The Calling and Conversion of the Firstfruits
Previously we have discussed why it seems that God is hiding the truth from the majority of mankind. When and why will God alter this pattern? We know that Christ witnessed to the people in parables because most were not truly sincere in seeking God with their whole heart.
Isaiah 29:13-15, “Therefore the Lord said: ‘Inasmuch as these people draw near with their mouths And honor Me with their lips, but have removed their hearts far from Me, and their fear toward Me is taught by the commandment of men,
“‘14 Therefore, behold, I will again do a marvelous work among this people, a marvelous work and a wonder; For the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hidden.
“‘15 Woe to those who seek deep to hide their counsel far from the LORD, And their works are in the dark; They say, “Who sees us?” and, “Who knows us?”’”
The insincerity of the people was clear to God; the people were led by suspect teachers and were not ready to accept the truth.
Isaiah the prophet then revealed that this period of deceived people will come to an end. Full, true justice is obviously not in our present world. True justice will come in the future. It will come in several stages. The first stage is those in the new covenant era who are called by God; those whose minds are beginning to question the false religions of this age.
Isaiah 32:1-4, “Behold, a king will reign in righteousness, And princes will rule with justice.
“2 A man will be as a hiding place from the wind, And a cover from the tempest, as rivers of water in a dry place, As the shadow of a great rock in a weary land.
“3 The eyes of those who see will not be dim, And the ears of those who hear will listen.
“4 Also the heart of the brash will understand knowledge, And the tongue of the stammerers will be ready to speak plainly.”
Verse 15, “Until the Spirit is poured upon us from on high…”
People in the present world are deceived until they are called by God. A small percentage are called now. They are the “elect” or “very elect.”
Romans 11:7-8, “What then? Israel has not obtained what it seeks; but the elect have obtained it, and the rest were blinded. 8 Just as it is written: ‘God has given them a spirit of stupor, eyes that they should not see and ears that they should not hear, to this very day.’”
If a person finds himself open to new truth and begins questioning most of mankind’s religious traditions God may be opening his mind. That person could be among those chosen as the “firstfruits” or the “elect” if they respond to His calling.
2 Corinthians 3:15-16, “15 But even to this day, when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart.
“16 Nevertheless when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.”
The Apostle Paul is writing to believers that the veil that covers the hearts of most people is lifted for them when they turn to the true Christ. When one finally makes the decision to repent and turn to God, His truth will flood into them. Veils will be lifted, but for them only –– not the rest of the world. This new convert will become part of the firstfruits to God.
Verse 18, “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.”
The spiritually discerned truth will be received in the hearts of the elect or chosen. If you are not sure of your calling, pray about it! Ask God to open your mind ever more to deep biblical truths.
The First and Second Resurrections Reveal the Future
The two resurrections reveal the true fate of mankind. The second coming of the Messiah is the timing of the “first resurrection” of those being called now. When Jesus returns to this earth in power and glory, those converted prior to His return will be raised to glory. Paul comforted the believers with this good news:
1 Thessalonians 4:15-16, “For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep.
“16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.”
All those who answered God’s call up until that point in history will rise at His return! However most of the world will still be deceived.
1 Corinthians 15:51-52, “Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed –– 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.”
God will put His law into the hearts of true believers as part of the salvation process. Read Hebrews 8:9-10. What happens to the billions of people throughout history who are not yet saved?
Revelation 20:4-5, “And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. 5 But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.”
It says plainly that the rest of the dead –– billions of people including many who have never even heard the name of Jesus Christ –– would live again. This is the “second resurrection.” The two resurrections are separated by a thousand years.
John 5:28-29, “Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear His voice 29 and come forth, those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of judgment” (RSV).
The first resurrection is called the “resurrection to life” –– an everlasting life! The second resurrection is a resurrection to judgment. But what is meant by judgment? People cannot be evaluated, or judged, if they are ignorant of the truth. Those raised in the second resurrection will have the opportunity to live a full life with the knowledge of the truth of God. You could think of it like a boxing match with a long fifteen round struggle. The referee will judge the winner on the entire contest. They get points for each round. The conclusion is important also. Even infants who died without ever having a chance to live their life will be resurrected with an entire lifetime to understand God’s truth and be saved by Jesus Christ. See Isaiah 65:20.
The World Will Be Filled With God’s Truth
Jesus mentioned that some of the most pagan and perverted societies will get a chance at salvation in the next life and will even start ahead of some of the self righteous Israelites in their judgment.
Matthew 11:21-23, “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. 22 But I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you. 23 And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades; for if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.”
At the second resurrection, all the world will know the truth. Satan the deceiver will be put away so that mankind will have a period of time in which to be judged.
Isaiah 11:9, “They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.”
Habakkuk 2:14, “For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.”
Finally, the book of life will be opened so God can add billions of new names. The vast majority of mankind will be saved during this period. God will be victorious over Satan. A fair and merciful God will give to all those who died under varying levels of deception an opportunity for salvation, with their hearts and minds finally open to understanding His truth. They will thereby be judged on how they use that knowledge and most will be saved.
Revelation 20:12, “And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened [the Bible]. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books.”
Answer the call and strive for the best resurrection, the first resurrection, to rule with Christ, bringing justice and truth to all mankind!
