RESURRECTION – YEAR 1977
"And I heard the voice from heaven saying,
Write, Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from henceforth:
yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors;
for their works follow with them."
Revelation 14:13
The Scriptures show that the first resurrection was to come after the end of the Gospel Age, when the whole Church would be completed.
The light of the unfolding truth in due season, after the opening of the seventh seal, not only pointed out to the time of the end of the High Calling, but also showed that this end, falling in the Autumn of 1977, is also the beginning of the resurrection of the Body of Christ. From then on, the holy Apostles and all the victors of the Gospel Age who slept in Jesus Christ were raised up to the nature of spirit beings and made in the image and likeness of their Lord and Master. We find no mention in the Scriptures which would link this momentous fact with any outward manifestation. On the contrary, accepting this truth is solely a matter of faith in the testimonies of the Scriptures regarding the resurrection of the Church, and also faith in the Lord's voice expressed by the biblical numerology, which gave the exact time of this event.
The John class hears this voice speaking about the exact time of this event and, as the Lord commanded, "write," that is, proclaim: "blessed are the dead from henceforth."
Term, "From henceforth" relates to the Jewish Day of Atonement, which in 1977 fell on September 22nd.
This is the year of the faith-based date of awakening of the saints of the entire Gospel Age, and the beginning of the three-and-a-half-year period (1977-1981) of the changing of the Church’s remainining members who live on earth, who, also through the death of the body, are passing into the condition of the divine nature.
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"Biblical Comments" on John 3:30:
He must increase ... Jesus, typifying the glorified Christ
But I ......................... John, type of the Christ in the flesh
Must decrease ........ In Influence and numbers as the time of trouble draws on
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The word "together" (1 Thes 4:17) seemingly suggests that both the living and those sleeping in death will be changed at one time. But the Apostle says that the dead in Christ was to rise first. The word "together", the Greek, hama, means "together", "simultaneously", but also applies where the meaning of simultaneity is excluded – see Rom 5:12 and Thes 5:10.
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"Indeed, 'Blessed are [forever] the dead who die in the Lord from henceforth.' They rest from their labors, but their works continue; for the work on the other side the veil is the same work in which all the overcomers are engaged on this side the veil; except that with those who have entered into the glory of the divine nature, the work is no longer laborious, and no longer costs fatiguing sacrifice."
"While the glorified members of the Kingdom beyond the veil are doing a work in shaping the current of present events and preparing for the glorious reign, those on this side the veil have also an important work. It is their mission to gather together the elect and to seal them in the forehead (intellectually) with the knowledge of the truth (Rev. 7:3); to separate the wheat from the tares with the sickle of present truth; and to proclaim unto Zion this important message – 'Thy God reigneth!' This work, too, is going rapidly forward, and all the faithful, sealed ones are in turn busily engaged in sealing others; and soon the great work will be accomplished – the elect all gathered and glorified." C-306, 303
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What a wonderful truth! – The kingdom of God is in the process of being founded, the Lord Jesus and His saints are already resurrected, and we, as members of His honorable Body, as His "feet", we are allowed to cooperate, to preach the good news among men, to inform them of the importance of these miraculous events which must prepare the way for the glorious reign of righteousness to be brought about.
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RESURRECTION – YEAR 1981
"And they lived, and reigned with Christ a thousand years...
Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection:
over these the second death hath no power; but they shall be priests of God
and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years."
Revelation 20:4,6
The completion and gloryfying of the Church class in the first resurrection is illustrated in God's Word as the completion of Solomon's Temple.
The Apostle Peter explains that the glorified Christ, Head and Body, constitute the antitypical Temple of God made of living stones.
Our Lord, raised to divine immortal nature in A.D. 33, is the prime stone. The remaining stones, by nature shapeless and rough, were hewn, fitted, and polished throughout the Gospel Age to bring them into harmony with the cornerstone.
The time has finally come in the Divine Plan of the Ages for the final completion of this magnificent building.
According to the latest chronological orientation, starting from the fall of 1977, the stones from the past have already been collected and the temple is only waiting for the few remaining living stones that are still in the process of being polished. The changing of these latter, in the resurrection in the spring of 1981, will join each of these members to their fellows in this glorious Temple of the Lord.
It will be a wonderful and momentous event in the history of the world. In the next few years, after the storm of tribulation will cease, all mankind will be invited to approach to God through this spiritual Temple – the Christ.
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Changed ... "But these, be it remembered, will all be 'changed' in their resurrection (the first resurrection – Rev 20:4,6; 1 Cor 15:42-46, 50-54; Jn 3:5,8) and thereafter will no longer be human beings, but 'partakers of the divine nature,' and as invisible to mankind as are God and the heavenly angels." D-618
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"Biblical Comments" on 1 Kgs 8:10:
Filled the house ... Typifying the glorified Christ
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A PERFECT HOPE
God's eternal promises are the foundation upon which hope is built, both in character and in future glory. Oh! how strong this foundation is! This hope is backed up by all his promises as well as His oath.
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"Biblical Comments" on 1 Pet 1:13:
Wherefore .............. In view of the exalted inheritance for which we strive
Gird up the loins ... Strengthening the purposes and efforts, the zeal and determination.
The prize of the High Calling is not for the easygoing Christians
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THE REWARD
The winners of the Gospel age have been promised the prize of an immortal divine nature.
"Let us keep the goal distinctly before our eyes. Doubtless the Lord meant the knowledge of the prize to serve as a stimulus for our upbuilding and strengthening. We look for 'glory, honor and immortality'; and it is right for us to seek for them. Any other attitude would be false modesty. If the thought that it is presumption for us to aspire to the high calling comes before our minds, let us remember that our Lord wants us to be so inspired by the 'great and precious promises' that we will work for these things which He has set before us, and that it would be presumption for us to refuse what He offers to us.
Sometimes the question arises, Should not the Lord's people preferably strive for character-likeness to Christ, with no particular desire as to what the Lord's reward will be? We answer, No. We should have 'respect for the recompensing reward.' In order to have the proper respect for the reward which God promises, it is necessary that we hold it up before us continually, and that we never lose sight of the prize.
Our Lord Jesus does not deprecate this looking at the prize. Listen to His words: "Father, glorify Thou Me with Thine Own Self, with the glory which I had with Thee before the world was." (John 17:5.) Thus He prayed to the Father for the reward which the manifestation of His obedience would bring. So it should be with us; not that we have a right to insist that our efforts be rewarded, but that we should think of the blessing which God has promised those who love Him, as "exceeding great and precious." Many in the nominal church do not see these things." R-5082
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The numerical value of the words, "the crown of righteousness" contains seven times the numerical value of the word immortality. The number seven is a symbol of the Divine completeness.
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THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN
The main subject of Jesus' teaching is "the Kingdom of Heaven". The Lord began his mission and work of gathering disciples by the announcing that this kingdom is approaching.
The apostle Paul clearly states that "the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God" and even says that "flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom." This shows that the kingdom will be spiritual, therefore the nature of those who are to inherit this kingdom must be changed from earthly into a spiritual.
At first, the Jewish people were called to this kingdom, but when they proved unworthy because of unbelief, the offer of the calling went to the Gentiles.
Although many are called, nevertheless, because of the various difficulties, sufferings and persecutions encountered along the way, only the overcamers class, the "Little Flock" will be ultimately chosen.
The word "kingdom" generally means king and subjects. It also defines the royal authority or the entire royal family.
In Scripture, the kingdom of heaven means the spiritual kingdom, because it will be spiritual beings – the New Creation – Jesus Christ as the Head and His followers as the Body.
The first task of this spiritual government is to establish the kingdom of God on earth during the thousand years of "the times of restirution of all things." The most important promise, relating to this period of rebirth, says about to raising of mankind to moral, mental, and physical perfection – eternal life. Throughout the Gospel Age and up to now, the Church prays for this kingdom with the words, "Thy kingdom come."
LAST PROMISES
Living in the difficult times of this evil day and hearing the warning voices of the prophets and apostles pointing to snares, plagues, and subtle dangers on all sides, how dear for the faithful children of God are the promises of His protection, care, and personal love (Jn 16:27; 14:21,23,27; Lk 12:32.
The promises of Psalm 91 are also very strengthening. The Heavenly Father's love and care are presented as "wings" of His providence that shield us from all harm and are His "feathers" that warm and protect us. From a certain point of view, all the promises are as angels, who are lifting symbolic feet of believers lest "not to dash they against a stone" (Is 8:14).
Now, at the end of this age, or the harvest season, it is the richest season of the year, when the buds of prophecy and God's promises bear their golden fruit, so that the table of the Lord is so abundant. Not only that, but the Lord of the harvest, being present as promised, girded Himself and serves to His people.
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"Biblical Comments" on Rev 3:21:
To him ......................... Of the sanctuary class
That overcometh ........ That overcometh love of self, popularity, worldly prosperity,
human theories and systems
Will I grant ................... If he prove faithful unto death
In my throne ................ My reign over the earth for the purpose of converting it
The Kingdom is not merely a work of grace in the heart
Even as I also ............ "As the Father hath appointed unto me a Kingdom,
so I appoint unto you a Kingdom"
Father in his throne ... Evidently the Church will enter into this greatest honor
at the close of the Millennial Age
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ASSURANCES
The divine promises we find in the Word of God have a great influence on our growth in grace and knowledge as long as we accept them in faith and see their fulfillment in our lives.
The wealth of these promises has always aroused great interest in the minds of God's people in their time of fulfillment: when will the reign of the King of Glory begin, when will the sons of light shine like the sun, and the sighing creature will be freed from the bondage of corruption?
When the time was right, God revealed to all the watching ones the exact dates for the fulfillment of these glorious features of His Plan. Understanding of the revealed truths related to the time came in particularly difficult conditions of general unbelief and interest in material things, therefore this revealed knowledge was based on strong evidences from the Word of God. The proofs are various time parallels – especially Abrahamic parallels – and biblical numerology. It all make up the Lord’s oath.
In this way, the Lord balances the negative influences of unbelief and other snares of the hour of temptation by making a solemn oath to his people "that there will be delay no longer" – the revealed time of glorification of the Church will not disappoint, Babylon will pass irretrievably, and the rays of God's grace will began to warm the world.
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"Biblical Comments" on Rev 10:7:
The mystery of God ... The secret features of God’s plan, and the Church,
the Body of Christ, which is the embodiment of that plan;
Throughout the Gospel Age, and untill this day,
the deep things of God's Word have been understood
only by the truly consecrated;
"The secret of the Lord is with them that fear him" (Ps 25:14).
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"In the light of the Scriptures we may understand the holy Spirit to mean:
(a) God's power exercised in any manner, but always according to lines of justice and love, and hence always a holy power.
(b) This power may be an energy of life, a physically creative power, or a power of thought, creating and inspiring thoughts and words, or a quickening or life-giving power, as it was manifested in the resurrection of our Lord, and will again be manifested in the resurrection of the Church, his body.
(c) The begetting or transforming power or influence of the knowledge of the Truth. In this aspect it is designated 'The Spirit of Truth.' God rules his own course according to truth and righteousness; hence, God's Word, the revelation of his course, is called Truth – 'Thy word is Truth.' Similarly, all who come under the influence of God's plan of Truth and righteousness are properly said to be under the influence of the Spirit or disposition of the Truth: they are properly described as begotten of the Truth to newness of life." E-183
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"The Lord's people are not to forget that, although the administration or method has changed, the same Lord by the agency of the same holy Spirit is still guiding the affairs of his Church – less manifestly, less outwardly discernible, but no less really, no less carefully, and in every detail of its affairs." E-208
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"Parakletos is rendered Comforter in Jn 14:16,26; but the thought usually conveyed by the word comfort (namely to soothe, to pacify) is not here the correct one. The correct thought is that of help, encouragement, assistance, strengthening. Thus our Lord's promise implied that the holy Spirit which the Father would send in Jesus' name and as Jesus' representative would be near his followers, a present help in every time of need – the holy power by which he would guide and direct his people and enable them to 'walk by faith and not by sight.'" E-202
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"Biblical Comments" on Is 55:11:
So shall my word be ... Including the Harvest Message;
It shall prosper ............ Because of the one purpose of the one God;
Because backed by perfect justice, love, wisdom and power
Even while Satan imagines that he hinders;
Whereto I sent it .......... Hence we know it has not yet been sent out to convert the world.
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Added by: Andrzej
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