The Rose Parade of Resurrection

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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.