The Cloud of Witnesses and the First Resurrection

And what more shall I say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon and Barak and Samson and Jephthah, also of David and Samuel and the prophets: who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, became valiant in battle, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. Women received their dead raised to life again.
Others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection. Still others had trial of mockings and scourgings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, were tempted, were slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented— of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, in dens and caves of the earth.
And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise, God having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us.
​ Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. - Hebrews 11-12

In reading this it would appear that there is a contradiction. The former spoken of obtained the promise but the latter did not? There is a dichotomy going on here on multiple levels. Those who obtained the promise were first tortured, despised, rejected and/or ignored. The power of God is still shown through them because of their faith, and this happened in their life on this planet, yet their faith persists today as a testimony. Paul is referencing people before and after Christ dies, old and new covenants, and he is looking toward the future in those who were alive at that time and those who would follow. We have them as a cloud of witnesses as well as ourselves. Scripture says Christ will return in the clouds and we are those clouds. (See Rev 1:7, Zech 12:10, Matt 26:64, Acts 1:9-11). He will return the same way which He left. This a parable.

Speaking to the Pharisees Christ said, "...from now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the power and coming on the clouds of heaven."
FROM NOW ON.

When the two men spoke to the disciples from heaven, "...why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven," they were asking them a rhetorical question. Why are you gazing up into heaven? He was received by the cloud of witnesses in heaven and He will be received by His witnesses on earth who will one day be caught up into the clouds with Him. The heavens declare the glory of God. HalleluYah!

Those who suffered in times past for their faith and experienced the power of God in different ways will not be made perfect apart from us. We all are made perfect together, those who are of the household of faith. Still the suffering is not over. I'm torn between the torture of this existence and the peace and joy of God. Why? Because in the here and now there must be suffering, like Lot (for that righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard - not only in Sodom and Gomorrah but later as seen in the story of Moses and Egypt). Still, knowing the promise is what brings peace and joy. We receive pieces of the promise through our faith, hope and love during trials but we do not obtain the promise until God's appointed time. Then we will sit with Him on His throne and judge righteously, those who attain the firstfruit resurrection.

I say "we" inclusively in hope because we do not know whether we will be a part of the firstfruits. The firstfruits are overcomers, and they overcome by the blood and testimony of Yahshua. The testimony of Yahshua is the spirit of prophecy and we should not despise prophecies (nor ignore them). They are as important as any other doctrinal understanding. Let us be like the men of Issachar who understood the times in which they lived so they knew what to do.