I have called today’s post as, The Resurrection of the Dead at The Second Coming of Christ. This is a CD Brooks sermon transcript that was originally called, THE MYSTERY OF THE DEAD RESURRECTION (from the Breath of Life Series by C. D. Brooks) transcribed and edited by Derek Morris
The Resurrection of the Dead At the Second Coming of Christ – CD Brooks sermon
Our topic this evening is: “The Mystery of the Dead Resurrection.” There are so many opinions floating around about what will occur at the end of time and I think I owe it to you to tell you what the Bible says, because that’s what we want to believe. Would you say Amen?
Not what a popular novel or movie speculates, but what the Bible says.
In Matthew 24:5 the Bible says this, and Jesus is speaking: “For many shall come in My name, saying ‘I am the Christ,’ and shall deceive many.” Let’s read on in verse 23-27: “Then if any man shall say unto you, ‘Lo, here is Christ’, or ‘there;’ believe it not. For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. Behold, I have told you before. Wherefore if they shall say unto you, ‘Behold, he is in the desert;’ go not forth: ‘behold, he is in the secret chambers;’ believe it not. For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west, so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be.”
Jesus says that His coming is not going to be secret, but like lightning from the east to the west. Would you say Amen? And so if you get up tomorrow morning and you see front page headlines: JESUS APPEARS IN JERUSELEM, calling a world press conference at 10:00 a.m., the Bible says, not only should you not believe it, but you shouldn’t even go and see.
If someone says He has appeared in the Temple at Salt Lake City, or out in the desert of Africa, Bible-believing Christians should know instantly that this is an imposter. Beloved, please don’t fool yourself into thinking that these will be blatantly false: these deceptions will be so impressive and so convincing that the Bible says in Matthew 24:5 “many will be deceived.”
And then comes the greatest deception of all. Right before the coming of Christ, Satan himself will stage a dramatic counterfeit. That ought not surprise you. Whenever God does something, Satan brings in a counterfeit, doesn’t he? And so it ought not surprise you that he would make a last, desperate attempt to drag people down with him.
The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 11:13-14, “Marvel not at this for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.” Satan has sent his agents down through the ages as impostors, or antichrists, but he is the epitome of antichrist. Transforming himself into an angel of light, he will perpetuate his last great deception upon the world, and all who are not firmly grounded in the Word of God, will be deceived.
The Bible tells us very clearly what Christ’s coming will be like. We covered this thrilling topic in great detail on the opening nights of our Prophecy Seminar. It’s going to be like lightning from the east to the west (Matthew 24:27). Every eye shall see Him (Revelation 1:7). It’s not going to be a secret coming (Matthew 24:23). And this glorious, world-wide event, Satan cannot counterfeit.
But not only must we know how Christ will come, but it is also very important for us to know what will happen when He comes. This is what we want to study in our Bibles tonight. You will remember that the day is coming soon when Jesus will stand up and make this declaration: Revelation 22:11-12. “He that is unjust let him be unjust still. And he that is righteous, let him be righteous still.”
When Christ comes for His people, the destiny of every man is settled. If that’s clear, would you say Amen?
So when someone tells you that Christ is going to take those that are ready and is going to give the others a second chance at salvation, you know that’s false. Amen?
That’s the Devil’s line. He says, Don’t worry about getting right with God. You can do it some other day. But the Bible says, Today if you hear His voice, harden not your hearts. Today is the day of salvation.
The Bible simply doesn’t teach that there’s a second chance to be saved. When Christ comes, every man’s destiny is settled. The Bible is absolutely clear on that point (We studied last week about the seven last plagues and we noticed that).
When Christ finishes His work of intercession, He will stand up and say, “It is finished.” and that’s when probation closes. Praying time is over. Too late to change sides then. You have either yielded to the commandments of men and received the mark of the beast, or you have stood true to God and received the seal of God.
Right after probation closes, the seven angels pour out the seven last plagues of judgment upon the wicked. Clearly, every man’s destiny is settled. You have either been marked unto damnation or sealed unto salvation.
And the Bible says, “Behold I come quickly,” Revelation 22:12, “and My reward is with Me, to reward every man according as his works shall be.” Would you say Amen?
Well, then, what exactly happens when our splendid Jesus puts in His earth-shattering appearance? There are only two groups of people. The righteous and the wicked. Those who keep the commandments of God and have the faith of Jesus, and those who through compromise and out of convenience have accepted the teaching of men.
And the Bible says that on that day, the wicked will run in terror. Revelation 6:14-17: “And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; and said to the mountains and rocks, ‘Fall on us, and hide us from the face of Him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: For the great day of His wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?’”
The Bible also says in 2 Thessalonians 2:8 that they will be destroyed by the brightness of His coming. What about the righteous? The Bible says that with unspeakable joy in our hearts we will look up and cry, “Lo, this is our God. We have waited for Him, and He will save us: this is the Lord; we have waited for Him we will be glad and rejoice in His salvation.”
And while we are looking up with joy, the trump of God will sound, and the dead in Christ will rise. Who is going to rise? 1 Thessalonians 4:16. Let me read to you what the Bible says. 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17: “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.”
So the righteous dead are raised and caught up with the righteous living to meet the Lord in the air. The wicked who are living are killed by the brightness of His coming and the wicked dead remain in the graves. They have no part in the resurrection of life. So who is left on the earth? Nobody. The wicked are all dead and the righteous have been caught up to meet Jesus in the air.
Revelation 20 deals with these events in detail. Let’s see what the Bible says about the Millennium. Incidentally, the word millennium is not in the Bible; it simply means a thousand years.
Revelation 20:1-3: “Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be released for a little while.”
So the Devil is cast into the bottomless pit for a thousand years. What is this bottomless pit? It is the Greek word abusov, from which we get the English word “abyss.”
It’s the same word used of this earth before God created life. It means a dark, empty, chaotic condition. The earth has been devastated by the judgments of God. Mountains have moved out of their places. Islands have disappeared. The wicked are like dung upon the ground, with no one alive to bury them. Here the Devil will be confined for a thousand years to contemplate the results of his rebellion.
The prophet Jeremiah talks about this waste condition in Jeremiah 4:23. While the Devil is confined here on the earth to contemplate his rebellion, what of the righteous? The Bible tells us they are “caught up to meet the Lord in the air, and so shall we ever be with the Lord.”
Remember what Jesus said in John 14:1-3? “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.”
Jesus has gone to prepare heavenly mansions for us in the city of the redeemed. The Bible calls it the New Jerusalem.
Well, what are the righteous doing in heaven during that thousand years? Let’s see what the Bible says in Revelation 20:4. The Prophet says, “And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the Word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.”
The righteous those who did not receive the mark of the beast, God’s people of all ages will reign with Christ in heaven for that thousand years. The Bible says, “This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ and shall reign with Him a thousand years.”
So the Devil is confined to this earth, nobody to tempt; the wicked are all dead and the righteous are in heaven, reigning with God for the thousand years. If that’s clear so far, would you say Amen?
Well, what happens next? The Bible says, “The rest of the dead lived not until the thousand years were finished.” Who are the rest of the dead? Well, we know the righteous of all ages are in heaven. Amen?
So the rest of the dead are the wicked of all ages. They are raised at the end of the thousand years. All of a sudden, Satan has someone to work with again. This is what the Bible means when it says that after the thousand years, Satan must be loosed a little season.
And so, after a thousand years of contemplating his rebellion, is the Devil ready to repent and stop fighting against God? Not at all. He is just as evil and just as fierce as ever.
Let’s read what the Bible says in Revelation 20:7-9: And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, and shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them (Revelation 20:7-9).
This is the final showdown. Satan has mustered the wicked of all ages. What is the object of their attack? The Bible says it is the camp of the saints and the beloved city. Which city is that? The New Jerusalem!
“Ah,” but you say, “I thought you told us that the New Jerusalem was in Heaven.” That’s right. And that’s where the saints dwell during the thousand years. But notice what it says in Revelation 21:2: “And I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.” So the New Jerusalem descends. We are inside. You do want to be one of those on the inside, don’t you?
And Satan says to the wicked, “Here’s our chance. There are more of us than there are of them. Let’s take the city.” With a last desperate surge of evil, the wicked charge toward the city. But the Bible tells us what happens. “Fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them.” This is the final judgment of the Devil and his angels and all the wicked. Fire comes down from God out of heaven. This is hellfire. Hell isn’t a location somewhere. Hellfire is coming down from God out of heaven. Would you say Amen?
It’s going to burn up this wicked world. The Bible says that this whole world is going to become a fiery inferno. The apostle Peter talks about that judgment by fire in 2 Peter 3:7-12. This eternal fire is the same as destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah (Jude 7). Eternal fire. Nothing left. The wages of sin equal death.
The Bible doesn’t tell us about the New Jerusalem while the old world is being incinerated. I’m sure God is able to take care of us. Would you say Amen? He probably puts some kind of heat shield around the city. If our God can air-condition a fiery furnace and shut the lions’ mouths, He can handle that too. Amen?
And what happens when it’s all over? Are we left with a charred mess outside the New Jerusalem for the rest of eternity? Not at all. God makes the declaration in Revelation 21:5: “Behold I make all things new.” Once God has cleansed the earth of sin and sinners, and burned up our heavens which we have polluted and littered, the Bible says in Revelation 21:1: “And I saw a new heavens and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away.”
The prophet Isaiah, speaking of that day, said in Isaiah 65:17, “For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth and the former shall not be remembered nor come into mind.” All those things that men and women give their lives for are going to be burned up. All those possessions that people put ahead of God, this will all be burned up.
So the question on our minds tonight should be, Where will I be on that day? If we should sleep before Jesus comes, the sleep of death, would we hear the voice of Jesus calling us from our graves in the first resurrection, the resurrection of life when Jesus comes at the beginning of the thousand years?
Or would we rest in the grave a thousand years too long and come up in the resurrection of the damned, the dread resurrection, the resurrection without hope, only to see the New Jerusalem with the redeemed of all ages on the inside and you on the outside.
Friends, that’s a solemn thought, isn’t it? And if by God’s grace we live until the coming of Christ, will we be among those who look up with unspeakable joy and cry out, “Lo, this is our God. We have waited for Him and He will save us.”
Will we be among those who feel the surge of recreation pulsing through our bodies as this mortal puts on immortality, and this corruptible puts on incorruption? Or will we be among those who run in terror on that day, among those who cry for the rocks to fall upon them?
Oh, dear friends, that’s the choice we have to make. We can’t wait until the skies catch fire and we see Jesus coming in all His glory. It will be too late then. You realize that, don’t you? You’ve got to decide now: where are you going to be on that day?
You’ve got to make a commitment now. You don’t even know what tomorrow should bring. If you should die tonight, your destiny would be sealed. You’re either coming up in the first resurrection of life, or the dread resurrection of damnation.
And it’s not a casual decision that Jesus is asking for. He wants your life, He wants all of you. Your total allegiance. Nothing else will do. It’s all or nothing for the Savior. What will you decide? If you want to say with me tonight, I want to be on the Lord’s side. I want to be ready when Jesus comes, and should I die tonight, I want to come up in the blessed resurrection of life.
If that’s the desire of your heart tonight–now, don’t fool with the Lord–but if you really mean it, you want to be right with God and you want to fully surrender your life to Him I want you to stand upright now while we pray.
Closing Prayer: CD Brooks sermon.
Blessed Lord, you see these dear people here tonight. You know we love You. You know our hearts, Lord. We want to be ready when Jesus comes. We want to be with You in the earth made new. We realize tonight that You’re asking for a full commitment to You and Your will. Nothing else will do. We’re standing to let You know the desire of our hearts. Take us, Lord. Fill us with Your Holy Spirit and the desire to put You first in everything. We ask it in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Related:
Man Stuck In The Mud (King Herod Perplexed by Jesus) – CD Brooks Sermons
CD Brooks Sermon: AH HA (Powerful Sermon on Death of Christ)
Depart From Me I Never Knew You (Lost in Church) – CD Brooks Sermon Archive
If Your Eye Causes You To Sin…If Your Hand Causes You To Sin… – CD Brooks Sermon Transcript
Strait Is The Gate and Narrow is The way (Hard To Save) – CD Brooks Sermon Transcript
Neither Do I Condemn You Go and Sin No More (God In Bad Company) – CD Brooks Sermon Transcript
Relationship Between Love and Keeping the Ten Commandments – CD Brooks Sermon Transcript
Sinful Nature: Born Into Sin (Wrong Desires) – CD Brooks Sermon Transcript
Everybody Is Going To Repent Someday – CD Brooks Sermon Transcript
It is my hope that you have been blessed by this CD Brooks sermon, The resurrection of The Dead At The Second Coming of Christ
