Lazarus

Lazarus was one of the people that Jesus raised from the dead.  There was Jarius’s daughter in Matthew 9:18-26, you can also check out the story in Mark 5 and Luke 8.  Jesus also raised a widow’s son in Luke 7:11-15.  This shouldn’t surprise any true believer because Jesus made this statement about Himself in John 11:23-26, “Jesus said to her, ‘Your brother will rise again.’ Martha said to him, ‘I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.’ Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?’”

Knowing this to be true, should encourage every born-again believer that death to this life is just the beginning in the next life when we go to be with the Lord, because death has no hold on us.  Paul said this in

1 Corinthians 15:51-58:

“Lo! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable nature must put on the imperishable, and this mortal nature must put on immortality. When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written:

“Death is swallowed up in victory.”

“O death, where is thy victory?

O death, where is thy sting?”

The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.”

In Paul’s day many Greeks didn’t believe in bodily resurrection and were confused about where the soul would end up and Paul tried to clear up this confusion saying this in 1 Corinthians 15:12-26:

“Now if Christ is preached as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised; if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified of God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised. If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all men most to be pitied.

But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death.”

The true church has nothing to fear, for death in this life is sort of like opening a door and walking through to our brand new life with Christ, our Savior and Lord.  Let me clarify something here, sometimes when I am talking about the church I don’t clarify that means only the blood bought children of God, and I should.  I am talking here about the true church, because not everyone in the church building is the true church, and unless we make this distinction some may be confused.  There are many people that claim to believe in God and claim to be Christians but their life tells a whole different story.  But, for the born-again believer this is their hope, praise the Lord!!  As for those that are not born-again, they will be raised from the dead also but without any hope, if they die without making their peace with the Lord by faith, believing in Him as their Lord and Savior.  At the time of their death they have sealed their fate and will live alienated from the Lord forever where there will be wailing and gnashing of teeth, which is called the second death.  There you have it, something very important to think about!  God bless and have a great day!!