reddogs
Active Member
So how are the dead raised up, I came across this excellent explanation by pastor Timothy Lee Arnett which starts with the resurrection.
II Corinthians 15:35-49 (NIV)
The Resurrection Body
35But someone may ask, "How are the dead raised? With what kind of body will they come?" 36How foolish! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. 37When you sow, you do not plant the body that will be, but just a seed, perhaps of wheat or of something else. 38But God gives it a body as he has determined, and to each kind of seed he gives its own body. 39All flesh is not the same: Men have one kind of flesh, animals have another, birds another and fish another. 40There are also heavenly bodies and there are earthly bodies; but the splendor of the heavenly bodies is one kind, and the splendor of the earthly bodies is another. 41The sun has one kind of splendor, the moon another and the stars another; and star differs from star in splendor.
42So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; 43it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; 44it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.
If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. 45So it is written: "The first man Adam became a living being"[a]; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit. 46The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual. 47The first man was of the dust of the earth, the second man from heaven. 48As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the man from heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. 49And just as we have borne the likeness of the earthly man, so shall we bear the likeness of the man from heaven.
So, the first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening (life giving) spirit. That was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural (Adam); and afterward that which is spiritual (Jesus). The first man (Adam) is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven. As is the earthy (Adam), such are they also that are earthy (his posterity): and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly (the Lord God, Jesus Christ). And as we have borne the image of the earthy (Adam), we shall also bear the image of the heavenly (Jesus Christ).
After Paul makes the case that we have borne the image of Adam, and that we shall (future tense) also bear the image of Jesus Christ, he explains what that means.
1 Corinthians 15:50-55 (NIV)
50I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— 52in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. 54When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: "Death has been swallowed up in victory."
55"Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?"
So lets take a look at what this means. That flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God (Ye must be born again); neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. I show you a mystery; we shall not all sleep (See 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18), but we 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 shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when (future tense) this corruptible shall have (future tense) put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have (future tense) put on immortality, then (In the last day-See John 6;39, 40, 44, 54) 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?
The point Paul is making concerning flesh and blood, is it cannot inherit and neither doth corruption inherit incorruption is straightforward. This simply means that in our natural earthly state, we do not now have the ability to pass from the one to the other. Man is neither naturally immortal nor is he incorruptible, that is why Paul says that the corruptible must put on incorruption and mortal must put on immortality.
Can we go anywhere on earth to get immortality and incorruption?....No, of course not. We will be given incorruption and immortality at the last trump, when our Lord, Jesus Christ appears.
II Corinthians 15:35-49 (NIV)
The Resurrection Body
35But someone may ask, "How are the dead raised? With what kind of body will they come?" 36How foolish! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. 37When you sow, you do not plant the body that will be, but just a seed, perhaps of wheat or of something else. 38But God gives it a body as he has determined, and to each kind of seed he gives its own body. 39All flesh is not the same: Men have one kind of flesh, animals have another, birds another and fish another. 40There are also heavenly bodies and there are earthly bodies; but the splendor of the heavenly bodies is one kind, and the splendor of the earthly bodies is another. 41The sun has one kind of splendor, the moon another and the stars another; and star differs from star in splendor.
42So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; 43it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; 44it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.
If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. 45So it is written: "The first man Adam became a living being"[a]; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit. 46The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual. 47The first man was of the dust of the earth, the second man from heaven. 48As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the man from heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. 49And just as we have borne the likeness of the earthly man, so shall we bear the likeness of the man from heaven.
So, the first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening (life giving) spirit. That was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural (Adam); and afterward that which is spiritual (Jesus). The first man (Adam) is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven. As is the earthy (Adam), such are they also that are earthy (his posterity): and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly (the Lord God, Jesus Christ). And as we have borne the image of the earthy (Adam), we shall also bear the image of the heavenly (Jesus Christ).
After Paul makes the case that we have borne the image of Adam, and that we shall (future tense) also bear the image of Jesus Christ, he explains what that means.
1 Corinthians 15:50-55 (NIV)
50I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— 52in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. 54When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: "Death has been swallowed up in victory."
55"Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?"
So lets take a look at what this means. That flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God (Ye must be born again); neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. I show you a mystery; we shall not all sleep (See 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18), but we 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 shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when (future tense) this corruptible shall have (future tense) put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have (future tense) put on immortality, then (In the last day-See John 6;39, 40, 44, 54) 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?
The point Paul is making concerning flesh and blood, is it cannot inherit and neither doth corruption inherit incorruption is straightforward. This simply means that in our natural earthly state, we do not now have the ability to pass from the one to the other. Man is neither naturally immortal nor is he incorruptible, that is why Paul says that the corruptible must put on incorruption and mortal must put on immortality.
Can we go anywhere on earth to get immortality and incorruption?....No, of course not. We will be given incorruption and immortality at the last trump, when our Lord, Jesus Christ appears.