2) News & Notes
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Bible Prophecy (7)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Tom Edwards<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Last week\u2019s installment centered around prophecies pertaining to the crucifixion and death of Christ. Today\u2019s article will focus on His resurrection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
David declares in Psalm 16:8-10 the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI have set the LORD continually before me;
Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.
Therefore my heart is glad and my glory rejoices;
My flesh also will dwell securely.
For You will not abandon my soul to Sheol;
Nor will You allow Your Holy One to undergo decay.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you have read the book of Acts, then you probably find this previous passage familiar. For it was cited by Peter on the day that the church was established. Notice Acts 2:22-27: \u201cMen of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves know \u2014 this Man, delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death. But God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power. For David says of Him, \u2018I SAW THE LORD ALWAYS IN MY PRESENCE; FOR HE IS AT MY RIGHT HAND, SO THAT I WILL NOT BE SHAKEN. THEREFORE MY HEART WAS GLAD AND MY TONGUE EXULTED; MOREOVER MY FLESH ALSO WILL LIVE IN HOPE; BECAUSE YOU WILL NOT ABANDON MY SOUL TO HADES, NOR ALLOW YOUR HOLY ONE TO UNDERGO DECAY.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Peter also shows that because David \u201cwas a prophet and knew that GOD HAD SWORN TO HIM WITH AN OATH TO SEAT one OF HIS DESCENDANTS ON HIS THRONE, he looked ahead and spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that HE WAS NEITHER ABANDONED TO HADES, NOR DID His flesh SUFFER DECAY\u201d (Acts 2:30-31; See also 2 Sam. 7:12-16 and Luke 1:30-33). So Jesus was raised from the dead for that as well, and \u201cexalted to the right hand of God.\u201d For \u201cGod has made Him both Lord and Christ\u2014this Jesus whom you crucified\u201d (Acts 2:29, 36).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That Jesus would be raised from the dead is also seen in Acts 13:34, but first let us see another prophecy concerning this in Psalm 2. The psalmist writes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBut as for Me, I have installed My King
Upon Zion, My holy mountain\u201d (v. 6).
\u201cI will surely tell of the decree of the LORD:
He said to Me, \u2019You are My Son,
Today I have begotten You.
Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Your inheritance,
And the very ends of the earth as Your possession\u2019\u201d (vv. 7-8).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Going back to Acts 13, we now see that the thought of God begetting Jesus is actually referring to His resurrection \u2014 rather than being conceived by the Holy Spirit in the virgin Mary. Luke writes: \u201cAnd though they found no ground for putting Him to death, they asked Pilate that He be executed. When they had carried out all that was written concerning Him, they took Him down from the cross and laid Him in a tomb. But God raised Him from the dead; and for many days He appeared to those who came up with Him from Galilee to Jerusalem, the very ones who are now His witnesses to the people. And we preach to you the good news of the promise made to the fathers, that God has fulfilled this promise to our children in that He raised up Jesus, as it is also written in the second Psalm, \u2019YOU ARE MY SON; TODAY I HAVE BEGOTTEN YOU.\u2019 As for the fact that He raised Him up from the dead, no longer to return to decay, He has spoken in this way: \u2019I WILL GIVE YOU THE HOLY and SURE blessings OF DAVID.\u2019 Therefore He also says in another Psalm, \u2019YOU WILL NOT ALLOW YOUR HOLY ONE TO UNDERGO DECAY\u2019\u201d (Acts 13:23-35).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Numerous passages throughout the New Testament speak of the Lord\u2019s resurrection. In selecting an apostle to take Judas\u2019 place, one of the qualifications was to have been a witness of the Lord\u2019s resurrection (Acts 1:22). Peter, in speaking of himself and the other apostles, testified that \u201cThis Jesus God raised up again, to which we are all witnesses\u201d (Acts 2:32). That God raised Jesus from the dead is seen in Acts 3:5, 4:10; 10:40; and 13:30. In doing a search for \u201cresurrection\u201d and \u201craised dead\u201d in a computer Bible, I came across 31 passages in the New Testament that speak of the Lord having been resurrected \u2014 and that is not all of them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The resurrection of Christ was a main theme in the preaching of the apostles. For they were to be His witnesses of that (Acts 4:33; Acts 10:38-43). Paul had also testified toward the Lord\u2019s resurrection when in Athens (Acts 17:3, 18, 31), when before King Agrippa (Acts 26:23), in Antioch of Pisidia (Acts 13:14), and elsewhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jesus was \u201cdeclared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead\u2026\u201d (Rom. 1:4).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Because Jesus was raised from the dead, those who are spiritually dead in sin can be raised to a spiritual life, after submitting to God\u2019s plan of salvation. As Paul explains, \u201cOr do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life\u201d (Rom. 6:3-4).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
From this passage, we see that it is baptism \u2014 and not merely belief in Christ only, nor belief in Christ and repentance only \u2014 that is that last step by which we receive the \u201cnewness of life.\u201d For baptism puts us \u201cinto Christ\u201d (Gal. 3:26-27). As Paul writes in Colossians 2:12, \u201chaving been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.\u201d Baptism is the \u201cin which\u201d we are raised up from in order to be \u201craised up with Christ\u201d (Col. 3:1).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Paul also wrote of that to the Ephesians: \u201cAnd you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world\u2026 But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)\u201d (Eph. 2:1-2,5). Compare also Colossians 2:13.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Notice, too, that when we compare Romans 6:3-4, in which baptism is part of how one acquires the \u201cnewness of life,\u201d with the above passage in Ephesians 2, we can conclude that even in being baptized, it is also still a part of God\u2019s grace \u2014 rather than some type of meritorious work through which salvation could be deserved or earned. For we are saved by grace \u2014 which certainly does not nullify the need to hear God\u2019s word (Rom. 10:17), believe in Jesus (Jn. 8:24), repent of sins (Luke 13:5), confess faith in Christ (Rom. 10:9-10), and be baptized (Mk. 16:16; 1 Pet. 3:21).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Consider also Colossians 3:1: \u201cTherefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.\u201d This, again, reminds us of Romans 6:3-4 which speaks of the new life we have in Christ when coming up out of the water of baptism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But also because of the Lord\u2019s resurrection, all the literal dead, down through the ages, will also be physically resurrected. For \u201cif there is no resurrection of the dead, not even Christ has been raised\u2026 For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised\u201d (1 Cor. 15:13,16). The implication is: since Christ was raised, the dead will also be raised.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This is also seen in John 5, where Jesus says, \u201cDo not marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs will hear His voice, and will come forth; those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment\u201d (vv. 28-29).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This is talking of a physical resurrection. For the \u201cDo not marvel at this\u201d is pointing back to the spiritual resurrection spoken of in verses 24-25: \u201cTruly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life. Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.\u201d So when Jesus goes on to say, \u201cDo not marvel at this,\u201d He then continues with another type of resurrection that might require more faith to accept \u2014 and that is a physical resurrection. Notice, too, that the physical resurrection is not limited to only the saved. For the lost will be raised as well. Everyone. This is one of the reasons why it is so important to make our souls ready by accepting God\u2019s way of salvation while we now have the time to do so.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When Jesus says, \u201cFor in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven\u201d (Matt. 22:30), He is not talking about a spiritual resurrection; but, rather, a physical one. For He was answering the question the Sadducees had asked concerning a woman who had become a widow 7 times by 7 brothers. Since they had each died, the question was, \u201cIn the resurrection, therefore, whose wife of the seven will she be?\u201d (v. 28). The Sadducees, of course, \u201csay there is no resurrection, nor an angel, nor a spirit\u201d (Acts 23:8); so they were simply trying to entrap the Lord with their question. But the point I want to emphasize from this is that there will be a physical resurrection. For if Matthew 22:30 is speaking of just a spiritual resurrection (in which the sinner has become a saint by being born again and having that new life as a Christian in Christ), then it is while on earth that Christians \u201cneither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.\u201d But who would think that \u2014 especially in view of all the Bible passages, such as Ephesians 5:22-33, that give instruction for husbands and wives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Martha, whose brother had been physically dead for four days, knew that he would \u201crise again in the resurrection on the last day\u201d (Jn. 11:24). And Jesus, who referred to Himself as \u201cthe resurrection and the life\u201d (v. 35), merely gave the command, \u201cLazarus, come forth\u201d (v. 43) \u2014 and it was so!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To be ready for that physical resurrection in the last day, we must first undergo that spiritual resurrection by submitting to the gospel plan of salvation, which includes the need to hear the gospel, to believe in the Deity of Christ, to repent of sins, to acknowledge faith in Christ, and to be baptized for the remission of sins. We are then to also follow through in maintaining that new life in Christ. For Jesus died for us that we might live for Him (cf. 2 Cor. 5:15).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
(All Scripture from the NASB, unless otherwise indicated; and all underlining for emphasis mine.)
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The Steps That Lead to Eternal Salvation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
1) Hear<\/strong> the gospel, for that is how faith comes (Rom. 10:17; John 20:30-31). Tebeau Street <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u201cGo therefore and make disciples of all the nations\u2026teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age\u201d (Matt. 28:19-20).\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2013 Contents: 1) Bible Prophecy (7) (Tom Edwards)2) News & Notes\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2013 -1- Bible Prophecy (7) Tom Edwards Last week\u2019s installment centered around prophecies […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-502","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","post-preview"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/502","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=502"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/502\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":503,"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/502\/revisions\/503"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=502"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=502"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=502"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
2) Believe<\/strong> in the deity of Christ (John 8:24; John 3:18).
3) Repent<\/strong> of sins (Luke 13:5; Acts 17:30).
4) Confess faith<\/strong> in Christ (Rom. 10:9-10; Acts 8:36-38).
5) Be baptized<\/strong> in water for the remission of sins (Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; 22:16; Rom. 6:3-4; Gal. 3:26-27; 1 Pet. 3:21).
6) Continue in the faith<\/strong>, living for the Lord; for, if not, salvation can be lost (Heb. 10:36-39; Rev. 2:10; 2 Pet. 2:20-22).
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CHURCH OF CHRIST
1402 Tebeau Street, Waycross, GA\u00a0 31501
Sunday services:\u00a09:00 a.m. (Bible class); 10 a.m. & 5 p.m. (worship)
Wednesday:\u00a0<\/strong>7 p.m. (Bible class)
evangelist\/editor:\u00a0<\/strong>Tom Edwards (912) 281-9917
Tom@ThomasTEdwards.com<\/a>
http:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/go<\/a> (Older version of Gospel Observer website without pictures, but back to March 1990)
http:\/\/tebeaustreetchurchofchrist.org\/<\/a>
http:\/\/ThomasTEdwards.com\/audioser.html<\/a> (audio sermons)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n