CHRIST'S RESURRECTION WITNESSES

     A number of men came forth from the grave as did Christ to attest to “the power of his resurrection” (Phil.3:10). These men went throughout Jerusalem sharing their testimony of a risen Saviour. The seeds of salvation sown on that day by these great and chosen men, none will know the fruits of their labor until “the first resurrection” (Rev.20:5) when Christ comes again, “And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other:” to raise every righteous man and woman from the grave and translate those of us “which are alive and remain” (Matt.24:31; I Thess.4:17).

     But who were the chosen ones resurrected with Jesus? What was their character that fit them for this special mission? Based on the character of Christ’s death and man’s hatred of GOD’S reproving their sins it is ethically plausible that they, like Jesus were martyrs for GOD’S call to salvation: with Jesus being the Supreme Martyr. With this being the case, who among the righteous among men spilled their blood for their faith and obedience to GOD as did Jesus Christ?

     There are three men who were murdered by Satan’s pawns among men that stand out above all the rest, and whose display of a righteous character covers the history of man on the Earth, from the first martyr for Jesus Christ to the last.

     First, there was Abel, the second born of Adam. Paul wrote of him: “By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh.” Heb.11:4.

     Then there is the great prophet Isaiah. He was “sawn asunder” (Heb.11;37) by the most wicked king of Judah, Manasseh. The king in his demonic rage had him sawed in half from his head to his groin. But the Bible teaches that Manasseh repented of his great and many sins against GOD and His people, and will join Isaiah in the resurrection of the righteous and they will rejoice together in praise and song to the glory of the LORD Jesus Christ.

     Lastly, there is John the Baptist. “Herod the tetrarch” had John beheaded all because he was wickedly drunk and offered to the seducing Salome any wish of her heart; and she turning to her mother’s scornful fury for the answer, she turned to Herod and demanded the head of John the Baptist. And Herod, being bound by his word he ordered the head of John be brought on a platter.

     In light of the resurrection of Christ and those special witnesses called forth to testify, there are precious thoughts when we think of the tasks that Jesus was to accomplish before His Ascension to heaven. As a devoted, loving Son, it is unthinkable that Jesus would not visit His mother, Mary to comfort her with the knowledge of His restored glorious life, assuring her of the power of GOD’S love for her and all men! No son on Earth would allow his mother to continue mourning while knowing that a simple visit, kiss and embrace would bring tears of joy for the remainder of her life.

     But as those Apollo 13 astronauts ran into a huge dilemma in their voyage to the moon, declaring that famous message, “Houston, we have a problem,” so the church today has a major hurdle to overcome concerning Jesus Christ and “the power of his resurrection.” The Bible teaches that the only ones in heaven today are Enoch, Moses, Elijah, and those resurrected with Jesus. With the exception of those men, none from the human race are in heaven today (including the Virgin Mary and the dead saints that Rome insists are alive and provide counsel and blessings to those faithful to the Catholic church). And the Bible repeatedly states throughout the Scriptures that life cannot return to those who have died until Jesus Christ's 2nd Advent.

     Next to Rome’s insistence that their continuous sins against the Second and Fourth Commandments are acceptable service to Jesus Christ, it is the popular view on the state of the dead and the fate of “the wicked” is the great doctrinal stumbling block in the Christian church. As a result, all manner of spiritual deceptions have taken place: from demons pretending to be departed loved ones in séances and visions of after death experiences, to the devil’s impersonation of the Virgin Mary taking little Catholic girls off in vision and showing them the screaming, tormented souls in hellfire.

     Throughout the Scriptures GOD commands to have nothing to do with the dead: "There shall not be found among you...a necromancer. For all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD: and because of these abominations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee. Thou shalt be perfect with the LORD thy God." "And when they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto wizards that peep, and that mutter: should not a people seek unto their God? for the living to the dead?" Deut.18:11-13; Isa.8:19.

     Paul’s words are clear in their contribution to this most important guideline of salvation. Paul’s passage in II Corinthians 5 is discussing his fervent impatience to be free of "this body of death" (Rom.7:24) and receive the "glorified" body (Rom. 8:17) to be received at Christ’s second coming. So when Paul says that “to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord” Paul’s foundation of this teaching came from his first epistle to the Corinthians, described in I Corinthians 15:20-23: "In Christ shall all be made alive [they are not alive now] But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits [He is alive], afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming [at the 2nd Advent the saints will then be made alive]. Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to GOD the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power…The last enemy that will be destroyed is death." Paul was not giving a study on the state of the dead in II Corinthians 5, but was upholding the fact that a glorified body untainted with selfish lusts awaits every faithful believer when Christ comes as Paul stated in I Corinthians 15: “So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.” I Cor.15:54. Paul does not contradict himself.

     He clearly understood as did all the patriarchs and prophets the words of Scripture on what happens to every man when he dies: "The living know that they shall die but the dead know not anything, neither have they any more a reward, for the memory of them is forgotten. Also their love and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing that is done under the sun…for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest." "As he came from his mother’s womb, naked shall he return, to go as he came…that in all points as he came so shall he go." Eccl.9:5,10; 5:15. The Bible teaches that we did not exist before we were formed in the womb; and neither shall we exist after we die.

     The psalmist wrote that at the moment any man dies, "in that very day his thoughts perish" [Hebrew word, eshtonoth, meaning thoughts]. Ps.146:4. And concerning the faithful of all ages who lie in the grave, David himself wrote: "The dead praise not the LORD; neither any that go down into silence." Ps.115:17. So, none of the dead are praising the LORD today, including David, as Peter said: “for David is not ascended into the heavens.” Acts 2:34.

     Long before the Prophets and Apostles, a man named Job understood clearly the meaning of death: "For I know that my Redeemer liveth, and He shall stand at last on the earth; and after my skin is destroyed, this I know, that in my flesh I shall see GOD" [notice: it does not say, "in my spirit"]. Job 19:25,26. Job understood that after his death he would not see GOD until the resurrection at the Second Coming of Christ. Said the LORD Jesus Christ in compliment to those words of Job, "This is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day." Jn.6:40.

     A very important New Testament illustration: When Lazarus, the brother of Mary and Martha died, Martha said to Christ "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day." Jn.11:24. And when Christ raised Lazarus from the dead (after being in the grave for four days) Lazarus gave no description of heaven or of any conscious experience when he returned from the grave. Throughout the Bible there is no testimony of any after-death experience given by anyone. But the one Bible passage that trips people up is where the witch of Endor conjured up the appearance of the dead prophet Samuel (I Sam.28:15). This was Satan himself impersonating both the appearance and voice of the great prophet of GOD to deceive king Saul to his eternal ruin.

     Even Christ Himself when resurrected gave no testimony, but told Mary, "I have not yet ascended to My Father in heaven." Jn.20:17. It is this doctrinal issue that lays at the heart of Satan’s success to keep men bonded to the sins of Rome, as was prophesied that it is “Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.” “For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.” It has always been the miracles associated with man’s delusion of the natural immortality of the soul that cements men to their sins. This entire theology permeating the churches and religions of the world denounces the clearest words of Scripture: “keep this commandment without spot, unrebukeable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ: Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords; WHO ONLY HATH IMMORTALITY.” I Tim.6:14-16.

     Man’s immortality only comes from the fruit of “the tree of life” (Rev.2:7; 22:2). And GOD admonishes us to follow Jesus, to “walk even as he walked.” “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.” Rev.22:14. (Please note, that nearly every Bible has replaced the words, “do his commandments” with “wash their robes.”)

     How different is the church’s view! None can claim obedience to the teachings of the Holy Bible and at the same time deny its most simple words; but this is precisely what is being done. Today’s Christianity has perverted the meaning of other verses of Scripture, thereby creating contradictions within the Word of GOD on this and other sacred doctrines. We must understand the church’s use of mysticism in its interpretation of the Bible’s plain language as only found in the “Received Text” that alone can historically be traced back to the hands of the Apostles.

     Now all of us have been handed a lot of ideas in our upbringing; and very few people can claim that the things they believe were discovered on their own. What is marvelous to consider is that when the Holy Bible is taken to other countries and the people there are not taught the "tradition of men," the Bible’s simple teaching on death rises to prominence in their understanding from the very beginning of their studies. GOD has spoken plainly, but men have chosen to remove GOD’S intended lessons and replace them with ancient doctrines of pagan mysticism and idolatry, which were held by men of the most primitive ignorance. Said Paul, "Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron." I Tim. 4:1,2. All of this has but one goal: to keep the sinner trapped in his or her sins, "and sin when it is finished bringeth forth death." James 1:15.

     That’s what “the power of His resurrection” is all about: to raise the righteous dead back to life! Enoch and Elijah, who were translated from the living (Gen.5:24; II Ki.2:11); Moses, who was resurrected immediately after his death (Deut. 34:5; Jude 9); and those resurrected with Jesus Christ at His resurrection (Matt. 27:52,53) are the assurances that Christ will come again to raise the dead, translate the living, and carry the faithful from every generation home to His “Father’s house” in heaven (Jn.14:2) to spend a thousand years reviewing the history of Earth, answering every question of how, in heaven’s infinite love, GOD dealt with the sin problem (I Cor.6:2,3; Rev.20:4).

     Apart from those holy men cited above, all others, from Adam to the last man “sleep” in the grave until Christ returns as it is written: “And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.” Jn.6:40.