Length: 6 Minutes
When the church teaches about people living forever or being raised from the dead, it is most commonly taught as something that will occur when Jesus comes back. I am here to tell you that immortality and the resurrection of the dead is something we have received through Jesus’ first coming on the cross, not through His second coming.
Take a look at the account of Jesus’ crucifixion:
Matthew 27:50-52 (NKJV) And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit. Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many.
Do you see how it says the graves were opened? That means that freedom was provided for everyone in the grave. That means that no person who has died is held there anymore. And when did that occur? Not in Jesus’ second coming, but in His first.
When Jesus died, He was dying our death. He was tasting of the death of all humanity at once (Hebrews 2:9). It wasn’t His own death, but ours. And that is why the moment that Jesus forfeited His life, everyone was given freedom from their graves.
The veil had been torn, symbolizing access into the things of heaven, and the graves of the physically dead were opened, showing that the exit out of death had been made (Hebrews 9:24, 10:19). The physical bodies of many saints even came out of their tombs after Jesus was raised because of this! This was no spiritual resurrection. They appeared to many people after they came out of their physical graves.
Even though all believers will be raised from the dead in Jesus’ second coming, don’t misunderstand, if they’re raised on that day, they are late to the party! Resurrection is an old thing, provided at the cross, two thousand years ago, when the veil was torn and the graves were opened. They’re not going to be opened. They are open and holding no one. It’s not something that’s going to be provided, but something that was already provided.
2 Timothy 1:10 (NKJV) but has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel,
Jesus brought life and immortality to us in the first appearing, not His second. And yes, that’s speaking about life that God wants to give to people’s physical bodies (Romans 8:10). So don’t let anyone tell you that you need to wait to see someone raised from the dead. It is available today. Jesus isn’t going to die for you or your loved ones again. It is finished. Resurrection is available to everybody.
And yet, one of the top objections to this type of teaching will be, “If Jesus really provided it, then why do so many people die without being raised? Why do even many Christians die without being raised? If Jesus provided it, why don’t I see it?” But I’ll tell you, if you went by that logic, you wouldn’t even be a Christian today (1 Peter 1:8). You currently believe in a God that you’ve never seen. You believe in his Son, whom you’ve never seen either. You believe in a heaven, that you’ve never seen. You even believe that God has sent His Spirit to live on the inside of you, which you have never seen. You believed these things without seeing them, and only after you believed, did you receive these things. You believe without seeing first, and then you received it. That’s how it works.
You chose to walk by Faith, not by sight, and yet, when it comes to the resurrection of the dead, we allow our eyes to be our guide, rather than God’s word. Romans 8:10 says that God wants to give life to people’s bodies. John 11:25 says that Jesus is the resurrection (in context of raising someone’s physical body). Ephesians 1:19 says that we have the power that raised Jesus’ physical body. Matthew 27:51 says that Jesus’ death has released peoples bodies from their graves. The Bible is filled with scripture like this. And despite this clear scriptural evidence, sometimes our biggest objection is, “I’ve never seen that.”
You don’t see something in order to believe it. You’ve been called to walk by faith, not by sight. It’s not that you’ll never see it. You simply believe these things first, and then you will see it. This is the same principle that saved you. You believed without seeing first, and then you received it. Likewise, with the resurrection of the dead. You first believe that the cross of Christ freed people from their graves, and then you will see the evidence of it afterwards. It doesn’t work the other way around.
In fact, that’s the very thing that Jesus told Martha, specifically regarding raising her brother Lazarus from the dead. He told her that she had to believe it first, by His word, and then she would see it manifested.
John 11:39-40 (NKJV) Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, “Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days.” Jesus said to her, “Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?” [then he proceeded to raise her brother’s physical body from the dead]
Martha was concerned, but Jesus told her that if she believed, she would see the glory of God manifested in raising her brother up. But she had to believe it first. Then she would see it. Believer, you should be used to this — believing in things you don’t see, I mean. You don’t see it to believe it. You believe it to see it.
Jesus really did provide these things in His first coming. Jesus is never going to die a physical death for humanity again. It wasn’t His death. It was our death He died. And he died in a physical body. We believe these things because of the persuasion of the word of God first. And once these things are believed, you’re gonna start seeing people raised from the dead! But as long as we refuse to believe that Jesus provided something, because we don’t see it yet, you’re simply not going to see it in your life.
It is through belief and knowledge of these things that they become effectual in our lives (1 Peter 1:2, Philemon 1:6). So, keep reading with us. Jesus provided what you need. Take your time learning it. You don’t need to rush it. But just know that resurrection was provided at the cross, and the graves are open now, not later.
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