Noah entered the ark when he was 600 years old, specifically in the 2nd month, the 17th day of the month: Genesis 7:6-13: (NASB 1995) 6 Now Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of water [e]came upon the earth. 7 Then Noah and his sons, his wife, and his sons’ wives with him entered the ark because of the waters of the flood. 8 Of clean animals and animals that are not clean and birds and everything that crawls on the ground, 9 they all went into the ark to Noah by twos, male and female, as God had commanded Noah. 10 Now it came about after the seven days, that the waters of the flood came upon the earth. 11 In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep burst open, and the floodgates of the sky were opened. 12 The rain fell upon the earth for forty days and forty nights. 13 On this very same day Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and Noah’s wife and the three wives of his sons with them, entered the ark, They left the ark the following year, specifically in the 2nd month on the 27th day: Genesis 8:14-15 (NASB 1995) 14 In the second month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, the earth was dry. 15 Then God spoke to Noah, saying, 16 “Go out of the ark, you and your wife and your sons and your sons’ wives with you. 17 Bring out with you every living thing of all flesh that is with you, birds and animals and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, that they may [a]breed abundantly on the earth, and be fruitful and multiply on the earth.” 18 So Noah went out, and his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives with him. 19 Every beast, every creeping thing, and every bird, everything that moves on the earth, went out [b]by their families from the ark. The Jewish calendar was based on the lunar cycle of 360 days, so Noah was on the ark a little over a year, around 370 days.

Abraham was one of the most important people in human history. James 2:22-24, summarizes: “You see that faith was working with his works,…And Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness, and Abraham was called a friend of God.” Early in the book of Genesis, God called Abraham. At that time, he was not named Abraham, but Abram. Genesis 11:26, “Terah lived seventy years, and fathered Abram, Nahor, and Haran.” Every person who was favored by God up to Abram, is included in Abram’s lineage. God was building on faithful characters, so it is no surprise that God chose Abram for the greatest promise and covenant. Genesis 12:1, 5-7 “Now the Lord said to Abram, “‘Go from your country,…to the land which I will show you’. . .so they came to the land of Canaan… And the Lord appeared to Abram and said, ‘To your descendants I will give this land.’” God changed Abram’s name to Abraham. Genesis 17:5, 19 (NIV), “No longer will you be called Abram (meaning exalted father); your name will be Abraham (meaning father of many), for I have made you a father of many nations. … your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will call him Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him.” Abraham’s most momentous act of faith was when God told him to sacrifice his son of promise, Isaac. God had told Abraham that the covenant would pass through Isaac. Consequently, when God told Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, Abraham must have believed that God would resurrect Isaac. Genesis 22:2, 9-12 (NIV), 2 “Then God said, ‘Take your son, your only son, whom you love–Isaac–and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.’ . . .Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 10 Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. 11 But the angel of the LORD called out to him from heaven, ‘Abraham! Abraham!’ ‘Here I am,’ he replied. 12 ‘Do not lay a hand on the boy,’ he said. ‘Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.’” Hundreds of years later, the descendants of Abraham, ISRAEL, were led out of Egypt to forge their nationhood in the wilderness. God’s plan was set in motion with his great promise to Abraham. As the Apostle Paul wrote Abraham, “believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness. Understand, then, that those who have faith are children of Abraham. Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: ‘All nations will be blessed through you.’” Galatians 3:6-8 (NIV). “And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to promise.” Galatians 3:29.

We know that God has this power to gave us the supernatural things or maybe it’s called miracles in our lives but we know at the same that devil has the same power. Then how am I supposed to recognize if the miracle or the supernatural thing is from devil or from God? To clarify, in no way does Satan have “the same power” as God. At best, it is a cheap counterfeit, and only has the degree of power temporarily allowed by God. The best defense against being deceived by Satan’s use of spirit power is a thorough understanding of Scripture related to the specific issue in question. The shield of our faith in the Word and power of God and Christ protects us from the fiery darts of the varying forms of the deception Satan. Ephesians 6:16: Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. It is ultimately the teaching of the Word of God that helps us recognize and identify whether a teaching or miracle is from God or from the devil. 2 Timothy 3:16: All scripture is given by God. And all scripture is useful for teaching and for showing people what is wrong in their lives. It is useful for correcting faults and teaching the right way to live. Using the scriptures, those who serve God will have everything they need to do every good work. Satan stands for deceit, in opposition to the Word and Truth of God. We are told in John 8 that Satan is the “father of lies,” with the intent of continuing the destructive influence of sin. John 8:44: You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. The Word of God shows us that the schemes of Satan involve deceit. 2 Corinthians 11:14-15: And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds. Satan and his angels want to APPEAR as an angel of light for the purpose of deception and misleading people from truth to error. The Word of God is our source of truth. Proverbs 30:5: Every word of God is pure (tried or tested, ie absolutely genuine); He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him. John 17:17: (The testimony of Jesus, in prayer to the Father) Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. The Word of God is reliable. Hebrews 10:23: Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; for he is faithful that promised. 2 Corinthians 1:20: For all the promises of God are yea, and in Him amen, unto the glory of God by us. The Word of God shines forth the light of truth and the light of Godly direction. Psalm 119:105: Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.

Scripture illustrates that God created Adam and Eve in His image in order to create a close family relationship. Genesis 1:20-31: And God said, Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping things that creeps on the earth.” Luke 3:38 refers to Adam as a “son of God.” These verses suggest that “in Our own image” includes exercising the power of dominion over the animal world and over the earth which would include the ability to think and reason above the animal creation. The “image of God” implies a holy, intelligent use of the mind. The close family relationship He wants is possible by the use our ability to think, reason and make choices according to His will and principles. The relationship God intended with Adam was based on His loving provision as the Creator. God provided Adam with everything he needed to thrive and be fulfilled as a person, including a help mate suitable for him. In Genesis 2:18, He provided Adam with instructions on how to continue their perfect life, with a consequence for disobedience. Genesis 2:17-17: And the LORD God commanded him, You may eat freely from every tree of the garden, but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil; for in the day that you eat of it, you will surely die. The phrase “the LORD God commanded him” shows the relationship God was establishing included communication. Right from the beginning, it is clear God desired a relationship in which His authority would be respected, with the willingness to obey and live by His principles. This would require trust made strong by love for God as the provider, as both Adam and Eve experienced the abundance and the amazing provisions of the Garden of Eden. God instituted a close family relationship, with God as the Father and Adam and Eve as His children. Note the close family relationship of respect and obedience described in Proverbs 1:8 and 4:1. Adam fell short of this relationship when he sinned, and he and all humanity became “children of wrath.” (Ephesians 2:3) The relationship between Adam, Eve and God was damaged, and we all inherited this alienation from God’s family relationship under the sentence of sin and death. Romans 5:12: Therefore… through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned… But this close family relationship is restored through Christ. The relationship is restored first with sincere followers of Christ, and later with all the families of the earth. Ephesians 1:5: He predestinated us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will…And through the spiritual sons or children of God will come the blessing of all the rest of the human family. Romans 8:19: …the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God (the faithful Christians resurrected to glory in heaven.) for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will, but because of Him who subjected it in hope, that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. The restoration of relationship with God will be accomplished when Christ and his “bride” (his faithful followers) will rule over the rest of humanity, during the earthly resurrection of judgment. All those not part of the heavenly class will be part of an earthly resurrection and a time of blessing and opportunity to accept Christ and to repent of their sinful choices. There will be opportunities for the healing of body, mind and heart. See Isaiah 35:5-6,8 describing this great time. There will be a “highway of holiness,” a path of choices that leads to becoming holy. The end result will be a full restoration of sonship and close family relationship as children of God in heaven for faithful Christians and on earth for the remainder of the world. Revelation 21:7: He who overcomes shall inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will by my son. (The reign of Christ and faithful Christians will accomplish this restoration.) Revelation 21:3: And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain; for the former things are passed away. What a blessing to know that the original relationship that the Heavenly Father instituted through creating Adam and Eve in his own image will be restored!

The one sitting on the throne is clearly a reference to God Himself. Revelation 4:11 says of Him, “for Thou hast created all things.” Chapter 5 then opens with God holding a book which was sealed with seven seals. This is followed by an angel loudly proclaiming, “who is worthy to open the book and loose the seals.”  No man was found worthy. But verse 5 says the Lion of the tribe of Judah was worthy. He is described as a lamb, “as it had been slain.” This clearly refers to Jesus as the Lamb of God. Chapter 5 then sets the stage for opening the seven seals that are sealing the book. Chapters 6-8 describe the opening of one seal after another. The meaning of this has been interpreted in various ways. The most reasonable application is that the book contains God’s plan for the coming age, beginning after Jesus’ resurrection. This tells us that Jesus has been given the privilege of orchestrating certain events down through the Gospel Age. In addition to seven seals, Revelation 2-3 also enumerates seven churches. This describes seven time periods, or stages, down through the Gospel Age. Each seal was opened during the corresponding stage of the church.

All the instructions for increasing our Christian growth are found in God’s Holy Word, the Bible. The Christian’s guidelines for spiritual growth are detailed in 2 Peter 1:3-8: “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness. Through these He has given us His very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” In order for spiritual growth to occur, we must first accept Jesus as your personal Savior and put our complete faith in him. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come.” The old nature which had been dominated by sin is replaced by a new nature dominated by God’s spirit. See Romans Chapters 6-7. Learning to grow spiritually is a continuous journey, which occurs as you apply God’s word to your life. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 teaches us, “All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” In order for spiritual growth to occur, the Christian must be taught, rebuked, corrected and trained by God’s Word. Then he will be thoroughly equipped for every good work. This is the essence of the Christian’s spiritual growth. Another key to Christian growth is walking in the spirit.   Galatians 5:16-18, 24-26 explains, “So I say, live by the spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the spirit, and the spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. But if you are led by the spirit, you are not under law…Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the spirit, let us keep in step with the spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.” Walking in the Spirit of God is a conscious choice and a life-long process of ridding oneself of the acts of the sinful flesh (Galatians 5:19-21), while growing more and more in the fruit of the spirit. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” (Galatians 5:22-23) God works with different people in different ways. Some people grow rapidly, while others grow slowly but steadily. Therefore, it is important that we not compare ourselves with others. Rather, as we grow as Christians, we should look for God’s providential overruling in our lives and completely trust Him, knowing that each experience – no matter how trying – is tailor-made by God with love for our spiritual development. “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28)

Below is a list of the special yearly observances that God required Israel to keep. Three were in the spring while four were fall remembrances. Spring Observances (1) Passover (Nisan 14, the first month of the religious year) (2) Feast of Unleavened Bread (Nisan 15-21) which included an offering of barley firstfruits. (3) Feasts of Weeks (later called called Pentecost, 50 days after the Passover Sabbath) which included an offering of two loaves of leavened bread. Fall Observances (4) Blowing of Trumpets to announce the new year (Tishri 1, also, the seventh month of religious year) (5) Day of Atonement (Tishri 10) when the atoning sacrifices for the coming year were offered. (6) Feast of Tabernacles (Tishri 15-21) to celebrate the large fall harvests (7) 8th Day (Tishri 22), following immediately after the Feast of Tabernacles, a day of special worship Both the spring and fall celebrations included offerings of the firstfruits of that season’s harvest. This is significant and illustrates what James describes as “the precious fruit of the earth” (James 5:7). They represent various classes of people that are presented to God at different times in God’s plan. In the spring, the first grain that was harvested in Israel was barley. (See Leviticus 23:10,11). As part of the week long Feast of Unleavened Bread, the barley firstfruit was offered the day after the Sabbath. It was presented without leaven, a symbol of sin (See 1 Corinthians 5:8). The waving of barley represents Jesus’ resurrection. He died on the 14th of Nisan and was resurrected on the 16th, the very same day the barley was waved before the Lord. Therefore, the waving of barley represents Jesus being presented to God, perfect, unblemished, and without leaven. However, barley was not the only first-fruit offered to God. Fifty days after the barley offering was the Feast of Weeks (or Pentecost) (Described in Lev. 23:15-17). Two loaves of wheat bread were baked with leaven and waved before the Lord. The symbolism is clear. In spite of the fact that the wheat was baked with leaven, they were now acceptable because of Jesus’ atoning sacrifice. Acts chapter 2 states that the disciples were given the holy spirit on the Day of Pentecost. This was proof of their acceptance by God. The fact that there were two loaves of bread corresponds to the two spiritual classes that emerge from the Gospel Age, the church (Hebrews 12:23) and the Great Multitude (Revelation 7:9). Following these spring observances came those in the fall. The Feast of Trumpets announced the new civil year. It represents a new beginning for the world, and corresponds to the Second Advent of Christ, who returns to set up God’s kingdom on earth. This is followed by the Day of Atonement, on the 10th of Tishri. It represents the application of Jesus’ ransom sacrifice on behalf of the sins of the world. Without the merit of Christ, God’s plan could not proceed to bless mankind. A few days after the Day of Atonement came The Feast of Tabernacles. During the seven days of this feast, Israelites were commanded to live in makeshift booths to remember their deliverance from Egypt and their time of wandering in the wilderness (Leviticus 23:42,43). This feast was also called the “Festival of Ingathering” because at that time of year, the wine, corn and other grains were harvested (Exodus 23:16). This larger harvest represents the world of mankind being presented to God in the Millennial kingdom. Zechariah 14:16 tells us that the world will one day celebrate this feast. “Every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles.” That is the appropriate feast for mankind to observe because as it was first instituted to celebrate Israel’s deliverance. In God’s future kingdom, it will celebrate mankind’s deliverance from sin and death. God gave these special observances to illustrate the two ages of salvation: 1. the Gospel Age, represented by the two spring offerings, and 2. the Millennial Age, represented in the fall by the Feast of Tabernacles. The Apostle Paul wrote, “For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the first-fruits; [in the Gospel Age] afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming [in the Millennial Age]” (1 Corinthians 15:22,23). There is great meaning in the symbolism given in the Law that points to great and wonderful things coming for the entire world of mankind.

“For this is what the high and lofty One says, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: ‘He lives in the height and in holiness, and also with the one who is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite.” Isaiah 57:15 It is so powerful to know that our Holy God appreciates when we are contrite and humble—when we fail and make mistakes and we are repentant and sorry. And he wants to REVIVE us when we are in that frame of mind. This implies that He does not see our failures and mistakes as defining us. He desires to revive us, to help us regain our strength and determination to live a life pleasing to Him. He wants to encourage us! He has given us tools to revive us in the midst of this kind of discouragement, and they all involve a refocus of our thoughts, and our thoughts are very powerful. “As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he…” Proverbs 23:7 “Above everything else guard your heart, because from it flow the springs of life.” Proverbs 4:23. To guard the heart includes the idea of guarding and carefully protecting the thoughts we become attached to because heart-felt thinking really affects our lives. Here are some possibilities of how we can refocus our thinking: We can dwell on the depth of love that God and Christ have for every member of our human family (and that includes you and me!) “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son…” John 3:16 This well-known verse illustrates the depth of divine love. God’s love was so deep and wide that He was willing to have His only begotten Son, the closest living being to Him in the universe, leave his presence in heaven and come to earth as a human being to be the sacrifice and die the death of the cross. His purpose was so that ALL in our human family would be blessed. (Genesis 22:16-18) And the love of the son of God was so deep and wide that he was willing to become a human being, wholly devoted to the purpose of his Father, experiencing the hostility of sinners against himself, even to the death of the cross. (Hebrews 12:2-3, Philippians 2:8) In Ephesians 3:18-19, Paul talks about understanding “how wide, how long, how high and how deep his love is…though it is too great to understand fully.”  It is amazing to really think about the dimensions of divine love and realize we are loved more than we can imagine! We can refocus on His love and amazing ability to create by getting out into nature—His creation, and reflecting on the power and love behind the diversity and the beauty of it (Psalm 8:3, 95:4-5) We can refocus on kingdom blessing and personalize it. Jesus can hardly wait to bless me, and to bless us all in the kingdom. We can imagine God saying, “Look! I am creating entirely new heavens and a new earth! They will be so wonderful that no one will even think about the old ones anymore! As you wait for the reality of what I am creating, be filled with joy and unending gladness. Look! I am ready to create Jerusalem as a source of sheer joy, and her people, an absolute delight! I will rejoice in this new Jerusalem and find great delight in my people. You will no longer hear the sound of weeping or cries of distress.” (Isaiah 65:17-19 ) We can refocus on gratitude. “I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify him with thanksgiving.” Psalm 69:30 Thankfulness and gratitude are like a magnifying glass, making God and the blessings our lives bigger than the hard stuff in life. It can help to keep a gratitude journal, making a list of 3 to 5 things to be grateful for each day. We can exercise a good sense of humor and cheerfulness. “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person’s strength.” Proverbs 17:2 We can focus on how I can be a help and blessing to someone today. We receive such a blessing when we find ways to bless others. “Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.” Luke 6:38 In general, it can help to refocus on “What is in my power” and try to let go of what is not.

The phrase “less than overcomers” is not found in the Scriptures. We have heard the phrase “more than overcomers” used to describe the lives of the faithful followers of Jesus, referred to in scripture as the church, the bride of Christ, the body of Christ, and other names. The “more than overcomers” phrase is likely taken from Romans 8:37: “…in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.” The expression “more than conquerors” is from a Greek word meaning, “to gain a decisive victory; to vanquish” (Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance #5245). It describes a faithful life lived in complete consecration to God. In order for individuals to be accepted by God and enter into covenant relationship with Him, the merit of Christ must be applied for their justification (See Romans 5:9). As a result of having such faith, individuals can be begotten by the holy Spirit and become “new creatures” in Christ (See 2 Corinthians 5:17). As with any challenging task, a life dedicated to following Jesus can result in different levels of success. We generally focus on the results of being faithful and receiving the highest reward of being with Jesus in heaven. However, in addition to the faithful church class, the Bible also refers to a second class in heaven called the “great company” or “great multitude.” The great company is a class of Christians in covenant relationship with God. In Matthew 25, they are described in the Parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins. There, Jesus mentions two classes of his followers. The wise virgins diligently study God’s word and are prepared for the Lord’s return. Their lamps are full of oil, allowing their flame to burn brightly. The foolish virgins however, do not have enough oil in their lamps and their flame burns out. In both cases, the oil represents the holy spirit – God’s power and influence. The wise are alert and awake to what the Lord is doing. The foolish miss out on the Lord’s return and are not permitted into the marriage of the bridegroom. But the foolish virgins did have oil to begin with; they simply did not have enough. Possessing enough of the holy spirit means to have a proper understanding of the plan of God and the responsibility it brings upon the individual. Recognizing this responsibility is manifested in various ways such as through character development, sacrificial service and other faithful acts. Because the foolish virgin class (representing the great company) has less oil, God’s influence is manifested in a lesser degree than in the wise virgin (representing the church) class. As a result, the great company loses the privilege of being part of the bride of Christ. But the holy spirit still works in them. They are described in Revelation 7 as a “great multitude.” In verse 13, they are shown wearing white robes, a symbol of purity. In verse 14, they come out of great tribulation. Jude 1:23 describes this class as ones whose “garments were spotted by the flesh.” In other words, this great company class allowed the spirit of the world to influence their lives and put spots on their robes. By eventually figuratively washing their robes in the blood of the Lamb, they came to a realization of their shortcomings and cleansed their robes by seeking forgiveness. Although tribulation was needed to wake them up, they eventually prove faithful. Finally in Revelation 7:15, they are seen “before the throne of God and serve Him day and night.” This group is victorious and rewarded by serving before the throne of God but not on the throne. They remained under the blood and did not deny Christ. Therefore, they never lost the spirit of God, but were given a lesser spirit nature than the church, who receives the divine nature and is seated with God and Christ on their throne (See Revelation 3:21).

The question assumes that the various denominations comprise the body of Christ. They do not. The body of Christ is being developed in this present age on an individual basis. The Apostle Paul said this. “For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty” (1 Corinthians 1:26, 27). This group of specially called individuals will comprise God’s heavenly kingdom. No single denomination has held all these faithful believers and being in a particular denomination does not indicate God’s favor. But, there is another aspect to God’s kingdom. His kingdom will also fill the earth. Jesus mentioned it in his model prayer. “May Thy kingdom come and Thy will be done on earth as it is done in heaven” (Matthew 6:10). God’s earthly kingdom will see the resurrection of all who have died. Paul describes it in 1 Corinthians 15: 22,23: “For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the first-fruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.” In this passage Paul refers to both parts of God’s kingdom. Those who share in the heavenly resurrection are termed “the first-fruits” because they are the first class to be resurrected. Those raised to the earth are described as being resurrected “afterwards,” at the return of Christ. But notice the apostle says, “As in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.” There are no exceptions. The plan of God is to raise all mankind. This includes faithful ones called to heaven and the remainder of mankind resurrected to the earth. This is confirmed by Paul in Acts 24:15 when he said, “There shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust.” The group termed “the just” is the heavenly class. The group described as “the unjust” is the rest of mankind. They will be given 1,000 years to grow and develop before receiving a final trial at the end (described in Revelation 20). The faithful of mankind will then be granted eternal life as perfect human beings on earth.  But their initial resurrection is guaranteed by the death of Jesus. The many denominations that have existed down through the age were formed because Christians could not agree on the interpretation of God’s word. This often resulted in false teachings and evil practices. But God blessed the individuals who strove for the truth and were loyal to Him. Through their struggle, many developed a great dependance on God and proved their loyalty to Him. God is looking for these same qualities in each individual who calls upon His name. (See Romans 12:1-4). The denominations of man will someday be gone. But God’s kingdom will endure forever!