The Rose Parade of Resurrection / Part 2

Published and distributed by
Thru the Bible Radio Network
P.O. Box 7100
Pasadena, California 91109-7100
(800) 65-BIBLE
http://www.ttb.org/

Unless noted otherwise, all Scripture references are from the
New Scofield Reference Bible.
(This message was originally published sometime in the 1960s, later
fell out of print, and then was revised in 2006 for online publication.)

There is a chronological order of the resurrection of those “in Christ” that is both logical and Scriptural. The resurrection is ad seraitem and not ad absurdum.

But every man in his own order:

Christ the first fruits;afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.

(1 Corinthians 15:23)

The above verse takes us back again to Israel on the wilderness march. Her passage from Egypt to Canaan was not like the wild rushing of a mob to see who could arrive first. It was not like a traffic jam during rush hour in the late afternoon in any modern city. Probably it took a couple of hours in the morning to get Israel on the march, but it was done “decently and in order”

(1 Corinthians 14:14), for the marching of the camp was by rank (tagma).

The first resurrection is also by rank (tagma). Christ, the first fruits, has already been raised. As we have suggested previously, perhaps a small company was raised after His resurrection – as it were a sheaf of first fruits. Christ, as the Ark of the tabernacle, has already left the camp of death in the wilderness of this world, and the parade of resurrection has begun.

We are waiting in breathless anticipation for the next portion of the parade. It is the resurrection of the church and the translation of the living saints. It will be ushered in by music greater than any band on earth or any instrument that man has heard. It is the heavenly solo, and it is identified on our program: “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God” (1 Thessalonians 4:16).

When this heavenly solo has given forth the melody of heaven, the next section of the parade of resurrection then comes into view. This is the church, which includes the total company of believers from the Day of Pentecost to the moment of the Parousia; from the Upper Room to the upper air; from the tongues of fire to the clouds of glory; and from the rushing mighty wind to the meeting with the Lord in the air. Let us revert back to the figure of the Rose Parade again. The church will be like the “Queen’s float” – “a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish” (Ephesians 5:27).

The church will be presented as a bride to Christ, like a queen on a float she will be “all glorious within; her clothing is of wrought gold. She shall be brought unto the king in raiment of needlework...” (Psalm 45:13, 14).

The resurrection of believers and the translation of the living members of the body of Christ will take place simultaneously, and this is the next portion of the parade of resurrection which is yet to pass.

This passage is given to the church as a comfort, a hope, the highest expectation, and a moment-by-moment anticipation. When the church loses sight of this high calling, then there ensues loose living, careless consecration, slight service, and an insipid indifference.

Paul again pinpointed this section of the parade:

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.

(1 Corinthians 15:51, 52)

In view of the fact that the resurrection of the dead in Christ and the translation of the believers is the glad goal of the church, it was not a subject of revelation in the old economy. Not until the church became an actuality on the Day of Pentecost did God reveal its destination. In this sense, it was a mystery, or – as one translator has it – a “sacred secret.” A mystery in Scripture is a truth that is revealed for the first time; up to the moment of revelation, it was not known to man. The rapture of the church is a mystery. It was not the subject of revelation in the Old Testament. It is now no longer a secret, but it is the daring publication – in bold headline – of the church.

Paul separated this resurrection from all others by expressing an ambition to be a participant:

That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death, if by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.

(Philippians 3:10, 11)

As an Israelite and as a Pharisee, he believed in the resurrection of the dead and knew that he would be raised from the dead, but it was his desire to be included in this resurrection which he called “an out resurrection from among the dead.” The resurrection alluded to in this passage is the first resurrection.

What section of the parade follows the church in the parade of resurrection? Again we will need to consult our program:

And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them; and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and who had not worshiped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. But the rest of the
dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first
resurrection. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection; on
such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of
Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.

(Revelation 20:4-6)

In this controversial passage we are told about a group who become martyrs because they bear a faithful witness for Christ in the time of the Great Tribulation and who are given such a wide place in the Book of Revelation. They are not members of the church, nor are they taken to heaven at the time the church is caught up before the Great Tribulation. The church is kept “from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth” (Revelation 3:10). These tribulation saints will not be kept from that time of tribulation, but they will be put to death in it. They will seal their testimony to Christ by a martyr’s death. Nevertheless, they will be included in the first resurrection, and they will conclude the first resurrection. They are raised at the end of the Great Tribulation.

The First Resurrection Completed

The first division of the parade of resurrection is now brought before us in its entirety. The redeemed of all ages are raised in the first resurrection, but each “in his own order” (1 Corinthians 15:23) is the method pursued. Christ, the first fruits, has already passed our reviewing stand. Two thousand years have already elapsed and the first resurrection is not yet over; only a small section has passed. Shortly, the saints of the past two thousand years will be raised.

After the resurrection of the church, the Great Tribulation breaks like a hurricane on the world. Multitudes of this brief interval, the tribulation martyrs, will be raised. Perhaps the Old Testament saints will be raised along with them. In view of the fact that the Old Testament saints are not seen in heaven with the church, and because their hope was an earthly one in the Old Testament, they probably are not raised until Christ comes to establish the millennial kingdom.

The Second Resurrection Includes the Lost of All Ages

The next resurrection, or the second resurrection, does not take place until the thousand years have run their course. This time element is specified: “But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished” (Revelation 20:5). This is the resurrection of the lost. Yes, they are to be raised from the dead to be judged and then to die again, “Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection; on such the second death hath no power” (Revelation 20:6). This division in the parade of resurrection is the most serious and solemn one of all. The lofty language that describes this resurrection should solemnize the thinking of every man on top side of this earth. The agnostic may dismiss it as irrelevant and unworthy of serious consideration, but the frightful possibility that it might be true ought to cause him to give anxious concern to his own soul. If it is accurate (which we know it is), then the destiny of the lost is frightful. None of us should read this passage unmoved:

And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away, and there was found no place for them. 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 which were written in the books, according to their works. (Revelation 20:11, 12)

None are saved at this judgment. The lost are judged by their works, and the verdict is already in, “for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified [saved]” (Galatians 2:16). The Book of Life is opened at the Great White Throne, and the same condition for salvation prevails there that has existed from the Garden of Eden: namely, “we have redemption through his [Christ’s] blood, the forgiveness of sins” (Ephesians 1:7). Since these who appear before the Great White Throne have trusted their own works and have rejected the redemption that is in Christ, none are saved: “And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire” (Revelation 20:15). The second resurrection in the parade of resurrection contains this awe-inspiring float with a throne that is snow-white, suspended in space, before which every creature who has not trusted Christ must give an account.

After the second resurrection, the last portion of the parade comes into view. It is the float of death. “And death and hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death” (Revelation 20:14). Death is chained to the chariot of the Great Conqueror of Death. The Lord Jesus Christ leads a parade of resurrection, which has at the end the foe of man: Death. Death will at last be defeated. The destroyer of man will himself be destroyed. Death will die.

For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.

The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.

(1 Corinthians 15:25, 26)

Never will another creature of God be touched by this foul fiend and hideous monster. Because Christ is raised, the Christian can say today with Paul, “O death, where is they sting?” (1 Corinthians 15:55).

Two Attitudes of Men Toward Death

Death today is still the enemy of man. He is a criminal at large, who lurks in the shadows to strike down the strongest as well as the weakest of mankind. Many brave men have lived in fear of him.

Death was the consuming horror of the man who, by his profession, has probably caused more deaths than any man living or dead. Alfred Krupp, the Prussian who founded Krupp’s Works, with its enormous output of death-weapons, never forgave anyone who spoke to him of dying. Every employee throughout his vast works was strictly forbidden to refer to the subject of death in conversation. He fled from his own home when a relative of his wife suddenly died there, and when Mrs. Krupp remonstrated he became so enraged that a life-long separation ensued. At his illness he offered his physician a million dollars if he would prolong his life ten years. (Reference not cited.)

Another well-known figure in modern times is reported to have lived in constant fear of death. He was William Randolph Hearst, the newspaper tycoon, who through the printed page attacked many strong interests. He was fearless in his attack upon those who were his enemies. But this man lived in fear of death; he would not permit the discussion of it in his presence. Nevertheless, his chain of papers had at last to carry the headline that death had defeated him. Many men have scoffed at death and have put up a bold front as long as they were in good health. But when on their deathbeds, they became cowardly and cried out in despair. Listen to the deathbed cries from the lips of some scoffers and skeptics:

“I am suffering the pangs of the damned.”
– Talleyrand Perigord

“Give me laudanum that I may not think of eternity.”
– Marabeau

“I am abandoned by God and man! I shall go to hell! Christ! Jesus Christ!”
– Voltaire

“I would give worlds, if I had them, if The Age of Reason had never been published.
Lord, help me! Christ help me! Stay with me! It is hell to be left alone!”
– Thomas Paine

Death can never be such a terror to the child of God. He knows that Christ has taken the sting out of it. Christ not only died to redeem man, but He has also risen from the dead to justify him. By His resurrection He has “abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel” (1 Timothy 1:10). Listen to the triumphant note that has come from the deathbeds of believers:

“I die in the faith of Jesus Christ, and in the firm hope of a better life.”
– Michelangelo

“I am going into eternity; and it is sweet to me to think of eternity; the endlessness
of it makes it sweet. But O! what shall I say to the eternity of the wicked?
The thought of it is too dreadful!”
– David Brainerd

“I throw myself on the mercy of God through the merits of Christ.”
– William Pitt

“Doctor, I am dying, but I am not afraid to die.”
– George Washington

“My affections are so much in Heaven that I can leave you all without regret; yet
I do not love you less, but God more.”
– William Wilberforce

“The consolations of God to such an unworthy wretch are so abundant that He
leaves me nothing to pray for but a continuance of them. I enjoy Heaven already
in my soul.”
– Augustus Toplady

“I commit my soul into the hands of my Saviour, in full confidence that having redeemed it and washed it in His most precious Blood, He will present it faultless before the throne of my Heavenly Father, and I entreat my children to maintain and defend at all hazards and at any cost of personal sacrifice the blessed doctrine of the complete atonement for sin through the Blood of Jesus Christ, once offered, and through that alone.”
– John Pierpont Morgan

A distinguished scientist, calling on Michael Faraday, put this question to him: “Have you conceived to yourself what will be your occupation in the next world?” Hesitating awhile, Faraday answered by quoting 1 Corinthians 2:9 – “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.” And then he added in his own words, “I shall be with Christ, and that is enough.”

What a sense of joy and triumph comes to the Christian to know that at the end of the parade of resurrection death is in chains and, like a condemned criminal, is on the way to execution! Death at last takes a holiday. The Rose Parade of Resurrection will be a victory parade. Here will be the triumphal march of the Lord Jesus Christ. Listen to the marching music of triumph and victory:

There is, therefore, now no condemnation to them who are in Christ Jesus….
(Romans 8:1)

For I am in a strait between two, having a desire to depart and to be with Christ, which is far better. (Philippians 1:23)

We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. (2 Corinthians 5:8)

For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creation, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus, our Lord. (Romans 8:38, 39)

Come aloft with me to the “ladder of Revelation” and look once more at the line of march in the Rose Parade of Resurrection (see chart below).

The Rose Parade of Resurrection

Published and distributed by
Thru the Bible Radio Network
P.O. Box 7100
Pasadena, California 91109-7100
(800) 65-BIBLE
www.ttb.org

Unless noted otherwise, all Scripture references are from the
New Scofield Reference Bible.
(This message was originally published sometime in the 1960s, later
fell out of print, and then was revised in 2006 for online publication.)

Flowers sleeping,
Women weeping,
Daylight trembling o’er the hills;
Morning breaking,
Sleepers waking –
Thoughts of life one’s being thrills.

Christ is rising,
Death despising,
Stone and seal give way to power;
For One living
Light is giving
To this early, holy hour.

Christ immortal
Breaks the portal
Of the dark and chilly tomb;
By believing,
Him receiving
We are free from death and doom.

Give Him glory,
Tell His story,
How He died for sinners lost;
Fail Him never,
Love Him ever,
He is yours at awful cost.

“Christ’s Awaking” by Mabel Haldeman

The Rose Parade of Resurrection

But now is Christ risen from the dead and become the first fruits of them that
slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the
dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive; but
every man in his own order: Christ the first fruits; afterward they that are
Christ’s at his coming. Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up
the kingdom to God, even the Father, when he shall have put down all rule and
all authority and power. For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under
his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.

(1 Corinthians 15:20-26)

That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of
his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death, if by any means I
might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.

(Philippians 3:10, 11)

But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them who are
asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others who have no hope. For if we believe
that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also who sleep in Jesus will God
bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we who
are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not precede them who
are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with
the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God; and the dead in Christ
shall rise first; then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together
with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air; and so shall we ever be
with the Lord. Wherefore, comfort one another with these words.

(1 Thessalonians 4:13-18)

And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto
them; and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus,
and for the word of God, and who had not worshiped the beast, neither his
image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands;
and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. But the rest of the
dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first
resurrection. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection; on
such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of
Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.

(Revelation 20:4-6)

And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the
earth and the heaven fled away, and there was found no place for them. 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 which were written in the books, according to their
works. And the sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and hades delivered up the dead that were in them; and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

(Revelation 20:11-15)

Thanks to television, more eyes are focused on the “Grand Canyon of Colorado Boulevard” in Pasadena, California, every first day of January than probably are focused on any other single spectacle in history. The Rose Parade in Pasadena is an annual attraction that has had over a million witnesses to wait along the line of march in recent years. Some spend most of the night before the parade along the line of march, holding a good spot to see the most colorful extravaganza of flowers that the twentieth century affords. Visitors come from afar – like a Queen of Sheba – to witness this polychrome parade and flower festival, and they leave duly impressed by the floats arrayed with a beauty that would surpass Solomon in all of his glory. They agree that the half has never yet been told (but really the Chamber of Commerce should be commended for doing so creditable a job).

Those who have been spectators for several years are thrilled not only with the flowers, but they are even more impressed with the order, precision, and timing of the parade. Not only is each flower in place by parade time, but also each participant knows his position, every float is in the correct niche, and each band is in its particular spot. The parade leaves on time and it marches on time. It is arranged according to divisions, and each item in all divisions is in place. With a program in hand, the spectator can anticipate seeing each part of the parade for the exact time that it should arrive at every important intersection. Such marvelous precision in programming is due to long experience and careful planning.

All that the casual visitor or long-time resident needs to do to enjoy the parade is to get on top of a seven-foot step ladder, purchase a morning paper with the printed line of march, and watch the parade go by. From this vantage point aloft a ladder, he can identify the grand marshal, the queen’s float, the division captains, famous personalities, lovely floats, bands, and horses whose riders are decked out in full regalia.

The Resurrection of the Dead is a Parade

The resurrection of the dead is like a Rose Parade with each one properly placed in his own division. The accepted view is that the resurrection is more like a three-ring circus with Christ in the center ring, the just in one ring, and the unjust in the other – and that all are viewed at the same time. This is a rather naive conception, but it is the popular one. But the resurrection of the dead is a parade, and Scripture presents the program:

But every man in his own order [division]: Christ the first fruits; afterward
they that are Christ’s at his coming. (1 Corinthians 15:23)

The Greek word for “order” is tagma. Here is the only place that it occurs in the New Testament. In the Septuagint, which is the Greek translation of the Old Testament, it occurs in the Book of Numbers:

Every man of the children of Israel shall encamp by his own standard, with the banner of their father’s house: over against the tabernacle of the congregation shall they encamp.

(Numbers 2:2)

This reference in Numbers is indeed remarkable, for it is in connection with the march of the children of Israel through the wilderness. (See the chart on page 15). Each tribe and each individual were given a definite place about the tabernacle. When the cloud lifted from the tabernacle, they packed their belongings in preparation to begin another trek across the wilderness waste. The silver trumpets were blown and the first section moved out; the silver trumpets sounded an alarm the second time and the second section moved out. This was repeated five more times and then the entire camp was on the march.

The trumpets were blown seven times to get Israel on the march to the land of promise. In Revelation we find seven trumpets blown, and these again are alarms which, through a series of judgments, bring Israel back to the land. These trumpets in Revelation accomplish the purpose of God in His strange work of judgment – whereby the petition in the “Lord’s Prayer” of “Thy will be done in earth” (Matthew 6:10) is answered. Israel marched in precision along the wilderness trail by trumpets. Every tribe and individual were in place. Perhaps many a Bedouin tribesman or Midianite merchant stood on the sidelines and watched Israel march by – “every man in his own order” (1 Corinthians 15:23). When the children of Israel came into camp, each individual knew the exact position where he belonged, “Every man of the children of Israel shall encamp by his own standard, with the banner of their father’s house” (Numbers 2:2). I invite you to sit with me on the “ladder of Revelation,” and let us hold in our hands the Word of God – which also is the program that contains the line of march – and watch the parade of resurrection go by.

The Reality of the Resurrection

Is the resurrection of the dead a make-believe parade? Skepticism says yes. Secularism calls it a phantom parade. The scorner discounts it, if not actually dismisses it as of no value to modern man. Materialism ignores it. But in spite of the veneer of modern thought and the shellac of skepticism, the resurrection still refuses to remain an issue of no consequence. A still small voice speaks in the heart of the doubter, and the age-old question about survival after death will not accept the modern answer. As the poet writes,

One question, more than all others, From thoughtful minds implores reply,

It is, as breathed from star and pall, What fate awaits us when we die?

Job put the question succinctly:

If a man die, shall he live again? (Job 14:14)

Would God have placed this desire to live after death so deeply in the human heart if it were only a myth? Is it merely a passing fancy that finds no counterpart in reality? Is it only a figment of the imagination that haunts man like Banquo’s ghost?

In nature, there is no such stroke of irony. The bird has a desire to fly – the wing is God’s reply. The fish has a yen for swimming – the fin is the response in reality. Bees are absorbed in making honey – flowers and the ability to extract honey are the counterparts in the world of fact. The mockingbird must sing – a throat and the ability to sing are vocal evidences to match the instinct. For every impulse, there is a corresponding counterpart in the realm of reality. Is this law of nature revoked and replaced when the higher realm is reached?

The animal world has no impulse to live after death – a full stomach and a warm spot are the summum bonum of life. This strong desire to live again, and which is not shared by any other creature, has a corresponding expression in the world of reality. Job stated it in the fullness of faith: “I know that my redeemer liveth…and though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God” (Job 19:25, 26). This desire moves like a seed from the realm of dampness and darkness, climbing into the realm of light and flower – faith moves to fact.

Infallible Proofs of the Resurrection

The Scriptures present creditable evidence of the resurrection:

…He showed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being
seen by them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom
of God. (Acts 1:3)

Peter stated it candidly:

For we have not followed cunningly devised fables…. (2 Peter 1:16)

Paul produced reliable witnesses whose testimony would be accepted as evidence in our courts of law:

After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once, of whom the
greater part remain unto this present time, but some are fallen asleep.

(1 Corinthians 15:6)

Paul added his own personal testimony to the list of over five hundred witnesses:

And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time.

(1 Corinthians 15:8)

Many who go to law today would have their cases won if they could produce such an array of witnesses. Only the willful rebellion of the human heart against God and the natural tendency of the darkened mind of man to reject God’s truth prevents man from openly embracing such indisputable proof.

But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God; for they are
foolishness unto him, neither can he know them, because they are spiritually
discerned. (1 Corinthians 2:14)

The Resurrection Refers to the Body

Liberal theologians profess to be Christians but attempt to bend, distort, and twist the resurrection of the dead into a non-Christian creed. They use the vocabulary of the Christian faith, but they have their own dictionary of distortion for the words. They use sound words, but they do not mean them the way that they sound. Resurrection to them is some sort of indefinite and incoherent heterogeneity, which means the continuance of the soul after death in some sort of ephemeral and ethereal existence. This is Buddhism – crass paganism – and it is not Christian. Buddhism teaches as much. Platonism will go this far:

And if there be no meeting past the grave, If all is silence, darkness, yet ’tis rest.

Be not afraid ye waiting hearts that weep, For God still giveth His beloved sleep;

And if an endless sleep He wills, so best.

– Epitaph on the tomb of the agnostic,

Thomas Huxley

Resurrection in the New Testament refers to the body. The soul is immortal by its very nature; it never dies, so it is redundant to speak of the immortal soul. Listen to Paul:

But some man will say, How are the dead raised up? And with what body do they come? Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not made alive, except it die; and that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but a bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other grain. But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed its own body.

(1 Corinthians 15:35-38)

This figure is of grain sowed in a field. You do not plant literal seed and harvest spiritual grain. There is a difference and a sameness. The seed is literal – the harvest is literal. The early church called the cemetery a field. The bodies of Christians were sown as seeds; the resurrection means that the seed will come up.

They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. (Psalm 126:5)

The time of sowing does have a sad side, but there is always the note of triumph and victory. The cemetery was a field where seeds were planted. How different is this from the modern mausoleum where there seems to be a pagan program to maintain and sustain the old body with its corruption and limitations! Let the old body fall into the ground. Why should it be placed in a casket that will preserve it for one thousand years and prevent dampness from entering the crypt? We shall receive a new body made for eternity and fit for heaven. If the body belongs to a child of God, then it will be raised in newness of life:

It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body.

There is a natural body,and there is a spiritual body.

(1 Corinthians 15:44)

The above passage is what the liberal has used to sustain the theory that the resurrection is spiritual. This has been his fort and forte. Let us see if the passage remotely suggests a spiritual resurrection. On the contrary, this verse is the undoing of the false hypothesis that the resurrection is only spiritual. A careful consideration of certain words will reveal this. The words natural and spiritual are adjectives – body is the noun, and it is used twice. Now, a noun is stronger than an adjective. Therefore, it is the body that is implicated in resurrection. It is sown one kind of body, it is raised another; nevertheless, it is still a body. The present body is a physiological (natural) body. The new body that will be raised is pneumatical (spiritual). Although at the resurrection the new body will be motivated and function differently from the present body, the fact remains that it is a body. The resurrection always refers to the body.

The Place of Believers in the Parade of Resurrection

When will the bodies of believers be raised? This is a vital question to every Christian. Come aloft with me to the top of the “ladder of Revelation” and let’s watch the parade of resurrection go by.

But now is Christ risen from the dead and become the first fruits of them that slept.

(1 Corinthians 15:20)

The first part of the parade has passed. The “Grand Marshal” of the parade has already been raised from the dead. We celebrate His resurrection every Lord’s Day. He is called here the “first fruits.” He alone has been raised in a resurrection body. There is a bare possibility that there was a small contingent of saints with Him, but it is not our purpose to discuss this aspect of the resurrection at this time. (See Matthew 27:50-53. They came out of the grave after His resurrection. They are the sheaf of first fruits and they are included in the first resurrection.)

For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.
(1 Corinthians 15:21)

Adam introduced death to his family; the parade of death started then. Christ reversed the parade, which has been moving in one direction from the beginning: “I go the way of all the earth...” (1 Kings 2:2). This has been a one-way parade up to the present.

For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

(1 Corinthians 15:22)

All “in Adam” die. This includes the entire race of mankind. All “in Christ” only includes believers; this second “all” is modified by those who are “in Christ.” Unbelievers are to be raised, but not in Christ; they are raised for judgment after the millennial kingdom. It is not who you are that is primary, but it is where you are that is important. The finest epitaph for a Christian’s tombstone are these words: “Asleep in Jesus.”

Next Part 2.

Who is Antichrist? / Part 2

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Thru the Bible Radio Network
P.O. Box 7100
Pasadena, California 91109-7100
(800) 65-BIBLE
http://www.ttb.org/

Unless noted otherwise, all Scripture references are from the
New Scofield Reference Bible.
(This message was originally published in 1973, later fell out of print, and then was revised in 2006 for online publication. The message is also included in the hardback book, J. Vernon McGee On Prophecy, copyright 1993 by Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, TN.)

Two Departures?

I want you to notice in 2 Thessalonians 2:3 something very, very important. “Let no man deceive you by any means; for that day shall not come, except….” Notice the reference to “that day.” What day is that? It is the Day of the Lord; it is the day that the apostles asked Jesus about. You remember that they came to the Lord Jesus when He went to the top of the Mount of Olives and asked Him first, “When shall these things be?” (Matthew 24:3). When will there not be left here one stone upon another? (See verse 2.) He told them that when they would see Jerusalem compassed with armies they would know the time had come. That happened in A.D. 70. I’m of the opinion that several of the apostles were there. Perhaps they climbed up on the battlements of the walls of Jerusalem and looked over. When they saw the standard, the eagles of the Roman government of Titus there, I think one apostle nudged the other and said, “This is what He was talking about. This is it! It has come to pass.” Titus destroyed Jerusalem just as the Lord Jesus said, and not one stone was left upon another. Let me repeat what I said in another message – it bears repeating. If you doubt that one stone was not left upon another, look at the wailing wall in Jerusalem today. The thing that amazes me about the western wall is the kinds of stones that are in it. There are stones from Solomon’s temple, from the temple days of Ezra and Haggai and from every other period. One stone was not left upon another when Titus took Jerusalem. And that prophecy was fulfilled.

They had another question: What is the sign of the end of the age? Now that is what Paul is talking about in 2 Thessalonians 2:3. The Lord Jesus labeled the end of the age as the Great Tribulation period. I didn’t label it. No evangelical labeled it. The Lord Jesus is the One who labeled it the Great Tribulation period (Matthew 24:21). He said there would be nothing like it in the history of the world.

Now let’s look at this again:

Let no man deceive you by any means; for that day shall not come, except there come the falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition. (2 Thessalonians 2:3)

The word I’m interested in here is “the falling away first.” And when I made a study of this word, I just had to stand up in my study and say, “Hallelujah!” What a wonderful revelation it was to see the root meaning of the word. Now the word in Greek is apostasia and it comes from apostasis. The root word means “departure” or “removal from.” And the verb means “to remove, to depart, to leave.” It comes from two words: histemi, meaning “to stand,” and apo, meaning “away from.” From this we get our word apostasy. Apostates, we understand today, are men who held the truth at one time. They’ve stood for the truth of Scripture and now they apohistemi, they stand away from it.

That’s one meaning of the word. But that’s not all the meaning of this word. The primary meaning is “a departure.” Paul says that day shall not come until the “falling away” or “departure.” What departure is he talking about? Well, the same departure he talked about in his first epistle to the Thessalonians. That’s the Rapture of the church. The church is going to depart from this earth. The Rapture is the removal of the church, the departure of the church from the earth. Paul dwelt on that in his first epistle when he was answering their question about their loved ones:

For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first; then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up…. (1 Thessalonians 4:16, 17)

This is an apohistemi, that’s a departure. And to me the word that Paul uses is marvelous because it speaks of two things. It speaks of two departures, because the whole church is to apostatize:

1. The true church is to leave the earth;
2. The professing church will just move away from the truth.

The Lord Jesus said, “When the Son of man cometh, shall he find [the] faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:8). That is, will He find that the body of truth, the apostles’ doctrine, is still held? In the original Greek the question is phrased in such a way that it demands a negative answer. The professing church will have departed so far from the faith that in the seventeenth chapter of Revelation it is called the harlot. The true church, called the Bride of Christ, has been caught up to meet Him. That departure must come first. As we saw in 2 Thessalonians 2:3, “… that day shall not come, except there come the falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition.” In other words, the Antichrist cannot appear until the true church departs from this earth. Now we have this twofold meaning. Some shall depart from the faith, and some shall depart from the earth. The departure of the true church from the earth brings in total apostasy; so that what the Lord Jesus said about not finding faith on the earth when He comes will be fulfilled.

Now from the viewpoint of the earth, it will be a departure. From the viewpoint of heaven, it will be a rapture; they will be caught up – apostasia. That will be the leaving, the departure, of the true church. I think that the world is going to say at that time, “They’re gone. They’ve departed. They’ve left us.” And if they are ever to say, “Hallelujah,” that’s when they’ll say it. The world will rejoice at first. Antichrist will make them believe that they’re entering the Millennium when actually they will be entering the Tribulation. That, I think, is the big lie. The world will think they’re bringing in the Millennium. And, my friend, haven’t you voted already for many candidates who promised to bring peace to this world? Didn’t Woodrow Wilson promise it as far back as 1917? And hasn’t peace been the platform of many men since then? Don’t misunderstand – these men are sincere. They’re not antichrists. But they tried to bring peace to the earth. You and I both know that when the man appears on the scene who tells this war-weary world, “We’re going to have peace, and I’m going to bring it,” they will say, “Bring him on. We turn it all over to him.” And the world would take him today in five minutes if he appeared.
Only God is holding him back. God is not going to let him appear until He calls out His church, and He alone knows when that time will be fulfilled.

The world will be rejoicing as the Antichrist begins his rule. But it’s going to be the saddest day this earth has ever seen, because it means the departure of the church and the entrance of the world into an awful period identified by Christ as the Great Tribulation.

I saw this illustrated some time ago. We were out at the airport getting ready to take a plane to go back East. We had quite a bit of time to spend because we always get there early. So I spent some time walking around. There was a plane getting ready to leave for the Hawaiian Islands, and I am always interested in going to the Hawaiian Islands, so I just looked at the folk who were going. Most of them were going out for a holiday. But I saw a couple sitting there, a soldier boy in uniform, a fine looking young fellow, and beside him the prettiest little wife you’ve ever seen, holding a fine looking baby. And they were both sad.

Everybody else going to the Hawaiian Islands was anticipating the fun they were going to have, but he was on his way to Hawaii to join his outfit going to Vietnam. There sat that fellow and there sat the girl. They weren’t saying anything. They were just staring out into space. The little boy didn’t know what it was all about, so he was having a big time. When the call came to board the plane, they stood up. I saw him put those great big arms around both of them, his wife and that little boy. And he kissed both of them. Tears were coming down his cheeks and tears were coming down her cheeks. The little boy, he was still having a big time. And then the fellow picked up his little old bag he had there, started out to the plane, and disappeared. The girl stood there, then she went over to the window and waited till the plane pulled out to get on the runway. I watched her as she went away carrying that baby and carrying that bag you women have to carry when you’ve got a baby. She was weighted down. I never felt as sorry for anyone as I did for that girl. I wondered what the future held. Was there a father or a mother she would go to, or would she have to live alone and take care of that baby by herself? I don’t know, but it was sad to see.

I thought, That’s the way it’s going to be on this earth someday when the departure, the Rapture, takes place. The earth will rejoice for awhile, but then a great company of people are going to begin to wake up. They will find they’ve been deceived. The man who promised peace is Antichrist, not Christ at all. He has taken them in; he has absolutely deceived them.

Just Like Ahithophel

There are many types of the Antichrist in history and on the pages of Scripture. I think Judas is probably the most accurate type. But for another illustration I would like you to look at one that may have escaped your notice. He is Ahithophel. Maybe you haven’t even heard of Ahithophel. You can read his story in 2 Samuel 15-17. Ahithophel was one of the counselors in the inner circle that counseled David. David looked to him as he looked to no other man for advice. Then word came to David that Absalom, his favored son, was stirring up a rebellion. It broke David’s heart that his own son was leading a rebellion against him. David was warned by those who loved him that the thing was underhanded, that those whom he thought were true to him were not true to him. They had deceived him. So David left the city of Jerusalem and went up the ascent of Mount Olivet. Then word came to him that Ahithophel had gone over to Absalom. This was a low blow to David. It was bad enough to have his own son rebel against him, but now Ahithophel, his chief counselor, the man whom he knew and trusted, had betrayed him. Weeping and with his head covered, David went out over the Mount of Olives, back down into the wilderness again. David had been deceived. Ahithophel, I think, is a picture of Antichrist who will deceive this world someday.

Now I want to turn to Psalm 55, a psalm that David wrote with this rebellion as the background. There’s a storm brewing:

I would hasten my escape from the windy storm and tempest.

There was an undercurrent, and David now is getting away from it.

Destroy, O Lord, and confuse their tongues [the tongues of these who were plotting the death of David]; for I have seen violence and strife in the city.

We think today that violence and strife in the city are something new. David saw it in Jerusalem. Perhaps there were those carrying placards conducting little protest meetings in front of the palace saying, “Down with David. Up with Absalom.” And David says, “There’s strife and violence in the city.”

Day and night they go about it upon the walls; mischief also and sorrow are in the midst of it. Wickedness is in the midst thereof; deceit and guile depart not from her streets.

David said, “When I walk down the street, Mr. So-and-so speaks to me, and I’m not sure whether he’s my friend or not now. I’ve heard he’s been plotting against me.” David says, “I’m getting out of Jerusalem.” Now listen to him:

For it was not an enemy that reproached me; then I could have borne it. Neither was it he that hated me that did magnify himself against me; then I would have hidden myself from him.

He’s talking about Ahithophel.

But it was thou, a man mine equal, my guide, and my familiar friend.

“Why, Ahithophel – he’s my friend, and now he has betrayed me.” He’s a Judas Iscariot.

We took sweet counsel together, and walked unto the house of God in company.

David just bursts out with this cry of judgment:

Let death seize upon them, and let them go down alive into sheol; for wickedness is in their dwellings, and among them.

Now, David, what are you going to do in a time like this? Listen to David.

As for me, I will call upon God, and the Lord shall save me.

David, what are you going to do when all of the foundations are going out from under you? He says, “I’m going to trust the Lord. I’m going to rest in Him.” Friend, we’re living in dangerous days. Whom do you trust today – really? Whom do you rest upon? Now listen to David – he’s not through.

The words of his mouth were smoother than butter, but war was in his heart; his words were softer than oil, yet were they drawn swords.

He says, “Old Ahithophel, that sly, slippery snake that he was, just wriggled his way right into the palace; he put his arm around me and said, ‘You know, David, I love you. I’m going to serve you.’” And David says his words were like melted butter, smooth as oil, but in his heart was war. What will you do, David?

Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee; he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved. (verses 8-16, 21, 22)

David says, “The thing I’m going to do is trust in God. I can’t even trust Ahithophel. I can’t trust in men, but I can trust God.”

As we move into the end time we’re seeing the thing that Paul said would take place during the last days of the church. Men would be traitors and high-minded, and you would not be able to trust them. These are days when God’s people need to trust the Lord as they’ve never trusted Him before.

To Know Him!

Now I want to make a practical application. Very frankly this character, the Antichrist, who passes across the pages of Scripture, I see as two persons: one against Christ; another attempting to be Christ. But both of them are awful deceivers and terrible enemies of Christ. I don’t ever expect to see either one of them. I don’t want to know them. But I want to say this to you: I want to know the Lord Jesus Christ a little better. Even Paul, when he got to the end of his life, said:

That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings…. (Philippians 3:10)

I want to know Christ, not Antichrist. I want to know not just about Him, I want to know Him. I want the Holy Spirit to take the things of Christ and make them real to me. This is the Book where He does it, the Word of God. That’s the reason I’m interested in getting His Word out, because through this Book you’re going to know Him.

Let me conclude with an illustration that comes from my Southland before the Civil War. There were many boats in those days that plied up and down the Mississippi River. It was a great artery of commerce. Also many passenger boats went up and down the river. When two boats met it was the custom for everyone to run on deck and wave at the folk on the other boat. Now that may not seem very exciting to you, but for them it relieved the monotony of the trip. On one occasion when two boats were passing, a black fireman came up on board. He stood at the rail next to a very elegantly dressed gentleman. When the approaching boat came abreast of them, he nudged this elderly gentleman with his elbow and said excitedly, “Look, look, yonder’s the captain! See the captain! Do you see the captain?”

His insistence was a little irritating to this gentleman. He drew himself up to his full height and said, “Of course I see the captain. Every boat has a captain. There is nothing unusual about a captain.” The man looked at him almost in disgust, and he said, “You see that captain over there? He’s different. I used to work on his boat and I fell overboard one day. I can’t swim. That captain saw that I was going down. He took off his coat, he took off his cap, and he jumped into the river. When I was going down for the third time he rescued me. That captain saved my life. And ever since then I just love to point him out!”

Well, friend, the Lord Jesus Christ is the One who has saved us from sin, and He is the One we love to point out. Actually, the important question to be able to answer is not “Who is Antichrist?” The vital question for you and me to answer is the Lord Jesus Christ’s question: “Who do men say that I, the Son of man, am?” (Matthew 16:13). Can we say that He is the Son of God, God manifest in the flesh, the One who has saved our souls from sin? When we can say that, we have answered the most important question of life.

Who is Antichrist?

Published and distributed by
Thru the Bible Radio Network
P.O. Box 7100
Pasadena, California 91109-7100
(800) 65-BIBLE
www.ttb.org

Unless noted otherwise, all Scripture references are from the
New Scofield Reference Bible.
(This message was originally published in 1973, later fell out of print, and then was revised in 2006 for online publication. The message is also included in the hardback book, J. Vernon McGee On Prophecy, copyright 1993 by Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, TN.)

Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, that ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of the Lord is present. Let no man deceive you by any means; for that day shall not come, except there come the falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition, who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshiped, so that he, as God, sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. Remember ye not that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? And now ye know what restraineth that he might be revealed in his time.

For the mystery of iniquity doth already work; only he who now hindereth will continue to hinder until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that wicked one be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming, even him whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish, because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all might be judged who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. (2 Thessalonians 2:1-12)

Across the pages of Scripture passes a character who is awesome and appalling. This menacing figure is mysterious; he is hazy and enigmatic. Sometimes he’s a shady character. Again, he is an evil influence. Then again, he is an angel of light. There is actually no crystal-clear, cameo-cut presentation of him. He moves on the borderline of the natural and the supernatural.

Who is this man who is called “that man of sin” in 2 Thessalonians 2:3? Some expositors from the very beginning have seen him as only an evil influence in the world. We will look at that passage where the apostle John speaks of him as “that spirit of antichrist.” Of course, this does not preclude him from being a person, which I believe he is, and I think most accept that today. John does identify him as a person, and John alone calls him by the name Antichrist. This does not mean, of course, that only John refers to him; Antichrist has many names in Scripture. Just as most crooks have aliases, Antichrist has more aliases than any person I know of. He has thirty names which are given on the pages of Scripture. Also, many figures of speech are used in God’s Word to speak of him, to set him before us, and they occur again and again. Also, there are many types of him in Scripture, and I’ll be referring to that later in this message.

Now let’s nail down some facts concerning this very elusive character to see if he is a person or an influence, or both. We can begin by saying that the FBI hasn’t been able to get his ingerprints, and they have gathered no facts concerning him. They do not have a dossier on him, yet Scripture pinpoints some means of identification as well as the time he appears. I think that the time he appears is the all-important question. And this will be the principal subject of this message.

Let’s look at the name Antichrist for just a moment. Notice first the preposition “anti” that appears before the name of Christ and which forms his name. “Anti” has two meanings. It can mean “against.” It also can mean “instead of.” It can be a substitute, and it can be a very good substitute or subterfuge for something. It means “in place of” or “in imitation of.” This, then, raises the question: Is he a false Christ, or is he an enemy of Christ? Where is the emphasis placed?

Enemy or Imitator?

Let’s turn first to the epistles of John and see what John has to say about him. I’m going to consider every reference that he has given concerning him. The first is in 1 John 2:18. He begins by saying, “Little children, it is the last time,” yet it has been nineteen hundred years since John wrote that. We’ve been living in the last days for a long time.

Little children, it is the last time; and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists, by which we know that it is the last time. (1 John 2:18)

Notice that John not only says there is going to be an Antichrist, but already in his day there were many antichrists.

Now what was the thing that identified an antichrist? It was one who denied the deity of Jesus Christ. That is the primary definition of Antichrist, as we are told in the following verse:

Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son. (1 John 2:22)

So you see, Antichrist is against Christ, and he denies the deity of Christ. We see now he is an enemy of Christ.

John will continue this in the fourth chapter:

Beloved, believe not every spirit, but test the spirits whether they are of God; because many false prophets are gone out into the world. By this know ye the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God; and every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God; and this is that spirit of antichrist, of which ye have heard that it should come, and even now already is it in the world. (1 John 4:1-3)

What is the spirit of antichrist? It is that which denies the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ. For example, and I say this dogmatically, the rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar is antichrist. It denies the deity of Christ. I don’t want to be ugly, but I must add that every liberal preacher who denies the deity of Christ is an antichrist – but not the Antichrist. You are antichrist when you deny the deity of Christ. You are an enemy of Jesus Christ. That’s very important, I think, to see.

The Lord Jesus Himself, you remember, said that many would come in His name and they would deceive many. They would be pseudo-christs; they would pretend to be Christ. And John says: “…And this is that spirit of antichrist, of which ye have heard that it should come, and even now already is it in the world.”

John nails it down. That is antichrist.

Now in his second epistle John gives the other side:

For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ cometh in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist. (2 John 7)

He is a deceiver. He pretends to be Christ. On one side he is an enemy of Christ. On another side, he is a deceiver.

How can we reconcile these two aspects of the person of Antichrist? How can Antichrist, when he appears be an enemy of Christ, at the same time pretend to be Christ? Well, this has troubled me for a long time, and I have given a lot of thought to it. Probably anybody else would have discovered it in a minute, but it took me a long time to discover it.

Now I want to turn your attention to the thirteenth chapter of the Book of Revelation. And if you will forgive me, I am going to quote my own translation – which I do not recommend, as I call it the McGeeicus Ad Absurdum translation! All I’ve attempted to do is to lift out of the original Greek the meaning of the words. It is a little different and I hope a little clearer. Here are the first four verses:

And he stood on the sand of the sea; and I saw a [wild] beast coming up out of the sea, having ten horns and seven heads, and on his horns ten diadems, and upon his heads names of blasphemy. And the [wild] beast which I saw was like unto a panther, and his feet were as the feet of a bear; and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power; and his throne, and great authority. And one of his heads as though it had been slain unto death; and his stroke of death was healed; and the whole [inhabited] earth wondered after the beast. And they worshiped the dragon [this is Satan worship, by the way], because he gave his authority unto the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, who is like unto the beast? And who is able to war with him?

Now I want to drop down to verses 11-14:

And I saw another [wild] beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb, and he was speaking as a dragon. And he exerciseth all the authority of the first [wild] beast in his presence. And he maketh the earth and the dwellers therein to worship the first [wild] beast, whose wound of death was healed. And he doeth great signs, that he should even make fire to come down out of heaven into the earth in the sight of men. And he deceiveth the dwellers on the earth through the signs which it was given him to do in the presence of the [wild] beast; saying to the dwellers on the earth that they should make an image to the beast who hath the stroke of the sword and lived.

In this passage that I’ve quoted from Revelation 13, there are two beasts represented. The first beast is Antichrist, the enemy of Christ. The second beast, the false prophet, is like a lamb – but he’s not a lamb. He’s a wild beast underneath. Now this is the one who pretends to be Christ. And you will recall the Lord Jesus in the Olivet Discourse repeatedly warned about one coming in His name. He said, “Many will come in my name and say, ‘I’m Christ.’ Don’t be deceived by that.” Now we today have so lowered our conception of the Person of Christ, that I think we would accept any man who could bring peace to this world. I do not think the world would ask whether he came from heaven or hell, and I don’t think they would care. They would take him. They would elect any man who could bring peace to this world today, and that man will be Antichrist. He will be a false Christ who will bring in a period of peace.

Here in Revelation 13 is presented the first aspect of Antichrist. Let me go over this again rather carefully.

1. We are told that “he stood on the sand of the sea.” “He” refers back to the dragon in the preceding chapter. There the dragon is identified as Satan. Satan is the one who brings this beast up out of the sea.
2. “The sea” is representative of the Gentile nations. So out of the nations of the world he is coming.
3. The beast rising “out of the sea” pictures the first ruler. He will not be a Jew.
4. The second beast, “and another wild beast” (verse 11), has to be a Jew in order to be accepted by the Jews.

So you see, two men are presented on the pages of Scripture, and both men represent Antichrist. There are many antichrists. These two will head up all that the Word of God has to say concerning the Antichrist who is to come. This again is my own translation:

And he stood on the sand of the sea; and I saw a [wild] beast coming up out of the sea, having ten horns and seven heads, and on his horns ten diadems, and upon his heads names of blasphemy. (Revelation 13:1)

Then in the following verses he goes on to describe him.

Is Antichrist Rome reunited? Some expositors look at this “beast” as the nation of Rome which is to be brought back together. Others regard him as the Antichrist who puts it together. May I say to you that I think it refers to both. You cannot have a king without a kingdom; you cannot have a kingdom without a king. If you don’t believe that, ask Constantine II, exiled king of Greece, who escaped to Italy. He is no king – he doesn’t have a kingdom. He is out of a job and has had a hard time. A true king must have a kingdom. When you have a kingdom, you have to have a king. This “beast” refers to both the kingdom and the person.

Is he someone from the past? Now verse 3 says something that has disturbed a great many of us – it has disturbed me, I can assure you. Again my literal translation:

And one of his heads as though it had been slain unto death; and his stroke of death was healed; and the whole [inhabited] earth wondered after the beast. (Revelation 13:3)

There is a belief abroad that this will be some man who has lived in the past whom Satan will bring back from the dead. Some believe he will be Nero. The early church believed he would be Nero. Also a great many of the church fathers believed that he would be Judas Iscariot. And right now in prophetic circles in this country a belief is circulating that Antichrist will indeed be Judas Iscariot. Now I dismiss all this speculation absolutely, and I’ll tell you why I have to dismiss it. It is because of the fact that the head of the “beast” described here was wounded and he is brought back to life. Can Satan resurrect anyone from the dead? The answer is absolutely he cannot.

I believe this refers to the kingdom of the “beast”; this is the Roman Empire that fell apart and will come back together again. And it’s like a resurrection. The “beast” himself will not be raised from the dead. I do think some kind of chicanery will be used concerning him, but I do not think that he will die and be raised from the dead. Satan cannot raise the dead.

Now I want to turn to a passage of Scripture that I feel is very important in this connection. Note now the words of the Lord Jesus. He is giving the reason that He can say, “He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life.” Why? Actually there are three reasons He can say that, one of which is that He raises the dead, and He is the only one to whom the Father has given that power.

For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and giveth them life, even so the Son giveth life to whom he will. (John 5:21)

Only God can give life. And now the Lord Jesus, who is God, says He gives life also. Now let me drop down in this passage to verse 25:

Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God; and they that hear shall live. (John 5:25)

Whose voice? The voice of the Son of God. Only Jesus Christ can raise the dead. Satan cannot do that. Therefore, Antichrist could not be Nero. He could not be Judas Iscariot. He could not be anybody who has already lived. He will have to be some new person that appears on the scene. He goes on to say regarding Christ:

…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)

What does He mean by “they that have done good”? They came to Him with the question:

…What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? Jesus answered, and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent. (John 6:28, 29)

Today the good work God asks you to do is to believe on Jesus Christ. It is the believer who will hear His voice and be raised. Then later on, as I understand it, the Old Testament saints are to be raised to enter the Kingdom, during the Millennium, at the end of the Great Tribulation. Then at the end of the Millennium, the lost are raised for judgment. Only Jesus Christ can raise the dead.

Have you ever noticed that no so-called faith healer can raise the dead? God gave that sign to the apostles; not only could Simon Peter and Paul and the others heal the sick, they also raised the dead. And when you find one of these “faith healers” abroad today who is raising the dead, let me know. I’ll go see him then, but not until then. Power to heal the sick and raise the dead was given to the apostles. It’s been given to no one else! Only the Son has power to raise the dead. My, this is a tremendous fact today! Therefore, I don’t see how in the world the Antichrist could be Judas or anyone else who has already died.

How can he imitate Christ? Now let’s look at this other aspect of Antichrist. He’s a false christ, a pseudo-christ. In 2 Thessalonians there are several things I would like to refer to. First of all, will you notice that he’s called here the “wicked one.” That’s another one of his aliases.

And then shall that wicked one he revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming, even him whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders. (2 Thessalonians 2:8, 9)

So Antichrist will perform miracles. He will be a miracle worker. And do you know that he’s the only miracle worker the Scriptures promise for the future, with the exception of the Lord Jesus Christ? He’s the only one. For this reason I’m not interested in “miracle workers” today. I am afraid of them.

A family who had belonged to a church I went to pastor in Nashville had gone into spiritualism. The pastor who had retired suggested I go to visit them. I went to see them, and they said, “Why, Dr. McGee, we sat for fifteen years in that Presbyterian church, and we never saw anything happen. We went into spiritualism and, just like that, things began to happen.” And I said, “I believe you. But why would anybody with intelligence sit fifteen years with nothing happening? I think I would have moved before then.” I feel sorry for people who have been sitting in churches for fifteen years without anything happening. My friend, something ought to happen if you’ve been sitting in God’s house listening to God’s Word!

The second thing I said to them was: “The terrible truth is that you have come into something that does have power, but have you ever questioned the source of that power? John says to try the spirits. See whether they are of God or not. Had it ever occurred to you that this may be Satan?” Oh, they had never thought of that. “Well,” I said, “it might be well to try it out. We have no miracle worker today except one that will come finally from Satan.” And I said, “We walk today by faith.” God’s people find that so hard, don’t we? We want to see something. We want to hear something. We want to experience something. And I believe in all of that, but I think the important thing in this world in which we are living is to be able to walk with God by faith.

Now this one we call Antichrist who is to appear denies the Deity – but he assumes deity.

And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spoke like a dragon. And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them who dwell on it to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of man, and deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast, saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, that had the wound by a sword, and did live. And he hath power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and enslaved, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads, and that no man might buy or sell, except he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast; for it is the number of a man; and his number is six hundred threescore and six. (Revelation 13:11-18)

He acts like he’s a lamb, but he’s a wild beast. He’s Antichrist. He pretends to be Christ, and he will be the religious ruler of the world. And he will work with Antichrist, the political ruler of the world.

Part of the mystery in trying to identify Antichrist has been the belief that he is one person and that we must have one person to fulfill the demands of Scripture. However, the first “beast” represents the first aspect of Antichrist that denies the deity of Christ and is the enemy of Christ. The second “beast” represents the second aspect of Antichrist. He is a wolf in sheep’s clothing in that he imitates Christ. And both together are the Antichrist. Both are against the living and true Christ. And that’s the reason the Lord Jesus Himself said twice in the Olivet Discourse, “Many will come in my name. They will deceive many.” And that is the tragic thing.

Next Part 2.

How to Stand Against Satan / Part 2

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All Scripture references are from the New Scofield Reference Bible.
(This message was first printed in 1998.)

Put on God’s Panoplia

Now notice carefully as God begins to set before us the battle:

Wherefore, take unto you the whole armor [panoplia] of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. (Ephesians 6:13)

He uses the word stand. The song for Christians is not “Onward Christian Soldiers.” Frankly, that’s not a very appropriate song for a group of defeated Christians to sing. But I’ll tell you the song that is appropriate: “Stand up, stand up for Jesus, ye soldiers of the cross….” My friends, we are called upon to stand. Someone has said, “As pilgrims we walk, as witnesses we go, as contenders we run, but as fighters we stand.” God instructs you and me to “stand therefore, having your loins girded about with truth.”

Paul begins now to tell us what we are to put on, and I am going to mention briefly this armor. The first thing he talks about is truth. That truth primarily is the Lord Jesus, His person and His Word — what is stated in the Bible. And we are to have our waist girded with truth. The girdle in a Roman garb held everything together. It’s sort of like what happened in the Civil War. Many years ago, when I was just a boy, a man told me how they won a battle in the Civil War. The uniforms during the Civil War included suspenders. So his side simply cut the suspenders of the enemy, and when they started into battle they couldn’t get their guns because they had to hold their pants up! It was much the same for the Roman soldier. It was the girdle that held together everything he had on.

May I say to you that the Word of God, the truth, holds everything together. The minute you get away from that you lose everything. You cannot be a soldier and be ignorant of the Word of God. And so the first thing is to have your waist girded with the truth.

Then put on the breastplate of righteousness — which protects the heart and all the vital part of us. And this is the place where we get disturbed today. Oh, how many people are disturbed because they have failed to put on the breastplate of righteousness. A blind preacher in the Bay Area has called me three times because he’s afraid he’s committed the unpardonable sin. He just can’t believe that God is now going to receive him and that he has on the righteousness of Christ which covers his heart and protects him and brings peace to him. He doesn’t realize that he can stand in the righteousness of Christ so that,

…as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ, our Lord. (Romans 5:21)

And, friends, we are yonder in Christ this day in that glorious position. What a peace and joy this fact should bring to the heart. Therefore, we should put on that part of our armor, the breastplate of righteousness, without delay. How important it is!

And then have “your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace.” Actually that’s the foundation of the gospel of peace, “for other foundation can no man lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 3:11). This is the foundation on which we rest; it’s the only foundation. You cannot fight unless you can stand. How important that is. It’s fundamental in boxing; and these men who are expert golfers tell you that you have to get your position right and your feet on a solid place before you can hit the ball, and even then sometimes you don’t hit it!

As Christians, our feet must be correctly shod and anchored. And the child of God who is not properly shod is going to wobble and stumble, and certainly the enemy will be able to overcome him!

In addition to all the soldier’s armor we’re told to take up “the shield of faith.” It actually says above all take up this shield. Have you ever seen the shield that the Greek hoplites, the heavily armed infantry, used? The shields were called doors — they were that big — and protected the entire body. Shoulder to shoulder the hoplites would put down in front of them a regular barrier of shields. They would stand behind the barrier while the enemy made the attack. Then they would move forward and put them down again. That is the way the hoplites advanced. As you can see, they would win the battle because of these shields that they had. The child of God is told here, in addition to the armor, to take the shield of faith. Why? So “ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.”

Now may I say this to you very carefully. I believe in apologetics and all of these very fine books on archeology and on science that confirm the Bible. But in the final analysis, my friend, you’ll have to get back of the shield of faith. You cannot overcome, you cannot stand against the enemy just on the basis of intellect, just on the basis today of one man beating another man in an argument. On the intellectual level, it doesn’t make any difference which side you’re on, the smarter man will win every time. The real issue, however, is faith — a living faith. May I say to you, friends, we’re living in a day when a great many people in this materialistic age think if they could just get it into their hand or look at it under a microscope they would be convinced. What would it convince you of? What is really important in spiritual warfare? What is the real problem today?

The real problem is lack of faith. Oh, my beloved, to believe God today, that is the shield and the only shield that will keep the fiery darts of the wicked one away from you. I recall that when I was in college (which was as liberal as it could be) I had a philosophy professor who tied me up intellectually every class period, and I didn’t have sense enough to keep quiet. I spoke out in every class. And he always had an answer. He used to whip me down intellectually by saying, “Well, Mr. McGee, have you read this book or that book?” Well, I’d never even heard of the book! So I began to read. I read more under that man than I’ve ever read. Actually, I read seventy-five books that year! He helped me in that way. Finally I went to a man who had about twice the number of degrees this philosophy professor had, a very brilliant man, and I said, “I’m stuck, I can’t make it. And I’ll get out of the ministry if I lose my faith.”

Well, this man sat down and went over all this ground with me, all of the philosophic approaches. And he had answers, intellectual answers. But then he concluded by saying this, “Vernon, you’re going to find out as a young man preparing for the ministry that there are dark moments when you’re going to have to walk with God by faith.” My friend, in the final analysis you too are going to have to walk with Him by faith. God has the answer for you, but you’ll have to learn to walk with God by faith. What a tremendous thing this is.

Then Paul says, “And take the helmet of salvation.” I’m glad that’s next, because God does make an appeal to the mind. The helmet protects the mind, and God never asks you to believe anything that’s contrary to reason. I cannot accept the statement that “faith is a leap in the dark.” If it’s a leap in the dark, don’t take the leap. God says unless you know where you’re leaping don’t leap. God is not asking you to do something that’s strange or bizarre. God is appealing to you on the basis of reason and intellect:

Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. (Isaiah 1:18)

So, then, faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. (Romans 10:17)

God has a document, and He asks you to believe the evidence that He wants to present to you. He wants you to put on the helmet of salvation, and we do need to be able to meet these skeptics on an intellectual level.

Not only is He the One who provides the equipment we have for defense, but He also provides the weapons we need for offense. He says here,

And take…the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. (Ephesians 6:17)

Now the sword of the Spirit is not a plaything to run around just jabbing people with, giving them a little verse of Scripture every now and then. I’ve been talking to some young folk who have actually been driven away from the church and even driven away from their homes because they have just been pricked so much with the Word of God. I don’t think that’s the way you are to do it. I’ve come to an opinion today that it’s not the way the sword is to be used. Did you know that the Roman Empire gave a man in the army literally years of practice with that sword before it was put in his hands for actual combat? The Roman government would never throw a man into battle who did not know how to use that sword because it was hand-tohand encounter.

In our day there was a man who walked up and down the streets here in Los Angeles with a Bible under his arm, yelling at the top of his voice, “You’re going to hell!” And if someone said anything to him he would curse the person out. I thought, My, what a messenger Satan has in downtown Los Angeles! My friend, we are to use the sword skillfully. The Word of God should be handled intelligently today and in a way that will not bring disrepute upon the cause of Christ.

Then finally Paul adds,

Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit.… (Ephesians 6:18)

This is real prayer. This is not some little prayer meeting where a few cold Christians come together and remember a few petitions. This is a prayer made in the power of the Holy Spirit, and it’s only this kind of prayer that will enable us to overcome.

You and I this moment, friends, are in a battle; it’s a tremendous battle. You are asked to stand, and the only way you and I can stand is to take the armor of God. This idea today that the so-called surrendered life is just to sit back and do nothing. My friend, you are to do something! If you are a saved person, you are to put on the whole armor of God and, wearing that armor, you cannot be harmed by the enemy. “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). And with that armor you and I can go through this world living for God.

Oh, that you and I as Christians might recognize we have an enemy, a spiritual enemy. He is greater than we are. And at this hour he’s getting victory over many believers just because of their negligence, just because they’re not putting on the whole armor of God. May God enable us to put on that armor and stand for Him, “and having done all, to stand!” But you say, “I’m always defeated.” That’s very disturbing to see, and God does not intend it to be that way. But, my friend, you do have to meet His conditions. You do have to put on the armor of God. You have to come to the Word of God, the Bible, for instructions and do it His way. You cannot do it your way and expect to win.

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. (Isaiah 55:8)

It’s only as you and I will come, recognizing our enemy and then prayerfully putting on this armor, that we cannot be defeated. In fact, we are absolutely defenseless and at Satan’s mercy unless we have on the full armor of God.

Oh, God, help us to be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.