November 2007 - Vol 3, Issue 6

In this issue...
-- The Resurrection Body of Christ the Lord (Part 10)
-- Hear Dr. Whitcomb speak this month
-- Old teachings distributed through new media

The Resurrection Body of Christ the Lord (Part 10)
By Dr. John C. Whitcomb

When the true church, the spiritual body of Christ, finally experiences "the marriage supper of the Lamb" just before His second coming to the earth, she will be a spectacular bride, clothed "in fine linen, clean and white" (Rev. 19:8). Part of that bride was the church at Corinth, beset with carnality and various heresies. Paul wrote to them: "I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ " (2 Cor. 11:2).

Even John the Baptist, though not a part of the body of Christ (cf. Matt. 11:11), anticipated that ultimate marriage event: "He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom (i.e., John the Baptist), which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom's voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled" (John 3:29).

So John will be among the invited guests! "Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb" (Rev. 19:9). The bride will not be invited to her own wedding. It will be Old Testament believers, culminating in John, of whom the Lord Jesus spoke: "Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist . . . For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John" (Matt. 11:11, 13). Also invited will surely be those who will have died in faith during the great tribulation.

Infinitely more important, of course, than the appearance of the bride will be the appearance of the bridegroom Himself! Our glory will be a mere reflection of His glory. Right now we have the incomparable privilege of being "sons of God" (1 John 3:1, 2) through faith in His blood payment on the cross, confirmed by His bodily resurrection from the dead. However, "it doth 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" (1 John 3:2).

The most profound change we will experience when we see Him will be the permanent disappearance of our sin natures. Even now, this expectation is transforming, for "every man that hath this hope in Him purifieth himself, even as He is pure" (1 John 3:3). His absolute holiness will be the basic moral attribute He will reveal to us at that supper. Therefore, we must "follow . . . holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord" (Heb. 12:14). Thankfully, we will not cry out in terror when we see Him, like Isaiah the prophet did: "Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips . . . for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts" (Isa. 6:5). The difference was that he still had his sin nature, and was therefore devastated when he heard the seraphim (angels) calling out to one another near God's throne: "Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts" (Isa. 6:3).

At the marriage supper, the church will not only have been glorified by resurrection or rapture, but each Christian will also have been examined by Christ and either rewarded or deprived of a reward on the basis of post-conversion motives and conduct (1 Cor. 3:9-15). Though no mere human will ever become divine, we will have glorified bodies and will thus be able to share in that heavenly supper with One who is a divine Person with a compete human nature, including a body: "For in Him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in Him" (Col. 2:9, 10).

To Be Continued...

Hear Dr. Whitcomb speak this month
Dr. Whitcomb is extremely busy during this month of Thanksgiving, and will continue to be until the end of the year. Please pray for this ministry as you think of our ongoing needs for God's provision, and we will give thanks for your participation in this good work.

On Tuesday, Dec. 11, Dr. Whitcomb will address the Pre-Trib Study Group in Irving, Tex. For more information, call 972-929-8400, or visit www.pre-trib.org.

On Friday, Jan. 18, and Saturday, Jan. 19, Dr. Whitcomb will teach on apologetics and worldview at Tyndale Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Tex., as part of The Heritage Lecture Series 2008. For more information, call 800-886-1415, or visit www.tyndale.edu.

For additional details about these events, please visit our web pages at www.whitcombministries.org and www.sermonaudio.com/whitcomb.

(*Answers in Genesis-sponsored event. For more information on these conferences, visit www.answersingenesis.org/events.)

Old teachings distributed through new media
Everyone is talking about the new media these days. We at Whitcomb Ministries are doing more than talking about it, however; we are enjoying God's blessings in utilizing it to spread the eternal truths of His Holy Word.

Whitcomb Ministries remains committed to Scriptural teachings such as inspiration, inerrancy, Biblical creationism, traditional dispensationalism, premillennialism, the pre-tribulational rapture and presuppositional apologetics.

Whitcomb Ministries is also committed to spreading these teachings by means of conferences, books, charts, CDs, DVDs, television and the Internet.

It is in this last area, the new technologies of the Internet, where we are unquestionably reaching the greatest amount of people - especially through broadcasting on Whitcomb.SermonAudio.com, where our outreach continues to grow explosively. Our impact is also expanding through this e-newsletter, "A Monthly Monograph from Dr. Whitcomb," and through our Web site.

Please join us in praying that the Lord will help us to be faithful to the great tasks that He has set out before us in these wonderful new days of opportunity.