26 Mar 2013
Revelation 1:5
Revelation 1:5: “And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,”
Jesus is the first-begotten of the dead: He was the first one to be resurrected. So far He is the only one to be resurrected and receive a glorified body. Enoch was translated so that he never died, but he has not yet received his glorified body (since, if he had, Jesus would not have been the first!). The same can be said for Elijah, who was also taken up without dying.
One day this situation will change. As the apostle Paul taught, when the Lord returns for us we will all be changed:
I Corinthians 15:51: “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.”
A full discussion of this event is beyond the scope of this post. The point is that, as Jesus was raised from the dead, so one day those who were saved will also be raised from the dead. As Jesus has been given His glorified body, so one day we will be given ours as well.
That day is coming. No one knows when it will be, or how near it is. This is how Paul looked at it:
Romans 13:11: “And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.
12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.”