Because of Adam's sin we were driven from the Tree of Life. We die physically. But if we die in Jesus Christ we will be raised from the dead at His coming. In order to die "in Christ" we must meet the standards established by Christ and His Apostles. We must abide in Christ during our discipleship. The resurrection to eternal life in the body must be attained! It can be prevented by our conduct. We can slay our own resurrection.

"But each in his own turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him."

For as in Adam all die so in Christ all will be made alive. Because of Adam we die physically. Because of Christ we will be made alive physically at His coming. "A spirit has not flesh and bones as you see Me have."

We have eternal life now, in our inward nature. But the Bible emphasizes the resumption of life in our physical body (however glorified). Attaining to the resurrection of the dead ought to be the focus of each believer. The resurrection to eternal life in the body is the blessed hope of the Christian, not the catching up into the air.

When the Bible speaks of life or living it often is referring primarily to the body. You can see this in the following two verses:

I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony for Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or his image and had not received his mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years. (Revelation 20:4—NIV)

"They came to life." We know the members of the royal priesthood had eternal life prior to their resurrection. Yet the Scriptures say they came to life at the coming of the Lord. They came alive physically.

But the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who had performed the miraculous signs on his behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped his image. The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. (Revelation 19:20—NIV)

"They were thrown alive." We know Antichrist and the False Prophet have never had eternal life in their inward nature. The fact that they were thrown alive into the Lake of Fire means they were physically alive on this occasion.

Another issue is raised at this point. If Antichrist and the False Prophet were thrown in their physical bodies into the Lake of Fire, then there will be a convergence of the physical and spirit realms at the conclusion of the Church Age. Not only Antichrist and the False Prophet but all whose names are not found in the Book of Life will be cast body, soul, and spirit into the Lake of Fire. It seems also that no part of the personality ceases to exist but suffers endless torment. The personality has perished in the flames but has not ceased to exist.

To be continued.