Resurrection: The Blessed Hope

Jesus said,

“Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who
are in their graves will hear his voice and come out—those who have done what
is good will rise to live, and those who have done what is evil will rise to be
condemned” (John 5:28-29).

This teaching in the New Testament is not taught often in the
Christian churches today.

Here is Paul’s teaching on the same subject:

“I declare to you, brothers and sisters, that flesh and blood
cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the
imperishable. Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we
will all be changed—in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last
trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and
we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the
imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has
been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the
saying that is written will come true: ‘Death has been swallowed up in
victory’” (1 Corinthians 15:50-54).

The whole 15th chapter of 1 Corinthians is on the
resurrection from the dead, all 58 verses.

Here are two other texts on resurrection:

“Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed
about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of
mankind, who have no hope. For we believe that Jesus died and rose again,
and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep
in him. According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still
alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede
those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from
heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the
trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that,
we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the
clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore
encourage one another with these words” (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).

“Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be
has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be
like him, for we shall see him as he is. All who have this hope in him
purify themselves, just as he is pure” (1 John 3:2-3).

All of this is what is called “the blessed hope.”

“For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all
people. It teaches us to say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions, and
to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while
we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and
Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all
wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to
do what is good. These, then, are the things you should teach. Encourage
and rebuke with all authority. Do not let anyone despise you” (Titus
2:11-15).

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