The Mystery of the “Resurrection of a Dead Man”
Li Cheng
Brothers and sisters, peace be upon to you! Thank the Lord for His preparations that have allowed us to communicate the truths of the Scripture here. May the Lord guide us. Today, I want to talk to everybody about the topic “resurrection of a dead man.”
As people who believe in the Lord all know, the “resurrection of a dead man” refers to the time when Jesus returns. This is also a situation we as Christians are looking forward to seeing. Now, just how can a “dead man” be resurrected? Many people would think of chapter 37, verses 5-6 in the Book of Ezekiel: “Thus said the Lord Jehovah to these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live: And I will lay sinews on you, and will bring up flesh on you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live; and you shall know that I am Jehovah.” In the Gospel of John chapter 6, verse 39, Jesus said: “And this is the Father’s will which has sent me, that of all which he has given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.” In chapter 15, verses 52-53 in the Book of 1 Corinthians, they read: “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. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.” Furthermore, if people read the literal meaning of the Bible, they will believe: In the last days, when the Lord is about to descend, there will be many great and miraculous things that will occur. With His almightiness, He will resurrect the bodies of the saints that have been sleeping for generations. He will raise them up from their graves, from underneath the earth or underneath the sea. The thousands of skeletons that have already rotted beneath the ground or under the sea will instantly be given new life. The rot will magically disappear and they will enter into the glory. How spectacular this scene would be! … These are also our perspectives and imaginings about the “resurrection of a dead man.” Just how will this prophecy be fulfilled? Is it really going to be as miraculous as we imagine it is going to be? Will the Lord accomplish this matter in accordance with our imaginations?
We all know, God’s wisdom is higher than the heavens. What God does exceeds our thoughts and imaginations. In the Bible, it has been recorded: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, said Jehovah. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isa 55:8-9). As creations before God, we are as insignificant and lowly as dust. We will never be able to fathom God’s work. This is similar to the recordings in the Bible of Jesus talking to Nicodemus about the truth of rebirth: “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (Jhn 3:3). Nicodemus understood the words of Jesus in a literal sense. He believed “rebirth” meant emerging once again from one’s mother’s womb. Using his brain and imagination, he understood a spiritual matter as if it were a matter of the material world. This sort of acceptance is very wrong. Additionally, when Jesus was talking with woman from Samaria, He said, “But whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst” (Jhn 4:14). At that time, the woman from Samaria did not understand what the Lord was saying. She thought that the water the Lord was offering was the same water that men drank. As a result, she said, “Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come here to draw” (Jhn 4:15). Actually, the “water” that Jesus was referring to was the Lord’s word. He was referring to the water of life. The woman from Samaria only understood the literal meaning of what Jesus said and thus, misunderstood the meaning. From this we can see that God’s word is the truth. It conceals the mystery of God’s work. If God does not reveal these mysteries, our understanding would be very limited. Likewise, if we only understand the literal meaning of the prophecy “resurrection of a dead man,” wouldn’t we be making the same mistake that Nicodemus and the woman from Samaria made? Therefore, when it comes to prophecies, we must maintain reverence, seek more, not interpret the text literally, not rely on our imaginations and notions to decide and furthermore, not rely on our own personal meaning to explain it.
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| The Mystery of the “Resurrection of a Dead Man” |
Now, just what does “resurrection of a dead man” refer to? What do “dead man” and “living man” refer to? For thousands of years, not a single person has been able to clearly answer this question. Only God is able to open up these mysteries. Now, God has already returned in the form of the incarnate Almighty God. He has expressed millions of words and uncovered all the mysteries that are within the Bible. Let’s all take a look together at the words of Almighty God. Almighty God says: “God created man, after which man was corrupted by Satan, and this corruption has made people into dead bodies—and thus, after you have changed, you will be different from these dead bodies. It is the words of God that give life to people’s spirits and cause them to be reborn, and when people’s spirits are reborn they will have come alive. Mention of the ‘dead’ refers to corpses that have no spirit, to people in whom their spirit has died. When people’s spirits are given life, they come alive. The saints that were spoken of before refer to people who have come alive, those who were under Satan’s influence but defeated Satan. … Originally the man made by God was alive, but because of Satan’s corruption man lives amid death, and lives under the influence of Satan, and so these people have become the dead who are without a spirit, they have become enemies who oppose God, they have become the tools of Satan, and they have become the captives of Satan. … The dead are those who have no spirit, those who are numb in the extreme, and who oppose God. Moreover, they are those who do not know God. These people have not the slightest intention of obeying God, they only rebel against Him and oppose Him, and have not the slightest loyalty. The living are those whose spirits have been reborn, who know to obey God, and who are loyal to God. They are possessed of the truth, and of testimony, and only these people are pleasing to God in His house. God saves those who can come alive, who can see God’s salvation, who can be loyal to God, and willing to seek God. He saves those who believe in God’s incarnation, and believe in His appearance” (“Have You Come Alive?” in The Word Appears in the Flesh).
Almighty God’s words have explained to us what “dead person” and “living person” mean. In the beginning, God created mankind’s ancestors, Adam and Eve. They were living human beings with spirits. They were people who were conscientious and intelligent and they were able to manifest God and honor God. Afterward, they were tempted by Satan into eating fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. As a result, they were filled with the poison of Satan. They were no longer devoted to God nor did they obey God. They had lost the image of the man whom God had created in the beginning. Even though their bodies were still alive, in God’s eyes, they had already become dead people with no spirits. Presently, we are being corrupted more and more deeply by Satan. We are full of satanic corrupt dispositions such as arrogance, selfishness, treachery, maliciousness and greed. It has gotten to the point where when we encounter something that is not in accordance with our notions, we complain to God, judge God, resist God and betray God. In God’s eyes, we are dead people with no spirits. From this, we can see that “dead person” refers to those who are living under Satan’s influence, those who have corrupt natures that resist God and those who are enemies of God. Alternatively, “living person” refers to those who have cast off satanic corrupt disposition, those who have restored their conscience and sense, those who understand God, those who obey God and those who love God. These people have a place for God within their hearts. In all matters they are able to seek the truth, grasp God’s intentions, put the truth of God’s words into practice and not rely any longer on Satan’s life rules. They are people who have triumphed over Satan’s influence and have returned to God. These are living people with spirits and they have truly been resurrected from the dead.
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| The Mystery of the “Resurrection of a Dead Man” |
After understanding the difference between “dead person” and “living person,” some brothers and sisters may ask, how will the prophecy of “resurrection of a dead man” be fulfilled? Before answering this question, let’s take a look at an example. Even though our sins have been atoned for by Jesus and pardoned, the root of our sinning has not been resolved. We still live within satanic corrupt disposition. We commit sins and admit to them day in and day out. For example: we are unable to adhere to God’s commandments and we are unable to put the Lord’s words into action. We are like those in the secular world who follow the tides of the world, lusting after wealth and fleshly enjoyment. We are arrogant and conceited, crooked and treacherous and selfish and base. We are controlled by our satanic nature. We frequently contradict God and resist God. We like to reveal ourselves amongst crowds. We bear witness to ourselves so others will view us highly and we vie over status with God. For our own personal benefit, we are able to do treacherous things, tell lies to deceive people and fight openly and maneuver covertly with others. We are even able to pledge false oaths and give empty promises before the Lord. While our mouths say that we love the Lord, essentially, we are negotiating with the Lord. Externally, we are working hard, casting away and spending, but we are doing these things in hopes of exchanging for God’s bestowment and blessing. We believe in God, yet we do not honor God as great. We do not have a place for the Lord within our hearts. Instead, we worship celebrities, great people, pastors and elders etc. If we are unable to cleanse our corrupt dispositions, how can we become living people and how can we attain God’s approval and enter the kingdom of heaven? As a result, we still require God to enact one more step of salvation.
Jesus said: “I have yet many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come” (Jhn 16:12-13). Clearly, God will return in the last days to express truth and do the final stage of His work of bestowing life upon man. Almighty God’s words say: “If people wish to become living beings, and to bear testimony to God, and to be approved of by God, they must accept God’s salvation, they must gladly submit to His judgment and chastisement, and must gladly accept the pruning and dealing of God. Only then will they be able to put all of the truths required by God into practice, and only then will they gain God’s salvation, and truly become living beings” (“Have You Come Alive?” in The Word Appears in the Flesh). In the last days, in order to save us from Satan’s influence, God has been incarnated once again. He uses the name of Almighty God to unfold His judgment work that begins from His house. We have experienced the judgment and chastisement, dealing and pruning and trials and refinement of God’s words. We truly understand the fact of our own resistance and contradiction to God and our satanic nature and essence. At the same time, we have a bit of an understanding of God’s righteous and holy disposition. We see that God’s salvation is very practical. Furthermore, we hate and betray our own satanic disposition. We are willing to put the truth into action, rely on God’s words to live as human beings, throw off our corrupt disposition and satisfy God’s intentions. We have received the truths that God expresses and turned them into our lives. We have attained true obedience to God, love for God and we live out a truly human form. This is how a “dead person” can change into a “living person.” This is resurrection from the dead. This also fulfills Jesus’ words: “And this is the Father’s will which has sent me, that of all which he has given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day” (Jhn 6:39). Clearly, “resurrection” is accomplished through the judgment work of Almighty God in the last days and it is not as supernatural as people imagine it to be. Brothers and sisters, what God wants are living people and not dead people. Only living people can honor God and bear witness to God. Only living people are qualified to inherit God’s promise–to enter into the kingdom of heaven. As long as we accept Almighty God’s work in the last days, experience God’s words of judgment and chastisement and accept the truth as our lives, we can be resurrected from the dead!
Thank God! All the glory belongs to God!
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