"Baptized For The Dead"?

I Corinthians 15:29

Now if there is no Resurrection, what will those do who are baptized for the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptized for them?

This is a very confusing passage. After researching quite a few resources, I must agree with Wikipedia that, "The meaning of that phrase is an open question among scholars."

I think that the most reasonable explanation is that the city of Corinth was a major crossroads of many other regions and faiths, and the Greek that is used here translates as, "Why are they baptized for the dead?" referring to some other cult the Corinthians were familiar with. Baptizing for the dead has never been a Judeo-Christian concept at all, let alone a practice, considering the view of personal responsibility taught throughout Scripture. But even the Pagans that have this practice are relying on the fact of Resurrection, giving secular validity to this teaching.

So we will all rise after we die, either to stand before Christ's Seat of Judgment for rewards, or to face the Great White Throne Judgment to determine the depth of suffering to endure through eternity.

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

The All-In-All

I Corinthians 15:27-28

For He "Has put everything under His feet" (Psalm 8:6).

God the Father has made Jesus Lord over all the Creation, the whole Universe and the Angelic Host in Heaven and in Hell.

Now when it says that "everything" has been put under Him, it is clear that this does not include God Himself, Who put everything under Christ.

Obviously God the Father is not subject to Christ, Christ Jesus does the Father's will.

When He has done this, then, the Son Himself will be made subject to Him who put everything under Him, so that God may be all in all.

God is everything: He thought and spoke all creation into existence, and we all "live and move and have our being" inside Him (Acts 17:28), as though we are His imagination, and if He wasn't thinking about us all the time, we would cease to exist! He will eventually show Himself to be everything, The All-In-All (Revelation 21 & 22, especially 21:22-23). And if we're not Resurrected, how could we partake and enjoy this eternity!?!

These two verses follow the ones about King Jesus' Millennial Reign on this Earth, and refer to the New Heaven and New Earth that will last forever.

After this, Paul goes back to his defense of the reasonableness and logic of Resurrection.

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

God's Tough Love

Ezekiel 3:1-15

And He said to me, "Son of man, eat what is before you, eat this scroll; then go and speak to the people of Israel." So I opened my mouth, and He gave me the scroll to eat.
Then He said to me, "Son of man, eat this scroll I am giving you and fill your stomach with it." So I ate it, and it tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth.

God's Word is always a delight to me when I approach it with anticipation, as my Father's "love letter" to me; it tasted as sweet as honey to his taste. Even when God is revealing how His heart is breaking, with lament and mourning and woe, it is still sweet to consume and digest.

Then He said to me: "Son of man, go now to the people of Israel and speak My words to them."

Now that Ezekiel has consumed all the sorrow and heartbreak God has for His people, now he is ready to go speak to them. Not in anger or harshness, but in a spirit of compassion, inviting them into the right paths of thinking and acting, to turn around from the ways that have already resulted in capture, deportation and bondage.

"You are not being sent to a people of obscure speech and strange language, but to the people of Israel--not to many peoples of obscure speech and strange language, whose words you cannot understand."

God is not sending Ezekiel to the other national people in Babylon where he is, but only to his own Hebrew people, the family God chose to be His own.

"Surely if I had sent you to them, they would have listened to you."

These other nations did not have the advantages God gave to Israel, but even so, if Ezekiel had been sent to them, they would have been more open to listening to him and believing what he said.

"But the people of Israel are not willing to listen to you because they are not willing to listen to Me, for all the Israelites are hardened and obstinate."

God is saying that His people Israel have been jaded, having had God's word given to them so freely for so long, that they have become blind and deaf, unwilling to obey. They just figure that they've "been there, done that" already.

"But I will make you as unyielding and hardened as they are. I will make your forehead like the hardest stone, harder than flint. Do not be afraid of them or terrified by them, though they are a rebellious people."

He will strengthen Ezekiel to be able to withstand all the attacks and mistreatment he will be facing, without giving in or giving up. (We need to also remember that "He Who is in us is greater than he that is in the world.")

And He said to me, "Son of man, listen carefully and take to heart all the words I speak to you. Go now to your people in exile and speak to them. Say to them, 'This is what the Sovereign Lord says,' whether they listen or fail to listen."

God wants Ezekiel to be sure to get His message right, in both the words themselves, and the spirit in which they are given. All these people of God who have been carried off into exile in Babylon need this encouragement, even though they are still rebelling against what they consider God's unfairness to them. Apparently there were some who would listen, but they would be outnumbered by those who refuse to listen.

Then the Spirit lifted me up, and I heard behind me a loud rumbling sound as the glory of the Lord rose from the place where it was standing. It was the sound of the wings of the living creatures brushing against each other and the sound of the wheels beside them, a loud rumbling sound.

As God and His retinue begin to depart, Ezekiel hears the noise of all the moving parts, and again it sounds like a troupe of motorcycles roaring down the street. (see my blog of 8/12/16) 

The Spirit then lifted me up and took me away, and I went in bitterness and in the anger of my spirit, with the strong hand of the Lord on me.

Ezekiel now must go and carry out what he has been commissioned to do, knowing that it will be a "hard row to hoe." He is willing to do this, and must trust that God would do what He said He would do for him in withstanding the pressure he will face.

I came to the exiles who lived at Tel Aviv near the Kebar River. And there, where they were living, I sat among them for seven days--deeply distressed.

Ezekiel went to where the people were living and inserted himself among them, so they would see him and be aware of his presence. And he prepared himself to preach, knowing how negatively it will go.

This is a hard, difficult task that God gave Ezekiel to do. God's "tough love" for His people is shown in this message He will give His prophet to deliver.

I think about when my children were small, and I found it necessary to threaten capital punishment for their dangerous disobedience. I loved them too much to let them go their own foolish ways, and I wanted to direct them into better, more advantageous ways of reasoning, thinking and acting. I knew that if they didn't learn these better ways, then their adult lives would be hard, poor and unhealthy.

How much more does God love us, His own creation, and wants us to learn to do right, to do good to one another, and trust Him to direct us into the ways to cooperate with how He designed this World to work. Then He will be able to bless us with the results of our actions, in prosperity, good health and long life, with the ability to enjoy each day. And then to be given the authority to enjoy His own Presence for all eternity!

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

God's Magnificence And Heartbreak

Ezekiel 1:25- 2:10

We continue our study of Ezekiel's vision:

(v.22) Spread out above the heads of the living creatures was what looked something like a vault, sparkling like crystal, and awesome.

Then there came a voice from above the vault over their heads as they stood with lowered wings. Above the vault over their heads was what looked like a throne of lapis lazuli (a sapphire stone), and high above on the throne was a figure like that of a man. I saw that from what appeared to be his waist up he looked like glowing metal, as if full of fire, and that from there down he looked like fire; and brilliant light surrounded him. Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around him. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. When I saw it, I fell facedown, and I heard the voice of one speaking.

This is how Ezekiel tried to describe what he saw, something indescribable. He uses the words "looked like," "like," "appearance," "as if" and "likeness of." And he was overwhelmed with the enormity of the glory and magnificence of it all. But even though he collapsed physically, he could still hear.

He said to me, "Son of man, stand up on your feet and I will speak to you." As He spoke, the Spirit came into me and raised me to my feet, and I heard Him speaking to me.

When God's Spirit came into him, he was strengthened and steadied to stand on his feet, in respect for the Majesty speaking to him.

He said: "Son of man, I am sending you to the Israelites, to a rebellious nation that has rebelled against Me; they and their ancestors have been in revolt against Me to this very day. The people to whom I am sending you are obstinate and stubborn. Say to them, 'This is what the Sovereign Lord says.' And whether they listen or fail to listen--for they are a rebellious people--they will know that a prophet has been among them. 

God is letting His prophet know that He is aware of Israel's degenerate condition, but He still wants him to tell them His message anyway, knowing that most of them will not listen.

And you, son of man, do not be afraid of them or their words. Do not be afraid, though briers and thorns are all around you and you live among scorpions. Do not be afraid of what they say or be terrified by them, though they are a rebellious people. You must speak My words to them, whether they listen or fail to listen, for they are rebellious. But you, son of man, listen to what I say to you. Do not rebel like that rebellious people;" 

God tells Ezekiel that he need not fear anything these people may throw at him, because they will not want to hear the Truth from him, and will oppose him. But do not succumb to their pressures, remain true to the God he knows will be with him.

"open your mouth and eat what I give you."

Then I looked, and I saw a hand stretched out to  me. In it was a scroll, which He unrolled before me. On both sides of it were written words of lament and mourning and woe.

God wants Ezekiel to ingest the words, the concepts and attitudes, inscribed on this scroll, both inside and outside. These reveal how God's heart is breaking and has been breaking for all the lies and deceptions that have enslaved His chosen people who He loves. 

God wants His beloved people to know Him and His ways, to realize that He wants only good for them, and not just good, but the very best, that will benefit them and bless them and prosper them. All we need to do is to listen to what He says to us, believe that He speaks the Truth, and follow the Maker's directions and instructions. 

Whenever we think that we are smart and know better and don't want "anyone" to tell us "what to do" or "how to live our lives," that's when we're listening to our enemy, the devil, Satan. He hates us and twists God's wonderful Truth into grotesque and disgusting concepts that enslave us into addictions of thinking processes and actions that destroy us. We may think that we're "doing all right," but this is only a temporary pleasure that will eventually end in misery and death. 

These Israelites that God sent Ezekiel to preach to, have already, for many generations, rejected God, being sucked into worshiping the idols of the peoples around them and the peoples that they replaced in their own land. God destroyed those nations because of all their degrading practices, and gave the land to Israel. Only to have Israel fall into the same lifestyles that reject the good, healthy ways of the Lord. So God removed them from the land, also, sending them into exile in Babylon.

God had them completely destroy some of the cities; all the men, women, children, babies, and even all the animals. Why? Probably to keep the diseases their lifestyles promoted from also infecting His people. Some of their despicable practices involved their animals and their children, and they may all have been infected. 

God chose Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their families to be a Nation who would display to all the other Nations how God's ways were so much better in every way than all the other ways; the ways of the world, the devil, and our own fallen flesh-nature. Their example was to draw those of the rest of the world into following God and His ways. 

So now He is sending Ezekiel to preach to them, to make sure that they know what they have done and are doing, so they will have the choice to follow God or not. He always gives us that choice. And to even tell them the consequences of whichever choice they make, so that they can never claim ignorance.

Let's continue this study.

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

God's Plan Of The Ages

I Corinthians 15:21-26

For since death came through a man,

This man was Adam.

the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man.

This is Christ Jesus, true man, born of a woman.

For as in Adam all die,

Because Adam sinned, disobeying God with full knowledge of what he was doing, this propensity to sin (sin-nature, or Original Sin) came through his genes to everyone else born into this human family.

So in Christ all will be made alive.

Every person will be raised to face judgment: Believers at Christ's Mercy Seat, or Bema Seat, for rewards; and unbelievers at the Great White Throne.

But each in his own turn:

Everything is orderly with God, according to His timetable.

Christ, the First Fruits;

He will fulfill all the six great Feasts God gave to Israel.

Then, when He comes, those who belong to Him.

When He comes and calls us out to meet Him in the clouds, to resurrect all His believers, living and dead.

Then the end will come,

The end of this world, at the end of King Jesus' one thousand year reign, at the Great Battle that results in the whole Earth exploding (see II Peter 3:10).

when He hands over the Kingdom to God the Father, after He has destroyed all dominion, authority and power.

Transitioning from King Jesus' reign on Earth to God the Father's Lordship over the New Earth (Revelation 21:1-3).

For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet.

This will be during Jesus' millennial reign on this Earth, and we are in our resurrection bodies as His kings and queens, ruling with Him.

The last enemy to be destroyed is Death.

So the people who go into this Millennial Reign in their human bodies will still be subject to death, though will probably not die of old age, but live out the original lifespans of humans before the Deluge.

Paul is laying out God's whole Plan of the Ages for this Earth, all of which is still future for him, and for us, too. But we can read the last page: we win!

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

Ezekiel's Wheels Within Wheels

Ezekiel 1:1-24

Ezekiel's Vision, The Four Living Creatures (Cherubim):

(vs.4-9) I looked and I saw a windstorm coming out of the North--an immense cloud with flashing lightning (a fire enfolding itself) and surrounded by brilliant light. The center of the fire looked like glowing metal, and in the fire was what looked like four living creatures. In appearance their form was human, but each of them had four faces and four wings. Their legs were straight; their feet were like those of a calf and gleamed like burnished bronze. Under their wings on their four sides they had human hands. All four of them had faces and wings, and the wings of one touched the wings of another. Each one went straight ahead; they did not turn as they moved.

Here we have their general description. I've been thinking about this, and I will share my impressions with you. You may have different ideas about these things, and I would be pleased to know and consider your views. Ezekiel has witnessed something that he has no words to describe. Today we have technology to make ourselves conveyances, driving and flying machines of many sorts.

These four Cherubim seem to me to be driving some kind of futuristic "machine" that goes even beyond what we today have devised. Let's hear more of what Ezekiel has to say.

(v. 10) Their faces looked like this: Each of the four had the face of a human being, and on the right side each had the face of a lion, and on the left the face of an ox, each also had the face of an eagle (on the back).

I can see this as these creatures wearing helmets that had markings and shapes resembling these animal faces on the sides, with the long face of an eagle to the back. (And who knows what kinds of electronics could be contained in these helmets.)

(vs. 11-14) Such were their faces. They each had two wings spreading out upward, each wing touching that of the creature on either side; and each had two other wings covering its body. Each one went straight ahead. Wherever the spirit would go, they would go, without turning as they went. In the midst of the living creatures there was what looked like burning coals of fire, like torches moving to and fro among the creatures; it was bright and lightning (sparks?) flashed out of it. The creatures sped back and forth like flashes of lightning.

Okay, the wings spreading out upward could possibly be propellers, and the wings covering its body could be their clothing, robe, uniform, armor, whatever. They seem to be forming a square, each creature looking out in each of the four directions, and they all move together, as fast as lightning. In the middle of this square was the furnace, or generator, or motor, or whatever, providing the power (spirit) to the creatures.

(vs. 15-18) As I looked at the living creatures, I saw a wheel on the ground beside each creature with its four faces. This was the appearance and structure of the wheels: they sparkled like topaz, and all four looked alike. Each appeared to be made like a wheel intersecting a wheel. As they moved they would go in any one of the four directions the creatures faced; the wheels did not change direction as the creatures went. Their rims were high and awesome, and all four rims were full of eyes all around.

Here we see the individual mechanisms by which these four creatures moved. Each one had his own "wheel within a wheel" that faced in his direction, so they didn't need to turn to change direction, they just powered up whichever "wheel" was facing that way. These "wheels" were impressive, and had "eyes" or lights all around the rim.

(vs. 19-21) When the living creatures moved, the wheels beside them moved; and when the living creatures rose from the ground, the wheels also rose. Wherever the spirit would go, they would go, and the wheels would rise along with them, because the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels. When the creatures moved, they also moved; when the creatures stood still, they also stood still; and when the creatures rose from the ground, the wheels rose along with them, because the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels.

So these cherubim each had his own "wheel" that was powered by the "generator" in the middle of their formation, and they all moved together, darting around in every direction, as fast as lightning.

(vs. 22-24) Spread out above the heads of the living creatures was what looked something like a vault, sparkling like crystal, and awesome. Under the vault their wings were stretched out one toward the other, and each had two wings covering its body. When the creatures moved, I heard the sound of their wings, like the roar of rushing waters, like the voice of the Almighty, like the tumult of an army. When they stood still they lowered their wings.

We'll look at this vault later, we're still discussing the living creatures' means of locomotion. When they raised their wings, or "propellers," the noise of them reminds me of the din of a race track, or a pack of motorcycles roaring down the street. Whatever these conveyances are, they seem to be marvelous things, even still beyond all the advanced technologies we can avail ourselves of today. 

Some people think that the "gods" over the Earth are ancient "astronauts" that came here from other planets of other solar systems, and they borrow from Ezekiel to describe them. But Ezekiel saw God's cherubim, who are spiritual beings of the angelic realm, not some advanced human-like civilization. And he also saw the Almighty God above them, Who spoke to him.

We need to realize that God is God, and His creation includes more than our Earth, our Universe; it includes His own Heaven and all the numerous and varied spirit creatures He made to populate it. Just because He has chosen to reveal to us a little of His realm doesn't mean that we know everything now. Far from it. Our Almighty God has no limits, as we have, and what He has done is so far and immense, way beyond anything that we can ever even imagine.

We'll continue to study this fascinating passage another day.

Even so, come, Lord Jesus.

The Basis Of Our Faith

I Corinthians 15:11-20

Continuing our study through this chapter:

Whether, then, it was I or they,

It doesn't matter which preacher, or which evangelist, preached this Truth.

This is what we preach,

The Truth never changes, no matter who told you, Truth is still true.

and this is what you believed.

These people in Corinth believed the Truth they were originally taught.

But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead,

If other preachers are still teaching you what you learned from us.

how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?

This is a contradiction.

If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised.

Either there is Resurrection of the dead, and it applies to all,or there isn't, and can't apply to anyone, even to Christ.

And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.

The whole of Christianity is based on the Resurrection of Christ: If He wasn't raised, then our whole faith is null and void, being based on a lie.

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.

So we would be spreading lies about God, and have deceived others into believing what would turn out to be not true.

But He did not raise Him if in fact the dead are not raised.

If it is true (a fact) that the dead will not be resurrected, then even Christ was not raised from the dead, either.

For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised, either.

Either the dead will be raised, including Christ having been raised, or no one, even Christ, will be raised. All or nothing.

And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile, you are still in your sins.

The Christian faith is based on the Death and Resurrection of Christ for the forgiveness of sins; if this teaching is false, then sins cannot be forgiven after all and we have no hope of New Birth or cleansing.

Then those, also, who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost.

And there would also be no hope for our loved ones who have been saved and died; we will all perish, with no hope at all.

If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men.

If our faith is only for living in this world, on this Earth now, then we are fools to be pitied, looking forward to destruction.

But

This word just erased everything before it!

Christ has indeed been raised from the dead,

The Truth cannot be denied.

The first fruits of those who have fallen asleep [died].

This is the First Fruits Feast fulfilled in Jesus Christ, the first who has been Resurrected of everyone who has ever or will ever die believing in Christ.

This is the lengthy, full argument explaining the importance of the basis of our faith. The Good News (Gospel) is that Jesus is God's Son, born as a genuine human baby, grew up just like we all grow up, then died as the Lamb of God, the sacrificial Lamb, to take our sinful human nature upon Himself on the Cross to pay in full our debt To God. Since we are the ones who deserve the death, not Him, then Death had no hold on Him; and God raised Him from the dead, with a new, Resurrection body, which looked similar to the body He grew up in, but had extraordinary qualities. Jesus' mortal body "put on" immortality, and showed us what we will be like when we also are Resurrected.

Paul discusses this Resurrection Body later in this chapter. 

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!