The Daily Word of Righteousness

The Resurrection and Eternal Judgment, #4

And the Lord God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever: (Genesis 3:22)

The Scriptures have much to say about the reviving of the outward man, the physical body.

As we have stated previously, immortality comes through eating of the tree of life. It was access to immortality that was lost to man because of his disobedience.

But note Revelation 2:7:

... To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God. (Revelation 2:7)

Job spoke of the reviving of his mortal body:

And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God: (Job 19:26)

Isaiah agrees:

Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust: for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead. (Isaiah 26:19)

And Ezekiel:

Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. (Ezekiel 37:12)

And Daniel:

And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. (Daniel 12:2)

Since the inner man does not sleep in the dust of the earth we understand that Daniel is speaking of the raising of the mortal body.

The Lord Jesus came preaching eternal life—particularly the raising of the mortal body. But the concept that the goal of redemption is the removing of the believers to Heaven, rather than the giving of immortality to redeemed people, has prevented us from seeing what Jesus actually taught.

Jesus' message was eternal life, not going to Heaven, but eternal life. It was access to eternal life, not residence in Heaven, that was lost in the beginning. Jesus, our Redeemer, is redeeming what was lost. Heaven was not lost. Eternal life in Paradise on the earth was lost. Eternal life in Paradise on the earth will be regained, with the Lord Jesus as the eternal Center and Circumference of all creatures and things (Ephesians 1:10).

The Lord spoke of the reviving of the bodies of all men:

Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation. (John 5:28,29)

Again, in connection with the Lord's supper:

Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. (John 6:54)

Notice the two stages in the above verse. First, receiving the Presence of God in our inner man as we partake of the flesh and blood of Christ. Second, raising our flesh and bone body in the Day of the Lord.

To be continued.