Revering the Word
1 Cor. 15 Heaven, bodily resurrection, the rapture and more.
good morning everyone this morning we are in 1st Corinthians 15 every once in a while when I start a passage I might say well here we have a doozy and this one I would say is a doozy so I thought you know I want to look up what that means and it means an extraordinary one of its kind Miriam Webster that the example they give is this is a real doozy of a snowstorm which would mean a large you know big snowstorm anyways this is a significant teaching and it it's a I look forward to getting into it with you so without further ado let's do it it remember this is written to the Corinthian church who had some challenges in their church with division with immorality another thing that happened though in Corinth was that they had a lot of pagan philosophies of the Greek culture that were a part of you know their culture so therefore they were influenced by that and one of the things they thought of is that everything with the body is bad you know when you look at the sinfulness of a person they would attribute the physical aspects of our bodies to that sinfulness because that was something that was thought of in their pagan culture so they struggled with the idea and I would say I wouldn't give it the word maybe struggle but fascinated maybe hard to understand as a human that when we're talking about resurrection we're talking about the spiritual resurrection of our bodies even though you know we will one day die unless we get raptured first which that will come up in this teaching as well today but if we don't let's say we were to die in this life our bodies are gonna get buried but our spirit is gonna go with the Lord to be with him in heaven that will come up today but really what this passage is talking about quite a bit is the resurrecting of our bodies now that sounds kind of challenging and difficult right imagine you know a body getting put in the ground and and what's being said here is that there's going to be a resurrection but Paul explains it it's not gonna be like the rotten body that's in the ground it's gonna be a spiritual resurrection and the Corinthians I guess rightly so had a hard time understanding that and sometimes they even denied in their philosophy the resurrection and Paul's saying well by the way Jesus resurrected now Jesus's resurrection which is gonna be highly attested to in this chapter was slightly different in the sense that there was no tomb there was no there's no body Jesus he never his body never saw decay like ours were what will unless we see the rapture are we're a part of the rapture then our bodies would just be taken with the Lord into heaven again that's gonna come up and be talked about today but his was unique in that way but all of those who have died in Christ since the time of Christ have gone to be with the Lord but there's still going to be a spiritual resurrection one day that's the topic of today a lot of times because we don't think of it that way we just think of death and going to heaven but this is not only talking about that but talking about a resurrection of our spiritual bodies all right with all that let's go let's get into it now I make known to you brethren the gospel the good news which I preached to you which also you received in which also you stand by which also you are saved if you hold fast there it is again those of you are familiar with the Bible and also my teaching is that there's a lot of responsibility although God is helping protect us and hold us it is also our responsibility to hold fast by which also you are saved if you hold fast the word which I preached to you unless you believed in vain for I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures and that he was buried in the cave and that he was raised on the third day according to the scriptures and that he appeared to Cephas and that is recorded in the gospels then to the 12 after that he appeared to more than 500 brethren at one time 500 people saw him alive in his resurrected form before he ascended into heaven most of whom remain until now meaning at the time of Paul's writing of this which was in about 54 AD and that will come up today as well most of the people were still alive because Jesus died in rows and 33 AD so it was only you know about 21 years later and a lot we're still alive who had seen him alive but some have fallen asleep now that's the the term used for someone who has died and whose body is sleeping it's referring to their body now their souls if their believer in Jesus are already with him in heaven we'll get to that again today but their body is sleeping not they're alive in heaven but they're they're flesh their body and one day there'll be a resurrection of that body for those who believe then he appeared to James then to all the apostles and he's talking about like at the time when they were fishing by the seashore and at the Great Commission and all those times where Jesus came back and last of all as to one on Timely Aborn he appeared to me also and that's the on the road to would Jesus was gonna say the road to Mass but that was a different visit on the road to Damascus when when Paul was walking along the road and and God spoke to him and said why are you persecuting me and this is what helped make Paul an apostle is that he saw Jesus and had Jesus talk to him and Jesus also administered to him later we read about that and I believe the book of Galatians but nonetheless this is how Paul became an apostle and he he talked to the resurrected Christ or the resurrect well they both they talked to each other briefly but Jesus did most the talking for I am the least of the apostles and not fit to be called an apostle because I persecuted the church of God remember Paul was dead set against Jesus by the grace of God I am what I am meaning I am an apostle because of the grace of God and his grace toward me did not prove vain but I labored even more than all of them yet not I but the grace of God with me whether then it was I or they so we preach and so you believed now Paul did work very hard as an apostle was an incredible missionary now before we go any further I just want to say the evidence for the resurrection of Jesus Christ is so strong and I wish every unbeliever out there would investigate this and know this that Jesus appeared again and again and again and he showed his hands and his feet and he showed himself to the apostles many times to 500 others and you know there's a record of the apostles dying for their faith now they wouldn't die for it if they thought it was a lie if they didn't believe in Jesus and didn't believe in his resurrection they wouldn't stick with them to the end and die maintaining their faith in Jesus there's no record of any apostle ever saying you know what he we lied we made it up no they died for Jesus they died for their faith in him they saw him they could not deny what they saw with their own eyes they saw him alive again dear friends can you imagine seeing someone dying across spirit in this side outcomes blood and water taken down off the cross he was dead and he came alive again and and the resurrection evidence is extremely strong and and Paul is gonna use that evidence to say well just as Christ rose we're gonna rise to now if Christ is preached that he verse 12 that he had been has been raised from the dead how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead see so now that's the thing that Paul was reported to Paul after he left Corinth that some were struggling with the resurrection of our spiritual bodies and he's he's gonna write to instruct them guide them correct them up and he says in verse 13 but if there is no resurrection from the dead not even Christ has been raised he's saying listen you believe Christ was raised right and they did he's saying well if you believe that believe also that we're gonna one day have our bodies spiritually raised verse 14 and if Christ has not been raised raised then our preaching is vain and your faith also is vain you got to get this right Jesus Christ rise from the dead rose from the dead and our faith is strong in that and we can rest in that it's a foundational thing and it's something you can trust because it happened moreover we are even found to be false witnesses of God because we testified against God that he raised Christ for whom he did not raise if in fact the dead are not raised so he he's saying listen we'd be false witnesses because we told you Jesus Christ rose we saw him again and if that's not true we'd be lying to you but it is true because we didn't see him alive again and he's using that as a as an example that we are gonna rise our bodies are gonna rise to for if the dead are not raised not even Christ has been raised and if Christ has not been raised your faith is worthless you are still in your sins it's a big deal that Christ rose from the dead and he did hallelujah then those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished if we have hoped in Christ in this life only we are of all men most to be pitied all throughout the gospel Jesus promised in John's gospel and in others that those who believe in him have everlasting life have are gonna live forever are gonna have eternity and Paul's saying that if if Christ is not raised then we should be pitied because then there's no resurrection for us but he did rise and there will be resurrection for us as well but now Christ has been raised from the dead the first fruits of those who are asleep meaning just as Christ raised from the dead others are gonna be a rise to from the dead and when is that going to happen now that's not to mean let me just pause there that's not to mean that they're not in heaven now but what this is talking about is a future period of time where there's going to be a resurrection of our dead bodies into spiritual bodies for those who are dead in Christ now I want to take you briefly to 2 Corinthians chapter 5 2 Corinthians chapter 5 it says for we know that if the earthly tent which is our house is torn down that would be our body we have a building from God a house not made with hands eternal in the heavens for indeed in this house of this body we groan longing to be clothed with our heaven our dwelling from heaven in as much as we have put it on and will not be found naked for indeed while we are in this tent this tent of this body we groan you know sometimes our bodies hurt we get old things break down being burdened because we do not want to be unclothed but be clothed so that what is mortal our bodies will be swallowed up by life now he who prepared us for this very purposes God who gave us who gave to us the spirit as a pledge when you've been born again you've been given the spirit therefore being always of good courage and knowing that while we are at home in the body right now alive we are absent from the Lord although he's with us in spirit we're not with him physically for we walk by faith and not by sight we are of good courage I say and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be home with the Lord now if we die and we're no longer in our bodies our bodies go on the grave and are sleeping our spirit goes to be with the Lord and Paul's saying that would be much better if we died and our bodies went into the grave and our spirit want to be with the Lord and you know Paul echoes that in in the book of Philippians too he's like I don't know what to choose I'd I'd far rather you know might be better for me to just be dead and be home with the Lord but he's like I've got more work for down here so I don't think the Lord's gonna take me right now so there's an instant move to heaven of your spirit when you die if you trust in Jesus Christ you're gonna go to be with the Lord in heaven but there is a future resurrection of your body that goes into the grave that's the topic of what we're talking about right now so I want to make sure that gets straight it's similar but it's a different really topic and even 2 Corinthians chapter 5 there's no mention of resurrection there the topic is not the resurrection of our of our bodies that go on to a grave the topic there was if we die from this body we're gonna be at home with the Lord right now what we're talking about is the resurrection of our bodies so all right now where did I leave off I left off in verse 19 I believe so verse 20 but now Christ has been raised from the dead the first fruits of those who are asleep for since by a man came death by a man also came the resurrection of the dead for as in Adam all die because all have sinned and false sword of the glory of God so also in Christ all will be made alive because if you believed in him the sin problem that you inherited from Adam has been forgiven through the cross of Christ and if you believe in him all will be made alive but each in his own order Christ the first fruits after that those who are Christ at his coming then comes the end when he hands over the kingdom to God and Father when he has abolished all rule and authority and power for he must reign until he has put all enemies under his feet the last enemy that will be abolished is death for he has put all things in subjection under his feet but when he says all things are put in subjection it is evident that he is expepted who put all things in subjection to him when all things are in subjection to him then the son himself will also be subjected to the one who subjected all things to him so that God may be all in all and here we're going through the future eschatological times and you know I believe the future calendar is that we're in the church age right now what we're going to see in a moment is we're going to see the rapture and at that time you're going to see resurrected a resurrection of resurrection bodies of those who had died you're going to see the instant transformation of bodies of people who are alive on earth who are believers in Jesus who are going to get raptured into heaven then you're going to see the tribulation time come on earth which is very interesting that Paul knows about this tribulation time but doesn't talk about it in this particular chapter because if you're a believer you're not going to experience that then we have the return of Christ for the millennial reign and then finally when God ushers in eternity the new heaven and the new earth so for those of you are with us in our revelation series which we just finished at our church you'd be familiar with those things if not I hope you do get more familiar it's nice to know that there are heavenly places and ages to come all right verse 29 otherwise what will those do who are baptized for the dead now this is a very difficult passage it's really interesting how it's interesting how commentators you know I happen to have a John MacArthur study Bible in front of me and a lot of times they just don't talk about it a whole lot because it's it's an outlier it's an outlier passage and what seems to be the case is that there may have been people who believed in Jesus but were never water baptized and some people were saying hey let's baptize on behalf of them let's they're already dead let's baptize a give them a baptism that they didn't receive to kind of qualify for their baptism it seems to be that's what was happening I wouldn't prescribe such a thing it's only talked about here and here alone so I don't want to make too much of it it's something that we don't really know what to make of quite frankly otherwise what will those do who are baptized for the dead if the dead are not raised at all why then are they baptized for them why are we also in danger every hour I affirm brethren by the boasting in which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord I die daily if from human motives I fought with wild beasts at Ephesus what does it profit me if the dead are not raised let us eat and drink for tomorrow we die and he's saying this is really significant that you know the dead are raised and I do think there's kind of like an inference here to the fact that when we die we're gonna go with the view with the Lord but the main topic is the resurrection of our bodies do not be deceived bad company corrupts good morals become sober minded as you are and stop sinning for some have no knowledge of God I speak this to your shame and you know now he's kind of getting back to some of the things that he has given them a hard time about in their you know the sinful city that growing those in and some of the church even participating in some of the worldliness that took place in that city he's like stop knowing that you know all this is promised for us in the future don't don't live like that live for Jesus but someone will say how are the dead raised so now we're talking about people who had died right and their bodies their spirit want to be the Lord but their bodies are in the ground and they Corinthians struggled with this concept and to some extent arguably so it's it's a miracle it's miraculous and and now Paul's gonna try to explain it to them and with what kind of body do they come and he says you fool that which you so does not come to life unless it dies and he's talking about like a seed you know you put a seed in the ground it dies and then becomes the plant that it was designed to be but the seed actually dies and transforms and that which you so you do not so you do not sow the body which is to be but a bare grain perhaps of weed or of something else but God gives it a body just as he wished and to each of the seeds a body of its own like the seed really looks nothing like the plant right more than that see goes in the ground it dies and it it makes something else and he's saying that's kind of be what it's like for our bodies that get raised from the ground one day is it's gonna be transformed he said all flesh is not the same flesh but there is one flesh of men and other flesh of beasts and another flesh of birds and another flesh of fish you know we all have kind of different skin and bodies all those different animals and he's making the case that our heavenly body that gets transformed is gonna be different than the one that comes out of the ground so you don't have to think about your you know your blood and flesh and all that coming out of the ground it's gonna be a heavenly body there are also heavenly bodies and earthly bodies but the glory of the heavenly one and the glory of the earthly is another they're they're different there is one glory for the sun another glory for the moon and another glory for the stars for stars differs from stars and glory he's saying just like there's a lot of different things in the world there's gonna be a difference between the body that dies and the body that's resurrected it's not gonna be the same praise God it's gonna be healthy but it's gonna be different it's gonna be heavenly so also is the resurrection of the dead that's what it's talking about it is sown a perishable body right our body's going to the ground and they do they do rot in the ground but that's not what's gonna be raised it is raised an imperishable body it is sown in dishonor it is raised in glory it is sown in weakness and our our bodies we are weak we we they do get frail right but it is raised in power it is sown in natural body it is raised a spiritual body so he's saying listen don't trouble yourself with understanding how that's gonna happen because it's just gonna be different it's a god thing if there is a natural body there is also a spiritual body so also it is written the first man Adam became a living soul the last Adam the Jesus became a life-giving spirit and when you believed in him you were given that spirit and however the spiritual is not flesh excuse me however the spiritual is not first but the natural then the spiritual the first man is from earth earthy the second man is from heaven Adam was from earth Jesus is from heaven as is the earthy so also those who are earthy and as is the heavenly so also those who are heavenly so once you become born again in Jesus you've got that deposit in you and you're gonna one day your body is gonna raise heavenly just as we have born the image of the earthly and we look like Adam our forefather we will also bear the image of the heavenly we will also one day and inherit what Jesus inherited in heaven now I say this brethren that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God so it's not going to be our old body nor does the perishable and inherit the impartial but behold I tell you a mystery now this is really significant let me finish we will not all sleep but we will all be changed and here is where he's talking about the rapture notice church listen there has been no mention of tribulation there has been no mention of seven years of of challenging times on earth and and this is talking about something else a rapture and it's called the mystery the reason it's a mystery a mystery is something that wasn't understood by Old Testament people and by the way in order to participate in the rapture you've got to be a believer in Jesus so why would the Old Testament people know about the rapture and the mystery in the Bible in the New Testament is something previously unknown to the Old Testament people that has now been disclosed to the church one of the things that was a mystery is just the whole church age and that that's what a lot of people don't understand we are in a church age right now that was a mystery to the Old Testament people they did not understand this age they thought when Jesus came the first time that he was going to usher in a kingdom and they're right he is going to usher in a kingdom one day but it's going to happen after the church age after the tribulation when Jesus Christ returns they were looking for Jesus the first time when he came as a not as a babe they should have been looking for a babe and I guess in some ways it was in their scriptures you know that he'd be born in Bethlehem but they were not looking they were looking for someone to come back and rule and reign all the way even up until the time when Jesus walked into Jerusalem you know they were looking for him to take our is it now the time that you're going to take over they even thought about this after his death and then his resurrection before his ascended form they asked him in Acts chapter one if it was going to happen now and he's like no it's not for you to know the times or seasons which God has set by his own authority one day he is coming back to ruin reign but before the tribulation and before the awful time that's going to take place on earth but before the day of the Lord God who made a bride in his church through those who believe in him is going to rescue his bride from the earth prior to the tribulation and it's a mystery because it wasn't prior understood by the Old Testament people but it's been revealed to the church and that's why there's no warning here at all of a tribulation because he's telling them some great news right now behold I tell you a mystery we will not all sleep but we will be changed and if you are alive if I'm alive at the time that Jesus Christ comes back not fully because he's going to come back in the clouds he's not going to come all the way back to earth like he does when he comes back after the tribulation then you're going to be instantly changed that's what's being talked about here behold I tell you a mystery will not all sleep but we will all be changed in a moment in the twink with an eye at the last trumpet for the church age I'll say for the trumpet will sound and the dead will be raised so listen this is this is when the dead are going to get raised imperishable he's saying at the time of the tribulation those who have died in Christ are going to get raised their bodies are going to get raised they're already in heaven but their bodies are going to get raised to meet up with their spirit that's already in heaven and we if we are alive when Jesus Christ comes back from the rapture will be instantly changed for this perishable must put on the imperishable and this mortal must put on immortality but when this perishable will have put on the imperishable meaning our bodies which normally would be perishable but when we put on imperishable and when this mortal our body which are mortal will have put on immortality then will come about the same that is written death this is an Old Testament passage saying this is now is going to come true and in this season death is swallowed up in victory oh death where is your victory oh death where is your sting the sting of death is sin and the power of sin is the law but thanks be the God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ therefore my beloved brethren be steadfast immovable always abounding in the work of the Lord knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord and this is all mentioned as good news and there's no mention whatsoever of the tribulation now this letter is written three years after the letter to the Thessalonians after Paul wrote about to the Thessalonians he wrote about the rapture he wrote about the tribulation he wrote about the day of the Lord he wrote about judgment coming he knew about it but in this particular passage he only talks about the good news of the fact of this instantaneous change in the resurrection of our spiritual bodies without any mention of the tribulation the thing is is if Paul knew that it was that there was going to be no rapture and that every one of his believers his bride was going to have to face seven years of tribulation why wouldn't he mention it why would he not say well hold on before any of this good news remember you're going to have to go through the most horrific time that's ever mentioned on planet earth there's going to be no time in comparison to it this is me paraphrasing biblical words the tribulation is horrible much of the world is going to die there's going to be famine there's going to be plagues there's going to be meteors it's going to be awful and Paul makes no mention of it here whatsoever that they're going to have to be around for any of that he just talks about the instantaneous change and I think that's a very strong evidence for the rapture and I want to take you briefly to first Thessalonians chapter four first Thessalonians chapter four and then I also want to share some grace in a moment as well for those who have a different view so but we'll do that at the end now moving forward to first Thessalonians 4 I want to share with you that this sounds very much like the rapture account in first Thessalonians 4 where it says in verse 13 but we do not want you to be uninformed brethren about those who are asleep again he's talking about people who have died their spirits want to be with the Lord and their bodies are in the ground he said so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope for if we believe that Jesus died and rose again which obviously we've talked about that in Corinthians we do even so God will bring with him now who who is God bringing with when he comes he's bringing those spirits with him that have already died because they instantaneously want to be with the Lord when they died their body went into the ground their spirit want to be with the Lord when he comes back for the rapture he's going to bring with him the spiritual people of heaven with him now listen for if we believe that Jesus died and rose again even so God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus for this we say to you by the word of the Lord he's saying this is the word of the Lord that we who are alive now this is for people who are on earth at the time of the rapture and remain until the coming of the Lord will not proceed those who have fallen asleep for the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God and the dead in Christ will rise first now he's talking about the same thing the resurrection of the bodies that are in the graves then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds you know this is the instantaneous change that we were just talking about in first Corinthians that we will be changed the bodies will be raised the previous people who have died their spirits who are already in heaven are going to come back with them they're gonna meet up with these new spiritual bodies in the air and we'll always be with the Lord let me read it to you verse 17 then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together we're going to be instantly changed with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air and so we shall always be with the Lord therefore comfort one another with these words and notice that in first Corinthians 15 and also in first Thessalonians 4 here it's all about comfort and encouragement now what does he say next listen to what is has next in first Thessalonians 4 now moving to chapter 5 verse 1 now as to the times in Epoch's brethren you have no need of anything to be written to you for you yourself know full well that the day of the Lord which is judgment will come like a thief in the night while they now he's not referring to the church he's referring to a different group of people unbelievers and Jews while they are saying peace and safety then destruction will come upon them see now he's talking about the tribulation but he's talking about a different group of people not the people that were just instantly changed destruction will come upon them suddenly like labor pains on a woman and they not you not the church will not escape but you now he's talking to church again brethren are not in darkness that that day would overtake you like a thief for you are all sons of light and sons of day we are not of night nor of darkness so then let us not sleep as others do but let us be alert and sober meaning what he's talking about there as far as sleep he's not talking about soul like sleeping our bodies sleeping waiting for the resurrection he's talking about don't be complacent in your faith for those who sleep do they're sleeping at night and those who get drunk get drunk at night that's what he's talking about is don't live a life absent of the Lord but since we are the day let us be sober having put on the breastplate of faith and love and as a helmet the hope of salvation now listen this is very important for God has not destined us that is the church for wrath which comes during the tribulation it's filled with wrath but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ who died for us that whether we are awake whether we are alive or whether our bodies want to the ground and slap we will live together with him therefore encourage one another and build one another up just as you all so are doing again what is the emphasis encouragement for the church that's not going to experience the tribulation now I want to go back briefly to 1 Corinthians 15 I think we've pretty much wrapped it up it's quite a chapter isn't it yes we did therefore my beloved brethren be steadfast moveable always about it in the Lord knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord listen I think this is a very important teaching talking about the difference between the instant instant move to heaven when we die our bodies go in the grave and then a future time at the rapture when there's going to be a resurrection of people's bodies that have died to meet up with their spirits and also an instant change for those who are on earth and again no mention of tribulation listen I think the evidence is very strong I think it's very sad that there are teachers out there that make it appear as though there's no evidence for a rapture in the Bible that the Bible doesn't speak of it it's it's it's absurd and it's a lie that that is taught now with that being said there are really good believers who have a different view we disagree but they are born again in Jesus and they have the Spirit of God and all of us could have some error in our theology obviously all of us who care we seek to honor the Lord right we want to be we want to discern God's word rightly but do I have every single thing on every single scripture exactly right I would say probably not I do my best to do that but that's just being a human and being humble that there could be problems in things that we believe so we have to have that level of humility and also to say that you know we don't have to agree on every doctrine to be saved to be born again and to have the promises of God we could be wrong about some things and still be children of God and still be saved so we love our brothers and sisters that have a different view we give grace and respect to those who have a different view the area that I struggle is on those who have a different view that don't give grace and respect to what the Bible says or that a lot of really good believers based on evidence believe in a pre tribulation rapture I struggle when others don't provide that same level of respect and grace because I do respect my brothers and sisters that have a different view we disagree and then we disagree based on evidence both sides I would say but I think we should we should love and give grace to one another and I want to say to you that there's only a fraction of what I shared regarding evidence today for a pre tribulation rapture there's so much more and and the evidence is strong but I do realize that some believe there is a different view so anyways I hope this allows us to have love for one another unity for one another and I hope most of all it comforts you hallelujah that whether you die today or whether the rapture comes next you're going to be with the Lord spiritually and one day your body is going to raise not the perishable but imperishable hallelujah we have a lot to look forward to and the heavenly places and ages to come God bless you all