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RESURRECTION \u2013 BE READY TO COMPLETE EVERYTHING<\/strong><\/p>\n On the day the Lord Jesus died, the Bible tells us that tombs were opened and the bodies of many saints who had died were raised. But they did not leave their tombs immediately; they remained there until the day Jesus Himself rose. Then they began their journey to the holy city of Jerusalem. When they arrived, many people saw them.<\/p>\n This raises an important question: Why did the dead rise at that particular time? And why did they go specifically to Jerusalem?<\/p>\n Let us read:<\/p>\n Matthew 27:50-53 (ESV)<\/strong> The resurrection of these saints was not random; it served several purposes:<\/p>\n Validation of Christ\u2019s Resurrection:<\/strong> God wanted to confirm to His people that the resurrection was real and that Jesus Christ had truly risen<\/p>\n (1 Corinthians 15:20 ESV<\/p>\n \u2013 \u201cBut in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.\u201d<\/em>).<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n This prefigured the future general resurrection and served as a living testimony to those in Jerusalem.<\/p>\n Witness to Others:<\/strong> At that time, there were groups of people, such as the Sadducees, who denied the resurrection (Acts 23:8 ESV). Others falsely claimed that Jesus\u2019 body had been stolen. The risen saints provided irrefutable evidence that God\u2019s power is absolute and that death cannot hold His children.<\/p>\n A Demonstration of God\u2019s Sovereignty:<\/strong> The timing and location\u2014Jerusalem\u2014underscores God\u2019s divine orchestration. Jerusalem was the spiritual and political heart of Israel. By directing the saints there, God showed that resurrection is a divine act of power, meant to glorify Him and encourage faith.<\/p>\n But did everyone see it?<\/p>\n No. Only the saints who were in Jerusalem at that time witnessed the event. Just as the resurrected Jesus did not appear to everyone, but only to His followers (Luke 24:36-43 ESV), the risen saints appeared only to those who were spiritually receptive. This reminds us that God\u2019s miraculous acts often require faith to perceive.<\/p>\n Imagine the awe of those who saw familiar faces\u2014friends, neighbors, loved ones\u2014rise from the dead, speaking and testifying: \u201cI am Joseph, I am Solomon, I am Jeremiah\u201d<\/em>. Could anyone then doubt the resurrection?<\/p>\n The resurrection we are now awaiting, the resurrection of the Church, is even greater and nearer than most realize. At that time, the great trumpet of God will sound, and an event similar to the resurrection of the saints after Jesus\u2019 death will occur\u2014but on a far larger scale.<\/p>\n 1 Thessalonians 4:15-18 (ESV)<\/strong> \u00a0<\/p>\n This future resurrection is also called the \u201cfirst resurrection\u201d<\/strong> (Revelation 20:5-6 ESV). It is primarily for the righteous\u2014those who belong to Christ. Unlike the resurrection after Jesus\u2019 death, this will include saints from all generations, not only those present in Jerusalem.<\/p>\n Theologically, this event is part of God\u2019s eschatological plan<\/strong>:<\/p>\n Dead in Christ rise first:<\/strong> The resurrection is sequential; the dead in Christ are raised before the living are caught up.<\/p>\n Transformation of the living:<\/strong> Those who are alive will not experience death but will be instantly changed (1 Corinthians 15:51-52 ESV).<\/p>\n Judgment delayed for the righteous:<\/strong> The rapture spares the saints from the coming tribulation, demonstrating God\u2019s mercy.<\/p>\n Just as in Jesus\u2019 first resurrection, the event will not be visible to everyone. Only those who are spiritually alive\u2014born again believers<\/strong>\u2014will witness it. The rest of the world may be confused, deny it, or claim deception, much as they did during Jesus\u2019 resurrection.<\/p>\n 1 Corinthians 15:51-52 (ESV)<\/strong> At that time, the act of \u201csleeping and awakening\u201d will end. Those who are caught up will enter the spiritual Jerusalem<\/strong> (Galatians 4:26 ESV \u2013 \u201cBut the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother.\u201d<\/em>), fully united with the Lord.<\/p>\n We are living in the season of the Church\u2019s rapture. Signs of the times are clear. The question is: Are we ready?<\/strong> If the trumpet sounded today, could you confidently be taken up? After the rapture, the door of God\u2019s mercy will close, and the world will experience His judgment (Revelation 6:16-17 ESV).<\/p>\n Time is short. If your relationship with Christ is distant, turn to Him today. He will receive you and make you His child<\/p>\n (John 1:12 ESV<\/p>\n \u2013 \u201cBut to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.\u201d<\/em>).<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n May the Lord bless you.<\/p>\n I<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n\n
\u201c50 And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit.
51 And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split.
52 The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised,
53 and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\nTheological Significance of the First Resurrection<\/h3>\n
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The Future Resurrection and the Rapture<\/h3>\n
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\u201c15 For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep.
16 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the archangel\u2019s call, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.
17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.
18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\nWhy Only Some Will See<\/h3>\n
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\u201c51 Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\nA Call to Readiness<\/h3>\n
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