Resurrection
Resurrection
- If we are to believe literally the prophecies of Scripture, we should expect that when Jesus comes again, the saints will come back to life in the flesh.
- Their bodies, buried in the earth and completely decomposed, will be reconstituted to their original state (I Thess. 4:16), (Matt. 27:52).
- On the other hand, given the modern state of our knowledge, they do not make rational sense.
- This brings great confusion to the Christian faith.
- Therefore, it is important that we elucidate the true meaning of resurrection.
- Resurrection means to come back to life. To come back to life implies that we have been dead.
- To fathom the meaning of resurrection, we must clarify the biblical concepts of life and death.
- When a follower asked Jesus if he could go home to bury his deceased father, Jesus said, “Leave the dead to bury their own dead” (Luke 9:60).
- From these words of Jesus, it is clear that the Bible contains two different concepts of life and death.
- The first, “death” means the end of physical life, as was the case of the disciple’s deceased father who was to be buried.
- “Life” in that sense means the state in which the physical self maintains its physiological functions.
- The second concept of life and death concerns those living people who had gathered to bury the deceased man, those whom Jesus called “the dead.”.
- Death refers to leaving the bosom of God’s love and falling under the dominion of Satan.
- The corresponding concept of life refers to the state of living in accordance with God’s Will, within the dominion of God’s infinite love.
- God created human beings to grow old and return to dust.
- Physical death was allotted to human beings regardless of whether or not they fell.
- Only the unclothed spirit self then enters the spirit world and lives there eternally.
- Hence, the death caused by the Fall does not mean the end of physical life, but rather the descent from the good dominion of God into the evil dominion of Satan, through eating the fruit.
- Resurrection may be defined as the process of being restored from the death caused by the Fall to life.
- From the realm of Satan’s dominion to the realm of God’s direct dominion, through the providence of restoration.
- Accordingly, whenever we repent of our sins and rise to a higher state of goodness, we are resurrected to that degree.
- Adam and Eve died when they ate of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
- Nevertheless, no significant external change took place in them.
- At most there were momentary changes in their countenances due to the anxiety and fear they felt over having fallen.
- Likewise, no significant external changes should be expected to take place in fallen people when they are resurrected to the state prior to the Fall.
- Jesus was truly a man who fulfilled the purpose of creation. Nevertheless, judged by his outward appearance, Jesus was not noticeably different from ordinary people.
- The changes a person experiences when he is resurrected and enters the governance of God take place in his heart and spirit.
- These internal changes also purify his body, transforming it from a haunt of Satan into a temple of God.
- The providence of resurrection is the providence of restoration and thus the providence of re-creation.
- Thus, the providence of resurrection is carried out in accordance with the Principle of Creation, in the following manner.
- First, the merit of the age has increased in proportion to the foundation of heart laid by the prophets, sages and righteous people who came before us, and the subsequent generations benefit from the merit of the age.
- Second, God’s responsibility to create human beings and give them His Word, while it was the human portion of responsibility to reach perfection by believing in and living according to it.
- Third, the resurrection of a spirit can be achieved only through earthly life.
- Fourth, the providence of resurrection is to be completed through three ordered stages, manifested as three ages in the providence of restoration.
- The two thousand years from Adam to Abraham may be called the foundation for resurrection.
- Two thousand years from Abraham to Jesus may be called the age of the providence of formation-stage resurrection (age of justification by works).
- The people of this era who practiced the Law in their daily life were resurrected in spirit to the formation stage and became form spirits.
- Upon their death, those who achieved the level of form spirits while on earth entered and abided in the form-spirit level of the spirit world.
- The two thousand years from Jesus to the returning Christ may be called may be called the age of the providence of growth-stage resurrection (age of justification by faith).
- Those who have lived in this era could be resurrected in spirit by believing in the Gospel during their earthly life. By being resurrected to the growth stage, they could become life spirits.
- Upon their death, those who became life spirits while on earth enter and abide in Paradise, the life-spirit level of the spirit world.
- The era when people are to complete the providence of resurrection is called the age of the providence of completion-stage resurrection (age of justification by attendance).
- By believing in and serving the Lord and devoting themselves to his work, people of this era are to be fully resurrected both spiritually and physically, become divine spirits, and live in the Kingdom of Heaven on earth.
- When they shed their physical bodies, as spirits they will enter and abide in the Kingdom of Heaven in heaven, which is the divine-spirit level of the spirit world.
- Spirits can neither grow nor be resurrected apart from a physical self.
- Consequently, the spirits of people who died before they could reach perfection during their earthly life.
- Can be resurrected only by returning to earth and completing their unaccomplished responsibility through cooperation with earthly people.
- We call this process returning resurrection.
- When people become receptive to spirits through prayer or other spiritual activities, the spirits descend to them to form a common base with their spirit selves and work with them.
- After the advent of Jesus,form spirits of the Old Testament Age all returned to earth and assisted faithful people on earth to attain the level of life spirit.
- By this tey too received the same benefit: namely, they became life spirits and entered Paradise.
- We call this dispensation growth-stage returning resurrection.
- After the Second Advent, the life spirits of the New Testament Age will all return to the earth to help faithful people believe in and attend the returning Christ.
- By thus helping people on earth to attain the level of divine spirit, they too will receive the same benefit and become divine spirits.
- When the earthly saints pass over to the next world and enter the Kingdom of Heaven in heaven, the returning spirits will also enter the Kingdom.
- This dispensation is called completion-stage returning resurrection.
- There are several classes of spirits who abide outside Paradise; each has a way to achieve returning resurrection.
- A spirits who believed in religions other than Christianity during their lifetime seeks a counterpart among the earthly people of the religion in which he believed during his earthly life.
- He descends to the person of his choice and guides him. When he helps that person fulfill the purpose of the providence of restoration, they both receive the same benefit.
- Good spirits who lived a conscientious life even though they did not believe in a religion, descend to good people on earth and cooperate with them.
- In the process, the spirits receive the same benefits as the people they have helped.
- In order for evil spirits to receive the benefit of returning resurrection.
- Their works must have the effect of punishing earthly people to help them make conditions to indemnify their failures, which have frustrated God’s past efforts to cleanse them of their sins.
- Spirits who could not complete their missions during their earthly life must return to people on earth who share the same type of mission as they had during their lifetime.
- When a spirit assists an earthly person to fulfill God’s Will, the person will fulfill not only his own mission, but also the mission of the spirit who has helped him.
- Hence, from the standpoint of mission, the physical self of the person concurrently serves as the physical self of the spirit.
- In a sense, he is the second coming of the spirit; hence he may sometimes be called by the spirit’s name.
- And appear to be the reincarnation of that spirit.
- At the time of the Second Advent, all the spirits will descend from Paradise in that day and assist the believers on the earth.
- And each believer will be guided by the spirits from Paradise to go before Christ at the Second Advent and devote their lives for the sake of God’s Will.
- For this reason, Christianity is destined to be united.
- Consequently, all spirits who believed in religions other than Christianity during their lifetime will, like the spirits in Paradise, also return to earth to be resurrected.
- These spirits must guide the earthly believers of their respective religions to Christ at the Second Advent and assist them to believe in him and attend him in his work to fulfill God’s Will.
- All religions will eventually be united around a revived Christianity.
- Spirits who, in their lifetime, led a conscientious life but did not believe in any religion will also return to earth at the granted time to receive the benefit of returning resurrection.
- They will guide conscientious earthly people to seek out Christ at the Second Advent, attend him, and assist him in fulfilling God’s Will.