by Gary L. Evans
(revised 7/28/2023)
The Resurrection — Part 1
Gen 5:18-20 And Jared lived an hundred sixty and two years, and he begat Enoch: And Jared lived after he begat Enoch eight hundred years, and begat sons and daughters: And all the days of Jared were nine hundred sixty and two years: and he died.
Our Lord had decreed that Adam would die in the “day” he sinned regarding The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.
2Pe 3:8 But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
Adam had lived nine hundred and thirty years, a little shy of one thousand years. Therefore our Lord’s prophesy held true. Jared, a descendant of Adam, lived for nine hundred and sixty-two years, still less than one thousand. One day with God is one thousand years with us.
Gen 5:21-24 And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah: And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters: And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years: And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.
God took Enoch before he died in the flesh. Enoch was special.
Heb 9:27-28 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.
So we are all appointed to die once in the flesh, and then we must face The Judgment. But Enoch did not die in the flesh. Did God Most High send an inter-dimensional space ship to earth to get him and take him to some distant planet or even to some place in another dimension beyond our imagination? I ask this question to stretch your imagination so that you will think for yourself as you study our Father’s Word.
1Co 15:50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.
Flesh and blood cannot enter into The Kingdom of God. So how did Enoch enter therein?
Deu 34:5-6 So Moses the servant of the LORD died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the LORD. And he buried him in a valley in the land of Moab, over against Bethpeor: but no man knoweth of his sepulchre unto this day.
The scriptures teach that Moses died, and that God buried him. But the location of his burial has been kept a secret.
Jud 1:9 Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee.
Even Satan could not find out the location where Moses was buried. Do you think that Satan wanted to know so that he could defile Moses’ body? Moses was the Law Giver, God’s Law which promised Eternal Life to anyone who would obey it perfectly. Satan did not like that knowledge being provided to God’s people. Well, no one knows what happened to the body of Moses.
Were Enoch and Moses exceptions to the rule that we all must die once in the flesh and then face the judgment?
Whosoever has eyes to see and ears to hear, let him hear.
The Resurrection — Part 2
2Ki 2:1-2 And it came to pass, when the LORD would take up Elijah into heaven by a whirlwind, that Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal. And Elijah said unto Elisha, Tarry here, I pray thee; for the LORD hath sent me to Bethel. And Elisha said unto him, As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they went down to Bethel.
Elijah was about to be taken by The Lord into Heaven. And he told Elisha, his disciple, to stay at Gilgal. But Elisha refused and insisted on going with him to Bethel.
2Ki 2:3-4 And the sons of the prophets that were at Bethel came forth to Elisha, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the LORD will take away thy master from thy head to day? And he said, Yea, I know it; hold ye your peace. And Elijah said unto him, Elisha, tarry here, I pray thee; for the LORD hath sent me to Jericho. And he said, As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they came to Jericho.
Elijah told Elisha to stay at Bethel. But Elisha refused and insisted on going with him to Jericho.
2Ki 2:5-6 And the sons of the prophets that were at Jericho came to Elisha, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the LORD will take away thy master from thy head to day? And he answered, Yea, I know it; hold ye your peace. And Elijah said unto him, Tarry, I pray thee, here; for the LORD hath sent me to Jordan. And he said, As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. And they two went on.
Elijah told Elisha to stay at Jericho. But Elisha refused and insisted on going with him to the Jordan river.
2Ki 2:7-9 And fifty men of the sons of the prophets went, and stood to view afar off: and they two stood by Jordan. And Elijah took his mantle, and wrapped it together, and smote the waters, and they were divided hither and thither, so that they two went over on dry ground. And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee. And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me.
Finally, Elijah asked Elisha what he wanted. Elisha asked for a double portion of The Holy Spirit that was in Elijah. Would you think to ask for that, my friends?
2Ki 2:10 And he said, Thou hast asked a hard thing: nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it shall not be so.
Elijah answered that what Elisha was asking was very difficult, but then gave a prophesy, that if he could watch him taken from the earth, then he would receive his request, otherwise he would not.
2Ki 2:11 And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.
A “chariot of fire, and horses of fire” appeared suddenly and separated Elijah from Elisha. Then Elijah was taken up by “a whirlwind” into Heaven. Now that must have been a sight to behold, my friends.
2Ki 2:12 And Elisha saw it, and he cried, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. And he saw him no more: and he took hold of his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces.
Elisha was overwhelmed by what he saw and tore his clothes because of his amazement at the sight.
2Ki 2:13 He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and went back, and stood by the bank of Jordan;
Elisha took Elijah’s mantle, or robe, which had fallen back to the ground when he was taken up.
2Ki 2:14 And he took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and smote the waters, and said, Where is the LORD God of Elijah? and when he also had smitten the waters, they parted hither and thither: and Elisha went over.
And just as Elijah had parted the waters of the Jordan, so did Elisha in order to go back home. So it appears that The Lord granted Elisha’s request to receive a double portion of The Holy Spirit that was in Elijah, because he had been permitted to see him taken into Heaven. Elisha had performed his first miracle, and having received a double portion of The Holy Spirit that was in Elijah, Elisha would perform twice as many miracles as Elijah had done during his ministry.
Now think about this event. This “chariot of fire” was a flying vehicle, and those “horses of fire” were providing the power to the thing so that it could fly. And it must have used some kind of teleportation technology to take Elijah up from the ground into it, but for some reason left his robe behind for Elisha to pick up so that he could use it to smack the waters of the Jordan to cause the river to become divided.
Elijah did not die in the flesh, but The Lord took him using a flying vehicle that had fire coming out of it. Do you think Elijah was taken in the same way that The Lord had taken Enoch?
Whosoever has eyes to see and ears to hear, let him hear.
The Resurrection — Part 3
Eze 1:1-4 Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I was among the captives by the river of Chebar, that the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God. In the fifth day of the month, which was the fifth year of king Jehoiachin’s captivity, The word of the LORD came expressly unto Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar; and the hand of the LORD was there upon him. And I looked, and, behold, a whirlwind came out of the north, a great cloud, and a fire infolding itself, and a brightness was about it, and out of the midst thereof as the colour of amber, out of the midst of the fire.
In Ezekiel’s vision, he saw a “whirlwind” and a “fire in-folding itself,” with a “brightness” all around it, and in the middle of it was “the color of amber, out of the midst of the fire.”
The word “amber” is from the Hebrew “khash-mal’” which means “bronze or polished spectrum metal.”
So this flying vehicle that Ezekiel was looking at appeared as having been made of highly polished bronze. And there was a whirlwind around it, or tornado, and fire within a fire and a brilliant light around it.
Ezekiel saw some kind of a flying vehicle powered by tremendous fire coming out of the thing. Does that seem like some kind of a space ship to you, my friends?
Eze 1:5-7 Also out of the midst thereof came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance; they had the likeness of a man. And every one had four faces, and every one had four wings. And their feet were straight feet; and the sole of their feet was like the sole of a calf’s foot: and they sparkled like the colour of burnished brass.
From that mother ship came four smaller vehicles, which had likenesses of men (inside), and they had four faces (or sides) and four wings, and straight feet like a calf’s foot (or landing gear), and they sparkled like highly polished bronze in their appearance. So they appeared to have been made of the same metal as the mother ship.
Eze 1:8-9 And they had the hands of a man under their wings on their four sides; and they four had their faces and their wings Their wings were joined one to another; they turned not when they went; they went every one straight forward.
Those sister ships did not turn their faces, or front sides, as they turned, but kept looking straight ahead as they went.
Eze 1:10-12 As for the likeness of their faces, they four had the face of a man, and the face of a lion, on the right side: and they four had the face of an ox on the left side; they four also had the face of an eagle. Thus were their faces: and their wings were stretched upward; two wings of every one were joined one to another, and two covered their bodies. And they went every one straight forward: whither the spirit was to go, they went; and they turned not when they went.
And when they went one way or another, they did not turn, but just went that way without turning around.
Eze 1:13 As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was like burning coals of fire, and like the appearance of lamps: it went up and down among the living creatures; and the fire was bright, and out of the fire went forth lightning.
And they were powered by fire which went up and down and appeared sometimes like lightning shooting out of them.
Eze 1:14 And the living creatures ran and returned as the appearance of a flash of lightning.
And they moved very fast like lightning.
Eze 1:15-16 Now as I beheld the living creatures, behold one wheel upon the earth by the living creatures, with his four faces. The appearance of the wheels and their work was like unto the colour of a beryl: and they four had one likeness: and their appearance and their work was as it were a wheel in the middle of a wheel.
Now the mother ship was more complex, being constructed of a large wheel enclosing a smaller wheel with both turning around.
Eze 1:17 When they went, they went upon their four sides: and they turned not when they went.
But when the mother ship moved, just as the smaller ships, it did not turn from side to side, but just went that way without turning.
Eze 1:18 As for their rings, they were so high that they were dreadful; and their rings were full of eyes round about them four.
And the thing was so huge and high that it was awesome to behold, and there were portals all around its sides, like eyes.
Eze 1:19 And when the living creatures went, the wheels went by them: and when the living creatures were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up.
The sister ships stayed with the mother ship.
Eze 1:20 Whithersoever the spirit was to go, they went, thither was their spirit to go; and the wheels were lifted up over against them: for the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels.
The Holy Spirit was in the wheel within a wheel, and He controlled which way the ship was to go.
Eze 1:21 When those went, these went; and when those stood, these stood; and when those were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up over against them: for the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels.
The mother ship and the sister ships went together in formation.
Eze 1:22 And the likeness of the firmament upon the heads of the living creature was as the colour of the terrible crystal, stretched forth over their heads above.
And above them in Ezekiel’s vision was a sky that went upward like an unimaginable crystal forever, way up beyond the imagination.
Eze 1:23-24 And under the firmament were their wings straight, the one toward the other: every one had two, which covered on this side, and every one had two, which covered on that side, their bodies. And when they went, I heard the noise of their wings, like the noise of great waters, as the voice of the Almighty, the voice of speech, as the noise of an host: when they stood, they let down their wings.
The Voice of God Almighty is the sound of “great waters” which are the peoples, multitudes, nations, and languages of this world.
Eze 1:25-26 And there was a voice from the firmament that was over their heads, when they stood, and had let down their wings. And above the firmament that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone: and upon the likeness of the throne was the likeness as the appearance of a man above upon it.
The Throne of God Most High was way up above in that crystaline sky over them. And on The Throne was “the likeness as the appearance of a man.”
Eze 1:27-28 And I saw as the colour of amber, as the appearance of fire round about within it, from the appearance of his loins even upward, and from the appearance of his loins even downward, I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and it had brightness round about. As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face, and I heard a voice of one that spake.
Ezekiel saw The Lord God Almighty in all His Glory which appeared as the rainbow in the clouds after a heavy rain. Now we have some idea of how our Lord travels which is most glorious to behold.
Whosoever has eyes to see and ears to hear, let him hear.
The Resurrection — Part 4
Mat 17:1-2 And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart, And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light.
Jesus took three of His disciples with Him to a very high mountain. He took Peter, James, and John. And our Lord was “transfigured” before their eyes and His face became bright as the sun and His clothes became white like light.
The word “transfigured” is from the Greek “met-am-or-fo’-o” which means “to transform (literally or figuratively ‘metamorphose’).”
Our Lord metamorphosed right before their eyes.
Mat 17:3 And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him.
And with Jesus appeared Moses and Elijah talking with Jesus. God buried Moses. And Elijah had been taken up into Heaven by The Chariot of The Lord. How is it that they are standing together with Jesus, The Messiah? What is the relationship between Moses and Elijah? We know that Elijah ascended, but did Moses also ascend? His body could not be found. What is the meaning of our Lord’s teaching through this miracle? These disciples witnessed His transformation.
Mat 17:4 Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias.
Peter spoke up and said to Jesus that it would be a good idea for them to make three tents or dwellings, one for Jesus, and one for Moses, and another for Elijah. Jesus had transformed into His Glorified Body in front of Peter’s eyes, The Glory of The Lord.
Rev 1:12-16 And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks; And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle. His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire; And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters. And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.
This is what John saw in his vision when our Lord appeared to Him in His Glory on The Day of The Lord. No doubt our Lord appeared in a very similar form on the mountain before Peter, James, and John together. And Peter is wanting to build some tents. What is Peter thinking about? Is this the same man who comprehended Who Jesus was, The Messiah, The Only Begotten Son of God?
Mat 17:5-6 While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him. And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid.
After they heard The Voice of The Most High God, these three disciples got down flat on the ground in reverence.
Mat 17:7-8 And Jesus came and touched them, and said, Arise, and be not afraid. And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus only.
Moses and Elijah had disappeared.
Mat 17:9 And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying, Tell the vision to no man, until the Son of man be risen again from the dead.
This was a private lesson for Peter, James, and John, and not to be mentioned to anyone until after our Lord rose from the dead.
Whosoever has eyes to see and ears to hear, let him hear.