Milk and Meat: resurrection of the dead part 5

Daniel 12:2 - 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.

John 11:25 - Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:

1 Thessalonians 4:14 - For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.

John 6:40 - And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.

1 Corinthians 6:14 - And God hath both raised up the Lord, and will also raise up us by his own power.

Luke 14:14 - And thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just.

John 14:19 - Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also.

1 Thessalonians 4:16 - 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:

1 Peter 1:3 - Blessed [be] the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

Hebrews 11:19 - Accounting that God [was] able to raise [him] up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure.

Acts 24:15 - And have hope toward God, which they themselves also allow, that there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust.

1 Corinthians 15:12-32 - Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead?

John 6:54 - Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.

Acts 3:15 - And killed the Prince of life, whom God hath raised from the dead; whereof we are witnesses.

Sam 2:6; Job 14:10-14; Job 19:25-27; Ps 16:9-11; Ps 17:15; Ps 49:15; Ps 73:23-26; Is 25:8; Is 26:19-21; Is 3:10-12; Ezek 37:1-14; Dan 12:2; Dan 12:13; Hos 6:1-4; Hos 13:14

We often hear disagreements about the idea of rapture both when it shall be and if any such thing shall be. The word rapture does not appear in scripture but that is to be expected as it is a theological word in the sense that trinity is also not seen. Theology is not scripture although sound theology is based on scripture.

Theology is at its core the explanation of men trying to reach a conclusion of the why or how of certain things found in scripture that are hard to understand. For this reason we all have theology some good some bad as it is based on understanding of scripture as a whole.

In the end regardless of theology the scriptures say what they say. As to trinity, God is one and also seen in Father, Word, and Spirit. In a similar way there is a day when the dead in Christ will rise and as Paul assures us in Thessalonians those who are still living in their corruptible body will also resurrect despite not yet dying. How well we understand these ideas that seem to conflict on the surface is secondary to our acceptance that all God has told us is true.

Many of the things we accept as true about what happens when we die are founded more in an acceptance of the Greek thought of an afterlife as they are in scripture. This is to say instead of allowing the scripture to teach us we find scripture to support our already held beliefs. If we were to strip away what we believe and search for what is plainly stated in scripture would we have the discipline to learn line upon line, precept on precept or would we simply jump to those versus that we have used to support our belief.

This article is not about the afterlife it is about the resurrection, but in truth we must touch on the first to see that it does not have the position of effecting the truth of the second. There are two main ideas in Christianity about what happens when we die one is that we have an immortal soul the other is called soul sleep.

The idea of the immortal soul in a nutshell says when our earthly body dies we go to either heaven or hell to await a resurrection of our body once more, at which time we will go to either heaven or hell.

Soul sleep says our body goes back to dust while our soul remains in the earth in a stasis or sleep until the resurrection when we are awakened with a new body, at which time we will go to heaven or hell.

There is a third option held by some that we have the life we live and then we are no more.

It is interesting to me that these three opinions also existed in Jesus day. There were a large number of Jews who’s understanding of the scriptures had been influenced by the Greek thought of the day, also in the Pharisees we see a belief in a bodily resurrection at a time set by the Lord, and in the Sadducees we see a belief that only this physical life exist for us.

While all of this is interesting our need is not to find what makes sense to us, but to find what God has given by His own word.

In the Old Testament versus above and also from the description of Abel’s blood calling from the ground and Samuel coming up from in the earth it would seem that soul sleep follows scripture better than the other two.

When we come to the New Testament we see Jesus teaching people from a place of where they are.

 To those who have the influence of Greek thought He teaches a parable the rich man and Lazarus. The point of this parable is not to teach about the afterlife but instead about the unbelieving heart of those who by uncircumcised ears would not hear Moses witness of Him as Messiah, by uncircumcised eyes they would not see the witness of God in His life, and by uncircumcised heart they would not believe His redemption though He rose from the dead. However we cannot simply dismiss what He has said for even in His parables He never bore a false witness of the Father.  

To the Sadducees He bluntly tells them they misunderstand the scripture for the scripture lead to life not death. God is not the source and generator of death but of life. It is of note that to the Pharisees Jesus quotes from the prophets but to the Sadducees who consider only Moses to be scripture He quotes from Moses.

To the Pharisees He is blunter to say that since you believe you will stand before God then concern yourselves with those things that are from God and not men.

You might notice He never gives a dissertation on which view is correct. Why? Divisions are a work of the flesh and our Lord had no part in sin and men’s desire to be regarded above another; instead He encouraged us to lean not to our own understanding but in all things seek after God to both will and do and teach in us.

So it is as His disciple I encourage you to trust in God to show you how to have life now and life everlasting.

Our understanding of what happens in between this life and the next is not what the author of Hebrews has included as the milk of Gods teaching. It is this that on that day men will stand before God in His full presence. No unressurected man has done that; visions of Him: yes, dreams of Him: yes, manifestations of Him: yes, but to stand in His physical presence no. Moses was the closest but was warned that to stand in His full presence no man could do.

On that day if you have His life in you the consuming fire of His presence will burn away every spec of darkness and you shall be as He is. If you do not have His life in you all that you are shall be eternally consumed.

This is a milk teaching because it keeps us mindful of our need and promise of His life in us while at the same time assuring us that anything and everything in us that is offensive to Him and ourselves shall be completely taken away.