Our Life Begins With A Spiritual Resurrection

John 5:28-29 ‘Marvel not at this:  for the hour is coming in the which all that are in the graves shall hear His voice, and shall come forth;  they that have done good unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil unto the resurrection of damnation.’

As the memory of the old covenant Passover, the crucifixion and the resurrection of Yahshua approach, I think it is wise to truly look at the great gift and awesome grace of resurrection with a clearer and more profound understanding.  There are two resurrections.  Many do not preach, teach or even recognize this fact.

Revelation 20:5-6 ‘But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished.  This is the first resurrection.  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 Yahweh and of the Messiyah, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.’

There seem to be a thousand variations of understandings regarding this time.  It may not be a popular belief, but believe that those who live on the earth have been in that thousand year period ever since Christ rose again.  Since the resurrection it has been the infamous millennium.

Revelation 20:1-3 ‘And I saw an angel come down from heaven having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.  And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, and cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years should be fulfilled:  and after that he must be loosed a little season.

It is not fantasy.  There was a time when dragons and serpents freely roamed the earth, leviathan owned the sea, and behemoth caused men to tremble.  There were giants in the earth and fallen angels.  Satan himself could still influence the worldly in a worldly way for we know that Yahshua himself was tempted by him (Matthew 4:1-11).

Have you noticed the increase in occult activity, in vampires and werewolves, in fallen angels and spiritualism?  Satan himself has been locked up for a long time but his spirit, his teachings are still very much alive in the air.

Ephesians 2:2 ‘Wherein in times past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience.’

Make no mistake about it, there is a very real spirit of evil in the world, one which gain power by taking pride in the ‘course of this world.’  It works now and causes mankind to disobey the Lord.  There is no richness of mercy.  Everything is done to save the course of the world, to instill hope in the future of living life on this fallen and polluted earth.

We should ask ourselves concerning this first resurrection of Revelation 20:5; when is it?

You just read Ephesians 2:2.  Let us look at the verse before it.

Ephesians 2:1 ‘And you hath He quickened who were dead in trespasses and sins.’

The first resurrection is, as the word ‘resurrection’ in the Greek ‘anastasis (386)’ explains, a ‘moral’ recovery.  You were once dead in your past sins and trespasses.

Ephesians 2:8 ‘For by grace are ye saved through faith; and not of yourselves: it is the gift of the Creator.’

There are two deaths, and thus two resurrections.  You can die physically as well as die morally.  You can be raised morally as well as raised physically.  This lack of separation between spirit and body is where all the confusion over the devilish ‘once saved always saved’ theory come into play.  Let us try to absorb this fully.

Romans 6:1-4 ‘What shall we say then?  Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?  The Creator forbid.  How shall we that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?  Know ye not that so many of us as were baptized into Yahshua the Messiyah, were baptized into His death?  Therefore we are buried with Him, by baptism into death:  that like Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.’

It is so difficult in this world to comprehend that once we were baptized into Christ, we shared in His death to everything this world stands for.  Spiritually, our moral compass became fixated on Him and only Him.  We are living in the likeness of His resurrection already just by accepting His grace.

Romans 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.’

And when should we be in the likeness of His resurrection?  Should we wait for the bodily resurrection?  Shall we, as it stated in Romans 6:1, continue in sin?

Romans 6:6-7 ‘Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.  For he that is dead is freed from sin.’

The biggest problem in Christianity in every generation is the lack of dying going on.  Everyone wants to ‘convert’ without being changed.  Everyone wants to ‘be saved’ without letting go of the things causing them to sink.  Everyone wants to continue ‘living’ although they must die.

John 12:24-25 ‘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.  He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.’

Too many Christians are teaching and being taught that their works in this world are important, that this life in this world is essential to our salvation eternally.  It is just the opposite my friend.  To become first morally resurrected, you need to let go of this life in this world and live only for Him. 

John 12:26 ‘If any man serve Me. . .’

Are you a servant of Christ?  Are you a good servant of Christ?

Luke 12:37 ‘Blessed are those servants who the lord, when he cometh shall find watching. . .’

Luke 12:40 ‘Be ye therefore ready also:  for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not.’

A few verses earlier, in Luke 12:34, Yahshua reminds us that where our heart is, there will our treasure be also.  If you are worried about this mortal life and the direction of science, medicine and government, your moral compass is not focused on Christ.  To accomplish those things a man must do a little evil, a little sin, in order to do good.

1 Corinthians 5:7 ‘Purge out therefore the old leaven that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened.  For even Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us.’

For ye to become unleavened, you have to toss out all the polluted teachings and sins you have gathered in your soul.  Like the lambs blood on the door in the days of Moses, the blood Christ sacrificed for you, preserves you – that is mercy my friend. 

1 Corinthians 5:8 ‘Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.’

Many Christians refuse to dispose of the leaven.  Many still feast and celebrate the resurrection of our Savior by a heathen name and heathen practices.  The word ‘Easter’ appears one time in the Bible and the translation is completely erroneous.  The Greek word used in The Acts 12:4 is ‘pascha’ and translated ‘Passover’ everywhere else it is used.  Why can’t Christians accept even this little bit of truth?  Why can’t Christians accept even this little tiny break from conformity to false traditions?

Matthew 9:13 ‘But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy and not sacrifice:  for I am not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.’

Many Christians are living and thinking like the Pharisees.  They have adopted a worldly form of righteousness dependant on the appearance of godliness.  They have created an elitist system that is prejudice in judgment.  They have supported an entitlement philosophy that devalues equality and brotherhood.

What did Yahweh mean when He originally said, ‘I will have mercy and not sacrifice’?

Matthew 9:16-17 ‘No man putteth a piece of new cloth to an old garment. . .Neither do men put new wine into old bottles. . .’

All of our deeper understanding in Christ comes from recognizing the two things we are – both physical and spiritual.  When we are instructed to give up our life, to die daily, it is our spirit and will we are allowing to perish.  We have to become part of the first spiritual resurrection in order to save the body and not the other way around.

Matthew 9:17 ‘. . .but they put new wine into new bottles, and both are preserved.’

Truly, I believe it is a great fault in the Christian community, not to take the significance of salvation more seriously.  The devilish ‘once saved always saved’ doctrine allows too many Christians to live at peace while sinning openly.

Hebrews 10:26-27 ‘For if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful looking for of judgment, and fiery indignation which shall devour the adversaries.’

Hebrews 10:38-39 ‘Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, My soul shall have no pleasure in him.  But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.’

Faith in Yahweh through His only begotten Son Yahshua allows us to step out of our comfort zone, out of our selfish and sinful ways.  We are morally resurrected unto a newness of life that sees charity and mercy as the only ways to live in this world and the next.  We can no longer willfully sin for we have already been spiritually resurrected.  If we sin willfully, there is no more sacrifice to save us.  We cannot draw back or go back to our old ways of thinking, back to worldly ways of endeavoring to accomplish things.

Hebrews 10:31 ‘It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living Creator.’

If you truly love and respect your parents, the last thing in the world you want to do is fall out of their favor.  It is not only the punishment they can inflict on you, but the gulf of disappointment that will be all too apparent.  More Christians need to comprehend what a fearful thing it is to fall into His hands.  We sadly live in a very disrespectful time and generation, one being seduced and growing immune to the indoctrination of the spirits of the air. 

Revelation 20:7-8 ‘And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, and shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth. . .’

Satan, the dragon, the old serpent, and his fallen angels are going to be cast back down on this earth.  They will say they have been sent, or come on their own accord, but it will be a lie.  Movies, television, entertainment news and books are desensitizing people, even the Christians, to accept these evil creations as peacemakers and gods.  They will call that which is good evil, and that which is evil good.  They will prefer sacrifice to mercy, entitlement to charity, and war to peace.  Everything will be a cause to fight for, and nothing will have a truly redeeming conclusion.  Unrest and terror will spread across the earth because there is no forgiveness, no humility – only pride and desire.

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

Have you truly received that which is free?  Are you now prepared to freely give? 

Have you truly understood the mercy shown by the Lord to you?  Are you prepared to now be as equally merciful?

Let me ask you a very important series of questions.

Are some people more worthy of mercy then others?

Are some people more worthy of sacrifice then others?

Would you willingly die for anyone or just certain ones?

Would you willingly lose everything for anyone or just certain ones?

Have you taken on the soiled nature of the Pharisees and become a respecter of persons?

John 3:16 ‘For Yahweh so loved the world, He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.’

The resurrection is a gift offered to everyone, and according to scripture, everyone is unworthy of the gift by their deeds and thoughts. Once we accept the gift, we become a new creature, one that morally sees beyond this corporeal life to the one to come. As we continue to live in this sinful flesh, our resurrected spirit in Christ exceeds the righteousness of the Pharisees and those who think like them. They call us foolish for we announce with joy that our treasure is not here on earth. We proclaim that we can find no redeeming value in the intrigues and customs of this world for it is all selfish and sinful.

John 3:12 ‘If I have told you earthly things and ye believe not, how shall ye believe if I tell you of heavenly things?’

Although the overwhelming evidence shows that ‘Easter’ is not an appropriate Christian word or tradition, Christians still cannot adapt to the change. How in the world are these same people going to be spiritually renewed to live sincerely and truthfully if they cannot deal with such a small and obvious matter?

Lastly, I ask you to take the resurrection of Lazarus now and meditate (John Chapter 11).

John 11:23-26 ‘Yahshua saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again. Martha saith unto Him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day. Yahshua said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: and whosoever liveth and believeth in Me shall never die. Believest thou this?’

Yahshua was not talking about the resurrection at the last day. He was trying to teach His followers about spiritual resurrection NOW and they could not comprehend it.

John 11:14-15 ‘Then said Yahshua unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead. And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, to the intent ye may believe. . .’

John 11:26 ‘. . . Believest thou this?’

Amen