There are very few leading truths in Scripture which
are based upon one passage merely, or upon teaching in one form: this is a
gracious provision for meeting minds variously constituted as to their habits
and ability of attention; those who do not feel at once the force of one kind
of proof, are sometimes struck with the pointedness of another. Also, there are
not a few who feel the conclusiveness of a legitimate and necessary inference
even more than they do that of a direct statement.
The Apostle Paul,
in teaching the Corinthians the hope of the resurrection of the saints, says, “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....So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this
mortal shall have put on immortality, THEN shall be brought to pass the saying
that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory” (1 Corinthians 15:51-54). Where is this saying
written? In Isaiah 25, in the
midst of the predictions of the blessing of restored Israel, when the Lord “shall
reign in mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before His ancients gloriously”;
then “He will destroy in this mountain the face of the covering cast over all
people, and the vail that is spread over all nations. He will swallow up
death in victory; and the Lord God shall wipe away tears from off
all faces; and the rebuke of His people shall He take away from off all the
earth: for the Lord hath spoken it” (Verse 7,8).
Thus it is a plain
fact of revelation, that at the time of Israel's restored blessing, and
not at a period (perhaps considerably) previous, shall the resurrection take
place of “those who are Christ's at His coming”. The Spirit of God has given us
His own note of time through the combined testimony of the prophet and the
apostle. There can be no coming of the Lord (much more no secret coming) until
He appears for the accomplishment of His promises to His ancient people Israel.
“When the Lord shall build up Zion, He shall appear in His glory” (Psalm
102:16). Any hope of a previous
resurrection must be based, not on Scripture teaching, but upon some
thought which has been formed in contradiction to revealed truth.
This portion of Isaiah speaks, a little farther on, of
a resurrection at this time: “Thy dead men shall live” [that is, the believing
dead of Israel, the Old Testament saints]; “they shall arise my dead body”
[this is the literal force of the words; Messiah owns His relation to them; He
speaks of them as united to himself]. “Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust:
for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead” (Isaiah
26:19).
