Resurrection

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As (physical) death is the separation of the soul and spirit from the body (James 2:2626For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also. (James 2:26)), resurrection is the reunion of the soul and spirit with the body (1 Kings 17:21-2221And he stretched himself upon the child three times, and cried unto the Lord, and said, O Lord my God, I pray thee, let this child's soul come into him again. 22And the Lord heard the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came into him again, and he revived. (1 Kings 17:21‑22); Luke 8:5555And her spirit came again, and she arose straightway: and he commanded to give her meat. (Luke 8:55)). All who die, whether righteous or wicked, will experience resurrection, for death is a temporary condition. The grave is only a temporary custodian of the body, and Hades is only the temporary custodian of the soul and spirit.
While all who die will be raised, not all the dead rise simultaneously. There are two resurrections. The Lord said, “Wonder not at this; for an hour is coming, in which all that are in the tombs shall hear His voice, and shall go forth; those that have practiced good unto a resurrection of life, and those that did evil unto a resurrection of judgment” (John 5:28-2928Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, 29And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation. (John 5:28‑29) – W. Kelly Trans.; Acts 24:1515And have hope toward God, which they themselves also allow, that there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust. (Acts 24:15)). The “first resurrection” (Rev. 20:4-64And 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. 5But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. 6Blessed 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. (Revelation 20:4‑6)), also called the “resurrection of life” (John 5:2929And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation. (John 5:29)) and the “resurrection of the just” (Luke 14:1414And thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just. (Luke 14:14)), is a resurrection of righteous persons only. The second resurrection, which is called the “resurrection of judgment” (John 5:2929And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation. (John 5:29)) and the “resurrection of the unjust” (Acts 24:1515And have hope toward God, which they themselves also allow, that there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust. (Acts 24:15)), is a resurrection of wicked persons who have died in their sins. There are a thousand years between these two resurrections.
The First Resurrection
Christ has been raised from among the dead first as a sample of what is to come for the saints. He is “the firstfruits.” He is now in heaven in His glorified body (Phil. 3:2121Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself. (Philippians 3:21)). Then, at His coming (the Rapture) the sleeping saints will be raised from among the dead. This are all the righteous from Abel (the first man to die) down to the last person who will die before the Rapture. Then it will be said, “O death, where is thy sting? O grave [Hades], where is thy victory?” (1 Cor. 15:5555O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? (1 Corinthians 15:55)) “Death,” which has claimed the body, will not be able to hold it any longer. “Hades,” in which are the departed spirits, will lose its victory of holding them in that separate state. They will rise together with the saints who are alive on earth at that time to meet the Lord in the air (1 Thess. 4:15-1815For 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. 16For 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: 17Then 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. 18Wherefore comfort one another with these words. (1 Thessalonians 4:15‑18)). Then, any who will have died in faith during the time of Daniel’s seventieth week (the Tribulation period) will be raised at the end of that seven-year period (Rev. 14:1313And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors; and their works do follow them. (Revelation 14:13)). To summarize these three, there is:
Firstly, “Christ the firstfruits” (1 Cor. 15:2323But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming. (1 Corinthians 15:23); Matt. 28:1-81In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre. 2And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it. 3His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow: 4And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men. 5And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. 6He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. 7And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you. 8And they departed quickly from the sepulchre with fear and great joy; and did run to bring his disciples word. (Matthew 28:1‑8)).
Secondly, “they that are Christ’s at His coming” – the Rapture (1 Cor. 15:23; 123But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming. (1 Corinthians 15:23)
23But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness; (1 Corinthians 1:23) Thess. 4:15-18; Heb. 11:4040God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect. (Hebrews 11:40)).
Thirdly, those who turn to God during the Tribulation period and are martyred (Rev. 6:9-11; 11:7-9; 15:2-49And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: 10And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? 11And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled. (Revelation 6:9‑11)
7And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them. 8And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. 9And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves. (Revelation 11:7‑9)
2And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God. 3And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints. 4Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou only art holy: for all nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy judgments are made manifest. (Revelation 15:2‑4)) will be raised at the end of the Great Tribulation (Rev. 11:11-12; 14:1311And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them. 12And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them. (Revelation 11:11‑12)
13And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors; and their works do follow them. (Revelation 14:13)).
The moment of the resurrection and the glorification of the saints is at the Lord’s coming—the Rapture. It has been called, “The moment for which all other moments have been made!” All the righteous who have died in past ages, from Adam to the last soul saved in the Church period, will see the Lord’s face for the first time together! Those in the disembodied state in Hades (Sheol) are not yet looking upon the Lord’s face, though their spirits are with Him in paradise. They are presently participating in the joys of heaven without their bodies. But when we are glorified together, we will all see His face for the first time. God has purposed that there should be one defining moment of joy and victory when our eyes meet His eyes for the first time. What a moment that will be!
Resurrection for the believer is the full and final aspect of his deliverance from the whole effect and consequence of sin (Rom. 8:11, 2311But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. (Romans 8:11)
23And 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. (Romans 8:23); Eph. 4:3030And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. (Ephesians 4:30)). The bodies of the living saints will “put on immortality,” and the bodies of the saints who have died will “put on incorruption” (1 Cor. 15:53-5453For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54So 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. (1 Corinthians 15:53‑54)). We will be “glorified together” (Rom. 8:1717And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. (Romans 8:17)). The Bible speaks of it as being “clothed upon with our house which is from heaven” (2 Cor. 5:22For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven: (2 Corinthians 5:2)).
The saints who have departed to be with Christ do not exactly receive “new” bodies at the Lord’s coming, though we often hear people saying that. To teach that the saints receive a new and different body at His coming, in a sense, denies the resurrection of the bodies they once lived in. If they get new bodies at the Lord’s coming, then their old bodies don’t really rise from the dead after all! Scripture is careful never to say that the resurrection body is new in that sense. When speaking of resurrection, it always says “changed” (1 Cor. 15:51-5251Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52In 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. (1 Corinthians 15:51‑52); Phil. 3:2121Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself. (Philippians 3:21); Job 14:1414If a man die, shall he live again? all the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come. (Job 14:14)). This defines what will happen at the moment of resurrection more accurately. That old body will be raised, changed, and glorified all “in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump” (1 Cor. 15:5252In 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. (1 Corinthians 15:52)).
Oftentimes people will speak of ones who have departed to be with Christ in the intermediate state as being in glory. We don’t mean to “make a man an offender for a word” (Isa. 29:2121That make a man an offender for a word, and lay a snare for him that reproveth in the gate, and turn aside the just for a thing of nought. (Isaiah 29:21)), but this is not quite accurate, for they are not glorified yet. The disembodied state is not glory. They will not be glorified until they are called away at the Lord’s coming (the Rapture). Christ is in glory now (1 Peter 1:21; 221Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God. (1 Peter 1:21)
21For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: (1 Peter 2:21) Cor. 3:18) and is waiting to bring His people into that condition of glory at His coming.
This is confusing to some because (in their thinking) if Christ is in the glory, and the departed saints are “with Christ” (Phil. 1:2323For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better: (Philippians 1:23)), then they must be in the glory too. This misunderstanding comes from assuming that the conventional expression, “in the glory,” is a place where the Lord is in heaven. However, it is not a place, but a glorified condition. The Lord Jesus is in a glorified condition in heaven “with” the departed saints who are not yet in that condition.
All the dead who have their part in the first resurrection will live and reign with Christ in the heavens during the Millennium (Rev. 20:4-64And 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. 5But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. 6Blessed 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. (Revelation 20:4‑6)). They will be both morally “like” Christ (1 John 3:22Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. (1 John 3:2)) and physically “like” Christ (Phil. 3:2121Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself. (Philippians 3:21)). Scripture says, “If we have been planted together in the likeness of His death, we shall be also in the likeness of His resurrection” (Rom. 6:55For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: (Romans 6:5)).
The Second Resurrection
Reincarnation—the belief of many eastern religions—which supposes that the souls of the dead return to earth in different forms to live again is surely a false thing (Heb. 9:2727And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: (Hebrews 9:27)). To say that the Bible supports this notion is ludicrous. The reincarnation idea is that a person comes back as another person or animal. There are 10 or 12 people in Scripture who were raised from the dead, but they always came back in their own body and were the same person. Malachi 4:5-65Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord: 6And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse. (Malachi 4:5‑6) and Matthew 11:1414And if ye will receive it, this is Elias, which was for to come. (Matthew 11:14) have been used to support the erroneous idea. The Lord spoke of John the Baptist as Elijah, but he was not speaking literally, but that John would come forth in his ministry in the same character and spirit as Elijah. Luke 1:1717And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord. (Luke 1:17) confirms this, saying, “He shall go before Him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”
The Bible teaches that once a person dies, he does not return to earth to live again. It says, “It is appointed unto man once to die, but after this the judgment” (Heb. 9:2727And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: (Hebrews 9:27)). It is an appointment that only the wicked keep, for all who have faith have been delivered from the judgment of their sins. The Lord said, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth My word, and believeth on Him that sent Me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation [judgment]; but is passed from death unto life” (John 5:2424Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. (John 5:24)).
The Lord Jesus said of the dead, “Neither can they die any more” (Luke 20:3636Neither 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 20:36)). This confirms that they can’t keep coming back to the earth to live and die over and over again. King David could say of his child that died, “Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me” (2 Sam. 12:2323But 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. (2 Samuel 12:23)). See also Ecclesiastes 12:77Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it. (Ecclesiastes 12:7).