The Apostle Paul’s Hope, indeed, the Hope of all those who trust Christ.

Resurrection is a very rich doctrine in the New Testament and the hope of all who trust in Jesus Christ. Hope in the worldly sense is kind of empty – sort of like you wish something would happen but knowing it probably won’t. “Oh, you know, I hope so, but I’m not sure… maybe…but probably not…”

Hope in the Christian sense is a guarantee from God not yet delivered. That which God guarantees, He delivers. So hope is really just a sure thing that is promised but not here yet. Like the Resurrection. So, on to the topic:

As the world descends into the chaos predicted by the biblical prophets and the Apostles, there is no more important promise (hope) than the resurrection of the righteous. It is a bodily resurrection – immortality granted by our Creator through Jesus Christ.  Man longs for immortality because eternity was placed in our hearts – it was always part of being created in the image and likeness of God. But mankind pursues his own immortality apart from God. Artificial Intelligence, robot bodies, uploaded sentience, or genetic manipulation/engineering with the goal of prolonging life. Its all in the works today. But man’s ungodly pursuit of immortality on his own terms, apart from God will fail.

The immortality promised by God will be delivered through the atoning death and BODILY RESURRECTION of Jesus Christ. Those who trust in Him will live forever in resurrected, immortal bodies. This is the first resurrection. In our immortality granted by God, we will live in the Kingdom of God, a glorious reality in which there is no more evil, suffering, inflation, climate change. No more COVID or vaccine mandates or tyranny. The scriptures say that the righteous will reign with Christ, under His authority, but we will be fulfilling what we have been created for – to reign with Him forever.

The wicked are also destined for a resurrection – the second resurrection, one of judgement and final condemnation. This is forever. Contrary to what people want to believe, God cannot and will not allow the wicked into His kingdom.  Those who have rejected Christ and have chosen instead to pursue their own way will be thrown into the lake of fire. This is logical since the entire plan of salvation is structured to return to the original intent of our creation.  Sin and darkness, paganism – the acknowledgement of false wanna-be gods, cannot be permitted into God’s kingdom – otherwise we are right back to corruption and evil.  This will never happen again! That’s the point of the entire path from Genesis 3 to Revelation 22. That is why judgement of rebellious entities and those who follow them must be as indicated in scripture: forever, remembered no more, never again permitted to bring in the rebellion of sin. God has implemented extreme measures to ensure the new heaven, the new earth, the Holy City the New Jerusalem will never be subjected to the ruin of sin.

Human arguments that subject the Almighty to our own human sense of justice are irrelevant. God is not subject to our human originated sense of justice.  He is not under our authority, we are under His. One of the final messages from the Book of Revelation says this:

Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near. Let the one who does wrong, still do wrong; and the one who is filthy, still be filthy; and let the one who is righteous, still practice righteousness; and the one who is holy, still keep himself holy.

Revelation 22:10-11

It is basically saying: make your final choice. What’s it going to be: righteous or wicked? There are no other choices. Choose wisely and choose quickly.  Time is running out.

The Doctrine of the Resurrection

Read Acts 24 – Paul’s defense before Felix against the false accusations by the Jewish leaders.

• Even in a legal defense, Paul is able to bring in spiritual truths of the gospel
• Felix retains Paul under “house arrest” but has some curiosity about Paul’s beliefs and wants to hear more.
  • “But as he was discussing righteousness, self-control and the judgment to come, Felix became frightened.” Acts 24:25
• In Paul’s defense before Felix he says the following:

But this I admit to you, that according to the Way which they call a sect I do serve  the God of our fathers, believing everything that is in accordance with the Law and that is written in the Prophets; having a hope in God, which these men cherish themselves, that there shall certainly be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked.

Acts 24:14-15

Resurrection

• What is it: a dead body restored and brought back to life by the power of God.
• Resurrection may possibly be the most well defined, explicit doctrine in the New Testament. The primary teaching of the resurrection: 1 Cor 15.
• Different resurrections in scripture:
  • Miracles of resurrection in both the OT and NT (for example, Lazarus) – raised; not glorified
  • The resurrection of Jesus – raised, glorified
  • The resurrection of the righteous – raised, glorified
  • The resurrection of the wicked – raised for final judgement, not glorified
  • What is “glorified”? Hard to say. The bible says we are made in the image and likeness of God, so given the resurrected righteous people are now free of the sinful flesh, perhaps there is a little more capability that God permits. We do not nor ever will become like Him in terms of divinity – there is and ever will be only one God. But perhaps – a little more like Him as He chooses to bestow. It will be interesting to see what God gives us in regards to glorified bodies.

Note: In the above verse from Acts, Paul speaks of the resurrection of the righteous and the wicked. This does not necessarily mean there are two (numerical) resurrections.  It could mean there are two categories of resurrection; the resurrection of the righteous may be in two phases: the resurrection of 1 Th 4:16 (Rapture) and the resurrection of Rev 20:4.

Although the word “resurrection” is not used in the Old Testament, the principle is clearly there.  For example,

• Job 19:25-27 “As for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, And at the last He will take His stand on the earth. “Even after my skin is destroyed, Yet from my flesh I shall see God; Whom I myself shall behold, And whom my eyes will see and not another. My heart faints within me.”

Observations from the New Testament

1. The resurrection is the “linchpin” of our faith.
   1. For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied. 1 Cor 15:16-19
2. The order of the resurrection.
   1. But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep. For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead. 1 Cor 15:20-21
   2. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ’s at His coming, then comes the end, when He hands over the kingdom to the God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power. 1 Cor 15:22-24
3. The resurrection of the righteous – the first resurrection. You want to be part of the first resurrection – the resurrection of the righteous!
   1. The promise of resurrection: Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies”. John 11:25
   2. But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.  1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
   3. Then I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was given to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark on their forehead and on their hand; and they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. 5 The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were completed. This is the first resurrection. 6  Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years. Revelation 20:4-6

• The resurrection of the wicked. You do NOT want to be in the second resurrection, a resurrection unto judgement!
  • Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and  books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. Revelation 20:11-15
    • Resurrection unto final judgement – the Lake of Fire.
    • Second Resurrection = Resurrection of the unrighteous = Second death = Lake of Fire
    • All things will be made new.
      • And He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.”  Revelation 21:5
    • Final disposition of evil is necessary to protect the final reality of God’s Kingdom. God has decreed judgement of spiritual forces of darkness as well as those who follow them and have rejected the gospel.

• The resurrection as Paul’s motivation to maintain a clear conscience.
  • In view of this, I also do my best to maintain always a blameless conscience both before God and before men. Acts 24:16

Take-Aways

• Believers in Christ, are destined for the resurrection of the righteous. Yay!
• The wicked are also destined for a resurrection – the second resurrection (final judgement).
• There are no other options; its one of these two only.  Choose the first resurrection by repentance and trusting Christ.
• As Paul did, all Christians (those who walk the path of righteousness with Christ) must keep the “end state” at the forefront of thoughts (“in view of this”).
  • It is the hope (promise of what is to soon be delivered).
  • It is motivation to “maintain always a blameless conscience both before God and before men”.

Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. ²   Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. Colossians 3:1-2