"Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all the kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him." (Rev. 1:7)
Every eye shall see Him! This scripture verifies that all humanity will be raised at one time, not in seperate raptures as some teach. Christ gave to His servant John an abundance of scriptures concerning this great and notable event.
John writes...
"And I saw a great white throne and him that sat on it. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things that were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up its dead which were in it. And they were judged every man according to their works....And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire."
(Rev. 20:11-15)
ALL of the dead are seen here coming forth TOGETHER from the land and the sea, and then IMMEDIATELY following is the judgment. The separation of the RIGHTEOUS and the WICKED will take place SIMULTANEOUSLY.
The scripture states..."And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire."
In that day of final retribution, some were found in the book of life and others were not. If ALL the dead were not raised together, this could not be true.
Some in the Christian community have lifted many scriptures from their original context and devised more than one general judgment. The scriptures speak of only ONE bodily resurrection.
Hear the Apostle Paul's confirmation in his letter to the Corinthians. He writes...
"Behold, I show you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible and we shall be changed."
How many trumpets will there be? All the scriptures concerning the resurrection of the dead and the return of Christ speak of the "LAST TRUMPET."
Can there be one, two or three more to follow the LAST TRUMPET? Not according to the word of God! How could another trumpet sound after the LAST one to call forth the wicked a thousand years after the "last trump" had already sounded? ALL the living shall be changed at the "last trumpet."
Jesus Himself spoke of this time also...
"Marvel not at this, for the hour is coming, in which ALL that are in the graves shall hear his voice. And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation."
(John 5:28-29)
Jesus does not present TWO resurrections here!
The whole foundation of the Christian faith stands upon the fact that Jesus Christ was resurrected from the dead. This gives assurance to every true believer, that because He was resurrected, we shall be also. The future resurrection of the dead is assured by the Apostle Paul's defense given in the fifteenth chapter of First Corinthians.
He affirms this truth...
"If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the first fruits of them that slept. For since by man (Adam) came death, by man (Christ Jesus) came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive." (1 Cor. 15:2-22)
He concludes..."If the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised. And if Christ be not raised, your faith is in vain; ye are yet in your sins."
There is abundant proof of Christ's resurrection in the inspired Word of God.
Matthew records that..."The angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled the stone from the door and sat upon it. His countenance was like lightening, and his raiment white as snow. And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men." (Matt. 28:24)
We also have the positive testimony of Christ's resurrection from the angel who rolled the stone away.
"And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here: for he is risen as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. and go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead."
