The Resurrection​—A Sure Hope!

1-2. True worshippers have what wonderful hope?

HOPE is very important. The hope of some people centers on having a successful marriage, raising healthy children, or recovering from a serious illness. We Christians may long for the same things. But the hope we cherish most goes further than that; it includes our everlasting future as well as the future of our loved ones who have died.

² The apostle Paul stated: “I have hope toward God . . . that there is going to be a resurrection of both the righteous and the unrighteous.” (Acts 24:15) Paul was not the first to express the hope of a resurrection. The patriarch Job did too. He was confident that God would remember him and raise him to life again.​—Job 14:7-10, 12-15.

3. Why can we benefit from 1 Corinthians chapter 15?

³ “The resurrection of the dead” is part of the “foundation,” or “primary doctrine,” of all Christian teachings. (Heb. 6:1, 2) Paul’s discussion of the resurrection is recorded in 1 Corinthians chapter 15. What he wrote must have built up first-century Christians. And that chapter can build us up and strengthen a hope that we may have long held.

4. What is key to our hope for our dead loved ones?

⁴ The resurrection of Jesus Christ is key to our hope for our dead loved ones. It was part of “the good news” that Paul declared to the Corinthians. (1 Cor. 15:1, 2) In fact, he said that if a Christian lacked belief in that resurrection, his faith would be useless. (1 Cor. 15:17) Belief in the resurrection of Jesus is central to our Christian hope.

5-6. What do the words found at 1 Corinthians 15:3, 4 mean for us?

⁵ Early in Paul’s discussion of the resurrection, he brought up three realities. They are (1) “Christ died for our sins.” (2) He “was buried.” (3) He “was raised up on the third day according to the Scriptures.”​—Read 1 Corinthians 15:3, 4.

⁶ What do Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection mean for us? The prophet Isaiah foretold that the Messiah would be “cut off from the land of the living” and be “given a burial place with the wicked.” More was involved, though. Isaiah added that the Messiah would carry “the sin of many people.” Jesus did this by providing the ransom. (Isa. 53:8, 9, 12; Matt. 20:28; Rom. 5:8) So the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus provide a solid basis for our hope of being set free from sin and death and being reunited with our loved ones who have died.

TESTIMONY FROM MANY WITNESSES

7-8. What helps Christians to be sure that Jesus was resurrected?

⁷ Our hope in the resurrection is linked to the resurrection of Jesus, so we need to be convinced that Jesus was resurrected. Why can we be certain that Jehovah brought Jesus back to life?

⁸ There were many eyewitnesses who testified that Jesus had been raised. (1 Cor. 15:5-7) The first witness on Paul’s list was the apostle Peter (Cephas). A group of disciples confirmed that Peter saw the resurrected Jesus. (Luke 24:33, 34) In addition, “the Twelve,” the apostles, saw Jesus after he was raised. Then Christ “appeared to more than 500 brothers at one time,” perhaps at the joyous event in Galilee mentioned at Matthew 28:16-20. Jesus also “appeared to James,” likely Jesus’ half brother, who previously had not put faith in Jesus as the Messiah. (John 7:5) After seeing the resurrected Jesus, James was convinced. Significantly, about 55 C.E. when Paul wrote this letter, many eyewitnesses of the resurrection were alive, so any doubter could consult with living, credible witnesses.

9. As we read at Acts 9:3-5, how could Paul add testimony about Jesus’ resurrection?

⁹ Later, Jesus appeared to Paul himself. (1 Cor. 15:8) Paul (Saul) was on his way to Damascus when he heard the voice of the resurrected Jesus and saw a vision of him in heavenly glory. (Read Acts 9:3-5.) Paul’s experience added to the evidence that Jesus’ resurrection was not a myth.​—Acts 26:12-15.

10. What did Paul’s conviction that Jesus was raised from the dead move him to do?

¹⁰ Paul’s testimony would be especially noteworthy to some because he at one time persecuted Christians. Once he became convinced that Jesus had been raised up, Paul labored to convince others of this truth. He endured beatings, imprisonment, and shipwreck as he spread the truth that Jesus had died but was alive again. (1 Cor. 15:9-11; 2 Cor. 11:23-27) Paul was so sure that Jesus had been raised from the dead that he was willing to die defending his belief. Does this early testimony not convince you that Jesus was raised from the dead? And does it not strengthen your belief in the resurrection?

ADDRESSING WRONG VIEWS

11. Why may some in Corinth have had wrong views about the resurrection?

¹¹ Some in the Greek city of Corinth had wrong views about the resurrection, even going so far as to say that “there is no resurrection of the dead.” Why? (1 Cor. 15:12) Philosophers in another Greek city, Athens, had mocked the idea that Jesus was resurrected. Such thinking may have affected some in Corinth. (Acts 17:18, 31, 32) Others may have thought of the resurrection in a figurative sense, meaning that a person was once “dead” in sin but had become “alive” as a Christian. Whatever their reason, denying the resurrection meant that their faith was in vain. If God did not resurrect Jesus, no ransom was paid and all remained in sin. So those who rejected the resurrection had no valid hope.​—1 Cor. 15:13-19; Heb. 9:12, 14.

12. In line with 1 Peter 3:18, 22, how did Jesus’ resurrection differ from earlier ones?

¹² Paul had firsthand knowledge that “Christ [had] been raised from the dead.” That resurrection was superior to the resurrection of those who had earlier been brought back to life on earth​—only to die again. Paul said that Jesus was “the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep in death.” In what sense was Jesus first? He was the first person to be raised to life as a spirit being and the first one from mankind to ascend to heaven.​—1 Cor. 15:20; Acts 26:23; read 1 Peter 3:18, 22.

THOSE WHO “WILL BE MADE ALIVE”

13. Paul drew what contrast between Adam and Jesus?

¹³ How could the death of one man bring life to millions? Paul gives a logical answer to that question. He draws a contrast between what Adam brought on mankind and what is possible through Christ. With regard to Adam, Paul wrote: “Death came through a man.” When Adam sinned, he brought disaster on himself and his descendants. We still feel the tragic effects of his disobedience. How different is the outcome made possible because God raised his Son! “Resurrection of the dead also comes through a man,” Jesus. “For just as in Adam all are dying,” Paul reasoned, “so also in the Christ all will be made alive.”​—1 Cor. 15:21, 22.

14. Will Adam be resurrected? Explain.

¹⁴ What did Paul mean when he said that “in Adam all are dying”? Paul had in mind Adam’s descendants, who inherited sin and imperfection from Adam and thus are in a dying condition. (Rom. 5:12) Adam is not among those who “will be made alive.” Christ’s ransom does not cover him, for Adam was a perfect man who willfully disobeyed God. The outcome for Adam is the same as what is ahead for those whom “the Son of man” will judge as “goats,” namely, “everlasting cutting-off.”​—Matt. 25:31-33, 46; Heb. 5:9.

15. Who are included in the “all” who “will be made alive”?

¹⁵ Note that Paul said that “in the Christ all will be made alive.” (1 Cor. 15:22) Paul’s letter was written to anointed Christians in Corinth, who would be resurrected to life in heaven. Those Christians were “sanctified in union with Christ Jesus, called to be holy ones.” And Paul mentioned “those who have fallen asleep in death in union with Christ.” (1 Cor. 1:2; 15:18; 2 Cor. 5:17) In another inspired letter, Paul wrote that those “united with [Jesus] in the likeness of his death” will “be united with him in the likeness of his resurrection.” (Rom. 6:3-5) Jesus was raised as a spirit and went to heaven. So that will be the outcome for all “in union with Christ,” that is, all spirit-anointed Christians.

16. What did Paul imply by calling Jesus “the firstfruits”?

¹⁶ Paul wrote that Christ was raised as “the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep in death.” Bear in mind that others, such as Lazarus, had been brought back to life on earth, but Jesus was the first one ever to be raised from the dead as a spirit and to receive everlasting life. He could be likened to the firstfruits of the harvest that the Israelites offered to God. Furthermore, by calling Jesus “the firstfruits,” Paul implied that others thereafter would be raised from death to heavenly life. The apostles and others “in union with Christ” would follow Jesus. In due time, they would experience a resurrection similar to that of Jesus.

17. When would those “in union with Christ” receive their heavenly reward?

¹⁷ The heavenly resurrection for those “in union with Christ” had not yet begun to occur at the time Paul wrote to the Corinthians. Rather, Paul pointed to a future time: “Each one in his own proper order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who belong to the Christ during his presence.” (1 Cor. 15:23; 1 Thess. 4:15, 16) Today we are living during that foretold “presence” of Christ. Yes, the apostles and other spirit-anointed Christians who died had to await that presence to receive their heavenly reward and be “united with [Jesus] in the likeness of his resurrection.”

YOU HAVE A SURE HOPE!

18. (a) Why can we conclude that another resurrection will follow the heavenly one? (b) As indicated at 1 Corinthians 15:24-26, what developments will occur in heaven?

¹⁸ What, though, of all the loyal Christians who do not have the hope of living in heaven with Christ? They too have the hope of a resurrection. The Bible says that Paul and others who go to heaven share in “the earlier resurrection from the dead.” (Phil. 3:11) Does that not suggest that another resurrection would follow? That would be in harmony with what Job said about his future. (Job 14:15) “Those who belong to the Christ during his presence” will be in heaven with Jesus when he brings to nothing all governments and all authority and power. Even “the last enemy, death,” will be brought to nothing. Certainly, inherited death will no more afflict those raised to heaven. But what about others?​—Read 1 Corinthians 15:24-26.

19. What can those with an earthly hope expect?

¹⁹ What can those with an earthly hope expect? They can derive hope from Paul’s words: “I have hope . . . that there is going to be a resurrection of both the righteous and the unrighteous.” (Acts 24:15) Clearly, no unrighteous person can enter into heaven, so those words point to a future resurrection on earth.

20. How has your hope been strengthened?

²⁰ Without a doubt, “there is going to be a resurrection”! Those who are brought back to life on earth will have the prospect of living here forever. You can put your trust in that promise. That hope can bring you comfort regarding your loved ones who have died. They can be raised from the dead during the time when Christ and others will “rule as kings . . . for the 1,000 years.” (Rev. 20:6) You too can maintain the sure hope that if you should happen to die before the Millennium begins, your future is secure. This “hope does not lead to disappointment.” (Rom. 5:5) It can sustain you now and add to your joy in serving God. But there is more that we can learn from 1 Corinthians chapter 15, as the following article will show.

The Bible does not reveal every detail about the heavenly resurrection, but the apostle Paul did provide some information about it. The anointed will be with Christ when he brings “to nothing all government and all authority and power.” That includes “the last enemy, death.” Finally, Jesus​—along with his corulers—​will subject himself and all things to Jehovah. (1 Cor. 15:24-28) What a climax that will be!b

3. As indicated at 1 Corinthians 15:30-32, Paul’s belief in the resurrection helped him to do what?

³ Paul’s belief in the resurrection helped him to endure various trials. (Read 1 Corinthians 15:30-32.) He told the Corinthians: “Daily I face death.” Paul also wrote: “I have fought with wild beasts at Ephesus.” Perhaps he was alluding to his fighting real animals at an arena in Ephesus. (2 Cor. 1:8; 4:10; 11:23) Or he may have been referring to hostile Jews and others who were like “wild beasts.” (Acts 19:26-34; 1 Cor. 16:9) Whichever it was, Paul faced serious perils. Yet, he still had a positive outlook on the future.​—2 Cor. 4:16-18.

4. How has the hope of the resurrection strengthened Christians today? (See cover picture.)

⁴ We are living in dangerous times. Some of our brothers have been victims of crime. Others live in war-torn areas where their safety is far from guaranteed. Still others serve Jehovah at the risk of their life or freedom in lands where the preaching work is restricted or even banned. Yet, all these brothers and sisters persevere in their worship of Jehovah, becoming examples for us. They are secure in the knowledge that even if they lose their life at the present time, Jehovah has something far better in mind for them in the future.

5. What dangerous viewpoint could weaken our faith in the resurrection?

⁵ Paul warned his brothers about a dangerous viewpoint that some had: “If the dead are not to be raised up, ‘let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we are to die.’” That viewpoint actually existed even before Paul’s day. He may have been quoting Isaiah 22:13, which refers to the attitude of the Israelites. Instead of drawing close to God, they pursued a life of pleasure. Basically, the attitude of those Israelites was “here today, gone tomorrow,” a view common even today. However, the bad outcome to the nation of Israel is a matter of record.​—2 Chron. 36:15-20.

6. How should the resurrection hope affect our choice of associates?

⁶ Clearly, the fact that Jehovah can resurrect the dead should affect our choice of associates. The brothers in Corinth needed to guard against associating with those who denied the resurrection. There is a lesson for us today: No good can come from choosing as regular associates those who have a live-for-the-moment outlook. Being with such ones can ruin a true Christian’s viewpoint and habits. In fact, it might lead him to have a lifestyle that includes what God hates​—sin. Thus, Paul strongly urged: “Come to your senses in a righteous way and do not practice sin.”​—1 Cor. 15:33, 34.

WHAT SORT OF BODY?

7. What question about the resurrection might some have asked, as shown at 1 Corinthians 15:35-38?

⁷ Read 1 Corinthians 15:35-38. An inquirer who wanted to cast doubt on the resurrection might have asked: “How are the dead to be raised up?” We do well to consider Paul’s answer because many people today have personal views about life after death. But what does the Bible teach?

8. What illustration can help us to understand the resurrection to heavenly life?

⁸ When someone dies, his body decomposes. But the One who created the universe from nothing can resurrect that person, giving him a suitable body. (Gen. 1:1; 2:7) Paul used an illustration to show that God would not need to bring back the same body. Think of “a bare grain,” or a plant “seed.” A seed of grain that is planted in the ground germinates and becomes a new plant. The resulting plant is quite different from the small seed. Paul used this comparison to show that our Creator can provide “a body just as it [pleases] him.”

9. As to bodies, 1 Corinthians 15:39-41 calls attention to what differences?

⁹ Read 1 Corinthians 15:39-41. Paul noted that there is great diversity in creation. For example, there are different fleshly bodies, such as cattle, birds, and fish. He stated that in the sky, we see differences between the sun and the moon. And he noted that “one star differs from another star in glory.” Yes, even if we may not discern it with the naked eye, there are what scientists call red giant stars, white dwarfs, and yellow stars, such as our sun. Paul also stated that “there are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies.” How so? Well, on earth, we have bodies of flesh, but in heaven there are spirit bodies, like the ones the angels have.

10. How might differences in bodies relate to the resurrection?

¹⁰ Note what Paul said next: “So it is with the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised up in incorruption.” Of course, upon dying, the human body decays and returns to the dust. (Gen. 3:19) So how can it be that a body is “raised up in incorruption”? Paul was not speaking of a human who is resurrected to life on earth, such as those raised by Elijah, Elisha, and Jesus. Paul was referring to a person who is resurrected with a heavenly body, that is, “a spiritual one.”​—1 Cor. 15:42-44.

11-12. What change did Jesus experience when he was resurrected, and how do the anointed experience something similar?

¹¹ When Jesus walked the earth, he had a fleshly body. But when he was resurrected, he “became a life-giving spirit” and returned to heaven. Likewise, anointed Christians would be resurrected to spirit life. Paul explained: “Just as we have borne the image of the one made of dust, we will bear also the image of the heavenly one.”​—1 Cor. 15:45-49.

¹² Paul was reaching the climax of his discussion of the resurrection. It is important to note that Jesus was not resurrected with a human body. Paul pointedly said: “Flesh and blood cannot inherit God’s Kingdom” in heaven. (1 Cor. 15:50) The apostles and other anointed ones would not be resurrected to heaven with corruptible bodies of flesh and blood. When would they be resurrected? Paul stressed that this resurrection still lay ahead; it was not something they would experience right after they died. By the time Paul wrote 1 Corinthians, some disciples had already “fallen asleep in death,” for example, the apostle James. (Acts 12:1, 2) Other apostles and anointed ones would yet fall “asleep in death.”​—1 Cor. 15:6.

VICTORY OVER DEATH

13. How would Jesus’ presence be marked?

¹³ Both Jesus and Paul pointed forward to a special time in history​—Christ’s presence. That presence would be marked by wars, earthquakes, pestilences, and other global developments. We have seen this Bible prophecy being fulfilled since 1914. There would be another outstanding part of that sign. Jesus said that the good news of God’s established Kingdom would be preached “in all the inhabited earth for a witness to all the nations, and then the end [would] come.” (Matt. 24:3, 7-14) Paul pointed out that “the presence of the Lord” would also be a time of resurrection for anointed Christians who had “fallen asleep in death.”​—1 Thess. 4:14-16; 1 Cor. 15:23.

14. What do anointed ones who pass away during Christ’s presence experience?

¹⁴ Anointed ones who today finish their earthly course are instantly raised to life in the heavens. This is confirmed by Paul’s words recorded at 1 Corinthians 15:51, 52: “We will not all fall asleep in death, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the blink of an eye, during the last trumpet.” These words of Paul are now undergoing fulfillment! Upon their resurrection, these brothers of Christ will have complete joy; they will “always be with the Lord.”​—1 Thess. 4:17.

15. What work awaits those who will be changed “in the blink of an eye”?

¹⁵ The Bible tells us what work those who are changed “in the blink of an eye” will do in heaven. Jesus says to them: “To the one who conquers and observes my deeds down to the end, I will give authority over the nations, and he will shepherd the people with an iron rod so that they will be broken to pieces like clay vessels, just as I have received from my Father.” (Rev. 2:26, 27) They will follow their Commander in the task at hand​—shepherding the nations with a rod of iron.​—Rev. 19:11-15.

16. How will many humans be victorious over death?

¹⁶ Clearly, the anointed will be victorious over death. (1 Cor. 15:54-57) Their resurrection will put them in position to share in the victory over earth-wide wickedness during the coming war of Armageddon. Millions of other Christian men and women will “come out of the great tribulation,” surviving into the new world. (Rev. 7:14) Those survivors on earth will be eyewitnesses to another victory over death​—the resurrection of billions of people who died in the past. Just imagine the joy when that victorious event occurs! (Acts 24:15) And all those who prove completely loyal to Jehovah will be victorious even over inherited death. They will be able to live forever.

17. With 1 Corinthians 15:58 in mind, what should we do now?

¹⁷ Every Christian now alive should be grateful for the reassuring words that Paul wrote to the Corinthians regarding the resurrection. We have every reason to show that we accept Paul’s urging to be fully occupied now “in the work of the Lord.” (Read 1 Corinthians 15:58.) If we loyally and actively share in that work, we will put ourselves in line to experience a future filled with joy. That future will be more wonderful than anything we can imagine. It certainly will confirm that our labor has not been in vain in connection with the Lord.