#60
THE VOICE OF
THE SON OF GOD
(Part 5)
Contents:
THE RESURRECTION
THE FIRST AND LAST ADAM
UNTO RESURRECTION
THE RESURRECTION
The "RESURRECTION" has been one of the dearest teachings known to the church, and it should be. Paul said in one place: "But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But He did not raise Him if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men. But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man" (I Cor. 15:12-21, NIV).
The resurrection is indeed a cherished teaching, but it is apparent that very little is understood about it, and I believe that what is written upon the pages of this publication only scratches the surface of its deep truths. For the more I write on this thought, the more I see, and the more I see, the more I see that I see not. Nevertheless, let us venture into it and allow the Spirit of truth to illumine our hearts.
THE FIRST AND LAST ADAM
In the RESURRECTION of JESUS, THE LAST ADAM, we can see the UTTER DESTRUCTION of THE FIRST ADAM. The first Adam, who Paul said was a figure of the last Adam (Rom. 5:14), cast a dark shadow over the earth; while the last Adam now shines as the Day Star in that foreboding place. More and more He shines into the grave of this dark world, ever shining unto the dawn of the perfect day (II Ptr. 1:19, Prov. 4:18).
Clearly the last Adam came in like fashion of the first Adam, but even though He was made similar to the first -- Jesus was much more, and in this, He initiated the reversal of it all: The first Adam was raised from the earth and lived, then he died. The last Adam was lowered from heaven and died, then He lived. The first Adam was the negative deathblow to creation, while the last Adam was the positive breath of life to the same. Where the first Adam from beneath failed, the last Adam from above was victorious. Whatever the first Adam did, the Last Adam came to change it forever.
The first Adam was formed from the dust of the ground and the breath of life was breathed into his nostrils, and he lived. The last Adam was formed in the womb of Mary, or better, in the tomb of earth, and He died. He Died? How could the conception of Jesus have been death? Did He not pray for His Father to raise Him back to the Life He once had? "And now, O Father, glorify thou Me with Thine own self with the glory which I had with Thee before the world was" (Jn. 17:5). He was lowered from the glory of Life He had in the highest heavens into the confines of Adam's death, right down into the depths of the earth. He was conceived, as it were, in a tomb of clay. His journey began in the belly of humanity's rebellion, in the womb of Mary. You see, "Mary" is a Hebrew name which means "rebellion," and from there, from the belly of "Eve's rebellion," all death has come.
Jeremiah wrote about this unique way God had chosen to correct the wrong. In a dream he saw the great wonder of the Saviour being compassed by the death of humanity's womb, but rather than death proceeding from the womb -- LIFE:
"...The LORD hath created a new thing in the earth, A WOMAN SHALL COMPASS A MAN. For [by the Seed from her belly] I have satiated the weary soul, and I have replenished every sorrowful soul. Upon this I awaked, and beheld; and my sleep was sweet unto me" (Jer. 31:22,25,26) [brackets supplied]. Oh the wonder of it! A woman shall compass a man, and rather than death, Life is the fruit! The Fruit of Life, the Seed that begins in the depths of the woman and grows into a mighty Tree, is the source of her salvation. The one who was in the transgression, the woman, is saved from her sin in this childbearing (I Tim. 2:14-15). In the beginning the seed of sin descended into her womb, and the tree of death grew up from that fertile ground and overshadowed the whole world. At the end of the age the Seed of righteousness descended into a similar womb and also grew and overshadowed the world, yet this tree was the tree of Life. Our dear friend, Maxine Roby, reminded us of what Paul said about this: "Wherefore He saith, When He ascended up on high, He led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. Now that He ascended, what is it but that HE ALSO DESCENDED FIRST INTO THE LOWER PARTS OF THE EARTH?" (Eph. 4:8-9). And this is not all. The Psalm he quoted from has Jesus not only receiving gifts for men in general, but for the REBELLIOUS ALSO: "Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive: thou hast received gifts for men; yea, FOR THE REBELLIOUS ALSO, that the LORD God might dwell among them" (Psa. 68:18).
Jesus descended first into the womb of death's origin, but it could not hold Him the way it had the first Adam. When He was delivered from Rebellion's womb, death was laid waste. Everywhere He went -- all the way to the grave -- He rendered helpless man's last enemy. We first see Him descending into the lower parts of the earth in Mary, in Eve the mother of all the living dead, and His ascending from that dark place signified total victory. Everything incorporating rebellion and the fall compassed Him round about, but upon ascending from there He led it all captive.
His thirty-three years was a progressive journey from death to life, the reverse of the first Adam. It was said of the first, "...In the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die" (Gen. 2:17). More accurately from the Hebrew it would read, ...IN DYING, YOU SHALL DIE. In this, as Margit related, since Adam did not fall over dead the moment he ate the fruit of the tree, it is easy to see that HIS DEATH WAS A PROCESS, a process that took 930 years to complete. In a fashion as the first, but in reverse, it can be said of the last Adam, "IN LIVING, YOU SHALL LIVE." Living is a process, even with Jesus. In living, Jesus progressively lived until it was time to descend into the lower parts of the earth called the grave, of which His initial conception foreshadowed. From there he could then ascend with gifts of Life and give them to men.
At the moment of His conception in the bowels of humanity's rebellion, His progression began. After the proper time He was delivered from that earthen womb. He then continued His predestined journey to the bowels of the grave, from which He was also delivered. In a figure we see Him entering the womb of fallen creation to captivate that by which He was captivated. While His body lay in the tomb He did the same, He preached to the spirits in prison and led them captive, all who had long awaited the tone of His wonderful voice. And has it not been the same with you and me? He also descended into the lower parts of our earth; and from there He is leading captivity captive. With Him we are Living -- IN LIVING, WE SHALL LIVE unto that perfect day of resurrection.
Due to sin, the first Adam died. He was driven to a lower realm, outside the Garden, with the beasts of the field. In like manner, yet without sin, the last Adam was lowered into that same place of death HE WAS BORN IN THE STABLE, THE ABODE OF THE BEASTS OF THE FIELD, the lowest realm of humanity.
The first Adam, after he was formed from the dust of the ground, was placed in the Garden of Eden (a protected place of pleasure, Heb.), and He was told to eat. The last Adam, after he was formed in the "tomb" of Mary, was laid in a manger TO BE EATEN. Listen to this, He was not placed in the Garden of Pleasure, as was the first man -- but in A MANGER! He was laid in a manger, a FEED-TROUGH for the beasts of the field. He was not told to eat for He came not to eat but to be eaten. Did He not tell the beasts to eat? Yes He did. He said, "I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is My flesh, which I will give for the life of the world...Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink His blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth My flesh, and drinketh My blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. He that eateth My flesh, and drinketh My blood, dwelleth in Me, and I in him" (Jn. 6:51,53,54,56).
If Jesus had been in the fullness of the first Adam, from the earth, earthy, He would to this day be nothing more than hay and stubble in the feed-trough of humanity, and in eating of that lower realm of the earth, the groaning creation would remain as the beasts of the field. Your thinking can be changed by the influence of the natural man, but your nature -- NEVER! It takes the higher nature that none of us were born with from our mother's womb.
But praise God! Jesus was more than the beasts of the stable wherein He was born, or more accurately, wherein He was lowered into death. He was more than the first man, earthy, who received life -- He gave life! He was the Lord from Heaven! He was made a quickening spirit! (II Cor. 15:45,47)! Brethren, once you have eaten this manna, you will never be the same. It far surpasses anything the religious dogmas, creeds, doctrines, and rituals have ever given. Regardless of the swelling imaginations in the traducing church of this present age, the difference is unfathomable.
The first Adam was FORMED, HE LIVED, was PLACED IN THE GARDEN, HE ATE, and then HE DIED. The last Adam was FORMED, HE DIED, was LAID IN A MANGER, TO BE EATEN, and He LIVED. He turned everything the first Adam did upside down. The first Adam was raised from the earth and lived, the last Adam was lowered into the earth and died. The first Adam ate from the tree of knowledge and died, the last Adam ate from every Word that proceeds from the mouth of God and Lived and whosoever eats the Living flesh and quickening blood of He who came and was laid in the manger for the bread of the world shall also Live. Great God Almighty! Can you see the tremendous impact this Living one, Jesus, the last Adam, shall ultimately have upon creation? It is beyond human comprehension! Nevertheless, the Spirit sees it and rejoices. How about you? Are you rejoicing? Hopefully, yes.
The apostle Paul penned some of the most profound truths concerning the purpose of Jesus. They are so profound that the carnal minds of religion fail to hear it. More accurately, they REFUSE to hear it. Simple truths as the following sail over their scholarly heads like swallows darting about in the setting sun: "For since BY MAN CAME DEATH, BY MAN CAME ALSO THE RESURRECTION OF THE DEAD. For as IN ADAM ALL DIE, even so IN CHRIST SHALL ALL BE MADE ALIVE" (I Cor. 15:21-22). And have we forgotten what he wrote to the Ephesians? Some may have, but the hearing ones have not -- We remember well: "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: 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" (Eph. 1:10-11).
When we look through the scope of death, it sometimes appears to be too immense, too dark, too evil, to be destroyed in everyone. "Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, WHO IS THE FIGURE OF HIM THAT WAS TO COME. But not as the offense, so also is the free gift. For if through the offense of one many be dead, MUCH MORE the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many (Rom. 5:14-15).
This is such a clear word that nothing additional should have to be said about it; but for those who may not yet see this, I will say a little. I do not speak to the willingly ignorant, for it matters not what is said, how it is said, or by what Spirit it is said they will not hear the truth of the matter until the purging fires of hell singe their plumed feathers of religious grandeur. But I speak to anyone who desires the truth, and will consider the words contained herein.
Whenever types, shadows, examples, and figures are used, such as ADAM being the FIGURE of JESUS, there is something that always stands true. The thing that the figure points to is of much more weight and value than the figure. That which fulfills the figure always does much more than what the figure itself can ever hope to do, and Paul mentioned this fact in the following verse: "(Adam) WHO IS THE FIGURE OF HIM THAT WAS TO COME. But not as the offense, so also is the free gift. For if through the offense of one many be dead, MUCH MORE the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many (Rom. 5:14-15). MUCH MORE! MUCH MORE, dear saints of God! And once again -- MUCH MORE THE GRACE OF GOD! You men of the earth, you carnal minded creatures of the dirt, how can you in your wildest imaginations believe that the paltry will of the dust is mightier than the Majesty from the heavens? If you can't see this simple truth, just let it be until you do.
Paul continued with his quill, to seal this great truth of the ages: "For if by one man's offense death reigned by one; MUCH MORE they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in LIFE BY ONE, Jesus Christ. Therefore as by the offense of one judgment came upon ALL MEN to condemnation; EVEN SO by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon ALL MEN unto justification of life. For as by one man's disobedience MANY were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall MANY be made righteous. Moreover the law entered, that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did MUCH MORE abound. That as sin hath reigned unto death, EVEN SO might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord" (Rom. 5:17-21).
The traduced minds of carnal religion may contend for their tradition, that many more will be eternally lost than saved. In effect they are boasting that the work of the first Adam is much more powerful than the Last's. Their arguments may smack with scholarly knowledge; nevertheless, their defense cannot stand in the presence of Truth. The work of the Last Adam, as our beloved brother Paul so eloquently wrote, DID MUCH MORE ABOUND! The MANY, the ALL, that died as a result of the offense of one, is the same MANY, the ALL, that shall live in the abounding grace of God through Jesus Christ. It is clear that ALL DIED IN ADAM, EVEN SO, ALL SHALL BE MADE ALIVE IN CHRIST (I Cor. 15:22). We may not see it completed today, but we do see that what the first Adam did, the last Adam will correct. The Lord of Life will reign until He puts every enemy under His feet, with the last enemy, DEATH, being UTTERLY DESTROYED forever, and God becomes ALL in ALL. (I Cor. 15:25-28).
Our good friend, Tim McCurdy, with tongue in cheek asks this: "Do you know what 'ALL' means in the Greek? It means 'ALL.'" He is absolutely right. If we wanted to, we couldn't get around the equal balance of the ALL who die in Adam being the same ALL who are made alive in Christ.
The first Adam was raised from the earth, destroyed life, and died. The last Adam was lowered from the heavens, destroyed death, and lived. THE FIRST MAN became THE FIRST DEATH, for he destroyed life. THE SECOND MAN became THE SECOND DEATH, for He also destroyed something. He destroyed death. The second death puts to death the first death. The only thing that can destroy the first death is the Life, the Light, the Fire of Christ and this is what Jesus went about doing until He completely swallowed it up in His resurrection, which we see as an example in the transfiguration.
UNTO RESURRECTION
In type we see Jesus born in that lower realm of humanity and laid in the manger for all to eat His flesh and drink His blood. From there He worked His way to the highest echelon of men from the end of the Jordan River at the mouth of the Dead Sea, to the top of Mount Hermon, the birth place of its deadly source. His first audience was the beasts in the stable -- His last, just prior to His crucifixion, was the chief priests, king Herod, and Pilate. Between the two extremes, He moved in the midst of all the others, and He openly displayed what the end result would be.
From the tail of that descending river to its head, where Adam's death upon creation began, and into the middle of its belly, the Sea of Galilee, Jesus, the last Adam, walked over death and turned it around. After His baptism in the Jordan, He did not enter into the pleasant garden of paradise that the first Adam enjoyed, for it could not to be found. Man nor beast, fowl nor fish, tree nor blade could find that place of joy, for it was securely protected by the Cherubim's and a flaming sword which turned every way. The first Adam was removed from the garden and sent back to the ground from whence he was taken. It was in that torrid place, the wilderness void of life, that in dying, he died. This is where Jesus was also sent into the depth of that wilderness but to right the wrong of the one who came in the figure of Him, yet not in His name. Where the first man failed while in the bliss of paradise, the last one was victorious in the midst of its ruin.
Once the mission of this test had been completed in victory, He then gathered the twelve to Himself and laid out the path for them follow. During their three and a half years with Jesus, they not only saw what was in store for themselves but also for the world that had fallen in Adam's death utter destruction. They saw in type the overcoming and utter destruction of the first Adam and his consuming kingdom of death. They saw everything of the first destroyed by the transfiguring light and fire of the compassing Sun/Son of God.
It is not a hard thing to see that the first Adam represented the whole of humanity, and it shouldn't be any harder to see how the last Adam does the same, but it evidently is for many. The leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees has done its artful work in blinding many eyes with their creeds, traditions, dogmas, and doctrines. The truth is, their "churches" have become whited sepulchers full of dead men's bones. Many are dying due to the lack of a living Word, of hearing the Voice of the Son of God. In starvation, their diet has therefore been reduced to the knowledge of stubborn man's carnal reasoning asses' heads. They know not what resurrection is, other than what their imaginations have formed in their dusty minds. Resurrection does not come to carnal men at the snap of the finger, regardless of how pious or religiously law abiding they may be. Resurrection comes to those who are first salted with fire, they pass through it in victory to the other side; and then, according to the Spirit of holiness, death is overcome. This triumph of Life over death is the declaration of being the sons of God (Rom. 1:4). There is not enough weight to the words from our own lips to constitute such a declaration, but there is more than enough with the manifestation of the Spirit of holiness and the rising in power from death.
Brethren, whether I am the first to tell you or not, please know this resurrection comes after one passes through the extreme test of fire and death. It came in such a manner with our Lord, and it will come likewise with they who follow the Lamb whithersoever He goeth. Our forerunner went first into the earth of Mary and died to the glory He had with the Father before the world was, and so have we: "...It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment" (Heb. 9:27).
Some may not like it, but the fact remains, every soul has had their death-warrant delivered. There is no escaping it. Those who overcome may escape the grave (I Cor. 15:51-54), but they won't escape death. We all came into it the moment of our conception in Adam. You see, dying is not necessarily sleeping with a blanket of earth covering our decaying bodies. The grave is only the end result of that initial stroke of death we received in Adam. If the fire of Christ and the power of His Life does not apprehend us, we shall, however, also sleep with our forefathers and not receive the end promise of resurrection in this lifetime. Even so, whether we are changed after the grave or we are changed while standing, we know that they who overcome shall not suffer loss by the Second Death (Rev. 2:11, 20:6). You see, they will have already been salted by His refining fire, with their wood, hay, and stubble swallowed up in flames of glory. They shall be in the first resurrection with judgment given to them. They shall reign as priests of God and of Christ, but the rest of the dead shall not live again until the second resurrection. (Rev. 20:4-6).
Those who are in the second resurrection will find themselves in the lake of fire WHICH IS THE SECOND DEATH! And who is this Second Death? Is it not the Fire of God JESUS CHRIST? To be frank with you, dear people, there is no escaping Christ, the Second Death, no more than you could have escaped Adam, the first death. The first death was appointed by God, and so is the second death. Some know it on this side of the grave, and the others will know it on the other side.
The uneducated, the willingly ignorant, and the deceived populace of the church proudly boast that while they are secure in their vain imaginations, the majority of Adam and those in his kingdom will suffer the flames of hell's roaring fire throughout eternity. In this, they disregard the equal balance of God: "For as in Adam ALL die, EVEN SO in Christ shall ALL be made alive" (I Cor. 15:22); and in the dispensation of the fulness of times He will gather together IN ONE all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in Him, who works all things after the counsel of His own will (Eph. 1:10-11). And please, search it out as the noble Bereans did and see what God's will is for mankind, and know that His hands are not tied by the will of His own creation. What an absurd thought. Men are not so foolish to knowingly create something they cannot ultimately control, and God is certainly not. Only in the eyes of those who deem themselves more wise than He, will tell you such nonsense; and people who welcome these fabrications enjoy an evil report above a good report.
On the other hand, there are those who lust after the things of the flesh and the pride of life that believe God is sovereign, that He will eventually bring every soul into Christ. They conclude that since God is going to save everyone, they might as well live like the devil while they have the opportunity. But they too miss the mark by a wide margin. When any truth of God is received by the intellect of the carnal mind rather than by the Spirit of revelation, the truth is traduced and the word works death in them rather than life. When this happens, sin moves into the camp, and rather than overcoming it, they give themselves to it and receive its exacting wages -- death. There is no progression toward the goal of the prize of the high calling in Christ. They slide deeper into the mire of corruptible flesh without a hint of Christ's overcoming life. "These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds they are without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots" (Jude 1:12). Brethren, "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting" (Gal 6:7-8).
The path Jesus took was T-H-R-O-U-G-H the fires of temptation. He did not homestead there once He was told that it was pleasant to the eye, delicious to the taste, and would make one wise. He did not think a presumptuous, flesh-tickling thought, that He was the Son of God, and His Father would wink at such sin, and He would take care of it in due season if He chose to. Absolutely not! He overcame the burning desire of it and went all the way to the end, even to the grave, and He overcame it as well. He overcame both, the sin which would produce the harvest of death, and death itself. Praise God for such a Lamb to follow! And follow, we shall, if indeed, we have heard from the heavens and not the earth.
"Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live" (John 5:25). The testimony of Jesus is true, that all who have ever heard the sweet Voice of the Son were lifted from their appointment of death and lived; but "Marvel not at this," as He went on to say, "for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear His voice, And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto THE RESURRECTION OF LIFE; and they that have done evil, unto THE RESURRECTION OF DAMNATION" (John 5:28-29).
THE RESURRECTION OF DAMNATION is something worthy to examine, but there is so much to cover concerning this promising subject, we will not try to include it in this study. Lord willing, we will look somewhat into it in our next issue.
Elwin R. Roach
To receive our monthly studies in booklet form, write to:
The Pathfinder
Elwin & Margit Roach
PO Box 4004
Alamogordo, NM 88311-4004