This subject is one that is particularly important to Christians because it hits at one of the fundamental teachings of the Gospel, the resurrection of the dead? Our whole future depends on the resurrection. Christ's claim to be our savior hinges on the resurrection. An attack on the nature of death is an attack on the resurrection since you cannot have one without the other.
The resurrection shows us the extent of Gods love. That one who needs nothing from anyone would sacrifice so much simply because of His love. There is no greater love that can be demonstrated. To minimise Gods death for mankind to say that He did not really die but continued living in some other state is to carry blasphemy to the extreme.
When it comes to human beings a common perception is that a light beckons guides them to the pearly gates where continue to live in paradise. At the other extreme some say that people are not resurrected at all but a new person is created from a copy of something that God has in his memory bank somewhere which is really saying that our hope is vain. It is saying that we won't be resurrected but God will produce something just like us hence this existence is all that we have.
The resurrection and Christ
1 Cor 15 is the resurrection chapter. God went to the trouble of devoting a whole chapter to the subject of the resurrection. Here God points out that the hope that Christians have is a resurrection like our elder brother who is the firstfruits. In addition to this fundamental scripture there are several others that link death and the resurrection as mutually supporting. They both go together.
1 Corrinthians 15:21 [KJV] For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.
The resurrection is a key to Christs claim to be the Son of God.
Romans 1:4 [KJV] And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:
Our hope is BY the resurrection
1 Corinthians 15:12-13 [KJV] Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen:
1 Peter 1:3 [KJV] Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
A denial of death obviously denies that Christ died. Christ completely put off life and was resurrected. He did it to purchase us and to demonstrate to us that he is capable of doing it for us too. Christ is the master of life and death. This demonstrates His power and His love.
More than one Resurrection
The Bible indicates at least two resurrections.
Acts 24:15 [KJV] And have hope toward God, which they themselves also allow, that there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust.
Revelation 20:5 [KJV] But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
Hebrews 11:35 [KJV] Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection:
So we see that a first is specified which tells us that there is at least a second and if one is better then there has to be another to compare
The soul and the spirit are not the same, as the Bible speaks of a division between the two, Hebrews 4:12 says, For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart
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The Soul
The first mention of the soul in the Bible is in Genesis 2:7.
Genesis 2:7 [KJV] And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
Notice that Adam did not receive a soul, Adam became
a soul. There are two and only two requirements for soul, these are a fully functioning body and to be breathing on your own. A soul can touch, according to (Leviticus 5:2), a soul can commit a sin, according to (Leviticus 5:15), and a soul can also eat according to (Leviticus 7:18).
This truth is evident all around us. All animals are alive because they have a body and they breathe on their own.
The Soul Departing
Genesis 35:18 [KJV] And it came to pass, as her soul was in departing, (for she died) that she called his name Ben-oni: but his father called him Benjamin.
Remember that Genesis 2:7 says that you BECOME a soul. How then can your soul leave you? Easily, the ability to breathe or the body or both goes. By implication, if the body and breath can leave you then there must be another component that defines you and that is the spirit which will be dealt with later.
In the same way the soul can leave it can come.
1 Kings 17:21-22 [KJV] And he stretched himself upon the child three times, and cried unto the Lord, and said, O Lord my God, I pray thee, let this child's soul come into him again. 22And the Lord heard the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came into him again, and he revived.
The difficulty here is that the spirit came into him. The language here is inconsistent with Genesis. An explanation comes form the varying shades of meaning the Hebrew word for soul (nephesh) has according to Strongs:
nephesh, neh'-fesh; from Hebrew 5314 (naphash); properly a breathing creature, i.e. animal or (abstract) vitality; used very widely in a literal, accommodated or figurative sense (bodily or mental) :- any, appetite, beast, body, breath, creature, dead (-ly), desire, [dis-] contented, fish, ghost, + greedy, he, heart (-y), (hath, jeopardy of) life ( in jeopardy), lust, man, me, mind, mortally, one, own, person, pleasure, (her-, him-, my-, thy-) self, them (your) -selves, + slay, soul, + tablet, they, thing, ( she) will, would have it.
The meanings indicate clearly that it is something common to men and beasts.
There is a critical component residing in the living person
Zechariah 12:1 [KJV] The burden of the word of the Lord for Israel, saith the Lord, which stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundation of the earth, and formeth the spirit of man within him.
The spirit gives the capacity to consciously do things.
Isaiah 26:9 [KJV] With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.
The spirit gives awareness. Spiritual awareness if we have the Holy Spirit but human awareness otherwise.
1 Corinthians 2:11 [KJV] For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.
The spirit is essentially you. It is by the spirit that you have awareness. It is how you know that you are alive. It is how you know everything that you know or are aware of.
The Spirit at Death
Ecclesiastes. 12:7 [KJV] Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.
This scripture is critical when combined with two others
John 1:18 [KJV] No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.
John 6:46 [KJV] Not that any man hath seen the Father, save he which is of God, he hath seen the Father.
Notice that the spirit went back to God BUT COULD NOT SEE HIM.
The dead are conscious of nothing at all.
Ecclesiastes 9:5 [KJV] For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten.
Psalm 146:4 [KJV] His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish.
Matthew 9:24 [KJV] He said unto them, Give place: for the maid is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed him to scorn.
Christ commended his Spirit to the Father
Luke 23:46 [KJV] And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost.
Why did he not commend his body or soul?
1 Corinthians 15:37-38 And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other grain: 38But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body. [KJV]
1 Corinthians 15:44 [KJV] It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.
Christ put off his immortal body to take on a human form. He does not need that human form anymore. The scripture here clearly says that we are resurrected with ANOTHER body.
The Bible clearly shows that being raised from the dead is a blessing.
Matthew 10:6-8 KJV But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 7And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. 8Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.
Matthew 11:4-6 KJV Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and shew John again those things which ye do hear and see: 5The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. 6And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me.
How can being resurrected be a blessing if those that are dead are with the Lord in paradise? Why would a good Lord yank people from paradise back into this world as a blessing?
Luke 7:12-15 KJV Now when he came nigh to the gate of the city, behold, there was a dead man carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow: and much people of the city was with her. 13And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not. 14And he came and touched the bier: and they that bare him stood still. And he said, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise. 15And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak. And he delivered him to his mother.
Death is not a pleasant state. It is an enemy state to be destroyed.
1 Corinthians 15:26 [KJV] The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.
The dead need to be quickened i.e. given life.
John 5:21 [KJV] For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will.
John 5:24-29 KJV Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. 25Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live. 26For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself; 27And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man. 28Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, 29And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.
The bible explains what dead is. James tells us that dead means that there is a body without a spirit.
James 2:26 [KJV] For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.
When we die our spirit returns to God for safe keeping.
Ecclesiastes 12:7 [KJV] Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.
At the Resurrection we will receive a new body
Philippians 3:21 [KJV] Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.
Romans 8:11 [NIV] And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.
Romans 8:23 [KJV] And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.
1 John 3:2 [KJV] Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
But Christ had his old body
Christ went to a lot of trouble to prove to mankind that WE would be resurrected not be some copy. He did it in the Old Testament (1 Kings 17:21-22) when Elijah raised the widows child. In the New Testement Peter resurrected Tabitha (Acts 9:36-42) and Paul brought back to life Eutychus (Acts 20:7-12), who had died when he fell from a third-floor window while Paul was speaking.
As if that was not enough he made sure that in one case the person would have already decayed
John 11:39 [KJV] Jesus said, Take ye away the stone. Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days.
John 11:43-44 KJV And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. 44And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go.
Then to top it off He did it to himself. He became mortal, died, came back wtih His old body and was subsequently changed. It was HE.
Christ clearly existed before there was air or breath so he must have had a different body.
John 1:1 [KJV] In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
John 1:14 [KJV] And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
1 John 4:2 [KJV] Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:
Christ became flesh and was resurrected with a body of flesh.
Luke 24:39 [KJV] Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have.
Christs present body is not like our body, i.e. it is not the body that he had on earth. He has changed bodies just like we will. He has the body now that He had before He came to earth.
Philippians 3:21 [KJV] Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.
Revelation 1:13-16 KJV And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle. 14His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire; 15And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters. 16And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.
Revelation 2:18 [KJV] And unto the angel of the church in Thyatira write; These things saith the Son of God, who hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire, and his feet are like fine brass;
Exodus 33:19-23 KJV And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy. 20And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live. 21And the Lord said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock: 22And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by: 23And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen.
Even though we cannot see God in his glory
He is able to interact with us in a form than we can see and touch. God brought the animals not sent them
Genesis 2:19 [KJV] And out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof.
Adam and Eve hid themselves from coming face to face with him not from being in earshot.
Genesis 3:8-10 KJV And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden. 9And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? 10And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.
Christ went to a lot of trouble to show us that the body is not the issue when it comes to life or else he would not have done it to himself. There is another component that makes Him who He is and it is the same thing that makes us who we are. It is astonishing that God would do that to himself but then God is amazing and that is the issue. He is just amazing!
God explains what he means when he says that He considers those dead in Christ to be alive. It is because of the resurrection when they will be raised to life.
Matthew 22:29-32 KJV Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God. 30For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven. 31But as touching the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying, 32I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.
Mark 12:25-27 KJV For when they shall rise from the dead, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage; but are as the angels which are in heaven. 26And as touching the dead, that they rise: have ye not read in the book of Moses, how in the bush God spake unto him, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? 27He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living: ye therefore do greatly err.
God says that dead will live. This means that they are not living now.
John 11:25 [KJV] Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:
Raised from the dead is the same as resurrected. Christ is our example of what it means to be resurrected.
Matthew 27:64 [KJV] Command therefore that the sepulchre be made sure until the third day, lest his disciples come by night, and steal him away, and say unto the people, He is risen from the dead: so the last error shall be worse than the first.
How is it that Abraham is alive?
Matthew 22:31-32 KJV But as touching the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying, 32I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.
Abraham is dead, or rather Abraham is dead now.
Luke 20:37-38 KJV Now that the dead are raised, even Moses shewed at the bush, when he calleth the Lord the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. 38For he is not a God of the dead, but of the living: for all live unto him.
Abraham will live again because of the resurrection. As far as God is concerned he is alive because God considers things which he intends to do as reality.
Romans 4:17 [KJV] (As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were.
Dead people are not alive. They do not live anywhere.
Revelation 20:5 [KJV] But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
Some dead people are still in the sea where they died. Notice also that hell is used as an alternative place to the sea.
Revelation 20:13 [KJV] And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
Ecclesiastes. 9:5 [KJV] For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten.
When you die the body is dead and the breath goes. There is no indication in the Bible that the soul is any more than that. The spirit has no consciousness without a living body so it is like a dreamless sleep until the resurrection.
