Here are some simple scriptures regarding God’s will to raise people’s physical bodies from the dead and what Jesus did to accomplish it. This is God’s will for every person, every time.

Our “Easy Verses” articles are a collection of only the simplest verses to share with others. This is not meant to be a teaching. Full scriptural evidence for this topic can be found in our other resources. Click for teaching on this topic.

[All words in brackets are ours]

The Bottom Line: We Have What Jesus Has. He Has Resurrection.

• The most foundational thing to prove that believers have resurrection for the physically dead is that have what Jesus has. Romans 8:17 says we are joint heirs with Christ.

• We have the power that raised Jesus from the dead. What a terrible waste of “raising-from-the-dead power” if you can’t raise the dead with it.

Ephesians 1:19-20 (NKJV) and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power 20 which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places,

• We are like Jesus now in this world, not sometime in the world to come.

1 John 4:17 (NKJV) Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He [Jesus] is, so are we in this world.

• We are told to look at the glorified Jesus (who was raised from physical death) as in a mirror. That means to look at Him to find out who we are as believers – to identify with Him (James 1:23-25).

2 Corinthians 3:18 (NKJV) But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord [His glorified state], are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.

Death Is A Curse

• If even Christians must die and stay dead once they die, that is the equivalent to saying they are under the curse, because death is a curse from Adam. This is, of course, not true of a believer.

Romans 5:12 (NKJV) Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned—
Verse 16
And the gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned. For the judgment which came from one offense resulted in condemnation [referring to that death], but the free gift which came from many offenses resulted in justification.
Verse 18
Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life.

Romans 6:23 (NKJV) For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

• God calls death evil and life good.

Deuteronomy 30:15, 19 (NKJV) “See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil, Verse 19) therefore choose life…

God Wants To Give Life To Physical Death

• The death that came through Adam was physical death of human bodies. The Holy Spirit wants to give life to physical death, not figurative or merely spiritual.

• Important: This is an essential verse to use alongside all other verses here because it explicitly describes the kind of death that came through sin and the kind of death that God gives life to, the death of mortal bodies!

Romans 8:10-11 (NKJV) And if Christ is in you, the body [note: body] is dead because of sin [there is only one sin, Adam’s], but the Spirit is life because of righteousness… He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies [bodies liable to death, physical]…

Jesus Died A Physical Death To Redeem Us From It

• Jesus took flesh to die a physical death, not a figurative one. Whose death was that? Ours.

Hebrews 2:9 (NKJV) But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone.

Hebrews 2:14 (NKJV) Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood [physical], He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death [dying physically] He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil,

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,

• When Jesus died, the veil was torn symbolizing access into the things of heaven (Hebrews 9:24, 10:19), and the graves of the physically dead were opened, showing that the exit out of death had been made.

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 [note: physical] of the saints who had fallen asleep [died] were raised; and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many.

Someone Had To Pay For It

• Important: There are a multitude of people that were raised from the dead in the historic accounted in scripture. Did all those people receive that through Jesus’ atonement or through some other way?

• No person can receive any grace from God unless it is through Jesus (Romans 5:2). Therefore, when we see people receiving something good from God, we know they did not receive it on their own merit. It had to have been received through the atonement of Jesus. That is, if you believe He is the only way.

• Undeserving man cannot justly receive from a holy God. Someone had to pay for it.

Jesus Said “Raise The Dead”

• In Jesus’ earthly ministry, He was in a limited state (Hebrews 2:7). We have more privileges than Jesus had in His earthly ministry because we now relate with the glorified Jesus (2 Corinthians 3:18). Therefore, we can do greater works than Jesus did in His earthly ministry, and even then, He routinely raised the dead.

John 14:12 (NKJV) “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.

• The same Jesus that told His disciples to preach, told them to raise the dead.

Matthew 10:7-8 (NKJV) And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ 8 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.

Jesus Is The Resurrection For The Physically Dead

• Jesus referred to Himself as the resurrection in the context of the physically dead. Then, confirming His words by proceeding to raise Lazarus’ physical body from the dead.
• When Martha said that Lazarus would only be raised on the last day, Jesus did not affirm her statement, but rather corrected her, saying that He was (present tense) the Resurrection for Lazarus that very day.

John 11:23-44 (NKJV) 23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again [physically].” 24 Martha said to Him, “I know that he will [future tense] rise again in the resurrection at the last day.” 25 Jesus said to her, “I am [present tense] the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live [Lazarus’ dead body is the context]. 26 And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this

Verse 38) Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. 39Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” 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.” 40 Jesus said to her, “Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?”

When Jesus says, “If you would believe you would see the glory of God,” He is saying that those who believe Him will see the dead raised. This is provable because He says, “Did I not say to you that if you would believe…” The only thing He said to her previously that would happen for those who believe is that if they die, they will live. And if they were already alive, they would never die.

The Representation Of God Never “Called Someone Home”

If Jesus is truly the representation of God, so much so that if you see Him, you’ve seen the Father, then when did you ever see Jesus (representation of God) “call someone home” (kill someone) or even allow their death. The way Jesus treated the dead was to raise them. That is what the Father does, therefore.

John 14:9 (NKJV) Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?

Hebrews 1:3 (NKJV) who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,

People Die Because Of What They Don’t Know About Jesus

• We don’t need to make assumptions. The Bible diagnoses death every time as lack of knowledge. That doesn’t necessarily mean rebellion. It just means ignorance of what Jesus did. 

Romans 8:6 (NKJV) For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

Proverbs 8:35-36 (NKJV) For whoever finds me [Wisdom, the Word of God] finds life, And obtains favor from the LORD; 36 But he who sins against me wrongs his own soul; All those who hate me love death.”

Ephesians 4:18 (NKJV) having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart;

Hosea 4:6 (NKJV) My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being priest for Me; Because you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.

Jesus Died Our “Appointed Time” To Die

Hebrews 9:27-28 (NKJV)  And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, so Christ was offered once [fulfilling our appointed time to die] to bear the sins of many. 

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