The Resurrection of the Dead: Do you believe in it?

For the last 20 years, I have been teaching and writing about the great falling away. which I have uncovered while  ministering online since 2002. Actually,  I noticed this when I was a pastor in an African American   church for 17 years of my 25 years there, from 1979-2004. Therefore,  I have known for about 20 years   that most religious people  do not really understand the Lord’s resurrection and therefore, they are not born again. I perceive this to be the great falling away.

 Two thousand years ago, those who saw the Lord alive after His death did not need faith because their very eyes witnessed Him physically ALIVE! . They were at the cross when He died and they were in the upper room when He bodily appeared. What we also  tend to forget is that right after Jesus was resurrected, the people of that day either saw or heard about how the earth quaked and the elect of God from the old testament came out of their tombs, went to the holy city and appeared to many people. (Matthew 27:51-53)

Consider the early saints who became martyrs , marching joyfully  to their deaths, singing! Let us not forget Stephen, who less than a decade later was willing to die for Christ, demonstrating not an ounce of fear as he was stoned to death.  Why? The martyrs of two centuries ago believed not only  in the Lord’s resurrection BUT IN THEIR OWN! Because they had witnessed or heard about the resurrection of  deceased old testament saints and of course they met the resurrected Jesus as well. As a result of their faith in the Lord and in their own future resurrection,  their fear of death was destroyed.

To be born again is to come back to life in the spirit after being dead. Those who are not born again are spiritually  dead, dead in trespasses and sins. They are physically alive but dead in spirit.The Lord Jesus proved how great the power of His life is through His resurrection. He established that resurrection life is a life that cannot be touched by death. YOU MAY KILL ME BUT I will return in my body when the Lord returns!.

I have generally understood  that without the Lord’s  resurrection, no one can cast out demons. This is why deliverance ministry is such a farce.  Most of the people involved, including the workers and the captives are not even born again.  Therefore there is no resurrection power among them  to defeat evil spirits. Its a mockery as fallen angels and demons pretend to flee but they are STILL there. Nevertheless, they will flee when they know the deliverance worker  believes in both the Lord’s resurrection and the resurrection of the dead. Consequently, the  worker  is not afraid of his or her own grave. As such, power to defeat Satan and his minions is released. 

In 1983, I did not know very much but I discovered it seemed by accident or coincidence that I had the power to cast out demons. So I began to study deliverance ministry including its teachers and its authors.  As time passed, I knew something important was missing.  As I was writing an article yesterday, it was revealed to me that all along, this generation’s problem is the fear of death.  Deliverance sessions produce  demonic manifestations,  yet without the resurrection power to defeat the enemy.  Why?  Because there is no belief in the resurrection of the dead or in the Lord’s resurrection.  THERE MUST BE BOTH!! (I Cor 15:12-17)

I have believed for a long time in the resurrection of the dead as evidenced by my consistent expectation that I will be alive when the Lord returns to earth.  The devil knows I believes that I won’t see death. Yet he wonders, ” Am I afraid of being in a coffin, in a grave?”  Perhaps.  

The Holy Spirit has revealed that the fear of death causes a believer to lose hope in the resurrection of our own bodies.  Yet, according to the Apostle Paul, if we are not resurrected, then Christ is not resurrected and therefore, we are still in our sins, NOT BORN AGAIN. If we are not born again, then we cannot cast out evil spirits.  Its Satan’s loophole so he wants all of the elect to fear dying. 

Yesterday, I got my answers.  Satan has been telling me that I am dying for the last 30 years and “I am still here!” LOL He stopped for a season,  recently “starting again,”  even spoke to me in an audible voice last month. I wondered “why would he waste his time in this matter.  I no longer fear death because I know my death is not in his hands but its in the Lord’s. Satan can not take me out because the Lord will not give him permission. 

Well, here is the subtle and interesting reason.  

The fear of death causes a believer to lose hope in their own resurrection from the dead.  If that hope is lost, then they are still in their sins.  To lose faith in both the resurrection of the Lord AND of the resurrection of the dead will cause us to weaken our authority to cast out evil spirits by the power of the Lord’s victory over the devil. think of it!  For 2000 years,  Satan has been  angry because he saw  the old testament elect of God  go into the graveyard and retrieve their immortal bodies.  And he knows that when the Lord returns, IT WILL HAPPEN AGAIN!!!!!

Yes, the devil knows his fate. He dreads  that “soon and very soon,” God’s people who dies since the Lord’s ascended into heaven will also be “raised from the dead” when Jesus meets them in the air and shouts!

So fear NOT!