The doctrine of RESURRECTIONS is large and somewhat complicated.  Many of us are familiar with many aspects of it.  However, there are some very basic concepts which we infrequently stress about the subject which will give us a firm foundation for our being able to understand the finer details of its various parts.

 

Note a few of the important details:

 

(1) RESURRECTION (anastasis) means a re-standing -- NOT awakening!  (A person need not be dead in order to be resurrected.)  However, sometimes we don’t ask the “embarrassing” question:  “Why would JESUS need a re-standing?”  The fact is that, while Jesus was on the cross, his Father withdrew His favor from him, prompting Jesus’ quote from the Psalm: “My God!  My God!  Why hast Thou forsaken me?”   Jesus NEEDED a re-standing (resurrection) with God.  He momentarily lost it.      

                                         

Jesus lost his standing (his favor) with God.  This was done so that he could die.      It is written that “In His favor is life.”  (Psalm 30:5, KJV)  While the perfect man Jesus continued to maintain his favor-relationship with God, he could not die.  But, having lost that favor — even for such a momentary space of time — Jesus needed a re-standing, an anastasis, a "resurrection" -- NOT just an awakening.  He got both.

 

(2) Another item we all should know but frequently misapply is that AWAKENING     IS NOT RESURRECTION.  Awakening and resurrection CAN BE simultaneous -- as it was in Jesus' case.  But this is not the norm.

 

(3) ALL RESURRECTIONS ARE GRADUAL (except in Jesus’ case).  Resurrection is a process, NOT an event!  This point is likely not so clear in many minds.  Resurrection always (except for Jesus) takes time.  Resurrection (except for Jesus) is never the work of an instant.  A re-standing (anastasis) with God for any imperfect being requires the process or work of bringing that person back to perfection.  Re-standing with God is not possible without this process.  Resurrection IS the process plus the result -- NOT just the result!  

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For saints, this means that we are being resurrected from the time of spirit-begettal until we have been developed to the point where we can stand before God without flaw.  We might think that we are perfect as New Creatures and need no process to have this complete standing before God.  And, while He DOES accept our embryo New Creatures as His perfect sons, the practical and real situation is that, as long as we are attached to these flawed bodies, a complete standing is not possible.  We yet must have the covering of the "robe of righteousness."  (Isaiah 61:10)  This is why Paul in Romans 12:2 says that we are to be transformed (a metamorphosis) by the renewing of our minds -- a time-consuming change!  That renewal process IS the resurrection process working in us.

                         

As we will see, the Apostle Paul will confirm all of this for us in what can become our “stability text” on the subject — Philippians 3:10, 11.

 

 

Philippians 3:10, 11

 

    “…that I may know him, and the power of his resurrection (anastasis), and the

    fellowship of his sufferings, being conformed to his death in order that I

may attain to THE ("first") resurrection (EXanastasis) from the dead.”

 

This passage is SO IMPORTANT for our understanding. It was so important to Paul that he invented a new word for the occasion!  “Exanastasis” occurs nowhere else. Paul NEEDED a new word in order to get his point across. Looking with care at his words will help us immeasurably. 

 

Note that Paul wants in the end to “attain to the resurrection (exanastasis) from the dead.”  But BEFORE attaining this, he knows he must be experiencing something in this present lifetime. He must “know the power of his [Jesus'] resurrection” in himself BEFORE he can “attain to the resurrection (exanastasis)." (1) First, Paul wants the needed information for faith strength. Thus he says, “that I may KNOW (gnosis) him.”  Paul had used this concept strongly in verse 8 where he said, “I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing (gnosis) Christ Jesus my Lord.” Paul is so enthralled with JUST the privilege of having the facts about Jesus!

 

(2)  But Paul also wants to know “the power of his ["first"] resurrection.”  Here is the phrase which anchors us!  Paul is saying that, while in the flesh, he wants to feel the power of the resurrection process working in him -- to lead him to the RESULT.  

 

Even the sequence of the items in this verse helps us to confirm Paul’s intent.  He does not mention resurrection, in terms of awakening on the other side, before he mentions sufferings and being conformed to Jesus’ death.  This phrase is the clincher!  Paul is clearly telling us that we are now BEING resurrected, and we feel the power of that resurrection process in our lives — and THAT POWER allows us to enter the fellowship of Jesus’ sufferings and to be conformed to the purpose of Jesus’ death.

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(3)  Paul now adds these two other items he needs in this life in order to “attain.” The first of these is fellowship in Jesus’ experiences (“sufferings”). 

 

(4)  The final item is being conformed to Jesus’ death — conformed to Jesus' reason for dying.  And THAT reason is participation in being a part of the Sin Offering (Romans 6:5).

 

IF we have succeeded in these items, we will “attain.”  But WHAT will we attain?  We will attain Paul’s invented word!  We will “attain to the EXanastasis from the dead.” It is a very telling word!  “Ex” means “out” or “out from.”  Paul is saying we will COME OUT FROM THE RESURRECTION — out from the resurrection PROCESS into the Divine Nature promised -- the FIRST RESURRECTION.

 

Because Paul had used “anastasis” in verse 10 to refer to resurrection’s working in us while in the flesh, he NEEDED a new word to express the COMPLETION of the process — the actual ATTAINMENT.  Consequently we have, by Paul’s authority, the resurrection PROCESS now, and the “ATTAINMENT” resulting from the process then.

 

And this, of course is the point.  ALL re-standings, all resurrections, all complete joinings to complete and unhindered fellowship with God, ARE PROCESSES (with the notable exception of Jesus).

 

THE IMPLICATIONS

 

The Church:

 

The Church (and Jesus) have part in the The First Resurrection (Revelation 20:6). It is "first" both in time and in station.  NO ONE before Jesus gained a re-standing (anastasis) with God. This is why Jesus and his body are the FIRST resurrection. In time, there is no resurrection prior.  In station, there is no resurrection to a greater nature or relationship with God.  First Resurrection recipients will be God's intimate and personal immortal "family."

 

The Great Multitude:

 

This group is found in Revelation 7 -- mentioned AFTER the 144,000 that will constitute the Church (Revelation 14:1).  They are those who ran in "the race" for the privilege of becoming a part of that Church, but fell short -- not receiving a "full reward."  (II John 6)  Thus they WILL become spirit beings; but they will not, like the Church, become Divine ("immortal") beings.  They will be more like the angelic beings.  Except for the COMPLETION of the process, the Great Multitude receives its resurrection process at the same time as the Church -- during this lifetime.  But this does NOT make it a part of the First Resurrection because, even though the process of resurrecting is at the same time as that of the Church, the COMPLETION of the process IS NOT at the same time.  Likewise the RESULT of the process is not the same.  It IS “to life,” but it is not to the same station of Divine life as is the Church’s resurrection.   The Great Multitude, thus, will not be ON the throne, but BEFORE it.  (Revelation 7)

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The World:

 

The world has not yet begun its resurrection process.  It will not do so until the Gospel Age resurrection processes are finished.  The world’s resurrection process is called “resurrection by judgments.”  (John 5:29 -- NOT KJV!)  How appropriate.  This little name proves that resurrection IS NOT AN EVENT but a PROCESS.  Since it is “by judgments,” a span of time is clearly a factor.  The world will be resurrected (in the sense of completion of the process) AS A GROUP. The Mediator will take them, one by one, to perfection — to the ABILITY to have a re-standing (resurrection) with God.  But they will not “attain” that resurrection until they are turned over to the Father as I Corinthians 15:24-28 informs us will happen.  The Mediator will turn them over to their re-standing (anastasis) with God at the close of the Mediatorial Kingdom.  Clearly, THAT resurrection is NOT an awakening, but a training resulting in perfect fellowship with God, Himself.

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The Ancient Worthies:

 

This is the group of the pre-Christ (Old Testament) faithful mentioned in Hebrews 11.  They are a remarkable and deserving group.  But they will not be a part of the spiritual "Kingdom of Heaven" as noted in Matthew 11:11.  How much speculation has there been about their “better resurrection!”  (Hebrews 11:35)  We will not here go into the possible meanings of that description.  But a few things should be manifest.

 

Their resurrection-awakening is NOT “to life” (John 5:29) because they have not yet attained life. They have had no judgment that put them into a position of ability to gain life or to lose it in the second death.  They were NEVER under judgment to gain or to lose life.  Their resurrection process COULD NOT POSSIBLY precede the First Advent.  If it did, then life and resurrection (re-standing with God) could be accomplished without Jesus' ransom work!  And we KNOW that is not possible. Their resurrection process would have been before Jesus and before the Church — which would make it, at least in time, a “First Resurrection!”  But that didn't happen.

 

The fact is, these Ancient Worthies will “not be made perfect without us” — without The Christ as their Mediator.  (Hebrews 11:40)  They HAVE NOT had their trial in the past.  They will be under the Mediator which, in itself, means they will then be under trial for life -- and will be turned over to the Father with the world AS A UNIT at the close of the Millennial age.

 

They will have a “better resurrection” Scripturally in at least several ways.  It will be “better” because they will have a special station:  “Princes in all the earth” (Psalm 45:16).    

 

According to Hebrews 12:23, their resurrection will be better because their “spirits” (= their minds) will be “made perfect.”  They, as they awaken, apparently will have perfect minds (and, likely, perfect bodies also) so that their responsibilities as “princes” can be carried out.  But they will not as yet have perfected characters.  Attaining those will be the work of their resurrection process.

 

Their resurrection will be “better” also because they will constitute the visible kingdom rulers ("princes") functioning from Jerusalem.  (Matthew 8:11)

 

SUMMARY

 

The complicated subject of resurrections is made vastly more understandable when we realize that resurrection is a process. Coming out of that process (exanastasis) will have varying results for varying groups.  Likewise, the time for the process will vary.  The Church and Great Multitude will have their resurrection processes during the Gospel Age (between Jesus' two advents) -- in this life -- with its results upon awakening during the Second Advent.  The Ancient Worthies and the world will have their resurrection processes begin after the Mediator is complete.  (Revelation 20:12)  The results will happen when they are turned over to the Father — a full “re-standing” or anastasis with Him -- happening as a group at the close of the Mediation.  (I Corinthians 15:24-28)

 

Both the “resurrection to life” groups and the “resurrection by judgment” groups have TWO STATIONS EACH resulting.  (John 5:29, KJV)  In the “resurrection to life” group, the Church is a “First Resurrection” (Revelation 20:6) involving the Divine Nature. The Great Multitude (Revelation 7:9-17) is an “After Resurrection” resulting in an honored place “before the Throne.” In the “resurrection by judgment” group, the Ancient Worthies have a “Better Resurrection” involving authority and early perfections; the world is an “After Resurrection” involving the restoration gradually of all they have lost with the opportunity of perfection in the end.

 

Psalm 45:13-17 shows these four groups in order

 

    -- The "King's Daughter" (the Church) is the "First Resurrection."

    -- The "Virgins, her companions" (the Great Multitude) constitute

        a spiritual, but non-Divine resurrection.

    -- The faith "Fathers" of the Old Testament (the "Ancient Worthies" of

        Hebrews 11) are the "Better Resurrection" (better than the bulk of

        humanity with whom the Worthies will share an earthly resurrection.

    -- And, finally, there is the General Resurrection of mankind as a whole

        to an earthly resurrection.  They are here called "all generations" and "the peoples."

 

And thus will Jesus' prayer come to fruition:  "Thy Kingdom come; Thy will be done

in earth as it is done in heaven."

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