unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil (the rejecters of the Son, and despisers of His glory), unto the resurrection of damnation” (John 5:28, 29). Thus there is a resurrection to life for those who have been previously quickened and a resurrection to judg ment for all offiers. It has already been pointed out that these two resurrections do not take place at the same time, but are separated by a period of time that is gen erally accepted by premillennial scholars to be of a thou sand years based upon such Scripture as Rev. 20:4-6. Now, it should be recognized that there has been considerable discussion pro and con as to the evidence that proves that this resurrection will take place, we believe, prior to the tribulation period. Dr. John Wal- voord, President of Dallas Theological Seminary, in summing up the major reasons for this conclusion states: “As many as 25 arguments support the transla tion of the church before the tribulation . . .” Here in brief are six of those reasons. 1. The doctrine of imminency. This of necessity places the coming of Christ before the tribulation. 2. The doctrine of God’s purpose for the church. It seems most logical that God’s program of the present age with the church will be completed be fore He resumes His program for Israel in the tri bulation. It seems clear to Bible scholars in confir mation of this that there is no reference to the church as the body and bride of Christ in any of the tribulation passages. The general term of “ saints” and the “ elect” are used to describe be lievers in the tribulation (Rev. 4:19), which are in contrast to the second and third chapters of The Revelation which mention the church frequently. 3. The very doctrine of the tribulation is of such a character as to practically eliminate the possi bility of the church passing through it, so terrible and devastating will it be. 4. The specific promises of our Lord such as in John 14:1-3 where Christ says, “ I will come again,” with the express purpose being to take His own to “my Father’s house.” The numerous Scriptures in this regard definitely support this position. 5. The argument of the removal of the H oly Spirit. II Thess. 2:3-12 clearly reveals that the one now restraining the forces of evil is to be removed from the earth’s scenes before the beginning of the Day of the Lord. It is generally understood that once the Holy Spirit, now resisting the rising tide of sin, is removed that the tribulation with all of its fury will be the natural result. 6. The necessity of an interval between the translation and the establishment of the millennial kingdom. Certain events such as the believers of this age going to heaven where they will be judged for rewards (II Cor. 5:10) and when the marriage will take place between the church and Christ (Eph. 5:25-27) occur after the translation of the church and before the beginning of the millennial kingdom. The believing remnant found on the earth when Christ comes back to establish His kingdom is never identified with the church and never spoken of as being translated. Therefore, it seems clear that while the believers will be trans lated when Christ comes for His Church, a new body of believers are to be formed in the dreadful days of the tribulation. Thus it seems improbable to make the translation of the church and the establishment of the millennial kingdom as simul- taneous. (To be continued next month.) THE KIN G 'S BUSINESS
PROPHECY (continued) humanity. Yet the intelligent believer knows that there is all the difference in the world; for the one who has experienced the spiritual resurrection (the new birth) dies to face life, whereas the rejecter of Christ to face death. We, then, consider here the death of the righteous or the dead in Christ, often referred to as the first resur rection. Explanation of Ranks That there may be no misunderstanding, we go back to I Corinthians 15:23 where we find the key to the understanding of the several stages or ranks that occur in the resurrection of the dead in Christ. “ But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.” We are given in this verse to understand several basic facts which are per tinent to this whole subject. Charles Williams’ transla tion reads, “ But each in his proper order: Christ first, then at His coming those who belong to Christ.” The word “ order” was a military term which is used to des cribe order, rank, place, and time. Here it means there was a proper order to he observed in the resurrection of the dead in Christ, “ Christ the firstfruits.” This, of course, is proper because He is first in rank, dignity and honor, and the resurrection of all others depends upon His. The last phrase “ afterward they that are Christ’s at His com ing” establishes clearly that this resurrection has to do only with those who are believers, and will take place in connection with His second advent. Of this there can be no mistake for the word here used is “ parousia” which means literally, “ presence.” As we endeavor to determine the several stages or ranks in the first resurrection, we recognize that here we have a division of opinion. Though some may dis agree I cannot find the resurrection of Matthew 27:52, 53 (which describes the saints resurrected at the time of Christ’s resurrection) as anything but a revival to life, and thus not one of the first ranks or stages in the first resurrection. You may hold that these were bodily ap pearances of saints like those of Moses and Elias at thé transfiguration, though we must admit the whole matter is mysterious and beyond our knowledge. Certainly, of the future life of these resuscitated saints we know ab solutely nothing. To go beyond this would be pure con jecture. The same can be said of the resurrection of Dorcas (Acts 9:40). Therefore, it seems there would be two stages em braced in the first resurrection, the first stage being in the rapture according to I Thess. 4:13-18; another stage, as we shall see later, at the close of the tribulation as Revelation 20 indicates. A. The First Rank— The Rapture The words of Paul to the Thessalonians are most significant, “ For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord” (I Thess. 4:16, 17). In the light of Revelation 20:5, “ the first resurrec tion,” we cannot escape the clear suggestion that there are in Scripture two major and different resurrections, one dealing with the saved and the other with the lost. Certainly, then, the common and general idea of a uni versal resurrection of all is not the teaching of Scrip ture. Our Lord clearly spoke of two resurrections when He said, “ for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth: they that have done good (the quickened ones), 26
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