One day soon, we will be changed from this mortal body to a new glorious, Immortal, eternal
body. The age of grace will be over and we will "depart" to be with the Lord forever! What a wonderful hope !
Post #1
Shawn Brasseaux (University of Louisiana at Lafayette) wroteon September 13, 2009 at 12:39am
Reflection V: The Lights of Glory[12 September 2009]In the final installment of the “Reflection” series, we deal with the topic of Heaven. At my church, we sing the hymn “Because He Lives,” and this is the last verse: “And then one day, I’ll cross the river, / I’ll fight life’s final war with pain; / And then, as death gives way to vict’ry, / I’ll see the lights of glory and I’ll know He lives!”So, let us turn to the Scriptures, and start reading in 1 Corinthians 15 (KJV). “51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 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. 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.”This is what we call “the rapture of the Church, the Body of Christ.” As soon as this Dispensation of Grace is concluded, and the Body of Christ is removed from Earth, the Old Testament prophetic timeline will once again continue, and the Nation Israel returns to the forefront in God’s dealings with man. We as Grace Age believers are then off to take our place in the Heavenly places serving with Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:6-7). By the way, the rapture will take place in the smallest divisible amount of time: scientists have stated that the smallest divisible amount of time is 0.000000000000000000000000000000000000000000033 second!But, what is our inheritance as Christians and members of the Body of Christ? Read Ephesians 1:3-14 KJV:“3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;8 Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence;9 Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:10 That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:12 That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.”It is there in Glory that we will see things beyond human comprehension. What is waiting out in the eternity for the Christian believer is something so awesome, so glorious, and so unfathomable!! The Bible says very little about our eternal abode as believers in Christ, but we do know that it is an inheritance that can never be lost or stolen. We can rest in God’s grace and take it by faith that no matter what happens to us, this inheritance is ours forever. The indwelling Holy Spirit is our “earnest”—the guarantee and down payment—of the eternal inheritance that we have in Christ. The Bible says in Romans chapter 8 KJV: “16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: 17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.”We know that we will be in the Lord’s presence, and the Lord will resurrect and restore our current physical bodies into eternal bodies. Post-resurrection, the Lord was in a physical body that could teleport (instantly move from one location to another). He could go through walls and locked doors. He ate fish, bread, and honeycomb, He spoke, but His face looked the same. Likewise, we will retain our unique identities in eternity: we will recognize other believers, even those whom we have never met, those saints who lived thousands of years ago! Greatest of all, we shall stand face-to-face with the Lord Jesus Christ, to be rewarded at the Bema (Judgment Seat) of Christ.-In closing the “Reflection” series, we remember the following. We do not see the Lights of Glory right now; we live in a cruel, godless world. We are stuck in this nasty world system and living in these vile physical bodies that are prone to disease and death. But remember, if we have trusted exclusively in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation, we have one glorious eternity awaiting us. The Apostle Paul was forbidden to write about the magnificent things he saw in Glory, when he was supernaturally transported into God’s Heaven (2 Corinthians 12:1-9).The Lord has left us here to serve in the Christian ambassadorship. This foreign territory we know as “Earth” is our mission field. We cannot be intimidated into silence by liberals, modernists, and atheists. We cannot compromise or water-down the AUTHORITY OF GOD’S PRESERVED WORD, though it will cost us our popularity with man. We cannot live a life of carnality, or a life pleasing the ol’ devil. God is there with us in the presence of His indwelling Holy Spirit. In the Pauline epistles, the Lord has revealed His will to us in the Dispensation of Grace. In Christ, we have been blessed with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places. Serve the Lord while there is still time, while you have the capacity to do so. Refuse to sit back as our world slips farther away into false teaching. Continue to labor “to make all men see.” Get into the Scriptures and study them. Learn solid dispensational doctrine, and tell others of the wonderful news: they can be saved by grace through faith, and they can be a reflection of the heavenly places, too!“As Christians, the Homeland we reflect here on Earth will one day be the Homeland we behold in Heaven.”
Shawn Brasseaux (University of Louisiana at Lafayette) wroteon September 13, 2009 at 12:39am
Reflection V: The Lights of Glory[12 September 2009]In the final installment of the “Reflection” series, we deal with the topic of Heaven. At my church, we sing the hymn “Because He Lives,” and this is the last verse: “And then one day, I’ll cross the river, / I’ll fight life’s final war with pain; / And then, as death gives way to vict’ry, / I’ll see the lights of glory and I’ll know He lives!”So, let us turn to the Scriptures, and start reading in 1 Corinthians 15 (KJV). “51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 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. 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.”This is what we call “the rapture of the Church, the Body of Christ.” As soon as this Dispensation of Grace is concluded, and the Body of Christ is removed from Earth, the Old Testament prophetic timeline will once again continue, and the Nation Israel returns to the forefront in God’s dealings with man. We as Grace Age believers are then off to take our place in the Heavenly places serving with Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:6-7). By the way, the rapture will take place in the smallest divisible amount of time: scientists have stated that the smallest divisible amount of time is 0.000000000000000000000000000000000000000000033 second!But, what is our inheritance as Christians and members of the Body of Christ? Read Ephesians 1:3-14 KJV:“3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;8 Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence;9 Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:10 That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:12 That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.”It is there in Glory that we will see things beyond human comprehension. What is waiting out in the eternity for the Christian believer is something so awesome, so glorious, and so unfathomable!! The Bible says very little about our eternal abode as believers in Christ, but we do know that it is an inheritance that can never be lost or stolen. We can rest in God’s grace and take it by faith that no matter what happens to us, this inheritance is ours forever. The indwelling Holy Spirit is our “earnest”—the guarantee and down payment—of the eternal inheritance that we have in Christ. The Bible says in Romans chapter 8 KJV: “16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: 17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.”We know that we will be in the Lord’s presence, and the Lord will resurrect and restore our current physical bodies into eternal bodies. Post-resurrection, the Lord was in a physical body that could teleport (instantly move from one location to another). He could go through walls and locked doors. He ate fish, bread, and honeycomb, He spoke, but His face looked the same. Likewise, we will retain our unique identities in eternity: we will recognize other believers, even those whom we have never met, those saints who lived thousands of years ago! Greatest of all, we shall stand face-to-face with the Lord Jesus Christ, to be rewarded at the Bema (Judgment Seat) of Christ.-In closing the “Reflection” series, we remember the following. We do not see the Lights of Glory right now; we live in a cruel, godless world. We are stuck in this nasty world system and living in these vile physical bodies that are prone to disease and death. But remember, if we have trusted exclusively in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation, we have one glorious eternity awaiting us. The Apostle Paul was forbidden to write about the magnificent things he saw in Glory, when he was supernaturally transported into God’s Heaven (2 Corinthians 12:1-9).The Lord has left us here to serve in the Christian ambassadorship. This foreign territory we know as “Earth” is our mission field. We cannot be intimidated into silence by liberals, modernists, and atheists. We cannot compromise or water-down the AUTHORITY OF GOD’S PRESERVED WORD, though it will cost us our popularity with man. We cannot live a life of carnality, or a life pleasing the ol’ devil. God is there with us in the presence of His indwelling Holy Spirit. In the Pauline epistles, the Lord has revealed His will to us in the Dispensation of Grace. In Christ, we have been blessed with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places. Serve the Lord while there is still time, while you have the capacity to do so. Refuse to sit back as our world slips farther away into false teaching. Continue to labor “to make all men see.” Get into the Scriptures and study them. Learn solid dispensational doctrine, and tell others of the wonderful news: they can be saved by grace through faith, and they can be a reflection of the heavenly places, too!“As Christians, the Homeland we reflect here on Earth will one day be the Homeland we behold in Heaven.”
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