So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power;
- 1 Corinthians 15:42-43
He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.
- Matthew 25:33-34
“Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven.
- Matthew 10:32
Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.
- 1 John 3:2
You make known to me the path of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence,
with eternal pleasures at your right hand.
- Psalm 16:11
However, as it is written:
“What no eye has seen,
what no ear has heard,
and what no human mind has conceived”—
the things God has prepared for those who love him—
- I Corinthians 2:9
After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.
- 1 Thessalonians 4:17
“Q. 37. What benefits do believers receive from Christ at the resurrection?
“A. At the resurrection, believers being raised up in glory (1 Cor. 15:43), shall be openly acknowledged and acquitted in the Day of Judgment (Matt. 10:32), and made perfectly blessed both in soul and body in the full enjoying of God (1 John 3:2) to all eternity (1 Thess. 4:17).”
- Charles H. Spurgeon, Spurgeon’s Catechism (Scripture proofs in bold above)
“Q. 38. What benefits do believers receive from Christ at the resurrection?
“A. At the resurrection, believers, being raised up in glory, shall be openly acknowledged and acquitted in the Day of Judgment, and made perfectly blessed in the full enjoying of God to all eternity.”
- The Shorter Catechism (Westminster Assembly)
The Larger Catechism continues its divergence with points on justification, adoption, and sanctification in more detail. We may restart inclusion of the Larger Catechism when we reach the Ten Commandments.
The wording of the Spurgeon and Shorter Catechisms are almost the same, but the Shorter Catechism uses additional biblical proofs.
This question in the minds of many is an overlap of the last question. Some people think that we sleep until the end of time and wake up on the Day of Judgment. As I mentioned last week, it could simply be that our concept of time traps us in the means of saying it. But waking up outside of time and space could mean time in paradise or the Day of Judgment and then paradise. To our senses, being that we died and are given a new body, it may mean the same thing. People who have to explain it based on the earthly boundaries of time and space may be incapable of imagining anything other.
But the Scriptures above specifically relate to the resurrection versus the moment that we die.
For Jesus, His resurrection was made known on the First Easter Sunday, but He told the thief on the cross that the thief would be with Him in Paradise that day. But why should we worry? However the mechanics works, for those who love the Lord, it will be wonderful beyond words.
And now let us sing.
The following song, Resurrection is sung by the Gaither Vocal Band and composed by Gloria Gaither. It may be difficult to sing compared to the usual hymn, but maybe listen once and then hit replay.
“Hang out the banners and shout the news!
Blow the trumpets and horns ’til there is no one who hasn’t heard,
“We shall not die anymore!”
I’m here to tell you that Jesus lives;
As He lives, so shall we.
Dying and fear have all passed away,
Swallowed in victory!
Morning has broken the cords away,
There’s no reason to fear,
Why seek the living among the dead?
Jesus, your Lord, is not here.
He is alive, He’s not here!
Then where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O grave, is your sting?
Come, children, and dance with me!
Sing to our living King!
For love wins over everything, melts the spear and the sword.
Join hands, let your voices ring, Christ is our risen Lord!
Open the prisons and ring the bells!
Join the ransomed and free, in celebration for what He’s done;
Jesus, the Christ, sets you free!
He sets you free! He sets you free! He sets you free! He sets you free!
Jesus, the Christ, sets you free!”
- Gloria Gaither and William W. Smith, Resurrection
Closing Prayer
Dear Lord,
We need You. Please prepare us for what is to come. We wish to have our only desire to be worshipping You. We will be with You in Glory someday … for eternity. Yet, at times we cannot keep our eyes fixed upon You for more than a few moments. Is it our weakness or our faulty desire? Lord, You are the only thing that we are left with once we leave this earth. May our priorities on earth reflect that.
In thy Name we pray.
Amen
Soli Deo Gloria. Only to God be the Glory.
Thoughts from Mark "Hat" Rackley 
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