Rejoice in the first resurrection - today

Hello Wonderful Church Family: Jesus tells us in Luke 20:38, that God is not the God of the dead, He is God of the living. Jesus also tells us in Luke 20:37, that God is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  Therefore, we can rejoice in the truth that Abraham, Isaac and Jacob are presently living, they are included in the sons of the resurrection in Luke 20:36, living eternally with the Son of God before the throne of God in heaven.

Hold fast to this great promise that Jesus is declaring to us.  Abraham, Isaac and Jacob are presently alive with God even before the second resurrection. They have been made alive spiritually.  They have experienced the first resurrection.  This first resurrection is spiritual and only believers will experience that resurrection, from spiritual death to life.  Before submitting to the Lordship of Christ, we were dead in our trespasses and sins, but Christ has made us alive with Him.  Even when we were dead in our trespasses and sins, we were made alive with Christ, and seated us with him in heavenly places in Jesus Christ (Eph. 2:1-7). That is the first resurrection (Rev. 20:5).  And because the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in us, He who raised Jesus from the dead also gives life to our mortal bodies (Romans 8:10-11).  We have already experienced the first resurrection as believers so that we will never experience the second death – which is a spiritual death.  

Paul speaks often of the assurance that comes with the first resurrection.  Paul confidently says based on these promises, “to die is gain and to depart is to be with Christ.”  Paul’s desire was to “depart and be with Christ, for that is far better” (Phil. 1:21-23).  He would rather “be away from the body and be home with the Lord (2 Cor. 5:8).”  What a glorious promise Jesus gives us as He paints the picture of the millennial reign of Christ in Revelation 20.  As a believer, participants in the first resurrection, we are presently living under the reign of Christ right now in His kingdom.  The Kingdom of God is the reign of God in the hearts and lives of those who love Him.  The Kingdom of God is the place where what God wants done – gets done.  Does that describe your heart - God getting done what He wants done?  Followers of Christ are reigning with Him right now in heaven and on earth.  Followers of Christ have already experienced the first resurrection (Rev.20:4).  

What about the second resurrection?  The second resurrection comes at the end of the millennial reign of Christ at His second advent, His return.  Jesus promises that followers of Christ will receive a glorified eternal body to meet our already alive eternal soul in God’s presence (1 Cor. 15:50-55).  We reign with Christ now during His millennial reign and we will reign with Him with glorified bodies at the second resurrection when we receive our spiritual bodies.  These same promises are echoed and intensified again in Revelation 20, where Jesus reveals to John that when a soul leaves an earthly body, during the process that we call death, the soul ascends to heaven where they experience a greater intensity of life and blessing - eternal life.  Physical death on earth for believers always results in immediate eternal life spiritually in heaven.  This is the message of Jesus in Revelation 20, when Jesus talks about the millennium.  This message is to remind us of our guaranteed victory in this world.  We are more than conquerors, even over death. Physical death on earth ONLY brings eternal life in heaven!
 
Revelation 20:6 Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power…