The Truth is in Scripture, not in « Church » doctrine. Part V
Is believing in Gods Scripture and being member of one of the Churches compatible?
Part V. If you didn’t read Part I, Part II, Part III and Part IV please do so.
So which resurrections do exist in Scripture?
The Better Resurrection (Heb. 11:35)
The First Resurrection (Rev. 20:5, 6)
The « Second » Resurrection (Rev. 20:12, 13)
The Out Resurrection (Php. 3:11)
A short word about the first three.
The better resurrection is what the sons of God get, those blessed with Abraham, when the Lord is on His way to the earth, so at the second coming. After all they meet Him in the air and return to earth with Him, this is not the last day of the aion.
The First Resurrection occurs on the last day of this aion, like Martha says in John 11:24 « … I know that he (Lazarus) shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day (of the aion) »
The second resurrection occurs after the 1000 year reign, so this is the resurrection of the unbelievers.
I cannot tell you who will get what resurrection, only God knows this. As you all may know, what a humans mouth speaks isn’t necessary what his heart believes. God knows the heart, He truly knows what you believe and what you doubt. Doubt is unbelief.
Number 4. on the list is pitiably wrong translated as just resurrection, but that is not what the Greek says. The Greek has: « Exanastasis ek nekron » or in English « Out resurrection out of the dead ». This is the original text in Php. 3:11 and the only occurrence in Scripture. The « everything is the same » doctrine, is the blind leading the blind and that is truly sad. Our Genius God is brought down by them to a level unimaginable low. He who invented all languages babbles — in their eyes — like a toddler, using different words for that which one word would be sufficient and they have no shame in « correcting » the Holy Spirit.
Those easily offended accused me of being harsh, but no one has been able to explain to me why telling Gods truth is. (Right now, the « churches » are being unveiled, wait till all comes out.) Just see:
Scripture says in Rev. 20:5 « … This is the first resurrection. », the Greek words used here are « protos anastasis », which to them is exactly the same as « Exanastasis ek nekron » and exactly the same as the better resurection of Heb. 11:35 which says in Greek: « kreittonos anastasis ». Now these are things that differ and Paul urges us to pay attention to them. In Php 1:10 he says « That ye may approve things that are excellent », but the Greek says: « That ye may approve things that differ », Greek: « diapheronta ».
If you can say that all these thing are just the same, it’s all the same, makes no difference, say that I’m fussy and in one breath say you believe Scripture over anything? Then I call you a church doctrine believer and you’re treating the Holy Spirit like He is a toddler who doesn’t know what He says. When I then say look what Scripture says about itself and I’ll quote it again: « The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. » Psa. 12:6, then how can one say these things? From the above words we know that the Holy Spirit chose His words very carefully and every word He uses should get our utmost attention and we should note the things that differ.
Now we know when the first and the better resurrection take place, one at the end of this aion, the other a short while before that, but after the great tribulation. But what about #4 on the list? Scripture tells us this — if you believe Gods Word over church doctrine. I will again quote from Manifold Wisdom:
The Out Resurrection
We believe the resurrection of the dead. As Paul did: a resurrection of righteous and unjust, Acts 24:15. We do not, however, believe in a simultaneous resurrection of all, as many Church confessions teach this. The Scripture says something else. We want to check out something about that. In Acts 23:6 Paul says that he is called in question about the hope and resurrection of the dead. He is in that respect on the side of the Pharisees, is a Pharisee as he says. This is the general term: the resurrection of the dead. Martha believed in the resurrection at the last day, John 11:24. This base may not be rejected as the Hebrews did Heb. 6:1, 2 « ... not casting down (not laying) again the foundation ... resurrection of the dead ... » Whoever does that, either to the left, to the rejection of the judgment, or to the right , to the separation of soul and body, violates the doctrine of the resurrection.
The resurrection of the dead, however, is only a basic starting point, because Scripture teaches more. The disciples also believed in this. Yet they were surprised that the Lord Jesus said He would rise out of the dead, Mark 9:9, 10. They asked among themselves what it was: to rise out of the dead. They did not understand that this meant that the Lord would rise before all the others rose. As we say: « the meeting goes out » we mean the whole, and also that one can « get out of the meeting » if one does this alone or at most in a limited number, so the resurrection of the dead means something other than: rising out of the dead. This term: to rise out of the dead, thus leaving behind the others, with the lying down of the others, we also find in Luke 16:31, the already mentioned verse. As Christ has risen out of the dead, God will also raise the Corinthian-Thessalonian-Hebrew group out of the dead, that is, before the others. 1 Cor. 6:14 says, « And God hath both raised (egeiro) up the Lord, and will also raise (exegeiro = out-raise) up us through his own power » This happens with the taking up just before the Lord is on earth. The living are then changed, 1 Thess. 4:13 — 18, 1 Cor. 15:51. Until that resurrection the Apostle urges forth in Hebrews, that is the « better resurrection » of Heb. 11:39, 40. Those who participate in it receive aionic (eternal) life. As Christ rose from the dead with others, Mat. 27:52, 53, so many will arise from the dead at His coming. So the others remain, they do not stand up. On that Christ has the eye in Luke 20:35: It is they who are deemed worthy to attain that aion and the resurrection of the dead.
The Greek has as much as: that resurrection that is out of the dead. These will not marry again, they are changed. However, this does not happen before the Lord's return when He comes with the Archangel Michael. One will ask: If this is so, thus the dead are in the grave until the day of resurrection, if Christ's word is to be accepted in full reality; if it's true what He says to Lazarus: « Come out » (i.e. not with your immortal soul from heaven, but entirely from the grave), if it's true, that there is a resurrection of the dead, do all believers still rest in the grave? For Christ has not yet come again. The answer to this would have to be a wholeheartedly yes, if there were not the mystery of the aions, the teaching about the Body of Christ. What is the case? In the mystery, and not out of it, God reveals another resurrection, the out-resurrection that is out of the dead. This expression only occurs once namely in Php. 3:11, where it is unfortunately just translated by « resurrection ». Paul has hunted to reach it. He had the better resurrection in Christ as a believer. But when he got the revelation of the mystery, he did not yet have the out-resurrection that is out of the dead. He also wants to achieve that. Then he does not have to rest in the grave until the Lord's return, then he will not be found « naked » in the sense that he is only like a bare grain (same word in 2 Cor. 5:3 and 1 Cor. 15:37) i.e. lie in the earth, stripped of the normal body shape, « undressed ». He is conformed to Christ death, that is, he stands up again after a short time. That is « to disband (depart), and to be with Christ ». To disband is in Luke 12:36 translated by: return. Just as that gentleman in that verse had gone to a wedding and was returning now, Paul first goes to the grave or comes into the dead to come back thereafter and then be with Christ. No more than that gentleman in Luke 12 he was already home from the wedding, nor was Paul that when he left. The time of his « disbandment (departure) » was yet to come. Then he also received the crown of the Righteous Judge, 2 Tim. 4:6 — 8.
When one asks us whether all believers are « in heaven », we answer: no, because that is done first at the taking up, 1 Thess. 4; 1 Cor. 15. And that also tells us laterally John 14:1 — 3: Christ has gone to prepare a place in the Father's house. He must first return to take His own to Himself. That does not happen in death, because Christ does not return there. It can only be at His return in glory. The dead must wait until He returns. If one asks if there is not yet a single believer with Christ, we answer: There are, namely them who have attained the prize of the calling of God, the out-resurrection out of the dead. Paul is there and possibly Luke and Timothy and others. One can therefore go to Christ but only by a resurrection. Not through death one is united with Him, but through resurrection. Paul did not desire the unclothed, but the disbandment and being with Christ, 2 Cor. 5:4, Php. 1:23. Both can not be the same. Paul does not desire something that he does not desire at the same time. He does not want to be unclothed, that is the state of death, he does desire the disbandment. That is the release from the bands of the grave. And he has obtained that, 2 Tim. 4:6. If one overlooks everything, it appears that the O.T. believer was expecting the resurrection « at the last day », that is, at the end of this aion. Then he would enter into the God-promised land of Canaan, Gen. 13:15, 17:8, then « eternal » (aionic) life began. Those who saw further and knew that after that aion came another, whose expectation was the New Jerusalem, hoped for the better resurrection. This implies, according to Paul's teachings, a meeting of the Lord at His return and thus a resurrection before the other believers who inherit the Land of Canaan. Both, however, at Christ's second coming. The members of the body who become prize winners do not have to wait for Michael to arrive, putting their hopes on 1 Thes. 4 (although they believe this to be true for others). They are hunting to be conformed to Christ's death (please note, not His suffering or dying) in order to come to the out-resurrection. This is to be disbanded and to be with Christ. And that is by far the best, says Paul.
One should beware of Php. 3:10 for two misconceptions. The first is to become « conformed » to Christ's death in a purely physical sense. Then one should have a spear wound in the side and lie with pierced hands and feet in the grave, also with a whipped back, like this even Paul did not lie down. The other is that it is conceived of as a spiritual life experience that Paul wants to have, thus placing the conformed in this life. A word about both. The Greek has two words: to become equal in outward and inward form. The first, susschematizo, is e.g. in Rom. 12:2, the second summorphoo, only occurs here. To be conformed to Christ's death is to lie down in death in such a « form », that is, inner mode of existence, as He lay down in it. It therefore refers to the inner state, the mode of existence in death. It is known that death is not destruction, but the passing on to an unknowable mode of existence, Christ's « form » in death was such that a resurrection had to follow shortly. Those who believe that Paul is referring here to a spiritual experience in this life have more than a misconception. First, they confuse Rom. 6:5, which has in Greek: certain correspondence with the conformation of Php. 3:10. Rom. 6 concerns a spiritual experience, Php. 3:10 the situation in death. Secondly, in Php. 3 Paul does not want to be dead to sin, for this had already taken place in him in Rom. 6. Thirdly, Php. 3 is not dealing with a spiritual death, for Christ has not been a sinner and we can not therefore be conformed to His dying. He is made sin, we are sinners. Fourth, it is forgotten that « death » does not mean « dying »; Php. 3 refers to Christ's laying down in the Hades. Fifth, it says in v. 11, that Paul wants to come to the outresurrection out of the dead. The word resurrection indicates the rising of the body, likewise is the out-resurrection.
The members of the body who are the prize winners die in expectation that they will go to Christ through the grave. They do not have to wait for Christ's return, they go to Christ after a short time. They expect him to conform the body of their humiliation, to the body of his glory, upon their return, Php. 3:21. Hence Paul's hunt when he saw the dispensation of the mystery. It is seen that the doctrine of resurrection remains perfectly intact in this view. The mystery is an eminent case, namely to get up shortly after death and to go up to Christ to be put with Him physically above all things. This is partly one of the unsearchable riches that God can fall to man in the dispensation of grace. In this way the body becomes part of the promise in Christ; a promise that appears to encompass all the promises of God in Christ for revelation and fulfillment as the superior leader and perfecter of faith. « Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in the over-heavenly in Christ ».
One sees, this is difficult material and it will requite a lot of study and praying to fully understand it. I’m leaving it at this, this closes the « The Truth is in Scripture, not in « Church » doctrine » series. I’ve made a dropbox and uploaded the three books there, of two of them I quoted here, please take a look if you’re interested.
Aristarkos