Mini Studies
The Resurrection
The question begins:
"If a man die, shall he live again?"
Job 14:14
The Bible speaks prolifically concerning the power of death. But it also speaks of a great victory over it. That victory is the promise of a resurrection. Jesus believed in that promise. And He knew that he would be the architect of that victory. When speaking to the religious leaders of His day Jesus said:
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...... For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself; And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of Man. Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice...(Jn. 5:25-28)
Jesus had power over the grave and His own life demonstrated that fact. During the final weeks of his life Jesus was summoned to Bethany to the home of his dear friend Lazarus who had died just a few days before. When comforting Lazarus’ sister Martha, Jesus said “Thy brother shall live again.” Martha responded “I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day.” Jesus then offered words of extraordinary consolation and hope. Jesus told Martha and he tells you “I am the resurrection and the life: he that believes in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live.” Here the Savior of the world declares that He has power over death itself. Earlier when describing His own impending death Jesus said “I lay my life down and I take it up again.” His resurrection stands as incontrovertible evidence of Gods power over the grave.
The following Mini Study examines the Resurrection and its role in God’s plan:
The Bible mentions resurrections 41 times.
- If the soul is immortal, what is the purpose of a resurrection?
- Heb. 6:2 – The resurrection is a doctrine of God’s church.
- Heb. 9:27 – "All will die."
What Is A Resurrection?
The restoring of life to the dead.
- Isa. 26:19 – "Thy dead shall live."
- Acts 4:2 – "Resurrection of the dead" preached by Peter
- Acts 17:31 – "He raised Him [Christ] from the dead."
- Heb. 11:35 – "dead raised to life again"
- Jn. 11 – Lazarus raised from death to life physically
What Is Death?
- Psa. 146:4 – "thoughts perish"
- Eccl. 9:5 – "The dead know not anything."
- Job 14:21 – "...his sons come to honor, he knows it not."
- Isa. 63:16 – "Abraham knows nothing of us."
- Dan. 12:2 – "sleep" (also 1Cor. 15:51; 1Thess. 4:16)
- 2Sam. 7:12 – "David sleeps." (Also Acts 2:29)
- Sin is death – Rom. 6:23; Jas. 1:15
Who Will Be Resurrected?
Jn. 5:28 – All that are in the graves"
Lk. 14:14 – "The just shall be recompensed at the resurrection."
Acts 24:15 – "The just and the unjust"
To What Are They Resurrected?
Dan. 12:2
Dan. 12:2
Jn. 5:28
Rev. 20:4-6
Rev. 20:10, 13-15
Lk. 14:14
Mt. 13:36-42
When Will the Resurrection Occur?
First
- 1Cor. 15:51 – "at the last trump"
- 1Thess. 4:16 – "The dead rise first."
- Heb. 11:35 – "a better resurrection"
- Rev. 20:4-6; Lk. 14:14
Second
- Ezk. 37 – a physical resurrection – "dry bones"
- Rev. 20:5 – at the conclusion of the Millennium
Third
- Rev. 20:13-15 – the Great White Throne Judgment
- Dan. 12:2 – And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.
Conclusion
The resurrection declares that the soul is mortal. Life is a gift (Rom. 6:23). We need to attain to a resurrection (Phil. 3:11).
The Immortality of the Soul
"The belief that the soul continues its existence after the dissolution of the body is speculation nowhere taught expressly in holy scripture. The belief in the immortality of the soul came to the Jews from contact with Greek thought and chiefly through the philosophy of Plato, its principle exponent, who was led to it through Orphic and Eleusinian mysteries in which Babylonian and Egyptian views were strangely blended."
The Jewish Encyclopedia
Immortality of the Soul
Vol. VI, pp. 564, 566
"Because of Greek influences on Western culture, man is generally understood to be composed of either body and soul, or sometimes of body, soul and spirit. This bisection or trisection is totally incompatible with Judaeo-Christian tradition which accepts neither a body-soul dichotomy nor a body-soul-spirit trichotomy: man does not have a soul, he is a soul... Man is a psychsomatic (or psycho-physical) whole, an entity who cannot be divided."
The Religion and Culture of Israel
Frank E. Eakin, pp. 92-93
Physical Resurrections
- 1Ki. 17 – Elijah raises the widow’s son.
- 2Ki. 4 - Elisha raises Shunammite’s son.
- Mk 5:21; Mt. 9:18; Lk. 8:40 – Jesus raises Jairus’ daughter.
- Lk. 7:11-17 – Jesus raises the widow’s son.
- Jn. 11 – Jesus raises Lazarus.
- Acts 9:36-43 – Peter raises Dorcas.
- Acts 20:7-12 – Paul raises Eutychus.
