The Coming and Reign of Our Lord Jesus Christ: The First Resurrection, Part 3

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“THE FIRST RESURRECTION.”
Continued from Volume 1.
“Christ,” then, is “the first fruits” (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)); and “the first resurrection” embraces not only those who are asleep when He comes for His own in the air, but also the two classes of saints martyred during the awful troubles and great tribulation that will take place between that event and His manifestation in power to reign, the whole of the saints in fact who go into death from Adam to the millennium. These future martyrs will yield up their lives, like many saints of old, that they might obtain a better resurrection (Heb. 11:3535Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection: (Hebrews 11:35).) The rest of the dead, that is, those who die in their sins, as we have already seen, remain in the grave until the close of the millennial kingdom, and the little season the end of the world when they shall come forth to 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); Rev. 20:55But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. (Revelation 20:5).)
Daniel 12:22And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. (Daniel 12:2), has presented a difficulty to some: “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.” If you read carefully the first verse you will see that it is not a question here of literal resurrection, but speaking figuratively of the restoration of the Jews, the deliverance of some out of the time of trouble—great tribulation—judgment being the portion of others. Notice that the words thy people occur twice (Dan. 12:11And 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. (Daniel 12:1)). This is not the only scripture where the restoration of Israel is spoken of thus. In Ezekiel 37, they are compared to dry bones coming to life, being brought up out of their graves, and placed in their own land (Ezek. 37:1-141The hand of the Lord was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones, 2And caused me to pass by them round about: and, behold, there were very many in the open valley; and, lo, they were very dry. 3And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord God, thou knowest. 4Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. 5Thus saith the Lord God unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live: 6And I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live; and ye shall know that I am the Lord. 7So I prophesied as I was commanded: and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone. 8And when I beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh came up upon them, and the skin covered them above: but there was no breath in them. 9Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord God; Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live. 10So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army. 11Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel: behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off for our parts. 12Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. 13And ye shall know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves, 14And shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land: then shall ye know that I the Lord have spoken it, and performed it, saith the Lord. (Ezekiel 37:1‑14)). Also in Psalms 68:2222The Lord said, I will bring again from Bashan, I will bring my people again from the depths of the sea: (Psalm 68:22): “I will bring My people again from the depths of the sea.”
“But some men will say, How are the dead raised up? and with what body do they come? Thou fool that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die; 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; but God giveth it a body as it hath pleased Him, and to every seed his own body.... So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption; it is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body” 1 Cor. 15:35-4435But some man will say, How are the dead raised up? and with what body do they come? 36Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die: 37And 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: 38But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body. 39All 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. 40There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. 41There 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. 42So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: 43It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power: 44It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. (1 Corinthians 15:35‑44).
With God all things are possible, and He who by His own mighty power raised from among the dead our Lord Jesus, will surely accomplish this mighty act, and raise all His own who sleep, to be with and like His Son in glory (1 Cor. 6:1414And God hath both raised up the Lord, and will also raise up us by his own power. (1 Corinthians 6:14).) It matters not by what means or where God’s people fall asleep, whether their bodies shall go into the grave or the ocean’s depth, “We know, that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens” (2 Cor. 5:11For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. (2 Corinthians 5:1).)
How blessed for the Christian, as he stands by the open tomb, and sees lowered into it a coffin containing the corruptible remains of some dearly loved one who has fallen asleep in Christ, to be enabled to look beyond this scene of sorrow and death, and to know that the departed is “absent from the body and present with the Lord” (2 Cor. 5:88We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. (2 Corinthians 5:8)) To know too that at any moment the welcome sound of the Master’s voice may be heard in the air, when every sleeping and every living saint shall be caught up, in a moment conformed to His blessed image; so to be “forever with the Lord.” It is then that “shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Cor. 15:54, 5754So 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 15:54)
57But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 15:57).)
How precious to have as the object of our hearts in the glory of God that Blessed One, who could say, “I am the resurrection and the life;” who could weep as a sympathizing man at the grave of Lazarus, but who could display the mighty power of God, for He was and is the Son of God, in raising him from the dead.
A Jewish sect, called the Sadducees, in the days of Christ on earth denied resurrection altogether. Our Lord’s answer to a question put by them is well worthy of note in considering this subject. He saith unto them, “The children of this world marry, and are given in marriage; but they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage. 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. Now that the dead are raised, even Moses showed at the bush, when he calleth the Lord the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. For He is not a God of the dead, but of the living; for all live unto Him” (Luke 20:34-3834And Jesus answering said unto them, The children of this world marry, and are given in marriage: 35But they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage: 36Neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection. 37Now that the dead are raised, even Moses showed at the bush, when he calleth the Lord the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. 38For he is not a God of the dead, but of the living: for all live unto him. (Luke 20:34‑38).)
Paul also in writing to Timothy, warns him to “shun profane and vain babblings; for they will increase unto more ungodliness; and their word will eat as doth a canker; of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus: who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some” (2 Tim. 2:16-1816But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness. 17And their word will eat as doth a canker: of whom is Hymeneus and Philetus; 18Who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some. (2 Timothy 2:16‑18).)
I cannot close writing on this wonderful subject without asking you my dear reader, If death were to overtake you this day, Are you ready to go? Would you be amongst those who would come forth at the first, the glorious resurrection? Or are you still in your sins, still under the judgment of God? If summoned from this scene in the latter condition, your portion must be to come forth at the resurrection of judgment, and to be cast into the lake of fire. There is only one way of deliverance from such a doom, and that is by faith in the Son of God, who was judged on the cross as the sin-bearer (2 Cor. 5:2121For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. (2 Corinthians 5:21).)
How bright the resurrection morn
On all the saints will break!
The Lord Himself will then return,
His ransomed church to take.
We cannot linger o’er the tomb;
The resurrection day
To faith shines bright beyond its gloom,
Christ’s glory to display.