Skeletons Arising - Part 2

The miracles of Jesus are important! The Old Testament miracles were as important because they were performed by God. The most important thing I scripture is the premise that Jesus is indeed God in the flesh, called God incarnate. God Himself died on the Cross so that you can live forever. Living forever begins with glorification - being in the presence of God, then when Jesus returns, being resurrected.

Many deviate from the true Words of God. Even those who profess Christ believe in heretical things. A product of the Age of Reason is Deism - that there is a God but he does not interact with mankind. As such, Deists do not believe in miracles. They must deny the resurrection of the dead. Thomas Jefferson was one of the most notable Deists, even removing the miracles from his version of the Bible: the Thomas Jefferson Bible. Abraham Lincoln, say his biographers, failed to believe in the resurrection of the dead. This surely explains his melancholy.  The resurrection is imperative to a belief in salvation. If Jesus was not resurrected, where lies our own hope?

At the first resurrection is when the dust of our bodies rejoins our minds and souls:

1 Corinthians 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: 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.

This event is called "the rapture" which means  "to snatch away". When Jesus returns, not to stay, but to snatch-away, is when both the living and dead ascend to heaven. Since the dead are merely dust, they are resurrected - their bodies are given life again - never to die. Those who are true Christians will rise at this time.

1 Corinthians 15:42 It is the same way (as seeds to plants) with the resurrection of the dead. Our earthly bodies are planted in the ground when we die, but they will be raised to live forever. 43 Our bodies are buried in brokenness, but they will be raised in glory. They are buried in weakness, but they will be raised in strength. 44 They are buried as natural human bodies, but they will be raised as spiritual bodies. For just as there are natural bodies, there are also spiritual bodies. 51 But let me reveal to you a wonderful secret. We will not all die, but we will all be transformed! 52  It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For when the trumpet sounds, those who have died will be raised to live forever. And we who are living will also be transformed. 53 For our dying bodies must be transformed into bodies that will never die; our mortal bodies must be transformed into immortal bodies. 54 Then, when our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die...

This is the event to which all Christians look forward - the instant we are transformed back to the Designer's intent! Mankind was meant to live forever, and the rapture is the time at which Christians are resurrected. That moment is the culmination and fulfillment of the Adamic Covenant, and Adam's brother - called Jesus, makes it happen.

The transformation is not science nor magic. When Jesus resurrects Christians, it is a great and wonderful miracle of infinitely more magnitude as the raising of the dead man Lazarus after he stunk!

Since the resurrection is our salvation - those two events are one - the former the fulfillment of the latter. Paul preached the two events as one:

Acts 17:18 Then certain philosophers of the Epicureans, and of the Stoicks, encountered him. And some said, What will this babbler say? other some, He seemeth to be a setter forth of strange gods: because he preached unto them Jesus, and the resurrection. 32 And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked...

Paul preached the gospel of Jesus (that He is God who died to redeem sinners), and that the reward for belief in Jesus is the resurrection of the dead. In other words, Paul taught of the rewards of salvation, and salvation must have a reward or it's not salvation. Being born-again is the initial process of being transformed into the final creature - one with a glorified and perfect spiritual body! (Note: the stages of transformation are the new birth, sanctification, physical death, glorification, and lastly - the resurrection.).

All of these stages must happen to be saved. The new birth is on the way to salvation, sanctification is crucifying the old person acclimating the new one for eternal life, death crucifies the physical body, glorification is being in the presence of God, and the resurrection is the taking on of a spiritual body.

At the "general resurrection" those who are dead in sin will arise for their reward: judgment and eternal punishment. As such, they too will have spiritual bodies whose use is to suffer forever!

Acts 24:15b ...there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust.

This was meant to be two parts but tomorrow, I will get to the skeletons; I promise.