Kingdom Disciples

Jesus is the Final Sanctuary where the glory of God dwells, the glory foreshadowed in the ancient Tabernacle and Temple – John 2:13-22. The disciples discovered that Jesus is the real Temple of God and the one that truly matters. The era in which God “ dwelt ” in portable tents or stone buildings terminated with the arrival of Israel’s Messiah. No longer does God dwell in structures made by hand . Neither His presence nor His glory can be contained by physical walls or geographical boundaries.

Christ’s real Death and bodily Resurrection are foundational and indispensable to the Apostolic Faith . The Apostle Paul discussed the future resurrection of believers in  2 Timothy , in response to denials of this “ sound teaching ” by false teachers. Faith in the promised resurrection of the righteous is central to the hope of salvation taught by Jesus and proclaimed by his Apostles. This teaching is unquestionably reliable because it is based on the past Death and Resurrection of Jesus .

Paul reminded Timothy of the resurrection of Jesus and his victory over death since false teachers were denying the future resurrection of believers . Paul responded to false teachings about the resurrection of believers in his second letter to Timothy. Certain voices denied this essential truth. “ God did not give us a spirit of fear but of a sound mind ,” and this included overcoming our anxieties about death. Jesus was victorious over death and now gives men and women life “ through the Gospel .”

The arrival of Jesus at the end of the age will mean the resurrection and the end of the Last Enemy, namely, Death - 1 Corinthians 15:24-28. Certain members of the congregation in Corinth denied the future resurrection of the righteous. Paul responded by stressing how necessary our resurrection is and by appealing to the past Death and Resurrection of Jesus. His resurrection was and remains the precedent for our future resurrection and life in the coming age. We will be raised bodily when he “ arrives ,” and his appearance will mean nothing less than the end of Death itself.

Paul anchored all that God has done for His Church in the Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ - Galatians 1:1-5. Paul claimed the source of his apostleship was the same God who raised His Son from “ among dead ones .” Jesus died and was raised from the dead to “ deliver us from this evil age .” In his Letter to the Galatians , Paul responded to “ men from Jerusalem ” who operated as if the old era before this event remained in effect. They insisted that Gentiles must be circumcised and keep the Jewish calendar, and they challenged Paul’s Apostolic authority.

In his Letter to the Colossians , Paul stresses the exaltation of Jesus following his resurrection. Some members of the congregation were confused about his authority over the spiritual powers that remained hostile to God and His people; therefore, Paul reminded the Assembly of just how highly God has exalted the one who became the “ Firstborn of the Dead .”

In the opening thanksgiving of his Letter to the Philippians , Paul prepares his readers for one of its key themes: Going on to perfection in Jesus . The bodily resurrection of the believer is necessary for the consummation of this process, and its goal. It is an integral part of the salvation that believers will receive when Jesus appears, and a glorious hope as the past resurrection of Jesus demonstrates.

The Church has been plagued for centuries by prophets, seers, and mystics who claim to possess secret knowledge and new insights into the mysteries of God beyond anything found in the Scriptures, knowledge obtained via visions and dreams, or perhaps by deciphering the Hebrew alphabet or the Jewish calendar. The Bible certainly does speak of God’s “ mysteries ,” His unexpected ways that differ radically from human wisdom, but they were disclosed in His Son twenty centuries ago.

Paul links the start of the “ Last Days ” with the death and resurrection of Jesus. The time of fulfillment arrived, and all God’s promises now find their “ Yea and Amen ” in the risen Savior. Similarly, the  Letter to the Hebrews  declares that “ in these last days ,” God has “ spoken ” His definitive “ Word ” in His Son who now sits at the “ right hand of the Majesty on High .” History reached its pivotal point in the life, death, and resurrection of the Son of God.

To the Colossians, Paul emphasized the exalted position of Jesus that he attained through his death and resurrection . In his Letter, the Apostle stresses the exaltation of Jesus following his resurrection. It seems some members of the congregation were confused about his authority over the spiritual powers that remained hostile to God and His people; therefore, Paul reminds the Assembly of just how highly God exalted the very one who became the “ Firstborn of the Dead .”