Page 119 - THE REVELATION OF THE THIRD HEAVEN and THE MEAT OF THE WORD

In the meantime Christians are part of Christ's perfect risen body (Eph 5:30) and as
such, in this mysterious sense, the Church as the Bride of Christ is already perfect
in the flesh as are we (Eph 5:30-31) despite the ongoing sinfulness of our flesh (1
John 1:8) and the delay in the manifestation of the marital consummation for us in
the new, spiritual and flesh, one body of Christ (Mark 12:25, Rom 8:15, 23, Phil
3:21, Rev 19:7, 9, 20:12). As such, and with the Spirit of Christ within, corruption,
that is old age, decay, death and thereby putrefaction can be avoided by faith
(Psalm 39:11, Gal 6:8). That is why it is available for Christians to overcome the
normal process of ageing which is a manifestation of the sinful nature of the flesh
of all men (Psalm 39:11). This is one of the ‘greater works’ that Christ foretold
that his followers would do. As Jesus ‘had’ to die this option was not open to Him
(John 14:22-23) and neither therefore could he ‘keep’ the proverb ‘Physician, heal
thyself’ prior to Resurrection (Luke 4:23) but we can (Mat 9:12-13).

The Christian default is that we are to live until He returns (John 8:51, 2 Cor 6:9)
and then be changed at the first resurrection (John 8:51).

A perfect keeping of the Law, which is impossible, confers immunity from all
attacks (Psalm 119:165) and total health (Prov 4:22), in short a suspension of the
curses released by becoming subject to the Law (Gen 2:17, 3:14, 17, Rev 6:2-8).
Availing of appropriation is therefore a commandment under the Law (Deut 30:19)
in antinomy with the curse of death (Gen 6:3). Christians have this available by
grace and faith (John 8:51). In fact every blessing is available to Christians (Eph
1:3) precisely so that we do achieve this (Eph 1:4).

Appropriation necessarily involves the arising of indestructible Christians who do
not die suddenly or gradually by old age (Psalm 39:11, 103:5, Mark 16:18, Rom
8:2, 6, 10 (ref John 12:24-25), 19, 21, 23, 29, 37, 1 Cor 3:21-23, Eph 6:10-11, Heb
7:16).

The flesh is mortal in that it must either die and be resurrected or be changed such
that in either event the flesh as currently constituted vanishes (1 Cor 15:50-54, 1
Thes 4:16-17). A Christian can remain in the unblemished flesh of youth (Job
33:14-26, Psalm: 56:4, 103:4-5, 10-12, 104:30, John 8:51) until the coming of the
Lord at which point the bodies of all alive Christians will be changed (1 Cor 15:51-
52). It is not necessary or inevitable for a Christian to wither with age and die
before the coming of the Lord irrespective of how long that is and non-Christians
have avoided this in the past e.g. Enoch and Elijah (Gen 5:24, 2 Kings 2:1, 11,
John 8:51, Eph 5:27, 30, Heb 11:5). Those that have, in the flesh, been taken up to
Heaven will still live and sin in the mortal flesh until the resurrection (1 John 1:5-