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Now, back to:
Now, back to:
How are the dead raised?
1 Cor 15:35 But some man will say, How are the dead raised up? AND with what body do they come?
Death was introduced into the human race by one man; and life likewise is brought to mankind by Jesus.
1 Cor 15:22 For as in Adam ALL die, even so in Christ shall ALL be made alive [G227 - zoopoieo, vivify, make alive].
ALL will be "made alive" beyond the reach of death.
1 Tim 6:13 I give thee charge in the sight of God, who quickens [G2227 - zoopoieo] ALL things [G3956 - pas]
[G3956 - pas] Thayer Definition: [1] individually [1a] each, every, any, all, the whole, everyone, all things, everything
Joh 5:21-22 For as the Father raises up the dead, and quickens [G227 - zoopoieo] them; even so the Son quickens [G227 - zoopoieo] whom He will. For the Father judges no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son:
Many have been recorded throughout Scripture to have been raised: Lazarus, the widow's son, Jairus' daughter, the sons of the Shumanite (2 Kin 4:35), and the widow of Zarephath (1 Kin 17:22)...
... and also:
Heb 11:35 Women received their dead raised [G386 - anastasis] to life again...
They were not "changed"... they were not given "immortality". They were not "made alive" beyond the reach of death. They were not VIVIFIED [G227 - zoopoieo, vivify, make alive].
Great as resurrection is, vivification far surpasses it.
Resurrection is for the Spiritually dead.
Vivification is for the Spiritually living.
Resurrection imparts physical life... subject to decay and death.
Vivification is the life abundant... beyond the reach of death.
Joh 11:26 And whosoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Believe you this?
Jesus is the Life!
Those raised in the past, and those who will be raised to The Great White Throne Judgment are still subject to death.
They are not made immortal, they are not vivified, until the Consummation when all forms of death are abolished and life is portioned to ALL that God may be ALL in ALL (1 Cor 15:28).
The statement below refers to those who believe, and this is referring to VIVIFICATION:
Joh 5:25 Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear SHALL LIVE.
While below refers to both believers and unbelievers, notice that unbelievers are RESURRECTED to judgment:
Joh 5:28-29 Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which ALL that are in the graves 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 damnation [G2920 - krisis].
The KJV makes me CRAZY sometimes!
It's NOT "resurrection of DAMNATION"!
It should read "resurrection of JUDGMENT".
Here's the definition of [G2920 - krisis]:
krisis; from G2919; a decision, judgment: - court (2), judgment (38), judgments (2), justice (4), sentence (1).
There is a distinction between vivification and resurrection. They are not one and the same.
In other words, there is a difference to be observed between raising one up and in making them alive (vivification) and "raising up" which in and of itself, is no guarantee of deathlessness.
The resurrection to Judgment is followed by: the second death in The Lake of Fire.
My point?
We are not told "As in Adam all die, so in Christ all shall be raised..."
This would be quite true, but far short of the whole Truth!
1 Cor 15:22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive [G2227 - zoopoieo, make alive beyond the reach of death].
All of this brings me to this point:
Was Jesus the first to be raised from the dead?
No!
I just gave you examples above of those that had been raised from the dead prior to Jesus.
How then can Jesus be called the Firstfruits of them to be raised from the dead?
Act 26:23 That Christ should suffer, and that He should be the FIRST that should rise from the dead, and should show light unto the people, and to the Gentiles.
1 Cor 15:23 But every man in his own order: Christ the Firstfruits...
Jesus was the First to be VIVIFIED.
He is the Firstfruits of those who are to be vivified - given life beyond the reach of death... immortality...
Luk 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 [G386 - anastasis].
Those who are not privy to this aionion life are raised up only to die again at the second death - Lake of Fire.
However - ALL will be vivified in the end:
1 Tim 6:13 I give thee charge in the sight of God, who quickens [G2227 - zoopoieo] ALL things [G3956 - pas].
In the past, He merely raised the dead, but now that He has become the Firstfruits, His presence will not only rouse us from our sleep, but ALSO give us life beyond the reach of death.
How do I know that all those who were raised (see above), later died again?
Paul confirms this in his letter to Timothy:
1 Tim 6:16 Who [Jesus] ONLY has immortality, dwelling in the Light which NO MAN can approach unto; whom NO MAN has seen, NOR CAN SEE: to Whom be honor and power everlasting. Amen.
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So up to now, I've mentioned the "catching away" of Jesus' Church, the resurrection of the whole house of Israel - which comes after the conclusion of the Great Tribulation (approximately 75 days), and there's also another resurrection...
The "resurrection of judgment" of which Jesus spoke in John 5:28-29 (mentioned above), the resurrection of the Spiritually dead, to The Great White Throne Judgment at the conclusion of Jesus Millennial Reign.
Rev 20:5 But the rest of the dead LIVED NOT again until the thousand years were finished.
This is described in more detail:
Rev 20:12-15 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 [hades] delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
And death and hell [hades] 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.
There are important points to recognize.
[1] "death" is cast into the second death (Lake of Fire). Death will no longer affect anyone outside the realm of this particular Judgment.
[2] Christendom's "HELL", or more correctly hades, the "unseen", the "imperceptible" the "state of the dead" is also cast into the second death AFTER giving up those in hades (the dead).
The only place, at this point in time, that death will be found - in the entire vastness of the universe (as we know it) is here... in the Lake of Fire which IS the second death.
The Lake of Fire, which is the second death - WILL BE abolished as Christ's final act!
1 Cor 15:25-26 For He [Jesus] must reign, until He has put ALL enemies under His feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed IS DEATH.
Those who have their part in the second death will no longer be affected by death once it is destroyed by Jesus!
This is the Consummation at the end of the ages! This is when ALL will be vivified! This is when God becomes ALL in ALL!
1 Cor 15:22 For as in Adam ALL die, even so in Christ shall ALL be made alive [G227 - zoopoieo, vivify, make alive].
ALL will be "made alive" beyond the reach of death.
1 Tim 6:13 I give thee charge in the sight of God, who quickens [G2227 - zoopoieo] ALL things [G3956 - pas].
1 Cor 15:28 And when ALL things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also Himself be subject unto Him that put all things under Him, that God may be ALL in ALL.
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Part 3 will get more into the resurrection of the whole house of Israel (Ezekial 37).
Some of these excerpts are from my personal notes copied from 30+ years of studying... some of these notes are direct copies of various sources - I do not claim to have authored every word of this... it's just a mass collection I've tucked away over the years for my own personal studies... I didn't consider a bibliography at the time I directly copied small excerpts from various authors. Also, any emphasis (underlines, bold text, all CAPS, etc.) noted above was only meant to capture my personal attention as I studied...
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