THE ORDER OF THE RESURRECTION

THE ORDER OF THE RESURRECTION

INTRODUCTION:

1. The Resurrection not a single event.
2. All are to be raised, "but each in his own order" - 1 Cor. 15:22-24 ARV (Physical) "tagma" tagma tagma tag'-mah is a military term - rank, class, division, company

"22  For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

23  But every man in his own order: Christ the first fruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming.

24  Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power."

 Note the three main ranks:

"Christ the firstfruits"

"Then they that are Christ's at His coming" (epeita - epeita epeita ep'-i-tah time sequence)

"Then (cometh) the end" (eita eita eita i'-tah - see Mark 4:28 and 1 Cor. 15:5-7) "Blade . . . then ear . . . then full corn" (Not all at once)

•  The Resurrection of "Christ the First fruits"

Time. A.D. 32 ?

Absolutely in time and place - Col. 1:18 "prototokos ek" prwtotokoV prototokos pro-tot-ok'-os ek ek ek or ex ex- position

Acts 26:23 "protos" prwtoV protos pro'-tos - time

 

Persons - certainly our Lord Himself.

- What about Matt. 27:52-53? cf. Rom. 1:4 "Declared to be the Son of God with Power . . . by the resurrection." "After his resurrection"

 Since they appeared it may be a real resurrection His own resurrection and resurrection of saints.

 Result - Many things I shall not discuss here, but

1. Immortality for Himself (N.T. Sense not Philosophic Sense) ­Rom. 6:9, Heb. 7:16, 25

"Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him."

"Who is made, not after the law of a carnal commandment, but after the power of an endless life." "Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them."

 2. Guarantee of a Resurrection for all men - 1 Cor. 15:23 "firstfruits" Pledge that more is coming.

"But every man in his own order: Christ the first fruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming."

 John 14:19 "Because I live ye shall live also"

Rev. 1:18 "I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death."

 "The Risen Christ is the beginning of the history of the end" (Luthardt quoted in Meyer)

•  The Resurrection of them "That Are Christ's"

  The Time - "at His coming" ev parousia en  parousia parousia par-oo-see'-ah Covers a period of time

1 Cor. 15:23 "But every man in his own order: Christ the first fruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming."

  Names applied to this Resurrection indicates its special nature

Luke 14:14 "Resurrection of the Just"

John 5:29 "Resurrection of life"

Heb. 11:35 "A better Resurrection"

Luke 20:35 "Resurrection from the dead (ek)"

Phil. 3:11 "Our resurrection out from among the dead"

Rev. 20:6 "First resurrection"

  The Persons involved - probably several companies

1 Thess. 4:13-18 - Church

Dan. 12:1-2 - O.T. Saints

Rev. 11:11-12 - Two Witnesses

Rev. 7:14, 20:4 - Tribulation Martyrs

 NOTE: When the last sub-division is raised, the Holy Spirit writes, "This is the first resurrection" (Rev. 20:5), thus indicating that this special Resurrection is complete and finished. At this point the first resurrection is done.

 The Result

They put on immortality

Rev. 20:6 Second death has no power "Blessed 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."

Luke 20:36 "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."

They are given a place of special honor

Rev. 20:4-6 "And 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. But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed 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."

 

The Resurrection of "The End"

"The end" must refer to the final Resurrection of Rev. 20:11-14 1000 years after the first one.

Context of 1 Cor. 15:22-24 demands idea of Resurrection

"For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the first fruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming. Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power."

"The end" Resurrection comes after Christ's millennial kingdom cf. Rev. 20:7 and 12.

"And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison," "And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works."

 

"The end" Resurrection comes when death is destroyed

Cf. Meyer 356, Olshausen 382, Weymouth margin

 

Special names are applied to this "end" Resurrection

John 5:29 Resurrection of Damnation - Doom and Judgment of those raised. "And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation."

Acts 24:15 Resurrection of the unjust - Character of those raised. "And have hope toward God, which they themselves also allow, that there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust."

 The Persons included in this End-Resurrection are all unsaved

Acts 24:15 "Unrighteous" - moral description

Rev. 20:12 "And the dead . . . stand before God" - Spiritual description

 

The Result of this End-Resurrection is twofold:

Rev. 20:12-13 Judgment according to works "And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works."

Rev. 20:14-15 Infliction of the Second Death  "And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire."

Cf. Rom. 3:20 Proves they are lost. "Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin."