Resurrection Doctrine

Let's go to Titus chapter 1. Titus chapter 1 and start in verse 8. This is written to the ministry, but brethren, you were called to be firstfruits. Pentecost is coming up. Firstfruits are going to be the ministry in the kingdom of God. You will be the teachers. This is written to you. Titus chapter 1 and verse 8. But hospitable, a lover of what is good, sober-minded, just, holy, self-controlled. Quality is expected of a ministry. And then verse 9, holding fast to the faithful word that he has been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and convict those who contradict. How sharp is your sword?

Are you able to exhort or convict, encourage or contradict those who might give a false argument? Not the ministry. You are you able to. You know what? I asked myself that question, and I have been in the church for almost half a century. I have been in the church, and I have heard every doctrine in the church argued backwards and forwards. Yet if someone asks me about the doctrines, am I ready? Well, I am sharpening my sword daily, and I hope, brethren, you are too. I hope that you are ready to give an answer when someone gives you something that is contradictory, not to put them down, to build them up, as we will see.

Verse 10, For there are many insubordinate, both idle talkers, those people that just say something, the first thing that comes to mind, they don't even have the facts behind them, they just talk. Idle talkers, deceivers, those people who know better but intentionally want to get you. Can you handle them? Especially those of the circumcision, those people who knew the Scriptures, the Hebrews, whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert the whole household, teaching things which they ought not, for the sake of dishonest gain. How sharp is your sword? So, every once in a while, I am going to give a doctrinal type sermon where we just plow through the Scriptures and find out why we believe what we believe. I mean, you would think, if we're this different from modern Christianity and we take the flack that we take sometimes, then we ought to know why we're taking that flack. We ought to have a sense of purpose and drive to really know these things. So, today, what I'd like to go through is the doctrine that makes us...it's probably the second biggest doctrine to make us different from modern Christianity today. The first one is the Trinity. This one is almost as big, and yet, I wonder if we have the answers ready. And that is the doctrine of the resurrection. The doctrine of resurrection. Can you prove what we believe? Do you, first of all, do you know what we believe? Do you know what we teach? Do you know what the Bible says about resurrection? Because the Scriptures tell us a completely different story. They tell us of the immortal soul. And I'm not going to cover the immortal soul today. I am going to cover resurrection. But the immortal soul is related. Could you answer somebody? Let me just go there. I wasn't planning on it, but I'll do it. Let's go to Luke, chapter 23. By way of introduction, let's just get one of the objections. Can you answer this?

Luke, chapter 23, reading from the old King James, Jesus Christ is on the cross.

And he said unto Jesus, and now this is the thief that was hanging beside him while he was being crucified. And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. Verse 43, And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto you, today thou shalt be with me in paradise. This is the Trump Scripture that a lot of people use. This was gone through at the General Conference of Elders by Mr. Mario Seagley, how this is poorly mistranslated and misunderstood.

But that looks like Jesus was saying that that guy was going to be in the kingdom today. Hey! Can you answer that? Well, I'll come back to that. I'll come back to that. Let's see, are there two different theologies in the Bible? Is there an immortal soul doctrine? And is there a when you die, you're asleep doctrine? No, there's just one very clear doctrine from beginning to end of the book of the Bible that when we die, we're asleep and God will wake us up again. I love this doctrine. I love it because it is so encouraging for so many different reasons. When someone passes away, let me use that term, they are at peace. They are asleep. And for those who are left alive, the one who has passed away is not looking over their shoulder. It's time to chart a new course without any judgment being passed. I love God's truth, and I love this doctrine. What is resurrection? How is it defined from the Bible? Do you know? Can you find it? Let's plow through this and try to get this done fairly quickly. Isaiah is where we'll start. We'll start in the Old Testament. Isaiah chapter 26 and verse 19. Isaiah 26 and verse 19. I know I'm supposed to give you time to turn to these scriptures, but I don't have time to do that today. So jot it down and read it later. And I have a steady help for you at the end anyway. Isaiah chapter 26 and verse 19. For your dead shall live. Together with my dead body, they shall rise, awake and seen, you who dwell in the dust. Resurrection is from a state of sleep in the ground, and they are awakened from the dust. Okay? Simple definition. Resurrection is from death to life. Resurrection is not from one state of consciousness to another state of consciousness. So you're on your pillow and you breathe your last and the next thing that happens is you're floating on a cloud in heaven. No! That's not what the Bible says. It says, together with my dead body, they shall rise, awake and seen, you who dwell in the dust. All right. Acts chapter 4, the New Testament, backs this up. There was no change, no addition by the apostles. They didn't modify the Old Testament one bit. Acts chapter 4, verse 1. While Peter and John were speaking to the people, they were confronted by the priests, the captain of the temple guard, and some of the Sadducees. Now, the Sadducees didn't believe in the resurrection. That's who these people were. The Pharisees did, but the Sadducees were the priests. They were the ones in the temple, and they did not believe in a resurrection. Verse 2. These leaders were very disturbed that Peter and John were teaching what? What were they teaching? People that, through Jesus, there is a resurrection of the dead.

And it goes on. You can jot down Acts chapter 17, verse 31 and 32. Acts chapter 17, verse 31 and 32. It reiterates resurrection of the dead. In Acts chapter 23 and verse 26, we won't go through that for time's sake. But also, Acts chapter 23 and verse 26 reiterate it's a resurrection of the dead. So, the starting point in our resurrection doctrine is, resurrection is from death to life. Resurrection is not from one state of consciousness to another. All right? John chapter 5, verse 28. John chapter 5 and verse 28. This is throughout the Scriptures. This is what Jesus himself taught. John chapter 5, verse 28. Do not marvel at this. The hour is coming in which all who are in the grave will hear his voice and come forth. We're going to read the rest of that passage later. I just wanted to emphasize that all who are in the grave will hear the voice and come forward. So, it's not one state of consciousness to another. It's from death to life. That's pretty well established. But let's just tack on a little something at the end of that, just to put the nail in the coffin, so to speak. No pun intended. Resurrection is not immediately after death. Resurrection is not immediately after death. Just to emphasize the point, Psalm chapter 6. Psalm chapter 6 and verse 5. Remember these Scriptures. Resurrection is not immediately upon death. Psalm 6 verse 5. For in death there is no remembrance of you. In the grave, who will give you thanks? In other words, there's rest, there's peace, and quiet. It's a time to wait. It's not a time to float around in heaven plucking a heart. Ecclesiastes chapter 9 and verse 10. All of us know this Scripture. When we're a young man or young woman looking for a job, we're generally given this advice. Ecclesiastes chapter 9 and verse 10. Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might, for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going. Resurrection is not immediately after death. There is a waiting period.

But brethren, and this is where we separate from mainstream Christianity. This next point. This is where there's a fork in the road, and we have to be careful to take the right fork. Resurrection is for everyone. Everyone. Every human being on the planet gets to be resurrected.

Everyone. That means the members of ISIS who are right now committing horrible atrocities. The army of Genghis Khan. Hitler's Nazi army. Mussolini's fascist army. All of them. Unfortunately, you and me. All of us. Resurrection is for everybody. Job chapter 14 verse 14 and 15. Job 14, 14. I gave this up in Austin several weeks ago, and I went too slow, so I'm going to go faster this time. Job 14 and verse 14. Resurrection is for everyone. If a man dies, shall he live again? Now, wait a minute, Job. Don't you mean if a good man dies? Won't he live again? Why is he making it general and broad? If a man dies, will he live again? All the days of my hard service, I will wait till my change comes. You shall call, and I will answer you. And here's the motivation behind resurrection. You shall desire the work of your hands. Why is God resurrecting people? Because he wants his children back. He desires them. He wants them. He doesn't want all of their sins, but all their mistakes, and all the evil that they've done to other people. Oh, that will be gone. Or they will not make it, and we'll talk about that. But he does desire them. Which ones? All of them. Job was not specific. Good men only. Job said, if a man dies, a human being. If a human being dies, God's going to resurrect him. Acts chapter 24, the New Testament agrees. Acts chapter 24 and verse 15.

I have hope in God, which they themselves also accept, that there will be a resurrection of the dead. Paul's defending his own life here and trial. And what does he defend his life with? That there will be a resurrection of the dead. Of who, Paul? Both of the just and the unjust. Some scriptures translate that. Both the righteous and the unrighteous. Now, a lot of people will stop right there and say, yeah, yeah, yeah. There's different resurrections. One is to life, and one is to condemnation. Well, not so fast. This is one of the most comforting scriptures in the Bible, alongside Revelation chapter 20 that Mr. Dove read in the sermonette, that all people will be resurrected. All of your loved ones, no matter what they did to you, no matter how atheistic they were or pagan they were, doesn't matter. They will be resurrected, both the just and the unjust. Why? Job chapter 14, because God desires the work of his hands. God wants them. So, your favorite uncle, who might have been an alcoholic, and we know a drunkard will not be in the kingdom of heaven, will be resurrected. Can you prove that? Can you answer that? I know I'm preaching to the choir. A lot of you already know this, that art is your sword sharp. Can you prove this? Can you pull out your smartphone and know what words to search if someone gives you an answer? Would you have thought to search both the just and the unjust to prove that all men can be resurrected? Brethren, this is my goal in today's sermon. My goal is not to teach you about the resurrections, because most of you already know it. My goal is to suggest we need to be sharp. We need to remember these things. If you learned this 20 years ago, you're not sharp, if that's the last time you looked at this. That part of your sword is dull. God doesn't want any of His potential children to lose the race. So He's going to resurrect all of them. A lot of people say, well, that makes us second chancers. Oh, yeah, they get a second chance. Sure, Uncle so-and-so was a drunk. So God's going to give him a second chance, where we know there's no second sacrifice. No, we're not second chancers. We're not. Uncle so-and-so didn't have his chance. We'll look at that, coming up almost immediately. But first, let's take comfort in 2 Peter, chapter 3 and verse 9. 2 Peter, chapter 3 and verse 9. God doesn't want any of His potential children to lose their race. Verse 9 of 2 Peter 3, The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is long suffering toward us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. It's not that He's going to res-are you all hot? Yeah, hot. So, God isn't-it's just that He's going to resurrect them. He's going to resurrect them and require repentance. He's going to require a change. He's going to require that that uncle who was a drunk stop being a drunk, that they don't murder, that they don't steal, they don't commit adultery, they don't covet any more, but they will have a chance. Not a second chance. Next point in the resurrection study that we're doing. Yes, it is for everybody, but a resurrection is a time of judgment. Resurrection is a time of judgment. It's not a time for a free pass, and this is an important part of our doctrine. Resurrection is not a free pass or condemnation. It is a time of judgment.

Daniel 12 and verse 2.

Daniel 12 and verse 2 talks about the fact that when you wake up, a decision will be made. Daniel 12 and verse 2. Resurrection is not happy world land necessarily.

Verse 2, and many of those who sleep in the dust, that's death, of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, some to shame and everlasting contempt. There will come a time when a decision has to be made. When is that time? The resurrection. That is the time.

John chapter 5. John chapter 5 and verse 29.

Resurrection is a time of judgment. John chapter 5, verse...start in 28. Do not marvel at this, Jesus said, for the hour is coming, in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice, and come forth, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of condemnation. Is that what your Bible says? The resurrection of condemnation. We gain two very critical things from John chapter 5 and verse 29. First of all, we gain there's more than one resurrection. There's more than one resurrection. There are at least two. But we also gain that judgment is involved after the resurrection. But the word judgment is grossly misunderstood, because people go into it with the immortal soul doctrine, with a preconceived idea. So they assume that the word judgment means bad judgment. Condemnation. The judge rules against you. It doesn't mean that at all. It just means a decision will be made. There will be a decision made. A judgment will be made. It could be condemnation. It could be eternal death. But it's not guaranteed. It's a judgment. But you know why that's so encouraging? And you can look up the Greek word. It's in the Strong's Greek 2920. Chryssus. I'm sure I mispronounced that. It simply means a separating or a judgment.

The beauty of that Scripture is that people aren't being judged now unless they're Christian. Oh, they have paid the consequence for what they're doing now. Look at this earth. Look at all the troubles in the world. Sure, there's consequences, but there's not eternal judgment. Judgment happens after the resurrection. That should be encouraging. That's the hope that lies within us. Yes, everybody will get their chance. You know, it could be argued. Human arguments are not really worth that much, but it could be argued that the man who's born, a person who's born in China, which is a pretty much atheistic nation. And if they're not atheistic, then they're either Buddhist or Hindu or Muslim. They're not Christian. They don't have a chance. And therefore, modern Christianity has difficulty answering what happens to him. Let's say he's born into this world and immediately dies. Christianity really struggles with that. Some really strict theological professors say that that child will go to hell forever. They do. They do. Because they can read the scriptures and know that that child did not accept the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. And others will say, well, I know God wouldn't do that. So I have to believe that he goes to heaven because their sword is not sharp. They haven't read the scriptures, all of them, on the resurrection and put it together. That that child will be resurrected. That child will have his day before God to be judged one way or the other. It's not necessarily a condemnation. It's just a decision. His day will come. That separates us from modern Christianity, and that gives us great hope. Would you have gone to John chapter 5 to prove that? Luke chapter 14.

Jesus gives a parable in Luke 14 and verse 12. We'll read through verse 14. Then he turned to his host. When you put a luncheon or a banquet, he said, don't invite your friends, your brothers, relatives, and rich neighbors, for they will invite you back. I'm reading from the New Living Translation, by the way. For they will invite you back, and that will be your only reward. Instead, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. Then, at the resurrection, God will reward you for inviting those who could not repay you. Resurrection is the time of judgment, but it's not a time of condemnation. The judgment could be a reward, not just a condemnation. You see, there's a lot in the Scriptures about resurrection. You have to put them all together. God will reward, or not reward, at the resurrection for things we do on his behalf now. It's a time of judgment. Now, some people will probably wonder why I didn't start with this next point, because it is the pivotal point, the critical point. And you would think I would start with it, but the reason I didn't start with it is because it leads into the final thing that we need to look at. So, the biggest point of the resurrection of the dead doctrine is that resurrection is because of and through Jesus Christ. Resurrection is because of and through our Savior, Jesus Christ. John 11, verse 21.

John 11, chapter 21. And now, Martha said to Jesus, Lord, if you had been here, talking about Lazarus, my brother would not have died. But even now, I know that whatever you ask of God, God will give you. And Jesus said to her, your brother will rise again. And Martha said, I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day. And Jesus said to her, I am the resurrection. Martha, you're looking at the resurrection. That's what he said. He who believes in me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this? Jesus Christ is the resurrection. Colossians chapter 1 and verse 18. He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn of the dead, that in all things he may have preeminence. Jesus Christ has preeminence in the resurrection. 1 Peter chapter 1 and verse 3. 1 Peter chapter 1 and verse 3. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to his abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, always giving Jesus Christ credit for the resurrection. Those people in the Old Testament owe their resurrection to Jesus Christ, anybody who has ever lived from Adam on.

Oh, their resurrection to Jesus the Christ. And I would be remiss if I didn't turn to 1 Corinthians chapter 15, the resurrection chapter. 1 Corinthians chapter 15. We'll read verses 14 through 23.

1 Corinthians 15 verse 14. And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty. If Jesus Christ hadn't been resurrected, Abraham, Moses, David, Samuel, none of them would be resurrected. Nor would you or I. Yes, and we are found false witness of God because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ, whom he did not raise up. 2 Corinthians 15 verse 16. If in fact the dead do not rise, for if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. Paul uses a bit of a sarcastic argument there.

And if Christ is not risen, then your faith is futile and you're still in your sins. 2 Corinthians 15 verse 16. Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most pitiful. But now Christ is risen from the dead and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since by man came death, by man also came the resurrection of the dead. And that man is Jesus Christ. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all shall be made alive. But each in his own order, and this is why it launches into our final part, each in his own order. There is an order to the resurrection. Christ the firstfruits, afterwards, those who are Christ at his coming. The context of 1 Corinthians chapter 15 is the first resurrection, the first of many resurrections. Well, of a few, not many. Many is more than three.

We teach that there are three resurrections, the first being those who have died having God's Holy Spirit in them. So let's take a look, then, at the first resurrection. Who gets resurrected? Well, we read, Mr. Dove read part of this. Let's go. No, actually, he didn't. I'm going to chapter back. Revelation chapter 20. Revelation chapter 20. You know, this is one of the most pivotal scriptures in our doctrine. If you don't have this one, you're thinking of to give an answer.

You're fighting an uphill battle because this answers so many questions. This is such a defining statement. Revelation chapter 20 and verse 1, concerning the first and the second resurrection.

Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit with a great chain in his hand. He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who was the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. We believe that is literal. At the return of Jesus Christ, Satan is tucked away for a thousand years and cannot influence mankind during that time. What happens then? He cast him into the bottomless pit and shut him up and set a steel on him so that he should not deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after these things, he must be released for a little while. Verse 4, And I saw thrones, they that sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. So at the beginning of this thousand-year period, John, in this vision, this prophetic vision, sees these thrones. Who are they? Who are given leadership teaching positions?

Then I saw the souls of those who were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, you and me, and those who have gone before, and who had not worshipped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their forehead and on their hands. That is a very significant statement, that mark. A lot of people think that that mark... this is a side point. I need to watch my side points. I'm not out of time here. But the mark on the forehead, a lot of people think that's going to be a chip. Well, that's a microchip. So if someone pins you down against your will and puts a microchip in your hand, you've received the mark of the beast. No, it's not what that means. What that means is your forehead are your thoughts and your thinking, and your right hand is your work or your actions. Okay, so that's a very significant statement to say he did not receive the mark of the beast on their forehead or their hands. Because you can say, well, I don't really worship the beast, but I'm going to work in the beast system, and I'm going to pay homage to the beast with my actions and just pretend so that I don't get persecuted. No, that's not what God's looking for. That's a complete... you're all in or you're all out. That's what that statement means. Those who are all in, they didn't receive his mark on the forehead or the hand. Their thoughts and their actions. God wants Christians who are all in or all out. The Laodiceans were lukewarm, and what did he say about them? They were neither hot nor cold. He wanted to vomit them out of his mouth. That's what that statement means. You're either all in or you're all out.

Cannot receive the mark on the foreheads or on their hands, and they had lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. Christians are in the first resurrection, those who have received God's Holy Spirit. Verse 5, The rest of the dead will not live again until the thousand years were finished. It's a beautiful statement that tells us two things. This is the first resurrection, it says. What does that tell us? A, there's more than one resurrection, and B, the rest of the dead are going to live at the end of the thousand years. That's everybody. But when is this going to take place? First Thessalonians chapter 4. When does the first resurrection take place? First Thessalonians chapter 4 verses 13 through 18. First Thessalonians 4. When does the first resurrection take place? Verse 13. But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. Mr. Dove read this in the sermonette. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive remain until the coming of the Lord, will by no means precede those who are fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout. That's when the first resurrection takes place, at the descent of Jesus Christ, at His coming. For the Lord will descend from heaven with a shout, and with His voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead and Christ will rise first. And those who are alive will remain and remain, will shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air. Thus we shall always be with the Lord, therefore comfort each other with these words. So the first resurrection takes place at the beginning of a thousand-year period. When does that thousand-year period begin when the Lord descends at His second coming? What will we be like? We will be a spirit body. This resurrection is different from the second resurrection. Can you prove it? Are you sharp? Where would you go in the Bible to prove that Christians are resurrected with a spirit body off the top of your head? Can you find it? Or even with your smartphone, do you know what to look for? Do you know what to search for? Let's go to 1 Corinthians chapter 15.

Let's pass our warehouse with information of the truth, of the way, and the hope that we have. 1 Corinthians chapter 15. We'll start in verse 35 because we've already done some of 1 Corinthians 15. 1 Corinthians 15 verses 35 through 44. 35 through 44. And then we'll skip verses 50 through 52. I'll just pause here and say, if you're not getting these notes, it's okay. I know I'm way overloading you with scriptures. I'm aware of that. I know that breaks all sermon rules. So since I'm doing this and really want to make sure that you get it, I've given a printout and put it on the information table with all these scriptures.

In fact, not just these scriptures, but even more. And it's just a list of scriptures, little heading, and then the scriptures, and then you can look it up yourself, and you can prove it to yourself and sharpen your own sword. So if you missed a scripture, don't worry about it.

Just go back to the information table if you're interested, and the list of scriptures is there. 1 Corinthians 15 verse 35. But someone may ask, how will the dead be raised? What kind of bodies will they have? Remember, 1 Corinthians 15 is the first resurrection. We already discussed that. What a foolish question. This is New Living Translation again. When you put a seed in the ground, it doesn't grow into a plant unless it dies first. And what you put in the ground is not the plant that will grow, but only the bare seed of wheat or whatever you're planting. Then God gives it a new body.

He wants it to have. A different plant grows from each kind of seed. Similarly, there are different kinds of flesh. One kind of flesh for humans, another for animals, another for birds, another for fish. There are also bodies in heaven and bodies on earth. The glory of the heavenly bodies is different from the glory of the earthly bodies. The sun has one kind of glory. The moon and stars have another kind. And even the stars are different from each other in their glory.

So there's going to be a difference in your body when you're resurrected. That's this whole point. That was this whole point of going through that. Paul is very wordy, very precise, but very wordy. The sun, no, no, I did not. In the same way with the resurrection of the dead. Our earthly bodies are planted in the ground when we die. But they will be raised and live forever. Verse 43, our bodies are buried in brokenness, but will be raised in glory. They're buried in weakness, but will be raised in strength.

They're buried as natural human bodies, but they are raised as spiritual bodies. For just as the natural bodies, just as there are natural bodies, there are spiritual bodies. Let's skip down to verse 50. What I'm saying, dear brothers and sisters, is that our physical bodies cannot inherit the kingdom of God. They are dying bodies. These dying bodies cannot inherit what will last forever. But let me reveal to you a wonderful secret. We will not all die, but we will all be transformed. It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown.

For when the trumpet sounds, those who have died will be raised and live forever. We who are living will also be transformed. The first resurrection is a spiritual body. Also, what gender will we be? Can you answer that question? Because a lot of people will have all kinds of questions once they start to get that the resurrection is not about just dying, going to heaven or going to hell. Then they'll be like, well, if I'm really going to be resurrected, will I have to marry my husband again or my wife again?

No, we won't be incomplete. Let me explain what I mean. In the resurrection, there is no gender, no male or female. This is the first resurrection. No race or ethnic background. We will be complete. God made Adam, and he said something's missing. He did it on purpose. And then Adam knew he needed help. He knew he was incomplete. God made Adam in his image, but only gave him part of his image. The other part of God he put into the female.

And females tend to doubt themselves or feel like they're lacking worse. And I think that is absolutely amazing that God made male and female. Because part of what he made, he gave to man and left him woefully lacking. And if you women will think about it, you know that.

And then he made you. And then he made you. You observe everything. You notice everything, right? Some of you notice I have a new shirt on.

All I notice is that the guy has a shirt on.

Right? You know when we're sitting in a restaurant and that baby's crying? Ooh, that baby's angry. Oh, are you sure? It's not an emergency. We don't need to call 911. Oh, no. You don't need to call 911, honey. That baby's throwing a temper tantrum. Because you notice every little detail.

The men, one thing at a time. This is a gross generalization, right? A gross, some women are one thing at a time. I know that. And some men notice everything. That's the rare exception. Generally speaking, men are like one... I'm doing something on the computer. My wife's like, do you see what's going on in this house? It's chaos! I look up and I'm like, oh, it is. Fire! I wouldn't know. I'm in my computer. That's all I know at that point. She hears and notices everything. But the man, the man can sort through everything that she notices. And that's why it's so important to sit on the couch at night or in the morning or whenever you do it and talk. And she will dump information and man will sort it out and go, hmm, I didn't know that. Now that I know that, this is the important thing. We need to go this way. Because God put that in men. That's the way we are, one thing at a time. Prioritize. Put things in little boxes and separate them out. Women connect them all together. Both are so needed. And both of those things God has. God has both of those things. And this is how it relates to the resurrection. He can sort out and prioritize and pick the one thing that's most important and say, do this first. In fact, he does that so much better than us that sometimes the decisions he makes are confusing to us. Why did God let that happen? Because God sees way farther down the road than we do. And he can prioritize. But you know what? He can see every little detail. And women, I want you to know that. He knows when the sparrow drops. Remember that? He can count every hair on your head. That's not like a man. Men aren't even close to doing that. That's like a woman. Those are the attributes that he put from, we say, himself. Because our language is limited. And we call God, him. And rightly so. Because he has authority. We think of him as the father. But he's not male. He is complete. A male is incomplete. A male is just a man. When you're resurrected, you're not going to be male or female. You are going to be complete. Okay? That was a long, lengthy explanation to go through these two scriptures. But let's go and look at that. Matthew 22, verse 30. Matthew 22, verse 30. No gender, no male-female, no race or ethnicity in the kingdom of God. You will be like Jesus Christ, a child of God. Complete. For in the resurrection, Matthew 20 and verse 30, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven. You're not male or female. You are complete. When you're resurrected, you won't lose who you are. You will become more. I will actually notice things. It'll be awesome. I'll be able to look at my computer and know everything else that's going on around me and be aware of it and be able to say, wow, that's a beautiful song that that dove is singing down my chimney, like Sam heard this morning, which I would have never noticed because I was working on my sermon.

The resurrection, there will be no male or female and no ethnicity. Galatians chapter 3, verse 28. Galatians chapter 3 and verse 28. Are you proud of your background? Are you proud that you're a... so in the blank, I'm Irish. Are you proud of that?

God doesn't care. I'm not going to be Irish when I'm resurrected. I actually have a British name. Foster's English. And really, when you look at my background, mostly Irish.

I have some Italian in me. I love pizza. I must.

Doesn't matter. Galatians chapter 3, verse 28. There is neither Jew nor Greek. There is neither slave nor free. There is neither male nor female. For you are all one in Jesus Christ. You have your role to fulfill. I'm not suggesting that right now women get their hair cut short and wear, you know, men's suits. Or men should don mascara. No. We are male and female right now. We are of a certain background. And it's a beautiful thing. Variety is beautiful. It's terrible that it separates us. And it's also a learning opportunity, a growth opportunity to overcome our own prejudices, male-female, the different races, the different religions out there and people hating each other and fighting wars with each other. The world will one day know that there is only one true religion. There is only one God, and we will be His children. And that's the only thing that will matter in the resurrection, the first resurrection. But there is another resurrection, as we have seen, improved. What happens to those who do not have God's Holy Spirit when they die? You can read Isaiah 65. I won't take time to do it right now. Isaiah 65.

And it talks about a 100-year period of time. It's at least 100 years. It could be more than 100 years. But it's a period of time that people will be resurrected and have an opportunity to be judged. That's in Isaiah 65. We won't take time to read that, but that is the setting in which the second resurrection takes place. How are they resurrected? Can you prove it? Are you sharp? Ezekiel 37 is where to prove that. We're not going to read it for time's sake. Ezekiel 37 verses 1-14 talks about the valley of dry bones. And Ezekiel looks out and God puts sinew and muscle and skin onto the bones and breathes physical life into those bones. And then Israel, the children of Israel, are resurrected. They're not resurrected to immortal life. They're resurrected to a physical sinew-skin-breath life. That's Ezekiel 37. When does it take place? After the thousand years. Remember Revelation 20? Let's go back there in verse 5. Revelation 20 in verse 5. After that thousand-year period, the rest of the dead are resurrected. Verse 5. But the rest of the dead will not live again until...which means they will live again...until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. So, yes, the first resurrection happens when Jesus Christ returns. Then the rest of the dead live after the thousand-year period is up. That's what that means. Let's skip down to verse 11.

Same chapter. Revelation 20 verse 11. Then I saw a great white throne, and him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and heaven fled away, and there was found no place for them. Then I saw the dead, great, small and great, standing before God. This is everybody who did not have the Holy Spirit. And the books were opened, and another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works. You see, this is when a decision is made after the hundred-year, at least one hundred-year period. Not in this lifetime. They're not condemned now. This is why we believe what we believe. It's right in our Bibles. If we're sharp enough to know where to go. And there was no place for them. I saw the dead in the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works by the things which were written in the books. Then the sea gave up their dead, and it was in it. Death and the grave delivered up the dead, and those who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. Now, we do teach that there's a third resurrection. Why do we teach that? Where do you go to prove a third resurrection?

Think about that for a second. Where do you go in the Bible to prove a third resurrection? We teach it. Can you prove it? You know, Mr. Piper's shaking his head no, because he knows, yeah, I can't prove it either. Because it's what we assume. It's what we think might be the case. Because the first resurrection are people who have God's Holy Spirit and are resurrected to everlasting life.

The second resurrection, everybody who doesn't have God's Holy Spirit, resurrected to physical life, and it's their time of judgment. There's a third category of people not really mentioned. Those who had the Holy Spirit and gave it up. Now, this is a topic that modern Christianity bristles at, because they have a once saved, always saved doctrine. They believe you can't give up the Holy Spirit, even though the Scriptures clearly say you can give it up. You can walk away, and we believe that. So, why do we believe that there will be a third resurrection? Well, let me walk you through some of the evidence. We're not just making it up.

We believe that this is likely something that's going to happen, and it might be a third resurrection, because they don't fit in either two of the other categories. Matthew 13, verse 24. Matthew 13, verses 24 through 30. The third resurrection is a time of condemnation. Judgment has already been passed. It's simply a matter of reading the sentence and carrying it out. Matthew 13, verse 24. Another parable he put forth, saying to them, The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed a good seed in his field.

But while he slept, the enemy came and sown tares among the wheat, and went his way. But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared. And the servants of the owner came to him and said, Sir, did you not sow the good seed in your field? How is it that we have tares? And he said to them, an enemy had done this.

And the servant said to him, Do you want us to go and gather them up? And he said, No, lest while you gather up the tares, you will uproot the wheat with them. Let them both grow together until the harvest. And at the time of the harvest, I will say to the reapers, First, gather the tares, and bind them into bundles, and burn them. But gather the wheat to my barn. And let's skip to verse 36. Skip down to verse 36. And then Jesus said, Sent the multitude away, and went into the house. And his disciples came to him, saying, Explain to us the parable of the tares in the field.

And he answered them and said, He who sows the good feed is the Son of man, Jesus Christ. The field is the world. The good feed are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one. The enemy who has sowed them in evil is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age. So there again is another Scripture that says, It's not when you die you go to heaven. It's at the end of the age. And the reapers are the angels.

Therefore, the tares are gathered and burned up in the fire. So it will be at the end of the age. The Son of man will send out his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all that offend and those who practice lawlessness, those who will not keep the law of God, and will cast them into the furnace of fire, and there will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.

And then the righteous will shine forth as the Son and the kingdom of their Father, he who has ears to hear, let him hear. So we cannot prove that there is a third resurrection. However, they will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, and they will be gathered at the end. We assume that they will be alive. Let's read on. After the thousand-year period, at least a 100-year period that's referenced in Isaiah 65, God will pass final judgment on all who have repented and followed Jesus Christ. And the Father will give them everlasting life as promise. But what happens to the rest? Well, they're not burning in hell forever and ever.

We know that, so I'm not going to take the time to go through it. But let's just skip to Revelation 20, verses 14-15 to wrap up the third resurrection. This is where we get the feeling that they will be resurrected and stand before God. Let me show you why we say that. Revelation 20, again, verses 14-15. Revelation 20 is packed full of information on the resurrection. Verse 14, Then death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. Okay. In order to die, you have to be alive. In order to die a second time, you had to have been alive, died, been resurrected, and die again. That makes sense? It's a second death, which indicates to us that all who have lived, even if they have tasted of the Holy Spirit and given it up, will live again. They will be resurrected again. That may be in a third resurrection, a third category. They very well may not be with the masses that come up and are actually given an opportunity after the millennial reign of Jesus Christ for that hundred-year or so period of time. They may not be there. They may come up in a third resurrection, but they have a second death, which means they've lived, died, live again, and die again. All right? So, there is a third resurrection, maybe. At least we believe they will be resurrected, and sentence passed on them. Okay. So, we assume that is why it's called the second death. So, the resurrection, brethren, gives us hope, and it is our motivation.

We have a lot of good examples of things that give us hope in life, you know, weddings, the birth of a baby, wonderful things. You know, when you first get married and you buy your first house and you have a baby in it, that's just a wonderful thing. Nothing, nothing gives us more hope than the fact that we will see our loved ones again, whether they were righteous or unrighteous, we will see them again. We will be with them again. Nothing can compare to the resurrection for giving us hope. Romans chapter 8 and verse 18.

Romans chapter 8 and verse 18. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared to the glory which will be revealed in us. So, no matter what we are going through right now in this lifetime, you might be ill, you might, you know, be facing financial calamity, you might have just lost a loved one like we just lost Breck Johnson. No matter what it is, we have hope in the future that we will see our loved ones again. There is a resurrection and it's not just for those people who were quote-unquote good. It's for everybody. How sharp are we, brethren? How sharp are we? I said that I would talk about that objection of the thief who was on the cross, so I do want to take just a minute to go through that and then we'll end the sermon. So, in Luke chapter 23 and verse 42, he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, verily I say unto thee, today you shall be with me in paradise. So, a lot of people contradict everything that we just read with this one scripture and interestingly enough, Mr. Mario Seagly explained the scripture at the general conference of elders. And I just want to briefly give his explanation. Excellent! Here it is. There are Hebrewisms.

What does that mean? Colloquial sayings. Sayings in Hebrew that literally say one thing but mean another or emphasize something else. We have all kinds of colloquialisms in English that do not translate into another language. This is one of those sayings. And if you want to get away with manipulating the scriptures, just simply don't translate the Hebrewism. Don't translate the idiom and simply literally say it and it will completely change the scripture. But if you understand the saying, you'll get what he means. And this is one of those cases. And it's also a manipulation of grammar. Because there were no commas in Hebrew. Hebrew language, there were no commas. But in our English version, you'll see a comma. Oh, and that comma is in the wrong place. Wrong place. Okay, so what are some common sayings that we have that would not translate a hundred years from now in another language? Well, hit it out of the park. You really hit that one out of the park, right? How in the world would you translate that into a language that doesn't even exist yet 200 years from now? It wouldn't make any sense. Saying, hit it out of the park means you have gone beyond all expectations. You have done more than what was expected of you. But if you translate that 200 years from now, hit it out of the park, people will be saying, what park? Were they into parks? What's the... were they hippies? Did they plant flowers in the park? What's up with the park? They would completely miss the point. Or as Mr. Seagly said, it's as fun as a barrel of monkeys. How would you translate that into another... you'd have to know that a barrel of monkeys is a child's toy that has this little barrel and a bunch of plastic monkeys in it. And it was really fun when you were a kid to strewn those monkeys all over the floor so that when your parents stepped on them with bare feet... How would you translate that idiom into another language? You would have to know the idiom, the saying. Okay, so this is a saying. Jesus said, verily, this day... that is a Hebrew idiom that means, this is a sure saying. From this day forward, you can take this to the bank. This is something that's used throughout the Bible. It's translated correctly in other places by the same translators, just not here. Because for whatever reason, maybe they had a preconceived idea about it. They wanted to promote the immortal soul doctrine. They translated it incorrectly. It simply means, this is a sure saying. It was a Hebrew saying, an idiom, a hebraism, as they say. Let's take a look in Deuteronomy 30 and verse 18 at this hebraism. Deuteronomy 30, get there myself, and verse 18. Okay. In the Old King James, here it is. This is the same hebraism that Jesus used on the cross. I denounce to you this day that you shall surely perish, and that you shall not prolong your days upon the land with which you pass over the Jordan to go into the possess it. Did that literally mean this day? Did he mean, okay, today's Tuesday, and on this day, on Tuesday, you're all going to die? No. It means assuredly, this is a sure saying. From this point forward, I am not taking this back. It didn't mean that they were going to die on Tuesday. It meant this is a sure thing. They wandered in the wilderness for how long? That day? No. Forty years. Remember? They wandered for another forty years. It didn't mean today. It meant this is a sure thing. Okay? Paul used the same idiom in the book of Acts. Let's go to Acts, chapter 20. Okay, and I have to get there myself.

Acts, chapter 20 and verse 26. Paul uses the very same thing, and it's translated correctly. And then we'll go back to Luke. Wherefore I take you, Acts, chapter 20, verse 26.

Wherefore I take you to record this day that I am pure. And notice where they put the comma this time. They put it right after the word day. After the word day. Which is correct. That's correct grammar. I say to you, this day, comma. Then he goes on with what he's saying. But if you go back to Luke and you look at it, he puts the comma before the word today. So it looks like he's saying, today, this Wednesday, when Jesus was crucified, you're going to be with me in paradise. So he was saying, Wednesday. When he meant today, he meant Wednesday. He didn't mean Wednesday. It was a Hebrew idiom. And they moved the comma from behind the word today to in front of the word today. Completely changed the meaning of the verse. So Jesus Christ wasn't saying, this day, Wednesday, you're going to go to heaven. He was saying, this is a sure saying that you can take to the bank. From this day forward, you are going to be in the kingdom of heaven. When was he going to be in the kingdom of heaven? Well, we just read that when Jesus Christ returns to the earth. How do we know? Because it was sure thing. Because the Hebrew idiom, this day, assuredly I say to you, this day you will be in the kingdom of heaven. So I hope that explains it. Remember the words that Paul gave to Titus, that we are to be sharp in the word of God to both exhort and contradict those who preach a false doctrine. How sharp are we, brethren? Hopefully that sermon will help, even though it was incredibly lengthy sermon.