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The Daily Word of Righteousness
Attaining the First Resurrection, continued
Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn. (Matthew 13:30)
A fifth step toward the first resurrection from the dead has to do with the Divine harvest, with the separating of the wheat from the tares.
It is a mistake to suppose the Lord will gather into His barn, in the first resurrection, both the wheat and the tares. He is not going to do that. He first will remove the tares from the wheat and burn them. Then He will store the wheat in His barn.
The churches of today are filled with tares as well as with wheat. The individual saints have both the wheat of Christ and the tares of the devil in their lives. God will not gather the believer into His barn when there is adultery, lying, hatred, strife, envy, pride, greed, self-seeking, and every other abominable work in his personality.
Whoever would seek to attain the first resurrection must purify himself of all unrighteousness (I John 3:3).
The tares must be gathered out of the Kingdom of God. Then the righteous will shine in the Kingdom of their Father, in the power and glory of the first resurrection.
The Kingdom of Heaven, as it stands today, cannot be lifted up from the earth in the first resurrection and ascension of the saints. The preaching of the Kingdom has gathered "of every kind." Some of what has been gathered is fit for the Kingdom; some is not.
Before the Lord returns and the saints are gathered to Him there must take place a separation between the vile and the precious, the unclean and the clean. Then the hoped-for eternal life will be given to us.
So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just, (Matthew 13:49)
From the above words of Christ we know that the wicked and the righteous will be mingled together until the end of the present age. By the term righteous is meant those persons who, having received Christ as Lord and Savior, are through His grace practicing the righteous ways of the Lord. They are not living in sin. They are being transformed into righteous, holy, and obedient behavior because of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and because Christ is being formed in them.
A sixth step toward the first resurrection involves thrones and judgment. This step is the most important of all with reference to who will participate in the first resurrection.
The issue is that of who is in control of our personality. Seated on the throne of our personality is one of two kings. Either King Self is seated on the throne of our personality or else King Jesus is seated on the throne of our personality. This is the final determinant of participation in the first resurrection, and is the reason why suffering is necessary if we aspire to rule as a coheir with Christ.
To be continued.