FRIDAY, MAY 5, 2017
RESURRECTED AS ANGELS
-MARK 12:18-27
KEY VERSE:
"For when they shall rise from the dead, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage; but are as the angels which are in heaven" (Mark 12:25).
The resurrection of the dead is a cardinal doctrine of the Bible. In fact, there will be a physical resurrection of all who died in this world, whether as sinners or as believers. Resurrection is the coming together of the body and soul of those who would have died before the rapture. Jesus exemplified the resurrection when He rose from the dead, thus, becoming the pioneer and setting the stage for this glorious experience. All resurrected bodies will be immortal like those of angels. The question of the Sadducees about whose wife the dead woman will be at the resurrection came out of ignorance or non-acceptance of the doctrine of the resurrection of the dead. At resurrection, the saints will be like angels in Heaven, who neither marry nor are given in marriage. Jesus told them they erred because they knew not the Scriptures, neither the power of God to raise the dead. God is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living. In the intervening period between death and the resurrection, the soul of the believer goes to Paradise. This fact is exemplified by Christ’s statement to the repentant thief on the cross: "Today shall thou be with me in paradise" (Luke 23:39-43). It is interesting to know that it is from Paradise that Christ later rose from the dead and ascended into Heaven. On the other hand, when a sinner dies, his/her soul goes immediately to hell, where he is conscious of ensuring and engulfing pains and anguish. The doubt and unbelief of scoffers will not prevent the complete resurrection programme of God for both the saved and the unsaved in the same way it did not prevent the resurrection of our Saviour and Lord, Jesus Christ. The only way to partake in the First resurrection, which will take place at the rapture and avoid the shame and sorrow of the second resurrection, is to totally surrender to Christ today by repenting, confessing and forsaking all sins. If saved already, the need to continue to live in peace and holiness without which no man shall see the Lord and prepare to be a resurrected angel is of paramount importance. Beyond that, an entire consecration of every life for God’s use is an absolute necessity for all heaven-bound saints.
Thought for the day: Salvation: key to be a resurrected angel.
Bible Reading in one Year: 1 CHRONICLES 16-20
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