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166. Q. When did our Lord rise from the dead?
A. He rose the third day after the crucifixion.
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167. Q. What is the meaning of the word "Resurrection?"
A. That means that our Lord reunited His body and soul together.
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168. Q. Which body and soul did He reunite?
A. He reunited the body and soul He had before His death.
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169. Q. Can you prove that He had the same body
and soul even after His resurrection?
A. Yes, He showed His pierced hands, legs
and sides to St. Thomas, the Apostle, and
others (John 20:20, 27, 30)
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170. Q. Was there any change in His body after the resurrection?
A. Yes, His body had a great glory; His
disciples did not recognize Him (John 21:4,12);
Jesus entered into the room where
they sat, while even the doors were locked.
(John 20: 19-26) and such other incidents
are recorded. Even our bodies too will be
glorious in the resurrection if we live in
accordance with Christ's commandments.
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171. Q. But, even before His death, did He not
walk on the sea, and was he not transfigured on the mount?
Did He not then work various miracles?
A. Those incidents were only the signs of the
glory which He had in Himself always.
This glory was hidden before resurrection;
but we see it clearly now.
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172. Q. How many days did Christ live on earth after His resurrection?
A. He lived on earth for 40 days after His
resurrection, i.e., till He ascended into heaven.
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173. Q. What did He do these forty days?
A. He taught His disciples to build the
Church. "After He had suffered, with many
wonders during the forty days, while
appearing to them and talking with them
concerning the Kingdom of God " (Acts 1:3). It is so written.
174. Q. What is the meaning of the word "Ascended" used in the Creed?
A. That means that Christ entered into heaven with His soul and body.
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175. Q. Now where is our Lord?
A. He now sits at the right hand of the
Father. (Mark 16:19; Heb. 8:1; Psal. 110:1).
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176. Q. "What is the meaning of the expression of "the right hand of the Father"?
A. That means "the place of highest glory and authority" (Ephe.l:20—22; Phil 2:9,10).
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177. Q. Why did our Lord ascend into heaven?
A. There are 5 reasons for doing so:—
1. Just to receive in His Humanity too,
the glory He had with His Father in
His Godhead, even before the world was
made. It is written: "So now, Oh! My
Father, glorify Me with You with the
same glory which I had with You
before the world was made” (John 17:5).
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2. To send the Holy Spirit. For Christ
has said "......If I do not, go away, the
Comforter will not come to you; but if
I should go I will send Him to you" (John 16:7).
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3. Just to bring everything into order for
the completion of His Church, About
this it is stated “....has put all things
under His feet, and made Him, who is
above all things, the Head of the Church.” (Ephe. 1:20—23).
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4. To prepare a place for us. Jesus Himself
has said “In My Father's house there
are many rooms, if it were not so
I would have told you. I am going to
prepare a place for you. And if I go
and prepare a place for you I will come
again and take you to Me; so that
where I am you may also be" ( John 14:2-3).
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5. To be our High Priest in heaven.
The Scripture says "We have therefore
a great High Priest who has ascended
into heaven, Jesus Christ, the Son of
God; let us remain firm in His faith" (Heb. 4:14).
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178. Q. Did Christ refrain from His priestly duties
after the fulfilment of His sacrifice on the cross?
A. No, He is a priest for ever after the
order of Malchizadeck (Psl 110:4, compare
what St. Paul the Apostle says in Heb. 7:15, 21-24).
179. Q. Has our Lord no authority in the Church
since He has ascended into heaven?
A. He has. We read in the Holy Bible, "Thy
Kingdom is an everlasting Kingdom and
Thy dominion endureth throughout all
generations" ( Psa. 145:13); "The Lord is
righteous in all His ways, and Holy in
all His works" (Psa. 145:17, verse 13 as
is seen in Assyrian/Aramaic Version of Psalms) and
“The Lord, hath sworn and will not lie.
Thou art a priest; for ever in, the likeness
of Malchizadeck" (Psa. 110:4; Heb 7:15, 21, 24).
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180. Q. Right. But what do you assert by this?
A. I assert by this that our Lord Jesus
Christ who is both God and man and our
Saviour and the Great High Priest, lives
for ever and governs unceasingly.
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181. Q. Do not some people who worship the idols
and serve the goddess give those authorities to a sinful man now?
A. Yes, They give all these authorities to a
“man of sins" now. But they go astray
from the truth; because, they could not
have said or done so if they had believed
that our High Priest lives for ever and ever.
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182. Q. How does He become our High Priest?
A. It is written about this that, " .. He did
not enter with the blood of goats and calves,
but by His own blood, He entered in once,
into the Holy place, and obtained for us
everlasting redemption” (Heb. 9:12) and
that ''....but this man, because He is
immortal, has a priesthood which remains
for ever. Therefore He is able for ever
to save those who come to God by Him
because for ever He lives to make inter-
cession for them" (Heb. 7:24-25).
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183. Q. If this is so, who are then the priests of
the Church of God such as the Patriarch and his subordinates?
A. The Scripture describes them as "the
servants of Christ and stewards of the
mysteries of God" (1 Cor. 4:1) and
"Ministers through whom you are converted" (1 Cor. 3:5), etc.
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184. Q. If Jesus Christ intercedes for us with
the Father, is He not of a leaser status than the Father?
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A. No, As He too is God, He speaks as if
one talks with his fellow man. Compare
the prophecies of Zechariah in connection
with the passions of our Saviour (Zach. 13:7).
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185. Q. When will Jesus come to this world again?
A. He will come on the last day to judge the nations (Psa. 67:4).
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186. Q. Will all men be judged?
A. Yes, On the last day all that is living
and the dead will be judged; so we confess in the Creed.
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187. Q. How will the dead be judged?
A. St. Paul, the Divine Treasurer, says,
"Behold I tell you a mystery; we shall
not all die, but we shall be changed in a
moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at
the last trump, for the trumpet shall
sound and the dead shall be raised incorrup-
tible and we shall be changed" (1 Cor. 15:51-54).
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188. Q. What for will we be judged?
A. We will be judged for all the good or
evil we have done in the world. "For
we must all stand before the judgment seat
of Christ; that everyone may be rewarded
according to that which he has done with
his body, whether it be good or bad"
(2 Cor. 5:10). Compare this with what
the Eccleciastes says in the 12th Chapter 14th verse.
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189. Q. How will Jesus come to judge us?
A. He comes with the same body He had in
this world (Acts 1:11) but with greater
authority and glory. Jesus Himself has
said, "When the Son of Man comes in
His glory, and all His holy angels with
Him, then He will sit upon the throne
of His glory" (Matt. 25:31).
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190. Q. Does man know when the day of judgment will be?
A. No, Nobody knows the exact time. Jesus
will come at a time when His coming is
least expected; just like a thief at night.
For we read in the scriptures “for you
yourselves know perfectly well that the day
of our Lord comes just like a thief in
the night" (1 Thess. 5:2; Rev. 1:3).
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191. Q. What should we understand from this?
A. We ought to leam from this that we
should ever be wakeful as we do not
know when the house-owner comes (Mark 13 :35).
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192. Q. What will our Lord do then to those who have done good?
A. He will make them stand at His right
hand and say, "Come, ye blessed of My
Father, inherit the Kingdom which had
been prepared for you from the foundation
of the world" (Matt. (25:34).
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193. Q. What will He do to those who have done evil?
A. They will be shifted to His left side and
He will say to them, "Go away from Me,
you accursed, to the everlasting fire which
is prepared for the adversary and his angels" (Matt. 25:41).
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194. Q. What do we learn from this?
A. We learn from this that we should
immediately turn from our sins and repent
and that we must be careful to the highest
degree during our life time.