ORDER OF RESURRECTION
I guess the best place to start would be the order of resurrection in 1 Corinthians 15.
Quote:
22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming.
24 Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.
25 For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.
There are multiple interpretations of the scripture quoted above, but in my opinion, this categorizes the resurrections from Christ forward.
1) Christ the firstfruits: As the prototype for the Church, our Lord was resurrected first, but in my opinion, this same resurrection is extended to the Church body as well (more support for a corporate hypostatic Church). We are the Bride, and therefore the Body of Christ (like how Eve was taken from Adam's body). Pentecost was the birth of the Church Age, so our resurrection is also associated with the harvest of the firstfruits. So this goes from Christ's own resurrection to the Rapture. Proof that Paul believed in Pretrib Rapture.
2) Those who are Christ's at His coming: This must be the resurrection of the OT saints, and the 144,000. Ezekiel 37 seems to detail the resurrection of the dead Israelites (dry bones) and Job 19:26-27 depicts Job's own resurrection at Christ's return.
3) Then will come the end: After the Millennium is finished, the remaining unresurrected believers (both alive and dead) would logically come next (Rev 20:5) in contrast to the Second Death (Rev 20:6).
By process of elimination, this is how I've come to understand 1 Corinthians 15:23-25. For verse 25 clearly states that Christ must rule until His enemies become His footstool.
Looking closer at the different resurrection categories, we notice that the resurrection at the Second Advent us not a full corporate resurrection like the Rapture is. Those "who are Christ's at His coming" are none other than the 144,000 of Israel, the and OT saints. But why wouldn't that include ALL slain Tribulation believers? Maybe it does.
The 144,000 are sealed on their foreheads and called the "firstfruits unto the Lamb".
Quote:
1 And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father's name written in their foreheads.
2 And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps:
3 And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth.
4 These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb.
As far as I can tell, the 144,000 are the firstfruits of the believers slain during the Tribulation. So they are resurrected at Christ's return where the rest must wait for the Millennium to finish. But, I'm also wondering if maybe the "rest of the dead" mentioned in Rev 20:5 might actually be believers who die during the Millennium? Again, why would ALL OT believers be resurrected, but only some of the dead Tribulation believers? I mean technically the Tribulation is Israel's time, therefore it is OT time delayed.
What am I leaving out so far?