The First and Second Resurrection - The
Woman of Endor
Christ is coming for His Church (the
gathering together - II Thessalonians 2:1) is just the beginning of the end
times. Christ will return with the saints and angels and there will be the first
and second resurrections. God's Word tells us that those of us who are in Christ
Jesus, heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ will not experience the wrath.
Romans 8:1a There is therefore now no
condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus . . .
The word condemnation is katakrima
meaning judgment. The context is being free from the law because of what Christ
did for us. Our judgment will be at the bema the place where rewards (like the 5
crowns1) will be awarded to His faithful for
things done, our service to Him and the Body of Christ and our believing.
Romans 8
:33 Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect?
It is God that justifieth.
:34 Who is he that condemneth? [pass judgment upon]
It is Christ that
died,
yea rather,
that is risen again,
who is even
at the right hand of God,
who also
maketh intercession for us.
:37 Nay, in all these things we are more than
conquerors through him that loved us.
The words 'It is' are in italics and
have been supplied by the translators but give the wrong sense. These are
questions. Who is going to charge us; God who justified us? Justified is
removing the sin-just if I hadn't sinned. Who is going to condemn/pass judgment
upon us--Christ that died and was risen and seated at the right hand of God and
makes intercession for us, who is the way the truth and the light? God is not
going to charge us and Christ will not judge us according to the law because we
are free from it. Nay-NO-in all these things we are more than conquerors.2
II Corinthians 5
:19 To wit, [to know] that God was in Christ,
reconciling the world unto himself,
not imputing their trespasses unto them;
and hath committed unto us
the word of reconciliation.
If God is not going to put our
trespasses in our 'account', if He is not going to lay those charges against us
than we will not be judged because of them. Our judgment will be for our deeds
done not according to our sins.
We are free from the wrath because
Christ lived, died and was risen from the dead for us--for all those that make
Jesus Christ lord in their life and believe that God raised him from the dead
(Romans 10:9, & 10).
I Thessalonians 1
:10 And to wait for his Son from heaven,
whom he raised from the dead,
even Jesus,
which delivered us from the wrath to come.
5: 9 For God hath not appointed us to wrath,
but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,
:10 Who died for us,
that,
whether we wake or sleep,
we should live together with him.
John 5
:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you,
He that heareth my word,
and believeth on him that sent me,
hath everlasting life,
and shall not come into condemnation;
but is passed from death unto life.
We are told that Christ will come with his Church
II Thessalonians 1
:7 And to you who are troubled rest with us,
when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his
mighty angels,
:8 In flaming fire
taking vengeance on them that know not God,
and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:
:9 Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the
Lord,
and from the glory of his power;
:10 When he shall come to be glorified in his saints,
and to be admired in all them that believe
(because our testimony among you
was believed) in that day.
The words 'mighty angels' are the
Greek words angelon dunameos meaning "messenger of His
power"-angels and the church saints. The vengeance, everlasting destruction
and glorifying of the saints do not happen during the gathering together. This
does not pertain to Christ's coming for his Church. If this happens during or
before the return of Christ than we will experience the wrath and where is our
hope?
God's Word also tells us of two
resurrections. The resurrections of the just and unjust as well as a period of
time between them.
John 5
:28 Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming,
in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his
voice,
:29 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.
Acts 24
:15 And have hope toward God, [Paul is before Felix the
Governor in Jerusalem]
which they themselves also allow,
[the religious leaders in Jerusalem]
that there shall be a resurrection of the dead,
both of the just and unjust.
Luke 14:14 . . . for thou shalt be recompensed at the
resurrection of the just.
[before the Pentecost and the Grace Administration where it is
available for Christ to be in us and to be born again of God, people will be
judged in the resurrection of the just and unjust.]
Revelation 20 expounds upon the
resurrections of the just and unjust and the time between them. In the first
resurrection the dead that are just are raised-those that were beheaded for the
witness of Jesus and those that did not worship anything but God. They then
reign for a thousand years and the rest of the dead are not raised until the
thousand years have expired. Those that have part in the first resurrection will
not experience the second death. Then the devil is thrown into the lake of fire
and the rest of the dead are raised and judged according to their works and
those that are not found in the book of life will also be cast in to the lake of
fire. (click 3 to read the chapter)
Now the verses in I Corinthians 15
are illuminated.
I Corinthians 15
:22 For as in Adam all die,
even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
:23 But every man in his own order:
Christ the firstfruits;
afterward they that are Christ's at his coming. [parousia
- indicating a personal presence]
Everyone that has lived and died
will be made alive either at the return of Christ when the dead in Christ shall
rise first and then we which are alive and remain will be caught up in the air
with him or at the first resurrection or at the second. So, the dead are
currently dead awaiting the gathering together or the resurrections.
:24 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.
:25 For he must reign,
till he hath put all enemies under his feet.
:26 The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.
After those that are not found in
the book of life are cast into the lake of fire to experience eternal
death--this is their torment-then will the last enemy be destroyed and that is
death and it will sting no more.
:27 For he hath put all things under his feet. [Christ
will put all things under]
But when he saith all things are put under him,
it is manifest that
he is excepted, [God is excepted, He will not be under Christ's
feet]
which did put all things under him.
:28 And when all things shall be subdued unto him,
then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him
that put all things under him,
that God may be all in all. [everywhere
supreme]
After Christ's return for his Church
and the gathering together unto him and the first resurrection, the thousand
years, the everlasting destruction of the devil and the second resurrections all
will be subdued unto God and God will be everywhere supreme.
Next week we will return to Saul and
the woman of Endor.
_______________________
1. The Five Crowns:
2. 'more than conquerors' is the Greek
word hupernikao--huper is super/superior in position and nikao
means victor, from the root work nike--victory, in other words: super
conquerors!!
3. Revelation 20
:1 And I saw an angel come down from
heaven,
having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in
his hand.
:2 And he laid hold on the dragon,
that old serpent,
which is the Devil,
and Satan,
and bound him a thousand years,
:3 And cast him into the bottomless pit,
and shut him up,
and set a seal upon him,
that he should deceive the nations
no more,
till the thousand years should be
fulfilled:
and after that he must be loosed a little season.
:4 And I saw thrones,
and they sat upon them,
and judgment was given unto them:
and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for
the witness of Jesus,
and for the word of God,
and which had not worshipped the beast,
neither his image,
neither had received his
mark upon their foreheads,
or in their hands;
and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
:5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were
finished.
This is the first resurrection.
:6 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.
:7 And when the thousand years are expired,
Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,
:8 And shall go out to deceive the nations
which are in the four quarters of
the earth,
Gog and Magog,
to gather them together to battle:
the number of whom is as the
sand of the sea.
:9 And they went up on the breadth of the earth,
and compassed the camp of the saints about,
and the beloved city:
and fire came down from God out of heaven,
and devoured them.
:10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and
brimstone,
where the beast and the false
prophet are,
and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
:11 And I saw a great white throne,
and him that sat on it,
from whose face the earth and the
heaven fled away;
and there was found no place for
them.
:12 And I saw the dead,
small and great,
stand before God;
and the books were opened:
and another book was opened,
which is the book of life: [this
does not pertain to the Church of Christ]
and the dead were judged out of those things which were
written in the books,
according to their works.
:13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it;
and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in
them:
and they were judged every man according to their works.
:14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire.
This is the second death.
:15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life
was cast into the lake of fire.
