“Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 3:13,14)
I have never forgotten the instruction the Lord gave me concerning setting goals for our lives. As a young believer, I was seeking the Lord for an understanding of His purpose for my life. I wanted a vision to work towards. He led me to this passage, and I understood that it was to be the goal for my life. It was not about a career or a ministry, which is what I was inquiring about; it was about the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Based on the context of the passage, I understood that this was referring to the resurrection of our bodies, but it was also more than that. “That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.” (Phil. 3:10,11).
To be honest, I was a bit disappointed in the Lord’s answer. It seemed too simple. Why was taking part in the resurrection going to take some pressing towards? I thought since having accepted Jesus, getting caught up with Christ at His coming was just the completion of what I had already obtained. Obviously, Paul did not think it was a guaranteed thing, since he said “if by any means I may attain to the resurrection of the dead.” And, as I have come to understand, messages from God often have deeper meanings than first appearance.
What does taking part in the resurrection mean? “Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.” (Rev. 20:6). This is what the Bride of Christ is called to. “Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.” (Rev. 21:2). Who is the Bride of Christ? The letters to the churches in the book of Revelation tell us that she is a company of overcomers. “He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God. And I will write on him My new name.” (Rev. 3:12). She will not be hurt by the second death, which means that she will take part in the first resurrection. (Rev. 2:11). Those who overcome (i.e. the Bride) will rule with Christ (Rev. 2:26,27).
You will notice from these verses that they are all promises that we have believed belong to the Church, the Body of Christ. Is the Church the Bride of Christ? It is obvious from the verses we have just read that she comes from the body of believers on the earth. The letters in Revelation were written to seven churches in Asia Minor (Rev. 1:20). Now, we must ask a very difficult question. If the Bride of Christ is the company of overcomers from the churches on the earth, will the remainder of believers, who are not overcomers, be part of the Church in heaven? To phrase it another way, will they take part in the first resurrection? These are important questions if we are to understand Paul’s pressing on to “attain to the resurrection of the dead”.
We know that those who take part in the first resurrection will be priests of God and will reign with Christ a thousand years. Those who will reign with Christ are the overcomers. Who are the priests of Christ? The apostle Peter tells us that believers are “being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” (1Pe. 2:5). The Lord has made them “kings and priests to His God and Father” (Rev. 1:6). As His royal priesthood, we understand, then, that the Church will take part in the first resurrection. If the Church and the Bride are not the same, then their roles as priests and rulers will be different, but they will all be the Body of Christ.
I personally have a problem with this interpretation because it appears to contradict this scripture: “For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones. ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.’ This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church.” (Eph. 5:30-32). Also, believing that even the complacent believers will attain to the first resurrection gives them a false hope. We must endure with Christ if we are to reign with Him (2Tim. 2:11). Just because we have been added to the church on earth does not mean that we cannot be removed. (See Rev. 2:5 and Rom. 11:17-22).
I realize that this is a difficult view to accept because we tend to associate salvation with being in the Church. I believe it is possible to be saved from eternal punishment and not be part of the Church. After the thousand-year reign of Christ, there will be some on the new earth who will be saved but they will not be the Bride of Christ. “And the nations of those who are saved shall walk in its light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor to it. Its gates shall not be shut at all by day (there shall be no night there). And they shall bring the glory and honor of the nations into it. But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.” (Rev. 21:24-27). Having said that, I also believe that it is possible to lose one’s salvation.
Therefore, my goal is not just to be saved from eternal punishment, but to be as close to Jesus as I can. My hope is to attain to the first resurrection, to be in the company of overcomers which is the Bride of Christ. “Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you. Nevertheless, to the degree that we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us be of the same mind.” (Phil. 3:15,16).
Highway in the Wilderness 