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The Resurrection
Part 1:
1 Corinthians
15
" If the Truth puts the timing of the resurrection in AD
70, it must be discussed what the resurrection really was. It is clear
that we still live and die as we always have on this earth. It is true
that the ground is still cursed and that we have disease and pain. These
are elements that the Christian world believes must not exist in the "age
to come." They believe Revelation 21 shows us a world that is nirvana, and
anything less destroys the faith.
They also teach that the hope of
salvation is in a physical resurrection. This teaching has so permeated
the minds of the church that they fail to see the evil in a love of the
physical. there is such a dedication to this notion of the physical body
rising from the dead, you would think Christ had never come to show the
faults of the Pharisees love of their physical stature, physical law,
physical appearance.
Over and over Christ taught that the heart of
God was in the spiritual. He taught that the kingdom was spiritual; he
taught that the actions and the heart of man were what count. Why is being
with God in a spiritual body so repulsive to the critics of preterism? It
is so repulsive that they shun the absolutely proven Truth of the timing
of God's prophecies in order to uphold their love of the physical. Hebrews
entire context is saying how the physical law means nothing in the
salvation of a man. It was simply something that pointed to the spiritual
truths of God.
Now that Christ had come, the covenant would leave
the realms of the physical types and become spiritual realities here on
earth. These passages will all be addressed later but it is important to
keep in mind. I want to address all the resurrection passages and discover
together if the scripture teaches a physical resurrection in the light of
the Truth of preterism.
Before we start I must say this; preterism
believes in the resurrection of the body. It is taught in scripture.
Preterism believes in the resurrection of the "soul." The idea of
defeating death is that physical death still exists but holds no power
because the soul of man, now brought to life ONLY after AD 70, continues
to exist with God in the spirit realm. This is what matters. Being with
God is what is important. It is all that is important.
1. 1
Corinthians 15
12 Now if Christ is preached
as raised from the dead, how can some of you say, 'there is no
resurrection of the dead?' 13 But if there is no resurrection of the
dead, then Christ has not been raised; 14 and if Christ has not been
raised, then our preaching is without foundation, and so is your
faith. 15 In addition, we are found to be false witnesses about God,
because we have testified about God that He raised up Christ, whom He did
not raise up if in fact the dead are not raised. 17 And if Christ has not
been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins. 18
Therefore those who have fallen asleep in Christ have also perished. 19 If
we only have placed our hope Christ for this life only, we should be
pitied more than anyone."
It is completely undisputed
among us that we believe Christ's resurrection was the foundation of the
faith. If Christ had not risen, then the dead do not raise. This is very
plain. What is being disputed is that the dead are not raised in their
physical bodies. So far there is nothing to lead us to any other
conclusion than this; because Christ rose, the dead rise. A body of any
kind is not mentioned. To say, "Because Christ's physical body rose, ours
must also," is to add to the scripture. Remember, no one was alive at all
or with God before the second coming. Daniel and Peter and any who were
asleep were waiting to rise. Because Christ raised, they raised
also.
An extremely key statement in this passage is when Paul again
reaffirms that the hope for those asleep is in the resurrection. If Christ
is not raised, and they do not rise, they HAVE PERISHED! Once again
proving that the dead or asleep in Christ are not with God or alive in any
sense until the resurrection! Think about it, if they are with God
already, before AD 70, in spirit bodies, and they are just awaiting a
resurrection of their physical body, then why does Paul say that they have
perished and Paul "should be pitied more than anyone?" Does this make
since if before AD 70 the "asleep" in Christ are hanging out with God in
spirit form but their hope is to be resurrected in physical form? Why are
they pitied? Are they pitied because they are with God in spirit but not
the flesh? Do you begin to see the silliness of this?
The reason
this is such a big deal is like the Bible says above, if the dead are not
raised, the perish! They stay dead. However this is not what is taught in
church. They believe the resurrection did not occur yet, but that the dead
do not perish. they continue, as with timing, to call the Bible a
liar.
Let's continue. It gets better.
20
"But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those
who have fallen asleep. 21 For since death came through a man, the
resurrection of the dead also comes through a
man.
Because of the hope of a physical body
resurrection, this verse is used to prove that Adam brought physical death
into the world. What they lack is clear evidence to say Adam brought
physical death at all. The only knowledge we have, that the sin directly
resulted in death of any kind, is that sin brought death the very day Adam
ate the fruit. This is what God promised and what the serpent said would
not happen. The serpent said "you will not die, your eyes will be opened
and you will be like God."
So who is the liar? Adams sin brought
spiritual death on that very day, and this chapter does not say otherwise
for one side or the other. This verse cannot be used to defend a
resurrection of the "physical body."
22 "For
just as in Adam, all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. 23 But
each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward, at His coming,
the people of Christ. 24 Then comes the end, when He hands over the
kingdom to the Father, when He abolishes all rule and all authority and
power. 25 For He must reign until He puts all enemies under His feet.
26 The last enemy He abolishes is death. 27 For He has put everything
under His feet. But when it says everything is put under Him, it is
obvious that He who puts everything under Him is the exception. 28 And
when everything is subject to Him, then the Son Himself will also be
subject to Him who subjected everything to Him, so that God may be all in
all."
Again this shows us that just like in Adam all have
died, so in Christ all shall be made alive. This says nothing about
physical or spiritual death. In fact, it can only be proven that all men
died spiritually in Adam because there is no evidence that any other death
overcame Adam in that day that he ate the fruit. This death is the death
that Christ would defeat.
This chapter also states that He would
make those who are His alive only at His coming. There was nobody living
prior to Ad 70 in spirit bodies. Without the resurrection, they were
perished!
These verses also declare, as Hebrews 2:8, that death was
not yet defeated. It was a future event that occurred only at the
resurrection, like the end of this chapter will also declared. So far this
champion chapter of a "physical body" resurrection lacks complete
evidence.
29 "Otherwise what will they do who
are being baptized for the dead? If the dead are not raised at all,
then why are people baptized for them? 30 Why are we in danger every
hour? 31 I affirm by the pride in you that I have Christ Jesus our Lord: I
die every day! 32 If I fought wild animals in Ephesus with only human
hope, what good does that do me? If the dead are not raised, let us eat
and drink for tomorrow we die. 33 Do not be deceived: 'Bad company
corrupts good morals.' 34 Become right minded and stop sinning, because
some people are ignorant about God. I say this to your
shame."
Once again Paul affirm that the dead rise. He said
if they don't then there is no hope and men might as well get everything
out of their sin, in this life, that they can because it does not matter
in the end. The hope has nothing to do with the physical being raised! It
has everything to do with our status before God after death. If we have no
resurrection, we are not ever going to be before God, because we have
perished, and there is no reason not to sin. It has nothing to do with
physical bodies and everything to do with judgment of sins commited before
God.
If those who fell asleep in Paul's day did not die but hung
out with God in spirit bodies awaiting a resurrection of their physical
body, why does Paul say no resurrection means "party on, dudes!" Why does
sin not matter if we are with God in spirit? Is sin now just a matter of
the physical body or a disease that keeps us away from God's presence? Do
you see how ridiculous the theology of little spirits with God after death
but a physical body resurrection later is, in the light of Paul's
criticism of those who believe in no resurrection at all?
The point
is if Christ is not raised, we are dead, perished, vanished, and sin means
nothing in this life so "live it up." If Christ is raised, then we have
hope, we will not perish and will be with God. Who cares if it is spirit
bodies like the angels or physical bodies reanimated exactly like Christ's
own! The point is life after death. No matter what the form we are in.
Paul says there is no life after death at all without resurrection, but
since Christ rose, we have hope that there is life after death. He does
not say that life after death is in a resurrected physical
body.
35 "But someone will say, 'How are the
dead raised? What kind of body will they have when they come?' 36 Foolish
one! What you sow does not come life unless it dies. 37 And as for what
you sow, you are not sowing the future body, but only a seed, perhaps
of wheat of another grain. 38 But God gives it a body as He wants, and to
each of the seeds its own body.
Paul could not get any
clearer. The resurrection is not exactly like Christ because we do not
rise in the body in which we die. The physical body was only a seed that
must die for the new body to rise. Think of a seed: it dies and is planted
and what is brought to life with water and nutrients are the insides. The
seed, like a shell, splits open and dies and what is inside becomes a
living plant. Paul himself said it is like a seed.
39 "Not all flesh is the same flesh; there is one flesh for
humans, another for animals, another for birds, and another for fish. 40
There are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the splendor of the
heavenly bodies is different than that of the earthly ones. 41 For there
is a splendor of the sun, another of the moon, and another of the stars;
for star differs from star in splendor. 42 So it is with the
resurrection of the dead: 'Sown in corruption, raised in incorruption; 43
sown in dishonor, raised in glory; sown in weakness, raised in power; 44
sown a natural body, raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural
body, there is also a spiritual body. 45 So it is written: 'The first man
Adam became a living being, the last Adam became a life-giving spirit.
46 However the spiritual is not first, but the natural; then the
spiritual. 47 'The first man was of the earth and made of dust; the
second man is from heaven. 48 Like the man made of dust, so are those
who are made of dust; like the heavenly man, so are those who are
heavenly. 49 And just as we have borne the image of the man made of dust,
we will also bear the image of the heavenly man."
Here
it is; the champion verse of a resurrection of the physical body proves
its worst enemy. Paul says the seed and different body analogies are like
the "resurrection of the dead." He said that the resurrection of the dead
is like the bodies he was talking about. He does not say anything about a
physical body. He does not mention physical body at all. He affirms the
resurrection of believers in a spiritual body!
Here he says nothing
about the physical body is sown in corruption but a resurrected physical
body is sown in incorruption. He says "so it is with the resurrection of
the dead." The dead are sown in bodies of corruption and raised in bodies
of incorruption. The dead sow a natural body and rise in a spiritual body!
Like a seed the corruption must die, the shell opening up so that what is
inside may sprout to life. This is the nature of the resurrection
according to Paul.
What is inside of sinful man that is dead? The
soul. They are spiritually dead because of sin. If there is no
resurrection of the dead, then continue to sin and party. Paul says that
since Christ rose, there is a resurrection of the dead, so the dead will
rise and answer to God.
Let me address verses 47 through 49 because
people will claim this means we will have a body exactly like Christ, even
though the scripture I will show later affirms the opposite.
The
verse says "we will also bear the image of the heavenly man." In
scripture, Adam was made in the image of God. Was Adam divine? Was God
made of flesh and blood? The answers to these are obvious; man was in the
image of God but not exactly like God. Being recreated in the image of
Christ does not mean our resurrection is exactly like Christ's. All it
means is we rise also, and bear the image of the heavenly man. On earth we
were made in the image of God, but not exactly. When resurrected the dead
were made in the image of Christ, but they were not exactly like
Christ.
The witness of this chapter, which does not affirm a
resurrection of the physical body but of the dead, only gets more obvious
to defeat the "physical body" resurrection argument. Not to mention the
rest of scripture defeats it as well but I will get to that in a minute.
Let us continue.
50 "Brothers, I tell you this:
flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, and corruption
cannot inherit incorruption. 51 Listen, I am telling you a mystery:
'we will not all fall asleep, but we will all be changed, 52 in a
moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet
will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we will
be changed. 53 Because this corruptible must be clothed with
incorruptibility, and this mortal must be clothed with immortality. 54 Now
when this corruptible is clothed with incorruptibility, and this mortal
clothed with immortality, then the saying that is written will take
place: 'Death has been swallowed up in victory. 55 O Death where is
your victory? O Death where is your sting?' Now the sting of death is sin,
and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us
the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.'"
Once again it
is the death of the "physical body" resurrection defense. Paul in verse 50
says that corruption and mortality cannot inherit incorruption and
immortality. So does he go on to say that they do inherit it a verse or
two later? Nonsense! The physical body, the flesh and blood, dies. It is
corruptible and cannot inherit incorruption. What comes to life and rises
in incorruptibility is the soul. It can be no other way. How else can
those who "change" avoid the corruptible inheriting incorruption! Paul
would have just lied in verse 50 if the physical body inherits
incorruption. They are changed because the soul is brought to life. They
are clothed, or wearing, an immortal body, an immortal soul. They have a
soul that will never die according to the words of Christ in John
11.
These verses also prove that the resurrection is the time in
which death is put under the feet of Christ. It is when He has taken away
the sting in death. Only at the resurrection is there the defeat of death.
Verses 54-55 clearly state this. Notice though that scripture does not say
death is abolished, discontinued, destroyed. In fact, Paul speaks of death
as something that is still real, but holds no power. He says this because
the dead are with God only after the resurrection, when before they were
asleep and had perished if Christ had not risen at all. The resurrection
resulted in the defeat of death, but not the death of death. Death held no
sting after the resurrection.
Notice also that death and the defeat
of it is linked to the law? Why does Paul link death to the law? If the
law is no more, then sin has no power and death holds no sting. But the
law was still in existence until AD 70. If death holds no sting now, it is
only because the resurrection occurred and the law was destroyed. The two
were simultaneous events.
The entire preaching of the New Testament
and the timing of God's fulfillments were in perfect concert. The law was
destroyed in Ad 70 at the "times of the gentiles" and the punishment of
Babylon for the blood of the saints. As Daniel declared, the shattering of
the holy people brought the end of all "these wonders," which included the
great tribulation, deliverance of the saints, and the resurrection. the
destruction of the law at the shattering of the holy people perfectly
fulfilled the event known as the resurrection. Death held no power only
after the destruction of the law!
58 "Therefore
my dear brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the Lord's
work, knowing that your labor in the Lord is not in
vain."
Again Paul encourages them to maintain themselves
in the work of the Lord because of what he taught them here. Their work is
not in vain because they will rise. If they were to not rise, it would be
in vain. This just simply does not make sense if there are Christians
already with the Lord in spirit bodies but who are awaiting a physical
body resurrection. The idea is not only contrary to this chapter, but also
the teachings of Christ and the rest of the New Testament. the teachings
are contrary to the purpose and form of the kingdom that Christ preached.
The love of the physical is something that keeps people from accepting the
Truth of preterism in light of its overwhelming evidence with the time
statements, prophecy interpretation according to the Bible itself, and
historical events that so clearly fulfilled Christ's words."
GO TO PART 2
Contact me with what is on your
mind at:
nathandubois@cox.net
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