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
grantphillips@windstream.net
All my articles may
be located at
“Pre-Rapture
Commentary”
http://grant-phillips.blogspot.com
and also “Rapture
Ready”
http://www.raptureready.com/featured/phillips/phillips.html.