THE PRACTICAL PERFORMANCE OF GOD'S WILL.
The Resurrection:
(1) The earth did quake, and the
rocks rent; And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the
saints which slept arose, And came out of the graves after his
(Jesus') resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared
unto many, Mat2751-53.
(2) But some man will say, How are the dead raised up? and with what body do they come? Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die: And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other grain: But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body. All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds. There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory. So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power: It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body, 1Co1535-44.
(3) A spirit hath not flesh and bones, Luk2439. The body without the spirit is dead, Jas0226: Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it, Ecc1207. For dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return, Gen0319.
(4) God is a Spirit, Jhn0424. The Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, Ps10317.
(5) Being born again, not of corruptible seed (tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, Eph0414), but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever. For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away: But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you, 1Pe0123-25.
(6) Ye are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit, Eph0220-22. It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life, Jhn0663.
(7) Fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell, Mat1028.
(8) And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual. The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven. As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly, 1Co1545-48.
(9) Verily, verily, I (Jesus) say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life, Jhn0524.
(10) For in that he (Jesus) died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace, Rom0610-14.
(11) If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory, Col0301-04.
(12) Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 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. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? 1Co1550-55.
(13) As we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly (as the angels of God in heaven, Mat2230), 1Co1549. Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares, Heb1302.
(14) There shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption (the redemption of our body, Rom0823) draweth nigh, Luk2125-28.
(15) Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is, 1Jn0302.
(16) A
light from heaven, above the brightness of the sun, Act2613.
(17) The dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which
are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in
the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air, 1Th0416-17.
(18) For what is your life? It is even a vapour, Jas0414. He causeth the vapours to ascend from the ends of the earth, Ps13507.
Great tribulation:
And he (the false prophet) exerciseth all the power of the first
beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein
to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. And
he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from
heaven on the earth in the sight of men, And deceiveth them that
dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had
power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell
on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which
had the wound by a sword, and did live. And he had power to give
life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast
should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship
the image of the beast should be killed. And he causeth all, both
small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark
in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might
buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast,
or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding
count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man;
and his number is Six hundred threescore and six, Rev1312-18.
And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months. And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. If any man have an ear, let him hear. He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints, Rev1305-10.
There shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book (which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands, cf.Rev2004). And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt, Dan1201,02.
Destruction:
Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun
be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars
shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be
shaken, Mat2429.
And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit, Rev0902.
As it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed. In that day, he which shall be upon the housetop, and his stuff in the house, let him not come down to take it away: and he that is in the field, let him likewise not return back. Remember Lot's wife. Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it. I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left. Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left, Luk1728-36.
Unbelief:
Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers,
walking after their own lusts, And saying, Where is the promise
of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue
as they were from the beginning of the creation. For this they
willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens
were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the
water: Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with
water, perished: But the heavens and the earth, which are now,
by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against
the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. But, beloved,
be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord
as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord
is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness;
but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish,
but that all should come to repentance (repentance to the acknowledging
of the truth, 2Tm0225), 2Pe0303-09.
In their affliction they will seek me early, Hos0515.
When thou art in tribulation, and all these things are come upon thee, even in the latter days, if thou turn to the Lord thy God, and shalt be obedient unto his voice; (For the Lord thy God is a merciful God;) he will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which he sware unto them, Deu0430,31.
Now is the time:
Seek ye the Lord, all ye meek of
the earth, which have wrought his judgment; seek righteousness,
seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the Lord's
anger, Zep0203.
For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation, 2Co0602.
And he spake to them a parable; Behold the fig tree, and all the trees; When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand. So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away. And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man, Luk2129-36.
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