The Resurrection
The resurrection of the dead is one of the most basic of Christian doctrines;
and we accept it as fact that Yeshua the Messiah (Jesus Christ) not only
suffered and died for the sins of the world, but that He subsequently rose from
the grave by the power of the Almighty God - His Father. Indeed were it not for the Saviour's resurrection, an event confirmed by many irrefutable proofs and hundreds of
eye witnesses, the whole catalogue of His mighty works and wonderful message
may well have been passed over by the reporters of history. For the reality of
the resurrection means that Jesus Christ not only rose from the dead, but that
He is alive today. Yes, Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God, is alive
today. And it is because He is alive and personally directing the work of His
Church, that all the unbelieving forces in existence have been unable to
prevent the Everlasting Gospel spreading to the four corners of this earth.
Moreover, the resurrection of Jesus has set him high above all the great men
and philosophers of the ages, men who have somehow been accepted as the
original thinkers of the past. In other words, great as those other religious
leaders may have been, they are still dead!. Yes, they are all dead; whereas
Jesus Christ is very much alive and actively leading His Church even in this
20th century.
In addition to these fundamental facts, Yeshua's resurrection is also Yahweh's
infallible guarantee that all who genuinely believe in His Son will likewise
rise from their graves and live forever, even though the sleep of temporal
death may overtake them. And so we use the truth of the resurrection to remind
all students, that no matter how bleak the outlook and however dark their
circumstances, they should never cease to rejoice in the reality that Yeshua
the Messiah, the Saviour of mankind, the Son of the Living God, is alive. And because He is alive, the
believer may be absolutely certain that he/she will also live forever. In other
words, sickness and death should hold no lasting fear for anyone who has put
his/her faith in Christ.
Praise be to Yahweh the Almighty God of Israel!
- Jesus was raised to life by the power of God. (Acts 4:10, Romans 6:4)
- He was subsequently seen by over 500 witnesses. (Acts 2:32, 1 Corinthains 15:6)
- The Bible clearly teaches the resurrection of the dead. It is a foundation
teaching of the Scriptures. (Ezekiel chapter 37, 1 Corinthians 15:20-23)
- There are two general resurrections:
- The first, the Resurrection of Life, will take place at the return
of Christ. (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, John 5:29)
- The second, the Resurrection of Damnation, will occur a thousand
years after the first resurrection. (Revelation 20: 5-6)
- Resurrected believers who rise at the first resurrection will
come forth with glorified and immortal bodies, similar to the body
Jesus possessed when He rose from the grave. (1 Corinthians 15:42-44,
1 John 3:2)
- They will then receive their awards and eternal inheritance at the hand of
God. (Luke 14:14, Matthew 16:27)
- The unbeliever, in awful contrast, will rise in the Resurrection of
Damnation - after the final judgement at the end of the millennium.
Unbelievers will perish in the second death. (Revelation 20:12-14)
- There is no resurrection from the second death. The second death - by fire - is
the annihilation of the unbeliever. "They will be as though they had not
been." (See Lesson 16) (Revelation 20:15, Malachi 4:1)
- In view of these awesome facts all students are urged to put their faith
in Yahweh and His Son. Should they die before Christ returns to earth,
the Most High is well able to raise them from their graves and give them
eternal life. This is the message of the Gospel of Salvation.
Is it not good news to a frightened world? (John 3:16, 2 Corinthians 1:9)
- All those who seek to live forever (and who in his/her right mind does
not?) should accept and act upon the words of the Saviour who said:
John 11:25
| "I am the resurrection, and the life:
He that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live."
|
For further study see: Ressurrection from the Dead
Author: David B Loughran
Stewarton Bible School, Stewarton, Scotland
August 1998
URL: http://www.rmplc.co.uk/eduweb/sites/sbs777/course/lesson6.html