The Resurrection

The resurrection from the dead is the central hope of the Gospel of the Kingdom of God. No other religion, to my knowledge, offers the hope of people returning to resume life on the earth in a flesh and bones body.

The resurrection from the dead threatens Satan's kingdom, which consists of the nations on the earth and the earth itself. Satan is not at all concerned that we return to Heaven, his original home. Satan's fear is that Christ and His saints will return and take over the kingdoms of the world.

We spoke previously of the fact that the resurrection will be divided into two parts: the first resurrection, composed of the royal priesthood; and then the second resurrection in which all other people who have lived on the earth will rise and stand before Christ and His saints to be judged according to their works.

Christians often state they want to make Heaven their home when they die. We have fantasized an entire world and have furnished it with what we think would be desirable. Yet, almost none of the world and furnishings we think of as Heaven can be found anywhere in the Scriptures.

The truth is, our concern should not be what happens to us when we die. The Scriptures are vague on this point. The real issue is what will happen to us when our body rises from the dead.

Every individual who has lived on the earth will be raised in either the first or second resurrection. The power of God will put our body back together again just as in the beginning God made man from the dust of the ground.

It is what happens to us after this that is important. The Scriptures teach that we will be clothed in our own works. We will reap what we have sown. Our body will correspond to what has been developed in our inward nature.

When we die our body sleeps in the ground. We hope our inward nature will go to an area of peace and joy.

But in the day of resurrection, in which we all will participate, our flesh and bones body will be reassembled and once again house our inward nature. It is right at this point that we either will be clothed in the Glory of God or in the corruption of the adamic nature.

The resurrection is the focus of concern, not what happens when we die. For no matter where we go when we die we will be awaiting the day of resurrection.

The problem with the current "rapture" teaching is that it ignores the resurrection and emphasizes the catching up of the believers. The result of such an unscriptural emphasis is that the majority of Christian believers expect at any moment to be caught up to Heaven without first having been resurrected or transformed! This is a tremendous error in Christian thinking.

To be continued.