With Passover coming soon when the resurrection of Jesus Christ is celebrated by God’s people it is a good time to study His resurrection from the dead and what it means for those who call themselves God’s people.  As is always the case in this ministry, God is calling on me to tell interested readers “the rest of the story” (the “fineprint”) about what had happened just after sundown the evening before the women arrived to prepare Christ’s body for official burial on Sunday morning.  Remember, God’s day begins at sundown.  The women had arrived just after daybreak when it would be light enough to see inside the tomb.  However, upon arriving they were met by an empty tomb and an angel who said to them: “… I know that you seek Jesus, Who was crucified.  He is not here, for He has (already) risen, as He said.”  He said He would rise from His tomb after three days and three nights.  He was there Thursday, Friday and Saturday and Wednesday night, Thursday night and Friday night.  He arose immediately after sundown on Saturday–exactly three days and three nights after being placed in the tomb.  For the “good Friday” people, Friday until Sunday morning is one day and two nights.  Did He lie about that?  Many church people say He did.  Read Christ’s Resurrection.  Key word–Christ’s.

We pick up the story approximately 25 years after the Messiah’s resurrection with the Apostle Paul writing to the church at Corinth concerning the resurrection of the Lord as well as the future resurrection of His righteous saints (“first-fruits”) upon His return.  Read 1 Peter 4:17,18.  Here Peter is writing to the church (1:2,5,8,9).  Note that only certain people in the church will be saved and why.  Jesus said in Matthew 7:13,14 and 20:16 that few would make the cut though many would have been called to do so.  Good Friday observers will not be among the first resurrectionists.  As He said in Matthew 7:19-23, many who “know” that they will join Him in paradise will learn that they have been wrong all along, and why.

In Second Corinthians 5:20-23 we find Paul telling the church at Corinth that Christ has indeed been resurrected from the dead, and that He was the FIRST of the “first-fruits” who would live and die in a state of holiness and rise in the first resurrection (vs 20).  As Paul said, the first to rise from the dead was Christ, and that upon His return to earth those that are His (other first-fruits who had obeyed God as He had) will be resurrected at that time (vs 23).  These are the Very Elect, the righteous to whom Peter was referring.  After that, every person born since Adam and Eve will be resurrected, EACH AT HIS APPOINTED TIME.   Read The Three Resurrections.  Key word–Three.  In that series you will find that there are three groups of people who will be resurrected.  Some will be dead while others will be alive.  Each group will be raised in its own assigned chronological order and dealt with by the Lord relative to his/her “walk” in this life.  Our goal is to be in the first resurrection–the resurrection of the righteous/holy–for they will sit with Christ on His throne (Rev. 3:21).

We have examined three resurrections to be carried out in the future beginning with Christ’s Second Advent.  Question: are those resurrections the only resurrections mentioned in the Bible?  Do the Holy Scriptures mention another resurrection?  If so, how and when does it take place?  Let us delve into some of the Lord’s “fine print” concerning this question.

Turn with me to Paul’s epistle to the church at Ephesus.  In chapter two we pick up the narrative with verse seven where he is telling the people that, though they had walked in darkness in service to Satan in the past, something had happened to them since becoming God’s true saints.  He wrote in his letter, “God, Who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us even when we were (spiritually) DEAD IN (because of our) SINS, HAS QUICKENED US TOGETHER WITH CHRIST … AND RAISED US UP TOGETHER AND MADE US SIT TOGETHER (WITH HIM) IN HEAVENLY PLACES IN CHRIST JESUS (ON HIS THRONE AT THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD), so that in the ages to come (eternity) he might reveal to us the riches of His grace and kindness through Christ Jesus (His death and resurrection)–vss 1-7).  Note such words as “has,” “raised” and “made” in the above statement.  Note that all three words are written in past tense, meaning that THE EVENT HAD ALREADY TAKEN PLACE.   Paul said to the people of that day that God “HAS” quickened us (spiritually) along with Jesus Christ (vs 5) and “HAS” raised us up together with Him and “MADE” us sit together with Him in heavenly places.  NOTHING HAS CHANGED; TRUE BELIVERS ARE SPIRITUALLY SITTING WITH CHRIST ON HIS THRONE–NOW.

Upon true justification (forgiveness of all of one’s past sins–Rom. 3:25)) and true conversion (total reversal of life’s walk from sin to holiness–1 Jn. 2:6), God has spiritually raised up and seated His true saints on Christ’s throne with Him in heavenly places (Rev. 3:21).  All of this is happening in the spiritual realm AT THIS TIME.  My Lord and my God!!!  How can one not shout?

Now let us see what the Great God says about how our justified and converted walk must be carried out until the end of this life in order to 1) continue to sit with Christ on His throne and 2) rise to meet Him in the air during the first resurrection.  As Jesus said, only those who “endure (in holiness) to the end (of life) will be (at that time) saved (Mat. 10:22).  At that time the saints will literally join Christ in the air, descend with Him to Jerusalem from whence they will rule, first the earth for 1000 years (the millennium), then the universe forever.  Read God’s Very Elect: Future Caretakers of the Universe.  Key word–Caretakers.  Let us see exactly how we must “walk” until the end of life or Christ’s return, whichever comes first.  Let us turn to the second chapter of Paul’s letter to the Colossian Church beginning with verses 12 and 13 where he reminds the church that, “you ARE (PRESENTLY) RISEN WITH CHRIST through faith in the power and work of God … He (God) HAS (IN THE PAST) QUICKENED YOU TOGETHER WITH HIM (CHRIST), having forgiven you of all of your past sins (justified you)–Romans 3:25.

Then in Colossians chapter three Paul drills down to the moment-to-moment life of the true convert beginning with verse one.  As is always the case with God’s promises, there is that tiny, but most important Word in the Holy Bible that must be dealt with: “IF you have indeed risen with Christ, then seek those things that are above where Christ sits on the right hand of God.”  From verses two through nine Paul leaves no stone unturned in telling us exactly how we are to conduct ourselves every instant of our lives.  He tells us that we must “put off (get rid of) the old man of sin and darkness.”  Then in verse ten he tells us to “put on the new man which has been transformed to match the “image” (spiritual likeness) of God.  By “putting on the new man one obeys the command found in First Peter 1:16: “Be ye holy for I am holy.”  At birth man is given the potential of becoming like God in terms of holiness.  The new man is created in the (spiritual) image and (physical) likeness of God (Gen. 1:26).  The new man then grows spiritually until he, “comes to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” (Eph. 4:13).  He must remain in that spiritual condition in order to remain seated with Christ in heavenly places in the spirit.  Here on earth and in the flesh the true saint retains the Holy Spirit within him which gives him the power to walk in the holiness required for salvation and rebirth which will be awarded by Jesus upon His return.

Those who are of the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, who have sanctified every aspect of their being unto their Creator, who obey His word in letter and spirit ARE SPIRITUALLY SITTING WITH CHRIST ON HIS THRONE NOW THROUGH THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. 

However, there is a deadly war going on now between those sitting with Christ on His heavenly throne and those who are determined to remove them from that throne.  The enemies of God (Satan and his fallen angels–demons) are doing everything in their power to pry salvation seekers away from their Anchor.  In the following series we will look into the realm of modern day demonic activity in the lives of the unsuspecting masses whom Satan already has under his control.  The devil and his spiritual disciples are determined to entice God’s saints to join those masses.  Gird the loins of your minds, dear readers.  As terrible as the war of wills is today, it is going to get worse, and quickly.  Look at the changes that have taken place over the past few years.  Only those who know their God and cling to Him with everything they have will survive the spiritual onslaught that is now gathering steam.  What we are witnessing socially is what Jesus called “the beginning of sorrows” in Matthew 24:8.  We must prepare to fight off Satan’s “fiery darts” of temptation.  As a famous basketball coach once said: “To fail to prepare is to prepare to fail.”  Let us prepare for what God tells us is coming.  As another famous coach once said: “Practice does not make perfect.  ONLY PERFECT PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT.”  Let us “go on to perfection” in the doctrine of Christ (Heb. 6:1).  Let us walk in agreement with God (Amos 3:3).  Let us “… overcome (Satan) even as I (Jesus) overcame” (him) so that we can sit with Him on His throne (Rev. 3:21).  The battle is great.  But take heart, the greater the battle, the greater the victory.  L.J.