The Daily Word of Righteousness

Six Unscriptural Traditions, continued

Blessed and holy are those who have part in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years. (Revelation 20:6—NIV)

The ascension to meet the Lord in the air is not redemption, it is only an act of Kingdom power. Once you attain the first resurrection from the dead your destiny is set. You could remain on the earth in righteousness, peace, and joy. But you will be caught up to meet the Lord at His coming so you may descend with Him and pour out the wrath of God on the wicked.

You do not have to worry about being here when the wrath of God falls on the earth. It will be you who are administering the wrath, if you are living as a victorious saint!

May the praise of God be in their mouths and a double-edged sword in their hands, To inflict vengeance on the nations and punishment on the peoples, To bind their kings with fetters, their nobles with shackles of iron, To carry out the sentence written against them. This is the glory of all his saints. Praise the LORD. (Psalms 149:6-9—NIV)

Paul never groaned that he might die and go to Heaven. He did say that he would like to die and be at home with the Lord. And who wouldn't, given Paul's circumstances? But Paul's groaning was for the redemption, the salvation of His mortal body, for the resurrection from the dead, for the change into righteous, incorruptible, resurrection life.

And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you. (Romans 8:11—NIV)

Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. (Romans 8:23—NIV)

When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: Death has been swallowed up in victory. (I Corinthians 15:54—NIV)

For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, so what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. (II Corinthians 5:4—NIV)

And so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. (Philippians 3:11—NIV)

But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, Who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so they will be like his glorious body. (Philippians 3:20,21—NIV)

Can you see in the preceding passages that Paul was not waiting to die and go to Heaven but for Christ to come from Heaven and change Paul's body?

Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. (I John 3:2—NIV)

Is it clear to you that the Apostles were looking for their salvation to come with the return of the Lord from Heaven? When He appears we shall be like Him. Everything in the spirit realm is looking forward to the appearing of Christ. Let's join the group.

To be continued.