Mystery of The Resurrection of the Dead
Dear Children of God! How are you? How is this season of fasting of the apostles? Hope you have hold on strong through it, praying, fasting and obeying God’s command. This fast known as “The Fast of the Apostles” is amongst the seven chronical fast. After receiving the grace of the Holy Spirt, Saint Apostles began their service in prayer and fasting. Making their fast exemplary, after the “Feast of Pentecost”, we fast until Hamele four. Then the feasts fall on Hamele Five, which is also the Feasts of Saint Peter and Saint Paul’s departure day.
Good children! Do you remember our last lesson? We hope so! May we remind you it was about “Mystery of of Eucharist.” And for today, we will teach you about “Mystery of the Resurrection of the Dead.”
First let us see its definition. The word resurrection means rising from the dead. “Resurrection is the Mystery of life after death. All those who have departed from the time of Adam, and those who will pass away, until the Second Coming of Christ, will be raised in the union of body and soul. The souls of the righteous shall abide in paradise and the souls of sinners in hell until the end of this world. But on the last day, when our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ shall come in His glory, to judge the living and the dead, the souls shall be united with their bodies on the day of resurrection and they shall rise from the dust of the earth.” (Luke 16: 29-31)
Dear Children of God! humans do not remain dead for ever but rise on the second coming of Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The decomposed body (the process in which the organs and complex molecules of human bodies break down into simple organic matter over time), unites again with the soul being new and fresh as its first nature.
After a person dies and is buried, it remains inside the grave until our Lord comes for judgment. This is done by the miraculous work of God. At that day, the flesh, the bone and the skull of human is collected and incarnated with the soul. We live in hope of our Lord’s words, “And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.” to rise on judgment day and inherit His Kingdom. (John 12:32)
The first for our resurrection (rising from the dead) is our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He has defeated the power of death (devil’s work) by His crucifixion upon the cross, died and remained three days and three nights and rose on the third day. He announced our resurrection on that day. Saint Paul in his epistle said, “And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.” (Colossians 1:18)
Dear Children of God! a man who is created in likeness and image of God, does not remain dead but rises honorably. Lord and Savior Jesus Christ has told us by His Holy words saying, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. (John 11:25)
Prophecies were also foretold in the Old Testament about the resurrection of the dead. “Your dead shall live; Together with my dead body they shall arise. Awake and sing, you who dwell in dust; For your dew is like the dew of herbs, And the earth shall cast out the dead.” (Isaiah 26:19)
In the prophecy of Prophet Daniel is also said, “And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, some to shame and everlasting contempt.” (Daniel 12:2) At judgment day, humans rise eternal life or everlasting punishment in accordance to our deed on earthly life.
The Holy Bible witness as follows: – “All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’
“Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’
“Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’
“Then they also will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’ Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” (Matthew 25:32-46)
Dear Children of God! we have seen some of the teaching of the resurrection of the dead. But, the education is very wide and deep. So, you will have to learn it at your local churches with your brothers, sisters, relatives, friends or neighbors similar to your age. The main thing however, is to always remember to keep God’s command and order in being good, obedient, kind, humble, brave and strong children for us to be called “come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.”
Farewell children! we have finished for now and hope to meet you next time in good health and peace.
May God be with you, Amen!