of all those messages is to confirm the truth and reality of Jesus life, His death, and His resurrection. All these point back to this pivotal purpose… confirming the reality of Jesus resurrection.
Jesus was executed, put in a sealed tomb, and after 3 days and nights His body had disappeared. Even those who wanted to refute His resurrection could not explain away the empty tomb.
1 Corinthians 15:6 His resurrection was confirmed by many witnesses. many of these people were still alive when the new testament scriptures were recorded and could be called upon in necessary to verify or refute what the NT scriptures were presenting as a record of the events.
Acts 5:30-32 this personal testimony was part of the Apostle’s preaching
Order of Resurrection
Scripture describes more than one future resurrection!
1 Corinthians 15:20-24 this reference to first fruits indicates other fruits are to follow
- Christ – the resurrection that has already occurred
- Those who are His at His return – the 1st resurrection to come
- Then the end – this must be a reference to a 2nd resurrection to come since Paul says ALL will be resurrected. Logically the ones being resurrected here are those who are not His at the time of His return. Their resurrection comes at some later time
Heaven and hell believers struggle with the scriptures indicating that relatively few will be saved and resurrected unto life. Such as Matthew 7:14 “narrow is the gate and difficult the way that leads to life, and there are few who find it”.
If you know the scriptural outline of the order of resurrection … then you know that in a scripture like this Jesus is describing what happens in the present evil age…
Galatians 1:4 scripture makes a distinction between the present evil age and a future age to come
Revelation 12:9 in this present evil age most are deceived and only those whom God draws to Himself are called out this darkness and into the light of truth John 6:44.
The 1st Resurrection
Revelation 20:4-6 the scripture specifically says the rest of the dead. Clearly, there is another resurrection. This is another reference to the resurrection of all those who were not in Christ at the time of His return.
Why Are Non-Believers Resurrected?
Non-believers are resurrected for a time of judgment. Revelation 20:11 speaks of a great white throne… indicating a time of judgment.
Logic: Why would God bring the rest of the dead back to life only to condemn them for the deeds of their past life and then destroy them? Why not just leave them in the grave? They failed… so let’s move on. Let’s recall what we just read from God’s own word:
- They were deceived
- They were never drawn by God into an understanding of the truth
Logically something else must be happening at the time when this great white throne is set up.
But that’s human reasoning you might say… You can’t decide doctrine based on logic. We rely on revelation. God can do what ever He wants… fair, unfair, doesn’t matter.
Let’s look at what scripture reveals about the resurrection of the rest of the dead:
Revelation 20:12 books are opened… now they are given understanding!
Judgment is more than a final decision to reward or condemn. Judgment is the process that leads to the verdict. Judgment of a matter takes place over a period of time. It’s a process that comes before the final decision is made!
The 1st And 2nd Resurrections Are Substantially Different
The 1st resurrection is unto everlasting life. Those who are part of this resurrection are no longer subject to death. They are given bodies composed of spirit that do not age, die and rot. The 2nd death has no power over them [also read 1 Corinthians 15:35-55].
The 2nd resurrection is a resurrection to temporary life. Ezekiel 37:1-14 they are resurrected and given physical bodies like they had before… still subject to death, and destruction. The 2nd death does have power over them.
Jesus Spoke of This 2nd Resurrection Period
Matthew 10:9-15 Jesus spoke about this 2nd resurrection period to the disciples. He starts with a warning that some would hear and reject the message He sent them out to proclaim. Then He says something very significant:
- The people of that day [about 28 A.D.] would come up in a time of judgment along side the notorious sinners of Sodom… so multiple generations would be raised to physical life at the same time.
- The sinful and deceived people of Sodom would find their circumstances more tolerable than the nay sayers of Galilee. Tolerable here means they will be able to bear up, to endure, to stand in the time of judgment. Why? Because they will be willing to hear and repent.
Matthew 11:20-24 Tyre, Sidon, Sodom had never heard the truth and had an opportunity to repent. But, in the time of judgment, when the rest of the dead arise… they will hear the truth and they will have the opportunity to repent… it will be more tolerable for them because they have a repentant attitude.
Matthew 12:41-42 another verse to emphasize – people from all eras will be resurrected to life at the same time… unto a time of instruction [Queen of Sheba serves as the example here], and a call to repentance.
This is not a 2nd chance… this will be their first opportunity to hear and repent based on a clear understanding of God’s word.
God will offer salvation to all who have lived and died. All will be called at the time appropriate for them.
For those who will not repent? As discussed last time, they will be destroyed permanently and the will be no more memory of them.
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