NOTES OUT OF THE CATECHISM CLASSES Of Rev. J. Fraanje Using the Catechism Book SPECIMENS OF DIVINE TRUTHS

Of The Resurrection Lesson 40 Part II

All elect who had lived and died on earth from Adam on down are now in heaven, perfectly holy and without a body. Heaven for them is being in God’s presence. Heaven without God would be no heaven nor would it be a place of bliss. It is not the magnificence of the place that makes it blissful. No, the Psalmist says it this way, “He that is our God is the God of salvation,” not, the place is our salvation.

But now to continue — the souls are therefore perfect, God is perfect, the magnificence and holiness is also perfect, and yet with all that perfection there is an imperfection, that is, the souls alone as spirits are awaiting the reunion with their bodies. That is the imperfection in the church triumphant prior to the resurrection. Reverently speaking, the blissful spirits look forward in longing to that great day when the full reunion takes place. It is not a sinful or impatient yearning they have, but a holy desire; quietly submitting to the will of God as long as He pleases to tarry.

Would not these residents of heaven know when that day shall come?

The Lord Jesus says in Matt. 24:36 “But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not angels in heaven, but My Father only.”

But even though they do not know when that day will come, they know it certainly will! That was their comfort when they were on earth! The apostle powerfully opposed those who denied the resurrection of the dead! He said, “Now if Christ be preached, that He rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead? He was explaining here that if there was no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen. As a consequence, if Christ be not risen then is your faith and our preaching in vain. What profit is there in my testimony to you if indeed it has not happened? Then we are nothing more than false witnesses, because our preaching did testify of God, that He raised up Christ!

And furthermore, if there is no resurrection, then all the dead are lost. This would include those who are fallen asleep in Christ hoping in the blessed resurrection as Christ was raised up.

And then he concludes by pointing out that if in this short span of life, we only have hoped in Christ, and do not believe that we shall be raised up even as He was, to live with Him eternally, we are all men most miserable!

But now follows his cry of triumph in the abounding faith of the resurrection, calling out in a way of rejoicing, “But now is Christ risen from the dead.” He would say, “I am positive, people, because I saw Him myself. And last of all He was seen of me! He is risen and He is consequently the first fruit of those that are asleep”

The Lord established an order in the resurrection, Christ was the first and then follows those who are Christ’s.

And why was it necessary that He be resurrected first? In order that, as all died in the covenant head Adam, they can now also be made alive in their covenant head Christ. “For He must reign till he hath put all enemies under his feet.”

Who is the last enemy?

“The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.” (1 Cor. 13).

Paul would say here, “You must understand, Corinthians, if the Lord took the souls only of His elect into heaven, and left their bodies to repose and perish in the earth, then death would retain a great victory.” It is true, their souls had been prepared, but, God had created man with a soul and a body. Adam glorified God in his body as well as in his soul. Now, because of sin, we are subjected to a threefold death. The body is subject to physical or natural death. If the body is left to lay in the earth or in the sea and perish, natural death will have kept its prey and Christ will have conquered spiritual and eternal death for the elect in vain. They live spiritually in heaven and eternal death will have no effect upon them, but they are not able to rise above this natural death.

Their bodies are lost to them.

Would then Christ have been a King over all enemies?

I would think not.

That is why death is the last enemy to be conquered. This includes natural death. All the elect will have returned to them a glorified body even as perfect as it was before the fall; but now immortal and incorruptible; unable to sin or to die.

Just as surely as the Head is raised up with a glorified body by the Father, so surely shall the members receive this too. Otherwise how could it become a body, and, how shall they be conformed to the image of His Son? Romans 8. Then, after the great resurrection at the last day, the whole body of Christ shall be perfectly complete.

But on the other hand, the unconverted will also have their bodies restored to them. However, this will not be a reason to rejoice for them. No, to the contrary, it will be a great regret and grief! O, the miserable condemned ones, whose souls are already in hell will wish they never had a body! They will also desire in great despair that they never have it returned to them because that will aggravate their misery. Any why? Because then they shall know what it is to the full, to have been a person and to have sinned with every member of the body. Because then, upon recovery of their bodies, each member of the body will be in pain.

Does God’s Word indicate that?

Yes, James says that the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. With our tongue we curse God our Creator and condemn our neighbor who is made in the image of God.

John says in Rev. 16:10, “And they gnaw their tongues for pain!” Every member of the body which has sinned shall feel punishment. What member is free of that? Think about this; we have sought out vanity with our eyes, have heard it with our ears, spoken it with our mouths, walked in forbidden places with our feet, and done wickedness with our hands, etc. The worst is to carry about a burning conscience, a flame of fire within.

And what kind of situtation will that be? 1st. Never being able to approve that God is fair in punishing this way and 2nd, never able to take over your own guilt and accept the fact that you have deserved this punishment.

If it were possible one would take a respite but there is no opportunity. They will be constantly cursing God and each other, and despairingly cry; “Had I, had I;” but—too late. O, those dreadful words, “Forever too late!”

There will be a clear recollection of all that has taken place in the world. Do not expect the possibility of insanity or numbness. No, each and every sin will be crystal clear in one’s remembrance. That is why it will be unbearable, but it will have to be borne eternally.

My poor boys and girls, if I could only make you understand what hell is and how fearful the last resurrection will be for all those who are not reconciled with God!

May you be moved to lamentation and aroused to jealousy. O, the great difference that will be brought to full revelation in that judgment day! A multitude so large no one can number, standing with glorified bodies on the right hand of the Mediator who in His Holy human nature with the same body is standing in their midst as their oldest Brother. And on the left hand a similar innumerable multitude of hell-deserving rebels who shall hear, “Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire!”

The first due to free grace and the second caused by their own guilt.

May the Lord warn you and bring you to account in your tender youth. May He set you as a monument of His eternal love.

What a blessed day that will be for God’s people when their souls and bodies shall forever be free of wanting to sin, nor will they be able to sin in thought, word or deed. It is no wonder that the apostle was so joyful in prospect of the resurrection!

May the Lord who is bountiful in grace place you, to the glory of His Name, among those to whom He shall say, “Come, ye blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” May He implant within your sighing body of sin and death the need to cry out, “Eternity come quickly, that I may be in your presence.” So be it.

The man that fears the Lord
God’s way shall understand
His soul shall ever dwell at ease
His children rule the land.

Psalter No. 62; 1.

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