If, however, our objective is freedom from the authority and power of Satan and complete union with the Lord Jesus Christ, then the preachers who are "taking away our pleasures from us" actually are assisting in the work of redemption in us. They are unwinding the graveclothes from us. They are moving us from the bondage of corruption into the liberty of the glory of the children of God.

Can you see the practical difference between these two concepts of salvation?

The hope of the Christian Church is the resurrection from the dead. The resurrection from the dead will be the glorious fruit of the work of redemption taking place in us today. The resurrection of the elect from among the dead is the objective toward which the efforts of the Kingdom of God are directed. "The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death" (I Corinthians 15:26).

Over the period of time from the first century to the present, the goal of the Christian Church has changed from the coming, the return of Christ to the earth (and the accompanying resurrection of the dead bodies of the saints), to the going of the saints to Heaven. The doctrine of Christ returning to set up His Kingdom on the earth, which is the major burden of the Prophets, has been altered by our traditions into a brief, invisible return of Christ to carry away His people to Heaven.

There is no basis in the Scriptures for this alteration of the message of the Kingdom of God.

The first-century apostles did not emphasize going to Heaven. The apostles always emphasized the Day of Christ, the return of Christ to the earth, the coming of the Kingdom of God (the same message preached by John the Baptist and the Lord Jesus).

Based on this change of goal the emphasis was removed, in the nineteenth century, from the resurrection of the dead bodies of the saints and placed on the ascension of the saints to Heaven. This is error heaped upon error; for Paul does not teach that we shall be caught up to Heaven but rather that we shall be caught up to meet the Lord in the air.

The ascension that will follow the resurrection of the overcomers has been stressed in Christian preaching until the doctrine of the resurrection has become obscure and confused in the minds of the elect. The concept of the first resurrection as a special resurrection of the royal priesthood, a reward that must be attained (Philippians 3:11), is not heard in today's preaching. Yet, Paul set forth attaining the resurrection to eternal life as the goal of the Christian discipleship.

Never once, of which we are aware, did Paul groan that he might be caught up to meet the Lord in the air. Paul groaned for transformation, for the resurrection, for the redemption of "the body of this death." Paul did not groan for transformation so he would escape tribulation or the Antichrist (which is being taught today). Rather, Paul groaned for personal transformation so he would enter Christ more completely, so he would be more righteous.

To be continued.