Hello,
I was recently reading Milton Terrys Biblical Hermeneutics, and there I found an interesting idea. He proposed the doctrine of so called successive resurrections.
The idea is that after the resurrection of some by Christ himself during his earthly ministry, and after the resurrection of many saints when Jesus was crucified (as recorded in Matthew), and after Christs own resurrection, that there would be (and was) a partial, bodily resurrection of at least some believers when Jesus visited Jerusalem in judgment in 70 AD. This would be the fulfillment of the resurrection passages of Corinthians and Thessalonians, and the First Resurrection talked about in Revelation 20. The rest of the dead are therefore not resurrected until after the millennial kingdom, which is the current church age.
I never heard of this view and I would like to ask you, if you could provide further resources in that topic? That sounds very interesting to me, and would solve a lot of problems, but it also (as is always the case of course) creates some problems.
But let me be brief yet. He gives also some further scriptural support for this idea of his, for example when Paul himself wishes himself to “attain unto the resurrection of the dead”, or the passage in Corinthians of the sequence of the resurrection: first Christ, then “those of Christ at his coming” (that would be at 70 AD), and then the “end”, or, as some other theologians suggest it could be translated, the “rest”.
Although he does not specify the exact picture as to how many and who exactly would partake of that resurrection, I already have some questions and concerns regarding it. The first would be, that we have some early church writings, for example first Clement, and they don’t mention anything about it. But that is an argument from silence, now that I think about it. But secondly, when reading first Corinthians or Thessalonians, it sounds like Paul makes them hopeful that they all will be resurrected and changed (the living ones; I forgot to mention that this resurrection takes place simultaneously with the changing into eternal glory of the living ones at the time). But then, when all are resurrected, and the living ones changed and raptured unto heaven to the Lord, then who’s left? Who’s left in Corinth, in Thessalonica, in Jerusalem, everywhere? It seems to me, that then there is no church on earth left. But there was a church shortly after in Corinth still, thats what first Clement is addressed to, for example. That’s a bit strange. But of course, the solution would be, that some are not taken into heaven (for whatever reason); but as I said, the impression I get when reading those resurrection passages is that every one gets into heaven.
I would like to read more about that, it doesn’t sound like Terry himself came up with it. But I can not find anything. Therefore I wanted to ask here: could anyone help me with that?
I would also welcome your insights into this topic. I will leave a link to Terrys book below, he starts the discussion on the topic on page 463.
Thank you and God bless.
(removed: see forum rulesre: new members and links in posts)
I was recently reading Milton Terrys Biblical Hermeneutics, and there I found an interesting idea. He proposed the doctrine of so called successive resurrections.
The idea is that after the resurrection of some by Christ himself during his earthly ministry, and after the resurrection of many saints when Jesus was crucified (as recorded in Matthew), and after Christs own resurrection, that there would be (and was) a partial, bodily resurrection of at least some believers when Jesus visited Jerusalem in judgment in 70 AD. This would be the fulfillment of the resurrection passages of Corinthians and Thessalonians, and the First Resurrection talked about in Revelation 20. The rest of the dead are therefore not resurrected until after the millennial kingdom, which is the current church age.
I never heard of this view and I would like to ask you, if you could provide further resources in that topic? That sounds very interesting to me, and would solve a lot of problems, but it also (as is always the case of course) creates some problems.
But let me be brief yet. He gives also some further scriptural support for this idea of his, for example when Paul himself wishes himself to “attain unto the resurrection of the dead”, or the passage in Corinthians of the sequence of the resurrection: first Christ, then “those of Christ at his coming” (that would be at 70 AD), and then the “end”, or, as some other theologians suggest it could be translated, the “rest”.
Although he does not specify the exact picture as to how many and who exactly would partake of that resurrection, I already have some questions and concerns regarding it. The first would be, that we have some early church writings, for example first Clement, and they don’t mention anything about it. But that is an argument from silence, now that I think about it. But secondly, when reading first Corinthians or Thessalonians, it sounds like Paul makes them hopeful that they all will be resurrected and changed (the living ones; I forgot to mention that this resurrection takes place simultaneously with the changing into eternal glory of the living ones at the time). But then, when all are resurrected, and the living ones changed and raptured unto heaven to the Lord, then who’s left? Who’s left in Corinth, in Thessalonica, in Jerusalem, everywhere? It seems to me, that then there is no church on earth left. But there was a church shortly after in Corinth still, thats what first Clement is addressed to, for example. That’s a bit strange. But of course, the solution would be, that some are not taken into heaven (for whatever reason); but as I said, the impression I get when reading those resurrection passages is that every one gets into heaven.
I would like to read more about that, it doesn’t sound like Terry himself came up with it. But I can not find anything. Therefore I wanted to ask here: could anyone help me with that?
I would also welcome your insights into this topic. I will leave a link to Terrys book below, he starts the discussion on the topic on page 463.
Thank you and God bless.
(removed: see forum rulesre: new members and links in posts)
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