| Highlights of Dawn | April 1971 |
Death Destroyed, Life Restored
“He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord will wipe away tears from off all faces.” “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.” —Isaiah 25:8; Revelation 21:4,5
AT THIS time of year the minds of millions throughout the world—particularly the western world—are turned toward the theme of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. A few believe that Jesus was actually raised from the dead, but with the majority it is merely a legend of the Christian religion. To these, however, the commemoration of the resurrection of Jesus does, to some extent, present a brief relief from the general news picture of chaos, destruction, and death which has turned the world into a state of darkness and hopelessness.
Today, in addition to the more than 150,000 human souls which are dying every twenty-four hours simply because they are members of a sin-cursed and dying race, we have those tragic deaths resulting from war, revolution, accident, crime, and drugs. It is indeed a nighttime of sorrow and weeping, but we have the blessed assurance of God’s Word that “joy cometh in the morning.” (Ps. 30:5) That blessed morning of joy is to be ushered in by the rising of “the Sun of righteousness,” who, “with healing in his wings,” will heal the people of their diseases, and give peace, health, and life forevermore.—Mal. 4:2
Yes, in spite of the chaos and death with which we are surrounded and plagued, we have the assurances of God’s Word that he will intervene in human affairs, and do for the people what they cannot do for themselves; which means that the hope held out in the Bible for the world of mankind is as bright as the promises of God. These promises assure us not only that sickness and death will be destroyed—as well as all the other evils which now afflict the human race—but also that those who are asleep in death are to be awakened, that they also may participate in the joys of that new day; that morning of joy which is to follow the present dark night of sorrow.
The question arises in the minds of many as to God’s ability to fulfill all the wonderful promises which he has caused to be recorded in his Word. It may be an over-simplification of the matter, but to us it is obvious that the One who created life in the first place is abundantly able to restore life. And to assure us of this the Lord has given numerous instances in the Bible in which he has, through his servants, used his life-giving power to awaken the dead to life. These instances we may consider as tokens of the divine purpose on behalf of all humans who are asleep in death. Some of these instances took place during Old Testament times, and others in the days of Jesus, and in connection with his ministry; while later the Apostle Peter raised a Christian sister from the sleep of death.
The Widow’s Son
The Prophet Elijah awakened the son of a widow from the dead and thus demonstrated the power of the Creator to restore life. The record states that Elijah “stretched himself upon the child three times, and cried unto the Lord, and said, O Lord my God, I pray thee, let this child’s soul [“life”—Rotherham, “breath of life”—NEB] come into him again. And the Lord heard the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came into him again, and he revived. And Elijah took the child, and brought him down out of the chamber into the house, and delivered him unto his mother: and Elijah said, See, thy son liveth.”—I Kings 17:21-23
The use of the word “soul” in this account does not substantiate the false notion that humans have within them an intangible something called a soul, which escapes when the body dies. The word “soul” in this instance is used, as often in the Bible, simply to denote life. This boy’s life had departed from him, and through the ministry of Elijah, and by the power of God, his life returned.
The important consideration in this account is that we have in it a token of the restoring power of God as it will yet manifest itself throughout all the earth, and on behalf of all who have fallen asleep in death—whether in war, or by disease, or simply in old age. Moses revealed the plan of God in this matter when, in a prayer, he said of God, “Thou turnest man to destruction; and sayest, Return, ye children of men.”—Ps. 90:3
The Shunammite’s Son Awakened
The story of the Shunammite woman, and her son who died as a result of sunstroke, is well-known to all Bible readers. When the son died the mother summoned Elisha, who restored him to life. The account reads:
“And when Elisha was come into the house, behold, the child was dead, and laid upon his bed. He went in therefore, and shut the door upon them twain, and prayed unto the Lord. And he went up, and lay upon the child, and put his mouth upon his mouth, and his eyes upon his eyes, and his hands upon his hands: and he stretched himself upon the child; and the flesh of the child waxed warm. Then he returned, and walked in the house to and fro; and went up, and stretched himself upon him: and the child sneezed seven times, and the child opened his eyes. And he called Gehazi [his servant], and said, Call this Shunammite. So he called her. And when she was come in unto him, he said, Take up thy son. Then she went in, and fell at his feet, and bowed herself to the ground, and took up her son, and went out.”—II Kings 4:32-37
There is an old saying, “While there’s life, there’s hope,” but this limitation does not apply to God, for according to his promises, and according to the evidences furnished in his Word, there is hope for all who have died. True, the time had not yet come in the days of Elijah and Elisha for the general restoration of the dead. That remains to be accomplished during what the Apostle Peter described as the “times of restitution of all things.” (Acts 3:19-21) Those two boys restored to life by God’s ancient prophets went back into death again in later years. But this will not be so in the coming time of restoration, for then it will be only the disobedient who will not continue to live on forever.—Acts 3:23
In the New Testament
Through the ministry of Jesus others were awakened from the sleep of death. We quote the account of the young man in the city of Nain who was restored to life:
“Now when he came nigh to the gate of the city, behold, there was a dead man carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow; and much people of the city was with her. And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not. And he came and touched the bier: and they that bare him stood still. And he said, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise. And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak. And he delivered him to his mother.”—Luke 7:12-15
Then there was the case of the daughter of the ruler of the synagogue. She had died, “and all wept, and bewailed her; but he [Jesus] said, Weep not; she is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed him to scorn, knowing that she was dead. And he put them all out, and took her by the hand, and called, saying, Maid, arise. And her spirit [life] came again, and she arose straightway: and he commanded to give her meat. And her parents were astonished: but he charged them that they should tell no man what was done.”—Luke 8:52-58
Lazarus Also
Then we have the classic case of Lazarus, the brother of Martha and Mary. This little family of Bethany were special friends of Jesus. Lazarus became seriously ill at a time when Jesus was conducting his ministry in the northern country of Galilee. The sisters sent messengers to Jesus to tell him of their brother’s illness, but Jesus did nothing about it for a number of days, and then explained to his disciples, “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby.”—John 11:4
Jesus knew, of course, that Lazarus would succumb to his sickness and would fall asleep in death, and when Lazarus did die Jesus said to his disciples, “Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go that I may awake him out of sleep.” (John 11:11) The disciples failed to comprehend the meaning of Jesus’ statement, thinking he meant that Lazarus was simply resting quietly in sleep; then he said to them plainly, “Lazarus is dead. And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, to the intent ye may believe; nevertheless let us go unto him.”—John 11:14,15
Yes, Lazarus was dead, and in referring to it Jesus used sleep as a symbol of death because from sleep there is an awakening, and Jesus knew that the whole dead world of mankind would be awakened from the sleep of death in God’s due time. The Master returned to Bethany, and to the home of Martha and Mary, and when Martha saw him she said, “Lord, if thou hadst been here, by brother had not died. But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee.” (John 11:21,22) This was Martha’s way of indicating her belief that Jesus was able to restore her brother to life.
And this Jesus intended to do. He said to Martha, “Thy brother shall rise again,” to which Martha replied, “I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day.” (John 11:23,24) Martha had been a student of Jesus’ teachings, and doubtless also of the Old Testament Scriptures in which is set forth the hope of the resurrection—an awakening from the sleep of death which was to be brought about by divine power in the final period of God’s great plan of redemption and restoration through Christ, referred to in the prophecies as “the last day.” Actually this “day” is a thousand years in length, and will see the whole dead world of mankind restored to life.
Jesus replied to Martha, “I am the resurrection, and the life”; that is, Jesus was the One who in the time of resurrection would be primarily the One used to restore life. Jesus gave his own human life as a ransom for Adam and his race, and by virtue of this he has been given the authority and the power to awaken all who are asleep in death. He awakened Lazarus from the sleep of death at that time as a demonstration of what would be accomplished in the final age of the divine plan for all who sleep in death. Lazarus had been dead for several days and his flesh had begun to decompose, and his awakening was a vivid example of the fact that so far as divine power is concerned it makes no difference whether one has been dead for a few moments, for four days, or for thousands of years, the life-giving power of him who is “the resurrection and the life” will prevail for their restoration.
Christ the Firstfruits
Thus far we have noted a number of instances mentioned in the Bible pertaining to the awakening of certain ones from the sleep of death. These were not resurrected in the fullest sense of the word, but merely restored to partial life temporarily. And while these instances impress us with the fact of divine power capable of raising the dead, it is not until the resurrection of Jesus that we have the first instance of a full and complete resurrection from the dead.
In Jesus’ resurrection we have what the Apostle Paul refers to as the “first fruits” of the resurrection. Paul wrote, “Now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the first fruits of them that slept.” To this Paul adds, “For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.”—I Cor. 15:20-22
When Jesus was raised from the dead he was highly exalted to a heavenly home and to the divine nature. Paul refers to this in Ephesians 4:8 as an ascending up on high. We quote, using the Revised Standard Version: “Therefore it is said, When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and gave gifts unto men.” (Eph. 4:8) This is a quotation from Psalms 68:18, which Rotherham translated to read: “Thou hast ascended on high, thou has led in procession a body of captives.”
This “body of captives,” or “host of captives,” as the New Testament reads, are the after fruits of the resurrection, the resurrection of the dead being likened to the release of prisoners—in this case, the prisoners of death. And what a multitude of captives this is! First come the footstep followers of Jesus, who are described in the Scriptures as being the first fruits’ class because they will be associated with Jesus in the blessing of the remainder of the world of mankind.
James wrote concerning these, “Of His own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of first fruits of his creatures.” (James 1:18) The Revelator speaks of them as coming forth in “the first resurrection,” and that they shall live and reign with Christ a thousand years. (Rev. 20:4,6) These, then, are the first led forth from the prison of death by Jesus. They, like him, are exalted to a heavenly home, and to glory and honor and immortality.—Rom. 2:7
The Princes
Another group of death’s captives to be led forth by Jesus in the resurrection are those referred to in Psalm 45:16 as the ancient fathers, and these are to be made “princes in all the earth.” In the 11th chapter of Hebrews the apostle mentions many of these and tells of their faithfulness under trial. He explains that they endured suffering in the Lord’s cause in order that they might “obtain a better resurrection.”—Heb. 11:35
These, we are informed, received the assurance that they were pleasing to God, which means that they proved worthy of a “better resurrection.” This will be an instantaneous raising to perfection of human life, and as perfect humans these will be the visible representatives of the divine Christ in the messianic kingdom. (Heb. 11:39,40) The Prophet Isaiah informs us that at that time Jacob shall again see his children, and that his face shall no more wax pale with old age.—Isa. 29:22,23
Still another group of death’s captives to be led forth to freedom and life by the great restorer of life will be what the Revelator describes as a “great multitude.” Concerning these we read, “These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them.”—Rev. 7:9,14,15
It should be noted that this great multitude class will not sit with the Lord on the throne, as will the “little flock” of Jesus’ faithful footstep followers, but will be “before” the throne, and will serve God day and night in his temple. We do not know just what the nature of their service will be in the messianic kingdom, but whatever it will be there is first of all the necessity of their being raised from the dead.
The General Resurrection
The final group of death’s captives to be led forth from the tomb will be that large body of the non-elect; that is, those who have not qualified through faithfulness to the Lord to be given some special assignment in connection with the messianic kingdom work of blessing all the families of the earth. This group includes those who have died in unbelief, and in partial belief; the criminals; the imbeciles; the children; and the ignorant.
These are the ones who in this life have not done “good,” as have those who have known and faithfully served the Lord. The Revised Standard Version states that these shall come forth from death “to the resurrection of judgment.” (John 5:29) This means that when this group of death’s captives are liberated from the sleep of death they will be brought to judgment, or trial, as the thought is in the Greek text, for in the plan of God the messianic kingdom and the promised judgment day of a thousand years run concurrently. It will be that “day” spoken of by the Apostle Paul when the Lord will judge the world in righteousness.—Acts 17:31
Isaiah 26:9 declares that when the judgments of the Lord are abroad in the earth the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness. The Psalmist spoke of this as the Lord judging the people with his truth. And what a happy time that will be: “Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; let the sea roar, and the fullness thereof. Let the field be joyful, and all that is therein: then shall all the trees of the wood rejoice before the Lord: for he cometh to judge the earth: he shall judge the world with righteousness, and the people with his truth.”—Ps. 96:11-13
The Ransomed Return
Jesus gave himself a “ransom” for all mankind. It is this that makes possible his leading forth the captives of death. Isaiah wrote concerning the happy time when the world of mankind is brought back from their captivity. He said, “The ransomed of the Lord shall return … with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads; they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.”—Isa. 35:10
The Hebrew word sheol in the Old Testament, and its Greek companion hades in the New Testament, are used in the Bible to denote the great prison of death into which all mankind pass when they die. In Revelation 1:18 Jesus speaks of his having been dead—having died, that is, for the sins of the world—and that now he is alive, and has the “keys” of hell [hades] and of death. Here again is the thought of the dead being released from captivity, for Jesus in due time uses those keys to unlock and swing wide open the gates of captivity to free the prisoners.
When all have been released, and those worthy of everlasting life have demonstrated their loyalty to the divine principles of righteousness, and have been restored to full human perfection, then it will be true that “there shall be no more death, … for the former things [shall] have passed away,” and that the last of death’s captives have been released and restored to their full liberty as sons of God.
This is the full meaning of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who was the first fruits of them that slept. And while in 1971 the world is still in chaos and darkness the glad new day of liberation of mankind from death is drawing closer, yea, as the signs of the time indicate, is very near. Let us rejoice in this glorious prospect!