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Archive for the ‘Resurrection’ Category

The Dead in Christ Are the First Resurrection

Posted in Christian Walk, Resurrection, tagged , , , , , , on April 12, 2024| Leave a Comment »

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Scripture reading: Romans 8:19-23

I Thessalonians 4:16, “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the Dead In Christ shall rise first.”

If this passage stood alone then it might not have carried out the point of the dead in Christ so strongly, but in the light of several other scriptures, it is definitely saying that the “dead in Christ” are the First Resurrection.

I Corinthians 15:22-23, “For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.”

This passage was dealing with the resurrection of the dead and verse 23 tells us that there will be a certain order in the resurrection. All Christians will not be resurrected or changed at the same time, but there is a Firstfruits company which are those who are in Christ. This is the true meaning of this passage. You will notice that it did not say Christ the firstfruit, but Firstfruits. We see here that the word Christ means the many membered Body of Christ with “the Head Jesus Christ” already risen and the Body now ready to come forth.

“If ye be then risen with Christ…” The only way we are risen with Christ is if we are part of His body.

Colossians 1:18, “And he is the head of the body the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead: that in all things he might have the preeminence.”

Revelation 14:4, “These are they which were not defiled by women (the false church); for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb withersoever He goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb.”

This is the grandest of the grand prizes. The firstfruits being untouched by the tribulation will be the overcomers which Romans 8:19-23 talks about. They will overcome first their own soul nature, then the world and the Devil. The last victory they will gain will be over death even as they are changed or resurrected to immortality and incorruption. When you overcome your mental attitude, your emotional yearnings, your self-will, and your human desires, through the Blood of Jesus Christ, then you have just begun to be an overcomer.

Nevertheless, the day that we make that covenant with our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, that might well be the greatest day of our lives.

(Excerpt from The Omega Message, August 1984)

Thought for today: Let us therefore make the Covenant to Go the Whole Way with Christ – to follow the Lamb withersoever He goeth.

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The Mystery of Resurrection

Posted in Resurrection, tagged , , , , on July 31, 2023| Leave a Comment »

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Scripture reading: John 6:39-40

Revelation 20:13 says, “And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.” This occurrence happens after the millennium. At the end of the 1,000 years, the Scripture speaks of the sea giving up her dead, “and death and hell” giving up her dead. “The dead” is referring to the people who are in hell at this time.

Let us look at “the sea” in the natural. When a person is lost at sea, his body is devoured by sharks and different sea animals, his bones are washed away and melted, and over the years he becomes part of “the sea.” Every atom that was in his body has become part of something else. Now we are writing about the power of resurrection. This power is of such magnitude that it recreates that which was. It does not recreate the substance from another substance or from any new substance, but it takes back the substance from wherever it is and brings it back to be the individual, to be the person. Notice this very carefully because this is in itself a great mystery. IT IS THE MYSTERY OF RESURRECTION.

We read in Job 19:25-27 what Job brought forth from the Holy Spirit. “For I KNOW that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth.” This verse pinpoints the time of the resurrection – “at the latter day.” Job continues, “And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in MY FLESH shall I see God: (there is a colon in the sentence because Job is going to explain how such a thing will happen) Whom I shall see for myself, and MINE EYES shall behold, and not another.” Job was saying that he was not going to get new eyes; he was not going to get new flesh. Job will be in the same flesh with the same eyes “though my reins be consumed within me.”

The most glorious preaching of resurrection can be found somewhere else in the Bible. Jesus preached the resurrection in John 6:39 and 40. “And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I SHOULD LOSE NOTHING, but should raise it up again at the last day. And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will RAISE HIM UP at the last day.” Verse 44, “No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will RAISE HIM UP at the last day.” Verse 54, “Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will RAISE HIM UP at the last day.” This Word of the Lord is very explicit. It is almost impossible to misunderstand, yet some people do.

Let us look at John 11. It is a marvelous thing that the apostle John himself should be the one to be writing this and impressing it so much. John tells us that Jesus Christ was in a certain place when the news came to Him that His dear friend, Lazarus, had died. Jesus “abode two days still in the same place where he was.” He stayed until it was the fourth day. In verses 25 and 26, He made a marvelous remark. “Jesus said unto her, I AM THE RESURRECTION, AND THE LIFE: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?” Jesus is saying here that if He is “the resurrection, and the life,” then those who have Him have their resurrection within themselves. If you have Jesus in you, you have “the resurrection” in you.

(Excerpt from The Book of Revelation, Volume 3, pages 114-115)

Thought for today: Those who have JESUS have their resurrection within themselves.

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Different Powers, Different Reward

Posted in Resurrection, tagged , , , , , , on July 18, 2023| Leave a Comment »

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Scripture reading: Revelation 20:11-12

It would seem that the “white throne” judgment seat mentioned in Revelation 20:11-12 would be for the Christian a case of giving them a reward; for the sinner it would be a case of casting them into a permanent place of separation from God. Now, if someone thinks that this is somewhat too harsh, then we need to have a little discussion on this point.

Let us deal with “the book of life.” James 1:12, “Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.” Revelation 2:10, “Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.” It is clearly stated here that there are different rewards given to the people of God, and that the rewards will not all be the same. Someone says, “Well, I do not care, as long as I make it in.” Well, praise God, but in heaven there are different powers of angels, different rewards, different positions, different situations.

For instance, there is Michael and Gabriel, and there are many other angels of lesser degree which God calls mighty angels. We call them archangels. (I do not know how correct the word is, but for want of a better word, we call them archangels.) God calls them, in Ezekiel, “STONES OF FIRE.” These angels have the power to change everything, like fire. These angels have this magnificent power so that whatever they come upon, they can change it by just sheer power and the glory of God that is with them.

1 Corinthians 15:40-43, “There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory. So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised IN POWER.” We understand, therefore, that there will be a difference, and this is why people should labor that they might receive all the goodness that God has for them. I do believe that in our endeavors and in our work as Christians, God has certain rewards to give, and I do believe that it is possible for one to miss their reward and fail to receive it.

No deed, no thought, no action dies. It is all being stored up in a record. We know that God can record our thoughts. Listen to this scripture. Ecclesiastes 12:13 and 14, “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.” It is indeed awesome for us to even think that God hears everything we say and hears the things we do not say; that is, HE KNOWS THE THOUGHTS OF OUR HEART. A man will be judged on a level which is so high, that he will be judged for the things he thinks and the things he plans to do, even if he did not accomplish them. We look at Scripture to carry this thought out. Matthew 12:36, “But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.” God is speaking about idle words of sinners and also of Christians. We are going to be surprised to see how much loss we suffer at “the judgment seat of Christ.” “The judgment seat of Christ” is designed of God to give rewards to the Christians. See 2 Corinthians 5:10.

(Excerpt from The Book of Revelation, Volume 3, pages 109-110)

Thought for today: No deed, no thought, no action dies. It is all being stored up in a record.

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The Greatest Passage on Resurrection in the Bible

Posted in Resurrection, tagged , , , on July 17, 2023| Leave a Comment »

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Scripture reading: Job 19:25-27

We cannot speak about resurrection unless we touch the greatest passage on resurrection in our whole Bible, Job 19. Here is a man lying three years on the floor in ashes, trying to ease the pain of boils and blisters that are all over his body. He was suffering and he looked at the worms who were busily taking away his flesh. His flesh was just melting under the trial of this sickness and this suffering. He said in verses 25-27, “For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God: Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; though my reins be consumed within me.”

This is just ABSOLUTE FAITH. Think of a man under such pressure and destruction of death! His flesh was melting away right before his eyes, and he said that HE WOULD “SEE GOD” in that same flesh. Not other eyes, not new eyes, BUT THE SAME EYES would behold His God in the latter day. He believed in the eminent appearance of Jesus Christ so he could say that with great conviction.

We can also have that same conviction. 1 John 3:2, “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.”

(Excerpt from The Book of Revelation, Volume 3, page 104)

Thought for today: To have Absolute Faith as our brother Job had under such pressure and destruction of death!

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The Dead in Christ Are the First Resurrection

Posted in Christian Walk, Resurrection, tagged , , , , , , on July 12, 2022| Leave a Comment »

[Printable version]

Scripture reading: Romans 8:19-23

I Thessalonians 4:16, “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the Dead In Christ shall rise first.”

If this passage stood alone then it might not have carried out the point of the dead in Christ so strongly, but in the light of several other scriptures, it is definitely saying that the “dead in Christ” are the First Resurrection.

I Corinthians 15:22-23, “For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.”

This passage was dealing with the resurrection of the dead and verse 23 tells us that there will be a certain order in the resurrection. All Christians will not be resurrected or changed at the same time, but there is a Firstfruits company which are those who are in Christ. This is the true meaning of this passage. You will notice that it did not say Christ the firstfruit, but Firstfruits. We see here that the word Christ means the many membered Body of Christ with “the Head Jesus Christ” already risen and the Body now ready to come forth.

“If ye be then risen with Christ…” The only way we are risen with Christ is if we are part of His body.

Colossians 1:18, “And he is the head of the body the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead: that in all things he might have the preeminence.”

Revelation 14:4, “These are they which were not defiled by women (the false church); for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb withersoever He goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb.”

This is the grandest of the grand prizes. The firstfruits being untouched by the tribulation will be the overcomers which Romans 8:19-23 talks about. They will overcome first their own soul nature, then the world and the Devil. The last victory they will gain will be over death even as they are changed or resurrected to immortality and incorruption. When you overcome your mental attitude, your emotional yearnings, your self-will, and your human desires, through the Blood of Jesus Christ, then you have just begun to be an overcomer.

Nevertheless, the day that we make that covenant with our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, that might well be the greatest day of our lives.

(Excerpt from The Omega Message, August 1984)

Thought for today: Let us therefore make the Covenant to Go the Whole Way with Christ – to follow the Lamb withersoever He goeth.

Read Full Post »

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