The Resurrection of God-of Jesus- on the cross is history’s most important event , after the birth of Jesus. For as in Adam all die, so in Jesus (we)all will be made alive.But each in his own order; first Jesus (as) the “first-fruit ” ( to be resurrected) then those who are with Him at His second coming.” 1Cor.15:21-3,Rom.5:12.
That is us, friends!! And in God’s time, after our physical death, we can be asleep “in him” for a very short time; as a thousand years to Him is as a day!”.
One of the main reasons why our natural carnal mind cannot believe spiritually is explained in 1 Cor.1:18. The paragraph is headed “Christ the Wisdom and Power of God”. ” The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing..” Why ? God explains in the following verse 19: “ For it is written:(also in Isaiah 29:14- written approx. 700 BC ) “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise: the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.”– Is this you, my friend?
Paul, in the spirit of God, writes later in 1 Cor1:25” for the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength.”
He further states 1 Cor.2:14 ” the natural man cannot accept the things of the Spirit of God because they are foolishness to him: neither can he know or recognize them because they are spiritually discerned.” – Is this you , my friend ?
LIFE THROUGH THE SPIRIT
Elsewhere In Rom 8:5-11 -“and if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, THEN He who raised Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who lives in you.” This is also what it means “We are crucified with Christ and we no longer live (to this world’s values) , this life I live in the flesh I live by faith for Christ who gave Him-self for me..”Gal.2:20,Rom.6:6
So why do so many people not have Christ ? Today ? Why are we a small minority in the population?
Part of the answer (the answer is always “in part” because NO-one has the full or complete answer when the “mystery” of our God is the subject. He is “always more”, never boring!! Amen?) part of the answer is 2 Cor.4:4” the God of this age has blinded the minds of un-believers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Jesus Christ who is the image of God.” Later verse 6 “For God, who said “let light shine out of darkness”– (Gen.1:3) -made His “special” light shine in our hearts..”. Possibly of the same, divine and “invisible vibrations or wave-lengths” as the “first” divine light- God’s light.This is for believers under grace.
This name above-“the god of this age.”– refers to“the enemy, who is the arch-enemy of God, and is the un-seen power behind all un-belief and un-godliness. “(source 1,below) “This age” contrasts man’s age with God’s future agewhen God will “Regenerate” all of God’s creation. This includes “a new earth” (with re-newed rain-forests, species etc. as they first were intended when created) and man-kind from before Adam and the “fall”), when God and man were friends. When there was no sin or sin’s wages-death. (Rom.5:10-11)(Isa.25:8)
Jesus tasted death and subsequently conquered death -“fully”- by refusing a numbing potion that was offered to Him to reduce His pain when on the cross (Mk.15:23). Only the full affects of His pain allowed Him to fully complete the plan Of God. This is to willingly conquer death, which is the wage of all sin of all humanity through out all the world for all time(Rom.6:23) completely, and in full consciousness. This is in both His divine and human mind. Death is also “the last enemy.”(1 Cor.15:26)(Rev.21:4)
“O Death, where is your Victory”? O Death, where is your sting?,” ( -Now?) 1 Cor:15;55, and ,from about 850 BC -Hosea1 3:14“I will deliver this people from the power of the grave, I will redeem them from death, where O Death is your plagues..” Fantastic! what an exciting prophecy!! The Lord who was , who is ,and who will be”! Amen!!
This enemy is introduced in Revelation Chapter 12, as a “red dragon” waiting to destroy Jesus when He was born,but He is saved as in v.5” And she (Mary) brought fourth a man-child (Jesus)who was to rule all nations..and her Child was caught up (the “ascension of Jesus”- after the Resurrection of Jesus) unto God and to His Throne.”
Then Ch.12:7 ff “And there was war in Heaven:…”v9ff “And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent called the devil and satan, which deceives the whole world:(which is his main purpose now)-he was cast out and his angels with him.”
In a victor’s triumphant announcement,– Ch.12:v10“And I heard a loud voice in heaven saying ‘ Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ:for the accuser of our brothers is cast down,which (-not ‘who’ )’used to’ accuse them(-us) day and night before our God”.
It is interesting that the first idea of eternal life for man-kind is in the beginning of God’s plan.In Gen. 3:22 -paraphrased- after Adam and Eve had eaten from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, The Lord God said” they have become as one of us” and they will want to eat from the tree of eternal life-they (and genetically ‘we’) could not be trusted because of sin so He drove them (us) out of the Garden of Eden.
Back in Rev.12:4 where satan is ready to destroy Jesus at birth,“And his tail drew one third of the stars of heaven, and cast them to the earth:..”. Bible scholars assert this is the number of angels lucifer has for the final battle in heaven. On our side we have twice as many as he has.
After His Resurrection from the grave, Jesus taught His disciples for forty days.Then Jesus ascended into heaven. Acts1:9″ after He said these things He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight.” Ps.68:18 also predicts this event,”You have ascended on High.You have led captive Your captives, and received gifts from men..”.
The complete triumph of the cross is partly revealed in Col.2:13ff “..He forgave us all our sins, having cancelled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us. (this is taken as the OC, and hundreds of minor regulations since added on “by men”.)He took it away,nailing it to the cross. And having dis-armed all powers and authorities He made a public spectacle of them,triumphing over them by the cross.” Fore-told in Isaiah 61:1..to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners..”
The cross is where God’s triumphant, super-natural work was carried out.Jesus was resurrected to life on earth to further teach His disciples for forty more days .Then He ascended to his Father’s throne-room. But previously during those three days ,He was in the bowels of the earth (some say “Hades”) where all the dead spiritually are.(Rev.20:1)
” While dead, ridiculed; and shamed on earth;- Jesus, during His 3 days in the grave, traveled down to the dead carrying the “keys to life ” to set the captives free from their un-just punishment, as His own death was-(Clarke’s commentary)Eph 4:9,10.All of the innocent millions, who have been,-through-out history, un-justly victimized and punished as Jesus was at His crucifixion, can expect mercy and justice in their defense from their intercessor Jesus their “High Priest”, who sympathizes with them.
“He who descended is the same as the one who ascended higher than all the heavens – why?- in order to fill the whole universe.”-showing His complete fullness and authority in the situation.Also similar to Mth.12:40 where the “ordained”Jonah was hiding in the huge whale’s body for 3 days, as pre-told in OT scripture Ps. 139:15, Pr.30:4.
A FULFILLED PROPHECY OF A ” DIVINE EXCHANGE”.
In the cosmic plan and purpose of God the Father, the Resurrection of Jesus and His ascension up into heaven allowed the Holy Spirit to come down. Jesus advised His desciples – “I will go but the father who sent me will send another one in my place,and He will teach you all things and will remind you of what I have told you(already)”. John 14:16ff;14:26.Eph4:8
Didn’t Jesus say “I do not give as the world gives, I will not leave you as orphans.”
Jesus was limited by His physical body.The Great Commission “Go out into all the world” required greater resources -in scope,not power. The Cross allowed (allows?!) the Holy Spirit to empower and energize believers to spread the Good News of Jesus today.” Heaven and earth will pass away “But My Word” will never pass away”.-in 3 gospels,Mth.24:35,Mark13:31,Luke21:33.And believers –here we are living out this prophecy, Amen?!
The previous post -the “Superiority of Christ III”- revealed that those billions of people who follow a different religion,or even no religion, are being deceived and lured away from the Truth,- the un-conditional love of Jesus. By describing the works of these often demonic powers and “dominions of darkness”, and human pride (ie’ the religions of man, not the religion of God-see post “Our Inheritance, 20/10/14) The destructive effects on their followers- especially the vulnerable women and children – are seen on our “NEWS”screens continually.
If our God is a God of love, and Jesus is able to heal and reconcile every-body, what answer do we have for the billions of people with-out Jesus today? Yes!- we can answer this “eternal question”.
First- for any un-believers reading-, will you accept Jesus as your Lord in your heart and stop your bad ways if there is a biblical answer? OK! –the last post answers this more fully but here I will say that in the Book of Revelation, Ch.20:v4″…and I saw the souls of those who had been be-headed because of their testimony for Jesus and because of the Word Of God..(as what is happening in the present- day wars in the middle-East)..They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years…this is the first resurrection.
Then verse 12’I saw the dead,great and small..13,the sea gave up the dead that were in it,and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them..each person was judged according to what they had done..the lake of fire is the second death. v15,if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.”
Now we have God’s Universal Laws we all live under – consciously or un-consciously. – 1) Love God With All Your Heart 2) Do Unto Others As You Would Have Them Do Unto You. If you are not Christian then Rule 2) Applies . If you are a “nice” person you should be saved, if you have never treated others un- fairly! For it is God who calls people to Him.
The book of life (of the new,Resurrected life ?) gives everybody in it renewed life again with Jesus. For “all humanity”, through-out His ages- rich and poor, the innocent and the not-so -innocent!
Biblical Truth shines as a beacon of Hope for humanity, especially The Resurrection of Jesus. Many biblical verses, “living” in “the Word of God”, through-out “His” ages, continue to strengthen and inspire us, ie” we also were included in Christ when we heard the Word of Truth, the gospel of our salvation”.Eph.1:13,Ps.119:123.(approx. 900BC)
One more-just as true-1 Peter 1:3..in His great mercy He has given us New Birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade”.Rom.8:18 For the suffering we now face is nothing compared to the glory that awaits us! Our faces will reflect the glory of God when we meet Him! Praise the Lord!!
I must apologize for the abundance of length. I trust this imperfect attempt at The Plan of God will make it clearer for “baby Christians” who might other-wise give away their faith.
Bibliography:
The NIV Study Bible – K.Barker,Gen. Editor; Zondervan Publishers, Grand Rapids,Mich. USA.