Harvest of one body!

(Book of Kells)

A Look at Scripture:


1st Corinthians 15:23,24


(23) "But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming." (24) "Then cometh the end, when He shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power."

The resurrection is pictured as a great harvest. The crop is made up of one kind of seed or crop. This harvest is described as having three phases in the reaping of the crop. There are the first-fruits that become ripe before the larger body of the crop. Then at the right time the main harvest comes for the whole field. Afterwards is the gleaning of that which ends the harvest.

Everyone in Israel understood the process of the harvest. Paul uses that example to help his listeners understand the more complicated process of the resurrection. He says.



a.. "Christ the first-fruits." From the beginning of time to the first century, the Messiah was the first and only one to arise and ascend into the Heavenly Father's authority. Then, those who suffered with Him during the Acts' period reigned with Him. The Parousia hope dominated the thinking of martyrs and living believers for the next forty years following His suffering, death and resurrection in AD 30.



b.. The new covenant Body: "They that are Christ's at His coming." This was the Greek phrase anastasis ek ton nekron (raised out from among the dead) that meant "the first resurrection," the "better resurrection," the "resurrection unto life" or the "resurrection of the just." Those who partook of it were called "children of God, being children of the resurrection." Paul explained that in the "fullness of times," God would "gather together in one, all things in Christ." As the firstfruits of the approaching harvest was gathered, the rest was assured to be harvested in due time. (1) Christ, then (2) "they that are Christ's at His coming."



c.. The old covenant Body: "The rest," to telos, not as some teach: "the end" or termination of all things. The context demands of us to think of "the last rank" in the harvest as "the rest of the dead." Always anastasis ton nekron is the resurrection of the dead, of which includes "the resurrection of the unjust," "the resurrection of damnation" and "to shame and everlasting contempt." This rank and category of "the dead" was the result of their judgment of works. These bodies were fused into one harvested body so that it became one body with Christ as the Head. Lastly, Paul concludes that believing Gentiles were also brought into this joint body in order to be raised as only ONE BODY in Christ.


"For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many is one body: so also is Christ. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. For the body is not one member, but many."

Acts 26:23; Acts 2:32-36; Romans 8:11, 23-25; 1st Corinthians 1:7-8; 2nd Corinthians 4:14; 5:10; Philippians 3:11-21; 1st Thessalonians 1:10; 2:19; 3:13; 4:13-18; 5:1-11,23; 2nd Thessalonians 1:7-10; 2:1-2, Titus 2:13; Hebrews 9:28; James 5:7-9; 2nd Peter 3:9-13; 1st John 2:28; 3:2-3; Revelation 20:5,6; Hebrews 11:35; John 5:29; Acts 24:15; Luke 14:14; Luke 20:35,36; Ephesians 1:10; Revelation 20:5; Acts 24:15; John 5:29; Daniel 12:2; Revelation 20:12; Ephesians 1:10; Ephesians 2:12-22; Ephesians 4:4; 1st Corinthians 12:13-15

From newly published book, "A Man and Two Trees" (the search for immortality) Order it at Amazon.Com or Barns&Noble