spiritualized! It must mean men who had literally had their heads cut off! So that men literally dead are the

subjects of this resurrection; and their death having been fearfully literal, their resurrection shall also be

gloriously literal.

2. "They lived" (verse 4). This must be in reunion with their bodies. For the word so translated is never used

in any other connection. "God is not the God of the dead but of the living" are words which were spoken by

the Lord "as touching the dead that they rise" (Mark xii. 26, 27). And the cognate verb runs all through I

Cor. xv. in this same sense.

3. "This is the first Resurrection" (verse 5). Here the Holy Spirit interprets His own words and states

distinctly what He means. The word here translated "Resurrection" occurs forty-two times and is used

without exception of a literal standing upright of those who have lien dead.20 In any case it is never used to

denote a spiritual quickening.

4. There are those who are called "the rest of the dead" (verse 5), who live not again till the thousand years

are finished; and there are the raised dead who live and reign with Christ during that time. These latter are

the dead who are distinctly declared to rise with immortal bodies on whom "the second death hath no

power" (verse 6), while the former are "the rest of the dead" who shall be "cast into the lake of fire" (verse

14). There can be no doubt therefore that these two great classes are the same as the two mentioned in our

text, and that a thousand years puts them apart.

Taking the expression in I Cor. xv. 24 "Then cometh the end" by itself, there is nothing to tell us what "end"

it is; whether the end of the army divisions, i.e. the last or final body; or the end of this present age; or the

end of the millenial age. But is added "when He shall have delivered up the Kingdom to God even the

Father." Now in Rev. xx. 4 we are expressly told of the first great army division that "they lived and reigned

with Christ a thousand years," and as they cannot reign with Christ after He has "delivered up the

Kingdom" it is clear that the second great division cannot refer to the saints unless this reign has already

If we put the two passages together they stand thus. According to I Cor. xv. 23, the saints rise at Christ's

coming; then, according to Rev. xx. 5, 15, they live and reign with Christ a thousand years, and the rest of

the dead live not again till the thousand years are finished, when death and hell give up the dead that are in

them, "Then (according to I Cor. xv. 24-28) cometh the end when Christ shall deliver up the Kingdom to God,

even the Father... and God shall be all in all."

Now let us turn to other Scriptures, and see how that whenever the Resurrection is mentioned it fits into this

divine order. It does so, because the character of those who are raised is clearly defined. Whenever we read

of the Resurrection of t he Saints, it is spoken of as a hope, and as a glory. All who have part in it are

"blessed and holy." They have a Resurrection like Christ's "from" i.e. from among, or out of the dead. It is

not their right as it was Christ's, but it is conferred upon them through infinite grace. Christ rose in virtue of

what He was in Himself; they rise in virtue of what grace has made them: Resurrection was due to Christ

because of what He had done; Resurrection is due to them because of what has been done for them.

They rise therefore in glory; they are sown in corruption and shall be raised in incorruption; they are sown

in dishonour but raised in glory; they are sown in weakness but are raised in power (I Cor. xv. 42-44).

They rise like Christ Himself. Their bodies shall be "fashioned like unto His own glorious body" (Phil. iii. 21).

The same Spirit which raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken their mortal bodies (Rom. viii. 11).

When they awake it will be with His likeness, and they shall be satisfied (Ps. xvii. 15).

Unless Lu. ii. 34 be an exception "This child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel."