Friday, April 27, 2007
1 Corinthians 15:22 Even so in Christ shall all be made alive . . .
THE RESURRECTION DAY OF CHRISTIANS
On the first Easter Day Christ was not the only one to rise from the dead. "Many bodies of the saints which slept rose . . ." (Matthew 27:52). Christ rose first. He was the first fruits. But others who believed in Him rose also and appeared alive to many.
But this resurrection of the saints on Easter is but an appetizing foretaste of what will happen at the end of the world. "For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the first fruits; afterward they that are Christ's at His coming" (1 Corinthians 15:22-23). What a tremendous day that will be when Christ returns! That will be Easter all over again, magnified many times over. ". . . All that are in the grave shall hear His voice and shall come forth . . ." (John 5:28-29). There will be no resisting the voice of Jesus on that day. He will say, "Come forth," and all the dead will come forth.
But only they that are Christ's shall rise to eternal life. Only those branches attached to the living Vine will have done good in God's sight, for without Christ no man can do anything worthy of escaping the righteous judgment of God. They that are Christ's are those who have fallen asleep in Christ. They are His sheep at His right hand who have done all kinds of good things as His sheep. They, and they only, shall rise to eternal life.
Here then is the God-established technique for stopping the aging process and becoming young again. Death will be destroyed on that last day. The power of death will be overcome, never to regain any power or influence among those that are Christ's.
To be sure, believers in Christ keep on dying, day after day. But we know that Christ by His death and resurrection has abolished death. Our loved ones who fell asleep in Christ are in God's strong secure hands, and the last day is coming closer every minute. The thing for us to be concerned about is that we are Christ's. All persons will rise from their graves on that day, but only they that are Christ's will be made alive in the full sense of the word. The unbelievers will rise only to die eternally. Oh, may God's Easter message of forgiveness in Christ attract us to Him who died and rose again, so that we may believe Him and belong to Him and share in His triumph over death!
