7. The Dead Shall Live

Lesson 7a - Attested To By Scripture

A Definition:

1. According to Young’s Concordance, which lists the various meanings of the original Greek and Hebrew words, the Greek word anastasis translated “resurrection” means a “standing or rising up.” It is also defined as “a standing up” in Strong’s Concordance.

The Resurrection And The Bible:

2. The Bible is probably the only religious book in the world which teaches a future resurrec-tion; that is to say, the dead will one day stand up or rise from the grave.

3. It is difficult for the human mind to believe that a dead person can come back to life by res-urrection, long after that person has died. However, it should be just as easy to re-create life as it was to create it in the beginning. God is perfect in power and knowledge. Since He had the ability to create life in Eden, He CERTAINLY has the ability to restore it to those who are dead in the grave.

4. Throughout the Bible, we find scripture after scripture that speaks of a future resurrection of the dead. We will now examine one, a part of which forms the title to this study.

5. “But your dead will live; their bodies will rise. You who dwell in the dust, wake up and shout for joy. Your dew is like the dew of the morning; the earth will give birth to her dead.” (Isa. 26:19)

This verse harmonizes very nicely with the definition we offered for “resurrection” seen at the beginning of this study. It features the facts that the dead will one day “awake” from the long sleep of death and will “rise” from the grave. The earth will “give birth to her dead” as a result of the coming resurrection.

6. It is clearly written in the scriptures that the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing. A person ceases to think or retain knowledge after he dies and goes to the grave. (See Eccl. 9:5,10.) Praise God for His promise in Isa. 26:19 that one day the dead will awaken and rise up!

Lesson 7b - A Hope In Ancient Times

1. In ancient times God’s people believed in a future resurrection of the dead. Furthermore, they could consider the resurrection of the dead as something to which to look forward. This was because they knew it offered them the hope of one day rising from the grave to begin a new life happier than the one they left behind.

2. “If a man dies, will he live again? All the days of my hard service I will wait for my renewal to come” (Job. 14:14). In this verse Job was speaking of the future resurrection of the dead. He knew that without such a hope his destiny would be an eternal sleep in the grave.

3. Job knew the answer to his question, “Will the dead live again?” even before he asked it. In the next verse, he declared, “Thou shalt call, and I will answer thee: thou wilt have a desire to the work of thine hands” (Job 14:14,15 KJV). In the NIV it reads, “You will call and I will answer you; you will long for the creature your hands have made . . .” Yes, Job knew that his life would one day be restored in the coming resurrection, and this hope gave him strength to face death. He actually prayed to be hid in the grave until the resurrection. (See Job 14:13.)

4. Death has always been the penalty for sin. God’s people of old knew that all must die, but they also knew mankind had no hope of continued life except by the resurrection of the dead. In 1 Samuel 2:6 we read, “The Lord brings death and makes alive; He brings down to the grave (sheol) and raises us up.”

5. Another good supporting verse is Hosea 13:14: “I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death.” This shows that Hosea was another who knew the dead will one day arise from the grave.

6. Paul spoke of the same hope to King Agrippa and Felix. In Acts 26:6-8 he told Agrippa, “And now it is because of my hope in what God has promised our fathers that I am on trial today. This is the promise our twelve tribes are hoping to see fulfilled as they earnestly serve God day and night. O king, it is because of this hope that the Jews are accusing me. Why should any of you consider it incredible that God raises the dead?” He was defending his belief in a resurrection of the dead, because many, especially the Sadducees, in his day had ceased to believe the dead would one day live again. (Also see Acts 24:15.)

7. God remembers every person who has ever lived on this planet and most certainly will one day resurrect them all, giving them an opportunity for a new and better life. Yes, every per-son who has ever lived or is now living is very important to God. He knows all of their names, and He will one day call each one forth from death!

Lesson 7c - Christ, The First Who Arose

1. “But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that He raised Christ from the dead. But He did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith if futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men” (1 Cor. 15:12-19).

2. From reading these verses, as well as those in Acts cited in the previous lesson, one thing should be very clear. The Apostle Paul considered the belief in a future resurrection most important. Keeping this in mind, it seems so strange that few people have studied deeply in-to this subject. These verses state very clearly that if there would be no resurrection, Christ did not rise from death, and those who have died (fallen asleep) in Jesus are perished forev-er.

3. They also state that our faith is vain, if Christ has not been raised. So much of what is writ-ten in the New Testament tells us about what Jesus did for us while he lived. It also tells us that he died for our sins. However, if he did not rise from death, everything he did would have been for nothing--it wouldn’t have mattered in the least. The reward we seek after the end of our present lifetime is eternal life through Christ. It is only through the resurrection of Jesus that we have the hope of one day rising from the dead. Our hope of something bet-ter than our present short existence is based only on the death and resurrection of Jesus. Praise God always that He did in fact raise Jesus from the grave, and that death has been conquered through his resurrection. Because of that, the future is bright, and the hope of life everlasting that is offered to each of us still remains alive. (Read Rom. 4:25.)

Proof That Christ Was Raised:

4. Jesus Christ is the first one who should come to our minds when we consider the resurrec-tion. The Bible boldly declares that he rose from the dead. Never in our lifetime have we witnessed someone coming back from the grave. All the proof for that resurrection lies in the Bible, a collection of books written a long time ago. How do we know for sure that those words of old, found in the Bible, are true? We indeed base our faith on them. (Read Rom. 10:17.)

5. The first followers of Jesus were able to have their faith established by the many miracles they saw him perform. They knew him and heard the words he spoke. It is written in Matt. 8:27 that those who saw the works of Jesus were amazed by them. We read in John 7:46 how Jesus had a way of speaking that was completely different from anything the people had ever heard before.

6. However, some, such as the Pharisees, remained skeptical even after seeing the miracles that Jesus performed. According to Matt. 12:38, they sought after additional signs by him. Even among the Apostles, there seemed to be a constant pressure on Jesus to continue building up their faith, because they did not fully understand God’s plans. (See Matt. 14:31 & 16:8.)

7. The obstacles which faced Jesus would have been insurmountable for him, had he not been the Son of God. By means of God’s Holy Spirit, Jesus was invested with power from his Fa-ther to perform the mighty works on earth which he did. When he claimed his title “The Son of God,” he then had to prove this belonged to him. He proved it to others by everything he did. He spoke with authority, as the Son of God would have to speak. He performed all the mighty works as another way of convincing others that he was the Son of God. Had he not successfully done all that, his followers would have left him long before his death. This would have included his Apostles. (Read John 10:36.)

8. The greatest proof that Jesus was indeed the Son of God came to doubting followers upon his resurrection from the dead. Jesus was the first to make the claim that after his death he would rise again, and when this happy event occurred, it should have removed all doubt as to whether he was the Son of God, as he claimed to be. (Read John 2:19-22.)

9. The resurrection of Jesus was the final proof for his followers that he was exactly who he had claimed to be, namely, the Son of God. He not only predicted his own death but ALSO his own resurrection! Of all previous raisings of the dead spoken of in the Bible, not one of them had been performed directly by God. Only the resurrection of Jesus did not involve a third person. If he had failed to return from death, his followers would have soon disbanded, and Christianity would have ended at that time.

10. After Jesus was apprehended, his disciples fled and hid themselves. According to our Lord’s prediction, Peter even went so far as to deny ever knowing his Master. (Read Matt. 26:34,56,69-75.) But after Jesus was resurrected and provided proof to his followers that he had risen from the grave, his disciples saw by this the power of God at work. So strength-ened were those same disciples by what they had seen, and after receiving the promised Holy Spirit, the final proof, they went far and wide, preaching the gospel of God’s Kingdom.

11. Many of the followers of Jesus suffered cruel deaths because of their beliefs, but never again was it recorded that they retreated in fear or denied having known him. A marvelous exam-ple of that faith, proving Jesus had to have been resurrected, was provided through the ac-tions of one man called Stephen. Had he not known for sure that Jesus was risen from the dead, he never would have preached it, must less given up his life for what he believed! He not only believed what he preached, but as we read in Acts 7:54-60, he was stoned to death for defending his faith in Jesus.

12. Yes, Jesus most certainly DID rise from the dead! The record of events of old is there in God’s Holy Word, the Bible, for all to read. Today, we must place our faith in this fact. We are assured by the Holy Scriptures that our faith does not rest in an event that never hap-pened. Praise God that Christ arose! This fact can never be overstated! Be assured that all who sleep in death will ALSO rise from their sleep of death because Christ did. Through the power of his own resurrection, Jesus Christ has conquered death for ALL OF US! As we will show in the next lessons, this does not necessarily mean that everyone is guaranteed eternal life, but rather an opportunity for all to gain it in the Kingdom.

Lesson 7d - The Church In The First Resurrection

1. We learn two very important facts from reading 1 Cor. 15:12-23. Everyone must die be-cause of the sin that was brought into the world through the actions of Adam and Eve. As a direct opposite, everyone will be made alive through the merit of Jesus Christ. He died for the sins of everyone who has ever lived or is now living. As covered in many of our previ-ous studies, Jesus gave his perfect human life as a ransom for all (1 Tim: 2:5,6). Since the only way to everlasting life is by calling on his name, every man, woman and child must have an opportunity of learning about Jesus so as to be able to call upon him. (Read Rom. 10:13.)

2. Because the Bible declares that Jesus surely DID die for everyone, no one can be left out. We have shown how if even one person who has ever lived on this planet fails to have the opportunity of benefiting from Christ’s sacrifice, it cannot be said that he gave his life for ALL!

3. It is a fact that God can never lie (Tit. 1:2). In His great Plan of the ages, provision has been made whereby He will fulfill His promise of offering knowledge about our Lord Jesus to everyone who has ever lived. In order to accomplish this, His plans involve the future resur-rection of the dead. To be more explicit, they involve two resurrections, as we read in Dan. 12:2, John 5:28,29 and Acts 24:15. One of them, called the “First Resurrection,” will be available to the overcoming believers of the Church in this life who remain faithful unto death. In the next lesson, we will cover the other one, which will be a resurrection for the remainder of mankind.

The First Resurrection:

4. “Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed--in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: ‘Death has been swallowed up in victory! Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?’ The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Cor. 15:51-57).

“Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we be-lieve that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. According to the Lord’s own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage each other with these words” (1 Thess. 4:13-18).

We learn from these two passages that the first resurrection will take place when Jesus re-turns for his bride, those who have died in Christ and those of us who still may be alive and have remained faithful to the end. All will instantly be changed into spiritual beings when God gives us our heavenly bodies (1 Cor. 15:38-40), so that, together with those who have been “asleep,” we will be caught up as one body to meet the Lord on the spiritual plane (in the air).

5. Included in the first resurrection will be the overcoming Christians of this age who have been called out of the world by God (the Church) and have followed Christ wherever he led them. They are the “first-fruits to God and the Lamb.” They stand without fault before the throne of God. (See Rev. 14:1-5.)

6. “But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid (rewarded) at the resurrection of the righteous” (Luke 14:13,14).

“Blessed and holy are those who have part in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years” (Rev. 20:6).

Notice in these verses how faithful members of the Church (the righteous) will be rewarded at the coming resurrection. The reason these faithful members of the Church do not receive their reward at death is because they remain in their graves after they die. As attested to in 1 Thess. 4:13-18, it will only be when Jesus returns that the dead AND living members of his body will be united with him.

7. In Rev. 20:6 just quoted, please notice the phrase first resurrection. Since, in fact, there will be a first resurrection, it should be obvious to all that it must be followed by a second resurrection. As mentioned earlier, we will cover that subsequent or other resurrection in the next lesson. Also notice in ver. 6 that those who take part in the first resurrection will be free from, or not subject to, the second death. We not only learn from this verse that there will be more than one resurrection, but also that there is more than one death.

8. We find in James 1:18 that faithful followers of Jesus will be a kind of “fruitfruits” of all of God’s creatures. These “firstfruits” are to be the first to receive their reward in the first res-urrection. As we read in Rev. 20:6, part of the reward they will receive will be when they are made “priests of God and of Christ,” and they will never again have to fear death.

9. Think for a moment of the statement in Rev. 20:6 that death will no longer have “power” over those who rise in the first resurrection. The prophecy of Hosea 13:14, partially quoted in 1 Cor. 15:55, will then find its further fulfillment: “Where, O death, is your victory?” On such, death will no longer have its victory.

10. Please read 2 Tim. 1:9,10 in your Bible to see how Jesus Christ has “abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.” The word immortality as used in this text is very important. It means that one is no longer subject to death nor need ever die again.

11. The most amazing thing to consider in this verse is the fact that not only did Jesus abolish death and bring immortality to light, but this same immortality will one day be given to members of the Church who remain faithful unto death. As was stated in 1 Cor. 15:51-57, they will become immortal in the resurrection when the “trumpet” is sounded (1 Thess. 4:16). That text also shows how death will be “swallowed up” as a fulfillment of Isa. 25:8. That will be the result after immortality is given to those faithful members of the Church. At the present time, they go to their graves when they die, but upon the first resurrection, they will be given immortality and will never die again.

12. Let’s return to Rev. 20:6 now, the verse we studied near the beginning of this lesson. Do you see now why the second death will have no power over those who will rise in the first resurrection? It is because they will become immortal at that time and will no longer be sub-ject to death.

13. That same immortality that one day will be given as a reward to members of the Church who remain faithful unto death was given first by God to Jesus as a reward for his sacrifice on our behalf..

Lesson 7e - The World In The Second Resurrection

1. As was stated in the previous lesson, if there is to be a first resurrection, it follows that there also must be a second resurrection. We showed how death will have no power over those who rise in the first resurrection. That will not be the case regarding those who come forth in the subsequent resurrection. The Bible states that death itself will not be destroyed until after the thousand-year reign of Christ and his Bride has ended. (See Rev. 20:7-14.)

2. The Apostle Paul told us in 1 Tim. 2:4 that God “will have all men to be saved (from the Adamic death), and to come to a knowledge of the truth.” In previous studies we showed how this could only be accomplished by a resurrection of all the dead. It could not be refer-ring to only those who will take part in the first resurrection, for they would ALREADY have “a knowledge of the truth” before they died. The Greek word translated “knowledge” in that verse actually means “an accurate knowledge.”

3. We also showed in previous studies that the “Adamic death” is the penalty paid for sin which has passed down through all the generations of mankind since Eden. This death penal-ty will be lifted at the beginning of the thousand-year reign of Christ, even though death it-self (the second death) will not terminate until after the thousand years have ended.

4. Do you recall in our studies of A Preview of God’s Plan and The Ransom and the World how we dealt with the lesson on “The Sour Grapes” as recorded in Jer. 31:29,30? That text speaks of a future time when the son will no longer have to die for sin committed by father Adam but rather for his own sins. This prophecy will find its fulfillment at the beginning of the Millennium, after Adamic death has been lifted from the earth.

5. During God’s glorious Kingdom soon to be established on this earth, all the people now liv-ing or who have ever lived that do not rise in the first resurrection will come back to life in the second resurrection. They will be completely free of the Adamic death penalty and will have opportunity of listening to the gospel of Jesus Christ, who is that prophet spoken of in Acts 3:19-23.

6. Death will still be a possiblity at the end of that thousand-year reign of Christ and his Bride, just as people die daily in this present age. But there will be one great difference. Right now, as it has been ever since Eden, eveyone continues to die, whether they are good or evil; but in that age to come, the only ones who will die will be those who have become so hard-ened by sin in this life that they refuse to conform their lives to the law of Christ and refuse to learn righteousness in that “land of uprightness.” (See Isa. 26:10.)

7. The Kingdom of God on earth during the Millennium will be a world-wide school of learn-ing for everyone who arises in the second resurrection of the dead. It is called a resurrection unto “judgment” in John 5:29 (RSV), while Paul refers to it as the resurrection of the wick-ed in Acts 24:15. They must “learn righteousness” then, as stated in Isa. 26:9, unhindered by Satan’s influence. This can be accomplished when they get the opportunity to acquire knowledge of God’s wonderful plan for all humanity, which includes knowledge of Christ and his sacrificial work on behalf of everyone. Speaking of that blessed time, it is written in Isa. 11:9 that “the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the

8. Do you recall from past studies how there is only one way a person can be saved from death? Salvation comes ONLY by calling on the name of the Lord. (See Rom. 10:13.) But reading further in Rom. 10:14, we find these questions: “How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?”

9. After Christ returns to gather his saints, the one who has blinded the minds of non-believers - Satan - will be taken out of the way for one thousand years. All the people then resurrect-ed, including those from past ages, will have the opportunity of calling on the name of Jesus in order to gain everlasting life. As stated in our study The Ransom and the World, Jesus Christ gave his life as a ransom for all mankind, not just for a few people who were fortunate enough to have called on his name during this present lifetime. (See 1 Tim. 2:5,6.) Since Jesus did in fact give his life as a ransom for all, it follows that ALL people must be given that opportunity to learn about him in order that they can accept or reject him.

10. After having come to a full knowledge of God and Jesus under favorable conditions, those who still continue in sin could become a threat to others by their actions. Since Isa. 11:9 and Rev. 21:5 relate to the time when this will be a world free of evil, there will be no place in such a world for those who remain wicked. In our next study on Judgment, we will show what God’s plans are for them.

11. How thankful and humble we should be as we come to a clearer understanding of God’s be-nevolent Plan, of which the resurrection is a primary feature! Upon completion of this course, if you choose to continue in our Advanced Course, you will find an even broader study on the subject of the resurrection.

END OF STUDY