Tag: dead

Articles

The Resurrection of Christ Within Us

Pete

Moving from Spiritual Death unto Newness of Life

Passing from spiritual death unto life in the Spirit is being accomplished within us the day we are given ears to hear the truth and the faith to believe.  Henceforth, we begin the process of being resurrected from the spiritual dead.

Joh 5:24  Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. 

Joh 5:25  Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live. 

That day is TODAY; the resurrection of the remnant of saints is ONGOING NOW; it is not a past or future static experience.  The spiritually dead the Lord is choosing, a small remnant indeed, is hearing His voice and arising to newness of life.  While these John 5 verses have an outward application and certainly apply to the billions of physically dead human beings, they most aptly are applicable NOW, in this age, for those few given the gift of faith and the requisite hearing (understanding).

Being raised up together in the heavenlies is an ongoing process of coming alive into the life of Christ from being carnally minded and dead in our sins. Paul speaks of this numerous times in his letters.

Col 2:12 Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen [already, NOW, risen = resurrected] with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him [Christ in you] from the dead. 

Col 2:13 And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, [=the better resurrection, an ongoing process] having forgiven you all trespasses; 

He is Risen!  Like all prophecies, we mistakenly only see them and the resurrection as an outward only future event versus a living and active event we are experiencing now in this age.  He is risen within you if He is come unto you.

Our resurrection from the spiritually dead is the resurrection of Jesus Christ within us.  Rather than be a static event that happens all at once it is an ongoing event as the unclean old man decreases and Christ in us increases.

2Co 4:10 Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest [i.e. resurrected] in our body. 

Eph 2:6 And hath raised us up together, […an ongoing process of coming alive into the life of Christ..]  and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:

Let’s consider some more writings from Paul on death and resurrection.  We begin to see the two sides of the same topic speaking of the same one process.  Dying to our flesh and carnal mind is newness of life and is the ongoing process of our being resurrected.

Rom 6:4  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. 

Rom 6:5  For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:

Paul does not contradict himself.  He consistently shows that dying to death (the carnal mind) is one side of the same process as being raised by Christ.

Col 3:1  If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. 

Col 3:2  Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. 

Col 3:3  For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. 

Paul is telling the saints they ARE RISEN (not “will be” risen) with Christ right now.  This rising is in earnest, but it is being resurrected (risen) now nonetheless.  The more we die daily (planted in the likeness of his death), the other side of that same coin is us being raised up in His likeness.  It is simply the other side of the same event and process.  Thus we have another of the myriads of witnesses to what a two-edged sword, the WORD, is doing in our lives.  Paul is not contradicting anything, and he harmonizes the truth that the rest of the Apostles and the Gospels record for our learning.

The sum of Paul’s words shows that we do not experience the fullness of the resurrection in Spirit now while we are in clay vessels.  But he is saying that he has given up things carnal men esteem so he can know Christ and die to death (the carnal mind) right now.  It is an active and living event (it IS) if we belong to Christ and our time of reformation is at hand.  We press onward and upward in hopes the Lord will complete His work in this age, even knowing He will complete it in the end for all humanity.

Php 3:10  That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made [IS] conformable unto his death;

Php 3:11  If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.

What is the Resurrection?

We need not guess who or what the resurrection to eternal life is.  Jesus Christ Himself IS THE RESURRECTION and the life.  It is not an outward or physical dynamic; our eyes should be turned inwardly.  Let’s look again at some powerful words of the Lord.

Joh 11:25  Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: 

Joh 11:26  And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die.  Believest thou this? 

Jesus Christ, among other spiritual symbols, is the WORD, The TRUTH, the WAY, the VINE, the DOOR, and the RESURRECTION.  This is because what is being resurrected is HIS WORD, HIS TRUTH, HIS WAY,  as we grow in the faith and His commandments [words] arise within us.  The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the raising up of His commandments.  The very commandments are His Words, which are spirit and eternal life.

Joh 6:63  It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you are spirit and life. 

We have a wonderful promise in verse 11:26.  Once Christ is raised in us (whos0ever liveth) and continues in the faith (believeth), shall never spiritually die again.

When His words take hold and rise in us, a new spiritual body, Jesus Christ, within us, is being created and matured.  Note that there are two kinds of bodies, and our purposefully marred flesh natural body of corruption is never destined to be resurrected.

1Co 15:44  It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body.  There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. 

1Co 15:45  And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. 

Our remaking is the resurrection, creating new spiritual sons and daughters made into His image and likeness, exhibiting His glory.

2Co 3:18  But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. 

In the first half of our walk with the Lord, we remain dead in our sins abiding in what is called spiritual Sodom or Egypt.  But a time comes, the day of the Lord for every man, when we enter into the last woe, the third day in which we are being perfected as we are called up hither by the Lord.  This is how Jesus Christ is revealed within us.

Rev 11:8  And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. 

Rev 11:11  And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them [us, the two witnesses lying dead in the streets], and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them. 

Rev 11:12  And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them. 

Christ is inseparable from the Word as He is the Word made manifest to us.  Jesus Christ is the resurrection rising within us and working righteousness. This ongoing process from spiritual birth unto maturity is what IS raising us from being spiritually dead and manifests newness of life.

Mat 11:5  The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them.

So long as we abide in faith, we shall never die again, although our fleshly bodies will undoubtedly die.  That is why Christ is come, and it is the work of God within us.  We are living out the book and fulfilling the Scriptures in our appointed time.  In the latter times, this is about the raising of Jesus Christ from the dead within us, which begins our transformation into a new being.

Rom 8:11  But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit [raising Christ from the dead within] that dwelleth in you.

1Co 6:14  And God hath both raised up the Lord, and will also raise up us by his own power.

The Word of God is the fire that is killing off the flesh, the old man, the lies (false prophet), the beast, and even the mind of Satan, our carnal mind.  As Christ is raised within (increased), our old man is being decreased.  Living out the Scriptures is the process of being resurrected from the spiritually dead.  However, we must know that process will never be fully completed in this age while we only have an earnest deposit of His Spirit.

Eph 1:14  Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession [in fullness], unto the praise of his glory. 

2Co 1:22  Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts. 

The longer we dwell in our day of the Lord, the more we groan for the promised fullness of the spirit to come and complete our redemption.

Rom 8:23  And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body. 

The resurrection from the dead is the resurrection into spirit, not a fleshly body.   We are given little to understand what this means and how this compares to physical life, yet we are told it is far more glorious.  As the Scriptures declare, our fleshly vile bodies are destined for destruction and will return to dust.  That process begins today for those the Lord has chosen.

Two Edges of the Sword

As we read the Scriptures, we always hold to some basic principles to ensure we are rightly dividing the Word of Truth.  Some fundamental tenets include these below:

  • The sum of thy Word is truth
  • No prophecy of Scripture is of its own interpretation
  • The Word is a two-edged sword of opposite sides of the same event
  • His Words speak of spiritual things, and they are Spirit
  • We learn by applying spiritual to spiritual, not looking outwardly
  • Man must live by every Word God spoke in their appointed times
  • The Lord calls things that are not now as if they are [Rom 4:17]

Many things in the Scriptures are spoken about differently from opposite sides, yet they speak of the same event and process.  Such is the case with our dying and our being resurrected.  This well-known verse from Paul is an excellent verse speaking to just one side of the same process that is raising us up with Christ.

1 Cor 15:31 I die daily, I protest by your glory, brethren, which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Dying to the flesh is the same as Christ within being resurrected.  Here Paul speaks from the other side of the same event.

Eph 5:14  Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead [i.e. be resurrected], and Christ shall give thee light. 

Another dynamic principle regarding the Word is remembering that the Word of God, Jesus Christ,  IS, WAS and WILL BE to come.  If we are the Lord’s in this age, our focus is on the IS which is the here and now.  I am constantly correcting my writing, “The Lord WILL do this, or we WILL do that”.  NO, the Lord IS doing this, and we ARE doing whatever is in discussion NOW.  It is not somewhere out there in the future, it IS.

The Lord IS come to those who are keeping those prophecies now in this age.  He will eventually come to all in their appointed time which may be in the age to come.  For some, right now, the time is at hand, it IS.

Rev 1:3  Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand. 

 If we are the Lord’s, we are NOW living out this Word, and the tense of our experience is on the IS.  The Lord is come to our flesh, and we do not deny it.  I am fulfilling those prophecies written in the book right now!  This experience is not the fullness of what is promised but only in the promised down payment form.

Looking for the Glory to be Revealed:

Indeed, our resurrection is not yet come in its fullness, yet we look forward to that glorious event in great hope as John writes.

1Jn 3:2  Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. 

1Jn 3:3  And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure. 

We are being perfected now.  The process is not over, and it will never be over while we are alive in the flesh body.   Peter spoke of the living hope we have already been given while we wait for the fullness of our resurrection to come.

1Pe 1:3  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

1Pe 1:4  To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,

1Pe 1:5  Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

Overcoming death [physical and spiritual] is only possible through the power of God raising us from the dead.  In our day of the Lord, the Word that lives within us will not fail.  We will begin to be resurrected and get overcoming over our sins.  Again only in down payment form now, but we rejoice and hope for the full attainment when we finish our race.

1Jn 2:13  I write unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning.  I write unto you, young men, because ye have overcome the wicked one.  I write unto you, little children, because ye have known the Father.

1Jn 2:14  I have written unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning.  I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the Word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one.

We are so blessed to our being made holy by fulfilling those prophecies and beginning to reign with Christ in His temple.  These widely mistranslated verses speak of both sides of the sword as we endure our day of the Lord and live out the prophecies.

Rev 20:5  But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished.  This is the first resurrection.

Rev 20:6  Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.

The second death [destruction of Satan, beast, false prophet in us] and the first resurrection are the same event, just opposite sides of the same coin.  When death [carnal mind] is destroyed in the lake of fire (death to death or aka the second death), then Christ in us is being resurrected.  Blessed and holy are those given to partake of this now in this age.  Once raised in the heaven and earth within us, Christ will reign until the last enemy is destroyed.

1Co 15:25  For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. 

1Co 15:26  The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.

The last enemy to be destroyed is SPIRITUAL DEATH, not physical death.  The enemies of God that keep us dead are all burned up in His consuming fire, that is His Word and His commandments.    When the carnal mind that is death is destroyed then we are fully alive with Christ.  We will see the fullness once we depart our clay vessels and receive the promised crown.

No matter where we are on the Lord’s timeline, our dying to death and being raised to new life will continue until it is completed.  We are being resurrected with Christ every day as we die every day to our carnal ways.  Rejoice, for the Lord is faithful and will finish the good work He has already started.

Php 1:6  Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ: 

Articles

God of the Living not of the Dead

Pete

God of the Living not of the Dead

We, as servants of Christ, are led to write to our scattered spiritual family and fellow sojourners.  Our desire is to encourage all to continue in the things we have learned and what we have heard through many hardships and to not lose our crown of righteousness. Having now being made a pillar in the Temple of the Lord, we stand steadfastly in full assurance of the realization of the promises [rewards, Rev 2-3] through the Gospel.

Rom 1:4  And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead: 

All men are born spiritually dead and it is only through Truth and grace which came with Christ, that we are being made alive and are now being seated with Christ and our fellow saints in heaven. The Lord’s people are the children of the resurrection, who were once dead [without God and Christ] but now have been raised up through the precious gift of faith, the faith of Christ [as He is, so are we 1 John 4:17].

Eph 2:5  Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)

Eph 2:6  And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus

Our land has now been married to Christ and we now rest in Him, no longer partaking of the back and forth carnal reasonings [meat] that holds all men in bondage to Satan, of their father, the devil, who is a murderer from the beginning [John 8:44].

Heb 2:14  Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; 

Heb 2:15  And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. 

Heb 2:16  For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham. 

Before faith came and before our conversion takes place, all prior works are dead works, thus our deliverance from sin and overcoming were not being made manifest. Yet when faith IS come, the true work of God is being done by those made faithful by the hand of the Lord.

Jas 2:20  But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? 

The true work of God is this:

Joh 6:28  Then they said to Him, “What shall we do, that we may work   the works of God?” 

Joh 6:29  Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.” 

Those given this precious faith, now partake of the living Bread and have obtained age-abiding life; which is to know and abide in Christ [Joh 17:3]. Henceforth the Lord promises we shall never die.

Joh 11:25  Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. 

Joh 6:50  This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die. 

Joh 6:51  I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world. 

God is a living God through the Son. Those being conformed into His image are likewise living and thus also alive in the Spirit. Coming to see this truth is far bigger than we once knew when we were bound by the law of sin and death in our members and not yet converted. Jesus spoke of things that are not yet as if they were when answering Peter and the Sadducees who did not understand what a living God and being alive to Christ meant.

Mat 16:16  And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. 

Mat 16:17  And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. 

Mat 22:31  But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God, saying, 

Mat 22:32  ‘I AM THE GOD OF ABRAHAM, THE GOD OF ISAAC, AND THE GOD OF JACOB’? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.” 

When Christ comes into His people for salvation, He gives us His Spirit that brings the fire that henceforth purges His Temple and guides those ordained to be faithful before the foundation of the world.

2Co 6:16  And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 

Rom 8:14  For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. 

Despite our claims to believe in Him [Joh 8:30], the Lord is not the Lord of those who walk according to the flesh doing the works of the flesh [Gal 5:19-21] which exemplifies those that are dead and not alive to Christ.

In every generation, a carnally minded Israel remains spiritually dead and God is not their God as they continue to do the deeds of their father the devil.  Before faith comes, all abide in unbelief to the Gospel who claim to be wise but remain reprobate walking as fools [Romans chapter 1] and worshipping the creation rather than the Creator.

Joh 8:43  Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word. 

Joh 8:44  Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. 

Joh 8:45  And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not. 

Those bound by the carnal law of sin and death, follow after strange gods [idols of the heart] who are no gods at all in corrupting the Gospel and twisting the Lord’s commandments to their own destruction. This is how flesh seeks to keep itself alive all the while claiming the Name of Christ. We remain dead in our sins and trespasses, pursuing the error of Balaam and twice plucked up by the roots. The living God is only the God of those who are led by His Spirit who have come out of the bondage to the law that binds them in spiritual death.

Rom 8:6  For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. 

Rom 8:7  Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. 

Rom 8:8  So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. 

Rom 8:9  But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. 

When one abides in spiritual death, they are not alive unto Christ. All men at this stage of deception are hypocrites, scribes, Pharisees and Sadducees that oppose Christ and who teach and follow man’s reasoning [carnal doctrines] rather than obeying His clear commandments.

Mat 15:7  Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, 

Mat 15:8  This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. 

Mat 15:9  But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. 

We can look behind ourselves and see how great an escape the Lord has provided.

2Th 2:9  The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, 

2Th 2:10  and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 

2Th 2:11  And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, 

The Lord uses the Sadducees in every generation, who remain bound to the law of the gentiles [accusing and excusing, Rom 2:15] and who deny His resurrection, saying it is past; to teach us that He is the God of the living and not of the dead. Sadducees are devoid of faith, who holds the Truth in unrighteousness as it is this day. They come to Christ in every age, being the spirit of anti-Christ, denying the Lord who has bought them with a price. They know the Truth but deny it by their works. This is us in our times and seasons.

Mat 22:23  The same day came to him the Sadducees, which say that there is no resurrection, and asked him, 

Mat 22:24  Saying, Master, Moses said, If a man die, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother. 

Mat 22:25  Now there were with us seven brethren: and the first, when he had married a wife, deceased, and, having no issue, left his wife unto his brother: 

Mat 22:26  Likewise the second also, and the third, unto the seventh. 

Mat 22:27  And last of all the woman died also. 

Mat 22:28  Therefore in the resurrection whose wife shall she be of the seven? for they all had her. 

Christ rebukes the Sadducees for their denying the power of God. Sadducees symbolize those who trust in their own reasoning and deny the power of God which is the resurrection of the dead [to bring Christ up again] to a lively hope in His people.

Mat 22:29  Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God. 

Those not knowing the power [Christ] of God, do not know the Lord and are not alive to Christ and His Christ. Such is the state of all those who claim His Name that have not faith.

1Jn 4:2  By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, 

1Jn 4:3  and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world. 

1Jn 4:4  You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. 

1Jn 4:5  They are of the world. Therefore they speak as of the world, and the world hears them. 

1Jn 4:6  We are of God. He who knows God hears us; he who is not of God does not hear us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error. 

Those in faith are married to Christ and no longer know any man after the flesh [2 Cor 5:16]. There are no male or female, bond or free, in the risen Body of Christ; but all are One in Christ through the Spirit who have been made free in our Day of the Lord.  Those with the faith of Christ are the true descendants of Abraham, the true Jews of the seed of Isaac, whose seed are blessed.

Mat 22:30  For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven. 

Mat 22:31  But as touching the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying, 

Mat 22:32  I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living. 

There is only one seed that brings forth the righteousness of Christ and that is faith.

Gal 3:16  Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, “And to seeds,” as of many, but as of one, “AND TO YOUR SEED,” who is Christ. 

We are first baptized with water and not with fire [Spirit] and at this time,  continue to live in pleasure being led by various lusts, full of dead men’s bones. We are dead while we live, all part of fulfilling the Scriptures [living by every word of God, Luk 4:4]. At this stage, we are without the Law of Liberty [Christ] and remain dead in our sins.

1Ti 5:6  But she that liveth in pleasure is dead while she liveth. 

Mat 23:27  “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. 

Mat 23:28  Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness. 

Rising above death [being carnally minded under the law] only comes when Christ comes to us a second time without sin.

Heb 9:27  And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, 

Heb 9:28  so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation. 

Whatever is not of faith is sin [lawlessness] and it is sin that is the sting of being carnally minded where victory and overcoming remain elusive. Victory does not come until faith is come and Christ, the morning star, rises within our hearts. Then we are released from the law of sin and death and are being made alive with the Lord through the White Throne Judgement, the Lord bringing the reward.

Rom 6:7  For he that is dead is freed from sin. 

Rom 6:8  Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: 

When the Lord comes our works will be revealed by the light that is also the fire which is burning out all the wood, hay and stubble that represents our carnal reasonings.

1Co 3:11  For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 

1Co 3:12  Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, 

1Co 3:13  each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. 

1Co 3:14  If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. 

1Co 3:15  If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire. 

The living are never found among the dead. They are separated [being made holy, set-apart] through faith, the faith of Christ, doing the will of the Father, who sent Him. It is the great gulf fixed that no man can cross unless it is given unto them. Thus, the parables of the cross and the resurrection tells of this mystery to those given ears to hear and eyes to see.

Luk 24:5  And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead?

Those alive to Christ come out from among the spiritually dead and after they have been crucified, separate themselves from those that walk after the flesh who are still bound to the law for the lawless.

1Pe 1:13  Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; 

1Pe 1:14  as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; 

1Pe 1:15  but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 

1Pe 1:16  because it is written, “BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY.” 

Those that die to death [their carnal mind] die to the Lord and are the same as those that live to the Lord.

Rom 14:8  For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord’s. 

Rom 14:9  For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living.

We are redeemed with the precious blood of the Lamb, without spot and wrinkle. The Lord is the Lord of all when all things are put under His feet.

1Co 15:25  For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet. 

1Co 15:26  The last enemy that will be destroyed is death. 

1Co 15:27  For “HE HAS PUT ALL THINGS UNDER HIS FEET.” But when He says “all things are put under Him,” it is evident that He who put all things under Him is excepted. 

1Co 15:28  Now when all things are made subject to Him, then the Son Himself will also be subject to Him who put all things under Him, that God may be all in all. 

Our spiritual enemies within and without ourselves are those that are bound to the law of carnal reasoning and walk therein. Such remain separated from Christ and His righteousness. These are the men [lies] that oppress us and merchandise rewards and gain, so flesh can reign supreme. The one does it for reward and the other for a bribe [immediate gratification].  We are to earnestly contend for the faith against those that pursue such folly and turn God’s grace into lasciviousness.

Jud 1:10  But these speak evil of whatever they do not know; and whatever they know naturally, like brute beasts, in these things they corrupt themselves. 

Jud 1:11  Woe to them! For they have gone in the way of Cain, have run greedily in the error of Balaam for profit, and perished in the rebellion of Korah. 

Jud 1:12  These are spots in your love feasts, while they feast with you without fear, serving only themselves. They are clouds without water, carried about by the winds; late autumn trees without fruit, twice dead, pulled up by the roots; 

Jud 1:13  raging waves of the sea, foaming up their own shame; wandering stars for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever. 

Having already escaped the corruption, which is the world’s way of thinking, we need to be vigilant to guard our gates against the Sadducee’s spirit who knows to do right but suppress the truth. Wresting judgment away is the gall and vinegar or root of bitterness offered by those who crucified Christ and His Christ. Christ as our example, rejects and does not drink the gall but instead dies to the world.

Mat 27:34  They gave him vinegar to drink mingled with gall: and when he had tasted thereof, he would not drink. 

Those who seek to save their carnal lives will lose it and not enter into the Kingdom of God where the living are found. When we partake of the world’s meat, we suppress the Truth of Christ’s commands, and drink spiritual gall and will not find the rest from our own carnal works. David prays the Lord to put those enemies and mindset within him under the feet of Christ.

Psa 69:21  They gave me also gall for my meat; and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink. 

Psa 69:22  Let their table become a snare before them: and that which should have been for their welfare, let it become a trap. 

Psa 69:23  Let their eyes be darkened, that they see not; and make their loins continually to shake. 

Psa 69:28  Let them be blotted out of the book of the living, and not be written with the righteous. 

The battle with these carnal enemies and the law is all over the Psalms.

Psa 56:11  In God have I put my trust [not the reasonings of men, their flesh – Phi 3:3]: I will not be afraid what man can do unto me. 

Psa 56:12  Thy vows are upon me, O God: I will render praises unto thee. 

Psa 56:13  For thou hast delivered my soul from death: wilt not thou deliver my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of the living? 

We enter the land of the living [draw near to Jerusalem above] when we are released by Christ from the prison that is Mystery Babylon [Rev 17:5], yoked with the yoke of hypocrisy. Being released from this harlot that binds us to the earth is the same as being called up hither into the heavenly realm. This is where the faithful saints who become the righteous compass about the throne being one Spirit with the Lord. This is our inheritance in the saints.

Psa 142:5  I cried unto thee, O LORD: I said, Thou art my refuge and my portion in the land of the living. 

Psa 142:6  Attend unto my cry; for I am brought very low: deliver me from my persecutors; for they are stronger than I. 

Psa 142:7  Bring my soul out of prison, that I may praise thy name: the righteous shall compass me about; for thou shalt deal bountifully with me.

 

1Co 6:16  Or do you not know that he who is joined to a harlot is one body with her? For “THE TWO,” He says, “SHALL BECOME ONE FLESH.” 

1Co 6:17  But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him. 

Our own righteousness and reasonings of right and wrong are filthy rags to Christ. The only righteousness that counts is His Righteousness that comes only through the gift of faith, the faith of Christ. Giving up our lives, dying daily is what conforms us into the Lord’s death and enables us to attain to the resurrection to the living.

Php 3:9  And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: 

Php 3:10  That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; 

Php 3:11  If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. 

It takes Christ’s blood within us, our dying to death and forsaking all we have, to have spiritual death and carnality purged from our minds. Then we enter into His rest and serve the Lord in power, the Spirit of Glory resting upon us as unworthy servants.

Heb 9:14  How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

Col 1:24  I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the church, 

Col 1:25  of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God which was given to me for you, to fulfill the word of God, 

Col 1:26  the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints. 

Col 1:27  To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. 

While we wait for the Lord to finish His sanctifying work, as the pillars in His Temple, we guard and keep our gates, being made holy, guarding the way of the tree of Life [Christ]. Knowledge [speaking in angel tongues] and pursuit of riches [spiritual drunkenness] is passing away and as the faithful, we now seek the things of the Spirit [doing His pleasure] and rest in the Lord and wait for Him, to finish what He has begun in us.

Eph 5:14  Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.

Eph 5:15  See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,

Eph 5:16  Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

Being raised to life, we seek heavenly things and not those things on the earth.

Col 3:1  If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. 

Col 3:2  Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. 

Col 3:3  For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 

Grace be with you. Amen!

 

Studies

Raising the Dead to New Life

Pete

For Our Admonition Part 5

“Raising the Dead to New Life”

Key Verses:  1Ki 17:17 – 17:24

We continue with the events recorded in 1Kings 17 regarding Elijah and the widow of Zarephath.  This is the second part of this parable (Click here for the first part) and in this study we will see the first instance of anyone being resurrected from the dead in the Scriptures.   Here are the verses and remainder of 1Kings 17 that complete this part of Elijah’s ministry.

1Ki 17:17  And it came to pass after these things, that the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, fell sick; and his sickness was so sore, that there was no breath left in him. 

1Ki 17:18  And she said unto Elijah, What have I to do with thee, O thou man of God? art thou come unto me to call my sin to remembrance, and to slay my son? 

1Ki 17:19  And he said unto her, Give me thy son. And he took him out of her bosom, and carried him up into a loft, where he abode, and laid him upon his own bed. 

1Ki 17:20  And he cried unto the LORD, and said, O LORD my God, hast thou also brought evil upon the widow with whom I sojourn, by slaying her son? 

1Ki 17:21  And he stretched himself upon the child three times, and cried unto the LORD, and said, O LORD my God, I pray thee, let this child’s soul come into him again. 

1Ki 17:22  And the LORD heard the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came into him again, and he revived. 

1Ki 17:23  And Elijah took the child, and brought him down out of the chamber into the house, and delivered him unto his mother: and Elijah said, See, thy son liveth. 

1Ki 17:24  And the woman said to Elijah, Now by this I know that thou art a man of God, and that the word of the LORD in thy mouth is truth.

We are saved and raised to newness of life in spirit by the grace of God that is chastening us and is working through our faith.  God’s grace is what teaches and motivates us to do righteousness and perform the greater works.  The good works are the result not the cause of our salvation.

Eph 2:8  For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

Eph 2:9  Not of works, lest any man should boast.

Eph 2:10  For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

In the last study, Elijah came and imparted faith in the widow and that faith was blessed with a multiplication of the meal that sustained Elijah, the widow and her son.  In this study, we see what follows our initial coming to faith and in Elijah’s case, growing in faith to raise one from the dead.  This event is just a shadow of the truth because the grace of God had not yet been poured out nor the Spirit of truth given (Joh 7:39).  This story is a parable and an ensample for us, the Lord’s ministers (priests) in performing the greater works and doing unto others as is, was and will be done unto us.

Mat 10:8  Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.

Joh 5:25  Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live.

Christ raised many from the physical dead, yet we are told our works (through  Him) are the greater works we can and will do when we operate in faith.

Joh 14:12  Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.

Joh 14:13  And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

This all points to the truth that physical death in the Scriptures are a shadow of spiritual death which is also likened to sleep. The truth is that death in the Scriptures symbolizes spiritual death as these words of the Bible are all spirit (Joh 6:63).  That was the primary lesson from the exchange with the carnal disciples about Lazarus and whether he was dead or just sleeping.

Joh 11:11  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.

Joh 11:12  Then said his disciples, Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well.

Joh 11:13  Howbeit Jesus spake of his death: but they thought that he had spoken of taking of rest in sleep.

Joh 11:14  Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead.

Several other events and admonitions in Scripture reveal that physical death is used as a symbol of spiritual death (Luk 8:53, Mat 9:24, etc) which is outcome of our sleeping and not taking heed the narrow way.

1Co 11:29  For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body.

1Co 11:30  For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep. 

The Elect of God are in the business of bringing spiritual healing and raising others from spiritual death.  That is what we do when we abide together, speaking words of fire (new tongues) freely giving what we have freely received.

Mar 16:17  And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues;

Mar 16:18  they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

This miraculous story is said to be “after these things” meaning it follows our coming to faith and being sustained in the wilderness during the first half of our witness (Rev 12:6).  The Lord tries all faith by trials (1Pe 1:7) and afflictions which is where we obtain the gold (truth) and come to know the Lord and receive garments of His righteousness (Rev 3:18).  It is through these many tribulations (Act 14:22) we are building our faith muscles, increasing our patience, hope and trust in the Lord.

Jas 1:3  Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.

Jas 1:4  But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

This OT parable is a shadow of the truth regarding the process of salvation after we have left Orthodoxy when we only know the other jesus (2Co 11:4).  As a new born babe in Christ, we are both this widow and her son.  Coming to faith releases us from the law for the lawless (1Ti 1:9) that kept us bound our entire life prior.  With that husband being dead, we are in-between the old and the new and are now free to marry Christ.

Rom 7:2 For the woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband.

The widow’s son is a child (1Ki 17:23), representing a babe in Christ which signifies our emerging and yet carnal and immature mindset that comes from only hearing the Word.  Faith comes by hearing and which is eating (taking to heart) the words of truth served up by the Lord’s preachers and prophets.  When we begin to hear of the real Jesus and the truth of the Lord’s commandments, it brings bitterness and woe and ultimately death to our fleshly way of life.

Rev 10:10  And I took the little book out of the angel’s hand, and ate it up; and it was in my mouth sweet as honey: and as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter. 

Eze 2:10  And he spread it before me; and it was written within and without: and there was written therein lamentations, and mourning, and woe.

The first half of our witness for Christ will end in death as we are being overcome.  It takes the second coming of Christ with grace via judgment to revive us and make us into doers and overcomers.

Rev 11:7  And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them.

Paul came to see his wretchedness (Rom 7:24) by being unable to be obey the law and reaping the wages of his sin which is death.

Rom 7:9  I was alive once without the law, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died.

Rom 7:10  And the commandment, which was to bring life, I found to bring death.

Rom 7:11  For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it killed me ……..

Rom 8:2  For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. 

Only the second coming of Christ frees us when grace is poured out. The end of our disobedience is a promised destruction through the Word (Php 3:18-19) as Christ brings life through death. When we give up trying to save ourselves and can see ourselves as the chief of sinners (1Ti 1:15) then we begin to be die to our flesh and the new man is able to rise.

Joh 12:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.

All men are sinners (Rom 3:10, Ecc 7:20) and in due time go through the process of dying and being resurrected spiritually (Mat 4:4). Sin works death in us which is necessary for us to see our need for a Savior and have no more confidence in our flesh.  This is how Satan is overcome when we become dead to self (Heb 2:14).  To get to this point we are first given to see the fruits of our own works.

Eze 18:4  Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.

Yet Praise the Lord even while we are dead in sin, Christ comes to save us and raises us up to sit together in heaven sharing one mind

Eph 2:5  Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)

Eph 2:6  And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:

When we are touched by the Lord’s prophets and given to partake of the Word, it brings darkness to the light and produces death.  Our reaction is the same as the woman as we first stumble in in our judgment.

1Ki 17:18  And she said unto Elijah, What have I to do with thee, O thou man of God? art thou come unto me to call my sin to remembrance, and to slay my son? 

Saying and doing are two different things.  When the going (faith trials) gets tough, we first fall down our seven times (Pro 24:16) until we learn to trust the Lord and His working righteousness within us (Phi 2:13, Isa 64:8).  But when our son is slain we have not counted the costs and our weak faith is manifested.  It is not until we can look behind us where Lord has brought us that we can see His wondrous works to the children of men in all of our trials.  A mature mindset knows that being faithful to death is how receive the prize.

Rev 2:10  Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.

This is where the Body of Christ is brought together to minister and comfort each other during our times of weakness and unbelief.  When we see a brother or sister in error, abiding in death, we are to go to them to correct and restore them.  The woman turns to Elijah and his righteous prayers, which along with the process, succeed in time with bringing the child back to life.

1Ki 17:19  And he said unto her, Give me thy son. And he took him out of her bosom, and carried him up into a loft, where he abode, and laid him upon his own bed. 

1Ki 17:20  And he cried unto the LORD, and said, O LORD my God, hast thou also brought evil upon the widow with whom I sojourn, by slaying her son? 

It is Christ’s Christ, the Body, who are the instruments of judgment and salvation for all men including ourselves now (1Co 11:31-32, Mat 19:28) and the rest of mankind in the Lake of Fire (1Co 6:2, Rev 20:4).   James cites Elijah and the power of his prayers with these instructions.

Jas 5:16  Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

Jas 5:17  Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months.

Jas 5:18  And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.

Jas 5:19  Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him;

Jas 5:20  Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.

These verses may not seem like they relate to judgment, but they very much are speaking about our day of the Lord in type and shadow.  The Lord’s people are being saved (redeemed) only by going through the process of judgment.

Isa 1:27  Zion shall be redeemed with judgment, and her converts with righteousness.

Rev 15:8  And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power; and no man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled.

Truly amazing, how Orthodoxy reading the same Bibles we do,  think salvation means avoiding judgment and the lie of eternal hell.  Our spiritually dying is the prerequisite for judgment to begin at the house of God which house we are.  This is the Lord’s purpose in causing us to sin (Isa 63:17) so we reap the wages of sin which is death. This provides Him the occasion sought to cleanse His Temple and raise us up in new life.  That is very good news!!!

Heb 9:27  And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:

Heb 9:28  So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.

Our judgment like the son’s judgment here requires us to be weaned off the bosom (the milk) of his mother and move beyond the basic oracles of God.  We have to be drawn away from the bosom of our immaturity and taught to eat the strong meat.

Isa 28:9  Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts.

Heb 5:13  For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.

Heb 5:14  But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

Other resurrection’s from the dead stories (2Ki 4:34, Act 20:8, Act 9:37) also take place in the upper chambers of the dwelling.  We are the temple of the Lord (1Co 3:16) and it is in us, in heaven (our mind) where Christ sits.   In due time, we are called up to heaven (Eph 2:6), gathered in the upper room (Act 1:12) and seated with Christ (Rev 11:12).  In type and shadow this is what Elijah’s actions in bringing the child upstairs into his abode signify.  It is the one who judges all things according to the spirit, that knows the mind of the Lord and can instruct others by example.

1Co 2:15  But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man.

1Co 2:16  For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.

A bed is a place of rest and where we lay our bodies for support and comfort.  Carnal thoughts and beliefs keep us bound to a bed of flesh and is death (Rom 8:6).  In the positive the bed upon which God’s people rest in His Word is a place of repentance from our “carnally minded” and dead works.

Heb 4:10  For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His.

Heb 4:11  Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience.

Repentance from these dead (carnally minded) works precedes the coming of Christ with judgment.  The spirit of Elijah is the spirit of John that brings us to repentance by laying us onto the resting place of the Lord, preparing us for judgment and the trials to follow (Mat 3:11-12).  When judgment comes, the old man will be taken away and the righteous man rises in his place.

Luk 17:34  I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left.

Elijah then acts to save the woman’s son.

1Ki 17:21  And he stretched [H4058] himself upon the child three times, and cried unto the LORD, and said, O LORD my God, I pray thee, let this child’s soul come into him again. 

1Ki 17:22  And the LORD heard the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came into him again, and he revived. 

When it says Elijah stretched himself upon the boy three times, it really is saying Elijah measured the son three times.  The usage of H4058 “madad” in the KJV English translations make this perfectly clear.

 H4058, mâdad

Total KJV Occurrences: 51

measured, 40

measure, 7

mete, 3

stretched, 1      1Ki_17:21

The number three symbolizes the process of our spiritual completion through judgment.  Knowing this, there is no mistaking what these activities in the upper room are symbolizing.  They symbolize judgment which is reviving us from the dead, awakening us to righteousness.

Hos 6:2  After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight.

Isa 51:17  Awake, awake! Stand up, O Jerusalem, You who have drunk at the hand of the LORD The cup of His fury; You have drunk the dregs of the cup of trembling ….

The Lord hears our prayers if they are made according to His will.  He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

Mar 11:22  And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.

1Jn 5:14  And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:

1Jn 5:15  And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.

Elijah now returns the son to the mother who has now experienced two miracles and as a result she now believes in Elijah and the words of the Lord he speaks.

1Ki 17:23  And Elijah took the child, and brought him down out of the chamber into the house, and delivered him unto his mother: and Elijah said, See, thy son liveth. 

1Ki 17:24  And the woman said to Elijah, Now by this I know that thou art a man of God, and that the word of the LORD in thy mouth is truth. 

We pass from death to life by coming through judgment now in this age.  That is how we do not come into judgment in the lake of fire to come.

Joh 5:24  “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.

Christ is now ascended into the heavens of His people.  His words are now being heard when spoken by the Body of Christ who are His instruments of salvation and the greater works.  Those who hear our words are being judged and they will rise from the dead.

Joh 5:25  Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live.

Elijah returns the son to the house and delivers him to his mother.  This is symbolism of us being brought hearing the words of Christ in the Body of Christ who is the mother of us all.

Mat 12:49  And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren!

Mat 12:50  For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother. 

Receiving back a son or daughter in Christ, brought to life and raised from the death of being carnally minded is indeed a miracle.  This is indeed a proof text of knowing whether someone is truly a man of God or not.

Mat 7:20  Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.

Heb 10:24  And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:

This resurrection story in Kings is a shadow of the truth and grace that would only come later by Jesus Christ.  The first raising from the dead by the Lord in the gospels was raising the widow of Nain’s son.

Luk 7:12  Now when he came nigh to the gate of the city, behold, there was a dead man carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow: and much people of the city was with her.

Luk 7:13  And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not.

Luk 7:14  And he came and touched the bier (open coffin): and they that bare him stood still. And he said, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise.

Luk 7:15  And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak. And he delivered him to his mother.

Luk 7:16  And there came a fear on all: and they glorified God, saying, That a great prophet is risen up among us; and, That God hath visited his people.

Jesus Christ came with all authority and power in heaven and in earth (Mat 28:18).  The resurrections in the New Testament are immediate at the speaking of the Word to “arise”, “come forth” etc.  We are the Body of Christ including His Mouth thru which the Lord is speaking and His hands through which we are touching those He has prepared to hear and arranged to meet Christ.

Eph 2:10  For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

We have been called and separated from the world to work in His Kingdom now and in the ages to come.  May we remember why we have been raised from the dead?  It is so we can do unto others what has been done unto us.  Such a high calling we have been given

Mat 10:6  But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

Mat 10:7  And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.

Mat 10:8  Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.

Rev 22:17  And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.

Sincere comments and questions are always welcome.  You can also email me directly at peterjwilson56@gmail.com