ORDER OF THE RESURRECTION

At the second advent of Messiah, those who have died in Messiah, the saints of all ages, will be raised to life and then those who are alive will be changed from their state of mortality to immortality to join those who have been raised from the dead. This resurrection will be a raising of the physical body to be immortal and incorruptible.

"But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, .. .. For if we believe that Y'shua died and rose again, even so Yahweh will bring with Him those who sleep in Y'shua. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God . And the dead in Messiah shall be raised first." 1 Thessalonians 4:13-16

Those who have fallen asleep in Messiah, the saints of past ages and those in this age, will be raised first. Note. They looked forward in faith to Messiah's coming, we look back to His appearance in the flesh.

"Behold I tell you a mystery: we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed - in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality, " 1 Corinthians 15:51-53

"Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord" 1 Thessalonians 4:17

".. .. we also eagerly await the Savior, the Lord, Y'shua the Messiah, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working whereby He is able to subdue all things to Himself." Phil.3:20b-21

We who are alive and remain until the time of His coming will be caught up in the air with the returning saints and be changed from mortality to immortality, from corruptible flesh to incorruptible one which will be like Y'shua's resurrection body.

THE TRUMPET CALL

The timing "Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other." Matthew 24:30-31

Yahweh will sound the trumpet to gather His elect. See also 1 Corinthians 15:51 "at the last trumpet", and 1 Thessalonians 4:16 "with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God"

This is the trumpet call for the saints of the first resurrection, and take note, by Y'shua's words it is "after the tribulation of those days" in verse 29 of Matthew 24. The sun being darkened and the moon not giving its light and the powers of heaven being shaken all precede His coming. "For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; But for the elect's sake those days will be shortened." Matthew 24:21,22

The Season of His Return Y'shua said that no man would know the day or the hour of His return, (Matthew 24:36; 25:13) but it would appear that we can know the season of His return as is illustrated by the parable of the fig tree. (Matthew 24:32-35; Luke 21:29-31)

"But take heed to yourselves. lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness and the cares of this life, and that day come upon you unexpectedly. For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape (Lit. 'flee out') all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man." Luke 21:34-36

"Now brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Y'shua the Messiah and our gathering together to Him, .. .. that day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, .. 2 Thessalonians 2: 1-3

Y'shua warns of falling away, of being caught up in the lifestyle of the world (See also Matthew 24:37-39), as does Paul. After the falling away begins, then the man of sin, the AntiChrist/AntiMessiah will be revealed. Paul is correcting false ideas in Thessalonica that the resurrection may have been past (2:2), and showing them that it could not be so, for although there had been many of that type of spirit, the 'lawless one' (the AntiChrist/Messiah) had not arrived on the scene. Furthermore, Paul says in 2 Thessalonians 2:8 that he would be destroyed at Messiah's coming. This gives assurance for all time that there will be no secret coming (see also Matthew 24:26,27) as the Rapture doctrine teaches.

It also is a time indicator, as the prophetic time spans in Revelation of 1,260 days indicate the length of AntiMessiah's rule. But we have another clear indicator. Y'shua's return will be at the last trumpet.

Each prophetic event so far has sequenced with the feast of its kind. Messiah's sacrifice was on Passover, the giving of the Spirit on Shavuot/Pentecost, perfectly fulfilling the type.His second coming will also fulfill the type of the feast of Trumpets, in the last segment of Feasts of the prophetic year.

So, we know the season of the year, and, we are told, "But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you .." But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night, nor of darkness" 1 Thessalonians 5: 1,4,5

This Day will overtake the world and those of the kingdom who are not walking in the light (see verses 6-10) as a thief in the night, but those of us who are of the 'day' will understand the times and the seasons, and the scriptural interpretation of them. We will see clearly.

THE FINAL ACT OF REDEMPTION

Resurrection of the body is the final stage of our redemption. Romans 8:23 The first two stages of redemption need to be complete for the redemption of the body to be effected. That is, the redemption of the spirit in conversion is the first step. But also then, the second part of our 'salvation' is in the renewing of the soul, our mind/personality (Romans 12:1-2; Colossians 3: 1-10). We are predestined to be conformed to His image (Romans 8:29).

We have the Spirit as a guarantee (a deposit, a down payment) of our coming inheritance, but the progressive installments must be made on any goods purchased with a down payment, to be able to take final possession of the article. Those progressive payments are made as we allow the Spirit to work out His purposes in our lives to appropriate what was purchased for us at Calvary. We need to become filled with all the fullness of Yahweh. 2 Corinthians 5:1-11; Ephesians 3:19-21

"Be diligent that you may be found in Him in peace (not with rebuke), without spot and blameless" 2 Peter 3:14

"Even as the testimony of Messiah was confirmed in you, so that you come short in no gift, eagerly waiting for the revelation of our Lord, Y'shua the Messiah, who will confirm you to the end that you may be blameless in the day of our Lord Y'shua the Messiah." 1 Corinthians 1: 6-8

Our perfection/holiness and coming to full stature as a son of the Almighty is what He died for! (Eph.4: 7,12-13; Heb. 2:10)

"Messiah loved the Church/Assembly and gave Himself for her, that he might sanctify and cleanse her .. that He might present her to Himself a glorious church/assembly, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish." Ephesians 5:25b-27

He is coming for a pure and spotless Bride!

"not having spot or wrinkle" The 'spots' are the stains of sin on our garments which have not been cleansed by the blood of the Lamb, and the 'wrinkles' are the evidences of the old nature creasing our garments, the imperfections and limitations of the fallen human nature.

Messiah's life needs to be completely worked out in us so that our righteousness is 'bright and clean'. The parable of the ten virgins tells the story of those who were not ready. No time to prepare when you realise that His return is imminent and that you lack the measure of the anointing to bring you to His perfection. Matthew 25:1-13

THE ELECT COMPANY

John was given the vision of the elect company of the last days and it includes two groups:

1. Overcomers - Israelites, the select 144,000 Revelation 7: 1- 8 2. Great Multitude -

all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, out of great tribulation Revelation 7: 9-17

priests of God to rule and reign with Him 1,000 years Revelation 20: 4-6

The Overcomers This group is pictured in Revelation 7 and again in Revelation 14. They were sealed with the seal of Yahweh in Chapter 7 for protection from the judgments to come on the earth. These are those who have come into their full inheritance to rule with Messiah in His governmental system. They have followed the Lamb completely, not being defiled with false religious systems ('women'), and are without fault before the throne of God. They are His firstfruits company who are worthy to have their Father's name written in their forehead, having taken on their full Israelite identity and function as a kingdom of priests. Revelation 14:1-5

The Bride The 'Bride' includes all those from ages past until the present who have walked 'in white' with Him and became worthy to be called to the marriage supper of the Lamb.

"Let us be glad and rejoice, and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready. And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb." Revelation 19:7-9

'Blessed and holy is he who has a part in the First Resurrection" - Revelation 20:4-5

ATTAINING A BETTER RESURRECTION

Paul spoke of a "better resurrection" in Hebrews 11:35 'Better' is from the Greek word KREISSN 1 - stronger or more powerful. Vine's Expository Dictionary says that in this instance it gives the sense of more useful or more excellent. A stronger, more powerful, more excellent resurrection.

Paul speaking of his own aspirations says, "That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if by any means, I may attain to the resurrection of the dead." Philippians 3:10-11

Was Paul doubting his spiritual standing? or was there some other meaning to what he was saying?

The literal translation of the last phase is "if somehow I may attain to the resurrection out of the dead."

Next he goes on to say, "Not that I already received, or already been perfected" (Interlinear Literal Translation v.12)

So this is a question of having received a status of perfection to qualify for this superior quality resurrection. For which he says, "I press toward the goal for the prize of the high calling of God in Y'shua the Messiah." (Ch.3:14)

Paul outlines this standard of perfection in Ephesians 4:13 "to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Messiah;"

The letters to the assemblies of Colossae, Ephesus and Phillipi were written from Rome during his term of imprisonment. Paul is coming to the end of his spiritual journey. He obviously realises that he is not going to be alive for His return, which the early church thought would be imminent, and he is aspiring to a superior resurrection, to be one of those who were walking by the Spirit, crucifying the flesh and 'striving' to attain the perfection that is in Y'shua. Philippians 3:15-21; Galatians 2:20

Paul had his sight set on attaining the first resurrection from out of the state of death which was for those first attaining the sonship for which Messiah died, the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb.

Our Father subjected the whole creation to futility in the hope of receiving His inheritance in His sons, and the whole creation groans and travails awaiting its deliverance from the corruption resulting from the fall, in order to come into this coming glorious liberty (or liberation) of the sons of God. The creation itself is groaning for the realisation of this, and all of Yahweh's future plans await the manifestation of our sonship in the earth. Romans 8:20-21

So be encouraged to press toward the mark for the high calling of Yahweh in Y'shua the Messiah.

"The sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us." Romans 8:18

"Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of our Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and the latter rain. You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand." James 5: 7-8

"Beloved, now are we the children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope purifies himself, just as He is pure." 1 John 3:2-3

"He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be His God and He shall be My son." Revelation 21: 7