Tripartite Man
The popular teaching of the apostate Laodicean Church today concerning the image in which God created man is, according to God's Word, in gross error.
Most schools of theology, today, are teaching that man was created as a body, and spirit with the soul being a part of the spirit. This view is called the 'dichotomy' or two part makeup of man. If this were to be the case, men's bodies would not have been able to function at all; for when Adam and Eve sinned their spirits died; not their soul bodies or their physical bodies.
We also know that the physical bodies of Adam and Eve did not die for they both lived on for many years after their transgression in the garden of Eden.
If, according to the logic of modern day theologians, Adam and Eve's soul had died then of necessity their spirit body would be dead as well. This would have left them with only a body but no spirit and no soul. Just an empty shell which would be mindless, emotionless, and void of all mental acuities and that is hardly the case, even though we sometimes wonder if we really would not be better off to describe natural man's condition, today, as mentally empty.
Seriously though, let us consider the truth of the matter from God's Word. In God's Word we find that God created man in the image of God on the sixth [24 hour] day.
[Genesis 1:26] And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion ......
Notice that God {''Elohiym' in the original Hebrew} and [pronounced (el-o-heem' )] said:
"let "us" make man in "our" image after "our" likeness..." and then in [verse 27] God acted.
[Genesis 1:27] So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
God created one male human being in the form of Adam and one female human being, as a part of Adam's body, in the form of Adam's rib, at first, and this union being in the likeness of Christ's body (the Church) wherein, is found the body of Christ's bride, which will be removed from the body of the church, in the near future.
But God, in the above posted verses, doesn't tell us in what particular likeness of God that He chose to create man. Jesus Christ [the very manifestation of God in the flesh] later describes the three-fold manifestations of God for us. Please notice that I did not say two-fold.
[Matthew 28:19] Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
So, we see, from the mouth of the Son of God a command to His disciples, that God is a
tripartite or three-fold being. God is one being, but, manifests Himself in three different ways. God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Ghost or Holy Spirit. All three of these manifestations are co-equal, and co-eternal in their omniscience or divine nature. God the Father resides in eternity [outside of time space]. He resides in the third Heaven.
Christ, God manifested in the flesh, is the creator of all of creation and apart from the created [and "time" is part of creation]. Thus, God the Son is above and outside all of creation and yet can and will, once more, manifest Himself within His creation to rule and reign, for a 1000 year period, with a consort
Queen (the bride of Christ).
God, the Holy Spirit, has the same attributes as Christ but has never been manifested in the flesh of a divinely begotten human being in the way Christ was. Instead, the Holy Spirit resides in the spirit body of each and every born again child of God since the day of Pentecost. And yet, the Holy Spirit has and will exist from everlasting to everlasting in the same way that God the Father and God the Son have done.
Is it not written in Revelation 1:8 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.
An again in Revelation 22:13 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.
Since God is a three-fold [tripartite] being, He determined, from the beginning, to create man as a three-fold [tripartite] being as well. Paul tells us that our God wants to preserve our entire three part being as one whole blameless body.
[1 Thessalonians 5:23] And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole
spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The writer of Hebrews tells us that we must fear a God that can simply speak and cut the bodies of man into three distinct and separate bodies.
[Hebrews 4:12] For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of
soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
Man was created with a physical body [the flesh, bone and joints, muscle tissue, which dissolves or goes back to the dust at the time of death]. If a person is saved, the spirit body, at the time of death, returns to God for it has been sealed unto the day of redemption (the day of the rapture of the Church). The saved person's soul body will go to the paradise of God the Father (third heaven), to await the rapture of the Church, but the unsaved persons soul goes immediately to hell to await the Great White Throne Judgment.
In the beginning God had provided the tree of life for Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden so they could enjoy life as immortals; for they had been created to have dominion over the earth. They were created to take Satan's place as the rulers over this earth. {See our study on Satan and his Kingdom} for a more in-depth study of when Lucifer was given the domain of the Earth and it's heavens.
[Genesis 1:26] And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion ......
Their spirit, soul, and physical bodies would have never died if Adam and Eve had partaken of the Tree of Life before Eve partook of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. But, because she and therefore they (since they were created as one flesh), disobeyed God, they were forced outside of Eden and away from the Tree of Life. They were cast out of their domain for they had been found unworthy to rule by the deceit of Satan. Therefore, by default, Satan is now the ruler over the domain that God had intended for man to rule over.
[Genesis 3:22-24] And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever: Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubim's, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.
Today the tree of life is only reserved for the obedient, the worthy, otherwise known as the overcomers. Christ, speaking to the seven churches in [Revelation 2 and 3] emphasized the rewards of overcomers over and over again. The 7th. verse in Revelation [Chapter 2] is where Christ first calls attention to the overcomers.
[Revelation 2:7] He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.
While in Paradise the souls of the overcomers are given the fruit of the Tree of Life by our Lord. This passage by inference then establishes that the souls of the non-overcomers are not given the fruit of the Tree of Life by our Lord.
[Revelation 22:14] Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.
Do you see this word picture here? Only they that do his commandments may have right to the tree of life.
Doing or practicing His commandments is possible only by the works of the Spirit made manifest through the born again believer. This obedience will make the believer worthy to partake in Christ's inheritance of the Kingdom of Heaven for 1000 years and then into the eternal ages beyond. [Revelation 20:6] [Revelation 3:12]
[Luke 20:35-36] But they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage: Neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection.
Now lest you have read that last verse and didn't catch the significance of the bolded text let us review it again together.
First, notice that Christ Jesus, our Lord, is saying that the individuals herein being discussed {in context} are children of God; therefore, they are spiritually considered to be justified before God.
Secondly, please notice that the saved must be accounted worthy to obtain the next age to come {that world}. This means that just because we are saved does not mean that we will automatically be "accounted worthy to take part in "the out-resurrection from the dead". They must do or practice something. This out-resurrection from the dead is not the rapture of the Church folks!!!
No, this resurrection is the resurrection of the overcomer from the second death. This is the same resurrection that the Apostle Paul seeks to attain unto in [Philippians 3:10-14].
[310] That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;
Who is Paul speaking of? Yes! Jesus, the Christ. Remember? "Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last."
[3:11] If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.
That he "might" attain unto the resurrection from the second death. [Revelation 20:6]
You see, the word resurrection in [verse 11] has the word 'out' placed in front of it when one reviews the original Greek text. The translators of the KJV took it upon themselves to omit the word "out" because their traditions did not recognize the complete truth of God's Word. So, the verse, in the English, should really read as the following:
If by any means I might attain unto the - out - resurrection of the dead.
So, now we see that this resurrection is a resurrection 'out from' a body of believers who are already dead and that is exactly why Christ, the Judge, said in [Revelation 2:11] He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.
Our Lord did not promise that all of the raptured believers would not die the second death. He did say "He that overcometh shall not be "hurt" of the second death."
Now you are probably saying to yourself; well if that is so, then exactly when and where does the second death take place?
I am glad that you asked that question and here is your answer. The second death occurs just after the rapture and just as all believers are delivered into the kingdom of heaven {the air}. [1Thessalonians 4:17]
But now you may ask: Why do they die? Because the Word of God says that flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of Heaven. The bodies that all believers are taken up in are bodies of flesh and blood and just like the body that Adam and Eve had before they sinned and just like the body that Christ had when he died upon the cross of Calvary. That physical body is known as the natural body or redeemed body. We may also refer to that body as the Adamic body, or the body that Adam had before the curse of God fell upon Adam and Eve.
That body of each and every believer of the raptured Church is going to be the redeemed, flesh and blood body that all believers will be taken to the Kingdom in. But, they must die the second death, for they are bodies of flesh and blood.
When Christ arose from the grave His body had been changed into a body animated by the Spirit of God and not animated by blood. The body that Christ was resurrected in, is flesh and bone, but that body was able to move from one place and reappear in another place and is able to pass through physical objects. It was a "spiritual" body.
This is why Paul said in [Philippians 3:10] That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;
Paul wanted to attain the prize!!!
[3:12] Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.
[3:13] Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
Do you see? Paul did not consider himself to have already attained or apprehended this prize!!! This is something that believers themselves have to do through living a life of dying to their selfish desires, soulish desires or "self/soul". This is not the free gift of spirit salvation, but rather, the prize of soul salvation.
[3:14] I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
The "mark" is the finish line or physical death. The Christian life is, in many places, referred to as a race.
Only the overcomer is accounted worthy to be resurrected from the second death at the out-resurrection and be judged at the judgment Seat of Christ to receive the reward of the inheritance of the Kingdom in order to rule and reign with Christ during the next age to come {the 1000 year reign of Christ}. This is the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. These have run the race acceptably and according to the rules of the race that our three times Holy God has set before them.
Christ Jesus reiterates on this same concept in [Luke 21:36]
Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.
Luke admonishes us that we must be accounted worthy to {stand} be resurrected from the second death to be judged before Christ [at the Judgment Seat of Christ].
Notice the structure of the following verses in [2 Peter 1:4] Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
Notice first that Peter said "promises". Peter is not talking about the free gift of salvation of the spirit through the finished work of Christ on the cross. Salvation of the spirit is a gift not a promise. Rather, Peter is talking about the salvation of the soul which is realized when the saint of God, [just before the Judgment seat of Christ], is found to be one of the overcomers, "having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust", and inherits the rewards of ruling the kingdom of the heavens with Christ at the Judgment seat of Christ.
We cannot do this through our own efforts in the flesh. This must be done by God [in the manifestation of the Holy Spirit] through our [born again] spirit to bring about works in the world wherein God is glorified to the utmost. If we do not yield ourselves to God on a consistent and daily basis, how then shall we overcome the lusts of the flesh? How then can we hope to overcome?
Again, being born again is not a hope. It is something we already have. It is past. It is a gift, so, the above verse is not talking about being born again, but rather, is talking about our hope that we will overcome {future} and be out-resurrected and receive the reward of the inheritance {soul salvation}.
How then, indeed, can we stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ and expect to be found worthy to rule and reign with Him? Rather, if we do not overcome, how can we not expect Christ to say "depart from me I never knew you". This is not to say that any believer will lose spirit salvation or that the soul is destroyed [cast out of the presence of Christ] and forsaken forever and ever. But, the soul can be destroyed [cast out of the presence of Christ] for the duration of the 1000 years of Christ's millennial reign!
Is it not written? "But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished."
Did you notice that verse 27, above, used the phrase Christ in you?
This is a reference to dying to self so that Christ may rule over your life. I 'in Christ', is a reference to being born again of the Spirit of God or having been saved! Christ 'in me' is a reference to the hope of soul salvation.
Being born again of the Spirit of God is a past event, (I have been saved) {past tense}. After being born again I learn to die to self daily and thus my soul is "being" saved present/future tense and this condition will continue into the future until the day I physically die and if I have been faithful to allow Christ to live "in me" as the Lord over my life, then I have a reasonable hope that I will be found worthy {future tense} to overcome the second death and stand worthy to be judged at the Judgment seat of Christ and be rewarded with the inheritance of ruling and reigning with Christ for 1000 years.
Those who are not found worthy to stand {overcome the second death} and be judged at the Judgment Seat of Christ will be reserved under blackness of darkness unto judgment at the Great White Throne of Judgment 1000 years after the Judgment Seat of Christ. [Jude 1:13] [Revelation 20:5]
Again, let us not, confuse loss of salvation of the soul with the eternal damnation of the unsaved.
The saved non-overcomer, although he is held by the second death for 1000 years, is still nonetheless saved and at the Great White Throne of Judgment the name of the non-overcomer will be found written in the Lamb's Book of Life; for their names have been written there since the foundation of the World.
The saved non-overcomer will not perish but will rather have everlasting life in the everlasting ages to come. However, the saved non-overcomer will not rule and reign with Christ during the Millennial Kingdom age nor after the new heavens and new Earth have been created, but they are saved from the Lake of Fire. The unsaved will be cast into the lake of fire and be damned forever. [Revelation 20:15]
The salvation of the spirit is a gift to the believer by the grace of God, not of works, lest any man should boast or lest any man take any credit away from the finished work of Christ on the cross. The work of Christ was finished while Jesus was still on the cross. Therefore, when man believes on the Lord Jesus, the Christ, the works that God had required [the shed blood of the perfect sacrifice to God] were completed [finished]. Nothing can be added to Christ's finished work on the cross and nothing can be taken away. The saved are safe from everlasting damnation and the lake of fire throughout the everlasting ages to come.
Is it not written? Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. [Hebrews 13:5]
Notice in the following verse after Jesus cries out His last words upon the cross "It is finished" that He also "gave up the ghost" [willed himself to die] and departed from His physical body. John 19:30 When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.
Christ had nothing else to do. He was through with the work of providing the foundation that would be needed for whomsoever will believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and become adopted into the family of God, as a child of God. He was finished with the redemptive work that the Father had given Him to do.
Christ was through with the work of providing the foundation that the Christian would need from which to practice the works of yielding themselves to the guidance of the Holy Spirit in order to be justified and sanctified in the eyes of God and at the same time enable those whom are saved to practice the works of dying to self so that they may be soulically saved at some future date.
The saved person must, "run the race" [yield himself], and "fight the good fight" [yield himself], thereby laying up for himself treasures in Heaven [rewards, crowns, inheritance]. The veil has been torn from top to bottom and all whomsoever will, now has total access to the Holy of Holies and God the Father as an adopted child.
Sin and disobedience will continue to be a daily battle since the saved person is still wrapped up in a body of flesh and the darkness of the soul obeys not the light. Why else would Christ be standing at the right hand of the Father as our High Priest? [Hebrews 2:17] [Hebrews 3:1] [Hebrews 4:14] [Hebrews 4:15]
And what about Johns admonishment? If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. [1 John 1:6-10].
These verses are written to believers and for the admonishment of the saved. John is admonishing them to "walk in the light, as He [Christ] is in the light". Unsaved people have no hope of "walking in the light" for they have no fellowship with Christ. They "comprehend not the light"! In [verse 8] John says: "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." The unsaved undoubtedly have no truth in them but a believer can also live in a state of denial and claim they have no sin! Why would John admonish the unsaved to say "If we say that we have no sin"? Indeed, unsaved men are laden down and undone by sin!!!
No, these are saved people and John is admonishing saved people to confess their ongoing, daily, sin to Christ and thus continue that process whereby the soul is being saved on a daily basis [present/future tense].
Spirit salvation {being born again of the Spirit and justified} is a past aspect of the saved persons salvation. Soul salvation is present/future and won't be realized until the rapture, second death and Judgment Seat of Christ. Please read these studies: The Mystery of the Second Death and The Books of Life for more details concerning the second death.
The saved now have that foundation from which they can work {die to self} to gain or apprehend their soul salvation. The saints are admonished by our Lord to lay up their treasures in Heaven [Matthew 6:19-20]. But these treasures are given to those who overcome, in this life. These treasures are in the form of rewards of Christ's inheritance with Him. It is ruling and reigning [or soul salvation] attained at the Judgment Seat of Christ which occurs in the Kingdom of Heaven, beginning with the 1000 year reign of Christ over the Earth, which is still future.
[1Corinthians 3:11-16] For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
Christ is the foundation from where we begin the works unto soul salvation.
[3:12-13] Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is.
Man's works [dying to self ] must be built upon the foundation that Christ has laid down. We must die to self so that Christ may live and yield the [fruits of the Spirit] through the works of the Holy Spirit through our lives.
Notice the word 'if'. This means that, unlike God's gift of everlasting spiritual salvation, [which is unconditional], the salvation of the soul is conditional. The saved must produce. The saved must build. The saved must yield fruits of the Spirit [gold, silver, precious stones] through continually yielding to the Holy Spirit. The saved must allow God to rule through his heart. The saved must step down from the throne of the heart and allow Christ to rule that throne.
Overcomers will receive the reward of soul salvation at the Judgment Seat and non-overcomers will lose the reward of soul salvation for they are unworthy to stand up from the second death and be judged at the Judgment seat of Christ. The Judgment seat is about rewards not gifts.
Works of the flesh [wood, hay, stubble] is of no use to Christ and will be burned up.
Works of the Spirit [gold, silver, precious stones] can not be burned up. They are perfect in His sight.
When the works of the flesh have burned up, all that is left is the foundation which is eternal spirit life. The free gift.
Notice the last part of verse 15; [but he himself shall be saved;]. Now, everlasting spirit life does not begin until eternity future begins and that is only after the 1000 year rule of Christ and the Great White Throne of Judgment. Eternity future can only begin after time is no more. [Revelation 10:5-7] Time ends when the present Earth and it's heavens burn up and pass away, just before the Great White Throne of Judgment convenes.
3:16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
We are Christ's servants. He has bought us with His blood. Everything the saved think they own [in this physical life] really belongs to Christ. Is the fact that Christ owns you evident in your life? Christ's name should be on everything we think we own. It is not ours it is His.
Then the Apostle Paul adds this in his second epistle to the church at Corinth:
Now I hear someone saying:
Yes indeed, we (believers) must "all" appear before Christ but not at the same time and not at the same judgment seat. For a more in-depth study on this idea please read: Will We "All" Stand Before the Judgment Seat of Christ?
Let us continue.
There are several references of the 'outer darkness' in the gospels and they speak for themselves in as far as what brings a soul to such a place. The length of time an unworthy, disobedient, born again, Child of God can spend in outer darkness, by all scriptural indications, is 1000 years. [Revelation 20:4-5]
But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
Part B of this verse "This is the first resurrection". is a reference to the martyred saints of the Great Tribulation period in [verse 4]. ..........and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus,......and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years............"This is the first resurrection".
This means that the martyred saints of the Great Tribulation will be part of the first resurrection that occurs 'after' the rapture of the Church, for they have won the prize of the martyrs crown. [Revelation 2:10] But, that does not mean that they will be a part of the Bride of Christ or Church of the Firstborn because only the Saints from the dispensation of the Church, which ends at the time of the rapture, are offered the inheritance of the Bride of Christ or Church of the Firstborn.
The only reason for the Church dispensation was so that the Holy Spirit could bring forth a bride for the Bridegroom. For more study on this concept please read:
Ye are the "Body of Christ" not the "Bride of Christ".
Those whom are unfaithful and apostate during the dispensation of the Church, according to Scripture, will not rule and reign with Christ as a part of the body of the Bride of Christ; never, period!
If we go briefly to [Hebrews Chapters 3 and 4] we can find additional verses which prove this truth.
The writer of the book of Hebrews is admonishing Jewish, Christian believers that the unbelief and disobedience of the children of Israel in the wilderness resulted in God's judgment, in that, the generation of Israelites that had been removed from Egypt, by the miracles of God, had provoked God to anger. Why? Because they would not believe God and cross over Jordan at Kadesh-Barnea , and would not believe God and go into Canaan and possess the promised land as God's Kingdom over the Earth. Instead, God judged that unbelieving generation and that generation wasted away marching around the wilderness for 40 years. They never went in to the Kingdom.
The writer is telling the church dispensation Christian that this same thing can also happen to him where ruling and reigning with Christ is concerned. We can only enter into the promised land [kingdom of Heaven] if we believe God and are obedient to Christ's commandments, yield ourselves to the Holy Spirit, and continually confess our ongoing sins to Christ.
My friend do you know what day the Lord's Sabbath rest is on? Yes, that is right the 7th day, [the Lord's Day]. The 7th., 1000 year day. Do you know what day we are in right now? Yes, that is also right. The 6th., 1000 year day, [Man's Day] the 6th day and we are at the very end of that day awaiting the stroke of midnight. It is about 11:59 PM and counting.
This is as plain a warning as God could make to His children. The disobedient, unbelieving, apostate child of God will not go into the 1000 year age of the Kingdom of Heaven as a King/Priest, or to use another metaphor, as a part of the body of the bride of Christ.
My friend are you ready to go into the 7th. day?
Did you notice that little word 'if' in [verse 14]. Here is the condition of soul salvation. It says: "if we hold". The verse says nothing about if Christ holds. Why, because this verse is not talking about 'being born again of the Spirit of God'. Eternal spirit salvation is a gift. It is already ours and nothing can take it away from us. It is past.
The verse says "if we hold" because, we the children of God, have to hold on to the beginning of our confidence which was and is and always will be the dearly beloved Son of God, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. If we allow Him to rule over the throne of our hearts we can have confidence that we will be found worthy to inherit the Kingdom of Heaven with Christ. Thus, we will realize 'soul salvation'. [1 Peter 1:9]
My friend do you count yourself as any better a child of God that the children of God back then? The nation of Israel were covered by the blood from the day of Passover. They had been nationally baptized in the Red Sea. They were as justified, on the day of the Passover, and departed out of Egypt [with God dwelling in the very midst of them], as we are today with the Holy Spirit dwelling inside us. In Exodus 4:22 God describes the nation of Israel as His Firstborn Son. Do you think that just because God has briefly set them aside that He has totally disowned them? Not hardly dear reader and if you do let us take a look at a specific portion of God's Word that will hopefully change your mind.
In [Romans Chapter 11] The Apostle Paul puts it this way.
11:17 And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert graffed in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree;
The Israelites are the branches broken off and have been broken off since the Assyrian Captivity of the Northern tribes and the Babylonian Captivity of the Southern tribes.
11:18 Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee.
The writer says, boast not against the Jew's for the root of Jesse [the Jewish Messiah], Jesus Christ who is also a Jew.
11:19 Thou wilt say then, The branches were broken off, that I might be graffed in.
Would you boast then, saying, 'but they were broken off that I a Gentile [having become a new creature in Christ] could be grafted in'?
11:21 For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee.
If you should continue to boast, take heed that he might also not spare your soul, seeing as God spared not the children of Israel in the day of provocation. God is not a respecter of persons!
This kind of boasting is a provocation to Christ. It is willful sin and ongoing, practiced sin against the Will of God is rebellion. God hates rebellion. Rebellion is what got Satan and the fallen angels in trouble and continues to get them into trouble to this very day. Rebellion is what got Israel in trouble.
Rather, let us not rebel against God but do His commandments [1 John 2:3] That word 'do' in the Greek language means: to 'practice'. Do we practice the commandments of Christ or do we rather give them lip service?
11:22 Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell , severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off.
Behold what? The goodness and what? The severity of God? If what? If you continue to forsake His goodness that you also should be cut off.
The writer is saying that if a disobedient soul should die in a condition of disobedience to God, that soul will be cut off. God is no respecter of persons. He is just. He is Holy. He is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. He does not change. [Hebrews 13:8] But, this does not mean that a saved person can lose their spirit salvation. The soul can be cut off, separated from the spirit and the spirit goes to God, for the name of God is sealed in the saved spirit body.
God must treat His adopted children of the Church with as much fairness as he did His adopted child, the nation of Israelites. They were disobedient and God cut them off from their kingdom. If a child of God continues in disobedience Christ will cut them {the soul} off just before the Judgment Seat of Christ.
Christ can allow sickness or invoke early physical death in this present lifetime of a rebellious child of God as well by turning them over to the devil for the destruction of the flesh. [1 Corinthians 5:5] Note: [1 Corinthians 5] is worth taking the time to read concerning the disobedience of the children of God.
Romans 11:25 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.
When will the fullness of the Gentiles come in? The day that Christ comes back at the end of the seven year tribulation period, to save the nation of Israel from the armies of the anti-Christ. At that point [Man's Day] will have expired and the [Lord's Day] will have commenced.
Are there still any doubts that God will exclude disobedient, apostate children, who have died in that condition, from the Millennial Kingdom Reign of Christ? Let's go on over to [Hebrews Chapter 4] for a few more moments of further study.
The very first verse of chapter four says "let us" [you and I] therefore, fear lest we come short of the promise of "it" {the inheritance} [His rest] that is ours through Christ [since we are adopted] and if adopted, we are son's [and if we are son's, we are heirs]. Heirs to what. The promised Kingdom passed down to Christ Jesus through Abraham's covenant. The covenant that is Christ's inheritance since Christ is the heir of Abraham.
Since we are in Christ {His body} [Romans 12:5] [ 1Corinthians 12:27] then we are potential co-heirs of His Kingdom, His Sabbath rest, His seventh day of rest, His 1000 year reign.
4:3 For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.
Those found worthy will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven [Christ's Sabbath rest] with Him. "some must enter therein". Why, because Christ needs overcomers to help Him rule and reign in His Kingdom as a type of consort queen [the bride] in order to fulfill his command back in Genesis when He gave dominion of the kingdom of the heavens of the Earth and the kingdom of the Earth to Adam and Eve. That is how God established the ruler-ship of this dominion during the restoration of the earth and the creation of man ["let them, Adam and Eve, have dominion"].
Christ, the God-Man, is specifically to take the ruler-ship from Satan. God gave dominion to Adam 'and' Eve. Therefore, the last Adam {Christ} must have a bride {the called out from the resurrection of the dead just before the Judgment Seat of Christ} [Philippians 3:10-14] to rule with Him during the 7th millennium. Once God establishes something He has done in type {rule of first mention}, it must follow the same pattern in the anti-type. It will come true at some point in the future.
For He [Christ] that is entered into His [Christ's] rest, He also [Christ] has ceased from His [Christ's] own works, as God [Elohiym] did from His [Elohiym].
[Elohiym] being a reference to God the Father in a plural term. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
Once a saint enters into the Kingdom he also ceases from all works and enters into this blessed rest with Christ. Sela.
Let us 'work' [die to self], therefore, to enter into that rest [the 7th. day], lest any child of God fall after the same example of unbelief.
By now the reader should have been convinced that a child of God found to be unworthy, prior to the Judgment Seat of Christ, will not go before Christ, at the Judgment Seat, to receive rewards pertaining to ruling with Christ during the 1000 year Kingdom reign with Christ. [Luke 20:35] and [Luke 21:36]
Now, let us continue our study with the term 'blackness of darkness' which is used in verse 13 of Jude.
[Jude 1:13] Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever.
The term 'forever', in the Greek, is the word 'Aion' meaning: an unbroken age or period of time, or an age. Therefore, it would read like this "to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for an age.
Now we know that this verse is not talking about the present age [Man's Day], which is 6000 years or six days in length and which has nearly finished it's course. So, the only other age to which this verse could possibly be referring is the next age [The Lord's Day] and it's duration is 1000 years. Again, this is the day of the Lord's Sabbath rest.
It is the last age left to this Earth before it will be destroyed by a fervent heat. [2 Peter 3:10] [2 Peter 3:12]
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. And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. 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 God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years. And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,
So, we find then, that the reservation made in [Jude 1:13] is for a duration of 1000 years. This means that Jude, in speaking with the saved brethren to whom his epistle was directed, was a warning to believers. There are believers who have gotten so apostate in their disobedience, rebellious living and teachings that they will not even be worthy to be called out from among those whom have died the second death. They, instead will be reserved unto judgment {at the Great White Throne} under "blackness of darkness for the entire duration {1000 years} of the Lord's Day.
Let us not forget what our Lord said to the Disciples concerning those who have greater and lesser responsibilities.
Luke 12:47 And that servant, which knew his lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.
Luke 12:48 But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.
Look at what Christ says to the church of Smyrna in Revelation, chapter 2.
What does Christ mean by "He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death." By now I hope you have a good idea of what we must do in this life to overcome the flesh and the beguiling of Satan. So, let us move on and take up the subject of the second death.
[Revelation 2 and 3] gives us a very up close view of what the Judgment Seat of Christ will be like for it shows us what Christ expects from the seven churches and the children of God associated with each.
The second death is instrumental in the separation of the overcomers from the non-overcomers just before the Judgment Seat of Christ.
[1 Corinthians 15:50] Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.
The redeemed bodies of the children of God that will be raptured will not be indestructible. They are caught up [similar in fashion to the way Phillip is caught up in {Acts 8:39}], Believers will be taken into the air or clouds {the Kingdom of Heaven} [1 Thessalonians 4:17] where they will die the second death.
As soon as the redeemed body appears in the presence of Christ there will be a determination as to whether each saved individual has appeared naked, has a garment spotted by the flesh or has a garment clean and white. [2 Corinthians 5:3] [Revelation 3:17] [Revelation 16:15] [Revelation 17:16] [Ephesians 5:27] [1Timothy 6:14] [1 Peter 1:19] [2 Peter 3:14] [Jude 1:23]
Nakedness and spotted garments will not be found acceptable and therefore will make one unworthy to stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ. This type of Christian will be hurt and held by the second death for 1000 years. [Revelation 20:5] The only other judgment they will be worthy to judged at is the Great White Throne Judgment. Why? Because it is there that it is determined whether one's name is written in the Lamb's Book of Life, or not [Revelation 20:15].
[Matthew 10:28] And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
The word "hell" used in the verse above is the Greek word Geenna, pronounced {gheh'-en-nah}. This place is not the place where the unsaved or damned are held unto judgment. Rather, this is a reference to the outer darkness or darkness of darkness. In certain places in Scripture the mental picture is a place of purging much like the fiery furnace used to purify precious metals.
Note: The word 'destroy' in [verse 28] above, in the Greek, means [to put out of the way entirely, abolish, put an end to, or to ruin, to render useless or to be separated from God].
In other words, the physical body, the soul body, and the spirit body are separated from one another. The redeemed physical body is dissolved, the spirit body goes to God for the Holy Spirit has sealed it. The spirit body belongs to God. Christ shed His blood for it. The spirit body belongs to God for the everlasting ages. The salvation of the spirit can not be canceled for any reason.
The Psalmist who wrote [Psalm 88] was inspired by one whose soul is experiencing {Geenna} or soul destruction and give us a little more insight into what the soul body can experience and yet not be entirely damned. Notice also the similarities this Psalm has to the story of the rich man. [Luke 16:22-31]
[Psalm 88:1] Song or Psalm for the sons of Korah, to the chief Musician upon Mahalath Leannoth, Maschil of Heman the Ezrahite.] O LORD God of my salvation, I have cried day and night before thee:
88:2 Let my prayer come before thee: incline thine ear unto my cry;
88:3 For my soul is full of troubles: and my life draweth nigh unto the grave.
88:6 Thou hast laid me in the lowest pit, in darkness, in the deeps.
88:8 Thou hast put away mine acquaintance far from me; thou hast made me an abomination unto them: I am shut up, and I cannot come forth.
88:10 Wilt thou shew wonders to the dead ? shall the dead arise and praise thee? Selah.
Here the Psalmist declares that his soul is in a state of death [being cut off or separated from God].
88:11 Shall thy loving kindness be declared in the grave? or thy faithfulness in destruction?
Remember, destruction means: to be cast away or cut off from.
88:12 Shall thy wonders be known in the dark? and thy righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?
88:14 LORD, why castest thou off my soul? why hidest thou thy face from me?
Please notice that this believer used the word 'soul' not 'spirit'.
88:16 Thy fierce wrath goeth over me; thy terrors have cut me off.
88:17 They came round about me daily like water; they compassed me about together.
This soul is aware of time. For all who are found to be unworthy at the Judgment Seat, it will be for 1000 years.
88:18 Lover and friend hast thou put far from me, and mine acquaintance into darkness.
The second death for the unsaved is everlasting, but for the saved apostate, it is for one day in God's mind {1000 years}.
But, beloved, be not * * ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. [2 Peter 3:8]Revelation 21:8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
I can hear someone say: But, the saved will only be hurt of the second death only for a thousand years. And, I would admonish them: That is not to say this is some small insignificant thing. Oh no, 1000 years is 1000 years. It is more than 100 generations in terms of the life times of human beings. [Psalm 90:10]
Those who overcome in this life and are found worthy to stand before the Judgment Seat will also die the second death, but, will not be hurt of the second death [the second death cannot hold them]. [Revelation 2:11] These saints will be immediately raised, in the moment of a twinkling of an eye, from the second death into incorruptible physical bodies just like Christ had at the time of His resurrection, animated not by blood but by the Holy Spirit. [Philippians 3:10-14]
Jesus, in His answer to the Sadducees [Luke 20:35-36] described these overcomers like this:
This is the same resurrection that we find the Apostle Paul referring to in [Philippians 3:10-14].
Notice, first of all, that Christ said that they had to be found worthy to obtain. These are very similar words used by the Apostle Paul in [Philippians 3:10-14] when he described this very same resurrection.
[10] That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;
[11] If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.
Did anyone notice the " If" word? The English word 'if' is used to denote a condition. Since that is the case then we can be certain that Paul is not referring to spirit salvation {everlasting life}. Why? Because spirit salvation is not conditional. It is not based on anything I have done but rather on what Christ has done for me.
Let us continue.
[12] Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.
Again, please notice the "if" word. Paul also says "Not as though I had already attained". He did not say 'Not as though Christ had already attained'.
[13] Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,This is a key verse.
Paul is referring to something that he has not already apprehended. Can we all agree that Paul is saved and therefore already possesses spirit salvation? Is spirit salvation not something that has happened to every Christian in their past, living or dead? Then he says this:
[14] I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
The mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus is this "resurrection from among the dead". The Apostle Paul, himself, was not confident that even he had attained the worthiness to be counted as one of those that would attain unto this resurrection from the dead.
This is a resurrection that is yet future but it is not the rapture of the church. How do we know this? Because Paul is a Christian and all Christians will take part in the rapture of the Church. It has already been brought to our attention that Paul is striving to attain or apprehend or gain access to this resurrection so it cannot be the rapture for he already has gained access to that resurrection based on the fact that he has already been saved and will therefore have a part in the rapture of all believers.
Where are the clouds? In the air! Where is Christ's future Kingdom of the Heavenlies going to be? In the air! Where will the out-resurrection from among the second dead occur? In Christ's Kingdom! In the air! When will the second death of all Christians occur? Right after the Church has been raptured! Selah!!!
Let us now move on with our study.
Please notice that the word 'world' used in [Luke 20:35] above, in the Greek, is the word 'Aion', meaning 'one age'. Therefore, the reference and the context is directly related to the next age, which is the seventh, one thousand year day of our Lord, the millennial reign of Christ. Notice also the words "and the resurrection from the dead". Folks this is not the rapture of the church Christ is referring to here. It is a resurrection that occurs just after the rapture of the Church!!!
Paul has no doubts that all of the saved will be raptured, but Paul, being a saved man, is not sure that even he will be found worthy to be called out from the dead in this particular resurrection.
The dead here being referred to are all of the saved who have died the second death and are being liberated from the second death.
Then notice the next verse in [Luke 20]
These saints will have already died the second death and it could not hold them. This death will have no power over them. They will have died the second death and have been immediately resurrected, being called out from the dead by Christ Himself, unto the Judgment Seat of The Christ, Jesus" [Philippians 3:10-14].
Notice as well that Jesus said that they are equal unto the Angels....being the children of the 'resurrection'. This word 'resurrection is the same word used in [Philippians 3:10-14] with the exception that Paul added the word 'out' to the beginning of the word 'resurrection' in [Philippians 3:11] nonetheless, the context points it to the very same future resurrection.
The Apostle John makes reference to this future resurrection in [1 John 3:2]
They will immediately pass through the strait and narrow gate.
[Matthew 7:14] Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
The word 'life' in [Matthew 7:14] above is not talking about 'everlasting spirit life'. Christ was not referring to our initial salvation by 'grace' through faith to these believers; for He had not been crucified on the cross as yet. These believers were saved since they were believing in The Christ from the other side of the cross. We are saved believing Christ from this side of the cross; they were saved looking forward to the cross.
Christ was teaching about soul salvation [kingdom life]. His message at the time was "Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand" and that message was only unto the Jew's. He could not have proclaimed that message to the Gentiles because they were and for that matter still are, blind and undone without remission of sin. At no time does the scriptures record that Christ said, 'Repent, for the gospel of the grace of God is at hand'.
Only the Jew, who was symbolically covered by the blood of the sacrificial Paschal Lamb once a year, was in a position to receive the message "Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand".
The Jew had only to repent [turn away from rebellion], and accept Christ as the Messiah of whom the prophets had said would come, and Christ could have [but, had no intention] to set up the Kingdom on the Earth and established His Kingdom in the heavens associated with this Earth with this rebellious people. The Jew's would have inherited both portions of the inheritance [the Earthly {the first portion} and the heavenly {double portion}. But they had rejected Him and He had already stated that He was taking the Kingdom from them and giving it to a nation whom would believe Him (that being the Church).
Note: Christ had no intention to set up the kingdom at that time because he had to fulfill the Word of God and die on the cross as the sacrificial Paschal lamb for the whole world and the Jews had to be the ones to carry out that task. [Matthew 16:21] [Matthew 17:12]
The offer of the Kingdom of Heaven to the nation of Israel was an offer of the double portion of Christ's inheritance. But, just like the 'types' found in the Old Testament, {types like Reuben, and Esau}, Israel, through the religious leaders of the nation of Israel, {Israel as God's adopted firstborn son}, [Exodus 4:22] threw their inheritance away in the rejection of the purpose for which God had chosen them as a nation.
Reuben was the eldest son of Jacob, but, because Reuben had committed adultery with one of Jacob's concubines, Jacob withheld the rights of the firstborn [the double portion of all properties, the leadership of the tribes, and the priesthood of the tribes] from Rueben and gave the double portion to Joseph's son's. He gave the leadership {kingship} to Judah, and the priesthood to Levi. Reuben threw away his inheritance for a little season of sin in the lust of the flesh.
Esau, Jacob's twin brother, on the other hand, had simply given up his rights to his inheritance as firstborn son. Esau had been delivered from his mothers womb first] and he sold his inheritance to Jacob for a bowl of red pottage [soup] in a moment of weakness and lust of the flesh.
I wonder how many Christians will simply throw away their inheritance as firstborn son's, {that is theirs through Christ Jesus}, [in this moment of weakness in the flesh] which is our lifetime [our moment of grace], for the things of this world. The things that satisfy the flesh are only brief and fleeting. May God help us! [Psalms 103:14-16]
Again ,those who overcome in this life will also die the second death, but will not be hurt of the second death [second death cannot hold them]. [Revelation 2:11] These saints will be immediately raised from the second death into incorruptible physical bodies, animated by the Spirit of God.
This is the salvation of the physical body.
The raptured, redeemed body, which had been animated by blood, will be changed into a physical body animated by spirit. So, at the time salvation of the soul body is completed, the physical body is instantly changed into a body like unto Christ's body when He was resurrected from the tomb. Christ could eat with His disciples, and yet, He could pass through walls and doors.
Let us return to [Philippians 3] for it is important that we see the concept of the out-resurrection.
{Philippians 3:11} If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.
The word "resurrection" in the Greek is: [Exanastasis] meaning: a rising again. Then when you go to the root of this Greek word you find the Greek word: [Ek] meaning: out of, from, by, away from.
Therefore, the picture that the scripture is drawing here is that this is a resurrection out of the ones who have just been raptured from the earth. These out-resurrected saints have been called out of the raptured Christians, all of which will experience the second death just after the rapture. Why? Because 'flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of Heaven'.
Another way of putting it would be to say, [these who are being called out] have been called out from the resurrected dead or those who have just been raptured, and more specifically, [the non-overcomers]. Remember the non-overcomers are believers who have been hurt of the second death and will experience death of the soul [separation from God] for 1000 years.
Where those souls will spend that time depends upon just how apostate they were and the just recompence which is their due reward.
The Word is not referring to the rapture in {Philippians 3:11} and [Luke 20:35-36] . Why would Paul, a saved man, think that he would have to "attain" unto the rapture. All of the saved are automatically called out at the rapture to appear before Christ, in the air {Kingdom of Heaven}, at one time. The children of God are the only creatures to be called out of the earth when the rapture occurs.
[1 Thessalonians 4]
4:16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
4:17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
So, this resurrection mentioned in {Philippians 3:11} and [Luke 20:35-36] is another, different, resurrection that comes after the rapture of the church discussed by Paul in [1 Thessalonians 4] and the out-resurrection will occur just before the Judgment Seat of Christ convenes in order to separate those who have overcome during their lives from those who have not overcome.
{Philippians 3}
3:8 Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,
3:9 And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:
3:10 That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;
What an odd thing for a saved man to say, if you are of the belief that Paul is talking about [everlasting spirit salvation]. Surely one who believes knows the vast benefits in the power of the resurrection of Jesus, the Christ. This idea is foundational to Christianity.
But, if one recognizes that Paul is talking about [soul salvation] one will have no problem with this statement; for unlike [spirit salvation], which already belongs to a believer, soul salvation is [present/future tense].
Our souls are 'being' saved [1 Corinthians 1:18] [1 Corinthians 15:2] [Revelation 21:24] through a process of training our souls [our dark hearts {Jeremiah 17:9-10}] to be obedient to the commandments of our Lord, and to the promptings towards godly living and teachings of the Holy Spirit as we study the Word of God.
This process is necessary so that by the time we are called in front of Christ, at the Judgment Seat, we may be found worthy and acceptable to inherit the Kingdom of Christ with Him.
{1 Corinthians 3:11-16}.
The power of Christ's resurrection [verse 10] is simply this. When Christ was resurrected, He had already passed through the second death and received His spiritual body [a body not animated by blood] but rather the body [animated by the Spirit of God]. His body could do all things our physical bodies do and at the same time could do things that a spiritual body alone can do [pass through walls, doors, etcetera]. Christ even told His disciples His body was composed of flesh and bones [Luke 24:37] Apparently, all it takes is a thought and the spiritual body must do the Will of one who is in possession of such a body.
Christ, a human being, created in and born from a virgins womb, was already in possession of the body that we will have when we are to be raptured. He had lived His entire life in that body. His body was like Adam's body before he sinned. We could call it the Adamic body. It was a body that could take a great deal more punishment that our ordinary sin cursed body {the body of this death} could take.
Christ's body was not cursed by sin and therefore, it was not corruptible, because Christ could not sin [2 Corinthians 5:21]. He was and is and always will be God in the flesh. Christ had to "Will" His body to die on the cross. The Roman torturers would have killed a normal, mortal body of this death (like ours) had they beaten it to the degree that they beat Our Lord and then hung Him on a cross for six excruciating hours.
The number six represents the number for man and the six 1000 year days which comprise the entire age of man's accursed Day and the six thousand year age of Satanic rule over the Earth's
heavens. When the angel had rolled the stone away there was no corrupted body, therefore, fulfilling the prophesies of [Psalms 16:10] [Psalms 49:9].
Paul continues with his epistle
3:11 If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.
3:12 Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.
Again, Paul reinforces his previous statement in saying this "out-resurrection of the dead" is something that he is striving to "attain" or "apprehend". This "out-resurrection" can not be the rapture. It is another resurrection that will take place after the rapture of the church {the body of Christ}. For an more in-depth study on the body of Christ please read Ye are the "Body of Christ" not the "Bride of Christ".
3:13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
3:14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Again, Paul is stating in no uncertain terms that he does not know, at this time, if he will be counted among the overcomers and therefore, he can not count, even himself, as one of those who will be chosen from the general assembly of the body of Christ, which will appear in the Kingdom of Heaven just before the Judgment Seat of Christ, to be resurrected from out of that vast body of the second dead unto the "prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
But, we know what his attitude was: "but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,". Paul did not worry about what has gone on in his life in the past, but rather, he looked ahead, and reached out for those opportunities and experiences that were before him wherein he could prove to his God that he was worthy of the out-resurrection, [the mark of the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus]. [2 Timothy 4:7] [2 Peter 1:10]
By the way Christ did eventually reveal to Paul that he would be one of those which would belong to that spotless body of saints which would be known as the Bride of Christ or the Church of the Firstborn. Please read [2 Timothy 4:8].
3:15 Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.
The word translated by our King James translators as the word "perfect", in verse 15, is not used in the same way you and I are used to using the word today. In the Greek the word would have been better translated using our English word "mature" hence the verse would be read 'Let us therefore, as many as be mature, be this minded".
Paul is confident that Christ will reveal to us our wayward and rebellious ways through the promptings of the Holy Spirit. If we are thus minded to be in God's perfect will, let us put in our mind the things of God, as a mature Christian should and not be other wise minded.
How many times a day are we tempted to quench the promptings of the Holy Spirit reminding us to be mature minded in Christ?
3:16 Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same
thing.
Here, Paul is referring to that which we have already attained [spirit salvation by Christ Jesus]. The foundation of our faith based on our belief in Jesus, the resurrected and living
Christ.
3:17 Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample.
Paul is confident that these brethren may use his life, and his testimony as an example of godly living and is admonishing them to follow his example. By the way, walking is working.
3:18 For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ:
3:19 Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.)
Here Paul is giving the brethren one of his many warnings concerning Christian false teachers of the day and those that will come. These teachers are saved but, they have struck out on their own having their own agendas, having forsaken the truth and become apostate and thus, have become enemies of the cross of Christ. [Luke 19:27]
These saved false teachers [2 Peter 2:1] [2 Timothy 3] [Jude 1:4, 13] are motivated by the things of the flesh and the world of sin and when they are raptured, their soul will be lost [cast away] from the presence of Christ and His Kingdom for 1000 years. [Luke 19:27] But, this does not mean that they have lost the gift of everlasting life. A Christian cannot be denied everlasting life. [Romans 11:29]
Even more importantly Christ will not be denied the spirit bodies of Christians
he has bought and paid for with His own blood.
3:20 For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:
One of Paul's gospels is the [gospel of the glory of Christ] [Colossians 1:27]. It is the offer of the Kingdom of Heaven to the new creature in Christ [Jew and Gentile alike]. John the Baptist, our Lord, and the Apostles had offered the Kingdom to the Jews [Repent for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand] and they had rejected the message and their Messiah even to the point of having Him crucified and thus defiling themselves with the dead body of their Messiah.
According to God's law they would now have to wait two days and then on the third day cleanse themselves and repent. Peter has said that one day is one thousand years to the Lord as one thousand years is one day.[2 Peter 3:8] That third day is just around the corner now, for, we have arrived at the very end of the second day since Israel, like Cain, murdered his brother {Jesus Christ, the only begotten son}. [Exodus 4:22]
Then came the re-offer of the kingdom to the Jews.
During the book of Acts, up until [Acts 28:28], every time Paul had gone into a Jewish synagogue [for Christ had said to go unto the Jew first and then unto the Gentile] with the message of repentance and with the idea that the Kingdom of Heaven was still being offered, they had again and again refused. Thus, by the time Paul had gone to the Jewish synagogue in Rome they had ran out of their time to accept the double portion of the inheritance.
As far as inheriting the Kingdom of Heaven was concerned, the Kingdom would never be offered to them again. [Acts 28:28] The Earthly portion of the inheritance still belongs to the Jew's and nothing will ever change that. [Ezekiel 37] This is a type of the gift of spirit salvation the single portion during the Church dispensation. Nothing will ever change that either. It can never be undone.
Paul was 'the' Apostle personally chosen of Christ to take the [gospel of the glory of Christ] to the Jew first and then both the [gospel of the grace of God] and the [gospel of the glory of Christ] to the Gentile afterward [Acts 9]. Paul had followed his instructions from Christ to the utmost, so, when the re-offer of the Kingdom of God was finally taken away from the Jews [Acts 28:28] it was for the duration of the age [Man's Day]. [Luke 21:24]
Paul had proclaimed this renouncement unto the Jews three times. The first time had come at Antioch [Acts 13:46-48] The second time had come at Corinth [Acts 18:5-6]
The third time came at Rome [Acts 28:28] This was the final time that Paul would address the Jews in this way.
We know that, at the same time the re-offer of the kingdom was being made to the Jew's, Paul was preaching the [gospel of the grace of God] and the [gospel of the glory of Christ] to the
Gentiles. [Acts 9]
Paul, having been instructed by Christ that the Jew would reject his offers, had begun the offer of the kingdom of the heavens to the 'new creature' in Christ Jesus [2 Corinthians 5:17] [Galatians 6:15] in order to instill jealousy into the hearts of the Jew's. [Romans 10:19] [Romans 11:11]
God could not offer anything to the Gentile other than everlasting salvation through Jesus, the Christ, so, he created a "new creature in Christ" because the Gentile was spiritually blind and undone without God.
The Kingdom could no longer be offered to the Jew for they had defiled themselves with the dead body of their Messiah. So, God created a 'new creature' and that is exactly what he had purposed from before the foundations of the world. It is the very thing that the Angles desired to look into. [1 Peter 1:12]
But before the 'new creature' could be offered the kingdom of the heavens he had to have the free gift of 'spirit salvation'. Then, and only then, could the Kingdom be offered to the 'new creature'. Thus, Paul was preaching the "gospel of the grace of God" to the Jew and the Gentile in order to convert them into the 'new creature' in Christ. And you didn't believe in evolution?
God had determined from the beginning that man would have dominion over the Earth. [Genesis 1:26] and now, because of the finished work of Christ on the cross, a man [Christ, the God-man] will have dominion over the heavens associated with the Earth and on the Earth.
First, for the 1000 year reign of Christ [inside of time], before the Great White Throne judgment is held and then;
Secondly, in the everlasting city of New Jerusalem and in the New Heaven associated with the New Earth, after the Great White Throne judgment is held, and after
the old earth and old heaven, associated with the old earth, have been burned
away forevermore.
Now we can continue with our study of {Philippians 3} for Paul still has yet to describe the future salvation of the physical body, soul body, and spirit body as
like {Christ's} glorious body}.
3:21 Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.
Who indeed but Christ?
John, the revelator, describes the "out resurrection" or "prize of the high calling" as The First Resurrection" which belongs to the tribulation saints.
[Revelation 20:5] But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
Did you see that? "But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished".
You see the soul and body of the non-overcomers will experience or be held by [a second death]. And, it will last for 1000 years.
Did you know that there will be non-overcomer believers associated with the seven years of tribulation?
"Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection:"
Meaning the first resurrection to occur since the tribulation period began.
[Revelation 20:6] 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 God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.
Notice that the second death has no power to hold these who "hath part in this resurrection called the first resurrection". This is the point where the soul, spirit and physical spiritual body are resurrected as one whole body just like Christ had at His resurrection.
[Revelation 20:4] And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
Note: The saints from the first resurrection of the tribulation period will rule and reign upon the Earth - not from the heavenlies. Their inheritance is the Earth. The inheritance of the heavenly kingdom belongs only to those of the Church dispensation.
These souls and other saints that have overcome to the end, are destined to rule and reign with Christ throughout the Millennial Kingdom. Then they will also rule with Him
through the everlasting ages. But tribulation saints will not be part of the Bride of Christ. The time for that dispensation will have already ended at the rapture of the church.
[Revelation 21:1-7] And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.
All of the events in [Revelation 21:1-7] have taken place after time is no more. The end of time has come and all of the events pertaining to God's promises in the
verse above have eternal verities. The end of time is announced in [Revelation Chapter 10].
10:5 And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven,
10:6 And sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer:
So, in conclusion of our study, we see that the soul [our emotions and passions (our heart) the activity of mind,
character or self will] does not die if we overcome. In fact the soul continues to have all of it's normal faculties. Let's take a look at some proof scripture and look at [Luke 16:22-31].
[16:22] And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;
Their physical bodies died and were buried.
[16:23] And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
The rich man, now existing in his soul body, finds himself in hell and then commences to have a conversation with Abraham
[16:24] And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.
[16:25] But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.
[16:26] And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.
[16:27] Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house:
[16:28] For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.
[16:29] Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.
[16:30] And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent.
[16:31] And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.
I notice some things about the condition of the rich man right away. The rich man can see, he can feel the torment of hell, he has the ability to communicate in an attempt at persuasion, he is thirsty and has a tongue, He can remember his brothers and the house of their father, Abraham expects the rich man to remember Moses and the prophets, the rich man has a concept of what it takes to avoid hell [belief in what God has said], and finally he knows there is no escape from hell.
So, we can know very easily from God's Word that the soul does not die in the sense that it decomposes. Rather, the death of the soul is associated with being separated from the presence of God. On the other hand the soul is considered to be alive when it is in fellowship or not cut off from God.Let us continue on to the study of the spirit body.
God had said to Adam:
Then Eve was deceived by Satan and partook of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil [Genesis 3:4-6] and because God had said that they are one, Adam, [not being deceived {1 Timothy 2:14}], also partook of the tree. God then having already pronounced His judgment slew the spirits of Adam and Eve and they died spiritually in that day. [Genesis 3:10-24]
We know that God did not kill Adam and Eve's physical bodies for they lived on for hundreds of years.
[Genesis 5:3] And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth:
We also know that the soul body did not die since they still had activity of mind, character and the will to live.
But, we can know that the spirit of God departed from them for the Glory of God that had been upon them from the time they had been created, had faded away [they knew they were naked]. The natural Glory [Majesty] no longer inhabited their being. The Holy Spirit could no longer fellowship with them for their spirit body had died just as God had said it would. [Genesis 3:7]
This means that the spirit of man must be reborn or brought back to life if he is to ever realize fellowship with God again. This is what Christ meant when He told a" man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:", "ye must be born again".
Being born again is more than the spirit of man becoming alive again. Being born again hinges on believing God. This was the whole problem with the Jewish religious leaders at the time of Christ's first incarnation. They would not believe God and He was standing right there in front of them. He had been doing great things ,miracle healings for the most part, for a sign unto the Jew's that their Messiah had arrived. If they had been able to see past the letter of the Torah and their traditions and been able to see the spirit of the letter they would have known who Christ was.
It is the same with those in fundamental Bible circles today. They will not and can not see past their traditions in order to grasp these truths that you the reader are reading here at this very moment. Be warned! There is no accidents. There is only the providence of God! You have been shown these truths for a reason. What will you do with them?
If, after Christ died on the cross, the Spirit of God is to be born again, [brought back to life] in the life of a Jew or a Gentile, they now must believe God, [John 3:16] and only then can they subsequently inherit the Kingdom of God as a new creature in Christ; for they can only then be adopted into the family of God as a son and if a son they can then be recognized as an heir of soul salvation.
Notice the Capitol 'S' in the word "Spirit" indicating the Holy Spirit as contrasted to the spirit of man.
But, for a Jew like Nicodemus, who already had justification, [since he and all Jew's were covered by the blood of the yearly Passover sacrifice], all they had to do was believe the message of their Messiah, "Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand". At that point Nicodemus and the whole nation of Jew's could have repented and believed upon Christ as their Messiah, and the whole nation would have inherited the Kingdom of the heavens. But now God, in the form of the Son of God, has deemed that this event take place only at the end of the 'time of Jacob's trouble, the Great Tribulation.
That day will come, but, only after Israel has gone through the great tribulation that cometh upon all the Earth and the time of Jacob's trouble (Isaiah 66: 8-24)
The un-saved man will ask, how can I be saved [born again] in order to have everlasting life. The answer is so simple that even a child can be saved and have everlasting life through our Lord Jesus, the Christ.
All that is required for unsaved man today [Jew or Gentile, child or adult] to have everlasting spirit salvation is to believe that Jesus Christ is God manifest in the flesh as the only begotten Son of God and that He died for their sins. Simply 'rest' in belief.
What did Paul and Silas tell the Philippian jailer?
And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. [Acts 16:31]
What does the Gospel of John say?
[John 3:16-18] For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
But then after man has believed and become a new creature in Christ [been saved] then Christ Jesus, the Son of God, requires the 'new creature' to allow the Holy Spirit, to begin doing the 'works' of the Spirit of God through him and it is in this manner that the saints lay's up their treasures [rewards] in heaven.
The Apostle Paul tells us that the spirit of the saved man is 'in' him.
Where is the spirit body located?
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
Ephesians 3:16 That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;
[1 John 2:3] And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.
The Apostle Paul, in the next verse, warns us that someone who is saved but disobedient can be delivered unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh [the physical body].
1 Corinthians 5:5 To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.
This means God will give a rebellious child of God to Satan and they will suffer an early death [die before their time here] because of disobedience. And then Paul goes on to give the reason for the disobedient one's death." That the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.
Paul plainly states that the only body to be saved, for this kind of Christian, at that time, { the day of the Lord Jesus. but more specifically at the Great White Throne of judgment which at the very end of the 1000 year reign of "Christ}, is the spirit body and it will go to God for their names are written in the Lambs book of life. It is God's spirit body because Christ has paid the price for that body in His own blood at the cross of Calvary. It's His forever!
The Day of the Lord Jesus is the next age to come. It is the 1000 year reign of Christ over the heavens associated with the Earth and upon this Earth from Jerusalem, Israel.
The Apostle Paul, in the next verse, warns us that someone who is saved but disobedient can be delivered unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh [the physical body].
1 Corinthians 5:5 To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.
After the 1000 year Millennial Reign, disobedient, unfruitful, rebellious, apostate Christians will also experience the resurrection from second death. It will be the last resurrection they will ever experience. After their names are found in the Lamb's book of life, their soul body will be joined to their spirit body and both of these will be enclosed in a body liken unto Christ's when He was resurrected, {a physical body animated by the Spirit of God, not by blood}, during the Great White Throne of Judgment. [1 Corinthians 15:42-58]
I know you have been told that only the unsaved will stand at the Great White Throne of Judgment but this just can not be the case.
First, there are people who will be born during the 1000 year reign of Christ that have never been judged. They will have to be judged because the scripture says:
Notice: the Word says 'the judgment'. It is singular, meaning one judgment after death.
In addition to these, the believers who died the second death and thus were found unworthy, will also stand at the Great White Throne because the scripture in [Revelation 20] has this to say:
Thirdly, verses12-14 match perfectly with [1 Corinthians 15:42-57]. Death will finally be done away with and the saved will have their victory over the second death.
The saved will enter into everlasting life in the New Heaven and New Earth for their names will be found written in the Lamb's Book of Life and they will go into the everlasting ages along with the saints that had previously ruled and reigned with Christ for 1000 years. Remember, Christ takes that Kingdom away from Satan.
I wish to thank the reader for their persistence in attaining a greater understanding of the Word of Truth.
I hope this study has been a help to any who have taken the time to dig through this vein of Gold.
Brethren, the grace of our Lord and Saviour be with you forever. Amen.
Copyright © 2004, Samuel M. Ennis - Arden, N.C. All Rights Reserved