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The Daily Word of Righteousness
An Examination of Current Teaching, #22
I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. (Philippians 3:10,11)
It is not being resurrected that is important but being caught up to Heaven.
The doctrine of the pre-tribulation "rapture" of the believers has brought confusion concerning the doctrine of the resurrection. Yet the resurrection from the dead is the central hope of the Christian Gospel. If we abide in Christ, when we are raised from the dead our body will be filled with the eternal resurrection life of the Holy Spirit. This is our great hope!
That the catching up (rapture) of the believers is different from the resurrection can be seen by the fact that Jesus was not caught up to Heaven until forty days after His resurrection.
Being raised from the dead into eternal life, and being caught up into the air to meet the Lord Jesus at His coming, are altogether different experiences even though they may take place at the same period of time. Being raised into eternal life is the climax of redemption, the destruction of the last enemy. Being caught up to meet the Lord in the air is the privilege of the members of the army of the Lord who will rise to meet Him and then descend with Him to establish the Kingdom of God on the earth.
Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men: "See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones to judge everyone, and to convict all the ungodly of all the ungodly acts they have done in the ungodly way, and of all the harsh words ungodly sinners have spoken against him." (Jude 1:14,15)
It appears most Christian believers are not certain of the resurrection, only of the so-called "rapture." To verify this fact, ask an Christian concerning the relationship between the resurrection and the rapture. You may find that he believes what happens to his body is not important, for he will have a new body when he gets to Heaven. Thus he doesn't even believe in the resurrection from the dead.
However, the redemption of his body was the cry of the Apostle Paul.
The truth is, the way we behave today is fashioning the body, or robe, with which our mortal body will be clothed when it is raised from the dead. The robe with which we will be clothed may prove to be the principal reward that will be given to the victorious saint when the Lord appears. The type of robe that clothes his resurrected body may be an indication of his role in the Kingdom of God and his eternal destiny.
Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear. (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.) (Revelation 19:7,8)
To be continued.