The Church of Jesus Christ moves forward right on target. God is in control and He knows what He is doing, He is not taken unawares by the enemy. The devil can do nothing unless God allows it, for those that are walking with God.

As we get closer to the great climax of the ages, God is revealing more and more of His eternal plan to those who are open to the moving of His Holy Spirit.

In Hebrews 6: 12 we have the doctrines of Christ portrayed for us, outlining God’s program for the restoration of His Church. "therefore leaving the principals of the doctrines of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundations of repentance from dead works, and of faith towards God, of of the doctrines baptisms and of laying on of hands and of the resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgement."

When Paul says that we are to leave these doctrine and move on, he is saying not to homestead at these spiritual experiences and build denominations. These doctrines are spiritual experiences that the Church has and will move into, and they can also be experienced by each individual believer, through faith.

If there is anything at all that we can learn from church history, it is to not homestead and build denominations around a new doctrine of Christ that God has revealed through His latest out pouring of His Spirit, but to be open to God and wait and watch for His next move. If we study history and God’s dealings with His people, we find that each move of God was largely resisted by Christians who had been partakers of the last move of God. According to some men of God there will only be 20-25% of the Charismatic movement that will move into the next out pouring, which has probably already started.

All that the Church was in the first few centuries was lost during the Dark Ages. It seemed that the devil had prevailed over the Church, but in the fourteenth century God looked for a man to stand in the gap and found such a man in Martin Luther. He brought the Church on to the path that led it out of the Dark Age and would start it onto a journey of restoration that would bring it into the most glorious experience that it has ever known over the next six hundred years.

There are six doctrines of Christ that will bring us into perfection (which is the seventh) which are listed in Heb. 6:1-2 and it is in exactly in this same order that Christ is restoring them to the Church.

At this time I would like to enlarge on " the Resurrection of the dead" as I understand it according to what I believe God has revealed to us through the scriptures. Up until now we have been able to follow the proceedings of God in the restoration of the Church by the Acts of the Apostles and the letters to the Churches by Paul & others. What the Church has been experiencing up to this point is not totally new, but God was restoring what it had lost during the Dark Ages. What God is about to do is going to be a totally new experience for the Church. Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel all refer to this new thing or move that God is about to perform in His Church.

Isaiah 42:9 "Behold the former things are come to pass and new things do I declare. Before they spring forth I tell you of them." The former things are Gods dealings or moves throughout the restoration of the Church up to this point as has already been outlined. The new things are about to spring forth and and He is telling us in this scripture that Gods people will be made knowledgeable about it before it will happen. There will be no excuse for any one to miss out on it. Isaiah43:19 says – " Behold I will do a new thing, shall it not spring forth, shall you no know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the dessert." In Ezekiel 11:19 we read "And I will give them one heart and I will put new spirit within you and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh and will give them a heart of flesh." Again in Ezekiel 36:26-27- "A new heart will I give you and a new spirit will I put within you an d I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes and you shall keep My judgments and do them."

In order to somewhat understand what God is about to do which Heb. 6:2 refers to as the "Resurrection of the dead" we have to go to the Old Testament and the feasts that were instituted by God.

Deut. 16:16 " Three times in a year shall all your males appear before the Lord your God in a place where He shall choose; in the feast of unleavened bread, (Passover) and in the feast of weeks, Pentecost) and in the feast of tabernacles and they shall not appear before the Lord empty." Also in Lev. 23:1-44 we have the Lord giving Moses detailed instructions as to the procedures for keeping these feasts. There are seven Feasts that the Israelites had to keep, but the three main ones were Passover, (three feasts in one) Pentecost (by itself )and Tabernacles (three feasts in one). Col.2:16&17 says that these meat and drink offerings and holydays , or new moons or Sabbath days are a shadow of things to come. Scripture also tells us that Jesus came to fulfill the Jewish feasts and laws. Every on of us is familiar with the feast of Passover which Christ fulfilled on the cross of Calvary, on the very day of Passover and this is our salvation experience. We also know that Christ fulfilled the feast of Pentecost when He baptized the hundred and twenty with Gods Holy Spirit on the very day of Pentecost. Many but not all Christians have experienced what is referred to as the baptism with the Holy Spirit. There was however another feast that was considered to be the greatest of three feasts kept by the Jews once a year and that was the feast of Tabernacles. John the Baptist proclaimed that Jesus would fulfill these feasts. John 1:29 "the next day John sees Jesus coming to him and said , Behold the Lamb of God which takes away the sin of the world." (Passover our salvation) Then again John the Baptist says in Matt.3:11 --- " but He that comes after me is mightier then I --- He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost (Pentecost, Baptism with the Holy Spirit) and with fire (Tabernacles Purification)

The feast of Tabernacles was celebrated in the seventh month of the Jewish Calendar. The first day was the blowing of trumpets the tenth day was the Day of Atonement and the fiftieth day was the Feast of Tabernacles which then lasted another seven days. It is this feast, the feast of Tabernacles, that we want to look at, because there is no record in scripture that it was or has ever been fulfilled by Christ. It is therefore mandatory that Christ fulfill it, just as He did the previous two feasts and therefore, as believers, we cannot have this experience till Christ has fulfilled it. Just as this feast of Tabernacles followed the other two feasts so also this third experience must follow our previous two experiences namely salvation and baptism with the Holy Spirit, and baptism with fire (purification still future)

In order to be resurrected from the dead we have to experience death. The death referred to here is not physical but death to the self life, (flesh & ego) In Lev. 23:27 we read that whoever did not afflict his soul could have no part in the Day of Atonement (Tabernacles) but would be cut off. The affliction of soul is something that Christ talks about in Luke 14:26-27 "If any man come to me and hate not his father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes and his own life also (death to self) he can not be my disciple. And whosoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple."

Affliction of soul is death to self, taking up the cross and come after me (Jesus). Jesus was headed for the cross and gave up all His rights, likewise to follow Him is to give up all our rights, yes even the rights and authorities that we received through our two previous experiences.

If we desire and are willing to let the Lord afflict our soul and die to self we shall take part in the Day of Atonement experience. There is nothing we can do in our own strength to achieve this but through a longing and desire by faith let God accomplish this in our life and He will do it by His grace. Yes there is a price to pay! giving up our rights.

Now getting back to Heb. 6:2 "the resurrection of the dead"—If we have been willing to pay the price and have let the Lord afflict our souls to die to self, there will be an experience for those individuals where they will get resurrection life infused into them by Christ through the Holy Spirit, of such a magnitude that they will be able to do the works that Christ did. John 14:12 says "----- the works that I (Jesus) do you shall do also, and greater works than these shall you do, because I go to the father." This day of Atonement is actually the marriage feast experience of Christ to the bride. It is when the BRIDE becomes AT- ONE-MENT with CHRIST. Just as in a marriage the bride becomes one with her husband and takes on his name, so also those that died to self will take on Christ’s name and shall be what Heb.8:19 refers to as the manifestation of the sons of God.

What is meant by the term "Resurrection of the Dead"? In John 12:24 Christ says "Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abides alone, but if it dies, it brings forth much fruit." It is a principle or law of nature that in order to produce fruit a seed has to be planted in the ground (darkness) and die but eventually it will sprout, and break through the ground (out of darkness into light) and bear fruit.

Christ had just said in the previous verse –23: "The hour has come that the Son of Man shall be glorified."

He was glorified when He went to heaven after His resurrection from the grave to sit at the right hand of the Father. He had to go the way of the cross and die, but did not stay in the grave (ground) but was raised from the dead and produced much fruit. (sons and daughters) 2 Cor. 6:18 In John 12:25 He continues "He that loves his life shall lose it an he that hates his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.

The apostle Paul in his letter to the Philippians, Chp. 3:10&11 makes a very interesting statement.

"That I might know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto death, that by any means I might attain the Resurrection of the Dead." It is here in these verses that Paul is expressing his longing and desire of his heart, to be a part of God’s next move.

Christ had left them with the assurance that He would be coming back again. Paul had been taken to the throne room of God, (third heaven) and God had revealed things to him that he was not able to speak about, but he had a revelation and knowledge that went far beyond the understanding of those early Christians, and for that matter right till these last days when God is about to do a new thing. In 1 Cor. 15:8 Paul says, "and last of all He was seen of me also, as one born out of due season." I do not believe he is referring to his conversion on the road to Damascus when he saw a bright light, but rather he is referring to his experience of being taken up to the third heaven (Throne Room). 2 Cor. 12:4 – "and heard unspeakable words, which is unlawful for a man to utter."

When Paul makes the statement in Phil. 3:11 " If by any means I might attain the resurrection of the dead ." he is not referring to the dead bodies to be to be raised to life at the return of Christ. (1Thess. 4:16)

Because that is a promise to all Spirit filled believers according to the scriptures. NO! he was well aware of that promise to believers, but he was expecting another experience according to what God had revealed to him. (2 Cor. 12:4) His problem was that he expected this to happen in his life time, not realizing that this was to come in the end of this age. Just as the feast of Tabernacles was the last feast in the year, in the same way this feast that Christ will fulfill, is in the end of this age.

Paul was well aware that two of the three Jewish feasts (Deut. 16:16) that were commanded of Moses by God to be kept on a yearly basis had been fulfilled by Christ, namely the Feast of Passover and the Feast of Pentecost. The Feast of Passover was the birth of the Church, (outer court in the Tabernacle) the Feast of Pentecost was the out pouring of God’s Spirit for witnessing and receiving of gifts to the Church (Holy Place in the Tabernacle) Paul also knew that Christ would appear unto His own again and his appearing

would be to those who were waiting and expecting Him and would show their earnest desires by the kind of a life that they have lived, namely, "Love not the world, or the things of the world," but take up their cross and follow Christ (death to self life). These believers will be infused with a supernatural holiness and righteousness by the Holy Spirit that it will make them to be of one mind with Christ. Phil. 2:5 says

"Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus, ver.(13) For it is God which works in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure. (14) Do all things without murmuring and disputing, (15) That you may be blameless and harmless the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom you shine as lights in the world; (16) Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I may not have run in vain, neither labored in vain."

1 John 3:2&3 "Beloved now are we the sons of God, and it does not yet appear what we shall be; but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is, and every man that has this hope in him purifies himself, even as He is pure." This appearing is not at His return to set up His kingdom as in 1 Thess. 4:14 –17 but it is a secret appearing to those who are waiting and longing as Paul did.

Paul together with many of the early Christians and throughout the history of the Church never experienced this appearing of Christ. This does not mean that they did not qualify by not attaining to it spiritually, but this third experience can not be received until Christ has fulfilled it just as He fulfilled

Passover and Pentecost here on earth. (not in heaven) How God is going to deal with believers that have gone to be with the Lord before these last days is something that we will leave in God’s hands, I’m sure that He is able to work it out. It is because of this third experience that God says in Isaiah 42:9 " Behold

the former things are come to pass, and new things I do declare: before they spring forth I tell you of them." Also Isaiah 43:19 "Behold I do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it? --- " Again in Isaiah 48:6 " --- I have showed you new things from this time, even hidden things, and you did not know them."

Lev. 23:27- 29 "--- and you shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord --- for it is a day of atonement, to make an atonement before the Lord God. --- For whatsoever soul it be that shall not be afflicted in that same day, he shall be cut off from among his people.

These verses tell us that no one will take part in the day of Atonement unless they have afflicted their soul (death to self life) Now I realize that this has to be the work of God, but it is our attitudes toward God and His dealings, in circumstances that are contrary to our natural situations, that will qualify or disqualify us on that day. "Lord not my will but your will be done." We can do ourselves out of blessings that God has for us by refusing to accept the trials and tribulations that the Lord lets come our way for the perfecting of His saints.

In closing I would like to challenge any one who refuses to see that the feasts and Tabernacle are a shadow or image of the Church and the experience that every Christian can and should strive for, and that Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of them all, if you are not one of those, I believe you cannot understand where God is taking the Church.. You might argue we have the New Testament and that is enough, well Jesus Himself used the Old Testament scriptures again and again showing that Moses and the prophets testified of Him. There are some forty Old Testament references relating to Christ the Messiah. In Luke 24: 25 Christ says to the two Emmaus disciples," O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that that the prophets have spoken. ----- 27 and beginning at Moses and all the prophets, He expounded unto them all the scriptures and things concerning Himself."

"When the Lord returns will he find faith on earth." Jesus is not referring to the kind of faith that moves mountains here, but the kind of faith that believes God in every situation and that He will see us through even when it seems the Lord has forsaken us. Isaiah 50:10 "Who is among you that fears the Lord, that obeys the voice of His servant, that walks in darkness and has no light? Let him trust in the name of the Lord and stay upon his God."

It is my greatest desire, even as the apostle Paul said, "That I might know Him, and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His suffering being made conformable on to His death. If by any means I might attain the resurrection of the dead."

May God give us the wisdom, knowledge and understanding of His moving in our Churches and our individual lives by His Holy Spirit in these last days in which you and I have the privilege to be a part of.

Dave Loewen

Triune Last Days Ministries