Thoughts on Resurrection

Three types of belief about life after death:

1)      Resuscitation (Western): to revive, especially from apparent death or from unconsciousness

2)      Reincarnation (Eastern): to keep coming back in another body, as different humans/animals, finally the spirit is rescued from body and becomes one with God.

3)      Resurrection (Hebrew or Biblical): to come back as yourself with a new material, visible and tangible body that will not grow old, be affected by diseases and never die again.

What do we believe as Christians? None of the Christian creeds say, “We believe in the immortality of the soul.” Rather we affirm: “We believe in the RESURRECTION OF THE DEAD.”

We all are influenced by Greek thinking to some extent through our education system that says, “Body is a prison to the soul. Body dies and soul is released from the dead.”

But the Hebrew thinking tells us: We are incomplete without a body even in the life after death. After death we continue to exist without a body as a disembodied spirit, until one day all believers dead or alive will receive a new body. Paul says that without a body we are naked.

2CO 5:1 Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. [2] Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, [3] because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. [4] For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. [5] Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.

2CO 5:6 Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. [7] We live by faith, not by sight. [8] We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. [9] So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. [10] For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad. (2Co 5:1-10 KJV)

David’s prayer for himself and prophecy about the Messiah (the Holy One) was for a resurrection, coming back to life with a new body!

Ps 16:10 because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay.

The Bible further tells us that death is a limitation in robbing you of your body. Therefore, for God to complete our existence, will give us our new body.

The Resurrection of Jesus: Jesus is the first human being to receive a resurrection body. About ten days before his own resurrection, Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. But Lazarus did not yet receive his resurrected body. He simply came back to life with the same body and later he died again.

What do we know about the resurrection body?

The resurrection body is a brand new body having resemblance to our old body so that we can be clearly identified as the same person. The resurrection body also has far more supernatural power than the old body. For example Jesus with his resurrected body could swiftly move from one place to another. He also passed through closed objects such as doors and walls. The resurrection body is a fully material, tangible and visible body but could become intangible and invisible at the will of its possessor. For example Jesus gave the proof of his bodily existence that were verified through five senses such sight, smell, touch, eating, hearing, etc. But with the same resurrected body he could appear and disappear from his people at will.

There is a difference between the raising up of Lazarus and the resurrection of Jesus. Lazarus had to be unwrapped from the grave clothes. However, Jesus at his resurrection did not have to be unwrapped from the grave clothes. The old body of Jesus simply disappeared and became nothing, his spirit entered into a brand new body given to him by God at his resurrection.

It is true that in our present life, our body is weak. Our present body is not in perfect submission to our spirit. Even Jesus confessed that his spirit was willing, but the body was weak and therefore had a long prayer battle before his cross until he made his body submit to his spirit. It is true that our present natural body does not cooperate with our spirit. But the resurrected body will be in perfect submission to the spirit.

What is the new creation work?

The author of Ecclesiastes complained there is nothing new under the sun!

Ecc 1:9 What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is  nothing new under the sun.

But the New Testament is full of the new creation work (2Co 5:17). There are so many new things happening in the New Testament period that did not happen in the Old.

I believe that, as His new creation work, the first thing that God created was the resurrection body of His Son Jesus. In the first week of creation, the last thing was Man. But in the second week of creation, I call it the new creation, the first thing to be created was Man (The Resurrected Jesus). The new creation work is in the reverse order of the old creation work. In the new creation, God has gone back to work again! He started with created a body for His Son and His new creation work will continue until he creates the New Heaven and the New Earth. Hallelujah!

Rev 21:1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.

Past, Present and Future Resurrection:  Justification, Sanctification and Glorification.

In this Good Friday and Easter, I give praises and glory to God who saves our spirit, soul and body from death. He justified me by taking my sins and dying on the cross. Thus He made my spirit alive by giving me a new birth, he continues to sanctify my soul (self) when I learn to die to myself and live by His Spirit, and He will glorify me by giving me a brand new body at the Resurrection.