How Many Resurrections Parts 4-6
By Mark Farquharson
Part 4: The Resurrection of All Animals
Luke 3:5-6 "'Every ravine shall be filled And every mountain and hill shall be made low, And the crooked shall be straight, And the rough places into smooth roads,... And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.'" {CLV}
Flesh translated from the word SARX, meaning any kind of flesh - beast, bird, reptilian, fish or human. All flesh shall see the salvation of God, but what does all flesh mean?
1 Corinthians 15:39 Not all flesh is the same flesh, but there is one, indeed, of men, yet another flesh of beasts, yet another flesh of flyers, yet another of fishes. {CLV}
This tells us that all flesh means every creature and all mankind. Thus all flesh, every creature shall see the salvation of God. Every creature can and will have salvation. The passage in Luke tells us that ALL FLESH will have SALVATION! How else will all flesh see the salvation if it does not have salvation? The passage in 1 Corinthians tells us that All Flesh does not just mean mankind, but actually means every creature, all creatures, All Flesh means every creature, it could not be plainer.
For all animals to have salvation, be saved, they will need to be resurrected and they will need become immortal. This then tells us that all dead animals will be physically resurrected and become immortal. However the scriptures do not tell us when this will happen. That said I do believe that they will be raised from the dead, soon after the new Earth is created. For the animals on the new Earth will all be plant eaters and not do evil or ruin {Isaiah 11:6-9}.
Creation freed from corruption
Romans 8:19-21 For the premonition of the creation is awaiting the unveiling of the sons of God. For to vanity was the creation subjected, not voluntarily, but because of Him Who subjects it, in expectation that the creation itself, also, shall be freed from the slavery of corruption into the glorious freedom of the children of God. {CLV}
Creation is awaiting the unveiling of the sons of God, so that it can be freed from the slavery of corruption. The Animals are part of creation, and will be freed from corruption, into the glorious freedom of the children of God. How can this happen if they be dead? They will not be dead, they will be freed.
All Animals to be In Christ
Colossians 1:15-20 {Jesus Christ} Who is the Image of the invisible God, Firstborn of every creature, for in Him is all created, that in the heavens and that on the earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones, or lordships, or sovereignties, or authorities, all is created through Him and for Him, and He is before all, and all has its cohesion in Him. And He is the Head of the body, the ecclesia, Who is Sovereign, Firstborn from among the dead, that in all He may be becoming first, for in Him the entire complement delights to dwell, and through Him to reconcile all to Him (making peace through the blood of His cross), through Him, whether those on the earth or those in the heavens. {CLV}
All is created in Jesus Christ, that is in the heavens or on the earth. All is created through Him and for Him. All mankind, All spiritual forces, and All animals are created through Jesus Christ and for Jesus Christ. All animals were created for Christ. It is commonly said that the animals are there for our enjoyment, that is true, but they are also there for Our Lord, Jesus Christ.
All has its cohesion in him, all the animals have cohesion in him, every creature, will one day have cohesion in him. The entire complement delights to dwell in Christ. The entire complement, including all the animals, every creature delights to dwell in Him. This is clearly a future event, when all, every person, creature and spirit {including those that were once evil}, will delight to dwell in Him.
For more on the salvation of all animals refer to my article: “All Animals Saved”
Part 5: Death Abolished
1 Corinthians 15:25-26 For He {Jesus Christ} must be reigning until He should be placing all His enemies under His feet. The last enemy is being abolished: death. {CLV}
Jesus Christ will reign until all His enemies are under His feet. Death is the last enemy, that is being abolished, by Jesus Christ.
2 Timothy 1:9-11 Who saves us and calls us with a holy calling, not in accord with our acts, but in accord with His own purpose and the grace which is given to us in Christ Jesus before times eonian, yet now is being manifested through the advent of our Saviour, Christ Jesus, Who, indeed, abolishes death, yet illuminates life and incorruption through the evangel of which I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher of the nations. {CLV}
Christ Jesus, indeed, abolishes death yet illuminates life.
Revelation 21:4-5 And He {God} will be brushing away every tear from their eyes. And death will be no more, nor mourning, nor clamor, nor misery; they will be no more, for the former things passed away." And He Who is sitting on the throne said, "Lo! New am I making all!" And He is saying, "Write, for these sayings are faithful and true." {CLV}
Death will be no more, because Christ Jesus will abolish it. There will be no mourning over someone who has died, because no one will be dead, death having been abolished, all will be alive. They will alive spirituality and have new immortal bodies. Not only will all the effects of death be abolished on humans, but animals as well. For if animals are still dead, then death has not been abolished.
This confirms that all mankind and all animals will be resurrected from physical death and spiritual death and will not experience the effects of death. To not experience the effects of death, they will all require immortal bodies. More on the immortal body in the next part.
Part 6: Full Resurrection
There is also what I call the Full Resurrection or Complete Resurrection. What is a Full Resurrection? A Full Resurrection from the dead, is when someone has been fully resurrected from the dead, passing beyond the grip of death, achieving immortality. At this point a person will have a new celestial body. This will be achieved by a believer in Christ, when they have gain immortality at Jesus Christ’s return.
Remember when the unjust are resurrected they will not have immortality, they will be in temporary bodies. While they will not die again, their temporary bodies will still be like the old bodies they use to have. They will also not have been spiritual resurrected, when they are resurrected from death. At some point they will have a spiritual resurrection, proceeding from death to life, but it is not at that point that they have a Complete Resurrection. Later sometime after they have been spiritually resurrected they will have a complete resurrection and gain immortality.
As I explained earlier vivified means, made alive, which can refer to someone’s spiritual resurrection. However it can also refer to the point in time when a person gains immortality. The faithful have been vivified spiritually, but they have not gained their immortality. As for the rest of mankind they are spiritually dead, whether they are physically dead or physically alive.
Romans 8:10-11 Now if Christ is in you, the body, indeed, is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is life because of righteousness." Now if the spirit of Him Who rouses Jesus from among the dead is making its home in you, He Who rouses Christ Jesus from among the dead will also be vivifying your mortal bodies because of His spirit making its home in you." {CLV}
Who roused Jesus from the dead? God, the Father, Jesus could not raise himself, for He was dead. Now if the spirit of God, is making its home in you, God who rouses Christ Jesus from among the dead will also be vivifying you mortal bodies. When God roused Christ Jesus from the dead, He vivified Christ, making him immortal. Jesus did not need a spiritual resurrection, for He was never dead spiritually. He will also be vivifying the mortal bodies of the faithful, those who have Christ in them. It is not talking about a spiritual resurrection here, because if you have Christ in you, then this will have already happened. And it says “vivifying you mortal bodies” meaning making you immortal. Thus talking about a change to you body, making your body alive, for you are mortal. This is a future event, that will happen when Christ Jesus returns. However God will not be vivifying your old body of flesh, but you will get a new body, as covered below.
1 Corinthians 15:21-28 For since, in fact, through a man came death, through a Man, also, comes the resurrection of the dead. For even as, in Adam, all are dying, thus also, in Christ, shall all be vivified. Yet each in his own class: the Firstfruit, Christ; thereupon those who are Christ's in His presence; thereafter the consummation, whenever He may be giving up the kingdom to His God and Father, whenever He should be nullifying all sovereignty and all authority and power. For He must be reigning until He should be placing all His enemies under His feet. The last enemy is being abolished: death. For He subjects all under His feet. Now whenever He may be saying that all is subject, it is evident that it is outside of Him Who subjects all to Him." Now, whenever all may be subjected to Him, then the Son Himself also shall be subjected to Him Who subjects all to Him, that God may be All in all.)"{CLV}
Here it is not talk about just a resurrection of a person's body or just a spiritual resurrection, but a full resurrection beyond the point of death, when someone gains their immortality. Through a man, Adam, came death, and through a Man, Christ, comes the resurrection of the dead. That is a resurrection from death to life. In Adam, all mankind and animals are dying, thus also in Christ, shall all mankind and all animals be vivified. Here vivified meaning, made alive beyond the point of death, gaining immortality. Animals are include, because death passed on to them at the same time, and they will be in Christ in the future as noted earlier in part 3.
“Yet each in his own class.” That is each in his own group, there being three groups. The first group is just the Firstfruit, Christ. Jesus Christ physically died and was physically resurrected. When Christ was physically resurrected He gain immortally.
The second group is the faithful in Christ, those who are Christ's in His presence, that is when Christ returns. At this point when Christ returns all the faithful, all those who are Christ’s will have had their spiritual resurrection already, which means it can not be refer to that. When He returns as we know the dead in Christ will be resurrected and again immortally, and those in Christ that are alive at his return will gain immortality at that time as well.
The third group are all the animals. Each one gaining their immortality soon after the creation of the new Earth.
The four group, are all the rest of mankind. Each one of them will gain their immortality after they have been resurrected spiritually.
“Yet each in his own class: the Firstfruit, Christ; thereupon those who are Christ's in His presence; thereafter the consummation,”
One could think that when it states “thereafter the consummation” it means that the rest of mankind, the last class, will be vivified at the consummation. However that is not the case at all. It is not stating when the rest of mankind will be vivified at all.
Read it again “thereafter the consummation,” that is after those who are Christ’s have been vivified there is the consummation. It is stating that after that class has been vivified, there is the consummation. That is at some point after that class has been vivified there is the consummation. It then goes on to state what happens at the consummation, not mentioning any vivification. What happens, Christ gives over the kingdom to God. In fact those in the Lake of Fire get into the kingdom, before the consummation. It does not state that the rest of the dead will be vivified at the consummation. What it says is that first Christ is vivified, then those who are Christ’s are vivified, it does not mention when the last group get vivified.
All mankind will be vivified in Christ, at the end of the last eon, which is at the consummation. At the end of the last eon all will be in Christ, and all will be vivified. At the consummation God will be ALL in ALL. For more on the eons refer to my article: “God's Plan of the Eons”
1 Corinthians 15:35-36 But someone will be protesting, "How are the dead being roused? Now with what body are they coming? Imprudent one! What you are sowing is not being vivified if it should not be dying. And, what you are sowing, you are not sowing the body which shall come to be, but a naked kernel, perchance of wheat or some of the rest." Yet God is giving it a body according as He wills, and to each of the seeds its own body." Not all flesh is the same flesh, but there is one, indeed, of men, yet another flesh of beasts, yet another flesh of flyers, yet another of fishes." {CLV}
God is the one doing the sowing, giving each seed its own body. Seed, in this case meaning a person or an animal. The seed, the person or animal needs to be dying for it to be vivified. If it is not dying, it can not be vivified. That is all mankind and all animals will be vivified, become immortal.
1 Corinthians 15:40-49 There are bodies celestial as well as bodies terrestrial. But a different glory, indeed, is that of the celestial, yet a different that of the terrestrial, another glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars, for star is excelling star in glory." Thus also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is roused in incorruption. It is sown in dishonor; it is roused in glory. It is sown in infirmity; it is roused in power. It is sown a soulish body; it is roused a spiritual body. If there is a soulish body, there is a spiritual also. Thus it is written also, The first man, Adam, "became a living soul: the last Adam a vivifying Spirit." But not first the spiritual, but the soulish, thereupon the spiritual." The first man was out of the earth, soilish; the second Man is the Lord out of heaven." Such as the soilish one is, such are those also who are soilish, and such as the Celestial One, such are those also who are celestials." And according as we wear the image of the soilish, we should be wearing the image also of the Celestial." {CLV}
God sown the seeds of all flesh in corruption, dishonor, infirmity and a soulish body. The resurrection of the dead, that is the resurrection of all who are dying in Adam, that is all mankind and all animals. All mankind and animals will be roused in incorruption, glory, and power. They will have new spiritual bodies. There are two Adams, the first Adam is the one God created out of the earth. The Last Adam is Jesus Christ, who is a vivifying Spirit, He is the second Man, the Lord out of heaven. All flesh have the image of the soilish, they will all have the image of the Celestial, but each in their own order.
Philippians 3:20-21 For our realm is inherent in the heavens, out of which we are awaiting a Saviour also, the Lord, Jesus Christ, Who will transfigure the body of our humilation, to conform it to the body of His glory, in accord with the operation which enables Him even to subject all to Himself. {CLV}
The chosen are awaiting the Lord, Jesus Christ, Who will transfigure the body, to conform it to the body of His glory. This will be in accord with the operation which
enables Him even to subject all to Himself. In time all the bodies of all the rest of mankind will be transfigured to conform to the body of His glory.
Conclusion
The former resurrection is soon to come just before the start of the millennium, being a resurrection of the dead in Christ.The Just get raised when Christ comes for them. The Unjust get raised right after the earth is destroyed. Everyone will also be spiritual resurrected. All mankind and all animals will gain Immortality.
Note: CLV: Concordant Literal version
Copyright © M J Farquharson 2009-2011. Version 2 an update of version 1, 30 March 2009; Version 3 an updated on version 2, 24 January 2010, Version 3 Updated twice 27 January 2010 & 3 February 2010. Version 4, an update on version 3 with new material, 13 November 2010. Version 5, correction and additional material, 10 April 2011. Version 5A1, small correction on previous version, 17 April 2011. Version 5B, small corrections on previous version, August 2011. Version 5C, small corrections on previous version, 24 January 2016. Version 6, Major changes to parts 1 & 2 16 March 2016. Version 7 Edited and updated March 14 2017
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