K IN G 'S BUSINESS PROPHECY SECT ION Edited, by Dr. Charles L. Feinberg, Director , Talbot Theological Seminary
by Dr. Albert J. Lindsey, Pastor, First Presbyterian Church, Tacoma, Washington I n t h e whole Christian Church doctrinally and pro phetically there is no more important and basic truth than that of the resurrection. It is of utmost im portance because it is the basis of the truth of the entire Gospel involving the whole doctrinal standard. Further more, without its proper understanding we lack the ex planation of prophecy and particularly that which has to do with eschatology. Indeed, the entire divine schedule of Almighty God is wrapped up in this truth and with out its understanding the human mind is left in utter confusion. The proper understanding of this truth is the key to the growth and power of the early church and its con tinual success across the centuries. Unlike the church today with its powerful ecclesiastical leadership, its vast resources of property, trained leaders and wealth, the early church, possessing 'Very little or none of these and yet facing a hostile world of opposition, moved forward to overcome its enemies and establish itself as the church of the living God. Those were dark and trying days for the task of that early church was the introduction of a new and exclusive religion—one in direct contrast to the ideologies of that day, one that met with bitter opposition from the authorities and that was hindered because of the peculiar character of an age known for its intellectualism and skepticism. Furthermore, the prop agation of this Gospel was left for the most part to an uneducated few who were not esteemed; who were under a ban and were the object of persecution. Yet there followed the remarkable success of the spread of Chris tianity. What was it that made possible such results? The quiet, persistent preaching of the Gospel with its ex clusiveness, with no compromise, supported by the con sistent life of its members, all made possible by the driving force of the fact of the resurrection. It was the resurrection of Christ that made those courageous men strong, and caused them to go from village to village to give their witness even in the face of persecution and death. Since the power of the resurrection is credited with the success and the conclusive proof of the authenticity and trustworthiness of our faith, then we do well to give it priority in our thinking. A comparison of the place given in the New Testa ment to the subject of death and resurrection with that of present day religious writings is noteworthy. The con spicuous absence of such in the thinking of our day will SEPTEMBER, 1960
readily explain why we see so little of the power of the Christianity of the early church manifested in our midst. Thus we are reminded of the importance of this sub ject (the whole Biblical presentation of the doctrine of the resurrections) which is basic and without which there is no Christian faith. Its History In our approach we should be reminded that his torically, long before the resurrection of Christ, the Old Testament development of this truth brought anticipa tion to the minds of all people concerning resurrection truth. The reflections of the Psalmist, the wise men, and the prophets throughout the Old Testament give evi dence that the fact of the resurrection was accepted as a divine truth. Various passages such as Hosea 6:2; Isaiah 26:19; Daniel 12:2 give clear evidence of this. Thus when we come to the New Testament it is no wonder that we have Martha’s words, “ I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day” (John 11:24). It sets before us the general belief of the Jews (excluding the Sadducees) in the time of Christ in the resurrection. I hurry here to add that the disciples’ inability to under stand “ what the rising again from the dead should mean” (Mark 9:10) does not controvert the statement, but rather arose from their unwillingness at that time to conceive a suffering Messiah whose death was a necessary pre liminary to His rising again. Thus it is clear that this belief had already been accepted though its knowledge was not detailed. Resurrection of Christ Let it be clearly understood here that we accept without reservation the fact of the resurrection of Christ upon which the entire Gospel stands and in which the whole proposition of “ the doctrine of the resurrections” fully rests. It is the solid foundation which has been established once and for all and which nothing can move. Indeed, if this be not true then there is nothing worth while and our faith is indeed vain (I Cor. 15:12-19). Resurrection of Individuals Also, let it be understood that the “ resurrections” of individuals in the Bible, of which there are at least eight, such as the son of the widow of Zarephath, I Kings 17:22; son of the Shunammite, II Kings 4:35; the un named man at the touch of Elisha’s bones, II Kings 13: 21; Jairus’ daughter, Matthew 9:25; son of the widow of (continued on next page) 23
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