The Two Resurrections

Introduction - During our study entitled the King Is Coming, a question was raised concerning the rapture and the resurrection of the dead.

I wanted to take some time and address the topic, but in order to do so, we must look at several areas of Bible doctrine to have a grasp of the subject.

The question was raised, How can we reconcile the resurrection unto life with the truth that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord?

2 Corinthians 5:8 very clearly states, “8 We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.”

However, when we look at 1 Thessalonians 4:16 we see this statement, “16 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 first:”

To deal with the subject requires that we much touch several different facets of doctrine.

I want to help you this morning with this truth, but also want to deal with something further in reference to this truth.

Let’s Pray

The first thing I would like to say is perhaps what is more important than figuring out this mystery.

And that is simply this, there are no discrepancies with the Word of God.

The more you study the Bible, you will discover perhaps there are things you just do not understand.

To deal with that I want to present to you three helps:

We have a presupposition that the Bible is true.

“…let God be true and every man a liar…” (Romans 3:4)

That tells us that there will always been men that attempt question God and His Word.

You and I hold in our hands the Word of God. And the bottom line is that we must exercise faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and His Word.

The Word of God clearly states, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:” 2 Timothy 3:16

In this we touch the facet of doctrine Bibliology.

We could spend a whole lot of time on Bibliology, but at the end of the day, we must approach God by faith.

Realize this as well, that men have been scrutinizing the Word of God for 2000+ years, and yet as we still are singing the song, “The Bible Stands…”

On this rests everything else. If we understand that the Bible is truth, every jot and every tittle, then we are led to the second point.

2. There is always a possible solution to the problem.

For example when you look at the synoptic records, Matthew, Mark, and Luke we see similar records of the same accounts of the Lord.

One example of this is the feeding of the 5000.

It is found in all four gospel records. (Matthew 14, Mark 6, Luke 9, John 6)

But as we examine these records we find that they are complementary.

They are the same accounts recorded from the perspective of the different penman that God used.

Another example is the title placed above the Lord on the cross.

Matthew 27:37 “37 And set up over his head his accusation written, THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.”

Mark 15:26 “26 And the superscription of his accusation was written over, THE KING OF THE JEWS.”

Luke 23:38 “38 And a superscription also was written over him in letters of Greek, and Latin, and Hebrew, THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.”

John 19:19 “19 And Pilate wrote a title, and put it on the cross. And the writing was, JESUS OF NAZARETH THE KING OF THE JEWS.”

It is in John’s record that we read almost the entire superscription which is This is Jesus of Nazareth The King of the Jews.

From Luke’s record we realize that it is given in Greek, Latin and Hebrew.

3. If there is a problem that we cannot seem to resolve, it is not that the Bible is wrong, it is that are understanding of the problem is wrong.

This particular issue that we are looking at can be resolved by having all of the pieces of the puzzle.

Man’s Composition

Man Is A Unitary Being

Man is a unitary being.

By this, we mean that God created man as a complete unit.

This is why you can’t just arbitrarily loose yourself from this body.

The Bible tells us in Genesis 1:26–27 “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.”

From this language, we understand that God made us in His image and in His likeness.

Genesis 2:7 further tells us, “7 And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.”

Just as God is a Triunity and not three gods, Man is a unitary being. But Genesis 2:7 makes it obvious that man is more than just a physical body.

The Bible says that man became a living soul.

One Bible verse that we are very familiar with states this about the Word of God is found in Hebrews 4:12 “12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”

1 Thessalonians 5:23 tells us, “23 And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Man Is Three Parts

As we consider these different verses, we come to understand that man is a trichotomous being—- or we might say, a tri-partite - a three part being.

There are some who believe that man is just a bipartite— a two-part being.

However, even those who believe in the bipartite view understand that there is a material and an immaterial part of man. (Those who hold to this viewpoint divide the ‘soul’ into higher and lower

Understanding the material and immaterial aspects of man is necessary for us to understand the problem before us.

To illustrate this, we can go back to our account found in Genesis 2.

Listen to the words of God carefully.

Genesis 2:16–17 “16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: 17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.”

We know from the account in Genesis 3 that Adam and Eve did not immediately experience physical death.

Did God lie? What did take place? The text literally states, “In dying, die.”

Immediately their physical body was corrupted.

Sin began its work. We know this because the Lord God states in chapter 3 after the fall, Genesis 3:19 “19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.”

God told Adam— the body shall return to the ground.

This is an easily observable fact in human life. Our bodies corrupt and return to the ground. They decompose.

Man Is Spiritually Dead and Physically Dying

But we understand further that man following the fall is dead spiritually.

John Gill stated in His commentary, “he [Adam] was immediately arraigned, tried, and condemned to death, was found guilty of it, and became obnoxious to it, and death at once began to work in him; sin sowed the seeds of it in his body, and a train of miseries, afflictions, and diseases, began to appear, which at length issued in death. Moreover, a spiritual or moral death immediately ensued; he lost his original righteousness, in which he was created; the image of God in him was deformed; the powers and faculties of his soul were corrupted, and he became dead in sins and trespasses”

This is evident by the fact that we must be born-again, according to the words of our Lord in John 4.

In Ephesians 2:1–5 “1 And you hath he quickened [to be made alive], who were dead in trespasses and sins; 2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: 3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. 4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, 5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)”

When we read a passage like this, we would do well to make note of the tenses of the verbs.

In verse 1, the phrase “…hath he quickened…” has been supplied by the translators for our understanding of the text. But verse 4 clearly shows us that the Ephesian Christians were already made alive.

How so? By the operation of the Holy Spirit. The Bible says, “And you[the Ephesians] hath he [God] quickened [made alive]...”

Understanding this then means that they were previously dead yet we understand they were physically alive.

Notice again in verse 5, the Bible says, “when we were dead in sins…”

This tells us that there is a sense [spiritually speaking] in which those who are physically alive are really dead. How can this be? They are spiritually dead.

The Two Destinations

I think it becomes abundantly obvious that when we physically die, our bodies return to dust. But does that mean we cease to exist?

If that were the case, God could not be the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob—-in the present tense as He told Moses.

Matthew 22:29–32 “29 Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God. 30 For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven. 31 But as touching the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying, 32 I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.”

In the book of Luke, we are given insight into two distinct destinations.

Luke chapter 16 gives us insight into what is called in the Greek ᾅδης (Hades) which properly means place of departed souls.

Let’s read Luke 16 together.

In verses 19 and 20 of Luke 16, we are told of a certain rich man and a beggar named Lazarus.

In verse 22, the Bible tells us that Lazarus physically dies but is taken by Angels to a place called Abraham’s bosom.

But then, in verse 23, we are told of a rich man who is in Hell but lifts up his eyes, being in torments.

The Bible tells us He sees Abraham afar off and Lazarus there with Abraham.

Verse 25 tells us that there is a place of comfort and a place of torment.

Verse 26 tells us that there is an impassable gulf in between.

As the narrative continues, the Lord Jesus tells us that that rich man desired water to cool his tongue. He also tells us that the rich man is tormented in a flame. In the end the rich man just wanted someone to go and testify to his brothers so that they would not come to this place. You will see that in verse 28.

Is the place of torment a place? Yes

Is it the destination of the lost until the Great White Throne Judgment? Yes

Of course, the Lord drives home the point with the words of Abraham in verse 31.

Luke 16:31 “And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.”

How ironic and true this statement is, for the Lord Jesus Christ rose from the dead and Him they did not believe.

There are many that believe the Lord Jesus Christ emptied out what is called here Abraham’s bosom, having finished the work of redemption.

They were absent from their bodies and now they are present with the Lord.

But that brings us to the resurrection unto life.

The Resurrection unto Life

John 5:29 “29 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.”

There is a certain ring of judgment in this verse.