Understanding the Second Resurrection

This is core Christianity, where answering your questions about the Christian life Monday through Friday. Your hosts are author and seminary professor Dr. Michael Horton and Pastor atrial Sanchez call right now with your question. At 1833. The core that's 1-833-843-2673 and now here's atrial Sanchez hi and welcome to another program of corporate entity ER digging in the Scriptures were answering your questions about God in the Bible, the Christian faith and with Prof. Michael Horton, I'm Pastor atrial Sanchez for 2000 years.

The church is just experienced controversy after controversy, and we've always had to go back to the word of God in order to stabilize us to understand how we respond to the problems that were facing today. Would you know that one of the early controversies in the church had to do with the resurrection of Jesus. There were people in the church who were saying Jesus and really bodily raise and there were even others were saying the resurrection that we we've heard about that's already happened. It is taken place in any possible has to address that in his New Testament letters and we got a Facebook message from Chase touching on this early controversy asked by Dr. Horton and Pastor Sanchez in Matthew 2752 through 53. The evangelist writes that some of the saints came out of their graves after Christ's resurrection and were seen by many in Jerusalem and second Timothy two verse 18. However, Paul writes that those who say that the resurrection has already taken place have departed from the truth and are leading others astray how to interpret or reconcile Matthew's account with Paul's statement so really a well-informed question face. You're right, according to Matthew 27, some saints came out of their graves. When Christ was raised, while Paul says to Timothy that certain heretics are teaching the resurrection has already taken place will do things here.

First, the resurrection, Paul's referring to in second Timothy two is the general resurrection of all the dead of the end of the age to die. No more to be raised incorruptible, glorified beyond the reach of sin and death will clearly that hasn't taken place because Christ hasn't returned yet so that the heretics were teaching that the resurrection is just spiritual. There is no bodily resurrection from the dead will be great when we get rid of these bodies and they just know slough off this mortal coil will know that's heresy.

Jesus came bodily to save us bodily.

Certainly, Paul knew that Jesus had been raised as the beginning of this resurrection. Look at first Corinthians 15 especially there. Second, this is really important for your question face like the raising of Lazarus and unlike Jesus resurrection the raising of these saints in Matthew 27 was not part of the final resurrection of the dead like Lazarus. These dear saints eventually would die either die again and have to wait with the rest of us for that great and glorious return of Christ, where all people will be raised from the dead, they were raised again like Lazarus as a sign or proof that Jesus is indeed the resurrection and the life Chase. Thank you for that question. I think it sheds a lot of light on an important topic because Mike is as a pastor.

One of the things that I see today is a downplaying of the bodily resurrection now and I think part of it comes from the fact that we we hear over and over again that we we need to accept Jesus into our heart as we talk about another program so that we can die and go to heaven. And the ideas were just to be in heaven and these are the brightest somebody states forever, but it really discuss the gospel in half because the good news is so much greater than I'm just can it be separated from my body for all eternity. It's God is restoring the whole creation, including our broken body. Isn't that amazing and is certainly is true that when we die our souls goes to be with the Lord to be absent from the body. Paul said, is to be present with the Lord.

But even then we don't have our final salvation. That's why we call that the intermediate state, not the final state. Are we looking forward to going to heaven when we die. Yes, we are but we are looking forward even more to the resurrection of the body and life everlasting to get transition into the next question. Here's a phone call that we received about what we do when we die. Hello to all morning. My question is a question that I got yesterday. If you died today and Jesus you why should I let you into heaven, what would you say no. It's a good question.

God bless you to tell you what I wouldn't say I wouldn't point to anything that I had done I would say Jesus main point. Didn't you see that time I visited that person there when I wash the church's window. Since our only hope before God's court is Jesus's work for us in Jesus and standing in heaven, saying, did you do enough actually what he's doing is he's advocating for you before the father. Jesus knows you're not perfect knows I'm not perfect. He's the righteous one in our only hope is that were united to him as shared this story a couple of times on the program before but I have a kind of cool family history my dad owns a circus in Mexico and it's a pretty well-known circus in Mexico and here in San Diego. Every now and then a circus will come into town and I'll go and all mentioned who my dad is and dynamite might my family background and typically they just let me right in.

I don't have to pay anything. I don't have to do show meticulous anything like that and we usually get pretty good seats which is nice. Why, because of who I'm connected to look you are connected to Jesus by faith. And if you're united to him a part of his family. He gives you his righteousness. There's nothing you could pay to get entrance into God's kingdom you and others there's no amount of works that you could do because the fact of the matter is, is all of the works we bring to the Lord their imperfect and there there mixed with our own sin MEI but I'm sure you the experiences I've expressed you do something good you feel like I'm wafting a really good work and then you cut a check over your shoulder under anybody saw that in easier to feel good about yourself.

All of our even our best works are still mingled with a little bit of that pride a little bit of that selfishness. And so we can't point to anything that we've done in order to say, God, you need to let me in that we point to Jesus like God has done incorrectly exactly were united to him and that's our hope and so gets a gift yet. It's just it's all a gift will yacht most of it's a gift. But what about this that I'd known her own. It's all gift every part of it is a gift, Christ's merits alone can present you blameless before the father. Yeah, no thinking about that this free gift of salvation receive solely by faith in one of the places we see that over and over and over again is in the Gospel of John S I'm so excited about the resource that were offering today. Yeah, you know, we've heard so much great stuff about how people are using this is the 10 week study the great way to learn about the life and ministry of Jesus with a group of friends were by yourself. The feedback you're getting is just amazing from folks really around the world. The gospel of John.

It's a 10 week study is available as a PDF download or you can request a physical copy the really beautiful there is also a leaders guide that is available. So head on over to court, Christianity.com/offers to get your copy of our new Bible study on the gospel of John. Thanks, Mike, and you can also call us at 833-843-2673 elements also say this is a great resource for you to recommend your pastor or small group leaders there planning for the next Bible study that they're going to be putting on for your church. You really can appreciate this resource Mike, I'm sure you've heard this objection, time and time again you know we talk about the Bible being inerrant, especially in in the original writings we sometimes referred to as the original autographs but how can we rest assured that we have that inerrant truth. Now you've heard that the sort of telephone analogy that child's game, where you know you can. One person passes it on to the next person over time. It just gets corrupted him and so there are a lot of Christians who really don't understand the way in which scripture was transmitted over time. How how can we encourage them to really trust the word of God is well first of all, there are corruptions in the transmission of the text, but they're not corruptions of any great significance when you compare the massive amount of textual evidence that we have a we could go into the weeds here, but the important thing to say is that even non-Christian textual scholars look at these texts that we have here in the New Testament and say we would kill to have that kind of textual support for Homer's Iliad in the Odyssey or even Thucydides Peloponnesian war. Nothing even comes close.

Nothing really nothing comes close, both in terms of the number of copies that we have and the early date of the copies that are extant, so that what happens is, especially in a computer age where people can multiply the copies they're all online. They can do mathematical analysis. It comes out that there are thousands of differences among copies for when Bart Ehrman and other people say that we could not her head say sure only in terms of, for instance, spelling errors in terms of capitalization discrepancies do have serious divergences scribes as their writing down copies of copies are very, very careful. Sometimes a little tired though but you desire to have way through in the LI something that ought not to be capitalized.

For example, those differences those discrepancies are there but it has been generally recognized that nothing of any significance when it comes to doctrine or the commands in Scripture are even touched by these discrepancies, the ending of the Lord's prayer, there is now general consensus that Jesus did not add at the end. For thine is the kingdom the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen. Oh well. The Christian faith just comes crashing down because the no place is the best copies we have done agree that that was there was probably a later interpolation.

Why was a biblical teaching. You can find that in all kinds of places, and the longer ending of Mark's gospel, for example, there is no doctrine that is not found in other Gospels, the book of acts is a book of acts and what an encouragement to know that we can trust in God's word is a Facebook question we received. Do you think the letters to the churches in the book of Revelation applied to the church today. If so, how do I remember being taught that the letters to the seven churches in Revelation chapters 2 and three reflected different eras of church history had no failure from Alitalia is a letter to the church of Ephesus reflected the time of the apostles or the post-apostolic era. In the letter to the church of Laodicea in chapter 3 the lukewarm church that was about our day and of course you know is and is in your believer with a sense of conscience. I recall thinking, oh no, I'm totally learn learn more accurately, I'm not on fire for Jesus is, I should be.

But the reality is 07 churches were actual local congregations that Jesus is addressing and they each had specific critiques and commendations. Now all of them apply to us today and so far as they were included in the book of Revelation for the benefit of future generations. I think there are times were local churches today can fall into the same problems. The various churches in Asia minor fell into churches can be strong in doctrine, but we can practice in love, churches can grow cold when it comes to evangelistic vigor churches can compromise on sexual issues and ethical issues. The same problems that the seven churches had our problems are churches today also have an so that it is important that as we read these texts.

We don't say boy. Thank God were not in Laodicea but God help us not to fall into the same snares that are brothers and sisters in ages past fell into� Just another reason why it's important for us to understand biblical history. The apostle Paul described Israel's difficult trek through the wilderness and said these things happen to them as an example. They were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come first radiance 10/11 of the stuff we have here in Scripture even even the historical stuff related to the seven churches or Israel in the Old Testament. When this is come to us as an example, we know we ought to learn from this study. Things like church history is so important right because there's so much of the church is gone through and talked about it, learn from the mistake must learn from the mistakes and if we don't work in a repeat them again.

I think that he said that something I don't really offensive as it yeah yeah you listen to Christianity. Thank you for calling us with your questions about the Christian faith in the Bible. Make sure to visit our website core, Christianity.com where you will find new resources every day there helping people grow in their faith. If you can help by this show, or by one of the free resources available on core Christianity, would you consider coming alongside of us in becoming a regular supporter of the monthly donation of $25 more you can join the inner core be part of the team sharing the core truth of the Christian faith. So head over to core Christianity.com/inner core. To learn more or give us a call at 1-833-843-2673 Mike is an email we got when I read some like some 68 or Psalm 104.

I struggle because I tend to identify more with Psalm 102 or Psalm 22 are more sorrowful and anxious. How can I learn to better feel a desire to praise God instead of just expressing my sadness or frustrations. Yeah. Well first of all, I commend you for being so familiar with the Psalms and looking to the Psalms as giving you the words and a lot of times, both when were overwhelmed by Thanksgiving or overwhelmed by sorrow we don't have the words in the Psalms give us the words for every occasion. Psalm 68 tells us about March of God across the desert.

It's amazing Psalm. Basically, God is the victor. God is the conqueror. It even tells us that the women divided the spoils. While the mighty men slept really underscoring the fact that God was the one gaining victory and the women were dividing the spoils of the victory while the mighty men, the soldiers slept.

It really underscores that that God is the conqueror, the victor of the savior of his people. It's not really a lament at all. It's a ham it's an anthem of God's conquest moving from Sinai to Canaan proclaim the power of God whose Majesty is over Israel, whose powers in the heavens you God are awesome in your sanctuary, the God of Israel gives power and strength to his people. Praise be to God. Psalm 104 also is actually pretty celebratory. It praises God as both creator and sustainer as well as judge and Redeemer. Now you may be thinking of verse 35 let sinners be consumed from the earth and let the wicked be no more. Bless the Lord, O my soul. Praise the Lord maybe sort of hard to pray for her or saying that let sinners be consumed from the earth, praise the Lord.

While there's a time for every song and right now we are not invoking God's wrath on the enemies of his kingdom. Remember when James and John wanted to call fire down on the Samaritan village and Jesus rebuked them. John chapter 9 Jesus came the first time to save. So now is the day of salvation.

The door is wide open for all people everywhere to enter in, but when he returns. We will judge the world, even the Angels along with Christ, and so these songs will then be sung by us. So the key is to really soak in the truth of the gospel, the good news that this is the day of salvation for you and for others.

Judgment is in Christ hands, not ours were not calling fire down on people. So let's rejoice in his grace and mercy in Christ. Even as we anticipate the day when he will judge and make all things new and that will fill you with praise and thanksgiving.

It's important to realize that there are seasons in the Christian life. You know, their times were Psalm 68 is to be the anthem and there are times where you're going to feel like Psalm 22 we have to also remember that were seemingly Psalms with Christ and his church, so we coming to church and we sing a particular Psalm that we don't feel like were still singing with the body of Christ.

There are people there brothers and sisters who do feel that way we might commence that and were singing an anthem of Thanksgiving we should be thankful in all things, even in our suffering another person might come in just rejoicing so excited about things that have happened that week and how faithful the Lord is been, and they may not feel like singing a lament they need to realize there are people suffering that very day. Maybe next to them. They're able to sing those Psalms to weep with those who weep with those who weep really helpless. Go to another call now what John 1245 yeah, in verses 44 to 50 of this chapter John 12 Jesus is once again proclaiming his unity with the father. He's not a means to an end. Just a facilitator of a backstage pass to see the real God, namely the father. Jesus is as much God as the father. They share exactly the same nature. So Jesus says embrace him and you get the father is well reject the son, and you have neither the father nor the son, Jesus. It is repeatedly telling his disciples. He's not merely a means to revelation. He's not merely a guide who will lead you to the father but the to come to Jesus Christ is to come to God to be united to Christ is to be united to God we read in Hebrews 11 through four long ago it many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom he also created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs. I think the key is for us to recognize that there is no God. Apart from Jesus Christ that we behold the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. That face that wore a crown of thorns, blood dripping down his brow.

That is the face of God for us, and instead of trying to ascend to the heavens through mystical experience or pious exercises to get behind Jesus to the real God.

We should receive the real God, as he has come to us in Jesus Christ. There is no other name in heaven or on earth by which we may be saved in the name of Jesus.

That's really helpful Mike, this is one of the verses to the people can misunderstand, as it relates to the doctrine of the Trinity. You know some people take a verse like this and conclude, well, Jesus is the father of the same person and I think it was really helpful. The way that you explain that because their distinct persons. The father the son and the Holy Spirit.

But they are one God, one in essence is I sizing you whoever seen me has seen the person of the father he sang. Whoever has seen me has seen the same nature that the father is seen God while it was in accord Christianity with theology professor Dr. Michael Horton give us a call.

Your question about the Bible at 1-833-843-2673. That's 1833 the core or email essay questions at core, Christianity.com look forward to hearing from you. Here's our next call now and I'm currently now there real difference between works and exchange yes result, there is a real difference works are what you do and Faith is trusting in what someone else has done for you, namely Jesus Christ, you have a covenant of works as we call it with Adam in the garden of Eden where God says to Adam you are the federal head the covenant head of humanity.

What you do with this trial that I've placed before you is done for the whole human race.

Just like Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence on behalf of all of us in Romans five Paul talks about this typology. This relationship between Adam and Christ.

Your works are filthy rags. That's Romans 118 to chapter 3 verse 19. You need the perfect righteousness of God to cover you and then Romans 320 picks up on that with the good news. God has provided this free gift of righteousness in Jesus Christ. That's justification and then in chapter 6 he says, and those whom he justifies. He also sanctifies we do begin to love God and our neighbor, and that love bears the fruit of good works, but even this love is the fruit of faith. Faith is the root love and good works are the fruit were not justified by our works. Even our love but by Christ's righteousness which we receive through faith alone. The good works that we walk in as believers is the fruit of all of this grace that God has done for us and within us and so is so important for people to realize were not saved. Just by being forgiven were saved because Christ fulfilled the law for us. He went through that trial that Adam failed to successfully victoriously fulfill and his righteousness is credited to us. We are not only save by being forgiven were saved by the righteousness of Christ by the works of Christ by the parents of Christ be credited to us. Thanks for listening to court Christianity to request your copy of today's special offer. Visit us at court, Christianity.com and click on offers in the menu for or call us at 1-833-843-2673 that's a 33. The core when you contact us. Please let us know how you been encouraged by this podcast and be sure to join us next time.

As we explore the truth of God's word together