~8 min read
Ps Paul Cheng
1 Corinthians 15:20-28
“…death was considered a sleep…”
Dear Bethelites,
The Apostle Paul emphatically said, But now is Christ risen from the dead. The resurrection of Christ was a reality and the Apostle Paul went on to speak of what this blessed truth would entail.
I. The Old Testament Offering System
1 Corinthians 15:20, But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. The resurrection of Christ was not a story or myth, but a biblical and historical fact. It was the believer’s blessed hope!
In the Old Testament, before the Israelites harvested their crops, they had to bring a representative sample called the first fruits to be offered to God (c.f. Leviticus 20). The full crop could not be harvested until the first fruits were offered. When the Israelites did that; it was a sign (the first fruits) were a sign that there would be more (future fruits) to come. Thus, what it meant here was that the resurrection of Christ was the firstfruits of the resurrection “harvest” of the believers who had died.
To the believer, death was considered a sleep. This was a reference to the body and not the soul because when the believer dies, his soul goes to be with God (to be apart from the body is to be present with the Lord, 1 Corinthians 5:8), and his body goes to sleep, only to be awakened at the resurrection.
While it is true that there are others who had risen from the dead before Christ, like Lazarus, Larazus did rise from the dead but he died again. Jesus Christ was unique in that He was the first person who died and was buried, and on the third day He rose again from the dead, and never to die again.
II. The Example Of Adam
1 Corinthians 15:21, For since by man (Adam) came death, by man (Christ) came also the resurrection of the dead. 1 Corinthians 15:22, For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. Here, Paul was presenting a contrast of Adam and Christ.
Who was in Adam? Every human being born into this world is born in Adam.
There are two very important realities one has to understand. Firstly, every man is connected to Adam. Man does not evolve from apes but he comes from Adam, the first man. Secondly, man who is borned in Adam has to die because of sin. It is a physical, spiritual and eternal death!
The representation principle — In Adam (the representative principle), all men have inherited a sin nature, and therefore, they will die. Some people may question, “But that is unfair! Why should we inherit from Adam something that we have not done?” Allow me to give you an example in the physical realm. If one’s father is an Australian, he (and his children) become Australians by virtue of his father’s citizenship. In the spiritual realm, Adam was the first man, and what men have inherited from him is the sin nature. And because of sin, they will die!
Take note of the word all - for as in Adam all die. It is universal, all men will die, with only the exception of Enoch and Elijah whom the Lord took directly home to be with Him, and those saints who will be raptured when Christ returns.
Interestingly, the second word all – even so in Christ shall all be made alive. Who is this all? This is not universal because of the phrase in Christ. This is a reference only to the believers who have faith in Christ. So, all men are in Adam and they will die, but all men in Christ (the believers), they shall be made alive. To be made alive can be a reference to a spiritually transformed life, but more vitally, it is to experience a resurrection to eternal life with God forever.
1 Corinthians 15:23, But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.
There was a certain order; the first thing that happened was that Christ was risen first, then afterwards, the believers who had died and buried, they would be risen when He returns (c.f. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). This is the doctrine of Christ’s imminent return. Imminent means it can happen at any moment. No one knows when Jesus would return, but at the same time, one should never live as He would never return. One must live his life with this constant longing and expectation of His return!
III. The Millennial Kingdom
1 Corinthians 15:24, Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. Verse 25, For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.
The word then can mean “after this,” and it implies an interval of time between the resurrection at His coming in the clouds and the establishment of His kingdom. This interval time is known as the 7 years tribulation. With the end of the tribulation period, Christ would return with all the glorified saints to this earth, and He would conquer every enemy of God. All rulers, principalities and power would be put down, and He would rule the world together with the glorified saints for one thousand years known as the millennial kingdom.
The imagery of putting all enemies under his feet was an ancient practice whereby the king would (in a literal sense) put his foot on the neck of his conquered enemies. It symbolises total subjection.
According to Revelation 20, during the millennial kingdom, Satan and his demons would be bound and sealed in the bottomless pit. So, there would be peace and order in this world because Christ is ruling in righteousness and truth in Jerusalem which would be the capital of the world.
Those people who do not believe in a literal physical millennial kingdom (the amillennial view), believe that we are now in the millennial. To them, it is a spiritual millennial, and one thousand years is not literal but just a long period of time. If that is true, then Satan and his demons must be in the bottomless pit. Dear friend, let us ask ourselves this question, “Is Satan and his demons in the bottomless pit?” Nothing is further than the truth! Satan and his demons are very active, and they are causing all the troubles, chaos, divisions, deceptions, persecutions in the church and world today. We are not yet in the millennial kingdom. It is in the future and yet to come!
During the tribulation, there would be some people who would believe in Christ, and these believers who survive the tribulation, would enter the millennial kingdom in their physical bodies. These believers, who still have the sin nature, will procreate the world. The glorified saints would rule over them and their descendants.
- In the millennial kingdom, there would be the glorified saints and those people who still have their physical bodies dwelling together. One may ask, “How can that be possible?” Do you remember when our Lord Jesus Christ was risen from the dead, He appeared to His disciples in a glorified state. He ate, fellowshipped and cummuned with them. That is a classic example that it is possible!
- In the millennial kingdom, there would still be death because those people who have the sin nature, they would still have to die. When they sin, they have no one to blame but themselves because Christ is reigning on earth, and Satan and his demons are in the bottomless pit. But according to the Bible, they would live up to a very old age, and if a man dies at the age of 100, he is considered an infant.
- In the millennial kingdom, when those people sin, they have no one to blame but themselves because Christ is reigning on earth, and Satan and his demons are in the bottomless pit.
- In the millennial kingdom, when those people die, what about their resurection? Well, the Bible does not tell us how they would be resurrected. Some theologians believe that they would be resurrected immediately!
- At the end of the millennial kingdom, Satan would be released for a brief period of time, and he would try to lead a final rebellion against God. God would put him down, once and for all. He would cast him and all those who followed him into the lake of fire for all eternity!
1 Corinthians 15:26, The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. At the cross of Calvary, Christ had already broken the power of Satan and death. The victory was accomplished at the cross, but the eternal peace and righteousness that comes with the victory would not be completed until the enemies were finally destroyed.
Our Lord Jesus came into this world to accomplish the Father’s plan of salvation; He was born as a baby in a manger; He lived and grew up as a man. He taught, He preached, He healed and did miraculous works. He suffered, died and was buried, He was raised and ascended to the Father, where He now intercedes for all those who belong to Him. When He returns, He will fight, conquer, rule and judge, and 1 Corinthians 15:27, For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under him. Christ’s first coming was to die for the sins of His people. He was born in a manger. He lived and grew as a man. He taught, preached, healed and did miraculous works. He suffered, died, buried, rose and ascended to the Father where He now intercedes for all those who belong to Him. Christ’s second coming was to fight, conquer and judge as the King of kings and Lord of lords. Everything would be under his feet except the Father who is the only exception because He gave that rule and authority to His Son.
1 Corinthians 15:28, And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all. When everything is restored to like it was in the beginning, Christ would then turn this restored world to God the Father who has sent Him. It is like “mission accomplished.” That was why 1 Corinthians 15:25 said, he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father. All this is done to the glory of the triune God!
Dear friends, this is our future - the blessed hope of the resurrection. Believing in the resurrection and the imminent return of our Lord Jesus Christ is not just singing some hymns about them. It is not just understanding these eschatological doctrines for head knowledge BUT to live out those truths in our lives. Today, if the Lord Jesus Christ were to come in the cloud to receive you in the rapture, are you ready to meet Him?
In Christ,
Pastor Paul Cheng
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