THE FIRST RESURRECTION

 Dear Friends in Yahshua,

We’ve been talking about the basic doctrines: Hebrews 6:1-2, … Let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward Yahweh, 2. of the doctrine of baptisms, of laying on of hands, of THE RESURRECTION OF THE DEAD, and of eternal judgment.

There are three main resurrections:

1. The resurrection of the Messiah.

2. The first resurrection.

3. The second resurrection.

Today we’ll be discussing – THE FIRST RESURRECTION!

Luke 14:13-14, “But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind. 14. And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you; for you shall be repaid at the resurrection of the just.”

What is this “resurrection of the just?” When and how does it happen?

Before Yahshua raised Lazarus He was talking with his sister: John 11:23-26, Yahshua said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” 24. Martha said to Him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection AT THE LAST DAY.” 25. Yahshua said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. 26. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?”

The ancient Sadducees did not believe in any resurrection: Luke 20:34-38, And Yahshua answered and said to them, “The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage. 35. But those who are counted worthy to attain that age, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry nor are given in marriage; 36. nor can they die anymore, for they are like the angels and are sons of Elohim, being sons of the resurrection. 37. But even Moses showed in the burning bush passage that the dead are raised, when he called Yahweh ‘the Elohim of Abraham, the Elohim of Isaac, and the Elohim of Jacob.’ 38. For He is not the Elohim of the dead but of the living, for all live to Him.”

Isaiah 25:8-9, He will swallow up death forever, And the Sovereign Yahweh will wipe away tears from all faces; the rebuke of His people He will take away from all the earth; for Yahweh has spoken. 9. And it will be said in that day: “Behold, this is our Elohim; we have waited for Him,

and He will save us. This is Yahweh; We have waited for Him; we will be glad and rejoice in His salvation.”

John 5:19-29, is a beautiful passage that tells us a lot about the resurrection as well as giving us some other important information.

John 5:19-29, Then Yahshua answered and said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner. 20. For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself does;

[What a picture! – the Father teaching His son about everything the Father does!] and He will show Him greater works than these, that you may marvel. 21. For as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom He will. 22. For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son, 23. that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him. 24. Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life. 25. Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of Elohim; and those who hear will live. 26. For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself, 27. and has given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man.

[How loving our Father is – to send for our judge one who has been a man!] 28. Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice 29. and come forth; those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation.”

1 Corinthians 15 is called The Resurrection Chapter. Let’s look at some verses:

1 Corinthians 15:20-23, But now the Messiah is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21. For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. 22. For as in Adam all die, even so in the Messiah all shall be made alive. 23. But each one in his own order: The Messiah the firstfruits, afterward those who are the Messiah’s at His coming.

1 Corinthians 15:35-58 NLT, But someone may ask, “How will the dead be raised? What kind of bodies will they have?” 36. What a foolish question! When you put a seed into the ground, it doesn’t grow into a plant unless it dies first. 37. And what you put in the ground is not the plant that will grow, but only a dry little seed of wheat or whatever it is you are planting. 38. Then Yahweh gives it a new body–just the kind he wants it to have. A different kind of plant grows from each kind of seed. 39. And just as there are different kinds of seeds and plants, so also there are different kinds of flesh–whether of humans, animals, birds, or fish. 40. There are bodies in the heavens, and there are bodies on earth. The glory of the heavenly bodies is different from the beauty of the earthly bodies. 41. The sun has one kind of glory, while the moon and stars each have another kind. And even the stars differ from each other in their beauty and brightness. 42. It is the same way for the resurrection of the dead. Our earthly bodies, which die and decay, will be different when they are resurrected, for they will never die. 43. Our bodies now disappoint us, but when they are raised, they will be full of glory. They are weak now, but when they are raised, they will be full of power. 44. They are natural human bodies now, but when they are raised, they will be spiritual bodies. For just as there are natural bodies, so also there are spiritual bodies. 45. The Scriptures tell us, “The first man, Adam, became a living person.” But the last Adam–that is, the Messiah–is a life-giving Spirit. 46. What came first was the natural body, then the spiritual body comes later. 47. Adam, the first man, was made from the dust of the earth, while the Messiah, the second man, came from heaven. 48. Every human being has an earthly body just like Adam’s, but our heavenly bodies will be just like the Messiah’s. 49. Just as we are now like Adam, the man of the earth, so we will someday be like the Messiah, the man from heaven. 50. What I am saying, dear brothers and sisters, is that flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of Yahweh. These perishable bodies of ours are not able to live forever. 51. But let me tell you a wonderful secret: Not all of us will die, but we will all be transformed. 52. It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For when the trumpet sounds, the believers who have died will be raised with transformed bodies. And then we who are living will be transformed so that we will never die. 53. For our perishable bodies must be transformed into bodies that will never die. 54. When this happens–when our perishable bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die–then at last the Scriptures will come true: “Death is swallowed up in victory. 55. 0 death, where is your victory? 0 death, where is your sting?” 56. For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power. 57. How we thank Yahweh, who gives us victory over sin and death through Yahshua the Messiah our Master! 58. So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and steady, always excelling in Yahweh’s work, for you know that nothing you ever do for Yahweh is useless.

More about the First Resurrection. Revelation 20:1-6, Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. 2. He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; 3. and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be released for a little while. 4. And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Yahshua and for the word of Yahweh, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with the Messiah for a thousand years. 5. (But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished.) This is the first resurrection. 6. BLESSED AND HOLY IS HE WHO HAS PART IN THE FIRST RESURRECTION. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of Yahweh and of the Messiah, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.

Matthew 24:29-31, “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30. “Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31. “And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

So we see that those who are in the first resurrection:

At the last day.

After the great tribulation.

Having been judged by Yahshua.

Believers will hear His voice from their graves.

Are resurrected by Yahshua, the son.

Are similar to the angels in that they do not die.

They do not marry.

They have a wonderful, eternal spirit body.

They reign with Yahshua for 1000 years.

For more about the first resurrection see: Dan 12:1-3, Hosea 13:4-14, Matthew 24:3-31.

Friends, may Yahweh bless you with Yahshua’s righteousness and love on this Sabbath Day.

Shabbat Shalom from Tom and Cathy Schattke