The Resurrection of Jesus

.... When Jesus died and rose again, He became the firstborn from the dead. In almost every way, we will follow His pattern in our own resurrection so let’s discuss this as a model (1 Corinthians 15:20). It is of primary importantance to understand that His resurrection was not merely spiritual in nature but extended to His whole being, to include His soul and body as well:

.... "Therefore My heart is glad, and My glory rejoices; My flesh also will rest in hope. For You will not leave My soul in Sheol, nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption."

(Psalm 16:9-10)

.... This is important because some of the modern cults teach against the bodily resurrection of Christ. They believe His resurrection was merely spiritual in nature, so it follows that our own resurrection would be merely spiritual as well. But let’s see how Jesus Himself would answer them:

.... ‘So the Jews answered and said to Him, "What sign do You show to us, since You do these things?" Jesus answered and said to them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." . . . But He was speaking of the temple of His body.’

(John 2:18-21)

.... "Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have."

(Luke 24:39)

.... After His resurrection, the apostles were able to touch Jesus, hold Him with their hands, and eat and drink in His presence (1 John 1:1). And when they did so, they were touching a living promise that we, too, would be raised from the dead one day.

.... Still, there is one area of difference between the bodily resurrection of Christ and our own, which stems from a unique quality of Jesus. We saw in Psalm 16:10 (which is quoted above) that when Jesus died His body did not suffer corruption -- whereas our own mortal bodies, following death, will begin to do so. His body, before and after, was the same. But what about our own?

.... Let’s borrow another concept from Jesus to explain this:

.... "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain."

(John 12:24)

.... In this passage, Jesus spoke of His own death and resurrection to come. In a similar way, when we die, our mortal remains will be ‘sown’ into the earth, like a type of seed:

.... "And what you sow, you do not sow that body that shall be, but mere grain-- perhaps wheat or some other grain. But God gives it a body as He pleases, and to each seed its own body."

(1 Corinthians 15:37-38)

.... So our bodies become like seeds that fall into the ground, die, and begin to decay. Yet in some essential way, from that same, original essence, springs forth a new, resurrected body on the Day that Jesus returns:

.... "For I know that my Redeemer lives, and He shall stand at last on the earth; And after my skin is destroyed, this I know, that in my flesh I shall see God, Whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!"

(Job 19:25-2)

.... Paul tells us, in fact, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God. So even those of us who remain alive at His coming will be changed in this essential way:

.... ". . . . in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: "Death is swallowed up in victory."’

(1 Corinthians 15:52-54)

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Daily Bible Reading: 1 Timothy 6