SONS OF THE RESURRECTION -- TO ATTAIN TO THE END OF DEATH

-> "And Jesus said to them, "The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage, but those who are
considered worthy to #ATTAIN to that #age and to the resurrection from the dead #neither marry nor are given
in marriage, for they cannot die anymore, because they are equal to angels and are sons of God, being #sons of
the #resurrection." (Luke 20:34-36)

-> "Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of #knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For
his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may #gain #Christ and
be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through
faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith—that I may #know him and the #power of his
resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may
ATTAIN the resurrection from the dead." (Philippians 3:8-11)

This is the focus, beloved. We have been "delivered from this present evil age" and are "tasting the powers of
the age to come" by the Holy Spirit, having been raised *spiritually* with Christ and seated in heavenly places
in Him (Galatians 1:4, Hebrews 6:5, Ephesians 2:6). Yet, this is not the end! The fullness of "that age" as Jesus
revealed it, will be the end of death and of earthly marriage for the sons of God who will have inherited the
resurrection. This was Paul's understanding, to attain to this resurrection from the dead by any means possible,
hence his warning in 2 Timothy 2:17-18 about Hymenaeus and Philetus who said that the resurrection (as
described in 1 Cor 15 and 1 Thess 4) had already happened: if it was so, then the eternal judgment of the great
white throne of Christ (2 Cor 5:10, Rev 20:11-15) has happened already, the devil has already been thrown
into the lake of fire and is no longer prowling around seeking to devour the saints, death and Hades (hell) have
already been destroyed, the saints no longer die physically, men and women are no longer marrying, and all the
wicked have been removed from the earth! No, it is not so. É

We have been raised to life in our spirits, we have been made royal priests of God and of Christ, and we are
now reigning in life through the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness (1 Pet 2:9; Rev 1:5-6, 5:9-
10; Rom 5:17), together with the saints of the OLD testament who have been raised physically by Jesus and
taken into heaven by Him when He ascended and are now the great cloud of witnesses surrounding us (if you
are willing to accept it, that was the first resurrection :) -- Mat 20:50-53, Zech 9:11, 1 Pet 3:18-20, Ac 1:9, Heb
12:1, Eph 4:8, Heb 12:22-24; the #final resurrection happens at the time of the great white throne judgment
where both the wicked and the now-asleep righteous saints of the NEW Testament will be raised, with the
saints not coming into judgment as Jesus said in John 5:24,29; now, we are in the time of Gog and Magog, the
nations stirred up by Satan against the Church, the beloved city, the Bride of Christ, who is the most
persecuted group of people in all the earth as you can see; Revelation 19-21 is a series of seven converging
visions, telling the same multi-faceted story of the reigning, shaking of evil, and renewal). The point of this
present #reign with and through Jesus Christ is precisely "to put all his enemies under his feet", as his body and
the fullness of Him, by the preaching of the gospel and the good fight of faith, TILL death the last enemy is
destroyed (Eph 1:22-23, Heb 10:13, Ps 110:3, 1 Cor 15:25-28).

So we are to attain to this resurrection, to WIN CHRIST and receive our name change, which is the #change of
#nature from mortal to #immortal and from corruptible to #incorruptible, just as Jacob fought with God and
prevailed through his supplication and received his name/nature change into Israel at the breaking of the day (1
Cor 15:25-58, Gen 32:28-31). This is the #appearing (parousia) of Christ IN us, the #morning #star (the
breaking of day!) rising in our hearts and bringing us salvation from death (2 Pet 1:19; Rev 2:28, 22:16; Heb
9:28; 1 Cor 15:54). It is an inside work, to be worked out by faith, as in "work out your own salvation, for it is
God who works in you..." (Phil 2:12-13). As you come to Him, Jesus Christ comes to you to reveal himself IN
you and be glorified and admired IN the incorruptible bodies of his saints, who will thus free the creation from
its "bondage to corruption" into their glorious freedom from all death and corruption (Rev 22:17, 2 Thess 1:10,
Phil 3:20-21, Rom 8:17-23). On earth, as in heaven!

-> As Job prophesied: "If a man die, shall he live again? all the days of my appointed time will I wait, TILL
MY CHANGE COME." (Job 14:14)
-> "As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, WITH THY
LIKENESS." (Psalm 17:15).
-> This is the likeness of Jesus in Revelation 1:13-16, which is the same as the Father's in Ezekiel 1:26-28, 8:2.
Did someone say '#glory'? :) "For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be
compared with the GLORY which shall be REVEALED IN US." (Romans 8:18) :D Not "to us" as some
translations wrongly put it, but "IN us" (εις ημας - "into us").
-> "Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet #appeared; but we know that when
he #appears WE SHALL BE LIKE HIM, because we shall see him as He is." (1 John 3:2)

Let us run with perseverance and win the #prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus, the crown of life! It
is by grace, through faith! Ask and receive! Believe and possess! The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.
Koffi Philippe Agbemehin