The First Aspect of the First Resurrection
One important aspect of the first resurrection is the filling of the saints with the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Christ.
After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter. (Revelation 4:1)
"I will show you things that must be hereafter."
The above verse portrays the spirit of wisdom and revelation abiding upon and in the saint who is living in Christ in heavenly places, who is setting his mind on things above. It is a resurrection and ascension of our spiritual nature in which we learn to walk in heavenly places and our eyes are opened so we can know the "things which must be hereafter."
Compare:
That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: (Ephesians 1:17)
And a few verses later:
And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ: (Ephesians 2:6)
Ephesians 2:6 (above) is not a mere figure of speech. It describes a genuine (though not bodily) resurrection and ascension of the believer who is walking in the Spirit of God.
For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. (Colossians 3:3)
In this sense we no longer are in this world. We have been raised together in and with Christ. This is a genuine resurrection and ascension, not merely a legal state being assigned to us. Being raised spiritually with Christ is an actual experience in Heaven, and by faith we are to lay hold on and nourish continually this step toward the first resurrection from the dead.
Many times during our pilgrimage we are pressed nearly to despair. We must remind ourselves constantly of what God has said is true of us in Heaven. We must pray and not faint, asking God to give us Divine wisdom and revelation. An abiding consciousness of life in the heavenlies in the midst of the saints and the elect angels who reside there is an important aspect of the walk of the conquering saint. It is the necessary viewpoint for the march toward attaining to the first resurrection—the resurrection of the royal priesthood.
In connection with this we must keep in mind that the heavens are not far off beyond the stars. They are all around us, including the Heaven of God and Christ. They are invisible but near at hand. We are surrounded by a cloud of witnesses. We already have come to Mount Zion.
There are believers who have dreams and visions and there are others who are as "spiritual" but who do not have dreams or visions nor do they hear voices. All of us can learn to set our minds on the things in the heavenlies although we all do not have the same kind or degree of "vision" in spiritual things.
Some are led in supernatural ways and others in more natural patterns. Perhaps the difference arises from the type of personality we have. But neither the supernatural nor the natural guidance is an index of spirituality. By "an abiding consciousness of life in the heavenlies" we are not speaking of spiritual "vision" but of a life of prayer that keeps us in tune with the Spirit of God.
The anointing with the Spirit of wisdom and revelation enables us to escape the prison of the world and the flesh and to walk firmly and joyously in steps ordained and wrought in Heaven.
There needs to be more of an emphasis in our day on attaining to the initial spiritual resurrection—the resurrection of the sixth and eighth chapters of the Book of Romans, the first and second chapters of Ephesians, the third chapter of Colossians, and the third chapter of the Book of Philippians.
The point is this: apart from attaining to the spiritual aspects of the resurrection it is not possible for there to be a bodily resurrection of the individual to the fullness of glory promised to the saints. The first resurrection from the dead must be attained.
The last enemy that will be destroyed is physical death. The other enemies of the saint, including worldliness, sin, and self-love, must be conquered before the believer is granted the body of resurrection life.
The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. (1 Corinthians 15:26)
Think about the following:
If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection (out-resurrection) of the dead. (Philippians 3:11)
We are not raised from the dead by imputed (assigned) righteousness, by grace, by being forgiven. We are raised as part of the royal priesthood by virtue of the fact that through Christ we have overcome the adamic nature and have pressed through to the resurrection of the inner man.
To claim we will be raised as a royal priest and clothed with a body like that of Jesus because we have made a profession of faith in Jesus, is to misunderstand the new covenant.
Notice Revelation 4:1 carefully:
After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter. (Revelation 4:1)
Some have felt that this verse is speaking of the resurrection of the saints. However, there do not appear to be many points in common between Revelation 4:1, and the major New Testament discussions of the coming of the Lord and the first resurrection from the dead (Matthew, Chapter 24; Mark, Chapter 13; Luke, Chapter 21; I Corinthians, Chapter 15; II Corinthians, Chapter Five; I Thessalonians, Chapter Four; II Thessalonians, Chapters One and Two).
The emphasis in Revelation 4:1,2 appears to be on the spiritual nature of the first resurrection and ascension, not on the bodily resurrection and ascension. Yet there is no question that the major passages of Scripture describing the first resurrection and ascension of the saints are referring to a bodily resurrection and ascension.
If Revelation 4:1 is to be viewed as the fulfilment of I Thessalonians 4:13-5:4 and I Corinthians 15, then we have some questions to ask:
Is the "voice" (of Revelation 4:1) the "last trump" of which Paul speaks (in I Corinthians 15:52)?
Where, in Revelation 4:1, is the "voice of the archangel"?
Where are those "which sleep in Jesus" whom "God will bring with him"?
Where is the descent of the Lord Jesus from Heaven in the clouds with a "shout"?
Where, in Revelation 4:1, is there an implication that we are being delivered from Antichrist and the great tribulation?
Where, in Revelation 4:1, is the raising of human bodies from the dead, the reviving of the old covenant and new covenant saints so they once more can stand on their feet on the earth?
Where is our meeting with the Lord in the air?
Conversely, where in I Thessalonians, Chapter Four does it state that the saints are caught up to Heaven?
Do any of the New Testament passages that speak of the coming of the Lord imply in any manner whatever that the purpose of the first resurrection from the dead is to show to the elect "things which must be hereafter"? Is this the purpose of the making alive of our mortal body? Rather, is it not true that the purpose of the first resurrection is that the nations of this world may behold and be blessed by the Glory of God in the saints (John 17:21; Romans 8:19)?
Finally, what will we do with Paul's warning that "that day" (which he has described in I Thessalonians, Chapter Four and II Thessalonians, Chapter One) will not come before the worldwide apostasy and the revelation of the man of sin?
We do not believe that Rev 4:1 is portraying the resurrection and ascension of the elect but is more in line with Colossians 3:1-3 and Ephesians 1:17 Eph 2:7. The resurrection and ascension of our born-again inner nature is, we believe, a first step in the full resurrection and ascension of the conquering saints.
As soon as John was caught "up hither," he saw twenty-four elders casting their crowns before the Throne of God. Perhaps the twenty-four elders represent those of the Old Testament elect (twelve elders) and those of the New Testament elect (twelve elders) who have been found worthy to sit on thrones in the Presence of God and the Lamb.
Each of them has learned that all his ability to rule in God comes from Christ alone. They cast their crowns before the throne and proclaim the worthiness of the Lord. No person is fit to participate in the first resurrection from the dead, to sit on a throne in the Presence of God and the Lamb, until he has learned thoroughly that apart from Christ he can do nothing.