As we have said before, theologians refer to the study of “End Times” as the study of Eschatology and the resurrection is a central part of that study. We learn much about the end-times from the following books of the Bible, Daniel 12, Matthew 24, 1 Thessalonians 4, and of course the book of Revelation 4-22. There are also many other verses scattered throughout the Bible that speak to the coming events.
Now the central truth to the study of Eschatology is of course the Resurrection. The word resurrection means “to rise again”! The Bible makes it very clear that each one of us will “rise again”. Physical death is not the end of life!
1 Corinthians 15 is the Apostle Paul’s thorough teaching on the resurrection. Rather than read, all 58 verses let me paraphrase the major sections of Paul’s defense of the resurrection of Jesus. The resurrection of Jesus is an essential prerequisite to our resurrection as a Believer.
1 CORINTHIANS 15
In verses, 1-11 Paul preaches The Risen Christ and the reason for our faith. Paul list three doctrines of faith and then recounts all the witnesses who saw Jesus after His resurrection. The doctrines of faith are: one- Jesus died for our sins as prophesied by scripture, two- that He was buried and three-that He rose again on the third day.
The witnesses were Peter, then by the rest of the 12 Apostles, then He was seen by over 500 people at once. Then seen by James, all the Apostles again, and then finally by Paul himself. In a nut-shell, our faith foundation is the fact that Jesus fulfilled the prophecies of the Old Testament and that He was clearly seen by so many witnesses after His resurrection.
THE RISEN CHRIST, OUR HOPE
In verses 12-19 Even in Paul’s time, there were those who claimed the resurrection did not take place. To counter that thought Paul assumes a false hypothetical case to show what the impact would be if the resurrection did not occur. Christianity totally depends on the physical resurrection of the dead body of Jesus; otherwise, it is all a lie. Paul states in 17-19, “And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! Then also those who have fallen asleep or died in Christ have perished. 19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable”.
THE LAST ENEMY DESTROYED
The term firstfruits represent the first ripened part of the harvest, the first fruits are the evidence that the entire harvest is on the way. According to the Old Testament, the first fruits in connection with the Passover were used to consecrate the coming harvest. Jesus died on the Passover, and His Resurrection is the first fruit of the promise of our own resurrection.
In verses, 20-28 Paul uses the term first-fruits to describe Jesus’ resurrection. The first-fruits represents the first of the harvest. Well if Jesus is the first-fruit then the inference is that those who belong to him will follow! Then Paul makes the point that through Adam, a man (Genesis), came death and through Jesus (also a man) will come new life or the resurrection. This will take place when Jesus returns again otherwise known as the Second Coming. Then in verses 23-26 Paul states the following, “But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming. Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power. For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet. 26 The last enemy that will be destroyed is death.” In that statement is the promise of the resurrection and eternal life in Heaven.
Verses 29-34 Paul introduces an issue that has caused questions among theologians for ages and that is the issue of “baptizing for the dead. There are a number of interpretations none of which we can figure out, but whatever the proper interpretation, Paul’s point is clear, all of life is futile if there is no resurrection. Paul makes the sarcastic statement “If the dead do not rise, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!” Of course, that is how many live their lives. Living for the day with no thought to the future and Paul states that it is to their shame.
To be continued…
