It is beyond my comprehension how anyone can even contemplate the idea that there is no life after death, including of course, no resurrection of the dead. Why can those not
understand that we are not the body? We are a soul that inhabits a body. The Bible calls it, our tabernacle or tent. (For example, read 2 Corinthians 5:1 and following.)
The Scriptures tell us that some will be raised to the resurrection of life and others to the resurrection of damnation, “And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.” (John 5:29)
The ‘faith” chapter of Hebrews mentions those who lived and died by their faith in Christ to obtain a better resurrection. “Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection:” (Hebrews 11:35)
How can it be possible that a child of God can be raised to life, a new body being given life and joined with the living soul? “Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:” (John 11:25) That says it all. Those who have put their faith in Jesus will experience a resurrection to life. Even though our bodies die, they will be joined to our living soul, and we will be with our Lord Jesus forever in a new body. If that isn’t good news, I don’t know what is.
Jesus told the thief on the cross who believed upon Him, “… Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23:43) Obviously, even though the thief’s body died while hanging on the cross beside Jesus, he lived with Christ that same day in paradise. Again we see that the real person is not the body, but the spirit who lives in Jesus Christ. The real you and the real me live on forever, either with Jesus in Heaven, or without Him in hell.
I think for our sake, as well as those back then, Jesus proved by demonstration that He is life, and He is the resurrection. Consider the account of Lazarus, the brother of Mary and Martha. (John 11:1-43) Lazarus’ body had been dead four days. The decaying process had already begun. Martha said, “By this time he stinks”, but Jesus called out to him, “Lazarus, come forth”, and Lazarus came forth. The decay process was reversed. The soul went back to the body and lived. Jesus put life in it. Only He can do that.
Have you ever given any thought to this passage? “Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.” (Matthew 26:50-53) Again, by demonstration, after Jesus’ resurrection, He resurrected many bodies of the saints who had died. Jesus is clearly telling us that by His death and resurrection, He gives us life, that there is life after the death of the body and life can only come through Him. This incident was no accident.
We think that real living is what we experience while living in the body, but that is not so. We do not yet know what real living is. Those who are in Christ will experience real life immediately after their body dies or at the Rapture. But may I add that even while in this body, real living is experienced through Jesus Christ, and then greater living is experienced after the body dies.
The Apostle Paul said it well, “If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.” (1 Corinthians 15:19) Another translation puts it this way, “If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied.” (NASB) And yet another says it like this, “And if our hope in Christ is only for this life, we are more to be pitied than anyone in the world.” (NLT)
It surprises me that so many people do not believe in life after physical death, and their lives show it. So we just die like animals and that’s it? If that is true, then Jesus is the biggest phony who ever walked on the face of the earth. We might as well fulfill all our pleasures now, good or bad, because this is it. This isn’t it though. Jesus is not a phony. He is God in the flesh. He is the resurrection and the life, and those who are in Him, will live with Him forever and ever throughout eternity.
I can hear it now. “Prove to me that He is real.” Read Romans 1:18 and following. Then look around you. Are you blind?
Then someone else says, “I don’t feel a thing.” I must reply that I do not depend on my feelings. It is by faith that I know He would never lie to me. I trust Him explicitly. My feelings may lie to me, or they may be absent at times, but Jesus’ Word I can trust. I know that Jesus is life, and He has imparted it to me. I know He is the resurrection, and I have nothing, absolutely nothing to fear in the death of the body.
Even today, Jesus speaks by His works through us. Those who come to Him in true repentance go through a life changing transformation.
I have no idea how many billions of dollars are spent on advertising alone concerning our bodies, not to count what is purchased from these ads for our bodies. The world would have us all believe that it is all about our bodies, but it is not.
The body is draped over the soul as we would drape a coat over the body in cold weather. The coat is not us, and neither is the body.
My wife and I live in a house in a sub-division. Are we the house? No, it is just where we live, just as our bodies are where we reside while on this earth. These bodies will die and go back to the dust. Then one day, God will provide us with new bodies that are designed to live on or off the earth, in the heavens. (See 1 Corinthians 15:35 and following.) Even those in hell will be provided bodies that the fire will not destroy.
Resurrection is sure, because God says so in His Word. There is life after life, because Jesus is life, and in Him we have life.
He is the resurrection. He will resurrect some to life and some to damnation. Every single human being in the past, present and future will live forever, either with the Lord or apart from Him. There is no such thing as “temporary” for human beings.
I personally have heard far too many say they do not believe in life after death. How tragic for those to discover after the body dies, that they were wrong.
Grant Phillips
