Acts 24 and the Resurrection

24:15 and I have the same hope in God as these men, that there will be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked.

24:21 unless it was this one thing I shouted as I stood in their presence: 'It is concerning the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial before you today.'

Acts 23 and the Resurrection

23:6 Then Paul, knowing that some of them were Sadducees and the others Pharisees, called out in the Sanhedrin, "My brothers, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee. I stand on trial because of my hope in the resurrection of the dead."

23:8 (The Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, and that there are neither angels nor spirits, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all.)

Acts 17 and the Resurrection

17:3 explaining and proving that the Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead. "This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Christ," he said.

17:18 A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to dispute with him. Some of them asked, "What is this babbler trying to say?" Others remarked, "He seems to be advocating foreign gods." They said this because Paul was preaching the good news about Jesus and the resurrection.

17:31-32 For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead." When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some of them sneered, but others said, "We want to hear you again on this subject."

Resurrection vs Resuscitation

One of the pastors at our church’s Good Friday services made numerous references to the Resurrection of Lazarus. In light of my recent study of Scripture on the Resurrection I find this very troubling. It is I think very clear and of the utmost importance from Scripture that Jesus was the first and to this point in history the only resurrection. 1 Corinthians 15:20-21 states plainly “But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man.” Two points from this passage is that Christ is the firstfruits and resurrection proceeds from him. Firstfruits refers to the FIRST of the harvest in contrast to the second and following. In the OT economy the firstfruits like the firstborn belonged to God. Leviticus 25:26 "No one, however, may dedicate the firstborn of an animal, since the firstborn already belongs to the LORD; whether an ox or a sheep, it is the LORD's.” The fact that resurrection comes from Jesus also clearly indicates that he was the first to be resurrected. The fact that there were other people raised from the dead before Jesus does not negate this teaching. All others including the Widow’s son raise by Elisha in 2 Kings 4:32-35, Jairus’ daughter in Luke 8, Lazarus in John 11, and many others raised by the apostles in the book of Acts including Eutychus in Acts 20 all were raised to life in bodies that died again. In fact in John 12:10 the chief priests made plans to kill Lazarus again after he had been raised by Jesus. If Lazarus had been resurrected it would have been impossible to kill him again. The resurrected body of Jesus had many different characteristics than his first body which I already detailed in previous posts. One important characteristic of Jesus’ resurrected body is that He will never die again. Hebrews 7:24 states “but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood.” The resurrected body unlike the physical body will not deteriorate or pass away. Please do not minimize what Jesus accomplished in the first resurrection by confusing it with other resuscitated bodies that died a second time. Jesus is the first and only resurrection and His body is what we as believers in Him have to look forward to at his second coming 1 Thessalonians 4:14-17. Because of Jesus I am looking forward to the resurrection of the dead not the resuscitation of the dead.

Acts 13 and the Resurrection

13:30 But God raised him from the dead,

13:33 he has fulfilled for us, their children, by raising up Jesus. As it is written in the second Psalm: "'You are my Son; today I have become your Father.

13:34 The fact that God raised him from the dead, never to decay, is stated in these words: "'I will give you the holy and sure blessings promised to David.'

13:37 But the one whom God raised from the dead did not see decay.

Resurrection class notes

In our ABF we have been going through the Book of Acts. Since I have been struck with the importance of the Resurrection in Acts I decided to do a lesson on it. Next week would have been the most obvious week to do it but we are not meeting then because of the two Easter Services. Therefore I decided to deliver it today. These are some of the notes that I served up this morning.

The Resurrection

The meaning of the word: literally translated the Greek word means to “raise” or “arouse” or to “wake up”. These words are used to describe what happened to Jesus and also what will happen to others.

Historical evidence for the Resurrection
1. Witness of the two “angels” (Luke 24:6 He is not here; he has risen!)
2. The eyewitness accounts (1 Cor 15 more than 500 at one time)
3. The transformed lives of the disciples (fear to boldness)
4. The empty tomb (Luke 24:2 stone rolled away so they could see in)
5. The inability of the Jewish leaders to disprove the claims (Acts 4:13-14)
6. The conversion of skeptics like Saul. (Acts 9)

Theories against Jesus’ Resurrection:
1. Swoon theory.
2. Vision hypothesis.
3. Not bodily raised but his spirit did not stay in Hades but was raised to heaven.

What the Resurrected body is like?
1. Looks different (John 20:14 Mary didn’t recognize Jesus at first)
2. Looks the same (John 20:27 body had the marks of crucifixion)
3. Can pass through walls (John 20:26 A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!")
4. Flesh and bones (Luke 24:37-39 They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. He said to them, "Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have."
5. Ate food (Luke 24:42-43 They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate it in their presence.)
6. Will live forever (Hebrews 7:24 but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. 1 Corinthians 15:42 So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable;)

The timing of future resurrections.
1. For the believer (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage each other with these words.)
2. For the unbeliever (Revelation 20:11-15 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. Earth and sky fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.)

Belief in the Resurrection found in the O.T.
1. Believed by Abraham? Hebrews 11:17-19 By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had received the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, even though God had said to him, "It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned." Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead, and figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from death.
2. King David spoke of it. Acts 2:31-32 Seeing what was ahead, he spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to the grave, nor did his body see decay. God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact.
3. Isaiah taught it. Isaiah 26:19 But your dead will live; their bodies will rise. You who dwell in the dust, wake up and shout for joy. Your dew is like the dew of the morning; the earth will give birth to her dead.
4. Daniel predicted it. Daniel 12:2 Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt.
5. Both Enoch and Elijah were taken and the continuity from this life and into the next without passing through death suggests life beyond our world as we know it.

Belief in the Resurrection found in the N.T.
1. The Pharisees believed in it. Acts 23:6-8 Then Paul, knowing that some of them were Sadducees and the others Pharisees, called out in the Sanhedrin, "My brothers, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee. I stand on trial because of my hope in the resurrection of the dead." When he said this, a dispute broke out between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the assembly was divided. (The Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, and that there are neither angels nor spirits, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all.)
2. The Sadducees did not believe in it. Mark 12:18 Then the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to him with a question.
3. Jesus taught it. Matthew 22:29-32 Jesus replied, "You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God. At the resurrection people will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven. But about the resurrection of the dead—have you not read what God said to you, 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'? He is not the God of the dead but of the living."
4. Martha believed in it. John 11:23-25 Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again." Martha answered, "I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day." Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies;
5. Disciples believed it. Acts 1:22 beginning from John's baptism to the time when Jesus was taken up from us. For one of these must become a witness with us of his resurrection.
6. Peter taught it.
7. Paul taught it. 1 Thessalonians 4: 16-18 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage each other with these words.