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Sunday Sermon Outline STUDIES IN ACTS OF THE
APOSTLES – PART 88
Doctrine
of resurrection, continued: 8. Order of resurrection- The scripture uses terms like resurrection of life
in John 5:29 and resurrection of
condemnation in the same passage as well as Paul’s language in Acts
24:15 resurrection of just and
resurrection of the unjust.
Such terms are general and non-specific. Yet, Paul in I Cor.15 gives clear
instruction on an order or sequence in the doctrine of
resurrection. I Cor.15:23- “order” =tagmati from, tasso- military term for ‘arrange’ as in
division, troop, rank. It appears
to indicate an ‘order or arrangement’ of the bodily resurrection. As such it dispels the concept of a
general resurrection; thus, we interpret the John 5 and Acts
24 language by the more specific language of I Cor.15 and other
verses. “Christ, the firstfruits…”- such terms indicate that Paul is
using an agricultural motif to express resurrection
(note how this agricultural motif is expanded in vs.35-38). Firstfruits are the ‘earliest produce of the
season’ and a picked with an expectation of
more to follow later in the ‘season’. 1) note Matt.
27:51-53- which is less a ‘resurrection’ and more of a resuscitation (as
with Lazarus) with a physical death later in the person’s life. The purpose of
this resuscitation was to coincide with the
2) Jesus’ resurrection was a true
restoration of his personhood complete with transformed body- Luke 24:36-43—he
had true “physical” or material properties. Yet, in John 20:19-26, His body is
not limited by closed doors. “afterwards,
those who are Christ’s at his coming”- this reference would be to
several “orders” of resurrection: 3) the
resurrection/rapture of the Church age saints- John 11:25-26 where Jesus refers
to 2 classes – “those who believe..die….shall live”=resurrection
of deceased believers; and “lives..believes in me shall never
die”= rapture of living saints at his coming. I Thess.
This will involve a significant
number of deceased believers from Pentecost to the Rapture as well as the
generation alive at the hour of the Rapture. This living generation of believers will
not experience physical death just apparently as neither did Enoch in Gen.5:24.
From I Cor.15:51-53 we understand these
believers will be “changed”= allagasometha –from allasso-
other; here, to make other than it is (Vine). Note also, Phil.3:21 “who will change”
-NKJV “transform” = metaschamatisei
- changing the form of a thing.
Just as the deceased believer receives a renewed and heavenly body, so
the living believer will as well. Page 2 4) the
resurrection of saints coming out of the Great Tribulation occurring at the
occasion of the 2nd Advent (Christ comes to the earth). This is best understood from the
following passage: Rev.20:4-6- describes those who
“beheaded for their witness to Jesus..who had not worshipped the beast…nor received his
mark…they lived and reigned with Christ for a 1000
yrs…..blessed/holy..has part
in the first resurrection.” There
can be no doubt this is a direct reference to saints (both Jewish & Gentile
believers) coming out of the 7 yr. Tribulation period---note this follows the
actual 2nd Advent of Christ as seen in
Rev.19:11-21. 5) the
resurrection of OT Saints of resurr/rapture of the church and as the
“harvest”. J.Dwight Pentecost places the resurr.of OT Israel at the 2nd Advent with the
Trib.saints.
His argument is based on the context of Dan.12:1-3 where the Trib. is referred to as “shall be a time of trouble. Such as
never was…” Clearly, resurr.
is seen in vs.2-3 and occurs “at that time your
[ This would be a resurr. of OT saints
post-Tribulation. Also, Isa.26:19 is in context of
vs.20-21 where we read of “until the indignation is past” =Tribulation and
“the LORD comes…to punish the inhabitants of the earth” =Tribulation. Thus, it appears OT saints are resurr. after the Tribulation and before the
1000 yr. earthly reign of
Christ. |