Southern Christian University

James A. Turner

 

TWO GREAT RESURRECTIONS

 

Intro. 1.The Bible teaches plainly concerning two great resurrections.

          2.Take away either of these two great resurrections and there is no

              "GOODNEWS" of the gospel.

          3.There must be death before there can be a resurrection.

 

I.  THE BIBLE TEACHES PLAINLY CONCERNING A SPIRITUAL RESURRECTION IN CHRIST.

 

A.     The Whole World Needs This Spiritual Resurrection Because Spiritual Death Reigns Because

      of Sin (I Jn.5:19).

       1. The sentence of spiritual and physical death was given after the fall of man in the Garden of

           Eden (Gen.2:17, 3:17-19, 3:22; Rom. 5:12).

       2. Death is a separation (Jas.2:26). In the long ago God said to Israel, "Behold, Jehovah's hand

           is  not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear, but YOUR

           INIQUITIES HAVE SEPARATED between you and your God, and your sins have hid His

           face from you, so that he will not hear you (Isa.59:1-2).

       3. Eziekel was speaking of spiritual death when he said, "The soul that sinneth it shall die:----

           (Ezek. 18:20)." He was speaking of spiritual life when he said, "But if the wicked turn from

           all his sins ---- he shall not die (18:21)'" Again he says that Jehovah had, "rather that he

           should return from HIS WAY, and live (18:19-24; Mt. 16:24).

 

 B.  Jesus Came To Give Spiritual Life To Those Who Would Obey Him.

  1. He said, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that heareth my word, and beliveth on him that

      sent me, hath eternal life, and cometh not into judgment, but hath passed OUT OF DEATH

      INTO LIFE. Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour cometh, and now is, when the dead 

      (spiritual dead) shall hear the voice of the Son of God; and THEY THAT HEAR shall live 

      (Jn. 5:24-25)."

  1. Note that this resurrection involves the free moral agency of man, "they that hear", and it 

     was present then.

  1. Jesus said to Martha, the sister of Lazarus, "I am the resurrection, and the life. He that

      believeth on me, though he die, yet shall he live; and whosoever liveth and believeth shall

      never die (Jn. 11:25-26)."                                     

 

   C. The Ephesian Christians Had Experienced This Spiritual Resurrection.

1.      Paul said to them, "And you did he make alive when ye were dead through your trespasses

      and sins --- but God, being rich in mercy, --- even when we were dead through our 

      trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace have you been saved) (Eph.2:1-5)."

2.      In v. 6 he says, "And raised us up with him." The Colssian brethren had also been made a live by

      a spiritual resurrection in Christ (Col.2:11-13).

     

D.              All Need This Spiritual Resurrection In Christ.

1.                    All accountable people are dead in their trespass and sins until they  receive this resurrection

       (Rom. 3:23, 5:12).

2.                    This resurrection takes place when the sinner is baptized in the likeness of the death, burial

       and resurrection of Christ and "raised to walk in newness of life (Rom. 6:1-7, 6:17-18).

3.                    The facts of the gospel (ICor. 15:1-4) must be obeyed (II Thess. 1:7-8) and they are obeyed

      in a form in baptism.

    

E. Those Who Teach Salvation By "Faith Only" Entangle Themselves In  A Web Of 

          Inconsistencies.

           1. Such a doctrine does away with repentance, confession and baptism, which the Bible says

               are necessary (Acts 2:38; Lu.13:3; Acts 17:30-31; Mt. 10:32-33; Rom. 10:9-10; Mk.

               16:16; Acts 8:12-13, 8:30-39, 10:47- 48, 18:8, 22:16; Jn.3:1-7; Titus 3:5; Gal. 3:26-27;

               Rom. 6:1-7; I Cor. 12:13).

           2. Those who teach this doctrine usually baptize a person who according to the doctrine is

               already saved and ALIVE in Christ. Is it in order to bury a live person? Is it not the person

               who is dead in sin that should be buried in the waters of baptism (Rom.6:3-7)?

    

F.      Revelation 20:6 Is A Spiritual Resurrection In Christ Which "Rapture Preachers" and

       Premillennialist Have Tried To Make A Physical Resurrection.

        1.  It reads, "Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: over these the second

             death hath no power; but they shall be priest of God and of Christ and shall reign with him a

             thousand years."

        2. Those who obey Christ and live the Christian life are those who have part in the first

             resurrection (Jn.5:24-25).

 

E.               All Christians are priests of God and of Christ, and Christ is our high priest (I Pet. 2:5, 2:9;

      Heb. 2:16-18, 3:1, 4:14-16, 5:1-6, 7:11-14, 7:22- 25).

      The thousand years of Rev.20:6 may be used to represent almost all of  the Christian

      Dispensation or "last days." Dt. 7:9 speaks of God as, "the faithful God, who keepeth

       covenant and loving kindness with them that love him and keep his commandments to a

      THOUSAND GENERATIONS. Does this not mean that God will keep “covenant and

       loving kindness” with the faithful for the full and complete time between now and the

       judgment of the last day?

 

F.               A "thousand" is used more than once in the Bible to represent an unlimited number. Ps.

      50:10 reads, "For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills."

      Surely we know that there are cattle on many times a thousand hills! Who do they belong  to?

 

G.              Rev.20:6 says, "THE SECOND DEATH" will have no power over those who have part in

      the "first resurrection". The second death is the "lake of fire" (Rev. 20:14,21:7-8).

 

II. THE BIBLE TEACHES PLAINLY THAT A DAY IS COMING WHEN ALL WHO ARE PHYSCALLY DEAD WILL BE RAISED.

 

     A. Even The Patriarchs Knew Something About This Great Resurrection

         1.Job said, "I know that my Redeemer liveth---- and after my skin, even this body is

destroyed, then without my flesh shall I see God (Job 19:25-26)."

          2. The faithful in the days of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob knew about it and "confessed that

              they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth --- But  now they desire a better country, that

              is a heavenly; wherefore God is not ashamed of them, to be called their God; for he hath

              prepared for  them a city (Heb. 11:13-16)."

  1. Daniel said, "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" (ASV)" Many of those who 

      lie dead in the ground will rise from death. some of them will be given eternal life, and

      others will  receive nothing but eternal shame and disgrace"(CEV). "Many, many     

      people of the earth that are dead and buried will wake up to have life forever. But some will

     wake up to have shame and hate that continues forever" (E to RV) (Dan.12:2).

   

     B. Jesus Taught That All The Dead Will Be Raised At The Same Time.

           1. After Jesus had given instruction concerning the "first resurrection" he said, "Marvel not at

               this: for the hour cometh, in which all that are in the tombs shall hear his voice, and shall

                come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life, and they that have

               done evil, unto the resurrection of judgment (Jn.5:28-29)." Note that both those who  

              have "done good" and those who  have "done evil" will be raised at the  same time!

           2. Paul said, (I Cor.15:51-53).

 

C. The Premillennialist And Rapture Preachers Teach That There Will Be A Resurrection Of

         The Righteous And Much Later A Resurrection Of The Unrighteous.

           1. They use especially I Thess. 4:16 "and the dead in Christ shall rise first" and Rev. 20:6 to

               try to establish their doctrine.

2.      In the context of I Thess. 4:13-18 Paul is speaking of only two classes of people, the

      righteous dead and the righteous living. There are four  classes which includes the

       unrighteous dead and the unrighteous living.

3.      The brethren at Thessalonica were sorrowing like those, "who have no hope" (4:13) over

some of their brethren who had died and Christ had  not come. They were reasoning that they would not receive the blessings and glory that those who are still living will receive. Paul told them that when Christ comes those, "asleep in Jesus will God bring with him," meaning that Jesus will bring the spirits of the righteous (Phil.1:22-23; II Cor.5:8; Ecc.12:7) with him and the dead righteous will be raised, and thus a uniting of the souls of the righteous with  incorruptible glorious bodies (I Jn. 3:2-3; Phil. 3:20-21; I Cor. 15:50-58). Paul then told these grieving brethren, "Wherefore comfort one another with these words (4:18).

4. The chapter division at the end of I Thess. 4:18 is not good. In 5:1-9 the unrighteous will    be saying, "Peace and safety, then sudden destruction cometh upon them --- But ye brethren, are not in darkness (you are not in sin and separated from God), that that day (same day as judgment on the righteous) should over take you as a thief (also Mt. 24:36-39, 24:43-44)."

5.  II Thess. 1:6-10 teaches that when Christ comes "rendering vengeance to them that know not God, and to them that obey not the gospel---(1:8-9) he will come "to be glorified in his saints --- (1:10)." See also I Jn. 3:2 and Phil. 3:20-21.

6. Brethren, If we had been more active in using all of the avenues of  mass media, and every other avenue available, "The Rapture Preachers" could not have deceived so many people. There are too many God fearing and honest people in those Protestant Churches for them to have gotten by with such a doctrine that is false from the beginning to the end!

 

      D.  This Great Resurrection Will Take Place When Christ Comes Again.

 1.  Just as surely as Christ came the first time He is coming a second  time (Heb.9:28; Jn.14:1-3; I Thess. 4:16; Rev. 1:5-7; Mt. 24:44).

2.  He will come with "the angels of his power   rendering vengeance" (IIThess. 1:7-8) to the wicked, and the angels will gather out of his  kingdom all things that cause stumbling (Mt. 13:36-43, 13:49-50)."

3. Before Him will be gathered all the nations and he will separate the  sheep from the goats (Mt. 25:31-46).

4. The foolish virgins (Mt. 25:1-13) and those who refuse to use their talents as good stewards (Mt. 25:14-30) will not be prepared for His coming.

5.  A sobering question that each one of us needs to answer is, Am I prepared for that great resurrection day?

               6.  There is coming a last great day (Jn. 6:39, 6:40, 6:44, 6:54).

    7.  Sinner friend, will you choose to have part in the "first resurrection"? (Jn.5:24-25). If you will the "second, death" will have no power over you! If you have not obeyed the gospel you are  already in spiritual death (II Thess. 1:7-9; Isa. 59:1-2). Will you not hear and obey the words of Jesus (Jn.5:24-25; Mt. 11:28-30; Rev. 20:6, 22:17).