Today, emphasis is placed on how Christ assists us in this world. Christ helps us make a success of our marriage, our family, our job, our health, our bank account.

While we ought to look to the Lord for guidance in every area of life, the Gospel of the Kingdom of God has to do with our future life in the Kingdom. The Gospel of Christ is a hope for the future. If salvation has to do only with our present existence, then we are "of all men most miserable." Our true hope is that we shall live once again upon the earth—this time in an incorruptible, eternally youthful, vigorous body.

But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. (I Corinthians 15:20)

Christ's resurrection, that which we celebrate on Easter Sunday, is the beginning of the resurrection of the dead.

The marvelous fact is that the cave of Joseph of Arimathea is empty. The flesh and bones of Jesus of Nazareth no longer are there. He is alive! He ate the fish and the honeycomb. Because He is alive we shall live once again on the earth in the Glory of God. This is the true hope of the Gospel of the Kingdom of God and is the Kingdom of God!

It is the power and glory of the resurrection of the righteous that should be preached, not the sneaking away of a weak set of fleshly believers who are unwilling to face suffering.

For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. (I Corinthians 15:21)

Notice how the Apostles viewed life and death. Today we stress spiritual life and spiritual death. Indeed, spiritual life and death are very important issues. It also is important, however, to realize the Gospel of the Kingdom of God has to do with the restoration of immortality to the body of the human being.

The promise that whoever believes in the Son of God should not perish but have eternal life is speaking of the whole person, body, soul, and spirit—particularly the body. It was bodily immortality that was lost in Eden.

Physical death came to mankind because of the sin of Adam and Eve. The resurrection of the body came through the atonement made by the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ and by His triumphant bodily resurrection.

But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken [make alive] your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. (Romans 8:11)

"Make alive your mortal bodies."

For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. (I Corinthians 15:22)

As in Adam all die physically, so in Christ all who believe will be made alive physically. This is the resurrection from the dead.

To be continued.