DIVINE PROMISES
The truth can be split into four departments: Doctrines, Instructions, Judgment and Divine Promises. This page includes articles that talk about Divine Promises.
Divine Promises are the hope of mankind; what will the world be like in the future?
GOD WILL ARISE AND HAVE MERCY UPON ZION
In Psalms 102:13, David the Psalmist stated, “Thou shall arise, and have mercy on Zion: for the time to favour her, yea, the set time, is come.” There are three main parts - Zion, God will arise, and Having Mercy. We have to understand all the parts in detail in order to understand the full meaning.
Zion is the House of God. “And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills: and all nations shall flow unto it. And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of Jacob: and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.” (Isaiah 2:2-3). It is from there that Jesus Christ will be ruling. “The LORD said unto my LORD, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool. The LORD shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion: rule thou in the midst of thine enemies.” (Psalms 110:1-2). That is also where our safety and deliverance comes from. “And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be saved. For out of Zion and Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call.” (Joel 2:32).
Then, we also have to understand what it means for God to arise. “For the LORD shall rise up as in Mount Perazim, he shall be wroth as in the valley of Gibeon, that he may do his work, his strange work; and bring to pass his act, his strange act.” (Isaiah 28:21). When God says he’s arising to do something, it means he’s turning his attention to us (Exodus 3:1-14, 8). And when he says he’s going to arise, there’s absolutely nothing we can do to stop or prevent that (Isaiah 14:27, Daniel 4:34-35, Isaiah 2:2).
Then, there’s actually having mercy. The only reason why God is having mercy on Zion, or the reason why anybody would have mercy on anything, is simply because we sinned, and fell short of God’s glory (Romans 3:10-11, 23, 6:23, Genesis 3:16-19). However, God has decided to rescue us, and forgive us of our sins. He’s answering our prayers, like in the time of old (Exodus 2:23-25, Matthew 6:9-10 / Luke 11:2-4). And God has appointed Jesus Christ as Head and King of his Glorious Government in order to kick and destroy all enemies and traitors so that righteous ones can be rewarded by God Almighty (Isaiah 63:1-6, 9-14, 42:13-16, 49:7-11, 33:2, 22, Jeremiah 51:20-23, Ezekiel 36:6-12, Revelation 12:1-12, 19:11-21, etc).And what he’s doing is going to last forever (Daniel 2:44, Psalms 145:10-13, Isaiah 65:17-25, Revelation 21:1-5, etc).
We have to repent to God in order for us to get our fair share in all of God’s blessings. We must be reconciled to God (2 Corinthians 5:18-20, Job 36:9-10, Acts 3:19-21, etc). That is when his lovingkindness will really show on us. “How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O LORD! Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings. They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house; and thou shall make them drink of the river of thy pleasures. For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light.” (Psalms 36:7-9 - see also Isaiah 63:7, 4:3-6, 52:2 and 26:2-4).
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WHAT IS SALVATION?
Salvation is the total deliverance from the consequences of sin, including death. The Scriptures have revealed to us that sin causes many things: lack of peace, tranquility, pain (Psalms 38:3). But most importantly, it produces death. “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 6:23). “Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.” (James 1:15).
Humanity plunged into sin in Genesis 3:1-6, when Satan directed us out of God’s principles. Ever since, there’s been a sense of sin in us. “Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.” (Psalms 51:5). It’s built into our moral instincts (Romans 7:7-25). It was because of our sin that God made us die off (Genesis 3:16-19), as people who live in sin can’t be walking in God’s presence forever (Genesis 6:3, Romans 3:23).
But God promised salvation to humanity, and for a couple of reasons. Number one: He felt sorry for our sinful condition (Job 33:21-24). Sin is a heavy burden to humanity. “For mine iniquities are gone over mine head: as an heavy burden they are too heavy for me.” (Psalms 38:4). We have no power to save ourselves of death (Psalms 49:6-7). So because of that, God has provided a ransom (Job 33:24).
But God also wants to save us from sin because of Himself. He is holy (Leviticus 11:44-45, Deuteronomy 32:4, etc), and he doesn’t like unholiness in His presence. Humanity was seen as unholy before God because of their sin (Isaiah 1:4,6 - a relevant description of humanity’s sin). This is why, when God was angry with Job’s friends, because of their sin, he asked for sacrifices to be made (Job 42:7-10). Those sacrifices pacified His anger and disgust for the Israelites when they sinned against Him. Therefore, he gave a ransom for humanity to save them from sin (1 John 4:10, Romans 3:25) and feel good with looking at us. “I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death: O death, I will be thy plagues; O grave, I will be thy destruction: repentance shall be hid from mine eyes.” (Hosea 13:14).
And all Christians know that Jesus Christ was the ransom. “For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45). He was the ransom because he was without sin (1 Peter 2:22), and his perfect life would equal the perfect life that was lost (Deuteronomy 19:21, Exodus 21:22-25). His blood was like a sacrifice (Hebrews 9:22), which would atone for the sins of humanity and take them away (John 1:29). This is similar to the day of Atonement, which was done once a year to atone for the sins of Israel (Leviticus 23:26-32). This was done so that God wouldn’t remember the iniquities of the Israelites, and Jesus Christ’s ransom was the same for all of humanity.
All this information about salvation was prototyped by the story of Egypt and Israel. Salvation, to reiterate, is the total deliverance from the consequences of sin, including death. During the time of the Egyptians and the Israelites, salvation could be defined as, “the total deliverance from Egyptian bondage.”
God saved them for some reasons. One, to fulfill His promise to Abraham in Genesis 15:13-14. He remembered Abraham’s obedience and couldn’t let it go without reward (Deuteronomy 7:7-9). Two, because he pitied their condition (Exodus 2:23-25), and doesn’t believe that people can oppress one another like that (Exodus 3:9-10). And just like humanity as a whole, the Israelites had no way of saving themselves. They were powerless against the Egyptians. But God brought them on “His wings”, and brought them unto Himself (Exodus 19:4-6, 6:6, Deuteronomy 15:15).
In order to worship God, we have to believe that we needed the ransom. It isn’t just for the Jews, or for Christians; it was for all of humanity. And to show our belief, we have to do a few things:
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We have to learn about the ransom, and Jesus Christ, the person who paid it (1 Timothy 2:3-4). We have to understand God’s salvation and want to be a part of it.
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We have to believe in Jesus Christ (John 3:16, 36, 6:47, Acts 16:30-31, etc.). We do this by living by his words, and feeling proud of believing in him (Romans 1:16, Mark 8:38). Those are the works that James says we have to do for our faith to be of any worth (James 2:14-16).
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We have to live in righteousness and be sober, avoiding iniquity wherever possible (Proverbs 4:14-15). “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.” (Titus 2:11-14).
But the ransom sacrifice wasn’t salvation in itself. It was a door to it. Once again, salvation is the total deliverance from the consequences of sin, including death. And while the ransom sacrifice did defeat death (Hebrews 2:14-15), it didn’t just take sin away from our lives. That’s the job of God’s Kingdom. The Kingdom of God was set up to rework the world into righteousness (Acts 3:19-21). The Kingdom of God is an idea, not a place (Luke 17:20-21) that represents what God wanted the world to look like from the beginning. It is made of principles such as love, faith, etc. (Galatians 5:22-23). The whole world will move in that direction (Isaiah 2:2) as former systems of corruption, poverty, and injustice, in God’s sight, which have dominated the world under the rule of Satan the Devil (1 John 5:19) is being removed, as Jesus Christ is defeating the powers of this world, which Satan ruled the world through (Revelation 19:11-21). And in the end, all of this work will result in peace and happiness (Isaiah 65:17-25, Revelation 21:1-5). This may seem complicated, but if we watch what’s going on, and match it with the Bible, with prayers, such things will be revealed to us.
But how do we qualify to live to obtain that salvation? We have to prove to God that we have faith in His plans. All our spiritual works are like a resume which God looks at and approves of. “He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.” (Revelation 3:5). And our faith has to remain to the end to be valid (Matthew 24:12-13, Hebrews 10:35-36, 38-39, 3:14, 1 Peter 1:9-10, etc). If we return to sin, the ransom sacrifice doesn’t save us. “For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins.” (Hebrews 10:26).
THE GLORIFICATION OF THE CHURCH
The Glorification of the Church is a very important subject, because it is the current-future destiny of all righteous ones. God has promised all his true children that they will be glorified. “For the LORD taketh pleasure in his people: he will beautify the meek with salvation.” (Psalms 149:4 - see also Ezekiel 21:26 and Psalms 147:3). However, how is this process going to take place? What things will have to give for this to be successful? Such things will be discussed in this article.
Some terminology should be covered, though. To glorify means to make admirable, or beautiful. The church is the people, those being the ones who love God. That’s the way we understand Matthew 18:20: “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” When we see church in the Bible (e.g in Acts 2:47, 5:11, 8:1), it is understood in that light.
The reason why the glorification of the church is an event that is happens is because righteous ones, since the sin of Adam and Eve, have always been like the heath in the desert, waiting for rain to fall. They have to suffer persecution: “And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.” (Matthew 11:12 - see also Psalms 59:3, Acts 14:22 and Revelation 2:8-10). It was the reason why Job had to suffer (James 5:10-11), and the people that St.Paul talked about in Hebrews 11:36-38.
The glorification of the church, whether in the Old Testament or in the last days, cannot take place without some adjustments being made, mainly being one party going down and other being exalted. And that was what people in the Bible prayed for. “O my God, I trust in thee: let me not be ashamed, let not mine enemies triumph over me. Yea, let none that wait on thee be ashamed: let them be ashamed which transgress without cause.” (Psalms 25:2-3). In fact, King Solomon said, “I have seen servants upon horses, and princes walking as servants upon the earth.” (Ecclesiastes 10:7 -see also Proverbs 19:10). This is all the glorification of the church.
There are examples in the Bible of the glorification of the church. There was Job, previously cited, considering his sufferings, and how he got double of everything he had, fairer children, and 140 extra years to enjoy his life (Job 42:10-17). The Israelites, after all their years of yearning (Exodus 2:23-25), were glorified starting with the choosing of Moses (Exodus 3), and ending with the exiting of Egypt and the Egyptians being swallowed up in the Red Sea, the Israelites having all the spoil (Exodus 7-15). They were low, being under the Egyptians, and then their destruction glorified the Israelites.
That story of the rescue of the Israelites is a foreshadowing of the ultimate glorification of the church, starting with Jesus Christ, and ending with the children of God. Jesus Christ was glorified when he went to heaven, with all his glory (Matthew 17:1-9 - foreshadowing the glory - Philippians 2:5-11). and his prophecies didn’t fall to the ground, but were fulfilled by the destruction of Israel (Matthew 23:33-38, Luke 19:41-44, Matthew 21:33-46). The saints were glorified with the setting up of God’s Kingdom, and the leaders of this world brought down, and their prophecies fulfilled (Luke 18:1-8, Revelation 6:9-11).
In these last days, the glorification of the church is taking place, answering the prayer of Jesus Christ’s taught to mankind in Matthew 6:9-10. People had been praying that prayer for close to 2000 years, and it was only a century ago that the prayer was answered, where World Wars 1 and 2 announced the beginning of the process where righteous ones will no more be like the heath of the desert, hoping for rain, but they will be like the trees in the garden (Jeremiah 17:5-8). Righteousness ones will be like shining stars (Daniel 12:3, Matthew 13:43). “The glory of Lebanon shall come unto thee, the fir tree, the pine tree, and the ox together, to beautify the place of my sanctuary; and I will make the place of my feet glorious.” (Isaiah 60:13). People will come and realize that the lifestyle of righteous ones had been better all this while, and the righteous will be glorified a a result, the way the 5 foolish virgins in Matthew 25:8-9.
The glory that righteous ones will get to have is incredible. It can’t be compared to our sufferings. “For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” (Romans 8:18 - see also 2 Corinthians 4:16-18). This is why we must persevere and trust in God, because there is light at the end of the tunnel. (Hebrews 10:35-36, 38-39). “Though thy beginning was small, yet thy latter end should greatly increase.” (Job 8:7).
THE ETERNAL HABITATION OF MAN
This topic is drawn from Psalms 37:11. “But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.” (see also Matthew 5:5 and Proverbs 2:21-22).
This article will explain the important parts of this verse: the “meek” and “inherit the earth”.
THE EARTH
God created the earth to be inhabited and remain forever (Isaiah 45:12, 18, Ecclesiastes 1:4). He liked it when He created it (Genesis 1:31, 1 Timothy 4:4), and wanted the children of men (humans) to inhabit it (Psalms 115:16, Psalms 89:11), and worship Him there (Isaiah 43:21). There would be no violence, politics or anything like that. Peace would reign.
However, all this changed with the interference of Satan the Devil. He deceived Adam and Eve to believe that disobeying God and trusting in their own judgment would help (Genesis 3:1-6). Because of all that, he became the “god of this world” (2 Corinthians 4:4), and the world was “under the sway of the wicked one” (1 John 5:19, NKJV).
With the world under his control, he set up an economy, political forces, kingdoms and many other things. Living in the world became about meeting standards, competing with other people, amassing wealth, etc. That was what he showed Jesus Christ in Matthew 4:8-9. Seven of those kingdoms (Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, the Medes and Persians, Greece, the Roman Empire and the British) influenced the Israelites in major ways (Revelation 17:10-11 - the seven kings). On a smaller scale, because the Israelites had rejected God (1 Samuel 8:7-8), they set up a nation for themselves, with an economy, standing army, etc, to compete with and resemble the surrounding Gentile nations (1 Samuel 8:1-8, 19-20). God never liked this idea because that wasn’t what He planned in the beginning (Hosea 13:11).
This is relevant because the righteous, consequently, have to suffer persecution (2 Timothy 3:12). The righteous are ones who trust in God and not in political leaders, the economy, etc (Jeremiah 17:5-8). However, the majority of people in this world believe in the economy and politics, and because of that, righteous ones are on a narrow path (Matthew 7:13-14). People won’t like them, and as Revelation 13:17 put it, “no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.” Essentially, they won’t have many friends or hold big positions in the world, especially in politics.
GOD’S PROMISE FOR A BETTER FUTURE
However, God wanted to fix the world so that His children would be beautified (Psalms 149:4) and shine like the sun (Matthew 13:43). And, to do so, He promised to create “new heavens and a new earth” (Isaiah 65:17, 66:22, 2 Peter 3:13, Revelation 21:1). The world will be restored to how it was in the Garden of Eden (Acts 3:19-21). He would make war to cease in the world (Psalms 46:9, Isaiah 2:4 60:18). And to do all this, he appointed Jesus Christ as head and King over His government (Isaiah 9;6-7, 32:1, etc.).
It is evident that God’s government under Jesus Christ is working to reform the Earth for the righteous in our time. After all, political leaders have less power than before, and spiritual leaders can’t enforce Satanic doctrines on the congregation. Jesus Christ is making governance a very hot seat (that’s why leaders are criticized, and people are rioting against them all over the world). God is using that to destabilize Satan’s system, set up thousands of years ago. Being a president, prime minister, etc., is becoming more worthless as a position, in fulfilment of Isaiah 3:6-7, and 34:12. Eventually, the concept of politics and government will be universally rejected. And this process was summarized by Isaiah the Prophet in Isaiah 24:21-22. “And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall punish the host of the high ones that are on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth. And they shall be gathered together, as prisoners are gathered in the pit, and shall be shut up in the prison, and after many days shall they be visited.”
The world is also becoming more peaceful. An egalitarian concept is being sown into the hearts of people by God, and in various European countries, the idea that “the rich get richer, and the poor get poorer” simply doesn’t exist. People care about others, aid others, and are more interested in the wellbeing of the society than their personal wellbeing.
The Scriptures also help us understand the future. For one, there will be no more war or suffering (Isaiah 11:6-9, 65:17-25, Revelation 21:1-5), or governments (Isaiah 3:6-7). There will be no economy, either, as Jesus Christ implicitly said in Luke 16:9. “Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations.” The mammon of unrighteousness is money, and what is failing in the text is the money system (a.k.a the economy). There will be no marriage (Luke 20:37-38), or sickness, because sickness is a product of sin, which the future won’t have (Isaiah 33:24). And the righteous will not be persecuted by the wicked any longer, as Ezekiel told us in Ezekiel 34:28. “And they shall no more be a prey to the heathen, neither shall the beast of the land devour them; but they shall dwell safely, and none shall make them afraid.”
The righteous ones of God will be resurrected to live in this world. “Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, 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.” (John 5:28-29). Job expressed hope in resurrection in Job 19:25-26. “For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God.”
But we shouldn’t forget the first part of Psalms 37:11, the “meek”. It is the meek that will be inheriting what has been described above. Why? It is because only they will humble themselves before God and not feel entitled to inherit such a thing. They will be eternally grateful and will serve God the way He wants to be served, and not some other way. Isaiah the Prophet spole about this in Isaiah 57:15, where he declared, “For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.”
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THE STORY OF EDEN
The beauty of the Bible begins with the story of Adam and Eve in Genesis 2-3. In Genesis 2:7, God breathed into Adam’s nostrils and became a “living soul”. In Genesis 2:18-25, God created Eve to join Adam, and they lived together for an unspecified time.
Then, in Genesis 3:1-6, Satan the Devil, in the form of a serpent, paid a visit, and asked her what God told her. In response, she told him that God instructed them to eat from wherever they desired but a certain tree. Satan lied blatantly against God’s former instruction. Eve was convinced to eat it, and so was Adam when Eve showed it to him.
However, what made them disobey?
Though not implied in the text, Eve must’ve been looking at the fruit often, questioning God by saying, “Why can’t I eat this fruit?” Otherwise, a lie like that wouldn’t have moved her to disobey. It was because she must’ve been looking at it often that Satan’s lie was enough to push her to do it.
She should’ve actually gone to Adam, the person who had most likely passed on the instruction to her, and informed him about the situation. Adam would’ve made the right choice. And if we read 1 Samuel 8:1-8, the concept matches. The Israelites, considered God’s wife (Jeremiah 2:2, 3:8, 14, Ezekiel 16, etc), should’ve consulted God before requesting a king from Samuel, the priest.
When Eve confronted Adam with the fruit, he should’ve remembered God’s instruction and rejected her, telling her something like, “I can’t deal with you anymore, because you are tainted with iniquity!” However, because Adam loved his wife and couldn’t imagine going against her, fell in and disobeyed God.
God pronounced death on them because Adam and Eve became inferior to him. Remember, God is without iniquity (Leviticus 11:44-45, 1 Peter 1:16). “He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.” (Deuteronomy 32:4). Therefore, when they sinned, falling short of God’s glory (Romans 3:23), they couldn’t live forever, continuing in that sin, so God judged them with death, and this stretched to future humanity, also considered, “Adam’s children” (see Genesis 6:5 for their description).
However, God has always had a plan to create a spiritual family linked with His Word, the truth (John 17:17). Every member of this family overcomes iniquity (Revelation 2:7, 11, 17, 26, Romans 12:21), and proves themselves righteous to God.
The head of this family is Jesus Christ, described as the last Adam, hence, “The Everlasting Father” (Isaiah 9:6). “And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.” (1 Corinthians 15:45). Unlike the first Adam, which fell to Satan’s temptation, Jesus Christ rejected Satan, proving a lack of interest in his promises (Matthew 4:1-11 - see Hebrews 12:2-3). Both temptations were like, “tempting fruits”. The unqualified Adam ate it, but the qualified one didn’t.
And God had promised He would prolong Jesus’s spiritual family. “Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.” (Isaiah 53:10).
The wife of Jesus, the true Adam, are the saints, who replace Eve. The saints are devoted to Jesus Christ’s orders (Revelation 14:1-5), and won’t attempt to drag him to sin, unlike Eve did to Adam. They are predestinated (Romans 8:29-30), and prove themselves worthy by loving not their lives to the death (Revelation 12:11), and sacrificing the world’s enjoyment to save spiritual lives and move God’s purpose forward. That was Eve’s job for Adam, to take care of him, and help him obey God, but she failed.
The children of the true Adam and Eve are not worthless, like Adam’s children, but are all true Jews, attracted by the gospel message (Hosea 11:10, Romans 2:28-29, John 6:44). In Joel 3:18, the gospel message was described as water that would, “water the valley of Shittim”, representing its ability to seek out God’s chosen ones to join the spiritual family.
God’s Kingdom established in our time is being used to make Galatians 5:22-23 become the driving principles in this world, preparing it to be inhabitable by the righteous, so that God’s will may fulfill as planned and prayed for (Matthew 6:9-10). Man will become as the golden wedge of Ophir (Isaiah 13:12), and God’s spiritual family will have a perfect Earth as their habitation. It’s unimaginable! “For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him.” (Isaiah 64:4 - see also 1 Corinthians 2:9).
However, in order to qualify for this family, we shouldn’t be like Adam, or Eve, or their children, who all fell for the fruit, which was temptations that came from Satan. We must overcome temptations and prove ourselves righteous to God, departing from iniquity at every turn (Isaiah 52:11-12). In our time, the beast, an institution of blasphemy, is currently ruling the world (Revelation 13:5-10). We shouldn’t fall into their hands, but should stick with God and be refined through persecution (Zechariah 13:8-9).
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THE NEW CREATION
The New Creation was talked about in many places in the Bible. “For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind.” (Isaiah 65:17). “Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.” (2 Peter 3:13). “And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.” (Revelation 21:1). However, this process isn’t going to be some kind of transformation that everybody is going to see. It’s a gradual process that’s going to bring this world back to the condition that it was before.
It becomes easier to understand the New Creation once we understand the Old Creation, in Genesis 1. That event had only been recorded for us to understand that idea, so when it is replicated in a spiritual form, we can understand it (Romans 15:4, 1 Corinthians 10:11).
The Old Creation was not six days only. Days could be a thousand, or even a million years (Psalms 90:4 and 2 Peter 3:8). But because God lives from everlasting to everlasting (Psalms 90:2, 93:2, etc.), He wouldn’t see that as a very long time. Rather, "days" were periods of time, with a distinct task achieved during that period.
When God created the universe, it was perfect in his sight (Genesis 1:31 and Ecclesiastes 7:29). However, the only thing that was lost from it was the ability to live eternally, because Satan deceived Eve and Adam into disobeying God (Genesis 3:1-6), and the rest of humanity has had to suffer this as well (Romans 3:10-11, 23, 5:12-19, 6:23, etc). And even though Jesus Christ’s ransom sacrifice created the opportunity for righteous ones to inherit eternal life, they can’t inherit such a reward in a world of evil. That is why God is reconfiguring the world so that righteousness can reign.
The New Creation is taking place within the period of transition that we call, “The Last Days”. This idea has started as a seed, but it’s going to grow into a tree, where the birds of the air, the righteous ones, will come and lodge in the branches thereof, talking about the peaceful lives we are going to be living (Matthew 13:31-32). It has been established in the top of the mountains (Isaiah 2:2), in fulfillment of the signs of the times (Matthew 24:7-8) and it will consume all other kingdoms (Daniel 2:44), and prevail over all those who oppose it.
Let's talk about the signs of the times a bit, as they not only prove that we are indeed in the last days, but also help us to understand the process that the New Creation as a project will take. For example, the sudden development of technology in the last 100 years. Cars going to and fro on highways, and the complicated scientific experiments we perform are examples of running to and fro and knowledge increasing, respectively (Daniel 12:4). Also, technologies like the Internet and social media are gathering the world together and making humanity one, in fulfillment of Christ's prophecy in Matthew 25:31-32.
God is setting up a New Covenant with this New Creation. This isn’t a covenant that requires people to be teaching others about the Bible. People will serve God willingly, from their hearts (Jeremiah 31:31-34, Hebrews 8:8-12, John 4:24), instead of from customs and traditions, because that is what God truly desires (1 Samuel 15:22 and Hosea 6:6). God is also reworking the world so that people will love one another and work for the benefit of others, and the virtues Paul enumerated in Galatians 5:22-23 will be fully sown into people's hearts, so that, just as it has happened the past when humans set up kingdoms and dynasties that favoured few and oppressed many, we will form institutions that will establish those righteous ideas, and create peace and happiness for humanity (Haggai 2:6-7).
It is very important that we understand the New Creation, because it is a process that, when fully completed, will never experience fall or decay. It is important that we repent and worship God so that we can be a part of this beautiful project. “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord. And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his prophets since the world began.” (Acts 3:19-21). This is what the New Creation is all about.
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The Bible has talked a lot about the blessings of the righteous. “A faithful man shall abound with blessings: but he that maketh haste to be rich shall not be innocent.” (Proverbs 28:20). “For thou wilt bless the righteous; with favour will thou compass him as with a shield.” (Psalms 5:12 - see also Proverbs 10:22, 6). However, before we get into examples of blessings that righteous ones get, we have to understand the people that are in this category.
Righteous ones aren’t people who are forced to worship God, or people who come because of their friends, family members, or any other reason other than because they love God. David was righteous person, because he was a man after God’s heart (Acts 13:22). It is somebody who agrees with God’s principles for the way they are (Amos 3:3). It’s not like King Amaziah, who did right things, but not with a perfect heart (2 Chronicles 25:1-2). That’s why God isn’t going to look for people anymore, as he’d said in Jeremiah 31:31-34. It’s people who want him that are going to worship him.
There are many blessings that righteous ones get, and we can start with the physical ones:
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Righteous ones can have good children. “The just man walketh in his integrity: his children are blessed after him.” (Proverbs 20:7 - see also Psalms 112:2). Abraham, for example, was blessed with all righteous ones coming from his linage (Genesis 12:1-3). Ruth was blessed by God because David came from Ruth, and therefore Jesus Christ as well (Revelation 5:5). Even King Jehu was promised that his sons would sit on the throne even to the fourth generation (2 Kings 10:30), and it actually happened (2 Kings 15:12).
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Righteous ones can have a long life. For example, Job was rewarded with an extra 140 years of life (Job 42:10-17). King Solomon stated: “Every man also to whom God hath given riches, wealth, and hat given him power to eat thereof, and to take his portion, and to rejoice in his labour; this is the gift of God.” (Ecclesiastes 5:19 - see alsoEcclesiastes 3:13, Proverbs 3:1-2, 16, 4:10 and Proverbs 10:27)
Then, there are spiritual blessings that righteous ones can get too:
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To start of with, to worship God is a blessing. Jesus Christ himself has to call you to be a Christian (John 6:44). We are considered a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation and a peculiar people (1 Peter 2:9-10, 2 Peter 1:2-11, Colossians 1:12-14, Titus 3:3-6, etc).
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Righteous ones of God are given peace by God, because they don’t love the things of the world (1 John 2:15-17). When we don’t love the world, the kind of peace we have isn’t the kind of peace you can find anywhere else (John 14:27, 16:33, etc). Righteous ones of God don’t worry about money, or any other resources (Matthew 6:33, Psalms 84:11).
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God can help us defeat our enemies, both inside us and outside us. If there are people in our lives that don’t support us, or if there are infirmities in our hearts that make us want to do evil, God can help us cure such things (Romans 7:15-25). “Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb. Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.” (Psalms 37:1-3). The Israelites were delivered by God from their enemies, the Egyptians, in Exodus 14, which caused them to celebrate in Exodus 15.
But the biggest blessing that God is going to give to his righteous ones is salvation. But it is only people who can go through the narrow way, overcoming their hearts and all other kinds of evil, that can get such a reward. “Salvation belongeth unto the Lord: thy blessing is upon thy people.” (Psalms 3:8 - see also Romans 6:23). “Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? or who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive the blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation.” (Psalms 24:3-5)
Most of the Bible’s history is covered by Jews, and the covenant that they had with God at the time. To be a Jew meant you were a child of God, and to be a Gentile means you weren’t. At least, that’s what most people thought.
However, the New Testament brought a new idea, which wasn’t actually new, because it was the backbone of all the covenants and treaties that God had made with Israel at the time. But, we have to ask ourselves: “What does it really mean to be Jew?” Not all Jews were saved, after all, so then what makes a Jew a Jew?
Well, this idea of classification had commenced in our time. In the Old Testament, for example, Abraham had been praying to God for a son, and when he had Ishmael from Hagar, Sarah’s handmaid, Abraham thought that this was going to be the special son that he was promised. However, God said that that’s not the son, because it didn’t come from Abraham’s lineage (Genesis 17:20-21). And St. Paul later came to explain in Romans 9:6-8 that the true Jew would come from Abraham, not from the bowels of a slave, having to do with a true Jew coming from a certain formula, not just from anywhere.
The proportion of true Jews from the spirit and Jews from the flesh is also very small, because true Jews are a minority compared to ones in the flesh. Out of the millions of people who had left Egypt at the time (Numbers 1:45-45, which wasn’t including women, children or seniors, it was only Moses, Joshua and Caleb that God really recognized as true Jews (Numbers 12:3, 14:24, 32:10-12). Abiram, Dathan, Korah and the 250 princes wanted to pretend that they were in that category, but they weren’t, because they were people of rebellion, like Satan the Devil (Isaiah 14:12-15, Numbers 16:1-50, for their story).
In the New Testament as well, people who were true Jews were expressed. When the apostles were preaching, there were people that who were pricked in their hearts (Acts 2:37, 41, 4:4, etc). Those people were called by God. That’s why, in that Acts 2:37, when God touched their hearts, they received the message with open arms.
In these last days as well, true Jews are going to be sought out by God. They are the ones that will recognize the significant and yet unique message of God, and follow its directions (Matthew 24:15-16, Hosea 11:10). The people that fit the new covenant explained in Jeremiah 31:31-34 and Hebrews 8:8-12 will not be forced to worship God, but will hear the gospel message, know it’s the truth, and humble themselves to follow it to the end. Such people can come from any country, race, gender, in the world, because God calls who he wants, whether poor or rich (Matthew 11:25-26).
It’s also important to understand that the signature of the covenant made with the Israelites, which is circumcision, can only be done in full by him that is a true Jew, because the physical circumcision doesn’t really mean anything (Galatians 6:12-16, 1 Corinthians 7:19)It is the circumcision of the heart, that is important (Jeremiah 4:4, Deuteronomy 10:16), because that is what gets rid of the evil, and inclines our hearts with God’s.
When we understand this, when we see what St.Paul said in Romans 2:28-29, it makes more sense: “For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise of not of men, but of God.”
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IT PAYS TO FEAR GOD
Fearing God comes with a lot of benefits. However, those benefits can only be from fearing God correctly. Fearing God has to do with respecting God’s ways, and loving what he does. “The fear of the LORD is to have evil: pride, and arrogance, and the evil way, and the forward mouth, do I hate.” (Proverbs 8:13). “By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the LORD men depart from evil.” (Proverbs 16:6). “And unto man he said, “Behond, the fear of the LORd, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.” (Job 28:28).
There were many people in the Bible that feared God. For example, Jesus Christ feared God, which was why he could boast that it is only his father’s commandments and instructions he would carry out (John 4:34, 5:19, 30, 6:38, 14:28, etc). Abraham feared God, which was why he didn’t hesitate to sacrifice his own son, the son he’d been praying for for over 20 years (Genesis 22:1-19). Joseph feared God, which was why he was able to resist Potiphar’s wife’s offer to lie with him, even though that ended up getting him thrown in jail (Genesis 39:7-20). And there are many more examples, because people who feared God were all over the Bible.
The benefits to fearing God are also many. In those stories, those people inherited great rewards. For example, Jesus, as a result of his fear in God’s plan, allowing him to pay the ransom sacrifice, was rewarded with extreme honour, a new role in his project, and eternal life (Philippians 2:5-11, Psalms 110:1-2, etc). Joseph got to be one of the most important people in Egypt, and all the honour that went with that. And all the other righteous ones of God were blessed in one form or another. And we also have to understand the blessings that God will give us, even if it isn’t money.
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We won’t have to worry about money. “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and his righteousness: and all these things shall be added unto you.” (Matthew 6:33). God owns all the money in this world, so worrying about money is a waste of our time (Psalms 84:11, Proverbs 10:22, etc).
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Fearing God brings wisdom. “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever.” (Psalms 111:10 - see also Proverbs 1:7, 9:10, 15:33).
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We will be able to experience or benefit from the awesomeness and forgiveness of God. When we make mistakes in God's Service, mistakes that God wouldn’t forgive others for, he will have mercy on us, because we fear him, and keep his commandments. The lovingkindness of God is only experienced by people who love him “Psalms 36:7-9, Isaiah 63:7, etc).
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People who fear God will have their prayers answered. “And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.” (1 John 3:22, 5:14-15, etc).
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We will understand what is happening in the last days, and we therefore won’t be overtaken by events. “Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.” (Luke 21:36). We can only watch (studying the Bible) and pray (keep his commandments) if we first of all fear him.
There are other blessings that can come, but it is clear now what the fear of God is, and why it pays to fear God. It’s always important to understand all the benefits that come from worshipping God the way he wants us to worship him. That’s why we should study the Bible to find out how (2 Timothy 2:15, James 1:25) so we can be qualified to offer true service to God, our Everlasting Father.
IS LIFE WITHOUT END POSSIBLE?
Scientists haven’t found a way for cells to be renewed and continue life, and this has convinced many Christians to doubt the possiblity of life without end. But in this article, we’re going to look into the prospect of eternal life based on the Bible, not on scientific evidence. And we’ll divide what the Bible has said about it into three things: the fact that the concept of life is within God’s control; the idea that eternal life is not happening now only because of sin; and that God has the power to make things endure.
Let’s start off with the fact that the concept of life is in God’s control. He created life, starting with Jesus Christ (John 5:26), and continuing on with the rest of the world (Genesis 1, Isaiah 45:12, 18). He does whatever He wants with life, which is why He said, “See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god with me: I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal” in Deuteronomy 32:39. Ezekiel got to see this ability in a vision, where God turned bones into living human beings (Ezekiel 37:1-14).
The concept of resurrection also proves that God Almighty can do anything with life. He brought His Son, Jesus Christ, back to life in Matthew 28:1-10, even though Jesus was fully dead; there was no life in him that would bring him back up. And other resurrections that took place in the Bible, such as those done by Jesus Christ (John 11:1-44, Luke 8:49-56), the apostles (Acts 9:36-42, 20:7-12) and others (1 Kings 17:17-24, 2 Kings 4:18-37) also prove the same thing, because they were given power by God to do that.
It is because God has this control over life that Jesus Christ said that all humans who’ve lived would be resurrected; some to everlasting life and some everlasting “damnation”. In John 5:28-29, he said, “Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, 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.”
God has even extended people’s lives, like Job’s. He added an extra 140 years to his life (Job 42:16-17). Therefore, if God can make things endure, and, as said above, He has control over life, He can make us live eternally.
Thereby, He can make life eternal, because anything having to do with life is possible for Him.
Another evidence that eternal life is possible is the whole idea of sin, its consequences, and what will happen when it’s eventually eliminated. You see, the life that Adam and Eve were given was a perfect life; there was no sin. However, in Genesis 3:1-6, they sinned, and that perfect life was lost. After all, Romans 6:23 says, “the wages of sin is death”. They’ve given birth to everyone else, and that sin passed on by them to be inherent in us (see Psalms 51:5) separates us from God (Isaiah 59:1-2), and we fall short of His glory (Romans 3:23); because of that, we can’t be in His presence forever, living in iniquity. That’s why we currently don’t live forever.
A perfect life was needed to atone for the inherent sin that humans now have from Adam and Eve. Jesus Christ was qualified to make that sacrifice because he was a perfect soul and had no sin (2 Corinthians 5:21, Hebrews 5:9, 1 Peter 2:22), and that was why he came to this world (Matthew 20:28, 2 Corinthians 8:9, 1 John 4:9-10, etc.). His sacrifice defeated that sin, and, in a sense, defeated death, too (Hebrews 2:14-15). So when the world is eventually reworked to remove sin, as will be somewhat discussed later, then the ransom sacrifice will purify those who are righteous, and eternal life will begin.
To understand this better, we can look at another consequence of sin: sickness. The only reason why people get sick in this world is because of sin; after all, Jesus Christ would heal people by forgiving their sins (like in Matthew 9:1-8). And in Isaiah 33:24, where God was talking about how the world will be in the future, He said that nobody would say they are sick anymore because their sins would be forgiven. The verse reads, “And the inhabitant shall not say, I am sick: the people that dwell therein shall be forgiven their iniquity.”
Finally, God has the ability to make things endure. Just look at the lives people were living in Noah’s time; some lived almost one thousand years! (read Genesis 5:1-32 and 11:10-32 to find a compendium of people’s lifespans back then). Compare that to the 80-100 years we boast about today. They are on completely different levels. That is God’s power to make things endure.
We should also look at the promise God made to Abraham, and how that was fulfilled. In Genesis 12:1-3, and 22:17, God promised Abraham that He would make a nation out of him that would be as the sand of the sea, and would endure. Thousands of years have passed, and look at the nation of Israel today! Despite all the tribulations they had to go through, such as the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 CE and 132-135 CE, the Diaspora and the Holocaust, they are a solid recognized nation today. That is the work of God.
It is for such reasons that David proclaimed that when God decrees a blessing, it is an eternal one, because He has the power to make things endure. “And now, may it please you to bless the house of your servant, so that it may continue forever before you. For you have spoken, and when you grant a blessing to your servant, O Sovereign Lord, it is an eternal blessing!” (2 Samuel 7:29, New Living Translation).
Now, let’s briefly look at what eternal life will look like.
The Bible makes us know that there will be no war, sickness, suffering, pain, hunger, poverty, oppression, etc., because there will be a “new heavens” and a new earth” (Psalms 46:9, Isaiah 2:4, 11:6-9, 33:24, 65:17-25, 2 Peter 3:13, Revelation 21:1-5). Additionally, there will be no more death, as God promised us in Hosea 13:14, which reads, “I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death: O death, I will be thy plagues; O grave, I will be thy destruction: repentance shall be hid from mine eyes.”
Righteousness will prevail in that world, so that the righteous (those who have decided to submit themselves under God’s principles and make an effort to distance themselves from the world, to be close to God) will be able to live in peace. Isaiah the Prophet said in Isaiah 32:17-18, “And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever. And my people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation, and in sure dwellings, and in quiet resting places”. All the competition that goes on in the world; the idea that the rich are better than the poor, as society continues to think (Proverbs 14:20, 22:7, etc.); the way everyone is running after money, and forgetting about God - all that is going to end in that world, because Satan is going to be killed (Revelation 20), and the leaders that he used to assure that people forget about God are being weakened. The princes and the dukes have already been removed from office, in fulfillment of Revelation 6:15-17, and more is to come. Eventually, the world will be completely reworked, and the meek will inherit it. “But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.”
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GOD'S RESURRECTING POWER
Resurrection is rising from the dead. Many people find it hard to believe that someone who has died can come back to life, but biblically, it is very possible, for reasons that we’ll explore in this article.
The Bible makes it clear that Jehovah, the Almighty God, is our Creator (Isaiah 45:12, 18, Psalms 139:13-16). He created us from the dust of the ground. “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” Even science can agree that certain chemicals or features of the earth can be found in our skin.
If we read Genesis 3:19, we’ll notice that it was the same Jehovah who said that humans should die, because they forsook His principle and followed after Satan the Devil (Genesis 3:1-6). So if God could make us, and say we should die at a certain point, why wouldn’t He be able to bring us back?
God said in Deuteronomy 32:39, “See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god with me: I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal: neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand.” Also, St. Paul told King Agrippa in Acts 26:8, “Why should it be thought a thing incredible with you, that God should raise the dead?”
The Sadducees were a group of people in the time of Jesus Christ who didn’t believe that the resurrection was possible. Unlike the Pharisees, who could access the scrolls and Scriptures, the Sadducees kept the temple clean and offered sacrifices. They didn’t have the spiritual knowledge to understand the idea that a man could die and come back to life; therefore, upon hearing Jesus talk about this, they created a ridiculous scenario to prove their point. Here is the account:
“Then came to him certain of the Sadducees, which deny that there is any resurrection; and they asked him, Saying, Master, Moses wrote unto us, If any man's brother die, having a wife, and he die without children, that his brother should take his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother. There were therefore seven brethren: and the first took a wife, and died without children. And the second took her to wife, and he died childless. And the third took her; and in like manner the seven also: and they left no children, and died. Last of all the woman died also. Therefore in the resurrection whose wife of them is she? for seven had her to wife.” (Luke 20:27-33).
This was Christ’s response:
“And Jesus answering said unto them, The children of this world marry, and are given in marriage: But they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage: Neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection. Now that the dead are raised, even Moses shewed at the bush, when he calleth the Lord the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. For he is not a God of the dead, but of the living: for all live unto him.” (Luke 20:34-38).
If we want to understand how the world to come will be, this is an invaluable tip of Jesus Christ. In that world, there will be no marriage, because there will be no children (the reason for that is obvious; those who will live in that world would’ve demonstrated their love for God in a sinful world by rejecting the world, and overcoming temptations, according to 2 Timothy 3:12, Acts 14:22, Matthew 5:10-12, James 1:2-4, 12, etc; in other words, only people who’ve seen and experienced evil, and yet decided to stick to righteousness, will live there).
The last line is very important. “For he is not a God of the dead, but of the living: for all live unto him.” Unlike us human beings, God Almighty doesn’t see a difference between essential principles of life like time, night and day, far and near or dead and alive. David described this in Psalms 139:12, which reads, “Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee.” He is a spirit (John 4:24) and He lives forever (Psalms 90:2), so such things don’t apply to Him.
We’ll now consider a few of those in the Scriptures who showed faith in God’s promises concerning the resurrection. For example, Job, who was heavily afflicted by Satan the Devil, said in Job 14:13-15, “O that thou wouldest hide me in the grave, that thou wouldest keep me secret, until thy wrath be past, that thou wouldest appoint me a set time, and remember me! If a man die, shall he live again? all the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come. Thou shalt call, and I will answer thee: thou wilt have a desire to the work of thine hands.”
Moreover, he said in Job 19:25-26: For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God”.
So when it comes to life and death, He sees it like being awake and falling asleep. And because Jesus Christ came from heaven (John 3:13), he also saw it like that. Consider this: “These things said he: and after that he saith unto them, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep. Then said his disciples, Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well. Howbeit Jesus spake of his death: but they thought that he had spoken of taking of rest in sleep. Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead.” (Luke 11:11-14). As we can see in the text, the disciples didn’t have the spiritual understanding of Jesus at the time, so they couldn’t see what Jesus meant by “sleep”.
Jesus Christ made it clear that resurrection is possible by performing it more than once. For example, in Matthew 9:18-26, he resurrected the daughter of a ruler in Judea. The process was quick and simple: he took her by the hand, and next thing you know, she was alive again.
However, the story most people know is the resurrection of Lazarus in John 11. What makes this story interesting is that Jesus Christ intentionally decided to wait for Lazarus to die. Martha and Mary weren’t incredibly fond of this at the beginning; after all, why not save someone if you can? But Jesus Christ knew that there was no better time to glorify God, by demonstrating the reality and power of resurrection.
Therefore, Jesus went ahead and brought Lazarus back to life. In John 12, Lazarus, who was dead to most people, was sitting with Jesus Christ, eating and talking as if nothing had happened.
That is God’s resurrecting power.
But Lazarus died later, so that isn’t an ultimate example of resurrection. But when Jesus Christ died, he rose again to everlasting life. He was the first to partake of this. He said in Revelation 1:18, “I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.” The “keys of hell of death” refer to the fact that Jesus, having defeated death (Hebrews 2:14-15) opened the doors for salvation, as those who believed in him would not face eternal death. That’s why Jesus told Martha, “I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die.”
The resurrection of Jesus Christ is so important that if it didn’t happen, Christianity as a whole loses its value. “And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.” (1 Corithians 15:17-20).
This is the first resurrection; the saints (that is, the anointed ones of God who are chosen to dispense the good tidings, according to Isaiah 52:7 and 1 John 2:27) also partake in this kind of resurrection. Continuing on this topic, St. Paul said, “But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming.” (1 Corinthians 15:20, 23). Furthermore, in John 14;1-3, Jesus told his disciples, “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.”
However, it isn’t just the first resurrection because it comes first; it’s also because that resurrection is different from the one we humans will have (the kind that Lazarus did). Jesus and the apostles are resurrected as spirits; that’s what St. Paul meant by “Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.” (1 Corinthians 15:51-52). It’s a special transformation.
We humans, on the other hand, will inherit the earth if we’re righteous (Matthew 5:5, Psalms 37:11), and to have that inheritance, we have to partake in resurrection. Jesus promised us this in John 5:28-29: “Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, 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.” (see also Daniel 12:2-3 and Acts 24:15).
If we’re well-read in the Scriptures, we will know most of these things. But have you thought about the fact that if we want to partake in the physical resurrection, there’s another one we have to experience as well?
It is called the spiritual resurrection.
We call it this because it doesn’t happen in the flesh; it has more to do with the heart and our mind. The Bible can use the words ‘life” and “death” in two different ways: physical and spiritual. We’ve gone over the physical already, so everything will be spiritual now.
To be living, spiritually, is to know the truth. And what is the truth? The truth is the fact that God exists, and that He has a plan for mankind; that He’s sovereign, and all opposition will be crushed by Him in due time (1 Corinthians 15:24-28); and if we serve Him faithfully, we will be saved (we have articles on every part of this; check them about in the Doctrines page).
To know and believe this is to “know the truth”, which is step one to salvation (1 Timothy 2:3-4). But to be saved, you shouldn’t just know the truth; you have to believe in it, and it should affect everything you do in your life (the way you marry, the way you raise your children, the way you relate with people, the way you view politics, etc.). Jesus described it with these words: “If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them.” (John 13:17).
So when you come to know the truth, you have been brought to the light, and you now have life before God. But if we wander from that truth, and live like others who don’t know God, then we have wandered into the congregation of the dead, as King Solomon put it. “The man that wandereth out of the way of understanding shall remain in the congregation of the dead.” (Proverbs 21:16).
But how does spiritual resurrection work?
Let’s use Acts 2:37 and to undersatnd it. In Acts 2:37, the message of St. Peter “pricked” some people’s hearts. This phrase is important because it describes the impact of the Word, which will bring them to “life. When they heard the truth that St. Peter preached, it inspired them. It wasn’t just entertainment, as Ezekiel the Prophet once said in Ezekiel 33:31-33; they believed it, and wanted to be a part of the fold. They were brought from ignorance to knowing the truth, and as we read in Acts 2:41-47, there was joy and spiritual happiness.
We’ll also look at the vision Ezekiel had in Ezekiel 37:1-14, becasue it’ll help us better understand that spiritual resurrection is a process, with steps. At the beginning of the vision, Ezekiel was in a valley full of dry, lifeless bones. These people were dead. Ezekiel was then asked, “Can these bones live?” And he replied, “O Lord God, thou knowest.”
Then, from verse 7, the process began. Firstly, the bones came together, and after that, sinew and flesh began to return to the humans.
But it was the breath of life that made them live. When the breath entered them, it became an “exceeding great army”, which, as stated in verse 11, represents the house of Israel, which St. Paul called, “The Israel of God” (Galatians 6:16). This isn’t physical Israel; it consists of both Jews and Gentiles who have come to the truth.
So what does this vision mean?
The bones coming together represent you hearing the gospel. Your eyes are becoming enlightened by gradually understanding God’s Word, and what God has set in motion for mankind (and it begins to build faith, according to Romans 10:17). I say this because the bones are the essential parts of a human; similarly, the Word of God is like the skeleton, or base, of everything that we do in our service to God.
The sinews and the flesh is the gradual process through which we become aware of what’s going on, and how spiritual things work. These things can take years; it depends on how much of the Holy Spirit is with you (as it is the Holy Spirit that drives this entire process; that’s why it’s essential to serving God, according to Romans 8:9).
But even if we know the truth, it doesn’t necessarily mean we’re “alive”. The breath is like conversion; the truth enters our hearts, and it works through us. All the bad characters we get from the world - envy, hatred, lust for this world, etc. - begin to be wiped away. You can also call this “spiritaul baptism”; they mean the same thing. Concerning this matter, St. Paul said, “Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.” (Romans 6:4).
In other words, we’re spiritually changed, so that instead of thinking carnally, we think spiritually. To God, we are living when we are like this. “For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.” (Romans 8:6).
The details of spiritual resurrection are a big study, which we should embark on once in a while. After all, if there was a way we could come from death to life, wouldn’t we want to know it?
But let’s not forget the title of this subject: “God’s Resurrection Power''. It’s by God’s grace that we can be both spiritually and physically resurrected. Therefore, we should make an effort to transit from falling in love with this world to walking in line with the Scriptures, so that God may lend a helping hand, and prepare us for everlasting life.
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WHICH LIFE DO YOU SEEK?
If we diligently study the Scriptures, one thing we will notice is that it tends to heavily differentiate this current world from the world to come, and it emphasizes the importance of seeking the one of the future. In Luke 8:14, Christ mentioned “cares of this life”, and he advised us not to be distracted by them (Luke 21:34). John in his first epistle spoke about this world and its “lusts” coming to an end (1 John 2:15-17). Christ even said that there is no gain in seeking this world, because once we die, that is the end of it all. “For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it. For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away?” (Luke 9:24-25).
But despite this huge difference in value that the Bible places on these two types of life, many people, unbelievers and Christians alike, seek this life. They may go to church every Sunday or read the Bible regularly, but if you observe what they desire and seek the most fervently in their lives, it is about what is happening in the world, and how they need to catch up with it; what others are achieving that they are not achieving; what things people do with their lives that they are not doing; and so on.
In this video, we will explore what makes this life so attractive, using texts and examples from the Scriptures, and then proceed to discuss how we can seek eternal life, and why it is profitable to do so.
One major reason why this life tends to be attractive is the aspect of competition. You can see competition everywhere: co-workers competing for promotions, businesses competing for a monopoly over their market, countries competing for global dominance (e.g. the Cold War and its events). Everyone is trying to catch up with what is going on in the world and outdo one another in as many ways as possible. It is easy to get sucked into that desire for money and glory - but as Christians, it is a distraction to our faith, and in the process, we might develop unrighteous virtues like envy and hatred. That is why St. Paul advised, “Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.” (Galatians 5:26).
Another reason why this life is appealing to many is the continuous innovation we see happening around us. Nothing stays the same - things keep changing. Industries like fashion and technology are always coming out with new products, and the hearts of people continue to be attracted to all the new inventions. King Solomon in his day described it like this: “Lo, this only have I found, that God hath made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions.” (Ecclesiastes 7:29).
A third and very important reason is the concept of status. When you are wealthy, you tend to get a lot of respect, honour and glory from people you are richer than. The more money you have, the more influence, power and authority you get, and it is hard to not feel like you are on top of the world. But when you are poor, the opposite happens; you get no respect, few friends and no voice. As King Solomon said, “The poor is hated even of his own neighbour: but the rich hath many friends.” (Proverbs 14:20).
There are many people who dream of becoming “high-status individuals” - and you can see that by the extent they go to get money. Some people take jobs that prevent them from having time for their children and families because of the high salary. Others accept an unbearable amount of stress just because of the money they’ll get from it.
You can tell from the way Gehazi ran after Naaman the Syrian in 2 Kings 5:20-27 that he was eyeing the great things money could do for him. Even though his master, Elisha, dismissed the gifts Naaman brought, Gehazi saw how that money could elevate his status, and so he went behind to get some for himself.
We can also understand this from the way the young rich man in Mark 10:17-25 responded to Christ’s offer of apostleship. The rich man had come to him, asking what he needed to do (which he had not already been doing) to get eternal life. Christ told him to follow the Ten commandments, which the rich man had kept from his youth, and so he replied, “Master, all these have I observed from my youth.” (Mark 10:20).
Christ then told him, “One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me.” (Mark 10:21).
But the rich man was not excited. In fact, “he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions.” (Mark 10:22).
The riches he had acquired gave him respect and glory from the society, and it became his world. He could not see himself give his whole life away for what Christ offered. The statement of King Solomon in Proverbs 18:11 should come to mind: “The rich man's wealth is his strong city, and as an high wall in his own conceit.”
Therefore, if we want to seek eternal life, we have to have value for it, just as Gehazi, Achan or the young rich man had for this life. To do so, we have to know what makes eternal life better than this life in the first place.
In the world to come:
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There will be no war (Psalms 46:9, Isaiah 2:4). There will be no war because those at the top who envy each other and cause trouble for ordinary people will not exist in that world. There will be complete peace and tranquility (Isaiah 32:17-18), because the system of that world will be set up on righteousness and love, and not greed or selfishness (2 Peter 3:13)
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There will be no pain nor sorrow (Revelation 21:4)
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There will be no death (Hosea 13:14), or aging (Job 33:25)
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There will be no sickness (Isaiah 33:24)
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There will be no fear of any trouble or threat. As Micah the prophet said, “But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; and none shall make them afraid: for the mouth of the Lord of hosts hath spoken it.” (Micah 4:4).
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There will be no wickedness, injustice or trouble (Revelation 21:1; the word “sea” means wickedness, based on verses like Isaiah 57:20).
These details, and more, are all features of the world to come. If we see this as more attractive or appealing than this current life, then how we seek it is the next important question.
Eternal life is obviously a future event; therefore, if we want to seek something that is not yet in our environment, then we will need to look beyond what we see with our eyes, and focus on the future. That includes sacrificing certain joys, ambitions and cares of this world, like whether we are driving a better car or working at a better job than our neighbours, so that we can focus our attention on obtaining that future eternal world. As Christ said, “He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.” (Matthew 10:39).
It also involves hope and faith in the fact that what God Almighty promised will indeed come to pass. As the apostle Paul said, “For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.” (Romans 8:24-25).
This same St. Paul is a great example we should follow when seeking eternal life. In his letter to the Philippians, he described the sacrifices he willingly made to seek a bigger, more valuable prize of the future:
“But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ” (Philippians 3:7-8).
From verse 12, he said, “Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:12-14).
Moses is another good example. He willingly gave up the honour and glory of being an Egyptian prince because he sought something better - something he had more value for.
“By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter; Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward.” (Hebrews 11:24-26).
That phrase “for he had respect unto the recompense of the reward” means that he had value for God’s rewards, and so he could forsake the carnal ones to get that.
One more example is Jesus Christ. In Matthew 4:8-11, Satan the Devil offered him all the kingdoms of this ephemeral world, and the glory of them - but Christ rejected it all, because he had no value for it. He repeated this when he was before Pontius Pilate: “My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence.” (John 18:36).
Rather, he had value for the kingdom God would give him - and as we have discussed in other articles, he has received that kingdom and is currently ruling it in the midst of his enemies (Psalms 110:1-2), in fulfillment of the signs of the times (Matthew 24:7-8).
We can see from these texts and examples how we as humans can seek this life or eternal life. Both require our hearts and attention - but the question is, which will we give it to? Will we invest our time, thoughts and efforts in raising our status, pleasing society, competing with our neighbours and catching up with all the new trends of the world, or will we focus on pleasing our Heavenly Father through His Son, Jesus Christ, so that we can obtain eternal life?
It is up to us to decide
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