The Death of Death
Certain members of the Corinthian congregation denied the future resurrection of the righteous. Paul responded by stressing how necessary our resurrection is and by appealing to the past Death and Resurrection of Jesus. His resurrection was and remains the precedent for our future resurrection. We will be raised bodily when he “arrives,” and his appearance will mean nothing less than the termination of Death itself.
Paul revealed
something new in his defense of the resurrection. Believers still alive on the Last
Day will be transformed and receive immortal bodies. He also described the
key events that will precede the ‘Parousia’ or “arrival” of
Jesus.
[Photo by Georg Arthur Pflueger on Unsplash] |
The Apostle began with the rhetorical question - “If Christ is proclaimed that he has been raised from among the dead, how say some of you there is no resurrection of the dead?” – (1 Corinthians 15:12).
From his perspective,
the heart of the matter was the absolute necessity for bodily resurrection.
All his arguments are crafted to support that proposition, and its basis is the
past resurrection of Jesus.
If there is
no future resurrection, then “not even Christ has been raised,” and if
that is the case, then the Gospel is null and void. Thus, our coming resurrection
is based on the past resurrection of the Son of God. Furthermore, it is pivotal
to the teachings and salvation hope of the Church.
Paul then argues
that “all will be made alive, but each in his own rank” or “order.”
Jesus was the “first fruits” - He rose first - The rest will follow “at
his arrival.” That event will constitute “the END when he delivers up
the Kingdom to God and brings to nothing all rule, authority, and power.”
Thus, the
raising of the dead began with Jesus, the “firstborn of the dead,” and at
his “arrival,” this process will be consummated - (1 Corinthians 15:23).
HIS RETURN
Paul uses the
Greek noun ‘Parousia’ for the “coming” or “arrival” of
Jesus. For example, in his first letter to the Thessalonians, he links the
resurrection of dead believers to the “arrival” of Jesus from Heaven - (1
Thessalonians 4:12-15, 5:23, 2 Thessalonians 2:1, 2:8).
His ‘Parousia’
will mean “the end” of the present age, the subjugation of all his
enemies, and the termination of Death. The latter is the “Last Enemy”
that must be destroyed. Only then will he deliver the "Kingdom” to
his God and Father, after which, God will be “all in all” - (1
Corinthians 15:24-28).
Paul’s
purpose was not to present all the details related to the return of Jesus. Specific
subjects are introduced because they support his argument for the resurrection
of the righteous dead.
Jesus was
raised as the “first fruits” of those who “sleep.” Logically, dead
believers will participate in the same kind of resurrection that he did, though
only at the appointed time. In the conclusion of his argument, Paul returns to
the subjects of the resurrection and the end of Death:
- (1 Corinthians 15:51-58) - “We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed… During the last trumpet, for it shall sound and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.”
The cessation of death will coincide with the “arrival” of Jesus. That day will mark the final overthrow of all God’s enemies and the consummation of His rule. After that, there will be no more enemies to conquer, therefore, death will be no more.
However, the bodily
resurrection does not mean the resuscitation of corpses. Instead, our mortal
bodies will be transformed into another kind of body geared for life in
the Spirit. That body will not be subject to disease, decay, and death. The evidence
for this hope is the glorified body of Jesus. We, likewise, will inherit glorified
bodies. Our life in the coming age will be an embodied existence, not a
disembodied state - (1 Corinthians 15:35-50).
The “mystery”
that is revealed in the passage is that believers who remain alive when Jesus
arrives will be physically transformed. They will not experience death. The hope
of the Assembly rests on belief in the future resurrection and life in the New
Creation, which, in turn, is based on the past death and the bodily
resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth.
RELATED POSTS:
- Comfort One Another - (Both living and resurrected saints will meet Jesus as he descends from Heaven - 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18)
- He Nullified Death - (By raising Jesus from the dead, God nullified the authority of Deah)
- Final Events - (The future arrival of Jesus will be a day of great finality)
Comments
Post a Comment
We encourage free discussions on the commenting system provided by the Google Blogger platform, with the stipulation that conversations remain civil. Comments voicing dissenting views are encouraged.