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Not A Spirit of Fear Resurrection and Faithfulness Unto Death For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things …
that I may know him and the power of his resurrection.—Philippians 3:7- Jeffrey Earl The hope of resurrection, and our faith in it, takes away the sting of death. One of the most important doctrines in the Bible is the teaching of the resurrection of the dead. This doctrine forms the bedrock of our faith in life after death, not only for us as Christians but also for the rest of mankind. Some have asked how it is possible if someone dies to later bring them back to life? Are there examples and witnesses to any resurrections in the Bible, and if so, by whose power did these occur? Without the hope of a resurrection of the dead, is there a reason or purpose for anyone to be living on this earth? How should the hope of the resurrection affect the way we as Christians live our lives? Should we be fearful of death and what does it mean to be faithful unto death? The word “resurrection” in the Bible is found only in the New Testament and is a translation of the Greek word anastasis meaning “a standing or rising up, a raising up” according to Young’s Concordance and Vine’s Expository Dictionary. While the word is not directly used in the Old Testament, it is strongly implied in a number of places. How do we know there will be a resurrection of the dead? We accept the hope of the resurrection on faith because we have never seen anyone actually resurrected; only events in the Scriptures describe what a resurrection would be like. Many “resurrections” in the Scriptures should really be described as “awakenings” or “resuscitations” from death to life. The resuscitations in the Old Testament were performed by the prophet Elijah in the raising of the woman’s son who became ill and stopped breathing (1 Kings 17:17-24), and later by Elisha when he raised the son of the Shunammite woman (2 Kings 4:32-37). One of the more obscure instances of a resuscitation was the instance of the mourners in the process of burying a man. They were surprised by a marauding band of Moabites and in their haste to escape, the man was dropped into the same grave as that of Elisha and “as soon as the man touched the bones of Elisha, he revived, and stood on his feet” (2 Kings 13:20,21). A possible explanation of the recording of this event was to show that it was the power of God that was doing the reviving, not the “supernatural” acts of a man, as could be claimed when Elijah and Elisha revived the dead. The patriarchs of the Old Testament speak of their hope in a future resurrection. Hosea speaks of the dead being redeemed from sheol or the place of the dead (grave): “Shall I ransom them from the power of sheol? Shall I redeem them from death?” (Hosea 13:14). Job says, “Oh that thou wouldest hide me in sheol [the grave], that thou wouldest conceal me until thy wrath be past, that thou wouldest appoint me a set time, and remember me! If a man die, shall he live again? All the days of my service I would wait, till my release should come. Thou wouldest call, and I would answer thee; thou wouldest long for the work of thy hands” (Job 14:13-15). Job desires that God remember to bring him back at the proper time: “For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at last he will stand upon the earth; and after my skin has been thus destroyed, then [from] my flesh I shall see God” (Job 19:25,26). The apostle Paul in Hebrews describes the faith of numerous patriarchs of the Old Testament and their hope that if faithful to God, they would receive a “better” resurrection: “Women received their dead by a resurrection: and others were tortured, not accepting their deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection” (Hebrews 11:35, KJV). In the New Testament there were instances when Jesus raised the dead, including the raising of the son of the widow in Nain (Luke 7:11-17), the raising of Lazarus after he had already been in the tomb for four days (John 11:1-44), and the awakening of the daughter of the ruler of the synagogue (Mark 5:35-43). Paul used the power of the holy spirit when he awakened a boy who fell from the window (Acts 20:9-12). All those awakened or resuscitated in these cases died again. In all these awakenings or resuscitations, the body had not yet fully degraded (though Lazarus’ was certainly the most decomposed), so there was no need to create a full, living body from just minerals or bones. While these were miraculous enough in themselves, it will be an even more extraordinary miracle to resurrect those now dead using only God’s “recorded” memory of each one’s every aspect, both mental and physical, in an earthly resurrection, as though a video and audio recording had been taken of each person’s life: “Even the hairs of your head are all numbered” (Matthew 10:30). Those in the spirit realm can use the atoms of earth to appear in human form. After his resurrection Jesus took various human forms prior to his spiritual ascension. In the Old Testament angels appeared in human form to Lot in Sodom to warn him to leave (Genesis 19:1-23), and an angel appeared and wrestled during the night with Jacob. After his resurrection, the appearance of the risen Lord varied according to circumstances. During the forty days after his resurrection Jesus appeared to his disciples on different occasions, initially in a fleshly body as a stranger walking with two of them, later appearing in a form that was recognizable to them. He had the power to construct and to deconstruct an appropriate fleshly body at will to prove he had been resurrected. His many appearances, first to Peter then to the eleven apostles, and then his manifesting himself to more than five hundred people at one time, provided strong testimony to the fact of his resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:3-8). The apostle Paul comforts fellow Christians with the resurrection hope, writing to the congregation at Thessalonica about those who had died and who had a hope of a heavenly resurrection: “But we would not have you ignorant, brethren, concerning those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep” (1 Thessalonians 4:13,14). Paul considers those in death as being asleep, as though their state were simply temporary. Paul also explains the importance of Christ being raised: “If there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen: and if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain” (1 Corinthians 15:13,14, KJV). In his letter to the Romans, Paul writes regarding the world of mankind: “For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God; for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and obtain the glorious liberty of the children of God” (Romans 8:19-21). One test in our understanding (using the above Scriptural citations) that there will be a resurrection, not only to the heavenly realm but an earthly resurrection as well for the rest of mankind, may be in the negative reaction from many Christians to this doctrine. Their claim is that a “ransom for all mankind” gives those who don’t accept Christ now in this Christian age a “second chance,” instead of being lost forever (or worse), as many believe. This ignores the millions who have never heard the gospel preached or those too young or unable to understand “their” message (which often includes a doctrine of eternal torment for all non-believers). In fact there is nothing any one can do to deprive someone of a resurrection. Christ died for all! This critical understanding of the earthly resurrection and restoration of the world of mankind is really the “good news” that should be preached throughout the world. Unfortunately it is not by most Christians. Though we know the admonition to “turn the other cheek” when someone harms us by words or actions, do we do the same when the hurt is from another Christian? We must be careful not to repay evil for evil regardless of who may try to harm us. We are to apply Christ’s principles in our actions, and not just memorize and repeat words in the Scriptures. Our actions are more important than just saying “righteous sounding” words. We should not hesitate to do what is right and good, no matter how it affects us: “Not every one who says to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 7:21). The readiness to suffer mental and physical persecution is the supreme test of faithfulness to the Lord. The apostle Paul was a great example of being faithful unto death when he endured numerous persecutions at the hands of the Romans and the Jews. He was shipwrecked and imprisoned, but he felt he had “fought the good fight” and “kept the faith” to be rewarded with a “crown of righteousness” (2 Timothy 4:6-8). There have been many Christians who suffered the most severe and inhuman persecutions and trials for Jesus’ sake (e.g., Acts 7:57-60; cf. 2 Timothy 3:12; John 15:20,21). Nevertheless, our Lord chose Paul as an example for us of Christian suffering for righteousness’ sake (Acts 9:16). The Scriptures offer first-hand evidence of the power of God to bring those who were dead back to life, and of those who had faith in God that he would do what he promised. This should further increase our faith in God that every person who has lived on this earth will get a just reward, whether it be a heavenly, spiritual resurrection for those faithful and chosen Christians, or of an earthly, bodily resurrection for everyone else. The provision of a resurrection for faithful Christians who “present their bodies a living sacrifice,” as well as for all mankind, is an undeserved gift from God; he was not obligated to resurrect anyone. He gave us his only-begotten son as a ransom so that billions who have died—even those without a real knowledge of God—might have an opportunity to know him. Those who are consecrated to follow in Jesus’ footsteps are to be an example to others, so they can see that it is more than just a mere vocal acceptance of Christ as their savior. We are to be “living sacrifices.” |