How Christ abolishes death…

Christ the firstfruit

1 Corinthians 15 is the majestic chapter in which Paul highlights the mighty fact that Christ has been raised from the dead as firstfruit. He is not the first to have risen from the dead, but He is the first to have once and for all left the grave empty. In doing so, He is also the guarantee of a universal harvest that will follow. All of humanity shall be made alive just as He was made alive!

For even as in Adam ALL die, so also in the Christ ALL shall be made alive. And each in his proper order: Christ the firstfruit…
-1 Corinthians 15:22,23-

Christ is here the model and prototype. Resurrections such as that of Lazarus, or the young man of Nain, or the daughter of Jairus fall outside Paul’s consideration. They indeed rose from the dead, but it was merely a return to mortal existence. For they would later die a second time. Such resurrections are not counted by Paul, so that Christ may rightfully be called the Firstfruit.

the first and second order

The vivification of all takes place, according to Paul, in three orders.

23 But each in his own rank: Christ the first-fruit, afterward those who are Christ’s in his parousia (presence); 24 thereafter the end, whenever he may give up the reign to God, even the Father, whenever he may have made useless all rule, and all authority and power.
–1 Corinthians 15–

The vivification of Christ is a historical fact, but the second order has now been waiting nearly two thousand years. That vivification will take place in the parousia (=the presence) of Christ. This is not a single moment but the period in which He will establish His reign in heaven and on earth. In that time “the ecclesia which is His body” will meet her Lord in the air (1Thess.4:17). Later, the righteous of Israel will also rise (Dan.12:2), as well as the martyrs from the time of the rule of the Beast (Rev.20:4). That is the second order.

at the end of Christ’s reign

The third order of vivification is also the final order. That is why Paul refers to this order as “the end”. This vivification will take place “whenever He may give up the reign to God, even the Father”.

25 For He must be reigning UNTIL He should be placing all His enemies under His feet.
26 The last enemy is being abolished: death.
–1 Corinthians 15–

All (who then remain) that are vivified on this occasion will have no part in the reign of Christ. For as soon as this final order has been vivified, Christ will hand over the kingship to God the Father and will therefore no longer reign as king. This is a problematic notion for those who assume that Christ will reign for all eternity. That idea is based on common Bible translations in which the ‘aions’ (=world ages) have unfortunately been translated away. Scripture repeatedly states that Christ will reign “unto the aions of the aions” (Rev.11:15), yet with a clear “until”. Christ will reign during “the thousand years” (Rev.20), and even thereafter there is still mention of Christ’s reign (Rev.22:5) and of “the throne of the Lamb” (Rev.22:1).

even after the thousand years Christ still reigns

From the fact that Christ (initially) still reigns as King during the new heaven and earth, it follows that the final order of vivification cannot yet have taken place at that time. Revelation 21/22 confirms this as well. After all, there is still mention of many who have found the second death in “the lake of fire” (21:8). Death has not yet been abolished, and thus Christ still reigns.

death continued = the second death

Many interpreters believe that death is abolished at “the great white throne”. That would then be when death and Hades are cast into “the lake of fire” (Rev.20:14,15). But this is a great misunderstanding, since at that occasion death is not abolished, but continued in “the second death”. For all who are dead from that point onward are dead a second time. Their resurrection at the great white throne served the purpose of being judged. Their resurrection was in fact an interruption of their state of death. For they were dead, and after a period of time they die a second death. Their resurrection was also merely a return to mortality. And certainly not a vivification as Christ the Firstfruit was vivified.

death abolished = all made alive

Only at the end of Christ’s reign will He abolish death. That is not at the “great white throne”, but far beyond that. How will He abolish death? Answer: by making all alive! For with that very statement Paul began his discourse on the orders of vivification (1 Corinthians 15:22).

Even as in Adam ALL die, so also in Christ shall ALL be made alive…

All Adamites, without exception, are mortal. Either for the first time, or for the second time, as in the resurrection of judgment at the great white throne (John 5:29). But these same ALL shall be made alive in Christ. It is the ultimate climax and crowning of Christ’s reign when He abolishes death as the last enemy. For from that moment no one will be missing. There will be no more death because all have been made alive. And Christ will hand over a perfect Kingdom to God the Father, who from then on shall be “all in all” (1 Cor.15:28)!

What a future! What a Gospel!

Delen: