A BETTER RESURRECTION
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Transcript of A BETTER RESURRECTION
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Content
01 Denitions 03
02 Introduction 04
03 Law of the Harvest 05
04 Pattern of the Temple 06
05 Resurrection Chart 1 07
06 Jesus Christ 08
07 Old Testament Saints 09
08 New Testament Saints 10
09 The Multitude of Saints 12
10 144,000 Jewish Saints 13
11 The Harvest Saints 14
12 The Tribulation Martyrs 15
13 The Human Elect 1614 Summary 17
15 Resurrection Chart 2 18
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Definitions
The Resurrection
‘Anastasis’, is the Greek word that we get
the English word, resurrection from, and it
means ‘raised to life again’ (Mat27.52-53).
The bible speaks of the resurrection as be-
ing the bringing back to life and refashion-
ing of the physical human body (1Cor15.44).
When a believer dies his spirit and soul go
to be with the LORD (2Cor5.8) while his
physical body awaits resurrection. At the
time of resurrection the believer will be
reunited with his body. In this process of
resurrection God regathers the matter of the individual body and recreates it into a
new spiritual body.
The Rapture
‘Harpadzo’, is the Greek word the bible
uses to describe the rapture (1Thes4.17).
The English bible uses the words ‘caught
up’ and the Latin bible uses the word‘rapture’ to describe this amazing event
(1Cor15.51-52). The bible clearly teaches
in several passages that Jesus Himself will
at a certain point near the end of this
present age, resurrect a group of both liv-
ing and deceased believers (2Thes2.6-7).
What makes it so amazing is that there are
some among us today who will go directly
to be with the LORD and have their bodies
resurrected without experiencing physicaldeath.
Believers Rewards
‘Misthos’, is the Greek word we translate
as reward, and it literally means ‘a pay-
ment for service’ (Mat5.12).
The title of this study embodies this
meaning, ‘A better resurrection’. This is
verse 35, which is taken from the book of
Hebrews, chapter 11 and shows us clearly
that believers through obedience and ser-
vice to the LORD are competing (1Cor9.24)
for crowns, positions and rewards of ime-
asurable value and excellence.
We must however be careful to state that
Jesus Himself told us how we should com-
pete. He said that if any wish to be great
then they should become the servant of all
(Mat20.26). This is the wisdom that comes
from above and is opposite of the ways
and wisdom of this world (Jam3.17).
Another point to clarify is that although itis a fact that believers will be judged, this
judgement (2Cor5.10) will be according to
rewards and not salvation. Nevertheless
one should heed wisely the admonition to
work out your own salvation with fear and
trembling, as we truely do serve a Holy
God (1Cor3.14-15).
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IntroductionThe aim of this study is to resolve
once and for all the debate regarding the
timing of the rapture, and who will be in-
cluded in the rapture. This will be done
without taking a Pre, Mid or Post Tribula-
tion rapture position.
More than any other topic relating to
a study of the second coming, the raptureis by far the most intensely disputed and
talked about. And rightly so for it is truly
that blessed hope (Tit2.13) from which we
can comfort one another. However the
various teachings regarding the rapture are
the very source of our present confusion
and contention. Although it should be said
that each teaching about the timing of the
rapture (Pre, Mid & Post) does have truthin it, they all however cannot be right be-
cause they lack one important ingredient.
This ingredient is a correct under-
standing of the resurrection as laid out in
the book of revelation. All rapture theories
fail because they assume that the resurrec-
tion and the rapture are one time events.
The case is though that God has divided
the resurrection up into 7 different groups.And these 7 different groups are resur-
rected at 7 different times, and 7 differ-
ent places. Furthermore we will nd in the
book of revelation not 1 but 3 raptures.
This missing link has stared at us for
years hidden in plain sight within the pages
of the book of revelation. But in these last
days God is truly opening the books that
were sealed (Dan12.4) and releasing un-
derstanding (1Cor2.9-10).
Gods purpose in the grouping of His
people into these 7 groups is like the jour-
ney of the Olympic torch. The torch is lit
at point ‘A’ and handed to a runner. That
runner runs with it as far as he can and
then hands it over to the next runner. This
process is repeated until the nal runner
reaches point ‘B’ which is the destination.
The metaphor is that God has re-
vealed Himself to mankind in stages and
these stages will be represented in heaven
by the grouping of Gods people in the resur-
rection.
Another reason for the grouping of
Gods people into these 7 orders has to do
with reward. Reward is a topic very clearly
stated in the scriptures (1Cor3.8) but sel-
dom taught in todays churches. Most prefer
to think that we are all going to be raptured
at any moment, all at the same time and be
equal in heaven. But the bible reveals all
believers will stand before the judgement
seat of Christ (2Cor5.10) to receive all that
they have thought, spoken and done whilst
in their bodies on earth. It is revealed at
this judgement there will be both loss andreward (1Cor3.12-15).
Oh yes friends this promises to be a
brief yet thoroughly exciting, challenging
and quickening bible study. A fresh spiritual
perspective of how God is sorting out His
people according to their earthly decisions.
What has God in store for those who seek a
better resurrection and what of them that
neglect making those wise virgin prepara-
tions in this time of the quiet before the
storm.
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Law of the Harvest For as in Adam all die, even so in
Christ shall all be made alive, but ev-
ery man in his own order, Christ the
rstfruits...1Cor 15.22.23
Before diving into the book of rev-
elation lets rst establish the principle of
distinction among Gods people. We can seeplainly from this scripture that there are
different orders within the resurrection.
‘Every man in his own order’ implies all
believers will be sorted out into differ-
ent groups. Then at that particular groups
time and place they will have their physi-
cal bodies resurrected.
Notice the phrase ‘rstfruits’ refer-
ring to Jesus. This is very interesting as itintroduces the symbology of the harvest
as applying to the resurrection. And it is
in this symbology of the harvest that we
nd more understanding as to why God has
divided up the people of God into groups
within the rst resurrection.
And the feast of harvest, the rst-
fruits of thy labours which thou hast sown
in the eld, and the feast of ingathering
which is in the end of the year. Ex 23.16
The law of the harvest was simple.
After the harvest was planted there was
always a small portion that matured early
and this part of the harvest was called ‘the
rstfruits’. Then at the end of the year the
bulk of the harvest was ripe and ready to
bring in. This portion of the harvest wascalled ‘the ingathering’ or the ‘general
harvest’.
The Hebrews were also instructed
to leave a portion of the harvest that was
dropped or missed by the reapers. This was
for the poor, the widows and the fatherless
and was called ‘the gleanings of the eld’.
The picture the harvest paints for us
is of three separate groups. One group thatmatures early and is therefore harvested
rst, ‘the rstfruits’. And the second group
which is the majority of the harvest and it is
reaped at the end of the season, ‘the gen-
eral harvest’. Then lastly there is a group
which is left over from the harvest, ‘the
gleanings’.
To the general assembly and the
church of the rstborn...and to the spiritsof just men made perfect...Heb 12.23
Here in the book of Hebrews we have
a scripture that builds upon the law of the
harvest principle and applies it directly to
the grouping of Gods people in heaven. We
see the ‘general assembly’ of saints which
is likened to the ‘general harvest’ or ‘the
ingathering’. Then we have ‘the church of
the rstborn’, saints which are likened tothe ‘rstfruits’ of the harvest. And lastly
‘the spirits of just men made perfect’ which
is likened to the ‘gleanings of the eld’.
This principle of the harvest and its
application to the distinction among Gods
people is important to understand as we
shall see God continues to use it throughout
the book of revelation when dealing withthe seven orders of saints that make up the
rst resurrection.
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The Temple PatternKnow ye not that ye are the temple of God,
and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
(1Cor3.16)
Again let us lay a little more ground
work that will aid us in understanding the
resurrection and its 7 orders. Paul uses the
symbol of the Temple to describe the believ-
ers. As God had dwelt in the Temple, now by
His Holy Spirit He dwells in us.
The temple was divided up into 3
parts. An Outer Court where all could come
and go and worship outwardly. A Holy Place
where only the priests could go. There they
offered oil, incense and bread to God. They
were quite near to God but not the closest.
Then there was the Holy of Holies where God
Himself dwelt. Only the high priest could en-ter the Holy of Holies once a year.
And the very God of peace sanctify you
wholly...spirit and soul and body...
(1Thes5.23)
The believer himself is a type of tem-
ple. His body is the Outer Court, open for
all to see. With it he should obey and glorify
God (Rom12.1). His soul is the Holy Place, his
mind, will and emotions, should be renewed
with a desire to serve the LORD as did the
Levitical priests. Lastly the Holy of Holies is
the spirit of man. This is where Gods Holy
Spirit abides, and man has communion with
God. But sadly this is not the experience of
most believers, nor is it the testimony of
scripture. The bible reveals believers at dif-
ferent stages of spiritual development whichis natural, but, it also reveals the fact that
many Christians through neglect, or straight
out refusal, do not progress to become
spiritually mature.
For when for the time ye ought to be
teachers, ye have need that one teach you
again...(Heb5.12) For ye are yet carnal...
(1Cor3.3)
The point here is that by our own de-
cisions, and the abundance of Gods Grace,
we can move on from forgiveness to conse-
cration and sanctication (Heb6.1). We can
move toward the Holy of Holies and even
live in the Holy of Holies. A life of faith and
obedience, walking in the Spirit, or we can
choose to remain stubbornly in our esh or
soul life, refusing to forsake sin and self.
These choices however come at a cost. It
is not rocket science to understand that allour choices will and do have consequences.
Although one is forgiven he still must give
account of his life before Christ. This ac-
count will determine his reward and posi-
tion in the resurrection.
For the word of God is quick and
powerful...dividing asunder soul and
spirit...and is a discerner of the thoughts
and intents of the heart. (Heb4.12)
The veil of the Temple is open, but a
separation of soul from spirit must be ex-
perienced before one can live and minister
from the Holy of Holies. This is executed
by a submission to the word of God. So we
see that God has provided the means for us
to overcome sin, the world, and the devil,
and has based it on, our application of Hiswonderful provision. Therefore our choices
in light of Gods word, determine our pres-
ent and future states.6
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(1Cor15:20-23, Rev1:5)
(Matt27:50-53, Rev5:8-10)
(1Cor15:51-52,2Thess2:6-7),Matt24:37-42, 25:1-13)
(Rev7:9-17)
(Rev7:1-8,12:1-5,14:1-5)
(Rev14:14-16,15:1-4)
(Rev6:9-11,20:4)
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Old Testament Saintsorder two
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 unto many. (Mat27:52-53)
The old testament saints are group
number two. The above verse is veryclear. A select group of believers from
the old testament period were physically
resurrected after Jesus was resurrected.
They went into Jerusalem, and witnessed
to people about Christ before going to
heaven. An absolutely amazing verse that
shows that the resurrection is in phases.
Notice, that not all the old tes-
tament saints were resurrected at this
point, only many. All however were
taken out of the place called Abrahams
bosom (Lk16:22) which was a waiting
place for the righteous in the earth. They
were then escorted to heaven by Jesus,
(Eph4:8) but only the selected many, en-
tered the resurrected group of old testa-
ment saints. These are a type of rstfruit
believers from the old testament period,from Adam to Jesus.
The four beasts...sung a new song...Thou
art worthy to take the book...for thou
wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God
by thy blood...and hast made us kings
and priests...and we shall reign on the
earth. (Rev5:8-10)
In the verse above we see thesebelievers in heaven represented by the
symbology of the 4 beasts. Space does
not permit exploring the symbolic lan-
guage the bile uses to describe the old tes-
tament saints, but I think some things will
be obvious to most. The relevant fact is that
these 4 beasts represent an order of resur-
rected saints, and not some angelic order as
most presume. They themselves sing of their
own redemption, and that they shall reign
with Christ as kings and priests on earth.This is very clear from these verses, and in
the original Greek manuscripts.
It is quite amazing that these verses
have been read by us all many times, and yet
although they stand out in the open, it still
takes the mercy of God to open our eyes to
them. Oh how much we need the mercy of
God.
These old testament saints are now
in heaven, and have there own special or-
der and position in the very throne room
of God. This order is complete, numbered
and nalized. We can only wonder of the
various known and unknown names of them
that occupy this regal order of saints. One
thing is sure, no matter how small or great
they were while they lived on earth, the onething they must have had in common was
sanctication, and a consecrated life. That
was obviously the dening factor that quali-
ed them as rstfruit believers, and thus to
be so richly rewarded.
So far now in the resurrection we have
Christ, the rst of the rstfruits and a selec-
tion of old testament saints. This leaves us
still to explore 5 more orders, one of which,we as believers will be a part of.
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order three
New Testament SaintsBehold I show you a mystery; We shall
not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
In a moment, in the twinkling of an
eye...(1Cor15:51-52)
The new testament saints are a very
interesting group. They consist of both liv-
ing and deceased saints who will be rap-
tured and resurrected together.
Then shall two be in the eld; the one shall
be taken, and the other left. (Mat24:40)
Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that
ye may be accounted worthy to escape all
these things...and stand before the Son of
man. (Lk21:36)
Again God is selecting a rstfruit
portion only from the new testament pe-riod. This means not all believers, both
alive and deceased will be raptured and
resurrected at the rapture. This is an event
that for most is hard to comprehend. Nev-
ertheless the bible shows us two accounts
of this having already happened. We can
learn a lot from these two accounts. As
brief as they are we see a theme that
relates to our topic of choosing a better
resurrection.
And Enoch walked with God: and he was
not; for God took him. (Gen5:24)
Choosing a better resurrection may
manifest itself a little different from be-
liever to believer, but the principle is the
same. We must go on from forgiveness to
consecration and sanctication. The bloodof Christ, is for forgiveness, but, the cross
of Christ, is for our deliverance, from self.
These are related, but, worlds apart, just
as the outer court of the temple is greatly
different from the holy of holies. Enoch’s
walking with God implies being united with
God in His will and His word. This is the
path that leads us on to maturity.
And it came to pass, as they still went on,
and talked, that, behold, there appeared a
chariot of re, and horses of re, and part-
ed them both asunder; and Elijah went up
by a whirlwind into heaven. (2Kin2:11)
Here we see a chariot of re sepa-
rate Elijah from Elisha and then Elijah is
raptured by a whirlwind to heaven. This
is similar to the parable of the wise and
foolish virgins (Mat25:1) in that both were
Gods people yet one had extra oil. It was
also Elisha’s wish to receive a double por-tion of the spirit of Elijah upon seeing him
raptured. The metaphor is different but the
message is the same. God is the gardener
who seeks the entire harvest but takes the
mature fruit rst.
Behold a door was opened in heaven...I
heard as it were a trumpet...which said
come up hither...and immediately I was in
the Spirit and behold a throne...and roundabout the throne were four and twenty
seats: and upon the seats I saw four and
twenty elders...(Rev4:1-4)
This portion of scripture shows us the
heavenly perspective of the rapture and
the new testament saints in heaven. They
are represented by the symbology of the 24
elders. Their reward is great just like thatof the old testament saints, they occupy a
position in the throne room before God Al-
mighty.10
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The four beasts and the four and twenty
elders...sung a new song, saying...thou
hast redeemed us to God by thy blood...
(Rev5:8-10)
Again we refer to Revelation 5:9 in
conrming the fact that not only the four
beasts, but the 24 elders as well are notsome sort of angelic host, but 2 distinct
orders of resurrected saints, by their own
omission. Now before we briey explore
the timing of the new testament rapture
we should remind the reader that this is
the rst of 3 raptures. Each of these 3 rap-
tures involves living saints being caught up
to heaven, so stick with me until you have
read all 3 accounts before making a deci-
sion.
While the bridegroom tarried, they all
slumbered and slept. And at midnight
there was a cry made, Behold, the bride-
groom cometh; go ye out to meet him.
(Mat25:5-6)
Most people think of the rapture as
an event that can happen at any time butthat is not true. This parable shows us that
there will be a period called the midnight
cry. It will begin with the only prophetic
event that could possibly awaken the
church. This event will also mark the mid-
night hour of earth. No other event than
the covenant Antichrist will make with
Israel can both awaken the church and
positively conrm the midnight hour. This
covenant starts the last 7 years of earths
present history, and reveals the personal
manifestation of Satan in a man, the An-
tichrist. We cannot fully comprehend the
spiritual awakening this will bring, but
the parable explains that it will initiate
a period of time called the midnight cry
period. In this period of time there will
be preaching by those that are ready, and
preparation and repentance by those whoare not.
Let no man deceive you by any means: for
that day shall not come, except there come
a falling away rst, and that man of sin be
revealed...(2Thes2:3)
Here we have a specic word on the is-
sue of the timing of the rapture. Paul speaks
to a group of believers that thought they
had already missed it. He says specicallythat a falling away, and the revealing of the
Antichrist, must precede the rapture. This
harmonizes with the midnight cry period
and correlates with the previous resurrec-
tion, in that God will have a victorious testi-
mony given to the world as a witness before
each resurrection. Notice as well that there
are 2 revealings of the Antichrist. The rst
is the covenant with Israel, this is primarily
for the awakening of the church (Dan9:27).
The second time is when he declares himself
to be god. This is a revealing to the entire
world (2Thes2:4).
Know therefore and understand, that from
the going forth of the commandment to re-
store and to build Jerusalem unto Messiah
the Prince shall be seven weeks, and three-
score and two weeks...(Dan9:25)
So we see that the rapture cannot
happen at any moment, but, we should not
think that means we cannot be caught off
guard. Preparation takes time. We see also,
that there will be a midnight cry period, an
awakening that will begin at the start of the
tribulation. But how long will this midnight
cry go on, before, the new testament saints
are raptured. Well the verse above may well
have the answer. It of course has its fulll-
ment in the rst coming of Christ, but, could
there be a double fulllment? Could there
be 69 weeks, or 483 days from the covenant
to the rapture. We know that part of the
covenant with Israel will be the rebuilding
of their temple, so they can begin the sacri-
ce and offerings again. This cannot happen
unless the Muslim mosque is rst removedand that sounds like the war of Ezekiel 38.
That said, this situation would resemble this
verse in every detail. Food for thought.11
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The Multitude of Saintsorder four
After this I beheld, and, lo, a great mul-
titude, which no man could number of all
nations...stood before the Lamb...(Rev7:9)
The multitude of saints are order
number four in the resurrection. The rst
thing to notice here is the timing of this
resurrection. They are resurrected after
the 144,000 jewish saints are sealed inverse 3. This places them somewhere after
the midnight cry period, and well before
the half way point of the tribulation. (See
Chart;p7)
This group of saints are part of the
general harvest of believers. They are just
like the main body of a harvest, in that
they are uncountable. So many saints, from
Adam to this point in the tribulation. All
saints that died without the experience of
sanctication, such as the thief on the cross
beside Jesus (Lk23:43). This is also reected
in their reward and position in heaven.
Clothed with white robes, and palms in
their hands...therefore are they before the
throne of God, and serve Him day and night
in His temple...(Rev7:9,15)
Our heavenly reward and position
in the kingdom of God is reective of our
earthly obedience and appropriation of
Gods grace. The multitude of saints receive
white robes showing they are forgiven by
the blood of Christ and they receive palms
which symbolizes the celebration of the
harvest itself (Lev23:40). They receive a
position of service in the temple of God
and are promised never to hunger or thirst
again. There are however no crowns or seats
of authority as with the old and new testa-
ment rstfruit saints, who openly declare
they shall rule and reign with Christ (Rev5:
10).
This is without a doubt the larg-
est group of resurrected saints. Its truly
marvelous to see the merciful nature of
God in providing for all of His people. Just
as Christ had 12 disciples, He also hadHis inner circle of Peter, John and James
(Mat17:1, Mk5:37, 14:32-34). Those rst-
fruit disciples that chose to draw closer to
Jesus than the others. Jesus summed this
difference up so well when He visited Mar-
tha and Mary.
Now it came to pass...Martha received
Him into her house. And she had a sister
called Mary, which sat at Jesus’ feet, and
heard His word. But Martha was cumbered
about much serving, and came to Him, and
said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sis-
ter hath left me to serve alone...And Jesus
said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art so
careful and troubled about many things:
But one thing is needful: and Mary has
chosen that good part, which shall not be
taken away from her. (Lk10:38-42)
See Martha clearly represents the
harvest saints and Mary the rstfruit
saints. Martha goes no further than the
inner court of the temple. Her focus is
on what she can do for God, but, Mary
ventures onward, past the outer gates,
through the holy place and into the holy
of holies. Her goal was living in Gods pres-
ence and hearing His word (Jn17:17). The
multitude of saints will therefore be more
than happy with their place of serving God
day and night in His heavenly temple.12
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144,000 Jewish Saintsorder five
Hurt not the earth...till we have sealed the
servants of our God in their foreheads. And
I heard the number of them which were
sealed, 144,000 of all the tribes of the chil-
dren of Israel. (Rev7:3-4)
Resurrection order number ve are the
144,000 Jewish saints. They take over the
torch of witnessing, from the new testamentsaints, after the midnight cry period is over.
While they are being sealed on earth, we saw
that the multitude of saints, were being res-
urrected and rewarded in heaven.
And she brought forth a man child, who was
to rule the nations with a rod of iron: and
her child was caught up unto God, and to His
throne. (Rev12:5)
In revelation chapter 12, the 144,000,
are symbolically represented as the man
child of the women, who is Israel. They are
raptured alive, up to God, just as the living
new testament saints were. This is rapture
number two. Notice the timing of this rapture
as well. It is mid tribulation. The remnant of
Israel has seen the idol of Antichrist put in
the temple, and has ed to the wilderness(Mat24:15). It is at this point that the two
witnesses take over the torch, of witness-
ing for the last half of the tribulation period
(Rev11:3).
And I looked, and, lo, a lamb stood on
the mount Sion, and with Him 144,000,
having His Fathers name written in their
foreheads...which were redeemed from theearth...being rstfruits unto God...(Rev14:
1-5)
There is so much happening at
this point of the tribulation, both in
heaven and on the earth, that the seal-
ing, rapturing, resurrecting and reward-
ing of this special group of saints, takes
place over 3 different chapters. Chapter
7 shows them being sealed. Then they
witness under Gods divine protection
throughout the severe trumpet judge-
ments of chapters 8 and 9, until they
are raptured in chapter 12.
Now in chapter 14 we see them
in heaven, along with the old and new
testament saints (Rev14:3). They are of
course as the scripture itself conrms
also, rstfruit saints (Rev14:4) and com-
plete the trinity of rstfruit believers inheaven. They are given ruling responsi-
bilities in heaven (Rev12:5), along with
harps so they can fulll their priestly
role of praise as well (Rev14:2). These
3 rstfruit orders, are sanctied believ-
ers who loved the Lord more than their
contemporaries. They represent the
fullness of Christ’s redemption, on earth
and in heaven, from the old, and new
testament, and tribulation periods.
There really should be no doubt,
in anyone’s mind by now, that God is
just, and will reward each one of His
people according to their earthly deci-
sions. This life here on earth, as it has
been said many times before, is a train-
ing and testing phase for our position
and place in eternity. Heaven and hellis but the rst step in a series of deci-
sions that culminate in a sorting out of
all people into their eternal roles. Let us
all choose wisely.13
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The Harvest Saintsorder six
So we come to order number six in
the book of revelation. This group of saints
has an amazing story. They are the harvest
saints.
I looked, and behold a white cloud, and
upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of
man, having a golden crown, and in his hand
a sharp sickle. And another angel came out
of the temple, crying with a loud voice to
him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy
sickle, and reap: for the time is come for
thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is
ripe. And he that sat on the cloud thrust in
his sickle on the earth; and the earth was
reaped. (Rev14:14-16)
These saints are the tribulation over-comers. They refuse the mark of the beast
and survive to the end of the tribulation
and are raptured alive, just before the bat-
tle of Armageddon. After they are raptured,
another angel comes to gather the world to
Armageddon. This order of saints shows us
Gods awesome mercy and preserving power.
The last 3 and half years of the tribulation
period will be the worst time the earth will
ever experience, and yet Almighty God can
still with ease reserve a faithful remnant
unto Himself.
And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled
with re: and them that had gotten the vic-
tory over the beast, and over his image, and
over his mark, and over the number of his
name, to stand on the sea of glass, having
the harps of God. (Rev15:1-5)
In chapter 15 we see the harvest
saints in heaven after their rapture. They
are resurrected and have received there
place and reward. They are given harps
and sing the song of deliverance. A truly
tting song (Ex15) that compares their
experience of deliverance to Moses
leading Israel out of Egypt.
These tribulation victors, beat the
Antichrist and his economic chipping
system. They defeat the death penalty
and survive by the grace of God during
the most intense judgments the world
has ever seen. They are gathered to-
gether as wheat in a harvest and caught
up alive into heaven and stand before
Christ on the sea of glass in the throne
room of heaven.
This then is the 3rd and nal rap-
ture recorded in the book of revelation.
It happens prior to the gathering of the
army that will actually attempt to ght
against Christ. Notice there are two
gatherings here. First the harvest of the
earth are gathered and raptured alive
to heaven. Then the vine clusters are
gathered after this and thrown into the
winepress, which is Armageddon. Thearmies of Antichrist will be crushed in
the winepress of Gods wrath for their
blasphemous deance of God and their
worship of Antichrist.
This order of saints are part of the
general harvest and are therefore not
rstfruits. However they are more than
rewarded for their amazing survival or-deal, by being raptured alive into heav-
en and given the ofce of praise in the
heavenly sanctuary (1Chr25:6). 14
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The Tribulation Martyrsorder seven
And when he had opened the fth seal,
I saw under the alter the souls of them
that were slain for the word of God, and
for the testimony which they held: And
they cried with a loud voice, saying, How
long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not
judge and avenge our blood on them that
dwell on the earth? And white robes weregiven unto everyone of them; and it was
said unto them, that they should rest for
a little season, until their fellowservants
also and their brethren, that should be
killed as they were, should be lled.
(Rev6:9-11)
This is order number seven, the very
last group of saints to be resurrected.
They are called ‘the tribulation martyrs’for obvious reason. They will comprise
every saint that will suffer martyrdom for
Christ in the coming tribulation period.
This group of saints will be more than any-
one can count. If you thought the tyranny
of Hilter, Stalin or Mao were bad then you
will have a hard time comprehending the
excessive persecution that is soon to be
unleashed under the last world dictator.And dont think yourself to be safe because
your not a christian or a jew. Although
christians and jews will top the persecu-
tion lists, humanity itself will be targeted
in general. Just take a look at the mes-
sage on the Georgia guide stones or read
the United Nation document ‘Agenda 21’.
The ofcial position of world polatics is
that humanity itself is the problem and
depopulation is the answer. So once thepersecution ood gate opens after the
midnight cry period the blood of martyrs
will ow and increase until the end of the
7 year tribulation period. So these mar-
tyred saints will wait under the alter of
God until there number is complete.
And I saw the souls of them that were
beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and
for the word of God, and which had not
worshipped the beast, neither his image,neither had received his mark upon their
foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived
and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
(Rev20:4)
The tribulation martyrs are not rst-
fruit saints but they are honoured above
the other general harvest saints for their
heroic testimony and are therefore given
a temporary ruling position with Christ forthe duration of the millenium. Notice the
prefered method of persecution will be be-
heading. The crimes of the near future will
be wittnessing for and believing in Jesus
and the bible, and refusing to worship a
man as God and being branded like cattle
into a global economic system. This should
awaken all believers to the gravity of our
present situation and motivate us to get
serious with our faith and christian walk.
Many will be unprepared however and
miss their oppotunity to go with the new
testament saints and be left to survive the
tribulation or die a martyr for Christ. Look
around in your church group today and
see how we are all being grouped by our
own decsisions. Your future is being deter-
mained here and now by your obedience or
disobedience to the word of God. We willall give account to God individually for the
life choices we make. Dont be deceived,
churchianity is not christianity.15
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The Human Elect Who are the human elect? If the res-urrected saints are the heavenly govern-
ment under Christ (Lk19:17), who is there
to rule over ? If the saints in the resurrec-
tion shall be like the angels (Mt22:30), who
will continue the command to go forth and
populate the universe? (Gen1:28) These are
no other than the elect. The human elect
can be seen in the same harvest metaphor
the Lord uses to describe the rstfruit andgeneral harvest believers. They are the
gleanings of the eld (Lev19:9). Part of
the Hebrew harvest law was not to entirely
harvest the corners of the eld or gather
the gleanings. They were to be left for the
poor. In like manner the scripture teaches
that a remnant of humanity will survive the
tribulation. In that remnant will be both
good and bad people. The good people will
be invited into the millenial kingdom, whilethe bad will enter hell to await the great
white throne judgement. Lets look at a few
verses that explain this teaching.
Except those days be shortened, there
should no esh be saved: but for the elect’s
sake those days shall be shortened. (Mt24:
22)
Immediately after the tribulation...he
shall send out his angels...they shall
gather together his elect from the four
winds...(Mt24:29-31)
When the Son of man shall come...before
him shall be gathered all nations...and he
shall separate them one from another, as
a shepherd divideth his sheep from the
goats. And he shall set the sheep on hisright hand, but the goats on the left. Then
shall the King say to them on his right hand,
Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the
kingdom...(Mt25:31-46)
God intends to nish what he began
in the garden of Eden. Apart from the res-
urrected saints who make up the heavenly
government, God has planned a continu-
ance of the human race. Doubt it not, the
leftover populations from all nations on
earth will be judged by Christ before His
Millenial Kingdom begins. Those that goin will live in their natural bodies and be
sustained by miraculous means for the en-
tire 1000 years. The nature of things will
change somewhat under the Millenial reign
of Christ on earth. The longevity of life will
return to as it was before the ood.
But the whole point of the Millenial
Reign of Christ is to test the Human Elect.
Those that remain faithful to Christ afterSatan is released at the end of the 1000
years will enter the New Heavens, and the
New Earth, were they will be eternally sus-
tained by the tree of life (Rev22:1-5). This
will be full circle, like back in the garden
of Eden with the Human Elect making the
right choice and eating from the tree of
life.
You are come unto mount sion, and unto
the city of the living God, the heavenly
Jerusalem, and to a innumerable company
of angels, To the general assembly and
church of the rstborn...and to the spirits
of just men made perfect.
So there we have it, the general as-
sembly of saints, the church of the rst-
born or rstfruit saints and the spirits of just men made perfect, the human elect.
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SummaryIf there are still any remaining doubts
as to the lesson that the resurrection is
divided up into groups of saints pertain-
ing to reward then let us look again to the
Temple. The Hebrew Temple was a shadow
of the heavenly Temple and was given by
divine revelation to David (1Chr28:11-12,
19). Part of this pattern was positions and
responsibilities of the priests. This is were itgets interesting for us because there were 2
classes of priests. Each class of priests had
various responsibilities within their group
but there were only 2 groups. When we
think of the Old Testament temple priest
we usually think of the Levites but they
were the priests assistants. They had many
temple duties, but, the actual priest ofce
itself was not the for Levites, but, it was
given to the sons of Aaron. God promisedAaron that his descendants would minister
to the Lord. The Levites however were giv-
en for the service of the sanctuary and the
daily temple duties.
Aaron was separated, that he should sanc-
tify the most holy things, he and his sons
forever, to burn incense before the LORD,
to minister to him, and bless in his nameforever. The Levites, their ofce was to
wait on the sons of Aaron for the service of
the house of the LORD, in the courts, and
in the chambers, and in the purifying of all
holy things, and the work of the service of
the house of God. (1Chr23:13,26,28)
This is the closet description we have
of why the saints are grouped in the resur-
rection. It is because in heaven we will allhave a function and an ofce to ll in the
heavenly sanctuary. These positions are be-
ing lled today by the very decisions we
make now in this eeting life of ours. You
see the primary purpose of our existence is
to be conformed to Christ. That’s right, its
not evangelism or your career or even your
family. Its rst and for mostly about being
conformed to the image of Christ (Rom8:
29, 12:2). That means being like Christ,
experiencing what Christ experienced and
drinking the will of your heavenly Father.
So we have the sons of Aaron and
the sons of Levi, a picture of the heavenly
government. The rstfruit saints and the
general harvest saints. It all really comes
down to obedience. How much of God do
we want? God has given all of himself to
us, and dare we give any less in return? To
receive more of God we must rst make
room for him by emptying out more of ourself.
He must increase, but I must decrease.
(Jhn3:30)
The only problem one would have
with the teaching of the resurrection or-
ders is the reality of personal accountabil-
ity. That is that Jesus Himself will judge
us all by what we did, thought and said in
this life. Believe me when I say to you that
there is no cheap grace. There is no such
salvation that gives one a license to con-
tinue living their life for themselves. We
are bought from the clutches of hell itself
by the high price of Gods own blood. The
sinless blood of Jesus. We are therefore
His slaves, slaves of righteousness. Today
the Spirits work is for those with ears tohear. He is calling out saints. Saints from
among saints. Do you hear the Spirits call?
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OLD TESTAMENT SAINTS • Resurrected after Jesus (Mat27:50-53).
• Seen in heaven as the 4 beasts (Rev5:8-10).
• Rewarded with regal authority, and a high priesthood position (Rev4:8,5:8-10).
NEW TESTAMENT SAINTS
• Raptured and Resurrected at the end of the midnight cry period; possibly 483 daysfrom the start of the Tribulation (Mat25:1-12,Dan9:25).
• Seen in heaven as the 24 elders (Rev5:8-10).
• Rewarded with regal authority, and a high priesthood position (Rev4:8,5:8-10).
144,000 JEWISH SAINTS • Raptured and Resurrected directly in the middle of the Tribulation (Rev12:5).
• Seen in heaven as the 144,000 Jewish man child (Rev14:1).
• Rewarded with regal authority, and a high priesthood position (Rev14:3-5).
THE MULTITUDE OF SAINTS • Resurrected after the sealing of the 144,000 Jewish Saints; Approximately 1.5 years
into the Tribulation (Rev7:9).
• Seen in heaven as an uncountable group of saints (Rev7:9).• Rewarded with a levitical priesthood position (Rev7:15).
THE HARVEST SAINTS • Raptured and Resurrected just before the battle of Armageddon (Rev14:15-16).
• Seen in heaven as the Tribulation survivors (Rev15:2).
• Rewarded with a levitical priesthood position (Rev15:3).
THE TRIBULATION MARTYRS • Resurrected after the battle of Armageddon (Rev20:4-6).
• Seen in heaven as the Tribulation martyrs (Rev6:9-11, 20:4-6).
• Rewarded with a levitical priesthood position and are additionally granted regal