02-22-2007, 05:29 PM
I know that new thought are disturbing to many, and that many with closed minds will not read it completely and rebut with canned phrases that they've been taught. However, for those of you with open minds, I would like to present something perhaps new to consider.
Most of us have been taught that 1 Corinthians 15 applies to just those of the heavenly hope, because we've also been taught that the Bible was written to just "the anointed," which I don't believe is true. So, here goes:
Have you ever thought that the ‘sheep’ who ‘inherit the Kingdom’ won't have an earthly hope? Notice what Jesus said about them at Matthew 25:34-36: ‘Then the king will tell those on his right, Come, you who have been praised by my Father, inherit the Kingdom that has been prepared for you from the founding of the world.’
Notice that the promise to the sheep was that they would ‘inherit the Kingdom,’ because they had done good things for Jesus’ brothers. And it appears as though the ‘sheep’ that Jesus spoke of there have an earthly calling, because they are being separated from ‘the goats,’ who obviously weren’t in heaven. And thereafter, there’s no mention of the sheep being taken to heaven. There’s just the promise of ‘inheriting the Kingdom,’ which likely means the same as ‘inheriting the earth.’
But notice the words of Paul that are found at 1 Corinthians 15:49-54, ‘So, just as we’ve worn the image of the one who was made from the dust, we will also wear the image of the Heavenly One. I tell you this, brothers: Flesh and blood cannot inherit God’s Kingdom, nor can [something that’s] decaying inherit cleanliness. Look, I tell you a mystery: Not all of us will be laid to rest, but we will be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, during the last trumpet. The trumpet will blow and the dead will be raised clean, and we will be changed. Then that which is corruptible will put on incorruptibility, and that which is dying will put on immortality. But, when that which is dying puts on immortality, then the words that were written are fulfilled, Death is swallowed in victory.’
Do you see the contradiction? These words of Paul – that Christians will ‘wear the image of the holy one,’ that they will be instantly ‘changed,’ and that they will ‘put on immortality (gr. athanasia)’ – have always been thought of as conclusive proof that those who he was addressing were being promised life in heaven. But if that was the meaning of Paul’s words, then the ‘sheep’ of Matthew 25:34-36 must also have a heavenly calling, for, as Paul said, ‘Flesh and blood cannot inherit God’s Kingdom.’ So, the sheep cannot possibly inherit the Kingdom as flesh-and-blood if Paul was talking about a heavenly hope at First Corinthians Chapter Fifteen.
Could it be that Paul was writing about something other than a heavenly resurrection at 1 Corinthians 15:35-54?
Notice that there is a problem with the time frame mentioned by Paul… when ‘the trumpet’ blows and ‘the dead’ are raised.’ In Revelation Chapters Nineteen and Twenty we learn that the time when ‘the dead’ are raised comes after the ‘marriage of the Lamb’ and after the battle of Armageddon. Look up those Chapters and read the sequence of events yourself if you doubt this.
So, since God’s righteous servants are never referred to as ‘the dead’ in the Bible, it appears as though Paul’s words at 1 Corinthians 15:49-54 may be referring to all who are faithful, regardless of their hope.
Also notice that whereas Paul spoken spoke unsurely of his resurrection to an ‘upward calling’ at Philippians 3:11-14, he did speak very positively about his hope that he would receive some sort of a resurrection in First Corinthians Chapter Fifteen. What sort? Well, read what Paul had just written about the resurrection just a few verses earlier (in 1 Corinthians 15:35-38), ‘Now, some [are sure to] ask, Just how will the dead be raised? What kind of bodies will they return in?’ You senseless person! Those who plant [seeds] know that the [seeds] can’t live unless they die first. And what you are planting isn’t the body that it’s going to become – it is just a naked grain of wheat, or whatever. God will give it whatever body He wishes, the same as He gives each seed its body.’
So, what was Paul saying here? He was saying that the types of bodies we will receive in the resurrection won’t be decided until after we die, thus it appears as though he was discussing both resurrections (as heavenly bodies and earthly bodies).
However, he went on to say (at 1 Corinthians 15:42-45), ‘That’s how the resurrection of the dead is. It is planted in a decaying condition and it is raised clean. It is planted without honor, but it is raised in glory. It is planted as weak, but it is raised in power. It is planted as a human body, and it is raised as a body of breath (Spirit). If there’s a human body, there’s also one of breath. As it is written, The first man Adam became a living human. However, the last Adam became a breath (spirit) that brings life.’
So, isn’t Paul saying that humans will be resurrected as breaths (or spirits) here?
Well, let’s look at the words that are translated as human body in this scripture. The Greek words are soma psychikon, or body soulical. And while these words may be translated as fleshly body, in classical Greek they mean the body of the inner person. So, what the words imply is that the thing that dies is the imperfect (fleshly) person, and it will be resurrected not as a spirit, but in the perfect body of a spiritual person. That this may be the correct meaning is verified by what Paul had just said (at 1 Corinthians 15:42), ‘It is planted in a decaying condition and it is raised clean.’
So, can these words of Paul be speaking of an earthly resurrection also? Yes, because those faithful who die with an earthly hope are obviously resurrected clean and spiritual, not in a decaying condition. They will no longer be living as fleshly people, but as spiritual people.
For example, notice how Paul’s words, ‘The dead will be raised clean,’ and ‘Death is swallowed in victory’ match with the promise of an earthly resurrection found at Revelation 20:13, 14, where we read, ‘Death and the grave gave up those dead in them, and ‘Death and the grave were thrown into the lake of fire.’
But, how would it be possible for humans (as Paul said) to ‘bear the image of the Holy One?’ Don’t those words imply that faithful humans will be given bodies like God and live in the heavens?
Well, notice the words that were once used to describe Adam, as found at Genesis 1:27 (LXX), ‘So, God made man. He made him in the image of God.’
As you can see, Adam started out by bearing the image of the Holy One (God) as a human here on the earth. And he lost this image for future generations by his sin in Eden. So, it appears as though bearing ‘the image of the Holy One’ is a gift that men will regain here on the earth.
However, Paul’s words (that the faithful dead will be ‘raised as a body of Breath’ or 'body of spirit') seem to imply that they will be raised as something we have never known before, with a type of spirituality and life that is much greater than anything most of us have conceived.
So, as I promised BR, here are my reasons for suspecting that 1 Corinthians 15:53, 54 isn't just talking about the anointed. It's a talking point, so please discuss it among yourselves.
Most of us have been taught that 1 Corinthians 15 applies to just those of the heavenly hope, because we've also been taught that the Bible was written to just "the anointed," which I don't believe is true. So, here goes:
Have you ever thought that the ‘sheep’ who ‘inherit the Kingdom’ won't have an earthly hope? Notice what Jesus said about them at Matthew 25:34-36: ‘Then the king will tell those on his right, Come, you who have been praised by my Father, inherit the Kingdom that has been prepared for you from the founding of the world.’
Notice that the promise to the sheep was that they would ‘inherit the Kingdom,’ because they had done good things for Jesus’ brothers. And it appears as though the ‘sheep’ that Jesus spoke of there have an earthly calling, because they are being separated from ‘the goats,’ who obviously weren’t in heaven. And thereafter, there’s no mention of the sheep being taken to heaven. There’s just the promise of ‘inheriting the Kingdom,’ which likely means the same as ‘inheriting the earth.’
But notice the words of Paul that are found at 1 Corinthians 15:49-54, ‘So, just as we’ve worn the image of the one who was made from the dust, we will also wear the image of the Heavenly One. I tell you this, brothers: Flesh and blood cannot inherit God’s Kingdom, nor can [something that’s] decaying inherit cleanliness. Look, I tell you a mystery: Not all of us will be laid to rest, but we will be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, during the last trumpet. The trumpet will blow and the dead will be raised clean, and we will be changed. Then that which is corruptible will put on incorruptibility, and that which is dying will put on immortality. But, when that which is dying puts on immortality, then the words that were written are fulfilled, Death is swallowed in victory.’
Do you see the contradiction? These words of Paul – that Christians will ‘wear the image of the holy one,’ that they will be instantly ‘changed,’ and that they will ‘put on immortality (gr. athanasia)’ – have always been thought of as conclusive proof that those who he was addressing were being promised life in heaven. But if that was the meaning of Paul’s words, then the ‘sheep’ of Matthew 25:34-36 must also have a heavenly calling, for, as Paul said, ‘Flesh and blood cannot inherit God’s Kingdom.’ So, the sheep cannot possibly inherit the Kingdom as flesh-and-blood if Paul was talking about a heavenly hope at First Corinthians Chapter Fifteen.
Could it be that Paul was writing about something other than a heavenly resurrection at 1 Corinthians 15:35-54?
Notice that there is a problem with the time frame mentioned by Paul… when ‘the trumpet’ blows and ‘the dead’ are raised.’ In Revelation Chapters Nineteen and Twenty we learn that the time when ‘the dead’ are raised comes after the ‘marriage of the Lamb’ and after the battle of Armageddon. Look up those Chapters and read the sequence of events yourself if you doubt this.
So, since God’s righteous servants are never referred to as ‘the dead’ in the Bible, it appears as though Paul’s words at 1 Corinthians 15:49-54 may be referring to all who are faithful, regardless of their hope.
Also notice that whereas Paul spoken spoke unsurely of his resurrection to an ‘upward calling’ at Philippians 3:11-14, he did speak very positively about his hope that he would receive some sort of a resurrection in First Corinthians Chapter Fifteen. What sort? Well, read what Paul had just written about the resurrection just a few verses earlier (in 1 Corinthians 15:35-38), ‘Now, some [are sure to] ask, Just how will the dead be raised? What kind of bodies will they return in?’ You senseless person! Those who plant [seeds] know that the [seeds] can’t live unless they die first. And what you are planting isn’t the body that it’s going to become – it is just a naked grain of wheat, or whatever. God will give it whatever body He wishes, the same as He gives each seed its body.’
So, what was Paul saying here? He was saying that the types of bodies we will receive in the resurrection won’t be decided until after we die, thus it appears as though he was discussing both resurrections (as heavenly bodies and earthly bodies).
However, he went on to say (at 1 Corinthians 15:42-45), ‘That’s how the resurrection of the dead is. It is planted in a decaying condition and it is raised clean. It is planted without honor, but it is raised in glory. It is planted as weak, but it is raised in power. It is planted as a human body, and it is raised as a body of breath (Spirit). If there’s a human body, there’s also one of breath. As it is written, The first man Adam became a living human. However, the last Adam became a breath (spirit) that brings life.’
So, isn’t Paul saying that humans will be resurrected as breaths (or spirits) here?
Well, let’s look at the words that are translated as human body in this scripture. The Greek words are soma psychikon, or body soulical. And while these words may be translated as fleshly body, in classical Greek they mean the body of the inner person. So, what the words imply is that the thing that dies is the imperfect (fleshly) person, and it will be resurrected not as a spirit, but in the perfect body of a spiritual person. That this may be the correct meaning is verified by what Paul had just said (at 1 Corinthians 15:42), ‘It is planted in a decaying condition and it is raised clean.’
So, can these words of Paul be speaking of an earthly resurrection also? Yes, because those faithful who die with an earthly hope are obviously resurrected clean and spiritual, not in a decaying condition. They will no longer be living as fleshly people, but as spiritual people.
For example, notice how Paul’s words, ‘The dead will be raised clean,’ and ‘Death is swallowed in victory’ match with the promise of an earthly resurrection found at Revelation 20:13, 14, where we read, ‘Death and the grave gave up those dead in them, and ‘Death and the grave were thrown into the lake of fire.’
But, how would it be possible for humans (as Paul said) to ‘bear the image of the Holy One?’ Don’t those words imply that faithful humans will be given bodies like God and live in the heavens?
Well, notice the words that were once used to describe Adam, as found at Genesis 1:27 (LXX), ‘So, God made man. He made him in the image of God.’
As you can see, Adam started out by bearing the image of the Holy One (God) as a human here on the earth. And he lost this image for future generations by his sin in Eden. So, it appears as though bearing ‘the image of the Holy One’ is a gift that men will regain here on the earth.
However, Paul’s words (that the faithful dead will be ‘raised as a body of Breath’ or 'body of spirit') seem to imply that they will be raised as something we have never known before, with a type of spirituality and life that is much greater than anything most of us have conceived.
So, as I promised BR, here are my reasons for suspecting that 1 Corinthians 15:53, 54 isn't just talking about the anointed. It's a talking point, so please discuss it among yourselves.