March 22, 2005 Rise and Shine: Wake up to a renewed appreciation of the Resurrection of Jesus

by Pete Brown
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Thank you, you can hear me okay I take it.

I'm following Fr. Hayes and preceding Fr. Lutz in this; I hope I will be able stand with the big boys! It may be difficult, but at any rate, I want to let you know, I saw the fliers that went out "Pete Brown wife of Liz Brown" just to clarify, I am her husband, that part was a minor error but hte part about being an all-star by proxy, is dead on. In fact, Liz is the truth all-star, she's actually a national speaker, this is the first, sort of, regional talk that I have given so I'm working up to the national status. So, Living in Liz's shadow keeps me humble for one thing and it also helps diminish your expectations so the less you expect of me to night, the better I'll do.

Tonight I'd like to talk about a doctrine of our Faith that is very central, and that's the resurrection. One thing I have learned in theological studies is learning more doesn't necessarily mean learning new things in terms of languages or writers, but really it's just looking at old things and appreciating them more deeply. It think the resurrection is like that. There s a general teaching template that the Church uses which says Jesus rose from the dead on Sunday morning and conquered sin and death and that's right on but I hope to bring out a whole lot more and a deeper way to thinking about it in terms of our own personal salvation. The New Testament writers, especially St. Paul, there is a lot more to it than that, it really just scratches the surface.


If you brought a bible, if you didn't that's okay it doesn't surprise me, you are mostly Catholic. Turn with me to one of the most difficult passages in Paul's writings. 1 Cor. 15. Paul goes into a tizzy about talking about the resurrection and what it means to him. I will start reading at verse 3.

For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. For I am the least of the apostles, unfit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God which is with me. Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed. Now if Christ is preached as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised; if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified of God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised. If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all men most to be pitied. (1 Cor. 15:3-19)

Okay, "If Christ was not raised from the dead our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain." Now, if there was one doctrine that w could pick and say if it were not true our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain, I would suspect if you polled bishops and Cahtolic Theologians I don't think they would pick this necessarily, they'd say that Jesus Christ is true god and true man or that the HOly Trinity is three Divine Persons in One God or that Jesus is truly present in the Eucharist.

I think Paul could have said that, but the fact is he didn't, he chose this doctrine as being central to the message. I think there is something to this. Now where does the doctrine of the Resurrection come from? For one, it happened, but there is more to it than this because at the beginning of this passage he said "He was raised on the third day in accordance to the scriptures". Let me ask you a question, where in the scriptures, in the old Testament, which is what he is referring to, does it say that? I'll save you the time of looking, it's not in there. So, we have the most central document of our Faith which claims to be the fulfillment of the old testament and it claims to be based on the fulfillment of the prophecy of the scriptures, at least one of them, but there is nothing in there that says that. What is it based on? It seems to be based on nothing. In fact, some scholars would say it's not Jewish doctrine at all but I'd like to show you otherwise.

I'd like to bring out a lot of what Paul is seeing that we tend not to see. One of the reasons we tend not to see is a lot of times we only look at the text and sometimes we don't look for assumptions that lie behind the text. What is the cultural assumption? What did the people think at the time? What do the writers assume what you know or what assumption is behind what they tell us. If I told you a story of a lovely lady bringing up three lovely girls, you'd know what I'm talking about. You'd know all about it. The Brady Bunch, you know all about the dog named Tiger, the maid Alice who has a boyfriend sam who is a butcher, there's six kids, Peter like pork chops and applesauce and Jan says "Marcia, Marcia, Marcia" Becuase your culture is saturated with stuff like that, I could say the words and you know all the stuff underneath the surface. I think for St. Paul being a first century Jew, turned a first century Christian, I think the Resurrection is kind of like that. To try to get you to capture what it meant to Paul, we have to go back a couple steps.


Let's go back to Genesis. Let's search for the assumptions that lie behind these assumptions so if you turn to Genesis 12, let's go there.

Now the LORD said to Abram, "Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who curses you I will curse; and by you all the families of the earth shall bless themselves." (Gen 12:1-3)

Now, blessing, when was the last time God blessed someone? It's when he blessed Noah, before that was Adam. What's the purpose of this? It's to solve the problem of sin in the human race. God is not going to allow them to fall into rebellion and sin. And the Abraham and the promise to Abraham and this whole basic covenantal structure is what underlies the whole Old Testament Narrative. The whole old testament back-story is really our story. God is attempting to use these people to bless the nations. If any of you have read Dr. Hahn he hits on this very hard.

Let's look at another text that follows from this and I think we'll see a new dimension of this. That besides the idea of founding a great nation and a blessing we'll see something else. So, turn with me to Genesis 17.

"Behold, my covenant is with you, and you shall be the father of a multitude of nations. No longer shall your name be Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful... (Gen 17:4-7)

Again the language about making him fruitful like he said to Adam, now it's being given to Abraham; we're starting over again with a renewed humanity ultimately to accomplish the type of humanity God wanted all along.

And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your descendants after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your descendants after you. And I will give to you, and to your descendants after you, the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God." (Gen 17:7,8)

Okay, so it won't only be the land, a great nation and an blessing, but also he will have a line of kings because it says "and kings shall come forth from you" in verse 6. Again, we have the basic idea of a foundation of conventional structure that St. Paul as a good Jew has these things memorized, is assuming.


So, let's accelerate through this, we know this basic story. Israel ends up in Egypt, and God leads them out into the dessert, the law is given, after 40 years of wandering, Joshua ultimately leads them to the promised land. They enter hte promised land and they setup under Judges. They kick out the nations over a period of time, as God says that they will do. He actually empowers them to do this becuase the land is not rightfully theirs. They establish a king after asking God. King Saul fails and is succeeded by David. Who wants to build a temple. Let's look at that narrative because that's essential also.

Now therefore thus you shall say to my servant David, 'Thus says the LORD of hosts, I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, that you should be prince over my people Israel; and I have been with you wherever you went, and have cut off all your enemies from before you; and I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth. And I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in their own place, and be disturbed no more; and violent men shall afflict them no more, as formerly, from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel; and I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover the LORD declares to you that the LORD will make you a house. When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come forth from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom for ever. (2 Sam. 7:8-13)

Just like the land promise, the kingdom is a blessing forever. Neither one, in the language of the promise, can be taken away. That's what everlasting means. Continue...

I will be his father, and he shall be my son. When he commits iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men; but I will not take my steadfast love from him (Steadfast Love here "hessed" means a Covenant Love I will never abandon the promise I made to him, that's the promise.)...And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure for ever before me; your throne shall be established for ever.'" (2 Sam. 7:14-16)

Now, what happens, they get setup in the land, they build the temple, Solomon takes over, they are good for a while and then they are divided. Then they fall into idolatry. And in 722bc they are conquered. By the way, The more you know the story in 1st, 2nd Kings, 1st,2nd Samual, and Chronicles, the more you will understand this. If you're pursuing biblical studies even on a devotional level the more you know this the better off you will be. The kingdom of the north is destroyed and in the south survives for a bit but 587bc that is destroyed by Babylonians. They lost the land, the temple, the kings that were supposed to continue forever are all gone. The land is gone, even though these were everlasting promises. You'd think this would shake your faith a bit given that these were everlasting guarantees.


What do we do with that? This period inaugurates a sustained period of reflection on God and His promises. This inaugurates the prophetic works. The prophetic works more or less try to analyze the situation as it is on the ground. On the ground God promised a bunch of things in a provisional way, but they were taken away, everyone knew why they were taken away, the sins of the people demanded it. God wouldn't allow his people to fall into idolatry. They were to be a physician to the nations but they had succumbed to the same disease. Ultimately, we need something new to happen here.

God doesn't let the people die, He kept talking to them through the prophets. Turn to Isiah 41. This was after the exile, people were wondering if God was going to be faithful.

Who stirred up one from the east whom victory meets at every step? He gives up nations before him, so that he tramples kings under foot; he makes them like dust with his sword, like driven stubble with his bow. He pursues them and passes on safely, by paths his feet have not trod. Who has performed and done this, calling the generations from the beginning? I, the LORD, the first, and with the last; I am He. The coastlands have seen and are afraid, the ends of the earth tremble; they have drawn near and come. Every one helps his neighbor, and says to his brother, "Take courage!" The craftsman encourages the goldsmith, and he who smooths with the hammer him who strikes the anvil, saying of the soldering, "It is good"; and they fasten it with nails so that it cannot be moved. But you, Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, the offspring of Abraham, my friend; you whom I took from the ends of the earth, and called from its farthest corners, saying to you, "You are my servant, I have chosen you and not cast you off"; fear not, for I am with you, be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my victorious right hand. Behold, all who are incensed against you shall be put to shame and confounded; those who strive against you shall be as nothing and shall perish. (Isiah 41:2-11)

There is a strong element of military conquest in this. Israel had their own faith in God shaken. But God answers with more promises. We are getting closer to an idea of Resurrection right now because we're facing head-on with the problem of sin and death as it's concretely played out in human history. Why did they lose the land? Ultimately, because of sin. We will see now that death will have a hand in this now too.

We consider this period, as historians, the Diaspera which means scattering in Greek. But it's also very interesting that the word Diaspera in Greek is the technical medical terminology for the way a corpse rots and decomposes. We're talking about a nation that is essentially dead. Not completely, but dead in some regard.


Let's go to Ezekiel 37, this should be familiar to some of you, this is the famous dry bones vision.

The hand of the LORD was upon me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the LORD, and set me down in the midst of the valley; it was full of bones. And he led me round among them; and behold, there were very many upon the valley; and lo, they were very dry. And he said to me, "Son of man, can these bones live?" And I answered, "O Lord GOD, thou knowest." Again he said to me, "Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD. Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. And I will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live; and you shall know that I am the LORD." So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold, a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to its bone. And as I looked, there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them; but there was no breath in them. Then he said to me, "Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, Thus says the Lord GOD: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live." So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, an exceedingly great host. Then he said to me, "Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Behold, they say, 'Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are clean cut off.' Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I will open your graves, and raise you from your graves, O my people; and I will bring you home into the land of Israel. (Ezek 37:1-12)

We're getting a little closer to the idea of a resurrection, but there are things missing. We're talking about people coming back to life from the grave, but Resurrection is more than that. Lazarus is like this but he has to go through death all over again but one who is Resurrected never dies. Another difference about this is we're talking about a people not a person. A people who are dead in their sins, coming back to life.

There is one place where we're actually going to see the 3-day motif. We're not going to read a lot of it, it's in Hosea. We're going backwards in time a little here but there is a keen sense on what is going on.

When Ephraim saw his sickness, and Judah his wound, then Ephraim went to Assyria, and sent to the great king. But he is not able to cure you or heal your wound. For I will be like a lion to Ephraim, and like a young lion to the house of Judah. I, even I, will rend and go away, I will carry off, and none shall rescue. I will return again to my place, until they acknowledge their guilt and seek my face, and in their distress they seek me, saying, "Come, let us return to the LORD; for he has torn, that he may heal us; he has stricken, and he will bind us up. After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will raise us up, that we may live before him. (Hosea 5:13 - 6:2)

This is one of the only times this is mentioned in the Old Testament. And again, we're not talking about a messiah or a Davidic King but a people who are sick in their sins and who have died because of this.

Now, Jump down to v7 and it gives it all away. There is a sustained reflection on this, why has sin come into this at all? Why can't we just do what God asked us to do? It's becoming more apparent with this sustained reflection. "But at Adam they transgressed the covenant; there they dealt faithlessly with me." (Hosea 6:7) You see, after the Babylonian exile, the Jews started to focus on their past a lot. There was very little said about Adam in first two thousand years of Jewish history but between 500 years or so before the time of Christ up to the time of Christ, especially in the latter two centuries there's a ton written about Adam and his sin and the affects on the human race. Israel is kinda like the new Adam. Israel was sent to do what Adam couldn't do. But they failed because Israel is an Adam, they ultimately come from the same place so they fall into the same pattern.

This whole idea of the Resurrection comes about after a sustained reflection of the sin and death of an entire people. There's one other place where the 3-day motif comes up, anyone know where that is? Jonah has this motif as well in the belly of the whale. But it's really an allegory for all of Israel. He was sent to preach to Assyria. Instead he goes the opposite direction, he ends up in the water and in the fish, the fish symbolizes death. God commands the fish to spit him out and the new Jonah goes back to do what he's supposed to do the first time. do you see the allegory? It's all about Israel. The Old Israel failed, the new Israel, after this event happens, will succeed at least in some way.

There's one place I want to go back, go back to Genesis 17 and we may be a little surprised when we look at something here. Notice here we were talking before about this land guarantee. One of the problems with the idea of Ressurection Salvation is that it's not mentioned that much in the hebrew bible. Okay, at least not specifically. So many scholars superficially say that it's a Christian innovation that Paul made up when he accepted Greco-Roman phlosophy. Believe it or not that is the main supposition up until 20 or 30 years ago. But if you look at these verses very carefully with sustained deep theological reflection of this idea of Resurrection if you have this in the back of your mind, let's look at verse 7 here again. "And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your descendants after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your descendants after you. And I will give to you, and to your descendants after you, the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God." (Gen 17:7-8)

Look at who He's talking to here? Abraham, did he get to keep his land? Well, His descendants did, but the text says it will be given to him, specifically. What's the problem here? Abraham didn't get to keep the land though because he died. Do you see hte problem? If you look at the verses with the idea of resurrection, there is no way that these promises could be fulfilled unless God's people were raised in a new way where they could not taste death anymore and they couldn't sin because these are the things ultimately that stopped the promises to be fulfilled to begin with. So, you see the twin evils of sin and death are there not only in our lives, but in human history as well. The key things that God has to overcome to be able to achieve what He wants. But what does He want? A unified human family, worshiping Him, submitting to Him, and under His law and everyone who doesn't submit will, ultimately, have to be removed. That's the basic framework.

This Resurrection motif is not anymore the surface of a person but it's beneath the surface in a lot of places.


What would the first century Jews have thought about this though? The Jews still don't have much to go on but a lot of promises. They had the land temporarily, lost it, some came back around 400bc but not many. They managed to build the temple but it became corrupted, the Greeks defiled it, then Herod ultimately corrupted pretending to be a messianic figure himself.

What are they going through at this time, suppose this happened to us. Put ourselves in their shoes. All the bishops of the world, the priests and the pope, God forbid, are taken together and brought somewhere and killed. What happens, no Eucharist anymore, no priests, no mass, we can baptize each other and read scripture but that's it. All we could have is what, Matthew 16:18. (... and on this rock I will build my church, and the powers of death shall not prevail against it.) Could you imagine going through 500 years of that? Perhaps after 100 years we build a church somewhere because they are all destroyed, perhaps some secular Catholic leader could read scripture like John Kerry. That's analogous to what was going on, they didn't have a temple, no priesthood, no real ark of the covenant. In other words, there is no Jew in Paul's time that could have thought that these promises were fulfilled.

One passage I would like to go to is Psalm 89. giving you an idea what in real life... This is a triumphalistic psalm, this celebrates God and his covenant. If you start with verse 1.

I will sing of thy steadfast love, O LORD, for ever; [That "steadfast love" here is that hessed that covenent fidelity that God has that once God makes a promise He always keeps it. Even though there isn't a lot to go on here. The promises He made long ago are fading into memory.] ...for ever; with my mouth I will proclaim thy faithfulness to all generations. For thy steadfast love was established for ever, thy faithfulness is firm as the heavens. Thou hast said, "I have made a covenant with my chosen one, I have sworn to David my servant: 'I will establish your descendants for ever, and build your throne for all generations.'"

This sounds much like what we read in 2 Samuel where God promises to establish a kingdom. This was probably written at the same time. Now, Let's jump ahead here and see what happens... verse 26.

He shall cry to me, 'Thou art my Father, my God, and the Rock of my salvation.' And I will make him the first-born, the highest of the kings of the earth. [By the way a lot of scholars see this as Jesus.] My steadfast love [my hessed] I will keep for him for ever, and my covenant will stand firm for him. I will establish his line for ever...

Notice this, Forever forever forever, it is forever. Notice the blow that is being struck here though, who is going to believe this stuff though, everything else has broken. Jump down to verse 25, He says, "I will not lie to David" He's in it forever. "His line shall endure for ever, his throne as long as the sun before me. Like the moon it shall be established for ever; it shall stand firm while the skies endure."
Now, Look what happens in verse 38, "But now thou hast cast off and rejected, thou art full of wrath against thy anointed. Thou hast renounced the covenant with thy servant; thou hast defiled his crown in the dust." Can God really renounce a covenant? No, but it seems like He did didn't it?.

In Verse 46,

How long, O LORD? Wilt thou hide thyself for ever? How long will thy wrath burn like fire? Remember, O Lord, what the measure of life is, for what vanity thou hast created all the sons of men! What man can live and never see death? Who can deliver his soul from the power of Sheol? [The abode of the dead.] Lord, where is thy steadfast love of old, which by thy faithfulness thou didst swear to David? [In other words, God didn't break His covenant but it seems like He did and how do you square it? Where is the steadfast love Lord if you allow this to happen?] Remember, O Lord, how thy servant is scorned; how I bear in my bosom the insults of the peoples, with which thy enemies taunt, O LORD, with which they mock the footsteps of thy anointed. Blessed be the LORD for ever! Amen and Amen. (Psalm 89)

This is a real life psalm. This carries with it a weight of human experience, of dashed expectation, of hopes unrealized. Is God ever going to make good on these promises? They would be saying this in synagogues every single sabbath up until the time of Christ.


Now what would Paul have thought about this at this time being a pharisee like he was, not only that be being the strictest of the strict pharisees? Paul believes this, he believes the Resurrection of the Dead. The Sadducees were the only ones who didn't believe in it. What would he have believed besides the Resurrection of the dead? It's hard to know exactly but it's not too far fetched to say, he would have believed that God would have a Davidic king who would consummate a victory over the pagan nations. He would execute judgement against these people and raise Israel up permanently in the sight of the nations. Now the nations will benefit from this as well becuase they will come to hear the Law. There are several verses from prophets that I don't want to get into right now but there are certain elements of nations that respond to God's call to hear the law. But none of this has happened at the time.

Now this world view, I think, strikes us surprisingly, sounds very crude, it sounds a little Islamic if you get down to it. Militaristic, triumphalistic, it's very pre-modern in a way, it almost offends our sensibilities.

But this is the interesting part of this, when did Paul abandon this old-world view and embrace the new gospel of salvation? The answer is, he never did. Now there were some fine tunings and adjustments but ultimately, the Paul who is a Pharisee, is the Paul who is a Christian. And I'd like to show that if you turn to Acts 13 to read the first sermon he ever gave in the Antioch synagogue. Now does this sound to you like a man who abandoned Judaism? This was after he converted.

So Paul stood up, and motioning with his hand said: "Men of Israel, and you that fear God, listen. The God of this people Israel chose our fathers and made the people great during their stay in the land of Egypt, and with uplifted arm he led them out of it. And for about forty years he bore with them in the wilderness. And when he had destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan, he gave them their land as an inheritance, for about four hundred and fifty years. And after that he gave them judges until Samuel the prophet. Then they asked for a king; and God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years. And when he had removed him, he raised up David to be their king; of whom he testified and said, 'I have found in David the son of Jesse a man after my heart, who will do all my will.' Of this man's posterity God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus, as he promised. (Acts 13:16-23)

"Brethren, sons of the family of Abraham, and those among you that fear God, to us has been sent the message of this salvation. For those who live in Jerusalem and their rulers, because they did not recognize him nor understand the utterances of the prophets which are read every sabbath, fulfilled these by condemning him. Though they could charge him with nothing deserving death, yet they asked Pilate to have him killed. And when they had fulfilled all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree, and laid him in a tomb. But God raised him from the dead; and for many days he appeared to those who came up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are now his witnesses to the people. And we bring you the good news that what God promised to the fathers, this he has fulfilled to us their children by raising Jesus (Acts 13:26-33)

Now let's go through this again "And we bring you the good news that what God promised to the fathers", that's to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, all of them, ultimately this is fulfilled with Jesus. Why? Jesus in His Resurrection has not only raised Himself, He raised all of Israel, the whole Old Testament up, He has fulfilled everything that came before him.

This is so important to see this! We have got to recover our Jewish roots. The longer we resist getting into the Old Testament and understanding it, the more understanding will allude us when we try to read the New Testament because these New Testament writers assume we knew all this stuff.

I'd like to read another speech he gave about his conversion in Acts 26.

"I think myself fortunate that it is before you, King Agrippa, I am to make my defense today against all the accusations of the Jews, because you are especially familiar with all customs and controversies of the Jews; therefore I beg you to listen to me patiently.

"My manner of life from my youth, spent from the beginning among my own nation and at Jerusalem, is known by all the Jews. They have known for a long time, if they are willing to testify, that according to the strictest party of our religion I have lived as a Pharisee. (Acts 26:2-5)

By the way, I didn't mention this one of the reasons why Paul was a great persecuter of the people is he really believed that if he could whip people into shape, he would hasten the coming of the Messiah and the resurrection. Rabbi's think this even today that sin delays the Messiah. He is dying for his people to be vindicated, for the pagans to be humbled and then to see God triumphant. So the whole world would think the Lord is the true God. The Jews were even mocked for it due to all the promises appearing to be broken. Paul says the people who believe will not be put to shame. He said this as a Rabbi and in the book of Romans.

Anyway, let's continue, verse 6. "And now I stand here on trial for hope in the promise made by God to our fathers," He's on trial, why? Because he's embraced a new religion? Because he fell away from his old Jewish roots and started something else? Because he got tired of the old sacrifices and the old systems and the old baggage? No. does this sound like a man to you who turned away from his past? Absolutely not! He saw himself as a Jew and that now all the prophecies have finally come to pass.

Continuing... "And now I stand here on trial for hope in the promise made by God to our fathers, to which our twelve tribes hope to attain, as they earnestly worship night and day. And for this hope I am accused by Jews, O king! Why is it thought incredible by any of you that God raises the dead?" (v. 6-8) Again, the raising of the Dead is the vindication of of God's own peopel and now it is seen in Jesus. What God had promised to do in the last days of Israel has now done it in Jesus in the middle of history. Everything that Paul thought would happen to Israel is happening in Jesus. That's the one thing that changes about his Faith, arguably. There are other things too like the law but we won't get into that right now. But the basic structure of promise and fulfillment is the same. He goes onto describe the road to Damascus, we won't get into that. Jump down to verse 19.

"Wherefore, O King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, [the one on the road to Damascus] but declared first to those at Damascus, then at Jerusalem and throughout all the country of Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God and perform deeds worthy of their repentance. For this reason the Jews seized me in the temple and tried to kill me. To this day I have had the help that comes from God, and so I stand here testifying both to small and great, saying nothing but what the prophets and Moses said would come to pass: (Acts 13:19-22)

Again, there is nothing new here, it's all the Law and the Prophets, not a new religion. We've been fighting for a long time to break this stereotype that Christianity is a new religion. In many ways the the Second Vatican Council has opened the doors dramatically to a renewed appreciation of just this jewishness that is the foundation of Catholicism.

Continuing... "that the Christ must suffer, and that, by being the first to rise from the dead, he would proclaim light both to the people and to the Gentiles." (Acts 13:23) Christ is the fulfillment, he is light to the nations and the one to give triumph over their sins.


Now, Let's look at Paul's own words and how he describes the Gospel. Now I think one of the things is, because of our appreciation of the resurrection,we don't see it so much as Old Testament fulfillment we tend not to understand the Resurrection and we tend not to understand what the word Gospel means. Let's turn to Romans 1:1. Now again here part of the package is that we have a kingdom that needs to be restored. Notice how he describes the Gospel here.

Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God. [This is a thesis statement for the whole epistle.] which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy scriptures, [That's what we've been saying.] the gospel concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh [Ah, the king, the kingdom is being established again, "the son descendant from David is exactly what was promised before. The gospel is the coming of a kingdom.] and designated Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, (Rom 1:1-4)

Okay, Two things here, the crucifixion is alluded to indirectly, the crucifixion takes care of the problem of sin, ultimately, the Resurrection takes care of the problem of death. The two things that stopped the Old Testament plan of salvation are now gone. You see how Christ has done the job.

Continuing, "Jesus Christ our Lord through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations," (v. 5) The nations will submit to the true God for once, they never had before. This is what the obedience of Faith means in the way Paul is thinking of it, it is the obedience of Faith of a people. Okay, this is not military conquest but in a way it is a conquest because the only way you can bring people to the true God is by destroying their old gods, their idols. Ultimately they will respond because the Gospel will be effective in bringing about an obedience of faith. The old law could never do that, the old Davidic Kingdom couldn't do that, but this one will.

"including yourselves who are called to belong to Jesus Christ;" (v. 6) that's who the people of God is, they are the messianic people, in Christ and of Christ. But notice what he doesn't say of the Gospel. He didn't say anything about going to heaven. Going to heaven follows from the Gospel but it's not the Gospel the central part of the Gospel is the coming of the Kingdom it's only becuase the Kingdom has come that we can talk about anybody doing anything. Okay, the whole idea of salvation comes from the fact that a Kingdom has come. Generally speaking if you are protestant and you think of the Gospel you think of accepting Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior. As a Catholic you think of the Sacraments, communion, live a good Life of Faith Hope and Charity, die in the state of grace. In some sense both of them are an aspects of a kingdom. Ultimately, this is a Kingdom comming.

That's a reason why rapture has taken the nation by storm. We focus for so long on salvation being taken out of something, being taken out of earth. Being brought to some other place, that's true in only in a very relative sense. Ultimately salvation is what, the coming of a kingdom and if we happen to die before the kingdom fully gets here, okay, we'll be brought out away, but ultimately we'll come back again. Ultimately, all creation will be restored. The land inheritance that was promised here in the bible, if it were just this land it is going to wither away. We as the descdants of Abraham through Faith, are the ones who inherit the whole land, but we inherit a restored creation and we will reign with it forever. This is the whole idea of Salvation in the fullness of time in the resurrection. That is ultimately where the whole human history is headed.

And, I think, one ways we can cut off the rapture at the pass is to focus on the idea that salvation is not going somewhere but a Kingdom coming to us. Not saying the soul doesn't go anywhere afterwards but we need to capture this idea of a kingdom, and as Catholics especially, where does the kingdom ultimately come for us? The place where heaven meets earth? In the Eucharist. The Eucharist is really the visible sign that the kingdom is here.


I want to leave you one final thought here. And this is the importance of faith in the resurrection. If you turn to Romans 4, let's looka t this briefly. Version 13, Paul is talking about the structure of the promise here. That Christ has unleashed the blessings of Abraham on the whole human race. It's a new way of looking at the Gospel. What does he say here is the badge of a Christian.

"The promise to Abraham and his descendants, that they should inherit the world, did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith." (v. 13) Faith is essential for Paul, especially Resurrection Faith. "If it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void." (v. 14) It can't be the old way, the old way didn't work. There was too much sin, there was too much death, it failed because of that. "That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his descendants--" (v.16) That's Abraham's descendants and who are they, we'll look at it in a minute, it's ultimately those who share is Faith. " for he is the father of us all, as it is written, 'I have made you the father of many nations'" (v. 17) Paul assumes casually what? That Christians that are baptized and that are sealed in the faith of the new covenant, the resurrection faith, are descendants of Abraham, and if we're descendants of abraham we get to inherent what? The land in Israel? No, read verse 13 again. The world, the whole world. it's a restored creation. What we get, ultimately, is this creation with Christ and in Christ but it is transfigured in a way that we can't imagine. That's our ultimate destiny and it's for those who have resurrection faith.

Listen how Abraham had Resurrection faith, notice this it's amazing how he does this. He basically argues that Abraham believed in the Gospel before there was a Gospel. "'I have made you the father of many nations' --in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist. (v. 17) God can create of nothing and he can raise back people who have died. "'So shall your descendants be.' He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body [that's Abraham's body], which was as good as dead" Remember, Abraham had been promised a son in the narrative, he was 99 years old at the time, Sarah was, I think in her 90's both of them in effect were dead in terms of the child-bearing years but both of them believed the promise. They believed God could bring back something from the dead and their faith produced Isaac, with God's power. That's how the blessing of Christ comes down to us because Christ is a descendant of Issac, He is a fulfillment of Isaac.

"He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead because he was about a hundred years old, or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah's womb. No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised." Do we believe that when we die that ultimately we will be raised together, not individcually in terms of your salvation or my salvation but collectively as what, the new Israel. The true people of God. That's our hope, a family, a covenant family, the whole Church will be raised together on the last day. That's how the New Testament writers think about it.

This is a far cry from saying our soul goes to heaven when we die. That's true but the center of gravity of salvation needs to move a little bit more to think of it in terms of the New Testament writer's idea, the resurrection idea. That's why it's so important to them and St. Paul and hopefully it will be for us too.


Question: About the idea of rapture, does the bible really teach rapture?

There are many problems with rapture, it is a vision of salvation that says this world doesn't matter and we need to get out of here. If you take this to an extreme, how do we treat creation then. Ultimately we are to proclaim the kingdom is here and to extend the kingdom as far as we are able to and die trying. Christ came to establish a Kingdom, to bring heaven to us. It's more of the idea that He will be bringing heaven with Him when he comes back.

Where do they get this idea? 1 Thessalonians 4:13 I'll read it to you. If you read this on the surface, it sounds right. The idea of Rapture, in case you don't know, the believers will be sucked out of the world and be caught up in the clouds and taken forever. It doesn't deny the idea of a general resurrection but it tends to build salvation around that idea.


But we would not have you ignorant, brethren, concerning those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. For this we declare to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, shall not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the archangel's call, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first; then we who are alive, who are left, shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air; and so we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words. (1 Thess 4:13-18)


Now what rapture theologians do is take this on it's face. Those who are dead already and those who are alive, when the Lord will suck us up with him and take us away. that's okay except for one detail. If you go here, and you really have to look at the greek to see this. If you look at verse 15, "For this we declare to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord", that word "coming" in greek Parocea which doesn't mean a coming in the ordinary sense of the term but a technical term where a royal dignitary arrives at a place, an official visit.

If the king would come to a city, what would happen? You'd hear a trumpet. In this case, the archangels trumpets. Then what happens next, " And the dead in Christ will rise first; then we who are alive, who are left, shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air;" (v. 17) Here's the problem with what the rapture people are saying, meeting the lord in the air is well and good but what are the people in the earth parocea going to do? In an earthy arrival, people would go out the meet him to bring him in, they wouldn't let him come in unescorted. It's like if Bush came to Columbus there would be a lot of officials at the airport that meet him there and then they would escort him in to wherever they were going. Ultimately those who meet Him in the air are those who bring Him to the earth. The Earth is His kingdom, there is no point in the earth that He looks at and and doesn't say "Mine", it's His. Ultimately, now, He's coming to claim the fullness of the kingdom, it's not that he'll take us out. There is no way you can get that when using the technical language.

On the surface it has an appeal but I don't think it works very well.

Question: You talk about an idea of a kingdom coming here to this realm, how can you square that with the line "life of the world to come" in the Nicean Creed.

Well, it's not an end. Does the kingdom have an end, no it doesn't. It's a new heavens and a new earth, this whole idea of heaven and earth being distinct is a folklore, they are merging together and soon they will be unified in Christ; one and the same. There is no separatism between he two, that's the way Paul would have looked at it.

Question: If you look at the world today is it hard to believe there is a Kingdom here?

Yeah, I think the Eucharis is the thing you pin it on. You can adore the Lord face to face even closer than Moses did. Moses was closest to God more than anyone else, but we can go to Adoration and do it anytime. There is a lot of mess out there, sure, but if we can do that [adore Christ], what more could you want? Yes, there's more coming but there is a lot here already. Ultimate, we need Resurrection faith just like Israel had. There was a holy remnant that suffered through the exile and the humiliation suffered by the nations. I think what we're going through today is so mild in comparison it's not even funny.

Question: Do you recommend any books?

"Father keeps his promises" by Scott Hahn. There is another writer I would recommend: N.T. Wright (Nicholas Thomas Wright). A brilliant scripture scholar from the High-church Anglican. He has helped many people see the truth of the Resurrection. Writes at the popular and scholarly level. This website is ntwrightpage.com.