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The Daily Word of Righteousness
The True Hope: "Rapture" or Resurrection?, #15
But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming. (I Corinthians 15:23)
Christ is the Firstborn from the dead. When Paul states that Christ was made alive he means Christ's physical body was made alive. When Paul states that those who belong to Christ will be made alive at Christ's coming he means their physical body will be made alive. Notice that the Apostle does not count our spiritual rebirth as making us alive but our resurrection from the dead as making us alive.
We understand from this the importance of being raised from the dead. Ought not the making alive of the body be emphasized today rather than the catching up?
Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. (I Corinthians 15:24)
The resurrection of the believers will take place at the coming of the Kingdom of God to the earth. This is why the saints of Thessalonica were concerned. They believed that the coming of the Lord would take place momentarily (apparently some of them had quit their jobs) and they were concerned that the dead believers would not be permitted to participate in the setting up of the Kingdom of God on the earth.
For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. (I Corinthians 15:25,26)
The greatest King of all, Christ, conquered death and came forth from the cave of Joseph of Arimathea. Now His resurrection Life is working in us. By the power of the Holy Spirit we are gaining victory over the spiritual death and darkness in our personality. Little by little we are attaining the inner, spiritual resurrection. Those who persist in the battle will attain the out-resurrection, the first resurrection from the dead, the resurrection of the blessed and holy royal priesthood.
Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years. (Revelation 20:6)
We see, therefore, that the Kingdom of God comes as we conquer the sin that keeps our body in the chains of death, not as we jump up and down next to our pew. The Kingdom and the resurrection from the dead go together. The saints of all ages shall be made perfect in righteousness at the same time.
The trumpet of the Lord will not sound "retreat" but "attack." The trumpet of the Lord will announce the attack of Armageddon, not a retreat to the spirit realm.
To be continued.