Basic Baptist Doctrine
Lesson #24 8-13-08

DWS

Much has been discussed and debated by theologians through the years regarding the number of resurrections, the purpose and timing of the resurrections, etc. We, as Missionary Baptists, believe the Bible to teach three distinct resurrections. Our discussion this evening will center upon: "The Resurrections: His, Theirs and Ours.

The "His" of this portion is, of course, Christ. It is His resurrection that makes all the others possible and powerful. Too many people look at the death of Christ as the culmination of His life and purpose on Earth. We sometimes approach the Lord’s words on the cross "It is finished" as the end. The truth is that was just the end of Christ’s life and sacrificial death for the lost human race. The power and promise of that death was still to be seen. If Christ had remained in the grave, Satan’s victory would have been complete. If there was no victory of death, we remain in our sins and are headed for death as a result. The most crucial part of Christ’s life is His resurrection! It made manifest Christ’s power over death, sin, the grave, and Satan. It gives us a reason to hope in life through Jesus even though we live in a sin-cursed, death-promised, grave bound body. Jesus’ resurrection was the Father’s "Amen" to Christ’s "It is finished". Without the resurrection of Jesus Christ, there is no salvation, no eternal life, no way out! Therefore, it is with joy that I remind us that the resurrection of our Lord should be our favorite topic of conversation and meditation. What a wonderful thought that all of my salvation, hope, eternal life and joy centers upon one event…His Resurrection!!

Why were these religious leaders so afraid that Jesus might actually arise from the dead? They had disputed Him throughout His ministry and had never gotten Him trapped or turned around on His teachings or truths. They also knew that he had prophesied that He would rise again. If He did so, everything that He had taught and prophesied publically would be validated and they (the Pharisees and Scribes) would be cast away by the people. They HAD to keep Him from rising from the dead and they did all that they could to prevent it. They rolled a great stone over the opening of the sepulture and sealed it with the authority of Pilate’s signature ring. They also received a military detail from Pilate. There was NO was Jesus was going to get out and destroy their lives and influence! Of course, we know that Jesus did indeed arise and fulfilled all that He had said that He would.

In John 2:19, Jesus had told them that He would destroy the temple (His body) and raise it up again in three days. In Matthew 16:21 and 20:19, Jesus told His disciples that he would have to suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and scribes, be killed and then He would be raised again on the third day. Mark records Jesus saying in Mark 14:28 that He would go before them into Galilee after that He had arisen. Therefore, it was a well-known fact that Jesus knew that He was going to die and how. He also knew that He would rise again and those that were His disciples knew that He would as well (although we sometimes give the impression that they were totally surprised). In today’s world, the equivalent might be for a prominent person to say on television that they were going to be killed and raise themselves from the dead on a specified date. Don’t you thing that there would be some that would do all they could to stop it and the press would be in frenzy! It is really happened and the person was declared clinically deceased by physicians and then buried and guarded by a military detachment, rose from the dead and appeared to several friends before disappearing again…it would make world news with the help of modern technology. However, in Jesus’ time on earth there was no press, but He did leave a church…His Church. It remains the church’s job and focus to declare to the world that JESUS LIVES!! He is faithful to His promises! What a wonderful message we have to preach to the people of this world. So…what is the promised which hinges upon the fact of the resurrection? Jesus promised that it He went away that He would come again and receive us unto Himself. That means that if Jesus really arose (He did!!) then He has promised to come again and this time to judge the world of sin. It one does not believe that Jesus arose or can disprove it, there is no reason to dear a Second Coming and Judgment because the speaker and testator is dead. It you do believe and know that He died and arose as promised; you have a certainty that He will return once again and are anxious for Him to do so. The resurrection of Christ places all His teachings and promises in full effect with validity!! It is the POWER of the gospel and our message to the world!

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.

The Bible plainly teaches that those that are dead will rise first. While the sequencing of events is virtually impossible due to the ending of time PRIOR to these events, it is worthy of our study and understanding. Nevertheless, the Bible states that when Christ returns and "time is no more", the dead in Christ will rise FIRST. What the significance of this might be is subject to speculation. Perhaps it is meant to show the power of the Lord in raising those that are known to be "dead" in the flesh. Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that Jesus will bring back the souls of those that are "dead in Him" with Him? Perhaps, as I have heard stated, it is because they have 6’ further to go than we do! Whatever the reason, the fact remains that the dead in Christ will rise first. Furthermore, I believe that they will be seen to do just that…rise first. This will be quite an event as you think about all the people that are dead and have been saved in the centuries past. There are bodies or remains of bodies all over the world, lots of them thousands of years old. People in the ocean (buried at sea), folks that were cremated, people of which their bodies were never found… ALL these "missing" bodies will be raised (those that were saved) when Jesus comes back and those remaining on Earth will have a front row seat to it all.

Jesus said in John 11, "I am the resurrection" to Mary at the raising of Lazarus. He is indeed the reason of the resurrection. He is the resurrector!! An important aspect of the resurrection is that those that are dead will rise first and then given a body to match the perfect soul kept by Jesus. They will be perfect in body and spirit…just like the resurrected Christ!! That’s a pretty cool thought, isn’t it? "I AM the resurrection."

To resurrect something means to: raise from the dead; or to bring to view, attention, or use again.

Christ will "bring attention" to those of us who are His at the last trump. Everyone will see the dead raised to meet their souls in the clouds with Christ. Then, those of us that remain and are saved will also be caught up into the clouds to be changed in the moment (a twinkling of an eye) and will be ever with the Lord. Those that are NOT saved and remain here on earth will have their complete attention of the amazing happenings they are witnessing. It won’t be a good feeling….that’s for sure.

Thus, if Christ comes back in our lifetime, we will get the "resurrection bronze" as the third resurrected party. Gold goes to Christ, the victor and giver of all victory to all those that believe on Him. Silver goes to those that have died in His trust. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to be a bronze, so to speak? I would actually prefer bronze to silver. To be alive when Christ comes back and to NEVER have to die physically and spiritually… it doesn’t get better that that! I hope to be resurrected from this earth and not out of the earth. Either way, I will be completely satisfied and complete. The thought of the resurrection should be a constant source of joy and consolation to us as we reflect upon the fact that we WILLL be resurrected on that last day just as Jesus was…so that we may look and live like Jesus does(!!) for all of eternity. That is quite a thought!! He loves us, has died for us, saved us, lives within us and will resurrect us at that last day, whether we are dead or alive in the flesh. What a WONDERFUL promise from the Almighty Creator.

The following is the entire 15th chapter of I Corinthians which was written originally to refocus the misunderstandings of the church at Corinth.