“THE DEAD IN CHRIST SHALL RISE FIRST”
“Subtitle: THE FIRST RESURRECTION”
PART 1
Praise the Lord People of God! I hope that you are enjoying the teachings on the beast from the sea; however, I want to give you an insight that was given to me on yesterday; I will continue to teach on the beast, but you have to see this Truth for yourself; let us dive into these scriptures, so that your eyes may be open also; turn with me to I THESSALONIANS 4:14-17; pay close attention to verse 16:
‘For the Lord HIMSELF shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trump of GOD: and the DEAD IN CHRIST SHALL RISE FIRST.’
These verses are dealing with the coming of the Lord; some of you think that this is the RAPTURE, but this is not a rapture message; the rapture message is a false teaching; but today, you will know the truth about the DEAD in CHRIST; I was at a funeral on yesterday, and I heard the preacher quote these scriptures; but the LORD had me to LOCK my eyes and ears on the DEAD IN CHRIST SHALL RISE FIRST; so let us deal with this part of scripture right now; let us see who these dead in CHRIST are: turn with me to COLOSSIANS 3:1-4; pay attention to verse 3:
‘For ye are DEAD, and your life is hid with CHRIST in GOD.’
The DEAD IN CHRIST are those saints whose LIFE is hid with THE LORD JESUS CHRIST; this is the dead Paul was talking about in the letter to the THESSALONIAN CHURCH; also, when you are dead, you don’t care about who notice you; you don’t hear what people are saying about you because your life is hidden in JESUS CHRIST; that’s what the word ZEPHANIAH means in the HEBREW; HID OF THE LORD! When the church is dead, we must have died from something; the things that we are dead to are in Colossians 3:5; the DEAD IN CHRIST are dead to FORNICATION, UNCLEANNESS, INORDINATE AFFECTION, EVIL CONCUPISCENCE, AND COVETOUSNESS, which is IDOLATRY; if we are not dead to these things, we will not RISE FIRST; Paul told the Colossian Church to MORTIFY these things; mortify in the GREEK means to put to DEATH; we must be dead from these SINS OF THE FLESH; if we are not dead to these things, we will not rise first; also read Colossians 3:1; if we are RISEN with Christ; you must be RISEN with Christ right now; but if your mind is more on the things in verse 5, you will not rise first!!! Colossians 3:8, 9 says that we must PUT OFF ALL THESE; put off means to MORTIFY; if the CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST do not MORTIFY anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication, and Lying, we will not RISE FIRST; we must be dead to sin; we must be dead to the FIRST ADAM NATURE: THE LUST OF THE EYES, THE LUST OF THE FLESH, AND THE PRIDE OF LIFE!!! If these things are not MORTIFIED, we will not RISE FIRST!!! When we are dead in CHRIST, people on earth do not see us, but they see the LORD JESUS CHRIST working THROUGH US.
Still not convinced about the DEAD IN CHRIST? turn with me to GALATIANS 2:20:
‘I am CRUCIFIED [dead] with CHRIST: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.’
We are Crucified with Christ; why? Because we ARE DEAD, and our LIVES ARE HID WITH CHRIST IN GOD!!! We now LIVE INSIDE THE LIFE OF CHRIST; ALTHOUGH WE ARE IN A FLESH BODY, but we are supposed to be DEAD, and the life we live is BY THE FAITH OF JESUS CHRIST; we live by HIS FAITH BECAUSE CHRIST LOVED US, and HE GAVE HIMSELF FOR US, HIS CHURCH!!! If we are DEAD to the WORKS of THE FLESH, WE SHALL RISE FIRST BOTH in the NATURAL AND IN THE SPIRITUAL; EARTHLY AND HEAVENLY!!! Christ Lives IN US NOW; GALATIANS 5:24 says that they that are CHRIST’S have CRUCIFIED[mortified] THE FLESH with the AFFECTIONS AND LUSTS; if we are walking in the FLESH, we will not RISE FIRST; those people that will rise first are those people who are first rank apostles, first rank prophets, first rank bishops, first rank evangelists, first rank pastors and first rank teachers; everyone in the BODY are not preachers; however, to those of you that are first rank intercessors, first rank worshippers, first rank deacons, and first rank helpers., etcetera, etcetera; these are the people who will RISE FIRST; to those of you who WORSHIP FATHER in spirit and in TRUTH SHALL RISE FIRST; if you are a worker of miracles, prophecy, discerning of spirits, kinds of tongues, gifts of healing, and interpreter of tongues, you SHALL RISE FIRST; you will not rise first because of your Gifts, but you will rise first because YOU ARE DEAD, AND YOUR LIFE IS HID WITH CHRIST IN GOD!!! GLORY BE TO GOD!!! If you have MORE of the FIRST ADAM in you than the LAST ADAM, YOU WILL NOT RISE FIRST!!!!!!! The LAST ADAM, WHICH IS CHRIST, must be MANIFESTED in our LIVES CONTINUALLY!!! I am going to do a part 2 to this teaching; I LOVE YOU SAINTS OF GOD!!!!!!! GROW IN GRACE AND IN THE KNOWLEDGE OF JESUS CHRIST!!!!!
IRA LEE KIRKWOOD JR.
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