Heavens first law is order

“For as all in Adam die, even so shall all in Christ be made alive, but each one in his own order: Christ the first-fruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming (parousia: presence).” 1 Cor 15:22, 23

As ALL of Adam’s posterity were counted in as sharers in his sin and thus in his condemnation this irrespective of their own will, so ALL DIE. Even so (in the same sense, and to the same extent) in Christ, our Lord having taking the place of father Adam as the ransom sacrifice he not only purchased (redeemed) Adam, but likewise ALL of his posterity (this likewise irrespective of their own wills), thus ALL shall be made alive.

God would not permit more than one member of the human race to be tried and sentenced to death; for his purpose from the beginning was that the sacrifice of one life should redeem the entire human race. If two or more separate individuals had sinned and involved the race, it would have required just as many redeemers, according to the divine law, one man’s life for one man’s life. (Deut. 19:21) As all the world came into the death condition by one man’s disobedience, so all are to be rescued from death conditions by the obedience of another one.

None however will be made alive in the full, complete sense in which the word “alive” is here used in 1 Cor 15:22, except those who in this age become the Redeemer’s Bride, or in the next age, become his children.

Every man in his own order

There is to be an order in Christ’s work of life-giving. Every man who receives life will belong to one or another of these orders. God divides the salvation of mankind into two parts–the Church to spirit nature and the world to perfected human nature.

1) Christ the first fruits: The Christ, Head and Body, Christ Jesus himself being the first-fruit of all, and we who are begotten of the Father through him, “Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of first-fruits of his creatures.” (James 1:18) These shall be the first in order of those resurrected.

Note: The Church of the First Born includes the whole Church, the Little Flock, the priestly class and the Great Company (just the same as the tribe of Levi were counted in as altogether representing the first born of Israel, not only the priests), all of these are thus considered the first fruits and having received the imputation of the merit of Christ.

2) Afterward: Or, next in order, during the thousand years of Christ’s reign, the millennial age. They that are Christ’s at his presence (Greek, parousia): The human order brought to perfection as members of the great restitution class. Mankind will become Christ’s children by the full consecration of themselves.

According to the Scriptures there is to be a resurrection of THE JUST and a resurrection of THE UNJUST (John 5:28, 29), but as in all circumstances according to divine order. The good, the just; are those who will take part in the “resurrection to life”, and the unjust those who will take part in the “resurrection of judgment”, mistranslated in the Common Version “resurrection of damnation.”

Now even within the two resurrections mentioned there is an order of things. In respects to the first resurrection we read that the dead in Christ (the sleeping saints) shall rise first and then we that remain will join them immediately (in the twinkling of an eye) upon the faithful completion of our consecration, having been proven faith until death (1 Thess 4:16, 17; 1 Cor 15:51, 52; Rev 2:10).

Included in the first resurrection, the resurrection of life will be three classes:

The first will be the Church, the first-fruits of the spiritual kingdom, who will experience an instantaneous resurrection to the highest form of life that of the divine or immortal nature.

Following shortly thereafter, that is after the marriage and the presentation of the bride before the Father in heaven will come the resurrection of the Great Company class (also included in as part of the first fruit class) who although felling to make their calling and election sure nevertheless refused to deny their Lord, and as such having passed through great tribulation (some in the past, some presently and some during the great tribulation coming upon the world) washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb and as such will likewise receive an instantaneous resurrection to perfection, howbeit to a much lower plane of existence than their faithful overcoming brethren. These will be resurrected as spirit beings similar to angels.

However unlike their faithful brethren these will not be instantaneously resurrected immediately upon death, but must await there until following the glorification of the Church, and the marriage of bride and the bridegroom, after which they will be resurrected and invited to the “marriage supper of the Lamb” (Rev 7:14; Rev 19:9).

Next to be resurrected as part of the resurrected to life class will be the faithful of the past, The Ancient Worthies, justified by faith, who will likewise experience an instantaneous resurrection to life. They are the first fruits of the earthly phase of the Kingdom.

Next or “afterward” will come “They that are Christ’s at his presence” the unjust, the world of mankind who will take part in the resurrection of judgement.

Continued with next post.