Attaining to the First Resurrection...

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The concept of the first resurrection of the dead, although it is set forth clearly in the Scriptures, does not seem to be familiar to many Christians.

(The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.) This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy are those who have part in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years. (Revelation 20:5,6)

(4/18/2010) I think the current belief is that the first resurrection is for all who have made a profession of belief in Christ. But this does not fit the words of the passage. Rather, the first resurrection is the regaining of the bodies of those who have, through Christ, overcome the world, the lusts and passions of their flesh and spirit, and their self-determination.

It ought to be clear to any sincere reader of the Book of Revelation that the promises we ordinarily associate with being a Christian are reserved for the "overcomers." But the idea of only the overcomers inheriting the promises of the second and third chapters of the Book of Revelation is not always preached and taught with emphasis, as it should be.

The second resurrection, which comes at the end of the thousand-year Kingdom Age, is for every individual who did not attain to the first resurrection. At the second resurrection, the majority are carried over to citizenship on the new earth. The minority are imprisoned in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur.

We notice in the third chapter of the Book of Philippians that the Apostle Paul was striving to attain to the resurrection that is out from among the dead. It would be ridiculous to believe this meant Paul was striving to be saved, to go to Heaven instead of Hell when he died.

If Paul was not attempting to attain to salvation, what then had he set before him as a mark? Whatever it was, or is, we certainly do not hear much about it today.

Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:12-14)

Paul was laying aside everything, counting it all as garbage, that he might attain to the resurrection that is out from among the dead, that is, the first resurrection.

What is so special about the first resurrection? The first resurrection is that of the kings who will govern the nations of people who survived the return of Christ with his saints to set up the Kingdom of God on the earth. At that time, those people of the nations who helped the members of God’s elect will receive eternal life, inherit the earth, and be governed by the saints. Those who did not assist the members of the elect during their time of testing on the earth will enter eternal punishment.

The rest of the dead will not regain their bodies until the end of the Kingdom Age, whether they are of God’s elect or of the remainder of mankind. At that time, those in the Book of Life will be separated from the wicked and saved to the new world of righteousness.

I believe the Scripture is clear enough concerning the firstfruits of the royal priesthood who will govern the "sheep" nations throughout the thousand-year Kingdom Age.

Also, I may be correct in saying that those who attain to the resurrection out from among the dead will not only govern the saved nations but will minister to the majority of the royal priesthood who still are being prepared for their descent to the new earth to govern the citizens of the new earth. This is my understanding, according to the eighth chapter of the Song of Solomon.

Thus the ruling kings will be able to govern on the earth for the thousand years, and also minister to the rest of the Body of Christ who still are in the spirit world. The victorious saints will be able to be in two or more places at once, just as is true of the Lord Jesus.

Having stated my view of the advantage of being in the first resurrection, that which will take place when the Lord Jesus next appears to the earth, let me proceed to discuss how one attains to the first resurrection.

We note first, as I said previously, how the Apostle Paul laid aside all else and pressed forward with singleness of purpose in order to attain to the first resurrection. Such fervency is required if one is to be with Paul and the other Apostles when the Lord returns.

However, I would like to describe how one attains to the resurrection of our inward nature, which is absolutely necessary if we are to participate in the resurrection of our outward nature, that is, our physical body.

From my point of view, the resurrection of the inward nature is described best in the sixth chapter of the Gospel of John. A careful review of the sixth chapter will reveal the relationship between partaking of the body and blood of Christ, and the inner resurrection.

Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. (John 6:54) Is Jesus referring to the outward resurrection in the passage above? Let us think of it this way: The inner resurrection is to be taking place each day of our discipleship. The death resident in our old nature must be being replaced by the life that is in the body and blood of God’s Lamb, Jesus Christ.

The outward resurrection, then, will take place as a final step of attainment, having been preceded by the daily steps of exchanged life throughout the life of the disciple. The outward resurrection will take place when Jesus returns.

Now, how do we eat the flesh of Christ and drink his blood?

Each day we have at least one opportunity to choose whether or not to do what we feel Christ would have us do. Sometimes we have several opportunities.

When we pray for wisdom and strength, and do the right thing, we are fed in the spirit realm with the body and blood of God’s Lamb. When we continue to walk in our own desires we are not fed with the body and blood of God’s Lamb. We remain in our dead spiritual state.

When we are fed with the body and blood of the Lamb we receive eternal resurrection life in our inward nature. When we continue in our fleshly, adamic nature we do not receive eternal resurrection life in our inward nature. We remain unchanged.

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it. (Revelation 2:17)

The "hidden manna" is the body and blood of the Lamb. The white stone is a voting pebble, meaning that the recipient is being voted into the ranks of the chosen.

The thoughtful reader can see instantly that as we make godly decisions each day we are attaining to the resurrection of our inward nature. At the coming of Christ, that which we have attained to by following the Lamb and obeying him will extend to our outer form.

When the Lamb appears in the sky, those "eagles" who live by his body and blood will be caught up to him because they are an integral, eternally inseparable part of him.

One of my favorite verses is found in the sixth chapter of the Gospel of John. It is as follows:

Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him. Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. (John 6:56,57)

Here is my personal affirmation of faith: I am learning to say, one step at a time, "What’s next, Lord?" I want to live this way forever, living by the Presence and Life of the Lord Jesus.

You may remember the morning and evening lamb of the Old Testament. Twice a day two young lambs were offered as a burnt offering. While they were being offered, wine was being poured out next to the Table of Showbread in the Holy Place of the Tabernacle.

This ceremony tells us that each day we are to be partaking of the body and blood of God’s Lamb, as we present our body a living sacrifice to the Lord.

Say to them: 'This is the offering made by fire that you are to present to the LORD: two lambs a year old without defect, as a regular burnt offering each day.

Prepare one lamb in the morning and the other at twilight,

The accompanying drink offering is to be a quarter of a hin of fermented drink with each lamb. Pour out the drink offering to the LORD at the sanctuary. (Numbers 28:3,4,7)

Aren’t the above passages a wonderful portrayal of the daily walk of a consecrated Christian? Each day we eat of the slain Lamb and each day we drink his blood, thus attaining to the first resurrection, the resurrection that is out from among the dead.

Dear reader, you can do it. You can, through the Lord Jesus, overcome the Antichrist spirit of the world, your own sinful nature, and your insistence on living your life apart from the Lord Jesus.

For myself, I am finding righteousness, love, joy, and peace by living by the wisdom and strength of Christ in every aspect of thinking, speaking, and acting. I do not claim to have attained, to be perfect, but I am pressing on the upward way.

In the third chapter of Philippians Paul says he had not attained. But by the time he wrote Second Timothy, the crown of righteousness and life was his.

It can be this way for you and me. If we keep on pressing forward in Christ we can attain to the first resurrection, the resurrection of the firstfruits of the royal priesthood, who will be given back their physical bodies when Jesus comes.

(The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.) This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy are those who have part in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years. (Revelation 20:5,6)

And so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection (Greek: out-resurrection) from the dead. (Philippians 3:11) (from The Theology of Robert B. Thompson)

You can hear the morning sermon at morning. http://www.wor.org/audio/audio.htm

You can hear the evening sermon at evening. http://www.wor.org/audio/audio.htm

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