Class Notes: 3/31/2010

Doctrine of Resurrection part 4

Since we are approaching the observance of Resurrection Sunday aka Easter it is appropriate for us to take some time to review some of the doctrines related to his resurrection that is recorded in Mark 16:2; Luke 24:1-6; and John 20:1;

When we ran out of time last time we were discussing the scriptures that reveal that Joseph had confidence in the resurrection

Heb 11:22; "By faith, Joseph, when he was dying, made mention of the exodus to the sons of Israel and gave orders concerning his bones."

Gen 50:24-26; "And Joseph said to his brothers, "I am about to die, but God will surely concern Himself about you, so that He will take you up from this land to the land which He promised on oath to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob."

v25 Then Joseph made the sons of Israel take an oath, saying, `God is going to deliver you, therefore you will carry my bones up from this place.'

v26 So Joseph died at the age of one hundred and ten years; and he was embalmed and placed in a coffin in Egypt."

There was no tomb for Joseph in Egypt. His coffin remained above ground for 475 years as a testimony that he knew he would be resurrected.

In Ex 13:19; we see that Joseph's coffin went at the head of the column when the Israelites left Egypt. For forty years it was carried through the desert as a testimony of the faithfulness of God and the certainty of resurrection.

We see in Josh 24:31-32; that his bones were finally buried, "And Israel served the Lord all the days of Joshua and all the days of the elders who survived Joshua, and had known all the deeds of the Lord which He had done for Israel.

v32 Now they buried the bones of Joseph, which the sons of Israel brought up from Egypt, at Shechem, in the piece of ground which Jacob had bought from the sons of Hamor the father of Shechem for one hundred pieces of money; and they became the inheritance of Joseph's sons."

Joseph's coffin was a testimony to Joseph's belief in resurrection. Joseph understood that the physical death of the believer is a matter of both grace orientation and doctrinal orientation; for God selects the time, place, and manner of our death.

While Joseph had control over his life while he was living, he had no control over the time, manner, or place of his death. The death of Joseph was a matter of the sovereignty, wisdom, and integrity of God.

Joseph's unburied coffin was a testimony to the faithfulness of God, God's timing, and his application of Bible doctrine through the faith rest drill.

Resurrection is a matter of the sovereign judgment of God, therefore, resurrection is strictly a grace function. John 11:25, "Jesus said to her (Martha), `I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies.'"

Some of principles that we can draw from the doctrine of resurrection include:

Just as believers have no control over the time or manner of their death, likewise believers have no control over the time or manner of their resurrection.

Only God knows when the body of Christ will be completed and at that point the exit resurrection or rapture of the church will occur. When people start putting dates on the Rapture, it is false doctrine. God wants us to live one day at a time and every day as unto the Lord.

Like the death of the believer, the resurrection of the believer is a matter of God's timing, God's decision, God's victory, 1Cor 15:57.

The resurrection is God's victory, because the resurrection is totally the work of God apart from human merit or human achievement. The resurrection is God's victory for all believers.

Resurrection always tempers our sorrow when loved ones die, because we know that we will be raised and be able to spend eternity with them.

Just as the grace policy of God has provided everything the believer needs for time, so the grace policy of God has provided everything the believer needs for dying, death, and resurrection.

While believers have control their choice to advance in the PPOG for time, they have no control over the time, place, or manner of their death or their resurrection.

Resurrection is the Lord's sovereign decision, and is not subject to either man's speculation or man's timetable. However, we do know that Joseph will be resurrected at the Second Advent when the unconditional covenants to Israel are fulfilled. At that time, Joseph will stand with Abraham Isaac and Jacob in resurrection bodies.

Death and resurrection are not under the control or the merit of the believer. The victory of death is the Lord's victory; for salvation through personal faith in Christ has removed the sting and the power of death.

The victory of grace in resurrection includes every believer after Christ the firstfruits: the exit resurrection of the Church-, the royal family of God, the Old Testament saints and tribulational martyrs at the Second Advent, the millennial believers at the end of the millennium.

Resurrection is a part of the Gospel or the Good News, 1Cor 15:1-4; This good news includes the information regarding the substitutionary spiritual death of Christ where he received the imputation and judgment for the sins of the world, His physical death, and His resurrection.

The Importance of Resurrection Related to Faith in Christ, 1Cor 15:12-17. Without resurrection, faith in TLJC is worthless.

Resurrection emphasizes the difference between a theophany and Christophany.
A theophany is an appearance of Christ prior to the First Advent and can be as an animate person or inanimate thing.

A christophany is a personal appearance of Christ after His bodily resurrection, Mk 16:9-14; Luke 24:13-43;

The resurrection of Christ is part of His strategic victory of the angelic conflict, 1Cor 15:20-25.

Sleep is a metaphor for the physical body waiting for the resurrection body. The soul never sleeps. We have an interim body while waiting in heaven for our resurrection body.

Resurrection is necessary for perpetuation of the line of David and fulfillment of the Davidic covenant, Rom 1:3-4; 2Tim 2:8; During the First Advent the Jews rejected Christ as their King. Therefore, the fulfillment of the Davidic covenant was postponed until after the Church Age.

The resurrection of Christ indicates the completion of the ministry of justification, Rom 4:25. Christ was "raised because of our justification." We are justified, therefore, Christ had to be raised. Because justification was completed on the Cross, the Father was free to resurrect Christ.

All Three members of the Trinity were agents of the Resurrection of Christ.
God the Father, Col 2:12;1Thes 1:10; 1 Pet 1:21; Heb 13:20;
God the Holy Spirit, Acts 2:24; Rom 1:4, Rom 8:11; 1Pet 3:18;
Christ Himself, John 10:17-18;

Resurrection is necessary for advance of the Father's plan, Isa 53:10;
The resurrection of Christ is the basis for the believer's confidence in the future, 1Pet 1:3-5, 21; Phil 3:21;

Resurrection demonstrates the Tactical Victory of Royal Family in the Angelic Conflict Rom 6:4;

The tactical victory of the royal family is the advance to maturity.
The royal family is formed by the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
Tactical victory is believer's heritage, 1Cor 15:57-58;
The royal family is motivated to advance to maturity through identification with Christ in His resurrection, Rom 6:4;

The Bible describes how the resurrection will occur:
1John 3:2; "Beloved (royal family), we are now the children of God, and what we will be has not yet been revealed. We know, however, that if He should appear we shall be exactly like Him (similar in resurrection bodies) because we shall see Him just as He is."
Phil 3:21; "Jesus Christ, who will transform this body of our humiliation so that it will be like the body of His glory on the basis of the power that also enables Him to bring into subjection all creation to Himself." We are similar to Christ in our resurrection body but not identical.

The Rapture is imminent. This means that no prophecy has to be fulfilled before the resurrection occurs. Rev 22:7, 12, 20 says "I am coming soon." "Soon" implies imminency. Another good translation of the Greek word "tachu" is "without delay"

This statement was made in A.D. 96; it is now 2010. Throughout all these centuries, the Rapture has not occurred. The Rapture could occur tomorrow or 1000 years from now and there is no event in prophesy that can delay it.

The Rapture of the Church does not depend on human accomplishment, but on the grace of God. The Rapture will not occur until the royal family is complete. We do not know when the last person to be brought into the royal family. This means that the time of the exit resurrection is God's decision.

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