Eschatology Notes: Samuel Waldron
Introduction:
The subject of the bodily resurrection will be treated by means of an
exposition of the Confession of Faith. Its doctrine of the resurrection is
stated in Chapter 31, paragraphs 2 and 3. Here is the substance of those
paragraphs:
2 At the last day, such of the saints as are found alive, shall not
sleep, but be changed; and all the dead shall be raised up with the selfsame
bodies, and none other; although with different qualities, which shall be united
again to their souls forever.
3 The bodies of the unjust shall, by the power of Christ, be raised to
dishonour; the bodies of the just, by his Spirit, unto honour, and be made
conformable to his own glorious body.
These two paragraphs may be outlined as follows:
Theme: The Final Change, par. 2, 3
I. The Fact of the Final Change, par. 2
A. For Those Alive at the Last Day
B. For Those Already Dead at the Last Day
II. The Character of the Final Change, par. 2
III. The Permanence of the Final Change, par. 2
IV. The Time of the Final Change, par. 2
V. The Contrast in the Final Change, par. 3
A. The Resurrection of the Unjust
B. The Resurrection of the Just
1. Its Pattern
2. Its Agent
3. Its Character
I. The Fact of the Final Change, par. 2
A. For those found alive at the last day
1 Thess. 4:13-17 (esp. v. 17); 1 Cor. 15:50-53; 2 Cor. 5:1-4 teach that only
saints physically survive the second coming of Christ. Without passing through
death they receive the glorified body and existence.
B. For those already dead at the last day.
At this point the Confession teaches the doctrine of the general resurrection
of all men. This is clear enough from the statement of paragraph two that "all
the dead shall be raised." This general statement is, however, made even more
explicit in paragraph 3 when it is explained further that "all the dead" means
both "the bodies of the unjust" and "the bodies of the just."
The Scriptures which assert this doctrine of a general resurrection of all
the dead at the last day are Dan. 12:2; John 5:28, 29; Acts 24:15. Such a
general resurrection is very strongly implied in a number of passages which
describe the general judgment and its everlasting consequences (Rev. 20:11-15;
Matt. 25:31-46; Rom. 2:5-16). The biblical witness for the resurrection of the
unjust as well as the just, though not as massive as that for the resurrection
of the righteous, is still perfectly clear.
II. The Character of the Final Change
In the phrases, "with the selfsame bodies, and none other, although with
different qualities," the Confession grapples with an important question in the
doctrine of the resurrection. That question is, what is the relation of the
resurrection to our present bodies? Though the question is simple, its answer
involves a crucial biblical tension and balance. For the Confession
paradoxically asserts two things. First, it asserts that the resurrection body
is the identical body which we now possess. It is this body. Second, it asserts
that it is this identical body with a difference. It is this body with different
qualities than it now possesses. As Hodge says, it is "not a new body
substituted for the old, but the old changed into the new."(1)
The changes, discontinuity, and differences between this body and the new,
resurrection body will be discussed under heading V. where paragraph 3 is dealt
with. Here we simply want to dwell on the elements of continuity which permit
the Confession to speak properly of the resurrection body as being the selfsame
body.
What does this mean practically? It means that the very body which dies and
is buried must and will be raised from the dead. There is no resurrection where
the body committed to the ground does not come up from it. The final change is
not a merely spiritual resurrection. When Jesus was raised from the dead, this
meant that the tomb and the graveclothes were empty of that very body which they
had contained (John 20:1-8). So also, when Jesus summons the dead in the day of
the resurrection, that action entails that those "in the tombs...shall come
forth" John 5:28, 29). This same basic fact is conveyed in the analogy of a seed
used by the Apostle Paul which beautifully epitomizes both the continuity and
discontinuity of the resurrection body to this one (1 Cor. 15:35-38). It is the
physical life committed to the ground in the seed which springs up in the plant
which grows from it. The existence of the plant means that there is no longer a
dead seed buried in the ground.
One implication of this is that the resurrection body is a physical body. The resurrection life is bodily and material. This must be so if it is to be in any sense the continuation of the old body. The new body is not heavenly or spiritual in the sense of being immaterial.
Some have misapplied or misunderstood the language of the Apostle Paul in
relation to this issue. The phrase, "heavenly body," (1 Cor. 15:48) has seemed
to some to designate an ethereal, non-physical, body. This is, however, to read
Greek or Platonic ideas into biblical language. Paul has described some very
physical, heavenly bodies in the immediately preceding context (1 Cor.
15:40-42).
The phrase, "spiritual body," (v. 44) has also been understood to mean a body
composed of spirit. This is, again, a complete misunderstanding of Paul's
meaning. Hoekema's able comments should clear up any such misunderstanding.
One of the difficulties here is that the expression "a spiritual body" has led many to think that the resurrection body will be a nonphysical one--spiritual is then thought to be in contrast with physical.
That this is not so can be easily shown. The resurrection body of the believer, we have seen, will be like the resurrection body of Christ (cf. 1 Cor. 15:48, 49). But Christ's resurrection body was certainly a physical one; he could be touched (John 20:17, 27) and he could eat food (Luke 24:38-43). Further, the spiritual....does not describe that which is nonmaterial or nonphysical. Note how Paul uses the same contrast in the same epistle, chapter 2:14-15: "Now the natural....man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him; and he cannot know them, because they are spiritually judged. But he that is spiritual....judgeth all things, and he himself is judged of no man" (ASV). Here the same two Greek words....are used as in 15:44. But spiritual....here does not mean nonphysical. Rather, it means someone who is guided by the Holy Spirit, at least in principle, in distinction from someone who is guided only by his natural impulses. In similar fashion, the natural body described in 15:44 is one which is part of this present, sin-cursed existence; but the spiritual body of the resurrection is one which will be totally, not just partially, dominated and directed by the Holy Spirit.
....Our future existence....will be an existence completely and totally ruled
by the Holy Spirit, so that we shall be forever done with sin. Therefore the
body of the resurrection is called a spiritual body. Geerhardus Vos is correct
when he insists that we ought to capitalize the word spiritual in this verse (1
Cor. 15:44--SW), so as to make clear that the verse describes the state in which
the Holy Spirit rules the body."(2)
Some also have misunderstood the language of v. 50 to the same effect: "Now I
say this, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor
does the perishable inherit the imperishable." Paul's point here is not that the
resurrection body is immaterial, but that it is imperishable, v. 50b. The
phrase, "flesh and blood," is used to describe the weak and mortal character of
our present bodies which are as such unfit for the future kingdom of God. The
language of vv. 51-54 confirms that what we have here is not immaterial bodies,
but imperishable ones. The body is not abolished. It is "changed." It is raised
"imperishable." It puts on "immortality." In Luke 24:39 Jesus stated that his
resurrection body was "flesh and bones."
III. The Permanence of the Final Change
The Confession clearly states that the change brought about by the
resurrection (in the case of living believers, by their transformation) is final
and permanent. These bodies "shall be united again to their souls for ever."
When we come to the doctrine of eternal punishment, more detail regarding the
endless character of this condition will be appropriate. Here it is sufficient
to cite Dan. 12:2 and Matt. 25:46. No further alteration in the physical or
spiritual condition of any human being is conceivable after the final change
wrought by the resurrection of the dead and the judgment.
IV. The Time of the Final Change
Paragraph 2 begins with the phrase, "at the last day." This phrase naturally
indicates that the resurrection is general. That is to say, the events in view
take place at the same time for all men, both the living and the dead, both the
just and the unjust. The change of the living saints, the resurrection of the
righteous, and the resurrection of the unrighteous--all of these events occur at
the same time, at the last day.
In this language the Confession is simply reflecting the natural force of
various Scriptures which we have already considered. As noted earlier, there are
three and only three passages which explicitly mention together the resurrection
of both the righteous and the unrighteous (Dan. 12:2; John 5:28, 29, and Acts
24:15). It is of intense interest that each of those passages have for part of
their natural meaning the idea that the resurrection of the righteous and the
unrighteous takes place at the same time. Hodge comments on them, "At the last
day there will be a simultaneous resurrection of all the dead, both of the just
and the unjust."(3)
Now I am aware that there are ways to weasel out of or evade the natural
force of these passages. There is, however, one point about which there should
be no debate. It is a point which should carry great weight with anyone who may
be inclined to use evasive action in order to avoid the natural force of these
texts. These are the only three texts in the Bible which explicitly speak of the
resurrection of the righteous and the unrighteous in the same breath. Every one
of them conveys the natural impression that the resurrection of the righteous
and the unrighteous occurs at the same time. Before one begins to read his
system of biblical prophecy into such texts, he should stop and ask himself why
it is that it is not found in at least one of them.
The point is that the doctrine of a general resurrection is impossible to
reconcile with any form of premillenialism. If both the righteous and the wicked
are raised and judged at Christ's second coming and at that point in the words
of Matt. 25:46 "go away into eternal punishment" or "into eternal life," then
who is left to populate the millennium which is supposed to take place for a
thousand years after Christ's second coming?
V. The Contrast in the Final Change
In the first three headings the emphasis has been upon the similarities
between the resurrection of the righteous and the unrighteous. Now, however,
under the final heading we come to the contrast between the resurrection of the
righteous and that of the unrighteous.
A. The resurrection of the unjust
The resurrection is a mysterious matter and this is especially true of the
resurrection of the unjust which is the subject of far less biblical comment
than that of the righteous. We know little more than what the Confession tells
us. Dan. 12:2 speaks of it as a resurrection to disgrace (or shame) and
everlasting contempt. John 5:28, 29 speaks of it as a resurrection of judgment
rather than of life. It brings a man face to face with judgment in the negative
sense, judgment as the opposite of life, the judgment of divine wrath and the
second death.
The contrast stated in John 5:28, 29 where the resurrection of the unjust is
contrasted with a "resurrection of life," explains why so frequently the Bible
in dealing with the subject of the resurrection speaks only of the resurrection
of the righteous to life. Though the unjust are raised, theirs is a very strange
and paradoxical resurrection. Though they are raised physically, they are not
raised to "life", but to "death." In the highest sense theirs is not a
resurrection, a restoration to life, at all.
Unconverted friends should never think that death is a way to escape divine
wrath. Even death is no refuge from God. Even from there the mighty arm of
divine wrath can draw them and make them stand before His awful throne in the
last day. Though they blow themselves to bits, God will re-assemble them so that
they will face His great, white throne!
One further comment must be made. This is not only a resurrection of
judgment, but a resurrection to shame and contempt forever. Does this not imply
that there will be that in even the physical appearance of the damned which make
them the objects of contempt and disgrace? While this end is wished upon no one,
the Bible suggests that God will make the ugly and repulsive nature of sin
visible in the very bodies of the finally impenitent. Does God not make the
excellence of the righteous visible in the glory of the resurrection body? Is
not the very purpose of the final resurrection and judgment to openly reveal the
truth, the divine verdict on sin? Is it not a lie, a deception, a "jewel of gold
in a swine's snout," that now the vilest heart is connected with the most
handsome or beautiful appearance? Will not God in the great day abolish all such
lies? Then, for all these reasons, we must think that the bodies of the doomed
will very accurately portray the ugliness and loathsome nature of sin.
B. The resurrection of the just
The Confession contrasts the resurrection of the just with that of the unjust
at three points. There is a contrast as to its pattern, its agent, and its
character.
1. Its Pattern--"made conformable to his own glorious body"
While the Confession says nothing about the pattern of the resurrection of
the unjust, it explicitly asserts that Christ's resurrection body is the pattern
for our own.
The glory of the resurrection body consists, first of all, in this: it is
made like Christ's glorious body (Phil. 3:21; 1 Cor. 15:20-23, 48, 49; Rom.
8:17, 29, 30; Col. 1:18; 3:4; 1 John 3:2; Rev. 1:5). As already intimated, this
pervasive teaching of Scripture means that what we know of Christ's resurrection
body will be true of ours.
2. Its Agent--"his Spirit"
While the Confession remarks in general that the unjust are raised by the
power of Christ, in distinct contrast to this it asserts that the righteous are
raised by His Spirit.
We have already seen that when Paul describes the new body as a Spiritual
body (1 Cor. 15:44-46), the term, Spiritual, should be capitalized because it is
a reference to the Spirit of God. This predicates of the resurrection body an
intimate relation with the Spirit of God. It is a body ruled, indwelt, and
energized supremely by the Spirit of God. All of this already clearly implies
the agency of the Spirit of Christ in the resurrection of the righteous.
Many other passages intimate this same thought (Rom. 8:1; 2 Cor. 3:18; 1 Cor.
15:45; Rom. 8:23; 2 Cor. 1:22; 5:5; Gal. 6:8). The classic statement about the
roll of the Spirit in the resurrection is, however, Rom. 8:11. Each of these
passages speaks of the Spirit's agency in the resurrection of the righteous as
part and parcel of His saving work. This is the reason why the Confession
asserts that the righteous are raised by His Spirit, while stating more
generally that the unjust are raised by the power of Christ. The resurrection of
the righteous is a part of the salvation of the righteous, while the
resurrection of the unjust has nothing to do with salvation.
3. Its Character - "honour"
At this point there is the most explicit contrast mentioned, the unjust are
raised to dishonor, the just to honor. Paul elaborates on what the Confession
calls the "honour" of the resurrection body in 1 Cor. 15 by means of several
contrasts.
THE CONTRASTS OF 1 COR. 15
BETWEEN THE PRESENT BODY AND THE RESURRECTION BODY
|
ADAM |
LAST ADAM |
| (Living Soul) | (Life-giving Spirit) |
| 1. Earthy | 1. Heavenly |
| 2. Soulish | 2. Spiritual |
| 3. Perishable (Mortal) | 3. Imperishable (Immortal) |
| 4. Dishonor | 4. Glory |
| 5. Weakness | 5. Power |
The difference between the two states is the difference between bearing the
image of Adam bodily and bearing the image of the Last Adam bodily. Paul,
however, brings in this difference by way of supporting the previous contrast
found in 1 Cor. 15:45. I refer to the contrast between the "soulish" body and
the "Spiritual" body. This contrast is also closely related to the next one
which contrasts the "earthy" and the "heavenly" (1 Cor. 15:47). Since these
first two contrasts are closely related, they will be treated together.
The meaning of both the contrasts between soulish and Spiritual and also that
between earthly and heavenly have already been mentioned. The point already
underscored with reference to both the term, Spiritual, and the term, heavenly,
was that when used with reference to the resurrection body these terms do not
describe a body composed of spirit--an ethereal, immaterial body.
The term, Spiritual, describes the new body as ruled and energized by the
Holy Spirit. Similarly the term, heavenly, when contrasted with earthy
characterizes the new body as associated with God and reflecting divine virtue
and power in a way surpassing the earthy body.
The contrast between soulish and Spiritual and also that between earthy and
heavenly is not merely a contrast between the fallen body of Adam and the
glorified body of Christ, but in actuality a contrast between Adam in his
un-fallen condition and Christ's resurrected condition. Note that in v. 45 a
text referring to Adam in an un-fallen condition is cited. Note also that it was
no shame or depravity on Adam's part that he was "from the earth, earthy." That
was simply how God had created him (Gen. 2:7).
This is the clue to understanding the meaning and significance of these two
contrasts. Both reflect on the fact that man as originally created, though
innocent and righteous, had not attained a state of matured, moral purity. Adam
was capable of sinning and falling from the divine favor. There was a test to
pass, a probation to complete, an ordeal to endure before a mature and perfected
ethical integrity could be achieved. Until that point mankind could not
experience the fullness of the divine glory and power and fellowship. The bodily
manifestation of that perfected condition would also have to wait. The condition
of attaining the full outward and bodily manifestation of glory was the coming
of mankind to a place where his loyalty to God was tested, perfected, and
impeccable. This condition is reflected in the account of Gen. 2 and 3. Gen.
2:16, 17 states the condition of continued life with God. Gen. 3:22 implies that
either for good or for ill mankind was to attain an endless life. In a condition
of perfected righteousness this would be a great blessing, while in a condition
of matured depravity it would be a terrible curse. Gen. 3:22 already implies
that all men will be raised to endless bodily life and that for the unrighteous
such life will be a terrible curse.
Though, of course, the power of heaven and the might of the Spirit of God
were responsible for the original creation of Adam, the highest expression of
the power of heaven and the energy of the Spirit of God awaited the ethical
perfection and maturation of man. This perfection was necessary before mankind
could be endowed with the full measure of power and virtue God had in store for
the human race. When Adam fell, his loss of ethical innocence and righteousness
resulted in an initially radical and afterwards progressive loss of even that
measure of power and ability he originally possessed. When the Last Adam
successfully fulfilled the divine will, He did not simply regain what Adam loss,
He attained that higher condition which Adam failed to attain.
The ideas of Spiritual body and heavenly body, then, describe the physical
condition of one who has come to complete union and fellowship with God; who has
attained matured, ethical perfection; and, thus, is given the fullest measure of
the wise, mighty, and holy operations of the Spirit of God which a creature may
know.
Perishable and imperishable (1 Cor. 15:42, 50, 52, 53, 54) contrast that
which is subject to decay, to withering, to dissolution, to deterioration, to
destruction and to ruin with that which is not subject to such decay. Flesh may
and will decay, Gal. 6:8. Seed may deteriorate and the grass which springs from
it wither (1 Pet. 1:23). Beauty may decay (1 Pet. 3:4). Food may rot and will
certainly be destroyed and consumed when eaten (Col. 2:22). Even thus, the
present body may and will deteriorate, die, decay, and dissolve. The
resurrection body is not subject to such decay. That body and the whole future
inheritance of which it is a part is incorruptible or imperishable (1 Pet. 1:4,
Rom. 2:7).
Mortal and immortality (used in parallel with the previous words in 1 Cor.
15:53, 54) contrast that which is subject to death with that which will not and
cannot die. What is immortal is not just alive, it is incapable of dying.
Dishonor and glory (v. 43 with vv. 40, 41) contrast a body characterized by
disgrace and shame with a body which by its brightness, splendor, and radiance
attests the fame, renown, honor, and excellence of the one who possesses it.
Dishonor is used to describe perverse, sexual desires (Rom. 1:26), men with long
hair (1 Cor. 11:14), evil reports and reproach (2 Cor. 6:8, 11:21), household
vessels used for unpleasant functions (2 Tim. 2:20). All such dishonor
characteristic of our present bodies, which are subject to decay and the curse
brought about by sin, and, thus, subject to the reproach and dishonor which sin
rightly deserves, will be forever abolished by the glory of the new body. The
term, glory, refers to manifested excellence. The physical splendor of the new
body will attest the excellence and virtue of the son of God, and will demand
the acclaim and secure the fame of its possessor, vv. 40, 41. The shining
splendor of the sun manifests its nature, so also the resurrection body
manifests the excellence of the child of God.
Weakness and power (v. 43) contrast a body subject to infirmity, disfunction,
sickness, disease, and the ultimate manifestation of bodily inability, death
itself, with a body not subject to such things, but able without difficulty,
hindrance, or breakdown to fulfill the holy desires of its possessors. Cf. 2
Cor. 11:23-30; 12:7-10 for a biblical description of weakness. That new body
will never experience the weakness, tiredness, and infirmity that is so often in
us a temptation and an occasion of sin.
Paul tells us that he rejoiced in hope of the glory of God. That is what we
should do in response to such truths. Think of the honor and glory of the
resurrection life! The new body is one of great power. It does not confront,
because of weakness, the continual frustrations that our present bodies do,
because of tiredness and severe limitations. It serves God tirelessly and
powerfully in the redeemed creation. The new body is one of glory. The very
bodily appearance of the resurrected son of God is a continual vindication of
God's delight in him. To himself and to the created universe his very body
attests the excellency of His character and shuts the mouth of any conceivable
reproach or slander. The new body is imperishable. It is the body of one whose
character by the grace of God has been brought to perfect, irreversible, moral
holiness and righteousness. It is, therefore, a body which never grows weak, is
never blemished, is always as powerful and as beautiful physically as it ever
was.
Most blessed of all, perhaps, the new body is the sign and seal of that condition in which fellowship with God has been perfected. It is indwelt, ruled, and energized to the highest degree by the Spirit of God. Its union with God in Christ, its possession of the highest divine favor is unchangeable, immutable, indefectible. It is a Spiritual and heavenly body.
1.
A. A. Hodge, The Confession of Faith, (Edinburgh, Banner of Truth Trust, 1869) p. 387.2.
Anthony Hoekema, The Bible and the Future, (Grand Rapids, Eerdmans, 1979) pp. 249, 250.3.
A. A. Hodge, The Confession of Faith, (The Banner of Truth Trust, Edinburgh, 1869, 1983), p. 385.