THE AFTERLIFE PART 2Bc May 27, 2020 / 4 Sivan 5780 1 Corinthians15:20-23,49. Why does God want to resurrect our body if we will have a new body? Paul stated that Christ is the first-fruit of them that sleep. What does he mean by this? It means a great deal and is important to all Christians. In the Old Testament, before the Jewish people could harvest all of their crops from the fields, they were to bring a symbolic sample of the harvest to the priests in the Temple as an offering to the Lord. This offering was called the first-fruit offering and was to demonstrate the attitude of the person making the offering that all that he had belonged to the Lord and the Lord was a priority in his life. He was first in his heart. This offering demonstrated his gratefulness to God. It was the first installment of the entire harvest that was to follow. It is interesting to note that the first Sunday after the Passover was the same Sunday that Christ arose from the grave. Christ was the first to rise from the grave and never die again. His resurrection from the dead guarantees our resurrection, because He conquered death. His resurrection requires our resurrection, because His resurrection was part of the larger resurrection of God’s redeemed. The body is at rest, but the soul is at home with the Lord in Heaven. This is what happens to a Christian when he or she dies. People will be born during the 1,000-year reign of Christ. Some will die and it is very possible that they will be resurrected immediately. In other words, they will pass from a physical state to a glorified state right away. Are you living for Him? Do you know Christ as your Savior?