The Resurrection

The Resurrection is the defining moment for all Christians. Because Jesus lives, you and I can face tomorrow.

Titus 2:13–14 “Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.”

Let me ask you a question.

Who is that phrase “purifying for Himself His own special people” describing? ___________

It is describing the church. The church is Christ’s bride. One of these days, because of the Resurrection, Christ’s will be purified and made ready for Him, but today, in the hope of the future Resurrection, we are to be the hands and feet of Christ in this world, and that is all because of the Resurrection that happened almost 2,000 years ago.

Tonight, we are going to biblically look at the future resurrection. The passage we are going to focus on is First Cor. Chap 15 verses 20-26, but we are going to focus on verse 23.

1 Corinthians 15:20–22 “But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.”

1 Corinthians 15:23–24 “But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming. Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.”

1 Corinthians 15:25–26 “For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.”

This is the most important point.

Mankind brought death, and Man brought life with the Resurrection. Do you remember how I used to say it? You can never separate the humanity of Christ from His deity.

Do you remember what the resurrected Jesus told John?

Revelation 1:18 “I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.”

Listen to this very carefully.

Because Christ lives, every man, woman, boy, and girl will be resurrected, so let’s look at the pattern for future resurrection.

1 Corinthians 15:23 “But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.”

1. THE FIRSTFRUITS.

The Bible says Christ the firstfruits. What does that mean?

Well, to completely understand, you have to go all the way back to the Law.

Leviticus 23:9–10 “And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest unto the priest:”

Leviticus 23:11–12 “And he shall wave the sheaf before the Lord, to be accepted for you: on the morrow after the sabbath the priest shall wave it. And ye shall offer that day when ye wave the sheaf an he lamb without blemish of the first year for a burnt offering unto the Lord.”

Before the harvest, the first sheaf of grain would be brought to the priest who would wave it before the Lord to bless the harvest.

No harvest could take place until the firstfruits offering was brought before the Lord. The firstfruits offering found its fulfillment in Jesus Christ.

The firstfruits paved the way for the harvest just as Jesus Christ has paved the way for resurrection. It is Jesus Christ who has made the harvest possible because of His resurrection.

The firstfruits offering symbolizes Jesus Christ preparing the way for God’s harvest of souls.

Before any other soul could be harvested, the firstfruits had to be offered. Before you and I could go to heaven, Christ had to be resurrected. He is the firstfruits.

All hope we have is based upon Christ being the firstfruits. He is the pattern for our resurrection.

2. Every Man In His Own Order.

That is an interesting little phrase.

What does every man in his own order mean?

To understand, you must understand the stages of the harvest. There are basically three stages to the harvest.

The Firstfruits (Jesus Christ)

The Main Harvest (The Church)

The Gleanings (Old Testament and Tribulation Saints)

We know the firstfruits, so let’s look at the other stages.

A. The Main Harvest.

The main harvest is referring to the church and the Rapture.

Notice our main verse again and what Paul says

1 Corinthians 15:23 “But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.”

“They that are Christ’s.”

In the New Testament, who belongs to Christ? The Church.

1 Thessalonians 4:13–15 “But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.”

1 Thessalonians 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 first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.”

I have said it until you are probably tired of hearing it, but the Jews and the true church are not the same in the Bible. Some people try to say the church is spiritual Israel, but that is not biblical. The church is the church, and Israel is Israel.

The church refers to all those who have been saved from the Day of Pentecost until the moment of the Rapture.

Think of the millions upon millions of people who will be part of the main harvest.

The church was a mystery in the Old Testament, but Paul was chosen by God to reveal that mystery.

The truly saved from Pentecost to the Rapture will be the main harvest. The main harvest consists of a number that God already Knows.

Romans 11:25 “For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.”

Israel is blinded during this time. Israel, as a whole, has no regard for salvation in Jesus Christ. As a matter of fact, at a recent Jewish conference in Jerusalem, the following sign was displayed: “Science will usher in peace.”

Dear friend, science will never usher in peace. Only the Prince of Peace can do that.

The main harvest after the firstfruits is reserved for the church, the bride of Christ.

B. The Gleanings.

The gleanings in the Old Testament referred to a special part of the harvest that was saved for the poor and destitute. Regarding to future resurrection, the gleanings refer to those saved during the Tribulation and the Old Testament saints.

Now, I am going to try to not go deep, but you must understand this.

The Old Testament saints were not waiting on heaven. They were waiting and hoping for the Kingdom of God to be established on Earth. When does that happen? At the end of the Great Tribulation before the Millennium.

Let me share some passages that show you that the Jews will be resurrected prior to the Millennium and at the end of the Tribulation.

Daniel 11:45 “And he shall plant the tabernacles of his palace between the seas in the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him.”

Daniel 12:1–2 “And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.”

Daniel 12:3 “And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.”

Old Testament saints are not the Bride of Christ. The Old Testament Saints are God’s covenant people awaiting the earthly kingdom of Jesus Christ that begins after Armageddon.

Also part of the gleanings resurrected at the end of Tribulation and prior to Millennium are those from every nation saved during the Tribulation, the tribulation saints.

There is coming a great revival one of these days. It will happen after the Rapture.

Revelation 7:13–14 “And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they? And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.”

They will be saved, but they will be martyred.

Revelation 20:4 “And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped 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.”

You can see why they lost their lives and when they will be resurrected. Theologians who study prophecy closely say that the Gentiles saved during the Tribulation will be saved in the first part of the Tribulation, and the Jews that are saved will be saved the last part of the Tribulation.

I just do not have time to go into too much detail, but I want to share one more verse with you.

Revelation 19:14 “And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.”

The armies which were in heaven I believe refers to the not only the angels but also to those resurrected during the main harvest and the gleanings.

When those armies of all the resurrected saints of all the ages fall in behind Christ as He splits the skies will be an incredible sight. At that point, every lost person on the planet will die in their sins.

By this point in time, all dead saints will have been resurrected, and the 144,000 Jews sealed prior to the Tribulation and any surviving saint will go into the Millennium, but I said every man, woman, boy, and girl would be resurrected.

3. The Second Resurrection.

The firstfruits, main harvest, and gleanings are all part of the first resurrection.

Revelation 20:6 “Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: 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.”

If you are saved, you will not experience death twice.

Every lost person from Cain forward will be resurrected after the Millennium.

Revelation 20:12–13 “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 delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.”

Revelation 20:14–15 “And death and hell 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.”

Now, I will tell you this. You do not want any part of this resurrection. It is at this resurrection that your body will be equipped for eternity in the lake of fire. I would much rather you be saved today so that you do not have to face that grim reality.