In the Bible, battles are announced by a trumpet.
In the Bible, battles are announced by a trumpet.
When you go into battle in your own land against an enemy who is oppressing you, sound a blast on the trumpets. Then you will be remembered by the Lord your God and rescued from your enemies. (Numbers 10:9)
When you hear them sound a long blast on the trumpets , have the whole army give a loud shout ; then the wall of the city will collapse and the army will go up, everyone straight in. (Joshua 6:5)
This is a secret rapture? Rather, this is the attack of Armageddon!
As I stated previously, there were two trees in the middle of the Garden of Eden: the Tree of Life, and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.
The Tree of Life was the Lord Jesus Christ. The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil also was the Lord Jesus Christ. Christ is the eternal Word of God. The Word of God reveals to us what is good and what is evil, doesn't it?
Is there any other "tree" that tells us what is good and what is evil? Or does God want us to be ignorant of what is good and what is evil? What is your opinion on this?
The problem with Adam and Eve was that they ate from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil before they ate from the Tree of Life.
Why they did not eat from the Tree of Life and gain immortality I do not know. But we human beings are perverse, aren't we?
Both good and evil existed at that time, evil being born from Satan. Satan always was crouching at the door, hoping to gain accomplices for his wicked schemes.
If Adam and Eve had eaten from the Tree of Life, from the Lord Jesus Christ, they would have been clothed, just as we are clothed with the righteousness of Christ when we receive Him as our Savior.
But they were naked and had no way to cope with this fact except to run from God, which was exactly what Satan desired they do.
The knowledge of what is good and what is evil is necessary if we are to become mature in Christ.
Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil. (Hebrews 5:13,14)
We are to receive Christ, the Tree of Life, first. Then the Spirit of God will teach us what is good and what is evil, a little bit at a time. We are to turn away from what is evil, and ask Jesus to strengthen us so we always will embrace the good and vigorously reject the evil.
Those who follow the Law of Moses may find that the commandment brings death rather than eternal life. This is because of our fallen nature and also because of the sinful lusts that live in our flesh.
I found that the very commandment that was intended to bring life actually brought death. (Romans 7:10)
The eternal Life of Christ, which is in His body and blood, strengthens us so we can gain victory over stealing, for example. As we vigorously reject the spirit of stealing by the power of eternal life, confessing our sin and turning away from it, we gain a bit of eternal life in our mind and heart (the new covenant).
Then the Spirit is ready for a new deliverance. We can see from this process that no part of the Law of Moses has any place here. Once we are willing to count ourselves crucified with Christ, the Law of Moses is replaced by the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus.
This is the manner in which we are prepared for the donning of the incorruptible house from Heaven.
The greater problem, as I have mentioned, is self-will---trusting in ourselves rather than in the Lord Jesus to conduct our life. This is the reason for the repeated deaths and resurrections. It is to kill our tendency to trust in ourselves rather than in the Lord Jesus.
Please keep in mind that our goal is a better resurrection.
Women received back their dead, raised to life again. There were others who were tortured, refusing to be released so that they might gain an even better resurrection. (Hebrews 11:35)
Notice the attitude of the Apostle Paul toward the resurrection.
I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead. (Philippians 3:10,11)
Why is it that we seldom hear a minister of the Gospel express his goal in life as being that of attaining to the resurrection from the dead? Do we suppose that attaining to the resurrection occurs automatically when we "accept Christ"?
If that were the case, why was Paul having such a time with this? I think we can assume he had "accepted Christ," wouldn't you say?
Why was the Apostle Paul setting aside everything in this present world in order that he might attain to the resurrection? He says nothing about going to Heaven. Should attaining to the resurrection, to the filling of our physical body with incorruptible, resurrection life, be our goal?
Perhaps Paul was referring to the first resurrection, the one that will take place when Jesus comes.
I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands.
They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years. (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 share 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 20:4-6)
This is the resurrection that will take place when Jesus returns. Do the people who are qualified and competent to be resurrected at this time seem to be the average professing Christians (blessed and holy, over whom the second death has no authority)?
Am I suggesting that not all who claim to be Christians will go with Jesus when He appears? That is exactly what I am saying!
Notice that "coming to life" at the time of the first resurrection is not spoken of in connection with an ascension. In fact, it will be accompanied by the "catching up." But the catching up is not mentioned here because the resurrection is much greater in importance and significance than is true of the ascension.
I am of the opinion that not all church members are qualified and competent to be in the first resurrection. Perhaps it will be only a few warriors, as in the case with Gideon's army.
If Paul was referring to the first resurrection, in Philippians 3:11, which is not unlikely, then we are not speaking of the rank and file of those who profess to be Christians participating in the first resurrection. The level of Paul's consecration is not true of numerous church-attenders in our day.
I think God's goal is to perfect brothers of the Anointed One, brothers and sisters of the Tree of Life, Christ Jesus. As such we are going to experience a rigorous curriculum indeed!
You know, the issue in Eden was nakedness. Notice what God says about the Christians in Laodicea.
You say, 'I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.' But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see. (Revelation 3:17,18)
We make our robes white by washing them in the blood of the Lamb.
We confess our sin to Christ, and by His help turn away from it and never practice it again. Jesus helps us. In this manner we maintain a clean robe.
God was ready to clothe Adam and Eve, but they disobeyed before they were clothed.
The soul that sins shall die. This mean it shall be cut off from the Presence of God and Christ; cut off from eternal life.
Lo, all the souls are Mine, As the soul of the father, So also the soul of the son -- they are Mine, The soul that is sinning -- it doth die. (Ezekiel 18:4—YLT)
Eve had no way of covering herself. She had knowledge, but no power to help herself in her nakedness. It is Life, the Spirit of God, who enables us to deal with our nakedness.
We always should put to death the sins of our flesh by the Spirit of God; the Spirit of eternal Life. The power of eternal life enables us to live in the Presence of God and to serve Him.
According to the Lord Jesus, we can receive more of the Spirit of God by petitioning God forcefully. But the surest way of receiving the Spirit is by obeying God and serving Him faithfully.
We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him . (Acts 5:32)
Melchizedek served God by the power of an endless life.
And what we have said is even more clear if another priest like Melchizedek appears, one who has become a priest not on the basis of a regulation as to his ancestry but on the basis of the power of an indestructible life. For it is declared: "You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek." (Hebrews15-17)
It is my point of view that all the brothers and sisters of the Lord Jesus, the members of the Royal Priesthood, as is true of their great Head, will serve God by the power of an indestructible life.
Eternal life gives us the power to gain victory over sin, to actually do what we choose to do. Sin no longer can control us because we have chosen to practice righteousness.
Eternal life gives us the power to actually do that which is of God's Nature, that which brings to us righteousness, love, joy, and peace.
Eternal death is the absence of eternal life, the absence of the power to do that which is pleasing to God. Eternal death brings to us unrighteousness, hatred, misery, and unrest and trouble—all that is of Satan.
Sin was crouching at the door. Adam and Eve, by not partaking of the Tree of Life, did not have the power to resist sin and death.
If we know what is good and what is evil, but do not have Christ, we do not have the power to choose that which is good and vigorously reject that which is evil.
We have discussed the resolution of the problem of sin. Now we will think about the life-giving spirits, which are so important in the installation and maintenance of the new world of righteousness.
So it is written: "The first man Adam became a living being [soul]"; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit. The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual. The first man was of the dust of the earth; the second man is of heaven.
As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the heavenly man, so also are those who are of heaven. And just as we have borne the image of the earthly man, so shall we bear the image of the heavenly man . (I Corinthians 15:45-49)
If there is a more amazing statement in the Scriptures, I do not know what it would be.
Next Part From dust to Heaven.