Mr Baldy, Ugh... remember that frustration you felt about losing your post....argh....I just did the same thing, fortunately I hadn't gotten very far so I think I am okay to redo, so here goes...
You wrote:
You seemed to have left out verse 23 - so I will post it again. But let me say that the entire chapter of 1 Corinthians 15 is specifically speaking of those IN CHRIST. The Resurrected Christ is our HOPE, in that we are promised to be like Him at His appearing.
Well Actually in context verse 23 comes after the passages I was referring to. In the first nine verses Paul is addressing the Corinthians regarding some who did not believe there was a resurrection of the dead, he does not identify anything in regard to whether they are disbelieving a resurrection of the righteous or wicked or both. Paul tells them if there is no resurrection of the dead then Christ Himself is not raised and that if that is so then they have believed in vain. He then says this:
1 Corinthians 15:19
19 If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied.
Notice Paul says that we of "ALL MEN" are most to be pitied, "ALL MEN" would be referring to all people. Then He goes on to make a comparison, that just like "ALL" men die "in Adam" , so the same is true ...that "in Christ", "ALL" men are made alive. The "ALL" who die in Adam includes both righteous and wicked, you cannot separate the wicked out from the "All" who are made alive in Christ, all means all, both righteous and wicked, that is one of the points of the comparison. If something is true in the first part of the comparison, then the same has to be true of what is being compared to it.
1 Corinthians 15:42-45
42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown a perishable body, it is raised an imperishable body;
43 it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power;
44 it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.
45 So also it is written, “The first man, Adam, became a living soul.” The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.
The dead are the dead, everyone dies, the righteous and the wicked. Every one who dies has a perishable physical body, everyone who dies is raised as an imperishable body. Paul makes no distinction of "the dead" who are resurrected, other than to say that there are variations in "glory" for different types of "bodies". Which is another comparison by the way, he talks about the differences in glory between the celestial bodies, and says, "so also is the resurrection of the dead". Therefore there are varying degrees of "glory" for those who are resurrected from the dead. We know that some celestial bodies shine because they produce their own source of light, like the Sun and other stars, while others shine because they reflect the light of other celestial bodies that are in close proximity to those that produce light, like the moon. The righteous will produce their own light, which is the Glory of Christ shining forth from them.
Daniel 12:3
3 “Those who have insight will shine brightly like the brightness of the expanse of heaven, and those who lead the many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.
Revelation 3:5
5 ‘He who overcomes will thus be clothed in white garments; and I will not erase his name from the book of life, and I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.
Revelation 7:9
9 After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands;
The word for "white" in these passages means shining with brilliant light in the Greek!
I would guess that when the wicked are raised, their eternal body will reflect the light of the righteous while in their presence, but when they are cast into the lake of fire, they will no longer do so.
You make a distinction
separating the SIN nature of Adam and our HOPE in Christ and His ETERNAL nature
according to this verse:
“The first man, Adam, became a living soul.” The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.
I see no contradiction, Christ raises all from the dead, both the righteous and the wicked, the last Adam (Christ) became a life giving spirit. He gives life in that He raises the dead to an eternal existence. Now I don't need to remind you about context, as you have already done so, but the context is primarily speaking toward the fact that there is a resurrection of the dead. And as I have already shown, scripture tells us that there is a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked. The Revelation bears this out as well. Yes, for us as believers that means HOPE for Eternal life, but for the wicked it means fear of eternal condemnation. Paul does not make the distinction that you are making.
All men bare the image of the earthly or a natural perishable body and all men will bare the image of the heavenly or a spiritual imperishable (eternal) body.
One of the verses that you claim supports your view, I see as evidence for mine:
Matthew 10:28
28 “Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
How can someone fear having their "body" destroyed in hell, if they don't have one???
2 Thessalonians 1:5-10
5 This is a plain indication of God’s righteous judgment so that you will be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which indeed you are suffering.
6 For after all it is only just for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you,
7 and to give relief to you who are afflicted and to us as well when the Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire,
8 dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.
9 These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power,
10 when He comes to be glorified in His saints on that day, and to be marveled at among all who have believed—for our testimony to you was believed.
RT God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked - so for them to roast and be tormented in an eternal Lake of Fire makes no sense whatsoever.
Ezekiel 33:11 - New American Standard Bible (NASB)
Say to them, ‘As I live!’ declares the Lord God, ‘I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn back, turn back from your evil ways! Why then will you die, O house of Israel?
Of course God does not take pleasure in the death of the wicked. He wants them to repent and choose eternal life. I do not see how this even relates to the resurrection? This death is referring to the death of one's physical body. One of the reasons for the resurrection of the wicked as the passage above indicates is because God is just and the wicked will pay the penalty for their disobedience. It is fair that God rewards those who believe and punishes those who don't.
Also take a look at this verse that I mentioned earlier:
Malachi 4:1 - New American Standard Bible (NASB)
Final Admonition
"For behold, the day is coming, burning like a furnace; and all the arrogant and every evildoer will be chaff; and the day that is coming will set them ablaze,” says the Lord of hosts, “so that it will leave them neither root nor branch.”
So, how can the wicked have "an eternal body"?
Again I do not see how this relates, evildoers will be set ablaze (eternally), that is completely in line with my claim. They will not have any root or branch: means that they will no longer have any earthly descendants, none will survive as mortals, all the arrogant and evildoers are condemned to this fate. They will have no ancestors to remember them and no progeny to carry on their lineage.
Finally this: Isaiah 65:17
New Heavens and a New Earth
“For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; And the former things will not be remembered or come to mind.
So when it is ALL finished - when Christ has destroyed the last enemy which is death, He hands over the Kingdom to God the Father so that God may be ALL in ALL. The former things will NOT be remembered nor come to mind. IT's OVER.
Again I do not see a contradiction here, God will create a new heavens and a new earth:
Revelation 20:11-15
11 Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them.
12 And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds.
13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds.
14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire.
15 And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
It appears that the lake of fire is part of the new heavens, notice how it is described AFTER the old heaven and earth flee and there is no longer a place found for them, basically they cease to exist (now that's an annihilation I can agree to). Those who are part of the kingdom will no longer remember the former things, I have no problem believing that either.
God is a JUST God....... the punishment will fit the crime.
I couldn't agree more.
Psalm 81:15
15 “Those who hate the Lord would pretend obedience to Him,
And their time of punishment would be forever.
RT