The Daily Word of Righteousness

Aspects of the Resurrection of the Saints, #3

For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. (Galatians 6:8)

The wicked will receive what they have practiced in the world.

The working of the grace of God in Christ in the victorious saints creates the Life of Christ in us. The Life of Christ transforms our inner man. As this transformation takes place a corresponding "weight" of glory is created before the throne of the Father. In the Day of Resurrection our flesh and bones will rise and be clothed with the heavenly weight of glory, the "house which is from Heaven."

And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness [righteous deeds] of saints. (Revelation 19:8)

After pointing out the necessary elements in attaining the first resurrection (in Revelation, Chapters Two and Three), the Lord Jesus shows us what the Father has revealed to Him concerning some of the other aspects of the first resurrection from the dead.

We must keep in mind that the Book of Revelation is not presenting world or Church history in strict order of time. The vision is of the Day of the Lord and is as the many faces of one diamond, many different vantage points from which to view one scene—the Day of the Lord, the Day of Christ. The Church Era is the evening, and the coming of the Sun of Righteousness is the morning, of the sixth day, the Day of the Lord.

You may note that the seventh day of creation has no evening and morning. The new heaven and earth reign of the Lord Jesus Christ is the seventh day, the day of God's rest, the eternal day that has no end.

The First Aspect of the First Resurrection. One important aspect of the first resurrection is the filling of the saints with the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Christ.

After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter. (Revelation 4:1)

"I will show you things that must be hereafter."

The above verse portrays the spirit of wisdom and revelation abiding upon and in the saint who is living in Christ in heavenly places, who is setting his mind on things above. It is a resurrection and ascension of our spiritual nature in which we learn to walk in heavenly places and our eyes are opened so we can know the "things which must be hereafter."

Compare:

That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: (Ephesians 1:17)

And a few verses later:

And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ: (Ephesians 2:6)

Ephesians 2:6 (above) is not a mere figure of speech. It describes a genuine (though not bodily) resurrection and ascension of the believer who is walking in the Spirit of God.

To be continued.