| Christian Life and Doctrine | March 1975 |
The Glorious Resurrection Promise
“The ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.” —Isaiah 35:10
ON THE last Sunday in March, even as the swelling buds of the maples, oaks, and sycamores push out into fresh new leaves, and the golden daffodils, the lilies of the valley, and the hyacinths burst into glorious bloom, and the dogwood and myriad fruit trees put forth their fragrant, multi-colored blossoms, millions of professed Christians will celebrate the resurrection of the Lord Jesus from the grave.
For those of us who live in the Northern Hemisphere the coincidence of the season of our Lord’s resurrection with the arrival of spring, the emergence of swelling Nature from dormancy into vibrant activity is especially meaningful. It is a season of anticipation, of renewed hope, and of animation. But no matter in what part of the world it is our lot to dwell, this never-failing resurgence of Nature into life is a soul-stirring event, eagerly awaited as the long, dark days of winter give way to the lengthening, life-giving hours of sunlight. It reawakens in our hearts the longing for the wonderful day when the sleeping dead shall hear the voice of the Son of man, and come forth to life.
The Diversity of Hopes
Among the peoples of the world there are many religions and many philosophies, each with its own understanding of the destiny of man. Many profess belief in the immortality of the soul, the supposedly infinitesimal, invisible, and indestructible particle of life which is thought by some to be the real being, and which in some unexplained form and undefined place continues on forever. Others embrace the thought of reincarnation, in which the individual continues to exist by successively, over the ages, entering the womb of human mothers who give them birth. Others believe in what is known as the transmigration of souls, which is the transforming of creatures in this life to other forms of creatures in the next and, hopefully, on ever rising and happier planes of existence. For others the future state of being takes some form of dark, dismal, and tormented subterranean existence. While for still others that which is called death is not really death at all but leads to a longed-for merging of one’s identity into the universal life force.
All cling hopefully and tenaciously to some form of future life; but whatever the form and condition of future existence the thoughts of man may conceive, it reveals man’s deep-rooted, universal preoccupation with his final destiny. And as we observe the perplexed and fanciful yearnings manifested in some of these imperfect human concepts, and the dismal and depressing alternatives set forth in others, how glad we are that the Bible tells forth in unmistakable and joyous language the truth of man’s ultimate lot, for the faithful sacrificing footstep followers of Jesus, a resurrection to a heavenly home; and for all the remainder of mankind from Father Adam down a coming forth from the grave to be given an opportunity to gain everlasting life on a restored and truly utopian planet Earth.
The Bible Promise Unique
This promise of a resurrection of the dead as it is revealed and defined in the pages of God’s Word is unique to Christian teachings; it is found in no other of the world’s many religions. No other religion holds the hope of a future life to compare with the glorious prospect of a joyous, peaceful, everlasting existence for all who will accept of the proffered blessings and obey God’s righteous laws. Indeed, the reestablishment of man’s at-one-ment with his Creator is a central theme of the Bible and the ultimate purpose of God’s loving plan for all mankind.
But even the vast majority of professed Christians greatly misunderstand and underestimate what the Bible promises concerning the resurrection. The generally accepted tenet of nominal Christianity on this point is that one must accept Christ as his Redeemer in this present life, else he is eternally lost. The Gospel Age, it is held, will close in a twenty-four hour Day of Judgment, when Jesus comes in glory to judge the living and the dead. Those who have accepted Christ and who have thereafter lived sufficiently righteous lives will dwell forever in heaven; all others are to be cast into hell, a place of fiery, everlasting torment.
In the teaching of the Roman Catholic Church, even those fortunate enough to be destined to go to heaven must first spend an indefinite period of time in purgatory to be cleansed of every vestige of sin that they might be prepared to enter into the presence of the God of the universe.
This narrow view of the loving character of the Creator of humankind makes no allowance for those countless millions who have died without ever having heard the name of Christ; nor does it make allowance for those many other millions whose understanding of Christ’s mission was not responsibly clear. These, it is mercilessly taught, are forever lost.
Resurrection Taught in the Old Testament
The word resurrection does not appear in a single instance in the Old Testament. None-the-less, it has been God’s plan from the very beginning to bring the dead forth from the grave; for while the sentence that returned Adam and all his posterity to the dust was indeed just, yet the Great Creator in his love and mercy was pleased to provide his dearly beloved Son, “the Lamb [the was] slain from the foundation of the world,” (Rev. 13:8) to be man’s Ransomer and Redeemer, that man might eventually gain happy, everlasting life, having learned through hard experience that the wages of sin is death, and that true and lasting happiness can be had only by obedience to God’s righteous laws.
That such has always been God’s intention toward his human creation is abundantly indicated in the types and shadows of the Old Testament, such as Abraham’s willingness to offer his dearly beloved son Isaac as a sacrifice, picturing the offering by God of his only begotten Son on behalf of mankind. The lamb without blemish which was slain by each family of Israel on the evening preceding their escape from bondage in Egypt, and which played so vital a part in the deliverance, beautifully foreshadowed the sacrifice of the perfect “Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world,” thus providing deliverance for the world from bondage unto sin and death. (John 1:29) The slaying on Israel’s Day of Atonement of animal sacrifices in order to effect at-one-ment between God and his elect people also forecast God’s purpose to bring all mankind back into harmony with himself through effective and lasting sacrifice—one that would truly take away sin.—Heb. 10:1-12
“The Ransomed of the Lord Shall Return”
Isaiah wrote of the wonderful blessings that shall be showered upon man in that day when Christ’s righteous kingdom is ruling in the earth, and the benefits of the ransom provided by Jesus reach mankind. He said that the desert would blossom as the rose, the eyes of the blind shall be opened, the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped; the lame shall leap, and the tongue of the dumb shall sing. “And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness; … and the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads; they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.” (Isa. 35:1-10) What a joyous time that will be for resurrected mankind!
Through the Prophet Hosea God makes a promise to Israel that also applies to the whole world. “I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death: O death, I will be thy plagues; O grave, I will be thy destruction.” (Hosea 13:14) Clearly, this implies a resurrection of the dead. Commenting on this passage in his letter to the church at Corinth, Paul tells us that this glorious event awaits the completion of the church and their glorification. “Then,” he says, “shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?”—I Cor. 15:54,55
After death is swallowed up in victory, the Prophet Isaiah goes on to say, “The Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth; for the Lord hath spoken it. And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the Lord; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.”—Isa. 25:8,9
Another of God’s holy prophets foretold the benefits of Christ’s redeeming work on behalf of the world. Jeremiah tells us that the time is coming when man will no longer die because of Father Adam’s sin; each will then be responsible only for his own misconduct. But all will be provided with the ability to obey God’s righteous laws and thus to qualify for everlasting life. “In those days they shall say no more, The fathers have eaten a sour grape, and the children’s teeth are set on edge. But every one shall die for his own iniquity; every man that eateth the sour grape, his teeth shall be set on edge. … I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. And they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord; for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.” (Jer. 31:29-34) But in order for these blessings to be enjoyed by man, all will have first to be brought forth from the grave.
Awakening the Sleeping Dead
Some 600 years before the promised Redeemer appeared on the scene the Prophet Daniel also foretold the resurrection of the dead. He wrote, “At that time shall Michael [Jesus] stand up … and there shall be a time of trouble [in the closing days of the Gospel Age] such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time … many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake.” (Dan. 12:1,2) We believe that we are now nearing that wonderful day when God’s love and mercy through Christ will be manifested to the wondering world of mankind. Indeed, this longed-for time in the experience of man was foretold not merely by one here and there, but “by the mouth of all … God’s holy prophets since the world began.”—Acts 3:21
The entire New Testament might be regarded as a grand dissertation on the resurrection. It speaks in the most positive terms of that wonderful hope which is less openly stated in the Old Testament, but which has always been an essential part of God’s plan for man’s blessing. The “good tidings of great joy” which shall be to all people that the angel announced to the wondering shepherds on that never-to-be-forgotten night in the hills outside of Bethlehem consisted in the fact that the Savior of mankind had at last come on the scene (the One whose perfect sacrifice would be the propitiation for the sins of the whole world and who would ransom mankind from the grave) thus opening the way for man to regain communion with the Heavenly Father and receive everlasting life.
The Apostle Paul laid great store by the promise and hope of a resurrection. He said that if there were no resurrection of the dead, then, clearly, we are all entertaining false hopes. He further indicated that the hope of a resurrection rested on the merit of Christ’s sacrifice on behalf of mankind, the acceptability of which would be manifested by the coming forth from the grave of Jesus himself after his crucifixion.
“If there be no resurrection of the dead,” Paul wrote, “then is Christ not risen: and if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain. Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not. … Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished.”
This, Paul says, would be an appalling situation! But then he goes joyously on to proclaim that Jesus, on whose sacrifice so much depended, had indeed risen from the dead, thereby guaranteeing our own hope of a resurrection. “But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.” Therefore, Paul declares, all mankind shall indeed be brought forth from the grave. “For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.”—I Cor. 15:13-22
“It Will Not Tarry”
But, say many sincere seekers after truth, it is now almost 2,000 years since our Lord gave his life for the world; it is almost 2,000 years since Paul spoke so reassuringly, so confidently, of a resurrection of the dead; and where is the evidence of the fulfillment of that faraway promise?
Paul tells us that there is reason for the seeming delay in the fulfillment of this hope. He shows that the body of Christ, the church, the little flock, must be selected, tested, proven faithful, and raised, following which the benefits of Jesus’ ransom will flow to the rest of mankind in proper order. Thus we find him continuing his discourse to the church at Corinth, “But every man [will share in this glorious resurrection] in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming [presence].”—I Cor. 15:23
The Apostle James also helps us to understand the reason for this seeming delay in the receiving by the world of the benefits of Christ’s sacrifice. He confirms Jesus’ and Paul’s statements that God is calling out of the world a little flock to be joined with Jesus in bringing the promised blessings to the world of mankind during Christ’s thousand-year kingdom reign, which will begin when the church is complete.
James says, “Simeon [Peter] hath declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name. And to this agree the words of the prophets; as it is written, After this [after the people for his name, the church, is called out] I will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David which is fallen down; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up; that the residue of men [the remainder of mankind other than the church] might seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles upon whom my name is called, saith the Lord, who doeth all these things.” (Acts 15:14-17) When the called-out church is completed, James says, then Christ’s kingdom, of which David’s was a picture, will be set up, so that the resurrected world of mankind may then seek to do the will of the Lord and thus gain everlasting life. James then adds that this was God’s purpose for man from the very beginning—there has been no delay in his plans! “Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world.”—Acts 15:18
“The Hour Is Coming”
For the dead to receive the blessings resulting from Christ’s sacrificial work it is necessary that they first be raised from the grave. And this is precisely what Jesus himself has assured us is to occur. Speaking to his disciples, he said (John 5:25-29): “The hour is coming when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live. For as the Father hath life in himself [is the source of life, Rieu]; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself [be a source of life, Rieu]; … for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation [judgment, RSV].”
Traditional understanding interprets this passage as signifying a calling forth to receive instantaneous, on-the-spot judgment—the righteous to be given a heavenly reward, while the unrighteous are consigned to suffering in hell. But this is not what the Bible teaches.
Concerning the faithful footstep followers of Jesus who have died during the Gospel Age, the Apostle Paul informs us that at the second advent of our Lord Jesus these sleeping saints will be raised to be with their Savior, while those of the little flock who finish their course thereafter are thereupon gathered home to their heavenly reward. He writes thus to the Thessalonians: “The Lord [Jesus] … shall descend from heaven [at his second advent] with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ [the sleeping saints] shall rise first: then we which are alive and remain [the remaining members of the little flock] shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.”—I Thess. 4:16,17
Paul explains the matter similarly in another letter to the church. He writes, “Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; … Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep [as have those of the church class who died prior to the second advent of the Lord], but we [the remaining members of the little flock, as we die] shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump; for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead [in Christ] shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.”—I Cor. 15:50-52
The First Resurrection
Only the faithful footstep followers of Jesus are raised incorruptible to a heavenly, spiritual reward, for “flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God.” The Revelator calls this “the first resurrection” and says of those who have part in it that “they shall be priests of God, and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.” (Rev. 20:6) The purpose of the thousand-year reign of Christ and the church is to bless all the remainder of mankind, beginning with their being brought forth from the grave. They are not raised from the grave summarily to be consigned to hell, as some believe and teach. Rather, they are brought forth to life here on earth in order that they might have a full opportunity to come back into harmony with their Creator under the firm but loving leadership of Christ and the little flock. The Apostle Paul speaks of this as “the times of restitution.”—Acts 3:19-21
Very few, relatively speaking, of earth’s billions have had sufficient understanding of the privilege of accepting our Lord’s invitation to deny themselves and follow in his steps, and thus seek a place in the heavenly phase of the kingdom of God. Many have died who never even heard the name of Christ, while others have had but a confused idea of what it means to be a Christian. Only the few have heard the message clearly and given themselves wholeheartedly and completely to the Lord, thus joining themselves to that little band “who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life” in the heavenly realms with their Lord Jesus.—Rom. 2:7
These few have forsaken the way of the world, knowing that if they “suffer with him” they will “be also glorified together.” (Rom. 8:17) The faithful among these alone of all the world will receive a heavenly reward and reign with Christ in his kingdom.
In that last touching meeting with his beloved disciples, following their celebration of the passover, one of the comforting promises Jesus left with them related to their heavenly reward. He said, “In my Father’s house are many mansions [dwellings, Diaglott]. … I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.” (John 14:2,3) Yes, the Great Architect has many dwellings, or planes of existence for his various creatures; but in this particular instance Jesus is talking to those alone who have given up their all to follow in his steps; and clearly to these, and these alone, he is promising a heavenly dwelling.
But, as we have noted, this does not mean that all the vast remainder of mankind are eternally lost. By no means, Paul tells us! In writing to Timothy he says that Christ gave himself a ransom for all, and that all are to be raised from the condition of death to learn obedience to the righteous laws of the kingdom then in operation, and thereby to gain life everlasting. Paul says that “God … will have all men to be saved, and [in order to] come unto the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.” (I Tim. 2:3-6) For these, this will be their first real and responsible knowledge of God’s great love for mankind, and of Jesus’ sacrifice on their behalf. And how they will rejoice as they thus come to a knowledge of the truth! How they will delight in the righteous reign of the kingdom!
God Formed the Earth to Be Inhabited
But if these millions to be brought forth from the grave are not to be taken to heaven, what will be their lot? According to the Bible the obedient among them will enjoy everlasting life right here on earth. Indeed, the earth was made for man, and man for the earth.
The Prophet Isaiah long ago wrote, “Thus saith the Lord that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the Lord; and there is none else.” (Isa. 45:18) And the psalmist tells us that “The Lord … laid the foundations of the earth, that it should not be removed for ever.” (Ps. 104:1-5) Yes, God has prepared a glorious home for man’s everlasting and happy dwelling place. This earth is that special mansion prepared by God for his human creatures.—Psa. 115:16
How certain are we that these blessings will reach mankind? Well, as we have seen, God promised them by the mouth of his holy prophets. But to strengthen our faith in those wonderful promises he graciously did much more. Speaking to the Athenians on Mars’ hill, Paul explained that God “hath appointed a day in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him [Jesus] from the dead.”—Acts 17:31
Paul is here saying that Jesus’ resurrection from the dead is a guarantee that there shall be a day of judgment—not a twenty-four hour day, but a thousand-year day of trial for the world of mankind. And again, it is manifest that to benefit from the loving ministrations of the kingdom, mankind must first be raised from the grave.
The Testimony of the Gospels
That Jesus did indeed rise from the grave is testified to by all the Gospel writers and by the apostles. In order that the faith of the Early Church should be solidly established Jesus made numerous appearances to his disciples after his resurrection. At the time of Paul’s conversion on the road to Damascus, the Lord was seen by Paul as in a vision. That Jesus’ sacrifice was acceptable to the Heavenly Father was further indicated by the pouring out of the Holy Spirit on the assembled disciples at Pentecost, and by the power bestowed on the apostles to heal the sick, to speak in tongues, and to understand and interpret the Scriptures.
For those of us who are living at the end of the Gospel Age the Lord has also provided much evidence, not only of Jesus’ resurrection to glory with the Father, but also of the fact that he is now present and executing various features of his Father’s plan for man’s restitution to “that which was lost.” (Matt. 18:11) On one occasion Jesus said that the harvest is the end of the world [age]. (Matt. 9:39) Surely, we have in these last days witnessed a great harvest work in progress; and if this be so, then he who is the Chief Reaper of the harvest would just as surely be present, directing the work.—Rev. 14:14,15
Our Lord also indicated that at his second advent he would provide “meat in due season” for the sustenance of the household of faith. In these last days we have had ample testimony to the fact that the Lord’s people have been abundantly blessed with a faith-strengthening understanding of God’s plans and purposes that had theretofore been absent, thus assuring us, again, of Jesus’ presence, and of his loving interest in his body members.
The Signs of His Presence
On another occasion the disciples asked Jesus how they would know of his second presence, and the end of the age. Among the signs of his presence Jesus indicated the fact that the world would then be experiencing a time of trouble such as had never occurred since “the beginning of the world to this time, no nor ever shall be.” (Matt. 24:21) We believe that we are now in the beginning of the time of trouble foretold by Jesus. And if this is true, then we have another sign of Jesus’ presence. And further, if he is now present, then he must certainly have been raised from the dead. And the fact that he was raised from the dead, Paul said, is a guaranty that there shall be a judgment day in which all mankind will be judged in righteousness after having been called forth from the grave.—II Pet. 3:7,8; Rev. 20:6
Truly, our loving Heavenly Father has generously provided for the strengthening of our faith in his glorious promises on behalf of all mankind. The only question that may arise in one’s mind is, How long, O Lord? How long before the world will receive the blessings?
Well, that is another story, for another time. In the meantime, that the world is rushing toward a violent climax is evident, not only to the Lord’s people, but even to the world. But to the world it seems to forebode disaster, while to the Lord’s people it is a manifestation of the nearness of the establishment in power and glory of Christ’s kingdom, and the raising of the dead, that all the families of the earth may be blessed with life everlasting. For that time, Lord, we continue to pray!