The Resurrection – Victory over Death!
We all have an enemy. The same enemy. We try to keep this enemy away from us. But we can’t. Which enemy is it? Death.
God’s Word, the Bible, says this about death: (1 Corinthians 15:26) “26 And the last enemy, death, is to be brought to nothing.”
How is this possible? Who will eliminate death?
According to the Bible, Almighty God Jehovah will eliminate death forever. In the Bible we read: (Isaiah 25:8) “He will swallow up death forever,
And the Sovereign Lord Jehovah will wipe away the tears from all faces.
The reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth,
For Jehovah himself has spoken it.”
That is certainly good news. But what about all the loved ones who died in the past. Is there still a chance for these people to experience this? This would require a resurrection from the dead. And this is exactly what Jehovah God will do for many of the dead. In the Bible we read: “(Hosea 13:14) From the power of the Grave I will redeem them;
From death I will recover them.
Where are your stings, O Death?
Where is your destructiveness, O Grave?
Compassion will be concealed from my eyes.”
So Jehovah God will bring people back from death. Deliver them from the grave. What does the Bible say about the resurrection of the dead?
What is the resurrection?
The Bible speaks of 2 different types of resurrections. On the one hand, a resurrection into the spiritual realm. Heaven. For a limited number of people. 144,000.
And the second kind of resurrection is a resurrection here on earth. In the Bible we read: “(Acts 24:15) And I have hope toward God, which hope these men also look forward to, that there is going to be a resurrection of both the righteous and the unrighteous.”
For the resurrection here on earth the number is not fixed or limited.
Jesus Christ said: “(John 5:28, 29) 28 Do not be amazed at this, for the hour is coming in which all those in the memorial tombs will hear his voice 29 and come out, those who did good things to a resurrection of life, and those who practiced vile things to a resurrection of judgment.”
Why can we be sure that the resurrection will become a reality?
On the one hand, because Jehovah God is love. To make the resurrection possible, he even gave his only begotten son: “(John 3:16) “For God loved the world so much that he gave his only-begotten Son, so that everyone exercising faith in him might not be destroyed but have everlasting life.”
Jehovah even longs to bring dead people back to life. In the Bible we read: “(Job 14:14, 15) If a man dies, can he live again?
I will wait all the days of my compulsory service
Until my relief comes.
You will call, and I will answer you.
You will long for the work of your hands.”
On the other hand, God created all life and is Almighty
Jehovah God’s memory is also unlimited.
Jehovah God has entrusted the resurrection to his son Jesus
Jesus Christ Himself said: “(John 6:40) For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who recognizes the Son and exercises faith in him should have everlasting life, and I will resurrect him on the last day.”
When Jesus Christ was on earth, he raised several people to life. So Jesus proved that he received the ability to resurrect people from God.
How does belief in the hope of the resurrection benefit us?
Through hope in the resurrection we find comfort and confidence when we have lost a loved one. And if we are convinced of the hope of the resurrection, we can plan our lives much better. Because we know that our lives don’t just last a maximum of 80 to 120 years. And it can bring us closer to Jehovah God.
Do you believe in the resurrection?
When Jesus Christ raised a man named Lazarus from the dead, he said: (John 11:25, 26) “25 Jesus said to her: “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who exercises faith in me, even though he dies, will come to life; 26 and everyone who is living and exercises faith in me will never die at all. Do you believe this?”