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“Christadelphians. What they believe and what they preach.” Harry Tennant

The Bible is clear that the only way to eternal life for the righteous who died before Christ's return is through the resurrection of the dead. All the saints who lived from the days of Abel, the righteous son of Adam, down to the last disciple who died before the second coming, sleep in their graves. They lie in the ground, waiting for the life-giving voice of Jesus. The hope of the resurrection from the dead has been and is the great consolation of all the children of God from the earliest times. This is an incomparable hope. This is the only hope.

This is what the apostles preached:

“As they spoke to the people, the priests and the officers of the temple guard and the Sadducees came to them, being annoyed because they were teaching the people and preaching in Jesus the resurrection from the dead” (Acts 4:1,2).

“For the Sadducees say there is no resurrection” (Acts 23:8).

“he preached to them Jesus and the resurrection” (Acts 17:18).

The resurrection of the Lord Jesus and the resurrection of believers on the last day were and remain the main tenets of the Gospel. Here are the keys to understanding the victory of the Lord Jesus Christ over sin and death. No one who heard the apostles preach remained indifferent to their testimony that Jesus was raised from the dead. They themselves witnessed this amazing fact and made it the cornerstone of their faith in Him:

“This Jesus God raised up, of which we are all witnesses” (Acts 2:32).

“But God raised the author of life from the dead” (Acts 3:15).

“Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead...” (Acts 4:10).

“The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you killed by hanging on a tree...” (Acts 5:30).

“God raised him up” (Acts 10:40; 13:30).

“For He has appointed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man He has appointed, having given proof to all by raising Him from the dead” (Acts 17:31).

The apostolic message is very clear. No resurrection of Jesus - no Gospel. But Christ has risen: repentance and forgiveness of sins have been proclaimed. The gospel of Jesus was the trumpet of His victory on Calvary:

“Now has been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and brought to light life and incorruption through the gospel” (2 Timothy 1:10).

The entire edifice of the Christian faith would turn into a heap of ruins if the foundation, which is the resurrection of Christ, were removed from it. Without the empty tomb there would be no good news and no hope to share with others:

“And if faith Christ has not been raised, then your faith is vain: you are still in your sins; therefore those who died in Christ perished. And if in this life only we hope in Christ, then we are of all men most miserable” (1 Corinthians 15:17-19).

Preaching the cross without preaching the risen Christ from the dead is completely impossible in the terminology of the New Testament. They are parts of a single whole concept of salvation. The one who was taken down from the tree of suffering and laid in silence in the tomb is the one whose grave remained empty forever. This is the risen Christ ascended to heaven.

Readers will already know from previous chapters of this book that Christadelphians believe the biblical doctrine that teaches that Christ actually died on the cross, as all others die. If this were not so, then there would be no talk of any victory over death. We believe that He conquered death by “being obedient even unto death.” Any refutation of this fact, such as the fact that Jesus was actually alive, only His body was dead, undermines both aspects of salvation, namely:

“Who was delivered up for our sins and was raised again for our justification” (Romans 4:25).

The Jesus who died is the Jesus who rose again and ascended into heaven:

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1 Peter 1:3).

“And how exceedingly great is the greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power, which He wrought in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead” (Ephesians 1:19,20).

“I am the first and the last and the living; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forever and ever... and I have the keys of hell and death” (Revelation 1:18).

First century believers believed that His tomb was empty and that the Lord Jesus Christ rose bodily from the grave. They didn't need mountains of scribbled paper or some spiritual message to confirm this fact. The grave was empty. Christ rose from the dead. They knew it. They knew people who had gone to the grave and found it empty on the morning of the resurrection. They talked with those who themselves heard what the angels said at the open tomb:

“He is not here: He has risen, as He said; come, see the place where the Lord lay” (Matthew 28:6).

Moreover, many first-century believers encountered people who saw, spoke, and ate with Jesus after His resurrection from the dead. They did not doubt the reliability of this fact. And not only that: even the enemies of Jesus, who always denied the fact of the empty tomb, could not, neither they nor anyone else, produce a body to refute the resurrection story, which they hated. And finally, the same disciples who trembled in confusion and fear behind closed doors when their Lord was taken from them, suddenly took to the streets of Jerusalem and proclaimed with courage and honesty that Jesus had risen and would live forever!

The resurrection of Christ from the dead became the basis for evidence of the indisputability of the resurrection of those who died believing in Him. Here's what Scripture says about it:

“They (Peter and John) taught the people and preached in Jesus the resurrection from the dead” (Acts 4:2).

“I am being judged because I hope for the resurrection of the dead” (Acts 23:6).

“There will be a resurrection of the dead, of the just and of the unjust” (Acts 24:15).

“Do you really think it incredible that God raises the dead” (Acts 26:8).

“Christ had to suffer and, being the first to rise from the dead, to bring light to the people (Jews) and to the Gentiles” (Acts 26:23).

Christ is risen

Despite all the facts confirming the resurrection of Christ, heresy crept among the believers in Corinth, who first heard the Gospel from the lips of the Apostle Paul. They did not dispute the resurrection of Christ from the dead, but some of them began to express doubts about the future resurrection of believers. Paul's argument against this heresy contained the following phrase:

“If there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised” (1 Corinthians 15:13).

What an unusual argument! The heretics said, “Yes, we believe in the resurrection of Jesus, but we do not believe in the resurrection of the saints.” Paul responded, much to their amazement, “Okay, but if you don’t believe in the resurrection of the saints, you can’t believe in the resurrection of Christ.” “When you deny one,” says Paul, “you deny the other.” But why was such an argument valid? What telling detail did Paul have in mind? After all, on the face of it, it makes no sense to say that if someone does not believe in the resurrection of the dead in the future, they are, in fact, denying the resurrection of Christ two thousand years ago.

The answer is simple and intriguing. The future resurrection and the resurrection of Jesus are part of one resurrection. It is as if some early ripened grain was taken from the field, and the main harvest is still ahead. This is exactly what the apostles believed:

“The prophets and Moses said that this would happen, that is, that Christ had to suffer and, having risen first

from the dead" (Acts 26:23).

“For as death came through man, so through man came the resurrection of the dead. Just as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will live, each in his own order: the firstborn

Christ, then Christ’s
at
His coming” (1 Corinthians 15:21-23).

In other words, based on the gospel message, it is impossible to believe in the resurrection of Christ without also believing in the resurrection of the dead. To deny one means to deny the other, and this puts an end to any hope of salvation:

“For if the dead are not raised, then Christ is not raised; and if Christ is not raised, then your faith is in vain: you are still in your sins, therefore those who died in Christ perished” (1 Corinthians 15:16-18).

A sincere confession of faith in the resurrection of Jesus is the same as an open confession of faith that dead saints will enter into immortality through the resurrection from the dead at the second coming of Christ. All parts of the gospel message are parts of a single whole. To destroy any one part means to expose the whole saving truth to the danger of destruction.

It will come as no surprise to the reader to learn that the chosen people of the Old Testament shared the same hope of resurrection from the dead:

“And I will look upon Your face in righteousness; Having awakened, I will be satisfied with Your image” (Psalm 16:15).

“Those who trust in their own strength and boast in the abundance of their riches!...their way is foolishness...death will rule over them, and in the morning the righteous will rule over them; their strength will be exhausted; the grave is their dwelling. But God will deliver my soul from the power of the grave when He receives me” (Psalm 48:7,14-16).

“Your dead will live, your dead bodies will arise! Take up yourselves and rejoice, you cast down in the dust: for Your dew is the dew of plants, and the earth will cast out the dead” (Isaiah 26:19).

“I will redeem them from the power of hell, I will deliver them from death. Death! Where is your sting? Hell! Where is your victory? (Hosea 13:14).

“And a time of trouble will come, such as has not happened since men existed until now; But at that time all of Your people who are found written in the book will be saved. And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth will awaken, some to everlasting life, others to everlasting contempt and disgrace” (Daniel 12:1,2).

Resurrection of the Dead

BODILY RESURRECTION

What is the resurrection?

— Resurrection according to the Old and New Testaments

The belief in the resurrection of bodies already existed during the Old Testament, as evidenced by the Book of Maccabees: “The King of the world will raise us, having died for his laws, to eternal life (2 Macc 7:9)

.
...it is desirable for one who is dying from people to place his hope in God, that He will give life again (2 Macc 7:14)
.”
(
Cf.
Catechism of the Catholic Church,
992)

But during the time of Jesus Christ, not everyone believed in the resurrection. “The Pharisees and many other contemporaries of the Lord looked forward to the resurrection. Jesus teaches this firmly. To the Sadducees who deny the resurrection, He answers: “Are you being led astray by this, not knowing the scriptures or the power of God?” (Mk 12.24)

.
Belief in the resurrection is based on faith in God, who “is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living” (Mark 12:27)
.
(Catechism of the Catholic Church, 993)
- In the resurrection of the body (flesh)

The resurrection is that thanks to the risen Christ we will receive our body, but a completely transformed one. “Resurrection of the flesh” means that “there will be not only life for the immortal soul, but also for our “mortal bodies” (Rom 8:11)

will come to life again."
(Catechism of the Catholic Church, 990)
“By death the soul is separated from the body, but in the resurrection God will restore incorruptible life to our transfigured body, uniting it with our soul. Just as Christ was resurrected and lives forever, we will all be resurrected on the last day.” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1016)

— Resurrection must not be confused with the immortality of the soul

Many believers mistakenly confuse the immortality of the soul with the resurrection of the flesh. When thinking or talking about the resurrection of the dead, they often think or talk about the immortality of the soul. According to their incorrect opinion, the final destiny of man is the eternal existence - in a spiritual way - of only one immortal soul, separated forever from the body.

It is not right. One cannot equate bodily resurrection with the immortality of the soul. Resurrection in the precise sense refers not to the soul, but to the flesh. “The flesh is the axis of salvation.” We believe in God the Creator of flesh; we believe in the Word made flesh to redeem the flesh; we believe in the resurrection of the flesh, the completion of creation and the redemption of the flesh." (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1015)

— Resurrection of the Condemned

Will the condemned rise from the dead?

After death, only the immortal soul of saved or condemned people exists. However, all the dead will be resurrected: both the saved and the condemned. After the resurrection, all those saved and condemned will exist forever as physical-spiritual beings. According to the Savior, “the time is coming in which all who are in the tombs will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who do good will come forth into the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil into the resurrection of condemnation” (John 5:28-29; cf. Acts 24:15: cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, 998)

— The dignity of the human body

What is the dignity of the human body?

The dignity of man - both his soul and his body - especially since these two elements are called to eternal existence and life. The soul never dies, even after the death of the human body; it will be resurrected by Christ on the last day of earthly history.

“In anticipation of this day, the body and soul of the believer already participate in the dignity of “belonging to Christ”; hence follows the requirement of respect for one’s body, but also for the body of one’s neighbor, especially when he suffers; The body (...) is for the Lord, and the Lord is for the body. God raised the Lord, and He will also resurrect us by His power. Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? (...) ...and you are not your own. (...) Therefore glorify God in your bodies (Cor 6:13-15. 19-20)

."
(Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1004)
NEW BODY AFTER THE RESURRECTION

— Body after resurrection

What will our body be like after the resurrection?

“We believe in the true resurrection of the flesh that we now have.” However, a corruptible body is sown into the grave, an incorruptible body is raised, “a spiritual body” (1 Cor 15:44).” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1017)

A believer would like to know how the dead will be resurrected. “This “how” surpasses our imagination and our understanding; it is available only in faith.” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1000)

It is impossible for us to determine exactly what our body will be like after the resurrection, but it will be different from today.

St. Paul teaches: “But someone will say, “How will the dead be raised?” and in what body will they come?” Reckless! what you sow will not come to life unless it dies. And when you sow, you do not sow the future body, but the bare grain that happens, wheat or something else. But God gives him a body as he wants, and each seed has its own body. Not all flesh is the same flesh; but there is another flesh for man, another for cattle, another for fish, and another for birds. There are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies; but the glory of those in heaven is one, and that of the earth is another. There is another glory of the sun, another glory of the moon, another of the stars; and star differs from star in glory. So it is with the resurrection of the dead: it is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption; sown in humiliation, raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in strength; the spiritual body is sown, the spiritual body is raised. There is a spiritual body, and there is a spiritual body.” (1 Cor 15:35-44)

—The body of the saved will be conformed to the glorious body of the risen Christ

“Christ has risen in His flesh: “Behold My hands and My feet: it is I Myself” (Luke 24:39)

;
but He did not return to earthly life. Likewise, in Him “all will be resurrected in the flesh that they now have,” but this “lowly body (...) will be conformed to His glorious body” (Phil 3:21)
, a “spiritual body” will arise (
1 Cor 15:44)
“
(Catechism of the Catholic Church, 999)
St. Paul makes it clear that the saved will be like the risen Christ because their resurrection will be a participation in the life of the Lord who rose from the dead. “So it is written: “The first man Adam became a living soul”; and the last Adam is a life-giving spirit. But not the spiritual first, but the spiritual, then the spiritual. The first man is from the earth, earthy; the second person is the Lord from heaven (Christ). As is the earthy, so are the earthy; and as is the heavenly, so are the heavenly. And just as we bore the image of the earthly, we will also bear the image of the heavenly. But I tell you this, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God...” (1 Cor 15:45-50)

.

— When people “are raised from the dead, then they will neither marry nor give in marriage”
( Mark 20:12)
. The Savior said that life after the resurrection will be different from the present. “Then the Sadducees came to Him, who say that there is no resurrection, and asked Him, saying: Teacher! Moses wrote to us: If anyone's brother dies and leaves his wife, but leaves no children, then let his brother take his wife and restore seed to his brother. There were seven brothers: the first took a wife and, dying, left no children. The second one took her and died, and he left no children; also the third one. Seven took her for themselves and left no children. After all, the wife died. So, in the resurrection, when they rise again, which of them will she be the wife of? For seven had her as a wife? Jesus answered and said to them, “Are you being led astray by this, not knowing the Scriptures or the power of God?” For when they rise from the dead, then they will neither marry nor be given in marriage, but will be like angels in heaven. And about the dead, that they will rise, have you not read in the book of Moses, how God said to him at the bush: I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living. So, you are very mistaken." (Mk 20, 12-27)

EXISTENCE FROM DEATH TO RESURRECTION

What is the fate of the soul before the resurrection of the body?

— The existence of a person does not cease after death until the resurrection of the body

Resurrection on the “last day” (cf. John 6:54)

cannot be understood in such a way that the existence of a person ceases after his death until the second coming of Christ in glory. This does not happen because every person has an immortal soul that is not destroyed when he dies.

“In death - the separation of soul and flesh - the flesh of man falls into corruption, while the soul goes towards God, continuing to remain in anticipation of being united with its glorified flesh. God in His omnipotence will finally restore incorruptible life to our bodies, uniting them with our souls, by the power of the resurrection of Jesus.” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 997)

“We firmly believe, and this is our hope, that just as Christ has truly risen from the dead and lives forever, so the righteous after their death will live forever with the risen Christ and He will resurrect them on the last day.
“ (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 989)
Before the flesh is resurrected, the soul after death already rejoices in heaven, suffers in hell or is purified in purgatory.

How should we understand that a person will not lose his identity either after death or after resurrection?

- I will always be myself

Neither after death nor after resurrection will we lose our self or our identity. After death, when only our immortal and immaterial soul will live, we will remain the same persons we were during earthly life.

Likewise, receiving another body through resurrection does not mean turning into some other being. After all, a child’s body is different from the body of an adult, but both the child and then the adult are the same being. Although a child’s thoughts and feelings are different from those of an adult, they are still one person. We believe that the Most Holy Virgin in heaven is the same Mary who lived in our world.

REVIVAL BY THE HOLY TRINITY AT THE END OF THE CENTURIES

Who will resurrect my body?

— Resurrection is the exclusive work of the Holy Trinity

The Savior said: “I am the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25)

“He is already giving a sign and a guarantee of this, restoring life to some of the dead and thereby announcing His resurrection, which, however, will be of a different order.
He speaks of this unique event as “the sign of the prophet Jonah” (Matthew 12:39), the sign of the temple: He announces his resurrection on the third day after death.” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 994)
Yet the resurrection will not only be the work of Christ, but also of the entire Holy Trinity. “As Christ’s resurrection, so ours will be the work of the Most Holy Trinity” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 989).

This matter is extraordinary.
Confession of “our faith in God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit and in His creative, saving and sanctifying work, finds its highest point in the proclamation of the resurrection of the dead at the end of time and eternal life.” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 988)
Thanks to the Almighty Most Holy Trinity, mortal flesh will be resurrected to eternal life.

— The day of our bodily resurrection

When will God resurrect my body?

The resurrection will take place “on the last day” (John 6:39-40.44. 54; 11:24)

;
"at the end of the world." The second coming of Christ in glory, called the parousia, will be the day of our resurrection. (Cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1001).
“When Christ appears, our life,” teaches St.
Paul – then you too will appear with Him in glory” (Col 3:4; cf. 1 Thessalonians 4:16)
.
“If the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you” (Rom 8:11)
.

St. Paul testifies: “Christ has risen from the dead, the firstborn of those who have fallen asleep. For as death through man, the resurrection of the dead melts through man. Just as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will come to life, each in his own order: Christ the firstborn, then those of Christ at His coming. And then the end, when He will hand over the Kingdom to God and the Father, when He will abolish all authority and all authority and power. For He must reign until He has put all enemies under His feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. Because He put everything under His feet. When it is said that all things are subject to Him, it is clear that except Him Who put all things under Him. When all things are put under Him, then the Son Himself will be subject to Him who put all things under Him, so that God may be all in all:" (1 Cor 15:20-28)

— The Blessed Virgin taken with body and soul to heaven

How should we understand the “Assumption”, the taking of the Blessed Virgin into heavenly glory?

In addition to the risen Christ, the Most Holy Theotokos Mary - united with the Son - already now lives with body and soul in heavenly glory. Her dormition was a transition into a new bodily and spiritual life, which for believers and those who love God will be realized on the day of “parusin”, when the Savior will resurrect all the dead.

SPIRITUAL RESURRECTION IN THE SACRAMENT OF BAPTISM

How should we understand spiritual resurrection?

— Spiritual death and spiritual resurrection

Resurrection in the precise sense means the revival by the Most Holy Trinity of the human body with new life on the day of Christ's coming in glory. Still, there is also spiritual death and spiritual resurrection, which is carried out in the sacrament of baptism.

— Participation in the death and resurrection of Christ

“If it is true that Christ will raise us up “at the last day,” it is also true that in a sense we have already been raised with Christ. Indeed, thanks to the Holy Spirit, Christian life on earth is now a participation in the death and resurrection of Christ: Having been buried with Him in baptism, you were raised in Him by faith in the power of God, who raised Him from the dead (...)” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1002 )

— New life and new behavior

“Having been united with Christ in baptism, believers already actually participate in the heavenly life of the risen Christ, but this life is still “hidden with Christ in God” (Col 3:3)

.
“...and he raised us up (...) with him, and seated us in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus" (Eph 2:6)
.
“ (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1003)
The essence of this spiritual resurrection is participation in the life of the risen Christ and a new behavior based on perfect love for God and neighbor. "

So, if you have been raised with Christ, then seek the things that are above, where Christ sits at the right hand of God
(Col 2:12; 3:1)
.

THE EUCHARIST AND OUR RESURRECTION

What connection is there between the Eucharist and our future resurrection?

- “I will resurrect him on the last day.”
(John 6:54)
Jesus Christ will resurrect on the last day those who believed in Him, who ate His Body and drank His Blood. “He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.” (John 6:54)
(Cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, 994)
.

— We also “will appear with Him in glory”
(Col 3:4)
When we receive communion, the risen and living Christ unites us completely with Himself. Thanks to this union, we become like Him: now spiritually, and on the last day of history - also physically, since we will appear with Him in the glory of the resurrection. “Nourished by His Body in the Eucharist, we already belong to the Body of Christ. When we rise on the last day, we will also “appear with Him in glory” (Col 3:4)

."
(Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1003)
- Anticipation of the transfiguration of our body by Christ

Our “participation in the Eucharist already gives us a foretaste of the transformation of our body by Christ: Just as the bread that came from the earth, thanking God, ceases to be ordinary bread, but becomes the Eucharist, composed of two essences, earthly and heavenly, so the body ours who participate in the Eucharist are no longer corruptible, for they have hope of resurrection.” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1000)

Death's dream

The language of these verses is quite consistent. The dead must awaken and come out of the graves in which they currently sleep. This will be an incomparable, joyful and happy morning for the righteous, for the result of their awakening will be eternal life; death will no longer have dominion over them. A simple and at the same time deep truth. They believed that death was simply an unconscious state, like sleep, and eternal life would come with the resurrection. Compare these two verses of Scripture that give a comprehensive picture of what the believers of days gone by believed and hoped for:

“Do not put your trust in princes, in the son of man, in whom there is no salvation. His spirit departs and he returns to his land; on that day all his thoughts disappear. Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God” (Psalm 146:3-5).

“Your dead shall live, your dead bodies shall rise again!...the earth shall spew up the dead” (Isaiah 26:19).

Resurrection is the reverse process of death. The word used by the New Testament writers means “to rise up.” God, who in the beginning created man from dust, is able to recreate those who sleep in the dust.

The human body carries all traces of its imperfection. Starting from birth itself, processes begin in it that end in death - this is the deserved result of the sinfulness of human nature. And going to the grave is a fair ending, putting an end to all a person’s ambitions.

“For all flesh is like grass, and all the glory of men is like the flower of the grass; the grass withered, and its flower fell” (1 Peter 1:24).

For the redeemed, the burdens of the flesh will be removed. But this will not be a process similar to the liberation of a person from a heavy load, making him weightless as air; or similar to the emergence of a beautiful butterfly from a chrysalis. This view is not the biblical path to happiness. In any case, there is a certain defect and inability of language to express the inexpressible. Moreover, it is as if God had made a mistake about our bodies among the great and wonderful things He has created, and is forced to make a correction through some other means.

Hope for immortality

Such a view is, of course, unacceptable. The Bible gives a very definite doctrine on this subject, simple and completely different. True salvation includes the salvation of the body. Just as in this life the body is simply necessary for normal existence, so it will be necessary for eternal life. However, it will undergo an amazing and miraculous transformation, and will be different from the body we have now with all its shortcomings. The resurrection of the dead is only a prelude to this beautiful metaphor, which will be enjoyed by the righteous, and only the righteous. Here is what the New Testament declares on this subject:

“That the creation itself will be freed from the bondage of corruption into the glorious freedom of the children of God... and we groan within ourselves, waiting for adoption as sons, the redemption of our body” (Romans 8:21-23).

“We also await the Savior... Who will transform our lowly body so that it will be like the glorious body of His

Oh, by the power whereby He works and puts all things in subjection to Himself” (Philippians 3:20,21).

“For this reason we groan, desiring to be clothed with our heavenly habitation...for we, being in this tent, groan under the burden, because we do not want to be unladen, but to be clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up in life” (2 Corinthians 5:2-4).

“For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality... then the word that is written will be fulfilled: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”

Victory over death will not come as a revitalizing initial push, like how we push a pendulum at a stopped clock, but will come through the resurrection from the dead to the inexpressible joy of the righteous, when Jesus Christ bestows immortality. With this faith, Paul comforted the believers in Thessalonica, who were grieving for the passing of dear and close brothers and sisters. He offered them no other hope under these circumstances. And there is only one hope:

“I do not want to leave you, brothers, in ignorance about the dead, so that you do not grieve like others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, then God will bring those who died in Jesus with Him... because the Lord Himself at His return, with the voice of the Archangel and the trumpet of God, will descend from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first... then we, those who remain alive will be caught up together with them... and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words” (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).

“When He comes to be glorified in His saints, and to appear marvelous on that day among all who believe...” (2 Thessalonians 1:10).

“And now there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on that day.

, and not only to me, but also to all those who loved
His appearing
” (2 Timothy 4:8).

“Beloved! We are now children of God, but it has not yet been revealed what we will be. We only know that when it opens

“We will be like Him, because we will see Him as He is” (1 John 3:2).

"For the Son of Man will come

in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward everyone according to his deeds” (Matthew 16:27).

“And just as it is appointed for men to die once, and after this comes the judgment. So Christ, having once sacrificed Himself to take away the sins of many, will appear a second time

...for those who wait for Him for salvation" (Hebrews 9:27,28).

The weight and consistency of these verses is remarkable. The day of the second coming will be a day of reward, greatness and salvation. It is for these significant reasons that the doctrine of the second coming occupies such a special place in the New Testament. Without the Second Coming, everything loses all meaning.

Court

The attentive reader has probably already noticed that a number of the above verses talk about judgment, about a righteous Judge who will “reward everyone according to his deeds.” When will “that day” come? What will appear on it and what will be determined? Who will appear before him? What fate awaits the outcasts?

Once again the Bible does not leave us to wander in the dark. Judgment Day is the time of Christ's return to earth:

“I charge you therefore before God and our Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge

the living and the dead
at His appearing
and His kingdom” (2 Timothy 4:1).

“He is the appointed judge of God of the living and the dead” (Acts 10:42).

“And now there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge,

, on that day... and to all those who loved His appearing" (2 Timothy 4:8).

“In the day when... God will judge the secret affairs of men through Jesus Christ” (Romans 2:16).

“We will all appear at the judgment seat of Christ

… each of us will give an account of himself to God” (Romans 14:10,12).

“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ

that each one may receive according to what he has done while in the body, whether good or bad” (2 Corinthians 5:10).

“Why do not judge in any way before the time, until the Lord comes

“Who will bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the intentions of the heart, so that everyone will have the praise of God” (1 Corinthians 4:5).

“Behold, I am coming soon

and My reward is with Me, to give to everyone according to his deeds” (Revelation 22:12).

“The day of wrath and revelation of righteous judgment from God, who will reward everyone according to his deeds... in the day when... God will judge the secret deeds of men through Jesus Christ” (Romans 2:5,6,16).

God has placed judgment in the hands of His Son. Therefore, the day of judgment will come when the Lord Jesus returns to earth. Those who must stand trial are divided into two classes of people: those who will be acquitted and those who will be condemned. In other words, the purpose of judgment is to demonstrate the righteousness of God, to show His assessment of human deeds. The Judge's verdict will be impartial and final: eternal life or eternal oblivion. Nothing could be more serious. Some Scripture quotations on this aspect should be the subject of the most serious reflection for each of us:

“Therefore the wicked will not stand in judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish” (Psalm 1:5,6).

“And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awaken, some to everlasting life, others to everlasting contempt and disgrace” (Daniel 12:2).

“The time is coming in which all who are in the tombs will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who have done good will come out to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of condemnation” (John 5:28,29).

“A good man brings forth good things from a good treasure; but an evil man brings forth evil things from evil treasures... they will give an answer on the day of judgment: for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned” (Matthew 12:35-37).

It is obvious that the nature of the judgment brought by the Lord Jesus Christ will be determined by the nature of the likeness of Christ. Of course, there is no doubt that the Lord Jesus is equally merciful and compassionate and, like the Lord God Himself, does not desire the death of man. But even so, many will be rejected. They will be forever removed from the presence of Christ, who wanted to save them. These unfortunates nullified His mercy through the deliberate inconsistency of their entire lives. For example, those who have treated their neighbors cruelly and unmercifully will reap what they sow:

“For with the judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you” (Matthew 7:2).

Those who have been stingy or greedy in pursuit of material things and have forgotten the true treasure of eternal values ​​will discover, too late, their folly:

“For the love of money is the root of all evil, which, having indulged in it, some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows” (1 Timothy 6:10).

“Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. Whatever a man sows, that he will also reap; whoever sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption” (Galatians 6:7,8).

Likewise, those who have departed from the true foundations of the teachings of Christ will not enter the Kingdom of God:

“And avoid obscene idle talk; For they will abound in wickedness even more, and their word will spread like cancer... who have departed from the truth, saying that the resurrection has already taken place” (2 Timothy 2:16-18).

All such from the judgment seat of Christ will be cast into outer darkness. This is their true place, for they chose darkness rather than the path of light. Despite all the opportunities given to them and their knowledge of the path of salvation, they turned out to be miserable failures due to self-indulgence. Instead of Christ, they chose themselves, instead of putting the Kingdom of God and His righteousness first, they pursued all kinds of worldly pleasures.

What will happen to them? First, they will experience irreversible and irreparable repentance: “there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 8:12). This repentance will highlight their horrifying realization that the path they have chosen has led them to destruction, even as they stand before the Lord of life. Their bitter lamentations will no longer help: the time to fix anything has passed. This will be the moment of truth.

Will there be an end to this miserable state for them? Yes. It will not help one to be eternal, because the outcasts themselves are no longer eternal. Like all those who rise from the graves, they are mortal, but unlike the righteous, who will put on immortality, they will suffer corruption. Whether they will be struck down by corruption immediately or they will have to wait for death in the usual way, we do not know for sure. Scripture does not give an exact answer, and we should not build all kinds of dogmas beyond what is written:

“Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28).

“Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life...he that overcometh shall not suffer any harm by the second death” (Revelation 2:10,11).

Their fate is “harm from the second death”; they will reap the destruction of soul and body. In these words it is possible to see a hidden hint that their end will be more likely to be brought in than just the expectation of death. This will be the second death and the complete absence of any hope for a second resurrection. The destruction of soul and body speaks of complete destruction: the body will turn into a handful of dust and the life that God has given us on lease will be taken away forever.

 Message 3

Introduction and preparation

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Scripture Texts: Acts. 1:1-26

Acts has three main sections: introduction (Acts 1:1-2), preparation (Acts 1:3-26), and reproduction (2:1-28:31). The introduction is very short: it consists of only two verses. Preparation takes up the rest of the first chapter. The section on reproduction occupies chapters two through twenty-eight. This section is perhaps the longest section in all sixty-six books of the Bible. In this message we will look at the introduction to Acts and then move on to look at the preparation. The Introduction introduces this book. The preparation, as we will see, involves both something on the part of the Lord and something on the part of His disciples.

Introduction

Author - Luka

In Acts. 1:1-2 says, “The first account, O Theophilus, I have written of all that Jesus began to do and to teach, until the day on which he was taken up, having given the commandment through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen.” The word “I” in verse 1 refers to Luke, the author of Acts. The early church recognized Luke as the author of both the Gospel of Luke (Luke 1:3) and Acts. Luke's authorship is strongly evidenced by the style in which these two books are written. Luke was a pagan (Col. 4:14), probably an Asian Greek, and a physician. Beginning at Troas, he joined Paul in his ministry and accompanied him on his last three tours of ministry (Acts 16:10-17; 20:5-38; 21:18; 27:1-44; 28:1-15 ). He remained Paul's faithful companion until his martyrdom (Phil. 1:24; 2 Tim. 4:11).

Addressee - Theophilus

Both the Gospel of Luke and Acts were written to a man named Theophilus. In Greek, this name means "beloved of God" or "friend of God." Probably Theophilus was a pagan believer who held a certain position in the service of the Roman Empire.

Continuation of the Gospel of Luke

Acts is a continuation of the Gospel of Luke. This can be confirmed by comparing Acts. 1:1-2 with Luke. 1:1-4. The words "first narrative" in Acts. 1:1 point to the Gospel of Luke as a narrative of the events that Luke wrote about in order to Theophilus (Luke 1:3).

In Acts. 1:2 says that the Lord Jesus gave “through the Holy Spirit a commandment to the apostles whom He had chosen.” The resurrected Christ became the life-giving Spirit (1 Cor. 15:45), but in the resurrection He still did all things through the Holy Spirit (John 20:22).

Preparation

The Lord teaches His disciples

As we have already noted, in Acts. 1:3-26 is about preparation—preparation on both the Lord's part and the disciples' part. In this section of Acts we see Christ preparing His disciples in His resurrection (Acts 1:3-8). He tells them things pertaining to the kingdom of God (v. 3) and tells them to wait for the baptism in the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:4-8). After the ascension of Christ, shown in the verses of Acts. 1:9-11, we see preparation on the part of the disciples (Acts 1:12-26). The disciples continued in prayer (Acts 1:12-14) and then chose Matthias (Acts 1:15-26).

Before the Lord went to heaven to carry out His reproduction in His ascension, He took some additional steps to prepare His disciples. Even though they had been with Him for three and a half years, they were not yet fully prepared. From this we see that the perfecting of the saints in the Lord's recovery cannot be a quick thing.

It can be said that the three and a half years that the Lord Jesus spent with His disciples was almost equivalent to a college course, which usually lasts four years. You may be wondering what the last six months of this “college program” have been like for the Lord's disciples. These last six months were the time after His resurrection.

Over the centuries, people have learned that in order to receive a proper education, a person must go through kindergarten, elementary school, middle school, high school, and four years of college. All the years from kindergarten through high school are preparation for the college years. This principle can be applied to the Bible and the various stages of spiritual formation can be found in the Scriptures. In the Old Testament we go from “kindergarten” in Genesis to “high school” in the Psalms and Prophets. And in between we have the "primary classes" that begin in Exodus, and the "middle classes" in the history books. Regarding the New Testament, we can say that the Gospels are at the “college” level, and the Epistles are at the “graduate” level.

The Lord Jesus spent three and a half years with His disciples to give them a “college education.” Although Peter, Andrew, James, and John were fishermen, the Lord's calling elevated them to become “college students.” But Gamaliel remained in the Old Testament “high school.” The Lord Jesus, as “professor” and as “rector,” first spent three and a half years with His “students.” The rest of their “education” was completed in His resurrection. This means that the Lord was able to educate His disciples for three and a half years while He was in the flesh. Then, in His resurrection, He completed their training.

We need heavenly illumination

We need to read the Bible again and again. This means that we need to know the written Word and be filled with it. Then we need to pray, “Lord, show me what You want to say in all the books of the New Testament.” If you pray like this, light will gradually come.

To have a more accurate understanding of the words in the New Testament, it is helpful to study Greek. However, one should not think that in order to know the Bible it is enough to have an excellent knowledge of the Greek language. It is possible to have a thorough knowledge of every word in the Greek text of the New Testament, yet be spiritually blind and know nothing of what is revealed in the New Testament. Even if we have knowledge of Greek, we still need heavenly illumination to see the divine revelation in the New Testament.

Today we battle spiritual blindness. Many have doctorates in Greek, but from a spiritual point of view they are completely blind. They know the Greek text of the New Testament as a subject of scientific study, but they do not know what the Lord says in the New Testament. No matter how many degrees we have and no matter how much research we do, we still need to humble ourselves and say, “Lord, I don’t know anything. I am nothing, Lord. Show me Your revelation." If you pray like this, the Lord's revelation will come to you.

Peter's case

The Gospels say that the Lord Jesus spent three and a half years with His disciples. Throughout these years He was very patient with them. We can say that the Lord played “heavenly music” to His disciples; however, they were unable to appreciate it. This is especially clear in the case of Peter.

The Lord Jesus, filled with patience and compassion, did all that He could towards Peter. In Matt. 16 says that Peter received a heavenly vision and declared, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (v. 16). The Lord answered him: “Blessed are you, Simon Variona, because it was not flesh and blood that revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven” (v. 17). After the Lord spoke about the church and the kingdom, He began to “reveal to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders, the chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised up” (v. 21 ). But Peter began to rebuke Him and said: “May God be merciful to You, Lord! Under no circumstances will this happen to You!” (v. 22). Then the Lord turned and said to Peter: “Stand behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me, for you set your mind not on the things of God, but on the things of men” (v. 23).

Reading the story in Matt. 16, we can feel compassion for Peter. Although Peter looked pathetic, the Lord Jesus did not give up on him. Peter was not “expelled” from the Lord’s “college.” The Lord Jesus, as the “principal” of this college, showed patience and kept Peter with Him.

The Lord Jesus was patient even when Peter denied Him. On the night the Lord Jesus was betrayed, Peter said to Him, “Even if everyone stumbles because of You, I will never be stumbled” (Matthew 26:33). The Lord said to him, “Truly I tell you, this night, before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times” (v. 34). After this, Peter actually denied the Lord three times. However, the Lord was not disappointed because Peter's experience was part of the "college program."

Ultimately, Peter gained an understanding of the heavenly music that the Lord Jesus “played.” He received this understanding not during the three and a half years that he spent with the Lord, but after the Lord was transformed from flesh into the Spirit. When He was in the flesh, He was not completely successful in teaching Peter because He could not enter into him. Of course, He had the opportunity to correct and correct Peter, but He did not have the opportunity to regenerate and recreate him and dwell within him. In other words, in the case of Peter and the rest of the disciples, the Lord Jesus, when He was in the flesh, did not have the ability to reproduce Himself. To reproduce Himself, the Lord must invest Himself in others as life.

The Risen Christ breathes Himself into the disciples

While teaching His disciples in the “college program,” the Lord Jesus knew that He needed to enter into them. Of course, as long as He was in the flesh, He could not be a disciple. Therefore, in the Gospel of John, He made them understand that it was better for them that He should die and then be resurrected. Then in the resurrection He can enter into the disciples as life and remain in them as their personality and thereby reproduce Himself.

After His resurrection, the Lord Jesus returned to the disciples as the life-giving Spirit and breathed Himself into them (John 20:22). Instead of teaching or lecturing the disciples, He breathed Himself into them. This was the beginning of the last part of their four-year “college program.” When the Lord breathed Himself into the disciples, He reproduced Himself in them as life.

Appears to students for forty days

After the Lord breathed Himself into the disciples, He remained with them economically for forty days. Concerning this, Acts. 1:3 says, “To whom He presented Himself alive after His suffering by many irrefutable proofs, appearing to them for forty days and speaking things pertaining to the kingdom of God.” The Lord presented Himself alive in order to accustom the disciples to practice and enjoy His invisible presence. There is not a single word or hint in the Gospel of John that the Lord abandoned the disciples after He breathed Himself into them. In fact, He remained with Them, although they were not aware of His presence. The subsequent appearance of the Lord to the disciples was His manifestation. Before His death, the Lord was in the flesh and His presence was visible. After His resurrection, the Lord became the Spirit, and His presence became invisible. His manifestations, or apparitions, after the resurrection were intended to train the disciples to recognize, enjoy, and practice His invisible presence. His invisible presence is more accessible, effective, precious, rich and real than His visible presence. The invisible presence of the Lord is simply the Spirit in His resurrection, which He breathed into the disciples and which will always be with them.

After the Lord breathed Himself into the disciples, He no longer left them in essence. However, economically He appeared and then disappeared. The Lord appeared and disappeared economically to train disciples to complete the last six-month stage of their education. In regard to this we must speak not of His going and coming, but of His appearing and disappearing.

For forty days the Lord Jesus appeared to the disciples. In the Bible, forty days is a period of testing and testing. From the Old Testament we know that forty days was a period of testing and suffering (Deut. 9:9, ; 1 Kings 19:8). When the Lord Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil, He spent forty days and forty nights fasting (Matthew 4:1-2). In addition, for forty years God tested and trained the children of Israel in the wilderness. Thus, the number forty is the number of testing, testing, research, learning. In Acts. 1 The Lord appeared and disappeared for forty days to test and train His disciples.

From the time the resurrected Christ breathed Himself as the Spirit into the disciples on the day of His resurrection, He dwelt in them. His appearance, spoken of in Acts. 1:3 does not mean that He ever left them; it simply means that He made His presence visible to them, training them to be aware and enjoy His invisible presence all the time.

The disciples at one time became accustomed to the visible presence of Christ. For three and a half years He was with them in the flesh, being visible. They saw Him, touched Him, and ate with Him. One of them even reclined on His chest (John 13:23). Suddenly His visible presence ceased. Then the Lord returned to the disciples and breathed Himself into them. From this time on, the presence of the Lord among the disciples became invisible. It was no longer a physical, but a spiritual presence.

Although the Lord's spiritual presence is invisible, it is more real and more vital than His visible presence. The visible presence of the Lord was associated with the elements of space and time. But His invisible presence has neither an element of space nor an element of time. His invisible presence is everywhere. Wherever we are, the invisible presence of the Lord is always with us. In fact, His invisible presence is not just with us, but within us. When the Lord was with the disciples in the flesh, His presence was with them outward and visible. But after He breathed Himself into them as the life-giving Spirit, His presence became internal and invisible.

Since the disciples were not accustomed to the invisible presence of the Lord, the Lord remained with them economically for forty days, now appearing and then disappearing. In this way He taught them to practice and enjoy His invisible presence.

Gehenna

Some may wonder what the meaning of the word “gehenna” in Matthew 10:28 is: is there an eternal suffering hidden here for the outcasts, which they experience quite consciously, i.e. experience while being somewhat conscious? Eternal torment and suffering in the blazing flames of Gehenna is a belief that flows first from the doctrine of the immortality of the soul. According to this doctrine, an important place is given to determining the place of “good” and “bad” people at the moment of death. According to it, usually the “good” ones go to heaven, and the “bad” ones are thrown into Gehenna (hell), although they try not to say anything about this during the funeral processions. This view distorts Scripture. Here the judgment takes place on the day of death, and this without any sanction of Scripture. Judgment Day is the day of Christ, the day of His second coming.

It has already become a custom that the word “gehenna” is nevertheless associated with fire, but this is not the hellish fire that exists in the popular imagination. Here fire is the image Jesus used to denote the fate of those rejected from the throne of judgment, and which has nothing to do with the false doctrine of hellfire for condemned souls. The word “gehenna” itself, its meaning and meaning, we discussed earlier. For any Jew this word has a certain meaning. They have used this word or its Hebrew original for centuries. It meant “the valley of the son of Hinnom” (see Joshua 15:8) and was a place of ill repute southwest of Jerusalem. Acts of idolatry were committed there, including cruel rituals of child sacrifice to the pagan god Molech (see 2 Chronicles 28:3 and Jeremiah 32:35). These disgusting and vile rituals were abolished by one of the best kings of Judah, Josiah, and the place itself was desecrated by him (2 Kings 23:10). The place turned into a dump for burning garbage and the bodies of criminals who were thrown outside the city walls. How successfully Christ uses this word, or rather its image, to designate the final fate of sinners. They will be destroyed as if they never existed:

“The wicked... are like dust blown away by the wind” (Psalm 1:4).

“Then all the arrogant and those who do wickedly will be stubble, and the coming day will burn them up, says the Lord of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch” (Malachi 4:1).

“...and he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire” (Matthew 3:12).

The difference between the righteous and the unrighteous (whom the judgment of Christ will distinguish) is the difference between eternal bliss and eternal death.

And finally, what kind of people will appear at the judgment seat of Christ? Will all the people who lived before come out of their graves? If not, what criteria will be used to select? It is quite obvious, as in any trial, that there is a relationship between the person tried and the law under which he is charged. In our case, this is the law of God, and the judge is the Lord Jesus Christ:

“The Father does not judge anyone, but has given all judgment to the Son, so that everyone may honor the Son as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him” (John 5:22,23).

The beginning of a relationship with Christ, and thus with the Father, lies through the gospel and the degree of our desire to accept it:

“He who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has eternal life and does not come into judgment” (i.e., will not be condemned)” (John 5:24).

“I have come as light into the world, so that whoever believes in Me will not remain in darkness. And if anyone hears My words and does not believe, I do not judge him: for I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world. He who rejects Me and does not accept My words has one who judges him: the word that I have spoken will judge him at the last day” (John 12:46-48).

The word of Christ is the word of salvation and at the same time the word through which one can receive justification or condemnation in the future. A person who listens and receives with humility and faith can be saved; he who consciously rejects him, and therefore the Lord, will be condemned by the same Lord in accordance with the same words:

“Because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath for yourself for the day of wrath and revelation of righteous judgment from God... in the day when, according to my gospel, God will judge the secret deeds of men through Jesus Christ” (Romans 2:5,16) .

“Those who have sinned under the law will be condemned by the law” (Romans 2:12).

“Thus speak and so act, as those who are to be judged according to the law of liberty” (James 2:12).

But who will rise up at the judgment of the word of God in Christ? We know that there will be faithful and unfaithful servants present, for this is exactly what the New Testament teaches. Therefore it was written to the assembly of believers in Rome:

“We will all stand before the judgment seat of Christ…each of us will give an account of himself to God” (Romans 14:10-12).

Paul is very clear: all who answer the call and are baptized will stand before Christ to give an account of their service. This will have to be done, regardless of whether the service was good or evil.

But what will happen to those who deliberately rejected the service of Christ and, because of their pride, refused to become His servant? What punishment will they face? The Bible tells us that they too will stand before the judgment seat of Christ and receive their appropriate punishment when Christ returns to earth. On what basis will they be judged? First of all, everyone who will be judged was fully aware of what they were doing in rejecting the call of the Lord. And it is not surprising or strange that they will be accountable to Christ in the process of carrying out judgment on them. Such have made a conscious decision regarding Christ and His word. Notice a number of points from chapter 12 of the Gospel of John:

“I have come into the world as light...”;

“And if anyone hears My words and does not believe...”;

"The word that I have spoken will judge him at the last day."

A person who rejects Christ is a person who is fully aware that Christ is the light of the world, but at the same time does not consider himself obligated to obey His words. This person knows the requirements of God's Word, but does not accept It as his guide. God knows that He will be accountable to Christ on this basis. Undoubtedly, those accountable themselves know this.

There are a number of typical examples of this type of people. For example, the spiritual leaders of Israel in the days of Christ, who were expressly told that they would appear before the judgment seat:

“You will see Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but yourselves cast out” (Luke 13:28).

We find another example in Peter. Addressing believers who were persecuted because of their involvement in Christ, he writes:

“The pagans... are amazed that you do not share with them in the same debauchery, and they slander you; they will give an answer to Him who will quickly judge the living and the dead” (1 Peter 4:3-5).

Return to life and resurrection of the dead: is there a difference?

The resurrection of Lazarus the Four Days, which the Church remembered last Saturday, and even more so - the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ himself, the prototype of which was the rise of righteous Lazarus, make us think about very important questions: what is resurrection, is it found anywhere besides Christianity and what does it have to do with each of us personally?

The different meanings of the word “resurrection” (the verb “to resurrect”) boil down to two main ones. The first is a sharp change in the direction of the flow of time, a solar reversal, or, as we would say now, rewinding, revival or recovery. This meaning implies that someone or something was alive (healthy), then died (sick), and then returned to its living (healthy) state.

The second meaning of the word “resurrection” is derived from the word “to cross”, that is, to cross fire, to produce, to light fire, to become fire, fiery, to acquire a different light-like nature.

There are many facts about the resurrection of the dead. The text of the Bible, Old and New Testaments, contains descriptions of such cases. The prophets Elijah and Elisha resurrected the dead, and once a man was resurrected by touching the bones of the already deceased prophet Elisha. The Lord Jesus Christ resurrected the daughter of Jairus, the son of the widow of Nain and four-day-old Lazarus. The Book of Acts tells of the resurrection of Tabitha by the Apostle Peter and Eutychus by the Apostle Paul.

Church tradition also contains many descriptions of the resurrection of the dead, from the apostles to the saints of our days. For example, the Apostle Andrew the First-Called resurrected a boy in Amasia, a young man in Nicomedia, a strangled boy in Thessaloniki, the son of the proconsul Virinus, and a boy bitten by a snake. In Patras, the Apostle Andrew resurrected the wife of the proconsul Lisbius, as well as 40 people who had drowned during a storm.

The resurrection of righteous Tabitha by the Apostle Peter. Mosaic of the side nave of the Palatine Chapel. Palermo, Italy. Photo: antik-mosaik.livejournal.com

The apostles Peter, John the Theologian, Philip, Thomas, Matthew, and even, according to St. John Chrysostom, Judas Iscariot raised the dead.

During the first centuries of Christianity, the resurrection of the dead was performed by such saints as Irene of Macedonia, Eudokia of Iliopolis, Harlampius of Magnesia, Agnes of Rome, St. George the Victorious, Panteleimon the Healer and many others. In later centuries, these were Jacob the Syrian, Gelasius of Palestine, Simeon the Stylite, Benedict of Nursia, Barsanuphius the Great and others. With the adoption of Christianity, cases of the resurrection of the dead by holy ascetics also began to appear in Rus'. The dead were resurrected by Mark Pechersky, Leonty of Rostov, Sergius of Radonezh, Kirill Belozersky, Varlaam Khutynsky and others. Almost in our time, Saint Blessed Xenia of Petersburg resurrected a boy who drowned in the Neva.

John of Kronstadt resurrected a child who died in the womb. Aristocles of Athos resurrected a girl who died on the road from Ryazan to Moscow, whom her mother was taking to the elder for healing. Amphilochius of Pochaevsky resurrected a girl who died on the way when her mother was taking her from afar to the elder.

There are also numerous cases of the resurrection of the dead that occurred from holy icons. The icons of the Mother of God of Pochaev, Tula, Tikhvin and others became famous for such miracles.

The tradition of the Catholic West also contains cases of the resurrection of the dead. This is how it is described that Dominic of Rome, Francis of Assisi, Isaiah Boner, John Gonzalez, Francis of Rome and others resurrected the dead.

Prophet Elijah resurrecting the son of the widow of Sarepta. 1881 Frederic Leighton. Photo: liveinternet.ru

However, in other, non-Christian religions we also find descriptions of the resurrection of the dead. For example, one of the texts of Shenism (Chinese folk religion) contains a story about the resurrection of a commoner from the dead, which occurred around 300 BC. Taoism describes the miraculous return to life of a Taoist monk named Kuchu.

But even in non-religious sources one can find evidence of the resurrection of the dead. Often news feeds simply contain contemporary cases of the resurrection of the dead, described as medical facts. Some of them are quite remarkable.

For example, in 2009 in Israel, an elderly Israeli man came to life after a team of emergency doctors issued a death certificate and prepared to send his body to the morgue. In India, a man who died in a car accident was brought back to life right on the pathologist's table before the autopsy. And another Indian began to breathe after 7 hours spent in the morgue. Joseph Gus, a 76-year-old beekeeper from Poland, was almost buried alive. When he was already lying in the coffin, his relatives asked to take off his chain and watch as a souvenir. The person carrying out these manipulations suddenly felt a pulse on his hand.

In all these cases, doctors declared death and issued the corresponding document, and in some, several days passed from the moment of death, that is, this was not resuscitation.

From a medical point of view, death is a certain irreversible process in the brain, which indicates its dying. But it is probably not as irreversible as modern medicine believes.

How to explain all this? Apparently, medicine still does not know everything about death and the possibility of human resuscitation. From a medical point of view, death is a certain irreversible process in the brain, which indicates its dying. But it is probably not as irreversible as modern medicine believes. Perhaps over some time, under the influence of some causes, brain death is reversible. And the history of medicine shows that what was previously considered death is now considered a condition when the patient is still subject to resuscitation. Perhaps in the future, currently unknown mechanisms and reasons for a person’s return to life will be discovered.

What is the difference between Christian testimonies about the resurrection of the dead and all the others?

The first is that Christian saints raised the dead by the grace of God and nothing else. Christ told his disciples, sending them to preach: “... heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons; Freely you have received, freely give” (Matthew 10:8). Such a listing of grace-filled gifts suggests that the resurrection of the dead by the power of Christ is not some completely unprecedented miracle, but is on a par with healings or casting out demons. This may be why Christian evidence of the resurrection of the dead is much more numerous than non-Christian or medical evidence.

But here we are faced with a completely fair question: how can we distinguish the action of God’s grace from other mechanisms, since the visible result is the same?

And here is the second difference: for Christian saints, the resurrection of the dead was not an end in itself. They did this either to preach Christ among unbelievers, or to guide the risen man on the path of repentance and salvation, and not to return him to his former sinful life. In this regard, the thought expressed by some holy fathers is indicative: the one who turns a sinner to repentance is greater than the one who resurrects the dead.

Resurrection of the youth by St. Sergius of Radonezh. Hood. Sergei Chikunchikov. Photo: el-tolstyh.livejournal.com

All the cases of the resurrection of the dead that are given above have one thing in common - they took place some short time after death, when the body had not yet begun to decompose and had the ability to return to life again. As has already been said, perhaps there is a mechanism still unknown to us and some time during which the human soul, having left the body, can return back to it and all those life processes that are characteristic of living people will resume again.

From the Gospel we know of two cases of resurrection that somewhat do not fit into the overall picture.

The first case was when our Lord Jesus Christ raised Lazarus, whose body in the hot climate of Palestine had already become so decomposed and stinking in four days that it was clearly incapable of returning to life again. But according to the word of Christ, Lazarus was resurrected, then lived for more than 30 years and was a bishop in Cyprus. The Gospel of Matthew tells us about the second case that when Christ gave up the ghost on the Cross “... Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and gave up the ghost. And so the curtain in the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom; and the earth shook; and the stones dissipated; and the tombs were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were resurrected, and coming out of their tombs after His resurrection, they entered the holy city and appeared to many” (Matthew 27:51-53). Here we are also talking about the resurrection of people whose bodies were already completely decomposed.

But these two cases of resurrection, and all those mentioned earlier, are the history of people returning to their previous body, to their previous way of physical existence. Returning to life again for a while, after which they died again. This is resurrection in the first meaning of the word, when a person returned back to life. All these cases, despite their incredibleness and amazingness, have only edifying significance for us and nothing more.

The resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ is a phenomenon of a completely different order. The resurrection of Christ was not for Him a turning back of time, it was not a revival, it was not the return of the soul back into a corruptible bodily shell, as we see in all other cases. The resurrection of Christ was not a movement back into the body, but a movement forward to a new plane of existence.

This was exactly the resurrection about which one can say - “change one’s nature”, “become fire or light.”

Resurrection of Christ. Mosaic. M.V. Nesterov. Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood, St. Petersburg. Photo: pxhere.com

The Gospel tells us that the Body of our Lord Jesus Christ remained precisely the Body of Christ; it retained the wounds from nails and from being struck by a spear, so that the Apostle Thomas was even able to put his hand there. And at the same time, the body of Christ became completely different, it acquired unusual properties.

The body of Jesus Christ miraculously left its burial shrouds, which remained unwound. The Body of Christ passed through the fabric of the shroud as something immaterial, like light. The Body of Christ did not need anyone to roll away the stone from the door of the tomb. This stone was sent by angels after the resurrection of Christ so that the myrrh-bearing wives could enter the tomb. Christ appeared to his disciples as a “closed door,” but at the same time he could take food and ate in front of the apostles.

Jesus Christ was resurrected in order to never die again; he ascended into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God the Father.

St. Cyril of Alexandria says: “After the resurrection, it was the same Body that endured suffering, but no longer had human infirmities within itself. We affirm that it was not subject to hunger, or fatigue, or anything like that, but was already incorruptible.” Jesus Christ was resurrected in order to never die again; he ascended into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God the Father.

And, besides the very fact of the resurrection of Christ, the most important thing for us is that each of us can join precisely such a resurrection from the dead. To resurrection in the second meaning of this word - to become light, to return not to the previous body, but transformed, capable of eternal life with God and in God.

In the sixth chapter of the Gospel of John we read how the Lord says: “Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day” (John 6:54). And the description of the Last Supper contains an indication that the disciples of Christ and their successors will celebrate the Sacrament of Communion for all believers in Christ: “And he took the bread and gave thanks, broke it and gave it to them, saying: This is My Body, which is given for you ; Do this in remembrance of Me” (Luke 22:19).

The Holy Church has always and everywhere professed the belief that in the Eucharist believers partake of the true Body and Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ is the cornerstone of the life of every Christian and the Church as a whole.

The Epistle of the Patriarchs of the Eastern Catholic Church on the Orthodox Faith, which was adopted in 1723, says: “We believe that the all-holy Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist <...> is mysteriously commanded by the Lord on the night on which He gave himself up for the life of the world. <…> We believe that in this sacred rite our Lord Jesus Christ is present, not symbolically, not figuratively, not by an excess of grace, as in other sacraments, not by influx alone, as some Fathers said about baptism, and not through the penetration of bread <... > but truly and truly, so that after the consecration of bread and wine, the bread is broken, transubstantiated, transformed, transformed into the very true body of the Lord, which was born in Bethlehem of the Ever-Virgin, baptized in the Jordan, suffered, buried, resurrected, ascended, sits at the right hand of God the Father , has to appear on the clouds of heaven; and the wine is transformed and transubstantiated into the very true blood of the Lord, which during His suffering on the cross was shed for the life of the world.”

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So we see that there are two types of resurrection from the dead. One Sunday is a return to earthly, corruptible existence, to a life that will still have to end in death one way or another. Cases of such a resurrection are quite common and are known not only in the Christian tradition, but also in other religions, as well as outside the religious context. The second type of resurrection is resurrection to eternal life, to another plane of existence, to another transformed, deified human nature - just as our Lord Jesus Christ was resurrected. Participation in precisely such a resurrection is offered to all people.

Each of us has the opportunity to respond to the call of the Lord: “Take, eat” (Matthew 26:26); each of us has the opportunity to follow the path of deification. And everyone must make their own choice.