Collins Contemporary Dictionary defines the word, “grace” as: Charm; attractiveness; easy and refined motion (as opposed to clumsiness). Also, good manners; accomplishment, favor or divine favor. In 2nd Peter 3:18 We are admonished to … "grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." Therefore, every year, we should examine ourselves whether we are growing. Are we more graceful than the year before? Do we have more knowledge of Christ and of the Truth than we did a year ago? We must never allow ourselves to become complacent and stagnate, we must continue to grow. And more important, we must never be afraid that if we change or add to any of the teachings of Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong, others in the Churches of God will say we have departed from the truth. Remember, if God reveals further truth to us and we refuse to teach it for fear of losing members, God will not continue to work with us.
So then, let’s consider some food for thought … something to sink our spiritual teeth into and hopefully, stimulate us to some further growth in the knowledge of the truth: A few things may be new to some people, but Truth bears scrutiny. Let us examine the scriptures carefully, with open and unbiased minds.
Let’s examine some facts about the 1st resurrection. 1st Corin. Ch. 15:51-52 says: "Behold I show you a mystery, we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed. In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump. For the trumpet shall sound and the dead shall be raised incorruptible and we shall be changed." Notice, the dead shall be raised incorruptible, not raised corruptible then changed to be incorruptible, but raised incorruptible. (Strong’s Concordance 1453, from the Greek word "egeiro". "Raised" there means "To arouse from sleep, to awake," akin to the idea of collecting one's faculties).
1st Thes. 4:16-17 says, "For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven (the heavens / outer space) with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first. 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."
Now let’s look at verse 16 again: It says: the dead in Christ shall rise first. The word "rise" there, does not mean "levitate". Lazarus rose from the dead, but he didn’t levitate anywhere. The word "rise" there simply means to "raise up from laying down", the Greek word used there for "rise" is "anistemi" which does not mean "levitate," but rather, "arise" / "raise up (again)," in other words, to awake from a state of total unconsciousness in death to a state of full consciousness in life. (Strong’s 450). It is the same word used for "rise" in Luke 24:7, which stated that Jesus would on the 3rd day "anistemi" (rise, not levitate) from the dead. This fact is further established in 1 Cor. 15:52, where it says the dead shall be "raised" incorruptible, the word used there for "raised" is "egeiro" which likewise means to waken from sleep or death, not to "levitate." The scriptures do not use the word "anabaino" which means to "ascend" or "levitate" regarding saints who are either dead or alive at the return of Christ, (anabaino is the word used to say that David has not ascended into the heavens, which means levitated) rather it says those who are dead will "egiro" (awaken) and those who remain will be "harpadzo" (caught up) together with them in the air" since the previously dead saints are already in the air with Christ, having awoken first, before the live saints were even changed. So then, what the scripture is actually saying is that before live Christians are changed to immortal spirit life, dead Christians will awake to immortal spirit life.
But just where do Christians, and for that matter, non-Christians go when they die? First let’s discover from the scriptures, what state they are in: Eccl. Ch 9:5. For the living know that they shall die, but the dead know not anything. So we see that the dead know nothing … but where are they? Eccl. Ch 12:7. Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit (Strongs 07307, Hebrew, "Ruwach" = "mind"), shall return to God who gave it. Where is God? In Matthew 6:9, Christ refers to "Our Father who art in Heaven". God is in Heaven. So then we see that at death, the spirits (minds) of the converted as well as the unconverted return to God, and their bodies return to dust. So in a way, you could say, that everyone goes to Heaven (the Heavens) when they die … they just don’t know about it. Their spirits are stored there until they are resurrected / awoken.
Because the word "spirit" is sometimes translated from the Greek word "Pneuma", which can mean "wind" or "air", some have erroneously believed that it’s just the breath that leaves the human body at death. But the Hebrew word used there is pronounced "Ruwach", translated as "spirit" or "mind" (Strong’s 07307); it is the same word translated as "Spirit" in Genesis 1:2, "… the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters." It’s also interesting to note Matthew 27:50, "Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice yielded up the ghost…." The word "Ghost" there is translated from the Greek word, pronounced, "Pneuma" which matches the Hebrew word, "Ruwach." (Strong’s 4151, which can mean "the rational spirit, the power by which the human being feels, thinks, decides."). Further, it’s ridiculous to think that in His last words on the cross, Christ said, "Father into your hands I commend my breath." The word translated "spirit" there is also from the Greek word "Pneuma", which means the rational spirit etc. as mentioned previously.
We may have heard the expression that man does not have a soul, but that he IS a soul. The soul that sins and doesn’t repent and accept the sacrifice of Christ will die forever. It is true that man is a soul, which means an individual, a being, a person, but make no mistake about it, the Bible clearly states that man also HAS a spirit, and it’s not just talking about his breath. See Job 32:8. "But there is a spirit in man: and the inspiration of the Almighty gives them understanding." Hebrews 4:12 says, "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 …" Further, 1 Thessalonians 5:23 says, “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."
At the resurrection of the unconverted then, their spirits will be put into regenerated physical bodies and they will be awoken again to physical life. But what about those whose bodies were eaten by sharks or lions or were burnt and destroyed in a fire, totally cremated?
It’s interesting: You know, when someone dies and is buried, in a number of years, there is no difference whatsoever, in the dust which their bodies become, with the dust around which they were buried! All contain the same 16 chemical elements of which the human body is comprised. Christ said it is the spirit which quickens, the flesh profits nothing. (John 6:63).
When God resurrects the unconverted to physical life again, he doesn’t have to use the same dust that comprised their original bodies. He can use practically any dust, anywhere, since most dust contains the same elements of which human bodies are comprised. As Christ said in Matthew 3:9, "… God is able of these stones to raise up children to Abraham." The bodies of some people who were burnt to death, thousands of years ago, became smoke. God doesn’t need to use those original particles. God has perfect recollection. Every mole, every freckle on the body he remembers. He can recreate their physical bodies from any dust, exactly as they were before, then he will place their spirits into those bodies and wake them up.
Now what about the converted? Well, we know that those who are alive at the return of Christ will be changed in the twinkling of an eye into immortal spirit-composed, God Beings. But what about those true Christians who died and those who may yet die before the return of Christ?
When a true Christian dies, a physical body that they will never use again, returns to dust. Some were martyred … eaten by lions or burnt to death. But they won’t be using those same physical bodies ever again anyway. Remember what we read in 1st Corin. 15:52. The dead shall be raised incorruptible, not corruptible, then changed to incorruptible, they will be raised (awoken) with new, incorruptible, immortal, spirit-composed bodies, just like Christ has now. We will all look like Him and like our Father in Heaven. God will place their spirits into these new immortal bodies and the dead in Christ will awake to eternal life.
So, we see that at death, the spirit returns to God who gave it. It doesn’t hover around near the dead body awaiting a resurrection. Incidentally, a physical grave doesn’t have to break open to release a spirit body. The word "grave" simply means a place where the dead are. Remember it is the spirit that quickens, the body profits nothing. The real you is contained in your spirit, which records your memory, the character you’ve built, your personality and your identity, which returns to God at death. Interestingly, it may simply be metaphorical, nevertheless, the Bible even appears to give a clue as to where God may store these spirits: Rev. 6:9 says: "And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held."
So if dead Christians aren’t going to be using their original physical bodies again since they are raised incorruptible, and he has their spirits with Him in Heaven (the Heavens), and their bodies have already become dust or been eaten, what happens? Well, here’s another thought-provoking scripture: 1st Thess. 4:14. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, them also which sleep (die) in Jesus, will God bring with Him. He has them with Him and He will bring them with Him when He comes.
Christ, bodily and consciously, ascended into Heaven (the Heavens). No man other than Christ ascended into Heaven (the Heavens) in that specific manner. Even King David didn’t bodily and consciously ascend into Heaven (the Heavens) and nor has anyone else … other than astronauts since 1961. But Solomon clearly says that at death, the spirit (mind), returns to God who gave it, but obviously in an unconscious state as he also made it clear that the dead don’t know anything.
Therefore, if you are truly converted and you should die before the return of Christ, don’t be surprised if in the next split second of your consciousness, you awake in heaven (the heavens, the sky, space) at the last trump, in a new, immortal, spirit body … your head and hair white like wool, as white as snow, and your eyes as brilliant as a flame of fire, your feet like fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace, your voice as the sound of many waters and your face as the sun shining in its strength. That’s how you’ll be. Better than Superman! And you’ll feel fantastic! Never again to feel pain, or to be sick, or die. Never again to be tired, to have bills to pay, or to have to visit the doctor or dentist.
Then along with all the other saints who have lived and died since the world began, you will descend from Heaven (the Heavens) with Christ and His Holy angels to the earth. However, before touching down on the earth, when this Holy, immortal multitude led by Christ the King enter the Earth’s atmosphere, live Christians from all around the world will be changed in the twinkling of an eye into immortal spirit beings and will rise up to meet Christ and the other saints in the air. Together, they will all then descend to the Mount of Olives, East of Jerusalem.
Email: ciratv@caribsurf.com
