Death and Rebirth

God designed into the universe a pattern of first physical then spiritual, of dying and rebirth. He told us, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit” Jn 12:2425.

In earthly life we are primarily perceived by men as physical persons, but in eternal life we will see one another as spiritual persons. In this we model Rabbi Yeshua. During most of our lives we have physical health. But in our last days or weeks we experience a kind of crucifixion; our bodies gradually dis-integrate to the point of death. Those judged worthy in the particular judgment instantly experience eternal life with Rabbi Yeshua in heaven. At the Second Coming the souls in heaven receive their glorified bodies.

God’s covenant with Abraham required that a man enters God’s family through circumcision Gen 17:11 which places a permanent mark on his body that remains for the rest of his earthly life. His New and Eternal Covenant requires that both men and women enter his family through baptism Jn 3:5 which imprints § 1272 an indelible mark, called a character, on his soul that remains for all eternity.

This pattern of first physical then spiritual appears in the Torah, where the first two books, Genesis and Exodus, are primarily historical. They tell of us mostly of physical events that took place in this life thousands of years ago. The later books, LeviticusNumbers, and Deuteronomy, tell us mostly of God’s law for his people Israel.

There is a special case for the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. The first part, the Liturgy of the Word, is a physical reading of the Word of God. The second part, the Liturgy of the Eucharist, is consecration on the altar of the Word of God Made Flesh 48:02  Jn 1:14, during which Rabbi Yeshua transubstantiates bread and wine into his Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity § 13741376, in which his presence is not spiritual but sacramental.

Hallelujah Veterans Version 3:49

(Visited 62 times, 1 visits today)