Who Are Raised from the Grave at Christ's Return
The concept of who is raised from the grave at Christ's return is rooted in various biblical passages and has been interpreted by different Christian traditions. According to 1 Corinthians 15:35, the question of how the dead are raised and with what body they come is a significant concern [1].
The resurrection of the dead is described as a simultaneous event for both the just and the unjust, referencing passages such as Daniel 12:2, John 5:28-29, and Romans 2:6-16 [2]. The nature of the resurrection body is discussed in 1 Corinthians 15:53-54 and Philippians 3:21, highlighting that it will be different from the body laid in the grave but still maintain its identity.
In the view of John Gill, a Baptist/Reformed theologian, Christ's resurrection is the firstfruits of those who slept, indicating that those who have died in Christ will be raised [3]. This is supported by 1 Corinthians 15:20, which states that Christ is the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. The resurrection of believers is seen as an act of God's power, as noted in 1 Corinthians 6:14, where it is written that God raised up the Lord and will also raise up believers by his own power [4].
The timing and nature of the resurrection are further clarified in the context of Christ's return. According to Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, a commentary tradition, believers will be raised up out of the rest of the dead at Christ's coming, participating in the first resurrection mentioned in Revelation 20:5 [8].
The event described in Matthew 27:52, where graves were opened and many bodies of saints arose, is interpreted differently by various traditions. John Gill argues that these saints came out of their graves after Christ's resurrection, supporting the idea that Christ is the firstfruits of the resurrection [6, 7]. In contrast, Jamieson, Fausset & Brown suggest that the graves were opened at Christ's death but the saints did not arise until his resurrection [5].
The resurrection of the dead at Christ's return is understood to involve those who have died in faith. The Baptist/Reformed tradition, as represented by John Gill, emphasizes that the resurrection is an act of God's power and that believers will be raised to an immortal life, with Christ being the first to be raised in this manner [3, 4].
The Presbyterian tradition, as seen in Jamieson, Fausset & Brown's commentary, also highlights the significance of Christ's return in relation to the resurrection, emphasizing that believers will be raised up out of the rest of the dead [8]. While there are nuances in interpretation, both traditions affirm the doctrine of the resurrection of the dead at Christ's return.
The resurrection body is described as spiritual, adapted to the glorified state of the soul, and distinct from the mortal body [2]. This understanding is grounded in 1 Corinthians 15:44, which states that the body is raised a spiritual body.
Sources
- I Corinthians “I Corinthians 15:35 (LITV) — But someone will say, How are the dead raised? And with what body do they come?”
- Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Resurrection of the dead — Will be simultaneous both of the just and the unjust (Dan. 12:2; John 5:28, 29; Rom. 2:6-16; 2 Thess. 1:6-10). The qualities of the resurrection body will be different from those of the body laid in the grave (1 Cor. 15:53, 54; Phil. 3:21); but its identity will nevertheless be preserved. It will still be the same body (1 Cor. 15:42-44) which rises again. As to the nature of the resurrection body, (1) it will be spiritual (1 Cor. 15:44), i.e., a body adapted to the use of the soul in its glorified state, and to all the conditions of the hea”
- 1 Corinthians (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on 1 Corinthians 15:19: But now is Christ risen from the dead,.... As was before proved by ocular testimonies, and before preached and asserted; and now reassumed and concluded, from the glaring contradictions, and dreadful absurdities that follow the denial of it: and became the firstfruits of them that slept; who were already fallen asleep; respecting chiefly the saints that died before the resurrection of Christ; and if Christ was the firstfruit of them, there is no difficulty of conceiving how he is the firstfruits of those that die since. The allusion is to the firstfruits of ”
- 1 Corinthians (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on 1 Corinthians 6:14: And God hath both raised up the Lord,.... God the Father has raised up from the dead the Lord Jesus Christ, though not exclusive of the Son, who was equally concerned in the resurrection of himself, whereby he demonstrated himself to be the Son of God, truly and properly God. And will also raise up us by his own power; for the resurrection of the dead, whether of Christ, or of his people, is an act of power, of God's own power, even of his almighty power, and is what the power of a mere creature could never effect. Now as Christ, the head, is raised, so shall”
- Matthew (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Matthew 27:52: And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose--These sleeping saints (see on Th1 4:14) were Old Testament believers, who--according to the usual punctuation in our version--were quickened into resurrection life at the moment of their Lord's death, but lay in their graves till His resurrection, when they came forth. But it is far more natural, as we think, and consonant with other Scriptures, to understand that only the graves were opened, probably by the earthquake, at our Lord's death, and this only in preparation for t”
- Matthew (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Matthew 27:52: And came out of the graves after his resurrection,.... The resurrection of Christ; for he rose as the first fruits, as the first begotten of the dead, and the firstborn from the dead; for he was the first that was raised to an immortal life; for though others were raised before him, by himself, and in the times of the prophets, yet to a mortal life; but these saints came forth to the resurrection of life, and therefore it was necessary that Christ the first fruits, should rise first. The Arabic version indeed reads, "after their own resurrection"; and the Ethiopic v”
- Matthew (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Matthew 27:51: And the graves were opened,.... Which were near the city of Jerusalem: this was a proof of Christ's power over death and the grave, by dying; when he through death, destroyed him that had the power of it, and abolished death itself; and became the plague of death and the destruction of the grave, taking into his hands the keys of hell and death: and many bodies of saints which slept, arose: not that they arose at the time of Christ's death: the graves were opened then, when the earth quaked, and the rocks were rent; but the bodies of the saints did not arise, till”
- 1 Corinthians (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on 1 Corinthians 6:14: (Rom 8:11). raised up--rather, "raised," to distinguish it from "will raise up us"; the Greek of the latter being a compound, the former a simple verb. Believers shall be raised up out of the rest of the dead (see on Phi 3:11); the first resurrection (Rev 20:5). us--Here he speaks of the possibility of his being found in the grave when Christ comes; elsewhere, of his being possibly found alive (Th1 4:17). In either event, the Lord's coming rather than death is the great object of the Christian's expectation (Rom 8:19).”