In Eric Bechler's sermon 'The State of Man after Death and the Resurrection,' he examines the events of the last day as articulated in the Second London Baptist Confession of 1689. The sermon explores the period from Christ's ascension to His return, emphasizing that we live in the 'last days' and should act with reverence and expectation. Bechler discusses the transformation of those alive at Christ's return, stating they will be changed without dying, while all the dead will rise with their original bodies, albeit with different qualities. The sermon highlights the continuity between Christ's resurrection and that of believers, pointing out that resurrected bodies will be free from sin and corruption, likened to Christ's glorious body. The discourse concludes with the eternal destinies of the righteous and the wicked, underscoring the final victory over death through resurrection, as articulated by biblical passages and theologians like John Piper.

Our reading from the Second London Baptist Confession today of 1689 comes again from Chapter 31 of the state of man after death. Last week we looked at the intermediate state, what happens to man from when he dies until the second coming when he is given a new body, a resurrected body. Today we begin our look at the last day, that last day, what happens to those who have died previously and what happens to those who are still living when Christ returns. We will not at this time draw distinction between the righteous or too much between the righteous and the wicked. We'll just focus on the last day.

This is an event that hasn't happened before. Some say it's coming soon, but in reality, We just don't know. But what information we have comes from Scripture. So we must turn to Scripture and see what it says and remember that phrase, what sayeth the Scriptures. What do we mean when we say at the last day?

The last days are the period from Christ's ascension, his rising from the dead until Christ returns. So today, right now, we are living in these last days and we should be living our lives accordingly, expectingly, and in the fear of the Lord. Peter tells us that the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night 2nd Peter 3 10. We don't know when it is many speculate, but that is a fool's errand Even Jesus said he did not know but only the Father in Mark 1332. What we do know is that on the last day, Jesus will return and it will be the day of the consummation of all things and the day of final judgment.

If you somehow knew that the last day would be tomorrow. What would you do? Would you do anything different? I hope you would wake up, spend some time in prayer, read your Bible, for those with family to sit down and have family worship. I hope you would be about the things of God as it should be every day, every day.

Our confession states that at the last day, those saints who are found alive will not sleep, but will be changed. And it seems clear that there will be some people still living at the final trumpet when Christ returns. Yet Thomas Aquinas argues in his commentary on 1st Thessalonians 4 that when the Lord comes those who are found alive will die and then immediately together with those who had died before they will rise up and be taken up into the clouds to meet Christ as he says Paul clearly says. In the Acts of the Apostles we are told that Jesus was ordained by God to be the judge of the living and the dead. In Acts 2 42 from Jesus the parable of the ten virgins in Matthew 25 1 through 13 we have an indication that there are some alive when Christ returns some were vigilant and some were not.

For Matthew 24, 39 through 46, and they did not know until the flood came and took all away, so also will be the coming of the Son of Man. At that time too, will be out in the field, too grinding at the mill. And blessed is that servant, whom his Lord shall find so doing when he comes." The expectation is that people will be living their lives normally when Christ returns. Paul more directly clarifies this in 1 Thessalonians 4 17, then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together. And in 1st Corinthians 15, 51, he writes, behold, I tell you a mystery.

We shall not all sleep, meaning to die, but we shall all be changed. Furthermore, Paul in this passage tells us what happens to those who have not yet died or who are alive when Christ returns. We shall all be changed, not die but changed. They will receive their glorified bodies without passing through death. How is that to be done?

Who knows? Paul tells us it is a mystery or a hidden truth. It seems miraculous, but for a God who, who by a word created the entire universe, it is not only possible, but it will happen. Brackle suggests this change will render the ungodly immortal and capable of eternally bearing all punishments and the suffering of pain. The godly, who according to the soul will have the image of God perfectly and who will be bodily conformed to Christ, will put on incorruption, immortality, glory, power, and spirituality.

The confession continues that the last day all the dead shall be raised up with the self same bodies and none other, although with different qualities. The saints found alive will be changed and all the dead will be raised up, both the righteous and the wicked, all the dead. We read in the Gospel of John in chapter 5, verse 28 through 29, for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of condemnation. All who are in the graves, everyone. We also read this from Daniel in the Old Testament, And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life and some to shame and everlasting contempt." Daniel 12, 2.

And here there might be a little confusion from the use of the word many, where we might expect the word all. Calvin in his commentary offers some clarity. The word many seems here clearly put for all, and this is not to be considered as at all absurd. For the angel does not use the word in contrast with all or few, but only with one. Some of the Jews strain this expression to mean the restoration of the church and this world under themselves, which is perfectly frivolous.

In this case, the following language would not be correct. Some shall rise to life, others to disgrace and contempt. Hence, if this concern none but the Church of God, certainly none would rise to disgrace and condemnation. This shows the angel to be treating of the last resurrection, which is common to all and allows of no exceptions. Furthermore, we can look at how Paul uses the word many where all is clearly understood as its meaning as in Romans 5 15.

But the free gift is not like the offense. For if by one man's offense, many died. This is understood as all of Adam's posterity, all mankind. For if by one man's offense, many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by grace of one man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many. And again, many here is understood as all who have faith by that grace.

And finally, from Paul's second letter to the Corinthians, we read, for we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body according to what he has done, whether good or bad. Second Corinthians 5 10. If all men must appear before the judgment seat of Christ, then they all must first arise, both the godly and the wicked. The next point of this section addresses is that the dead shall be raised up with the self-same bodies and none other, although with different qualities. Will our tired old bodies be reanimated?

Will we have new and improved bodies unlike what we had on earth? Will we look the same or will we look different? Paul addresses this unexpected question as to what body is resurrected. But someone will say, how are the dead raised up? And with what body do they come in 1 Corinthians 10.35?

What does scripture tell us? Let's first turn to the example of Christ's own resurrected body. We have recorded in the Gospel of Luke Jesus' appearance to the disciples after His resurrection. To reassure His disciples that He was really flesh and bone, not just a spirit, he showed them his hands and his feet. He told them to handle me and see.

And finally, he asked for food to eat in front of them, which he did. In Luke 24, 39 through 43, his actual body, Christ's actual physical body had been laid in a tomb and on the third day he arose and the tomb was empty. His self-same body rose and was witnessed by many before finally ascending to the right hand of God the Father. Jesus very clearly states that His resurrected body was His physical body, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have in Luke 24 39. From a 2017 table talk devotional it says, a connection exists between Christ's resurrection and ours.

As Paul says, the very same spirit who raised Jesus from the dead, will do the same for our mortal bodies, Romans 8-11. There is a continuity between the resurrection of Jesus and ours. He is the first fruits. We are the harvest. 1 Corinthians 15, 20 to 23.

His resurrection was the guarantee of our own resurrection. We can understand that our resurrected bodies will be our bodies and they will be flesh and bone, but will they be the same as before or will there be any differences? Our confession states that they will have different qualities. Paul tells us that our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, will transform our lowly body, that it may be conformed to His glorious body in Philippians 321. Paul speaks of our body, our lowly body, our sinful, corrupted body that has returned to dust, that it will at the resurrection be conformed to or fashioned as Christ's glorious body, a body without sin.

In 1st Corinthians 15 42 through 44 we read, the body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption, it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory, it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power, it is sown a natural body, It is raised a spiritual body. Last week in talking about the body and the soul, I used the term material and immaterial. And I don't want us to be confused here with the terminology with immaterial and a spiritual body. We don't have that idea here. In this case, we understand that a natural body is a physical body, physical body that has sin and is corrupted.

The spiritual body that we're talking here is still a physical body, just like Christ at his resurrection, but it is a body without sin, incorruptible. The final phase of our paragraph today emphasizes the union of our souls with our resurrected bodies. We turn again to Daniel 12, 2, those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, some to shame and everlasting contempt. Those who sleep are all those who have died. They will be resurrected and they will be reunited with their souls forever.

And as Jesus is describing events at the end of the age to his disciples, he makes the point that the end result for everyone will either be eternal life or eternal punishment, that there will be an everlasting aspect, a permanence for the changed and the resurrected. He says in these the wicked will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous unto eternal life, Matthew 25, 46. I'd like to close with some words from John Piper's website, Desiring God, and from Matt Perman. Death is an enemy that God intends to fully conquer and fully destroy. And that is only accomplished by raising His people from the dead.

When this perishable will have put on the imperishable and this mortal will have put on immortality Then will come about the saying that is written death is swallowed up in victory. Oh death Where is your victory? Where is your sting? 1st Corinthians 15 54 and 55 Notice from this passage that it is when the resurrection occurs and only then, that death is fully swallowed up in victory. John and Murray expresses this.

The redemption Christ has secured for his people is redemption not only from sin, but also from all its penalties. Death is the wages of sin and the death of believers does not deliver them from death. The last enemy, death, has not yet been destroyed, has not yet been swallowed up in victory. Hence, glorification has in view the destruction of death itself. Therefore, when we ponder and encounter the reality of death, our confidence and our hope lies in the knowledge that death does not have the last word.

It will be fully undone. Amen.