What a Great Thing that Jesus was Resurrected!
The miracle of Jesus' resurrection and its significance for the world shows the glory of God and His merciful attributes.
Read Time: 5 minutes
After the perfect man suffered on the cross and gave up his life, he was resurrected. This seed of Abraham did not deserve to be murdered like a criminal; however, the death of his mortal body was necessary so he may receive eternal life. His death and resurrection allowed anyone who would hear the word of God and live by his principles to be saved from mortality through baptism.
He gives us the hope of the coming Kingdom that will be here on earth, where we will reign with Jesus to further God’s purpose with the earth, to fill it with His glory.
Jesus lived a perfect life, following God’s commands at every moment. Yet, despite his holiness, he still suffered the consequences of a sinner. He was beaten and mocked on the cross, and immediately following his death, three remarkable events occurred.
First, there was darkness in the land. Next, the veil to the Most Holy Place was torn. Lastly, there was an earthquake. But three days later, he was risen to eternal life. The miracle of Jesus’ resurrection and its significance for the world shows the glory of God and His merciful attributes.
Following Jesus’ resurrection, a fourth event occurred. The graves that opened at the crucifixion now brought forth many saints who rose and entered Jerusalem. In Matthew 28, it is interesting how some people still doubted Jesus was raised from the dead.
If the first three events happened, you might think that Jesus was someone important. But that fourth event, the resurrection of some of the saints, is different. How could they still not believe that resurrection was possible when they saw those people who used to be dead walk through the city? And so, in the conclusion of Matthew 28, Jesus commands the believers to preach to all the nations, baptizing into Christ’s death until that last day.
After this brief summary of Christ’s death and resurrection, we can ask, how does it affect the rest of the world? Why do we need the resurrection? In Genesis 3:19, we learn the consequences of sin, and as children of Adam, we also have that fleshly (sinful) nature. But through Jesus, God has provided a way to escape death and have eternal life in his Kingdom instead. Paul writes:
But Christ is risen! This fact gives us confidence that when we preach the Bible message, it is the Truth and gives us faith for the future Kingdom.
When we think about the resurrection, we usually reflect on Jesus, the foundation of this Bible principle. Whenever we talk about the resurrection and the Kingdom, it is necessary to show how they tie back to him.
Along with the living, the dead waiting for the Lord’s return shall be raised to eternal life.
Life In The Kingdom
What do we know about our lives in the Kingdom of God? About physical transformation, Jesus said, “Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I, myself: handle me and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as you see me have.” (Luke 24:39). This verse gives us a piece of a vision of what it might be like in the Kingdom. His body was made immortal, yet he had flesh and bones. He told the disciples to touch his hands and side to see that it was actually him. They even doubted for a moment.
His body was seemingly brought back to its former image because people recognized him. Jesus retained his memories from before he died, meaning that once resurrected, we will also have memories from before the Kingdom. This reality is vital for us to know because when those judged righteous are taught in the Kingdom, those memories from our past lives will allow us to have more experience to understand and instruct the people in the Kingdom.
The resurrection is commonly connected with the New Testament when discussed. In the whole Bible, the word resurrection is used forty-one times in the King James Version, all in the New Testament. Despite the literal use of the word, there are mentions of the resurrection in the Old Testament, and we will look at three examples.
In Job 19:25-26, the phrase “in my flesh” is also translated as “body.” However, there is some uncertainty about the translation of this verse into English. The word used here is bâsâr, which means “bear tidings,” typically cheerful. An alternate translation in English could be, “And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet bearing glad tidings shall I see God.” He could also be referring to a spiritual or immortal body. We see Job understands and acknowledges there will be a Judgment Day and a resurrection “at the latter day.” He had that hope and was eagerly waiting for eternal life, even before Jesus came.
Isaiah also acknowledges these things:
When Isaiah says your dead men, talking to God, he understands that his followers, the saints, will rise again. He continues to show his great faith by adding himself to that list. He has faith even before Jesus came to preach the gospel that he would be raised with all the other saints.
The third person in the Old Testament who acknowledged these things was Daniel. In Daniel 12:2, he proclaims that many people will rise to the Judgment Seat. We can see that people from the Old Testament knew about the resurrection and judgment to come. They knew from the covenants made in the Garden of Eden to Abraham and David that there would be a Kingdom established on earth. In Jesus’ parable about the rich man and Lazarus, Luke 16:29 says, “Abraham saith unto him, they have Moses and the prophets, let them hear them.”
In Habakkuk 2:14, there is a clear expression of God’s plan with the earth, to fill it with “the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.” A part of this plan involves humans, those who are chosen to be His saints by God’s righteous judgment. Therefore, if we, and the brothers and sisters who previously lived, are involved in the eternal plan of this earth, it is essential there be a resurrection. Paul wrote:
This idea is why baptism is so necessary. It shows we died with Christ and represents our hope for the future: to be raised to eternal life. Along with a confession of our faith, it is a parable that we live to show our daily struggle with the tendencies of being human. Jesus said,
Not a single one of God’s people will be left to the dust. So again, we read of the grand plan to come after we, the saints, are resurrected. The will of God is linked with the resurrection. Without it, His purpose cannot be fulfilled. So, when we read of the resurrection, we can often see it as an emphatic part of God’s purpose.
Ryan Carrick,
Toronto West Ecclesia, ON