Chapter 7 – THE RESURRECTION OF THE DEAD IN CHRIST
Duration: Instant
Timing: At the return of Christ
Key Scriptures: 1 Thes 4:15; 2 Thes 2:3-4; Mt 24:29-31; Jn 6:40
Reading the following verses, it should be very plain that the resurrection of the departed saints happens at the return of Christ. Notice that these make it obvious that they are discussing the resurrection of the dead in Christ; not the dead who are damned.
Matthew 24:31 And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
John 6:40 For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”
1st Corinthians 15:22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. 23 But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ.
Below is an interesting revelation. Like Revelation 7, it shows saints who die in the tribulation being raised as the first resurrection. If saints die in the tribulation, and the resurrection is at the Lord’s return, then the resurrection MUST be after the tribulation. And just as Jesus said, His return is after the tribulation.
Revelation 20:4 Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. 5 The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years.
The Mark of the Beast is only shown to be forced upon the world during the Great Tribulation (Rev. 13:16-17). Therefore, these saints die in the Great Tribulation. Since the dead in Christ are raised upon His return – and there is not one verse that shows His return to happen before the tribulation – we can only conclude that the resurrection (of the dead in Christ) occurs after the Great Tribulation. And this is indeed in concert with the full revelation of scripture.
I should note that some teachers of the pretrib view have come up with a special sect or group of believers called “tribulation saints”. Who these are exactly varies from one teacher to another. Some say they are only Jews, others don’t. However, the concept is completely flawed as it attempts to color these saints as being in a different category from the rest of the saints.
I don’t even want to go into all of the ways that this is unbiblical. I’ll just point out that one of the major themes of Paul is the unity of believers. Coming up with some sort of other class of believers is patently ridiculous – and not just unsupported by scripture, but contradicted by it.
A Question to Ponder
Since the return of Christ occurs after the Great Tribulation and during God’s Wrath (Mt 24:29-30) and the resurrection occurs upon Christ’s return (Mt 24:30-31; 2 Thess 2:1; 1 Thess 4:13-17; 1 Cor 15:23), can the resurrection of the believers occur prior to the tribulation?
Preface/Introduction
Ch 1: Ezekiel’s War
Ch 2: The Tribulation
Ch 3: 3rd Temple Built
Ch 4: The Great Tribulation
Ch 5: The Wrath of God
Ch 6: The Return of Christ
Ch 7: The Resurrection of the Dead in Christ
Ch 8: The Rapture
Ch 9: Armageddon
Ch 10: The Millennium
Ch 11: The Judgment
Ch 12: The New Creation
Ch 13: Conclusion
Ch 14: Summary
Glossary
