Paul was set out to testify of the Gospel of the Resurrection. And if it was for a future Resurrection, that would be no new testimony at all because even the Pharisees believed there was a resurrection, a future one. The Sadducee’s and Pharisees argued about this. But the testimony from Paul was to come out of that Pharisaic testimony of a future resurrection of time and matter and be transformed from that one into the one that “cometh not with observation”.

  When Paul was speaking to the Roman ruler Agrippa being a believer. Paul said “why do you think it’s incredible that God raises the dead” because it was not incredible that God raises the dead, for the Resurrection was a believe they already had. This is what the fat. What was incredible is that God raises the dead by the operation of faith. That a resurrection of the end times was a distraction. Having come out of that system he was to testify to a different resurrection. The Lord said to Saul/Paul at his conversion that he was “you will testify of what you have seen and the things I will yet reveal to you”.

   But it is the resurrection of faith we all confess at baptism that Paul was assigned to differentiate between the Pharisaic resurrection of a future last time event when the Lord said of these people “they will say look here and look there, but do not follow them”. It is  our profession and confession of faith that we are buried with Christ and then resurrected with him to walk in newness of life while we are in our human condition. (Romans 6)

“You shall be judged by every word that you speak”. Especially your public confessions, your baptism.

Heb 2 Therefor we must pay closer attention to what we have heard lest we slip, for if the word spoken through angels proved steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received its just reward, what makes us think we shall escape judgement if we refuse such a great salvation. And it is a great salvation. Our sojournment is our departure.

   So it is the second coming seeker false prophets of today who have no shame in believing the same Pharisaical testimony that Paul was told by Christ to depart from, that Paul was to transform from. These second coming seakers who confess at baptism to the resurrection with the risen Lord, then hypocritical turn and talk about another resurrection of another raising of another savior with another saving and make themselves as much and enemy of Christ as Paul was as a Pharisee when the Lord said “why are you kicking against the goads? In this way Saul/Paul was the enemy. At his conversion He saw Christ as a great light brighter than any humanly seen light for Paul saw Him as He is. To accept Christ in His original form and not as a man for Paul did not describe the pierced side or the nail holes in the hands. A man was Christs temporary form that He transitioned from to show us the way.

 It was Paul who learned by revelations, meaning a multiple appearings of Christ for Paul to grow by degree to say “I have been crucified with Christ yet I live but not I, it is Christ that lives in me. And the life that I now live I live by faith in the Son of God who gave himself for me. If righteousness or the resurrection, comes any other way, the cross is unnecessary. Was He not raised? Then we are raised with Him if we are “in Christ “. If it comes any other way, then Christ died in vain. If Christ only confirmed a future resurrection He accomplished no new thing and we are still in our sins wallowing in our old nature.

So like we said, it was the religious order of that day that believed in a future resurrection that Paul came out of. They believe in the resurrection but a future one and that is what he was in error with and antagonized beleivers for. It was Christ who proved he was the resurrection and the new life with the raising of Lazarus before Christ showed His resurrection at the cross. He did not become the Resurrection, He was the ressurection.

Paul prayed “that the eyes of our understanding would be opened that we would know the exceeding greatness of his power that is in US that he displayed when God raised the man Jesus from the dead and seated Him at His own right hand. And that is what we ask you to do. Didn’t Paul say that of us in Ephesians 2? That we are seated in the heavenlies in Christ”? That “we would know the exceeding great power that is in us that he displayed when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him far above all power and principality in this age and the coming age”. And that is the point. In the coming age is the one that is even coming as we speak for it cometh not with (carnal) observation, being the eternal that overlaps us now. This includes “today if you can hear His voice”and every day, to accomplish the task for you to be seated in him. For this reason Paul said that we are seated with him in Heavenly places far above all powers and principalities being rulers over all things.

   This is the testimony that he had to conclude and to agree with to be qualified an apostle as one who saw the Lord. And He did, but not seeing the nail holes or the pierce in His side Paul saw the great light from heaven. And I pray that you do too. And we can see Christ as He is with the eyes of our understanding as the light brighter than humanly possible.

 We do this to testify of the Resurrection of faith too. Can you believe this? Well this is what we are asked to do. Believe something we cannot (carnally) see, but we can experience by faith. For “without faith it is impossible to please God. You must first believe that he is and that he is a rewarder of those who” wait for a 2nd coming?  No! We diligently seek him now and what he rewards you with are things from where he is. Eternal things, invisible things. If you cannot get past pleasing him by faith, if you cannot get past the obstacles that your eyes see and your ears hear, to believe the truth, you cannot have this. But he is a rewarder of those that can believe this by applying faith. And you are asked to follow those who through faith and patience inherit the promises” and so we do. Not promises of a dead piece of paper but of those who receive the thing that is said “if you are able to receive it” are you? “He comes and His reward is with Him” Why? Because He is the reward. Him and nothing else because everything belongs to Him.