Jaw-dropping Jewels about Jesus
Rarely does Jesus, God the Son, do exactly what we expect of Him. It seems odd that He so frequently surprises us, given that He never changes. Hebrews 13:8 makes this absolute statement: “Jesus the same yesterday, and today, and forever.” Still, though He is blessedly consistent in His goodness, Jesus does unforeseen things. Even when He does what is expected, He does not always do it in the way that we anticipate. Let us join with Jesus on a jaw-dropping journey. (I will be using this opening paragraph for each of the brief messages in this series. The following material will change daily.)
Our brief study of the doctrine of resurrection, based upon the use of the phrase “first resurrection” in Revelation 20:4-6, reminds us of the orderliness and thoroughness of our Savior God. Since the resurrections of Christians, martyrs of the Tribulation, and Old Testament saints are all future, some might wonder about the current status of believers who have died. The Apostle Paul provides this answer: “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour: yet what I shall choose I wot not. For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better: nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you” (Philippians 1:21-24). To depart from this life is to live with Jesus immediately: “Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: (for we walk by faith, not by sight:) we are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord” (II Corinthians 5:6-8). There is no Biblical middle ground (like so-called “soul sleep”); believers are either here on earth or in heaven with Jesus. The examples of Moses and Elijah on the Mount of Transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-8) confirm that the New Testament promise includes the believers from Old Testament times. Furthermore, we remember the promise of Jesus to the repentant thief: “Today shalt thou be with Me in paradise” (Luke 23:43b). Thus, the Biblical doctrine of resurrection does not impede our present certainty that believers are currently in heaven with Jesus.