Isaiah 26:19, commentary and pictures

Thy dead shall live again in a literal resurrection, when those sleeping in the dust awake with singing and the earth gives them up. This rising takes place at the return of Christ to begin the reign of righteousness, in the day when death is swallowed up in victory and tears are wiped away. The dew like that upon plants is the reviving power that brings them to life, even the Spirit who dwelt in believers during life acting as the power by which they are raised. The very bodies laid down in corruption and mortality come forth incorruptible and glorious, freed from blemish and deformity and changed to be like His glorious immortal body. The promise was illustrated when He rose, for faithful witnesses who had died for the truth came forth with Him to everlasting life as firstfruits and pledges of the general resurrection to come.

Resurrection Call to Life

Thy dead men shall live, and together they shall arise, for the verse promises a literal resurrection in which those resting in the dust awake and sing and the earth casts out the dead and gives them up. The dead shall live again and come forth from their graves clothed with immortality, and death shall ultimately be destroyed and be no more as the sleepers rise to glorious immortality. This is the hope of redemption from death and restoration of the people, that death will be overcome.

The dew, as the dew of herbs or plants, signifies the reviving power given that brings them to life. That life-giving power by which believers are raised at the first resurrection is the Spirit who dwelt in them during life, when Christ the Life-giver calls up those who belong to Him. The very bodies sown in corruption, dishonor, weakness and mortality are thus raised incorruptible, glorious, powerful and spiritual.

This rising happens at the coming of Christ to usher in the reign of righteousness. It happens in the day when death is swallowed up in victory, tears are wiped from all faces, the rebuke of God's people is taken away from the earth, and those who waited for God rejoice and are glad in His salvation. The voice of the Son of God as Life-giver calls forth the sleeping saints from the prison-house of death to live again, and the command to awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust, is their joyful rising.

He looks upon the graves of the sleeping saints and of the righteous, lifts His eyes and hands to heaven, and cries Awake, awake, awake, ye that sleep in the dust, arise. He descends on the cloud wrapped in fire and flames with a silver trumpet, while a mighty earthquake opens the graves and throughout the whole earth the dead hear that voice and live, amid reeling earth, lightning and thunder. Those raised are the righteous sleeping saints and believers belonging to Him at the first resurrection, coming forth from the prison-house of death as an exceeding great army from every nation, kindred, tongue and people.

All come forth the same in stature as when they entered the tomb, with Adam among them lofty and majestic in contrast to later generations showing degeneracy and weakened race, but all with the freshness and vigor of eternal youth. The mortal corruptible form devoid of comeliness and polluted with sin is changed to be like His glorious body, perfect, beautiful and immortal, with all blemishes and deformities left in the grave. Their resurrection brings them forth with restored bodies free from the effects of sin, for sin had defaced the likeness of God in form and feature, but Christ restores what was lost. He brings the redeemed back to the tree of life in Eden to grow up to the full stature of the race in its primeval glory, with the last traces of the curse removed, reflecting the perfect image of the Lord in mind and soul and body.

They come forth from the dust clothed with immortal glory and crying out in triumph over death and the grave. In the same moment the living righteous are changed, and risen and living are caught up together to meet the Lord in the air. Then living saints recognize friends torn from them by death and are reunited with loved ones divided by death, with reunion joy. Thus risen and living unite in one long glad shout of victory.

Firstfruits at Christs Rising

The pledge that the dead shall live was illustrated in fulfillment when Christ rose.
The earthquake at His death opened the graves of faithful co-laborers with God who had borne testimony to the truth at the cost of their lives, and when He arose they came forth with Him.
Unlike those He had restored during His ministry who remained subject to death, these were raised to everlasting life, never again to die or to know sorrow or suffering.
Redeemed from captivity as firstfruits of power over death and the grave, they were to ascend to be with Him where He is.

They went into the city and appeared to many, declaring that He had risen and that they had risen with Him.
By this they bore witness to the sacred truth of the resurrection, testifying that Christ had risen and that the dead can live again.
As co-laborers with God who had worked with Him and were raised with Him, they serve as types and pledges of the general resurrection, when the dead shall live, those dwelling in the dust shall awake and sing, and the earth shall give up its dead.

Sleep Change and Restoration

Death is only a brief rest, and the life concealed in the tomb will spring up again as a buried seed blooms into flower. The faithful sleep peacefully in the grave, resting with labor finished and sorrow ended. They are sheltered there from woes to come, fitted in character to shine immortal when awakened.

Until that triumphant hour each sleeping saint is kept safely and known by name. The earth hides their bodies only a little while. The bright day is swiftly approaching when the glad summons will call them to arise from the dust. Then loved ones divided by death will be reunited beyond the grave.

The verse holds out redemption from death and restoration of the people as part of the final deliverance of the church. Death will ultimately be destroyed and be no more. The sleepers will rise to glorious immortality, coming forth from their graves clothed with immortality. So holy men of old, including Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Noah and Daniel, are seen upon the new earth, which accords with humans not possessing immortality by nature.