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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?
Below, I will try to explain the coming resurrections... but, first:
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Harpazo
There's an important distinction to point out that can be confusing if not considered before proceeding.
Those "in Christ", both the living and the dead, at the time of Jesus' appearance [parousia] are "caught up" to meet Jesus in the air before the conclusion of the Great Tribulation period:
1 Th 4:16-17 For the Lord Himself shall descend from Heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise [G450 - anistemi, to stand up, arise, raise up (again)] first:
(Remember this Greek word "anistemi" for later...)
Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up [G726 - harpazo, to seize, take by force] together [G260 - hama, at the same time, simultaneously, together] with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
This "harpazo" comes BEFORE Jesus literal, physical Second Coming to the earth. Jesus does not set His feet on Mount Zion at this time. We are caught up to meet Him in the air.
His Millennial Kingdom will be inaugurated 75 days AFTER the Great Tribulation comes to conclusion.
(I will discuss the 75 days in a separate blog "Daniel's 70th Week" soon...)
There's another event that will occur at this time (75 days after). The Old Testament Saints will be resurrected to physical life in order to inherit the Millennial Kingdom.
They will not be alone in this first resurrection. Joining them will be those Jewish peoples who were persecuted and martyred by the beast during the Great Tribulation period:
Rev 14:13 And I heard a voice from Heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth...
Rev 20:4 ... I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the Word of God, and which had not worshiped 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.
After we are caught up to meet Jesus in the air, there will be persecution happening on earth during the Great Tribulation. Those listed above in Rev 20:4 who have been martyred during this period, will be resurrected back to physical life at the first resurrection.
The "whole house of Israel", the Chosen Nation will also be resurrected to physical life to commence their reign over the earth (Ezek 37). Some will be resurrected to glory and some to shame.
Dan 12:12-13 Blessed is he that waits, and comes to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days. But go thou thy way [Daniel] till the end be: for thou shalt rest, and stand in thy lot at the end of the days [1,335 days].
There are many tasks to be taken care of at the conclusion of the Great Tribulation and before the Millennial Kingdom begins (75 days). I'll touch on those additional events later but also note that Jesus will also hold His earthly Judgment after the conclusion of the Great Tribulation... the separation of the nations (sheep and goats):
Mat 25:32 And before Him shall be gathered all NATIONS: and He shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats:
This has often been misunderstood to be speaking of the "eternal" fate of mankind... it has nothing to do with that...
It is the earthly Judgment of Jesus, and He is dealing exclusively with those who are physically alive, and on the earth following the Great Tribulation period.
It is a Judgment based on "works" and defined by how those nations have treated His Chosen Nation (Israel) during the Great Tribulation period and after. The Church has already been caught up prior to this earthly Judgment.
There are the saints of Israel who have died in faith, and Ezekial 37 tells us that "the whole house of Israel" will be brought back to physical life in this first resurrection and they shall be a "great force".
Rev 20:6 Blessed and Holy is he that hath part in the FIRST resurrection [G386 - anastasis]: 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.
We, as His Body - His Church, have been caught up to meet Him in the air prior to this first resurrection and have been changed into our glorified bodies!
There are two resurrections 1,000 years years apart and neither of them have anything to do with us.
Caught Up
We are "caught up" sometime before the end of the Great Tribulation, when God will pour out His wrath on this earth.
1 Th 5:9 For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ.
This "catching up" is the time in which 1 Cor 15:51 comes into play. The living, as well as the dead in Christ, shall be changed.
His Millennial Kingdom will be inaugurated 75 days AFTER the Great Tribulation comes to conclusion.
(I will discuss the 75 days in a separate blog "Daniel's 70th Week" soon...)
There's another event that will occur at this time (75 days after). The Old Testament Saints will be resurrected to physical life in order to inherit the Millennial Kingdom.
They will not be alone in this first resurrection. Joining them will be those Jewish peoples who were persecuted and martyred by the beast during the Great Tribulation period:
Rev 14:13 And I heard a voice from Heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth...
Rev 20:4 ... I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the Word of God, and which had not worshiped 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.
After we are caught up to meet Jesus in the air, there will be persecution happening on earth during the Great Tribulation. Those listed above in Rev 20:4 who have been martyred during this period, will be resurrected back to physical life at the first resurrection.
The "whole house of Israel", the Chosen Nation will also be resurrected to physical life to commence their reign over the earth (Ezek 37). Some will be resurrected to glory and some to shame.
Dan 12:12-13 Blessed is he that waits, and comes to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days. But go thou thy way [Daniel] till the end be: for thou shalt rest, and stand in thy lot at the end of the days [1,335 days].
There are many tasks to be taken care of at the conclusion of the Great Tribulation and before the Millennial Kingdom begins (75 days). I'll touch on those additional events later but also note that Jesus will also hold His earthly Judgment after the conclusion of the Great Tribulation... the separation of the nations (sheep and goats):
Mat 25:32 And before Him shall be gathered all NATIONS: and He shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats:
This has often been misunderstood to be speaking of the "eternal" fate of mankind... it has nothing to do with that...
It is the earthly Judgment of Jesus, and He is dealing exclusively with those who are physically alive, and on the earth following the Great Tribulation period.
It is a Judgment based on "works" and defined by how those nations have treated His Chosen Nation (Israel) during the Great Tribulation period and after. The Church has already been caught up prior to this earthly Judgment.
Rev 20:6 Blessed and Holy is he that hath part in the FIRST resurrection [G386 - anastasis]: 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.
We, as His Body - His Church, have been caught up to meet Him in the air prior to this first resurrection and have been changed into our glorified bodies!
There are two resurrections 1,000 years years apart and neither of them have anything to do with us.
Caught Up
We are "caught up" sometime before the end of the Great Tribulation, when God will pour out His wrath on this earth.
1 Th 5:9 For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ.
This "catching up" is the time in which 1 Cor 15:51 comes into play. The living, as well as the dead in Christ, shall be changed.
1 Cor 15:50-51 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed.
Our "bodies" shall become like the body of Jesus. Not as Jesus' human body before His resurrection, and not as His body even before His ascension (after He had risen as Thomas had witnessed his wounds)...
... but as His body was when Saul met Him (on the road to Damascus) and was blinded by the brightness of His presence.
Act 9:3 ... and suddenly there shined round about him [Saul... soon to be renamed Paul] a Light from Heaven.
Our bodies will be "changed" to be like Jesus:
Php 3:21 Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto His [Jesus] glorious body, according to the working whereby He is able even to subdue ALL things unto Himself.
Jesus says we will be like the angels:
Luk 20:36 Neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto the angels [G2465 - isaggelos, like an angel]; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection [G386 - anastasis].
No, we will not sprout wings as we are the children of God. We will be like the angels [G32 - aggelos] in the sense of "neither can they die anymore".
Notice above in 1 Th 4:16-17 - we meet Him "in the air", "in the clouds"...
Luk 20:36 Neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto the angels [G2465 - isaggelos, like an angel]; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection [G386 - anastasis].
No, we will not sprout wings as we are the children of God. We will be like the angels [G32 - aggelos] in the sense of "neither can they die anymore".
Notice above in 1 Th 4:16-17 - we meet Him "in the air", "in the clouds"...
Jesus will not set foot on this earth at this time - His actual, literal Second Coming occurs when He comes to put an end to the Great Tribulation and set up His Millennial Kingdom.
Previous "harpazos"
I don't like using the word "rapture" because it's an un-Scriptural word. It has come to be a heavily debated word and is surrounded by all sorts of un-Scriptural conversation. But... it may help point some of you to the event in which we're discussing.
Before moving on, I want to point out that this harpazo ("rapture") event is not the first occurrence of harpazo.
What Paul describes below may even be considered similar to what we recognize as a "near-death experience".
Third Heaven?
Paul tells us:
I don't like using the word "rapture" because it's an un-Scriptural word. It has come to be a heavily debated word and is surrounded by all sorts of un-Scriptural conversation. But... it may help point some of you to the event in which we're discussing.
Before moving on, I want to point out that this harpazo ("rapture") event is not the first occurrence of harpazo.
What Paul describes below may even be considered similar to what we recognize as a "near-death experience".
Third Heaven?
Paul tells us:
2 Cor 12:2-4 I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knows) such an one caught up [G726 - harpazo] to the third heaven.
And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knows) how that he was caught up [G726 - harpazo] into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.
Fourteen years before Paul wrote this letter to the Corinthians, he was on his first missionary trip to Lystra in which he was stoned, and left for dead (Act 14:19). The text tells us that after they stoned him, they dragged his battered body out of the city "supposing he was dead".
While I cannot be dogmatic about this, it has been said that this is the time when his body was supposed to be finished with this life, and that he was transported in Spirit (or in body - "I cannot tell") to the "third heaven".
I've heard some teach that this "third heaven" was a special level in heaven, which is not true.
There are not different levels in heaven.
However, there are three different heavens mentioned in Scripture.
The first was [1] "of old" (2 Pet 3:5) and are perished.
Following the "heavens which were of old" are the second heavens, or the [2] "heavens which are now" (2 Pet 3:7) which are also not permanent.
The third heaven is viewed by the Apostle John in Revelation (Rev 21:1). It is the [3] "new Heaven".
Note that John does not enter the New Heaven but confines himself to a description of the New Heaven and New Earth.
Paul briefly entered the third heaven... whether in the body, or out of body - he did not know. It was there that he saw the universal Supremacy of Jesus. All of this he had seen, but he was not allowed to disclose any of it...
2 Cor 12:4 How that he was caught up [G726 - harpazo] into paradise, and heard unspeakable [G731 - arrhetos, inexpressible] words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.
He does not even explicitly admit to being "the man" who had seen this ("I knew such a man"). He had good reason to refrain from boasting!
2 Cor 12:5 Of such an One [Jesus] will I glory: yet of myself I will not glory, but in mine infirmities.
Part of him wanted to boast...
2 Cor 12:6-7 For though I would desire to glory, I SHALL NOT BE A FOOL; for I will say the Truth: but now I forbear, lest any man should think of me above that which he sees me to be, or that he hears of me.
And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.
Moving on... Philip was also "caught up":
Act 8:39 And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away [G726 - harpazo] Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing.
After saying all of this, the point is:
... harpazo is the word used to describe this "catching up". It means nothing more than being "snatched away with force".
It's not the "catching up" that matters so much to this topic...
... it's the "change" of 1 Corinthians 15 that occurs with our snatching away that will matter when we are "caught up" to meet Jesus.
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Brief Interlude 2
Breifly, I want to touch on the difference between two Greek words: [G450 - anistemi] and [G386 - anastasis]
The first -
[G450 - anistemi] to cause to stand up (literally or figuratively, transitively or intransitively): - arise, lift up, raise up (again), rise (again), stand up (-right)
This word is used in the KJV of "raising the dead" at least 38 times.
... of which the second word builds upon, or adds to:
[G386 - anastasis] a standing up again, that is, (literally) a resurrection from death (individual, general or by implication (its author)), or (figuratively) a (moral) recovery (of spiritual truth): - raised to life again, resurrection, rise from the dead, that should rise, rising again.
This word is used in the KJV of "resurrection" at least 39 times.
"... the dead in Christ shall rise [G450 - anistemi, to stand up, arise, raise up (again)] first:"
You may be thinking "So what?"
The inspiration of God's Word and the original language points out a difference between the two words, and I'll get to this in more detail soon.
For example:
Rom 14:9 For to this end Christ both died, and rose [G450 - anistemi], AND revived [G326 - anazao, to recover life], that He might be Lord both of the dead and living.
Notice how anistemi does not, in and of itself carry any weight towards the definition of "living again"... it is simply "to rise". Above, anazao is added to the "rising up" of anistemi. It's a separate action apart from the "rising up".
These dead in Christ are indeed given immortal life, but it is defined in their "change", not simply in the "rising up" in which Paul elaborates on further in the passage of 1 Corinthians 15.
On the other hand, anastasis is translated as "resurrection" which is inclusive of bringing back to life (either Spiritually, or physically) and implicates the additional action - apart from simply "raising up".
There's also two more words to consider in this discussion:
[G1453 - egeiro] To rouse, to cause to rise, to stir to activity. Probably akin to the base of G58 (through the idea of collecting one’s faculties); to waken (transitively or intransitively), that is, rouse (literally from sleep, from sitting or lying, from disease, from death.
And...
[G2227 - zoopoieo] From the same as G2226 and G4160; to (re-) vitalize (literally or figuratively): - make alive, give life, quicken.
Here is Thayer's Definition which gives us a better sense of this word:
[1] to produce alive, begat or bear living young
[2] to cause to live, make alive, give life (2a) by spiritual power to arouse and invigorate (2b) to restore to life (2c) to give increase of life: thus of physical life (2d) of the spirit, quickening as respects the spirit, endued with new and greater powers of life
[3] metaphorically, of seeds quickened into life, i.e. germinating, springing up, growing
This word is used 12 times in Scripture and is used in the sense of giving more abundant life, or life beyond the reach of death, of conferring immortality.
Here's a good example of both of these two words put to use:
Joh 5:21 For as the Father raises up [G1453 - egeiro, rouses] the dead, AND quickens [G2227 - zoopoieo] them; even so the Son quickens [G2227] whom He will.
Just keep these thoughts in your pocket for now.
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More coming in Part 2...
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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