The Resurrection of the Dead
In this article on "The Resurrection of the Dead", "A PERSONAL REVELATION" author Eric Fugett examines whether the "Resurrection of the Dead" is referring to a spiritual awakening/becoming a Christian or whether the "Resurrection of the Dead" is referring to an actual resurrection of bodies/souls.
The debate over whether there is/was a resurrection of the dead is apparently as controversial an issue today as it was in the 1st Century. One of the main rifts between the Pharisees and the Sadducees was over the Resurrection of the dead. The Pharisees believed there would be a resurrection of and a future life for the dead, while the Sadducees believed that your existence ended with death. Jesus addressed both of those issues in the gospels (Matthew 22:23-33, Mark 12:18-27, and Luke 20:27-40). He made it very clear to the Sadducees that they were in error, on both counts, due to their lack of knowledge of the Scriptures and understanding of the power of God. When on trial, Paul also exploited the tension that existed between the Pharisees and Sadducees over the issue of the resurrection of the dead (Acts 23:6-10). Today, the debate seems to be whether "resurrection" is referring to a spiritual awakening/becoming a Christian or whether it is referring to an actual resurrection of bodies/souls. I propose that both are true, and one simply needs to examine the context, of the Scripture reference, to determine which is being discussed. (Please read the whole article before passing judgment.)
First, I want to examine the Scripture references in favor of the resurrection of the dead referring to a spiritual awakening or becoming a Christian. In John 3, Jesus tells Nicodemus that he must be born again in order to enter into the kingdom of heaven or become a Christian. In John 5:21, Jesus says that anyone who believes in him has crossed over from death to life. Ephesians 2:6 and Colossians 3:1 both state that, as Christians, we have been raised into the heavenly realms with Christ. Ephesians 5:1-17 and 1 Peter 2:9, both talk about going from darkness to light, and Ephesians 5:14 encourages the Ephesians to rise from the dead so that Christ can shine on them. Romans 6:1-7 describes the process of becoming a Christian as being a participation in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. Revelation 20:5-6 says that when we participate in the 1st resurrection (become Christians), the second death or Hell is no longer to be feared. I think with these Scriptures, the argument for "resurrection of the dead" referring to spiritual awakening or becoming a Christian has been made. Now let's examine the other possibility.
In John 11:24, Martha, the sister of Mary and Lazarus, told Jesus that she knew Lazarus would rise again in the resurrection at the last day. Obviously, there is/was to be a future resurrection of all the dead at some time afterwards, and according to her statement, it was to occur at the last day. The last days were in reference to the last days of the Old Covenant, which ended in 70 CE (AD). (I discuss this topic throughout my book.) Jesus in his discussion with the Sadducees, in the gospel accounts listed above, states that there is/was both a future age and resurrection to come. Jesus also told them that people who were resurrected would not marry because they would be like the angels in heaven (Matthew 22:30, Mark 12:25, Luke 20:36). He also told those to whom he was speaking, "this generation", that the Queen of the South and the people of Nineveh would condemn them on Judgment day because they believed the words of Solomon and Jonah respectively.
From the Scriptures, we also understand that Jesus was the first to be resurrected from the dead, never to die again (Acts 26:23, Romans 6:9, Colossians 1:18). In Acts 24:15, Paul said that he was on trial because of his belief that there would be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked. In 1 Corinthians 15 and 1 Thessalonians 4:13-16, Paul, when talking about the resurrection of Jesus, goes on to say that those who fall asleep (die in the Lord) will be resurrected as well. In Philippians 3:10-11, Paul says that he wants, by some means, to attain the resurrection of the dead. In 2 Timothy 2:16-18, Paul, when speaking of Hymenaeus and Philetus, says that they destroy the faith of some by saying that the resurrection has already taken place. The Hebrew writer, in chapter six verses one and two, states that the resurrection of the dead is an elementary teaching. In chapter 11, he states that many were tortured and killed because of their hope in the resurrection.
All of this brings us to the book of Revelation, where in chapter six, we find souls under the altar when the fifth seal is opened. They were told to wait a little longer, until those, who were soon to die in Christ, joined them. Then in Revelation 20, two sets of book were opened one in relation to the judgment against Israel and the other in judgment of the dead. Daniel 12 predicted that a judgment would occur against Israel/Jerusalem during that time period as well.
According to Revelation 20:11-15, all of the holding places for the dead were emptied and every soul was judged. At that time people went from Paradise, Tartarus, and anywhere else souls were allowed to be, to either Heaven or Hell. The Jewish historian Josephus provides insights into the Jewish thoughts on Paradise, Tartarus, Heaven, and Hell in his writing entitled, "Josephus' Discourse to the Greeks Concerning Hades." Josephus believed that Paradise and Tartarus were holding places for the dead until Judgment Day, at which time people either went to Heaven or Hell. Jesus describes the two holding places in Luke 16:19-31 and I suggest that this was not a parable. Usually the Bible is up-front in letting us know when Jesus is teaching a parable (Matthew 13, Mark 4, and Luke 15). Jesus never used a real name in any of his parables, so I believe that He was describing the two regions. Jesus also told the thief on the cross that he would be with Him that day in paradise (Luke 23:43). There are also Scriptures, like John 5:21-29 and John 11:23-26, that tend to talk about resurrection as both a spiritual occurrence and a literal event.
Hopefully, I have successfully shown that there was to be a resurrection of the dead at some time in the 1st Century. Now, I would like to tell you the date that I believe the Resurrection of the Dead actually occurred. As I pointed out in my article entitled, "Dating the Book of Revelation," the trumpet soundings in the book of Revelation were in reference to the Jewish Feast of Trumpets (Rosh Hashanah). David Chilton makes a case for the number "eight" being the number that represents resurrection in the Bible (Days of Vengeance, pp. 434-437). He uses the examples of the eight survivors of the flood, and Jesus being resurrected on, if you think about it, the eighth day (Sunday to Sunday), to show how Rome was resurrected under the eighth emperor Vespasian (Revelation 17:7-11). For more information on how early Christians viewed the "eighth day," you should read A Dictionary of Early Christian Beliefs by David W. Bercot.
Now let's get back to investigating a date for the Resurrection of the Dead. 1 Corinthians 15:52 tells us that the last trumpet will sound and the dead will be raised. Seven Feasts of Trumpets passed from the time that John was given The Revelation (September 11, 63 CE (AD)), to the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 CE (AD). Remember that eight is the number that represents resurrection. The eighth Feast of Trumpets occurred on September 24, 70 CE (AD) shortly after the destruction of Jerusalem. Even Rabbis believe that Rosh Hashanah or The Feast of Trumpets should be Judgment Day. (See the article on Rosh Hashanah on http://www.aish.com/holidays/The_High_Holidays/articles/why_judgment.asp.) September 24, 70 CE (AD) was the day that the dead were resurrected or what we commonly think of as “Judgment Day.
Those who died, after this judgment occurred, did not go to a holding place for the dead because those holding places were destroyed. This is why Paul says, in 1 Corinthians 15:51-58 and 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, that we will not all sleep, but after the dead are judged (in The Judgment), we will be changed in a flash and go to meet Jesus when we die. People, who have died, after September 24, 70 CE, have gone directly before God (for judgment) and then to either heaven or hell.
Lastly, to prove my point, that both viewpoints are correct, I would have you examine Revelation 20:5-6. It says that those who participate in the 1st resurrection (Christians) do not have to fear the second death (Hell). By mentioning a first resurrection, it implies that there will be at least a second resurrection, just like mentioning the second death (Hell) implies that there is a first death (death itself). (I hope you really take the time to digest the gravity of that statement.)
In conclusion I would like to reiterate that I believe that "resurrection" can refer to either a spiritual awakening/becoming a Christian, or the resurrection of souls on judgment day. However, I do not believe that becoming a Christian is what "The Resurrection of the Dead" is referring to.
If you want to know more about Heaven, Hell, and Judgment Day, you are going to have read my book, "A PERSONAL REVELATION."
