Steve Pappas

In the previous monologue, "The Return," scriptures describing the future return of our Lord were related.

This monologue is intended to present as simply as possible, and using as little added commentary from uninspired men such as myself as possible, the doctrine of the resurrection from the scriptures. As in the first, the intent of this monologue is to minimize the damage to the faith of many in God and His word caused by disillusionment with prediction failures in interpretations of scriptures related to doctrines of final things. The presentation is intended to be with respect, consideration, and love for those who have been innocently influenced by popular ideas, and in acknowledgment that these ideas are used by most in good conscience and in an effort to prepare others for Christ’s coming.

These are not exhaustive, but are the most straightforward scriptures about the resurrection of the dead. Questions will precede some of the scriptures in order to direct the reader to wording that bears upon determination of whether or not a particular idea can be a scriptural doctrine. Subsequent monologues will discuss other expectations related to the Lord’s return.

Thus far, there have been no references to the book of Revelation. Because many of the predictions that have failed in the last two centuries and misinterpretations related to Christ’s return and final things have been based on scriptures cut and pasted from this highly symbolic book, it is better to establish simple truths from plain scriptures first. A simple rule of Biblical understanding is that if a simple scripture plainly presents a doctrine, don’t overrule the simple presentation with a complicated one based on highly symbolic language.

The resurrection! This is the good news! Without it, forgiveness of sins is meaningless. When the actor playing the Lord of the resurrection called Lazarus from the tomb at a passion play that I saw, my tears flowed while others couldn’t hold back shouts of excited praise to God. This is something to be excited about! G.K.Chesterton, famous convert from paganism wrote a poem about the resurrection in which all the chiding words of the philosophers who scoffed at the resurrection were dismissed as less than nothing to the speaker, because, as he very simply stated, "My name is Lazarus; and I live!" Simple, but PROFOUND!

I. The first scripture ties the return of the Lord, discussed in the previous monologue, to taking Gods’ people to be with God and His Son.

"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am." (John 14:1-3)

II. A resurrection (one resurrection, singular, not a pretribulation, post-tribulation, and/or post-millenial resurrection) was already taught and expected by the Jews (except for the Saducees) of Jesus’s day. Jesus demonstrated his power over death as Lord of resurrection. On what day would Lazarus be raised?

"Jesus said to her, ‘Your brother will rise again.’ Martha answered, ‘I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.’ Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies...’" (John 11:23-25)

III. Many of God’s people have died. Paul said he had a desire to "depart and be with Christ" as his body slept in the grave. Would he be forever a disembodied spirit? What about his body? What about the redeemed who are alive when the Lord comes? Will a "rapture" leave the unsaved behind? Will all the dead come forth when the Lord calls, or will there be separate resurrections scheduled around tribulation or millenium periods?

"Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out - those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned." (John 5:28-29)

"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 believe 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 together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever." (1 Thessalonians 4:13-17)

"But someone may ask, ‘How are the dead raised? With what kind of body will they come?’ How foolish! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. When you sow, you do not plant the body that will be, but just a seed, perhaps of wheat or of something else. But God gives it a body as he has determined, and to each kind of seed he gives its own body. All flesh is not the same: Men have one kind of flesh, animals have another, birds another and fish another. There are also heavenly bodies and there are earthly bodies; but the splendor of the heavenly bodies is one kind, and the splendor of the earthly bodies is another. The sun has one kind of splendor, the moon another and the stars another; and star differs from star in splendor. So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. So it is written: "The first man Adam became a living being"; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit. The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual. The first man was of the dust of the earth, the second man from heaven. As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the man from heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. And just as we have borne the likeness of the earthly man, so shall we bear the likeness of the man from heaven. I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 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." (1 Corinthians 15:35-52)

"But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body." (Philippians 3:20-21)

It is hoped that the words of these men who were inspired by the Holy Spirit have helped clarify the topic presented here better than uninspired writers, such as I, could. Subsequent monologues will address other issues related to the return and resurrection.