And thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just. Luke xiv. 14. But as touching the resurrection of the dead have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying 1 am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living. Matt. xxii. 31, 32. Behold I shew you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but † we shall all be changed. 1 Cor. xv. 51. .There shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust. Blessed and Acts xxiv. 15. holy is he that hath part in * The resurrection of the just, elsewhere called the first resurrection, see Rev. xx. 5, 6. Saint Paul's ardent desire was to have a place in this first resurrection, see Philippians iii. 11. The privileges of it will be great beyond calculation, and it should form the persevering prayer of every Christian that, God would make him eligible to share in it. See Acts xxiv. 15. Rev. xx. 5, 6. Phil. iii. 11. + We, i. e. the saints; for it is only to such as these he is now writing: see ch. i. 2, of this Epistle. It will make an everlasting difference to all whether they partake in the first resurrection or not: for on such alone the second death shall have no power. See Rev. xx. 5, 6. The living saints and the dead in Christ shall equally share in the blessing. Blessed and holy. If all they who share in the first resurrection, be, as the Scriptures truly affirm, "Holy," I ask then, How can the wicked have any place whatever therein? This establishes the point for ever: the wicked are not to rise at the resurrection of the just! THE FIRST RESURRECTION; on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years. Rev: xx. 6. For I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another : Job xix. 25-27. Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. And ye shall know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves. And shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place * This verse places the reign of Christ on earth, subsequent to the first resurrection: we have therefore in it a most useful key or guide to instruct us as to the precise order of time and arrangement in which the events may be expected to take place: but so far as concerns the duration of Messiah's reign, the reader is referred to those words of the apostle Peter, "But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that, One day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day." 2 Peter iii. 8. + Observe who it is that now speaks, even Job that man of God! Take notice how God's people alone are here addressed. you in your own land; then shall ye know that I the Lord have spoken it, saith the Lord. Ezekiel xxxvii. 12-14. And at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in The Book. 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. And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness, as the stars for ever and ever, Dan, xii. 2, 3. Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body (saith the prophet Isaiah) shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust; for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead. Isaiah xxvi. 19. I will ransom them from the power of the grave I will redeem them from death: O Death, I will be thy plagues; O Grave, I will be thy destruction; Hosea xiii. 14. But God will redeem my soul from the power of the Grave; for he shall receive me. Selah. Psalm xlix. 15. As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied, when I awake with thy likeness. Psalm xvii. 15, So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O Death, where is thy sting? O Grave, where is thy victory? 1 Cor. xv. 54, 55. For, to this end Christ both died and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and the living. Rom. xiv. 6. As for thee also, by THE BLOOD OF THY COVENANT I have sent forth thy prisoners out of the pit wherein is no water. Zechariah ix. 11. Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is the devil; And deliver them who through fear of death, were all their life time subject to bondage. Heb. ii. 14, 15. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. 1 John iii. 2. He will swallow up death in victory: Isaiah xxv. 8. And as we have borne the image of the earthy, (Adam) we shall also bear the image of the heavenly. 1 Cor. xv. 49 Because the creature itself also shall be de Took part; (the Greek word is metesche,) i. e. partook of, or shared in. Christ did not merely take part of our nature, but the entire of it, and possessing our flesh and blood, became very man equally as much as ever Adam partook of it before the fall. livered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. Romans viii. 21. Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live. John v. 25. We shall not all sleep, but † we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 1 Cor. xv. 52. But every man in his own order: CHRIST the first fruits; afterwards, ARE CHRIST'S at his coming. THEY THAT 1 Cor. xv. 23. • That there took place a special resurrection at the completion of Christ's first Advent, these words of Matthew declare: "And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, And came out of their graves after His resurrection, and went into the holy city and appeared unto many."-Matt. xxvii. 52, 53. And that there will be likewise a special resurrection, though infinitely upon a larger scale, at Messiah's Second Advent, these texts appear to point out. Rev. xx. 5, 6. Acts xxiv. 15. Phil. iii. 11. And both of these are included under the Scripture term "first resurrection." † We, i. e. the saints; for to them alone he was writing. See 1 Cor. i. 2. There is no more Scripture for the wicked being changed at this time, than there is for their sharing in the resurrection of the just or the first resurrection, but the very reverse. See Rev. xxii. 11. Do not these words place the time of the resurrection the wicked, in the last order? |