65 - Les Feldick Bible Study Lesson 2 - Part 1 - Book 6 - First Fruits

https://lesfeldickbiblestudy.com LESSON 2 * PART 1 * BOOK 6 FIRST FRUITS: GLEANINGS: OLD TESTAMENT SAINTS: RESURRECTION You remember regarding that generation of humanity; God dealt with them as one race of people. They all had an equal opportunity at God's Salvation. The great faith chapter in The Bible tells us that by faith Abel brought a more excellent sacrifice than Cain. Then, God forced their scattering by the confusing of the languages. What does God do? It was at this point that God leaves off dealing with what we now refer to as the Gentiles, or non-Jew. God begins dealing with the Jew only, but with exceptions. Nineveh. You remember God told that good Jew, Jonah, to go and minister to that Gentile city of Nineveh. Anyway, from 2000 B.C. then, all the way up into the New Testament, it is primarily God dealing with the Nation of Israel - Jew only. It's based on the Covenant and promises God made with Abraham. This calling out a people for His name. The Bride, or what Paul normally refers to so often, as the Body of Christ. The Church, which is His body, or the Body, which is the Church. We've had several people ask that we spend a little time on our end-time view. I remember reading a pastor who was certainly bound up in what I call the fundamental definition of resurrection (visible, bodily). I read as he reviewed that man's sermon that, yes, he talked about Resurrection, but he had no concept of a visible, bodily Resurrection. His definition of resurrection was just something into an invisible spirit realm and that he totally rejected the genuine Resurrection as most of us understand it to be. So, I think in order to clarify for some that might not be real sure about the bodily Resurrection of Christ, as well as our own resurrection some day, we're going to look at what The Bible calls the first resurrection. Let's turn to John's Gospel, Chapter 5 and let's look at verse 28. Here, Jesus is speaking during His earthly ministry: John 5:28-29 Let's read on) ;they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life, and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation." Now, how many resurrections have you got? Two! You've got the resurrection of the just, (the believers) but you're also going to have the resurrection of the lost. Many people don't realize that. Well, you could teach that people will go to Heaven by doing good. ...Without faith, Hebrews says, it is impossible to please God." The resurrection of believers (the just), and a resurrection of the lost. Next, we'll look at the resurrection of the believers. This chapter deals with nothing but resurrection. Now, they were cremated and God is going to have no trouble resurrecting them. Now, Paul teaches that throughout I Corinthians Chapter 15. Now, let's go to I Corinthians Chapter 15 and verse 20: I Corinthians 15:20 "But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the first fruits of them that slept." We're going to look at this first resurrection. Remember, this first resurrection is primarily attached to this Rapture of the Church. That's a coined word. It's that up-calling of the living believers as well as the resurrection of the Church Age believers. Now , you have to remember that back here in Israel's ancient history, they were primarily an agricultural people. Leviticus 23:9,10 "And the LORD spake unto Moses saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, 'When ye be come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf (bundle) of the first fruits of your harvest unto the priest.'" Wheat farmers understand this. Now, Paul says here in I Corinthians 15 that Christ has become the 'first fruits' (plural). What were these people who came out of the grave while Christ was on the Cross. Matthew 27:50,51 Christ is on the Cross and He has just yielded up the Ghost (He has died). Matthew 27:52,53 "And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared to many." "And the graves were opened, and many bodies of the saints (believers, believing Jews) which slept arose. Came out of the graves after his resurrection. We've only covered the first one and that's what Paul refers to here in I Corinthians as the first fruits of resurrection. Now, the Scripture is silent on them, but if they were resurrected, then naturally Christ had to taken them up on into glory. I Corinthians 15:20,21 "But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the first fruits of them that slept. 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." (who have died physically). Why does there have to be a resurrection? Verse 21:"For since by man came death (back in the Garden of Eden) so also came the resurrection of the dead. #LesFeldick #BibleStudy #Bible