“I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.” — Isaiah 57:15
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live.” — John 5:25
The psalmist asks in Psalm 24, Who shall ascend in the hill of the LORD? or who shall stand in his holy place? The answer given is, He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully[1]. Meaning that those that are fit to enter heaven are those who are perfectly righteous in all their thoughts, words, and actions.
Why then in Isaiah is it showing us those that have had their hearts revived? To be revived implies that they were once dead. For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died.[2]The wages of sin is death[3].
There is some debate among Christians as to the nature and extent of the Holy Spirit’s work and conversion in the Old Testament. The only answer to this question I can derive from Scripture is that salvation was always by grace through faith and always lead to a regenerated or “circumcised” heart[4]. Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight.[5]
Turning to John 5, Jesus says that the hour is coming and now is when the dead are being brought to life. He is not a God of the dead, but of the living: for all live unto him.[6]Notice that a few verses later he does not say that the hour is coming and now is that the dead shall come out of the grave.[7]That hour is not yet. But the scripture is very careful to distinguish between spiritual resurrection and bodily resurrection as well as between spiritual death and bodily death[8]. For dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.[9]
But surely the hour was and continues to be the day of salvation, in which people dead in trespasses and sins are being quickened together with Christ…to sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus[10].
Hallelujah and amen!
Comments