How Strong Is Your Belief in the Resurrection?

“I am the resurrection and the life. He that exercises faith in me, even though he dies, will come to life.”—JOHN 11:25.

1, 2. Why does a worshiper of Jehovah need confidence in the resurrection hope?

HOW strong is your hope in the resurrection? Does it fortify you against the fear of dying and comfort you when you lose loved ones in death? (Matthew 10:28; 1 Thessalonians 4:13) Are you like many of God’s servants of old, who endured scourgings, mockery, torture, and prison bonds, strengthened by belief in the resurrection?—Hebrews 11:35-38.

² Yes, a sincere worshiper of Jehovah should have no doubts at all that there will be a resurrection, and his confidence should affect the way he lives his life. It is wonderful to reflect on the fact that in God’s due time, the sea, death, and Hades will give up the dead in them, and these resurrected ones will have the prospect of living forever on a paradise earth.—Revelation 20:13; 21:4, 5.

Doubts About a Future Life

3, 4. What belief do many still have about life after death?

³ Christendom has long taught that there is life after death. An article in the magazine U.S. Catholic said: “Down through the ages, Christians have tried to make the best of the disappointments and sufferings of this life by looking forward to another life, one of peace and contentment, of fulfillment and happiness.” Even though in a number of lands of Christendom, people have become secularized and somewhat cynical about religion, many still feel that there must be something after death. But there is much they are not certain about.

⁴ An article in Time magazine observed: “People still believe in [an afterlife]: it’s just that their concept of exactly what it is has grown foggier, and they hear about it much less frequently from their pastors.” Why do religious ministers speak less about an afterlife than they used to? Religious scholar Jeffrey Burton Russell says: “I think [clerics] want to stay off the subject because they feel they’re going to have to climb a wall of popular skepticism.”

5. How do many today view the hellfire doctrine?

⁵ In many churches, the afterlife includes a heaven and a fiery hell. And if clergymen are reluctant to speak about heaven, they are even more reluctant to speak about hell. One newspaper article said: “These days even churches that believe in eternal punishment in a physical hell . . . play down the concept.” Indeed, most modern theologians no longer believe in hell as a literal place of torment, the way it was taught in the Middle Ages. Rather, they favor a more “humane” version of hell. According to many modernists, sinners in hell are not literally tortured, but they suffer because of their “spiritual separation from God.”

6. How do some find that their faith is inadequate when they are faced with tragedy?

⁶ Softening church doctrine so as not to offend modern sensibilities may help some to avoid unpopularity, but it leaves millions of sincere churchgoers wondering what to believe. Hence, when face-to-face with death, these often find that their faith is lacking. Their attitude is like that of the woman who lost several family members in a tragic accident. When asked whether her religious faith had brought her comfort, she replied hesitatingly, “I suppose so.” But even if she had replied confidently that her religious faith had helped her, of what long-term profit would it be if her beliefs were not well-founded? This is an important consideration because, in truth, what most churches teach about a future life is very different from what the Bible teaches.

Christendom’s View of Life After Death

7. (a) What belief do most churches have in common? (b) How did one theologian describe the doctrine of the immortal soul?

⁷ Despite their differences, almost all denominations of Christendom agree that humans have an immortal soul that survives the death of the body. Most believe that when a person dies, his soul may go to heaven. Some fear that their soul might go to a fiery hell or to purgatory. But the idea of an immortal soul is central to their view of a future life. Theologian Oscar Cullmann, in an essay published in the book Immortality and Resurrection, commented on this. He wrote: “If we were to ask an ordinary Christian today . . . what he conceives to be the New Testament teaching concerning the fate of man after death, with few exceptions we should get the answer: ‘The immortality of the soul.’” Cullmann added, however: “This widely accepted idea is one of the greatest misunderstandings of Christianity.” Cullmann remarked that when he first said this, he caused a furor. Yet, he was correct.

8. What hope did Jehovah put before the first man and woman?

⁸ Jehovah God did not create humans to go to heaven after they died. It was not his original purpose that they should die at all. Adam and Eve were created perfect and were given the opportunity to fill the earth with righteous offspring. (Genesis 1:28; Deuteronomy 32:4) Our first parents were told that they would die only if they disobeyed God. (Genesis 2:17) If they had remained obedient to their heavenly Father, they would have kept on living on earth forever.

9. (a) What is the truth about the human soul? (b) What happens to the soul when it dies?

⁹ Sadly, though, Adam and Eve failed to obey God. (Genesis 3:6, 7) The tragic consequences are described by the apostle Paul: “Through one man sin entered into the world and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men because they had all sinned.” (Romans 5:12) Instead of living forever on earth, Adam and Eve died. What happened then? Did they have immortal souls that could now be consigned to a fiery hell because of their sin? On the contrary, the Bible says that earlier, when he was created, Adam “came to be a living soul.” (Genesis 2:7) Man was not given a soul; he became a soul, a living person. (1 Corinthians 15:45) Why, not only was Adam “a living soul” but, as shown in the Hebrew language in which Genesis was written, the lower animals were “living souls” too! (Genesis 1:24) When Adam and Eve died, they became dead souls. Eventually, it happened to them just as Jehovah had said to Adam: “In the sweat of your face you will eat bread until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken. For dust you are and to dust you will return.”—Genesis 3:19.

10, 11. What does the New Catholic Encyclopedia admit about the Bible teaching of the soul, and how does this compare with what the Bible says?

¹⁰ In substance, the New Catholic Encyclopedia agrees with this. In its article “Soul (in the Bible),” it says: “There is no dichotomy [division into two parts] of body and soul in the OT [“Old Testament,” or Hebrew Scriptures].” It adds that in the Bible, the word “soul” “never means soul as distinct from the body or the individual person.” Indeed, soul often “means the individual being itself whether of animals or men.” Such candor is refreshing, but one can only wonder why churchgoers in general have not been made aware of these facts.

¹¹ How much concern and fear churchgoers would have been spared if they had known the simple Bible truth: “The soul that is sinning—it itself will die,” not suffer in hellfire! (Ezekiel 18:4) While this is very different from what Christendom teaches, it is entirely consistent with what the wise man Solomon said under inspiration: “The living are conscious that they will die; but as for the dead, they are conscious of nothing at all, neither do they anymore have wages [in this life], because the remembrance of them has been forgotten. All that your hand finds to do, do with your very power, for there is no work nor devising nor knowledge nor wisdom in Sheol [mankind’s common grave], the place to which you are going.”—Ecclesiastes 9:5, 10.

12. From where did Christendom get its teaching about the immortal soul?

¹² Why does Christendom teach something so different from what the Bible says? The New Catholic Encyclopedia, in its article “Soul, Human, Immortality Of,” says that early Church Fathers found support for belief in an immortal soul, not in the Bible, but in “the poets and philosophers and general tradition of Greek thought . . . Later, the scholastics preferred to make use of Plato or principles from Aristotle.” It states that “the influence of Platonic and Neoplatonic thought”—including belief in the immortal soul—eventually was inserted “into the very core of Christian theology.”

13, 14. Why is it unreasonable to hope to be enlightened by pagan Greek philosophers?

¹³ Should professed Christians have turned to pagan Greek philosophers to learn about something as basic as the hope of life after death? Of course not. When Paul wrote to Christians living in Corinth, Greece, he said: “The wisdom of this world is foolishness with God; for it is written: ‘He catches the wise in their own cunning.’ And again: ‘Jehovah knows that the reasonings of the wise men are futile.’” (1 Corinthians 3:19, 20) The ancient Greeks were idol worshipers. How, then, could they be a source of truth? Paul asked the Corinthians: “What agreement does God’s temple have with idols? For we are a temple of a living God; just as God said: ‘I shall reside among them and walk among them, and I shall be their God, and they will be my people.’”—2 Corinthians 6:16.

¹⁴ Revelation of sacred truths was initially given through the nation of Israel. (Romans 3:1, 2) After 33 C.E., it was given through the first-century anointed Christian congregation. Paul, speaking of first-century Christians, said: “It is to us God has revealed [the things prepared for those who love him] through his spirit.” (1 Corinthians 2:10; see also Revelation 1:1, 2.) Christendom’s doctrine of the immortality of the soul is derived from Greek philosophy. It was not revealed through God’s revelations to Israel or through the first-century congregation of anointed Christians.

The Real Hope for the Dead

15. According to Jesus, what is the real hope for the dead?

¹⁵ If there is no immortal soul, what is the real hope for the dead? It is, of course, the resurrection, a central Bible doctrine and a truly wonderful divine promise. Jesus held out the resurrection hope when he said to his friend Martha: “I am the resurrection and the life. He that exercises faith in me, even though he dies, will come to life.” (John 11:25) To believe in Jesus means to believe in the resurrection, not in an immortal soul.

16. Why is it reasonable to believe in a resurrection?

¹⁶ Jesus had earlier spoken of the resurrection when he said to some Jews: “Do not marvel at this, because the hour is coming in which all those in the memorial tombs will hear his voice and come out.” (John 5:28, 29) What Jesus here describes is very different from an immortal soul surviving the death of the body and going straight to heaven. It is a future ‘coming out’ of people who have been in the grave, many for centuries or even for thousands of years. It is dead souls coming back to life. Impossible? Not to the God “who makes the dead alive and calls the things that are not as though they were.” (Romans 4:17) Skeptics may mock at the idea of people coming back from the dead, but it harmonizes perfectly with the fact that “God is love” and that he is “the rewarder of those earnestly seeking him.”—1 John 4:16; Hebrews 11:6.

17. What will God accomplish by means of the resurrection?

¹⁷ After all, how could God reward those who proved to be “faithful even to death” if he did not bring them back to life? (Revelation 2:10) The resurrection also makes it possible for God to accomplish what the apostle John wrote about: “For this purpose the Son of God was made manifest, namely, to break up the works of the Devil.” (1 John 3:8) Back in the garden of Eden, Satan became the murderer of the whole human race when he led our first parents into sin and death. (Genesis 3:1-6; John 8:44) Jesus began to break up Satan’s works when he gave his perfect life as a corresponding ransom, opening the way for mankind to be released from the inherited slavery to sin resulting from Adam’s willful disobedience. (Romans 5:18) The resurrection of those who die because of this Adamic sin will be a further breaking up of the Devil’s works.

Body and Soul

18. How did some Greek philosophers react to Paul’s statement that Jesus had been resurrected, and why?

¹⁸ When the apostle Paul was in Athens, he preached the good news to a crowd that included some Greek philosophers. They listened to his discussion about the one true God and his call to repentance. But what happened next? Paul concluded his speech, saying: “[God] has set a day in which he purposes to judge the inhabited earth in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed, and he has furnished a guarantee to all men in that he has resurrected him from the dead.” Those words caused a stir. “When they heard of a resurrection of the dead, some began to mock.” (Acts 17:22-32) Theologian Oscar Cullmann observes: “For the Greeks who believed in the immortality of the soul it may have been harder to accept the Christian preaching of the resurrection than it was for others. . . . The teaching of the great philosophers Socrates and Plato can in no way be brought into consonance [agreement] with that of the New Testament.”

19. How did Christendom’s theologians try to harmonize the teaching of the resurrection with the doctrine of the immortal soul?

¹⁹ Even so, following the great apostasy after the death of the apostles, theologians labored to merge the Christian teaching of the resurrection with Plato’s belief in the immortal soul. In time, some agreed on a novel solution: At death, the soul is separated (“liberated,” as some put it) from the body. Then, according to Outlines of the Doctrine of the Resurrection, by R. J. Cooke, on Judgment Day “each body shall be again united to its own soul, and each soul to its own body.” The future reuniting of the body with its immortal soul is said to be the resurrection.

20, 21. Who have consistently taught the truth about the resurrection, and how has this benefited them?

²⁰ This theory is still the official doctrine of mainstream churches. While such a notion may seem logical to a theologian, most churchgoers are unacquainted with it. They simply believe that they will go straight to heaven when they die. For this reason, in the May 5, 1995, issue of Commonweal, writer John Garvey charged: “The belief of most Christians [on the matter of life after death] seems to be much closer to Neoplatonism than to anything truly Christian, and it has no biblical basis.” Indeed, by trading the Bible for Plato, Christendom’s clergy extinguished the Biblical resurrection hope for their flocks.

²¹ On the other hand, Jehovah’s Witnesses reject pagan philosophy and adhere to the Bible’s teaching of the resurrection. They find such teaching to be edifying, satisfying, and comforting. In the following articles, we will see just how well-founded and how logical the Bible’s teaching of the resurrection is, both for those with an earthly hope and for those with the prospect of a resurrection to heavenly life. As a preparation for considering these articles, we recommend that you read carefully chapter 15 of the first letter to the Corinthians.

“The Dead Will Be Raised Up”

“For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised up incorruptible, and we shall be changed.”—1 CORINTHIANS 15:52.

1, 2. (a) What comforting promise was given through the prophet Hosea? (b) How do we know that God is disposed to bringing the dead back to life?

HAVE you ever lost someone close to you in death? Then you know the pain that death can bring. Nevertheless, Christians take comfort in the promise that God gave by means of the prophet Hosea: “From the hand of Sheol I shall redeem them; from death I shall recover them. Where are your stings, O Death? Where is your destructiveness, O Sheol?”—Hosea 13:14.

² The idea of the dead returning to life seems preposterous to skeptics. But Almighty God surely has the power to perform such a miracle! The real issue is whether Jehovah is disposed to bring the dead back to life. The righteous man Job asked: “If an able-bodied man dies can he live again?” Then, he gave this reassuring answer: “You will call, and I myself shall answer you. For the work of your hands you will have a yearning.” (Job 14:14, 15) The word “yearning” denotes an earnest longing or desire. (Compare Psalm 84:2.) Yes, Jehovah keenly anticipates the resurrection—he yearns to see once again departed faithful ones, who are alive in his memory.—Matthew 22:31, 32.

Jesus Sheds Light on the Resurrection

3, 4. (a) What light did Jesus shed on the resurrection hope? (b) Why was Jesus raised as a spirit, not in the flesh?

³ Ancient men of faith like Job had only a partial understanding of the resurrection. It was Jesus Christ who shed full light on this wonderful hope. He showed the key role that he himself plays when he said: “He that exercises faith in the Son has everlasting life.” (John 3:36) Where will that life be enjoyed? For the vast majority of those who exercise faith, it will be on earth. (Psalm 37:11) However, Jesus told his disciples: “Have no fear, little flock, because your Father has approved of giving you the kingdom.” (Luke 12:32) God’s Kingdom is heavenly. Hence, this promise means that a “little flock” would have to be with Jesus in heaven as spirit creatures. (John 14:2, 3; 1 Peter 1:3, 4) What a glorious prospect! Jesus further revealed to the apostle John that this “little flock” would number just 144,000.—Revelation 14:1.

⁴ How, though, would the 144,000 enter heavenly glory? Jesus “shed light upon life and incorruption through the good news.” By means of his blood, he inaugurated “a new and living way” into the heavens. (2 Timothy 1:10; Hebrews 10:19, 20) First, he died, as the Bible foretold he would. (Isaiah 53:12) Then, as the apostle Peter later proclaimed, “this Jesus God resurrected.” (Acts 2:32) Jesus was not raised as a human though. He had said: “The bread that I shall give is my flesh in behalf of the life of the world.” (John 6:51) Taking his flesh back would nullify that sacrifice. So Jesus was “put to death in the flesh, but . . . made alive in the spirit.” (1 Peter 3:18) Jesus thus “obtained an everlasting deliverance for us,” meaning the “little flock.” (Hebrews 9:12) He presented to God the value of his perfect human life as a ransom for sinful mankind, and the 144,000 were the first to benefit from this.

5. What hope was extended to Jesus’ first-century followers?

⁵ Jesus would not be the only one resurrected to heavenly life. Paul told fellow Christians in Rome that they had been anointed with holy spirit to be sons of God and joint-heirs with Christ if they confirmed their anointing by enduring to the end. (Romans 8:16, 17) Paul also explained: “If we have become united with him in the likeness of his death, we shall certainly also be united with him in the likeness of his resurrection.”—Romans 6:5.

In Defense of the Resurrection Hope

6. Why did belief in the resurrection come under attack in Corinth, and how did the apostle Paul respond?

⁶ The resurrection is part of the “primary doctrine” of Christianity. (Hebrews 6:1, 2) Nevertheless, the doctrine was under attack in Corinth. Some in the congregation, evidently influenced by Greek philosophy, were saying: “There is no resurrection of the dead.” (1 Corinthians 15:12) When reports of this reached the apostle Paul, he came to the defense of the resurrection hope, especially the hope of anointed Christians. Let us examine Paul’s words as recorded in 1 Corinthians chapter 15. You will find it helpful to have read the chapter in its entirety, as recommended in the preceding article.

7. (a) On what key issue did Paul focus? (b) Who saw the resurrected Jesus?

⁷ In the first two verses of 1 Corinthians chapter 15, Paul sets the theme of his discussion: “I make known to you, brothers, the good news which I declared to you, which you also received, in which you also stand, through which you are also being saved, . . . unless, in fact, you became believers to no purpose.” If the Corinthians failed to stand fast in the good news, they had accepted the truth in vain. Paul continued: “I handed on to you, among the first things, that which I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures; and that he was buried, yes, that he has been raised up the third day according to the Scriptures; and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. After that he appeared to upward of five hundred brothers at one time, the most of whom remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep in death. After that he appeared to James, then to all the apostles; but last of all he appeared also to me as if to one born prematurely.”—1 Corinthians 15:3-8.

8, 9. (a) How important is belief in the resurrection? (b) Likely on what occasion did Jesus appear to “upward of five hundred brothers”?

⁸ For those who had accepted the good news, belief in the resurrection of Jesus was not optional. There were many eyewitnesses to confirm that “Christ died for our sins” and that he had been raised up. One was Cephas, or Peter, as he is better known. After Peter’s denial of Jesus on the night of Jesus’ betrayal and arrest, he must have been greatly comforted by Jesus’ appearing to him. “The twelve,” the apostles as a group, were also visited by the resurrected Jesus—an experience that no doubt helped them to overcome their fear and become bold witnesses to Jesus’ resurrection.—John 20:19-23; Acts 2:32.

⁹ Christ also appeared to a larger group, “upward of five hundred brothers.” Since it was only in Galilee that he had followers in such large numbers, this may have been on the occasion described at Matthew 28:16-20, when Jesus gave the command to make disciples. What a powerful testimony these individuals could give! Some were still alive in 55 C.E. when Paul composed this first letter to the Corinthians. Note, though, that those who had died were spoken of as having “fallen asleep in death.” They had not yet been resurrected to receive their heavenly reward.

10. (a) What was the effect of Jesus’ last meeting with his disciples? (b) How did Jesus appear to Paul “as if to one born prematurely”?

¹⁰ Another outstanding witness to Jesus’ resurrection was James, the son of Joseph and Jesus’ mother, Mary. Prior to the resurrection, James evidently had not been a believer. (John 7:5) But after Jesus appeared to him, James became a believer and perhaps played a role in converting his other brothers. (Acts 1:13, 14) At his final meeting with his disciples, on the occasion when he ascended to heaven, Jesus commissioned them to “be witnesses . . . to the most distant part of the earth.” (Acts 1:6-11) Later, he appeared to Saul of Tarsus, a persecutor of Christians. (Acts 22:6-8) Jesus appeared to Saul “as if to one born prematurely.” It was as if Saul had already been resurrected to spirit life and was able to see the glorified Lord centuries before that resurrection was due to occur. This experience abruptly halted Saul in his course of murderous opposition to the Christian congregation and caused a remarkable change. (Acts 9:3-9, 17-19) Saul became the apostle Paul, one of the foremost defenders of the Christian faith.—1 Corinthians 15:9, 10.

Faith in the Resurrection Essential

11. How did Paul expose the fallacy of saying, “There is no resurrection”?

¹¹ The resurrection of Jesus was therefore a well-attested fact. “Now if Christ is being preached that he has been raised up from the dead,” argues Paul, “how is it some among you say there is no resurrection of the dead?” (1 Corinthians 15:12) Not only were such ones having personal doubts or questions about the resurrection but they were openly voicing disbelief in it. So Paul exposes the fallacy of their reasoning. He says that if Christ had not been raised up, the Christian message was a lie, and those who testified to Christ’s resurrection were “false witnesses of God.” If Christ had not been raised, no ransom had been paid to God; Christians were ‘yet in their sins.’ (1 Corinthians 15:13-19; Romans 3:23, 24; Hebrews 9:11-14) And Christians who had “fallen asleep in death,” in some cases as martyrs, had perished without a genuine hope. What a pitiable state Christians would be in if this life were all they could expect! Their sufferings would be all for nothing.

12. (a) What is implied by calling Christ “the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep in death”? (b) How did Christ make the resurrection possible?

¹² That was not the case, however. Paul continues: “Christ has been raised up from the dead.” What is more, he is “the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep in death.” (1 Corinthians 15:20) When the Israelites obediently gave Jehovah the firstfruits of their produce, Jehovah blessed them with a large harvest. (Exodus 22:29, 30; 23:19; Proverbs 3:9, 10) By calling Christ “the firstfruits,” Paul implies that a further harvest of individuals would be raised from death to heavenly life. “Since death is through a man,” says Paul, “resurrection of the dead is also through a man. For just as in Adam all are dying, so also in the Christ all will be made alive.” (1 Corinthians 15:21, 22) Jesus made the resurrection possible by giving his perfect human life as a ransom, opening the way for mankind to be released from slavery to sin and death.—Galatians 1:4; 1 Peter 1:18, 19.a

13. (a) When does the heavenly resurrection take place? (b) How is it that some anointed ones do not “fall asleep in death”?

¹³ Paul continues: “But each one in his own rank: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who belong to the Christ during his presence.” (1 Corinthians 15:23) Christ was resurrected in 33 C.E. However, his anointed followers—“those who belong to the Christ”—would have to wait until shortly after Jesus began his royal presence, which Bible prophecy shows occurred in 1914. (1 Thessalonians 4:14-16; Revelation 11:18) What of those who would be alive during that presence? Paul says: “Look! I tell you a sacred secret: We shall not all fall asleep in death, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, during the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised up incorruptible, and we shall be changed.” (1 Corinthians 15:51, 52) Clearly, not all anointed ones sleep in the grave awaiting a resurrection. Those who die during Christ’s presence are transformed instantaneously.—Revelation 14:13.

14. How are anointed ones “baptized for the purpose of being dead ones”?

¹⁴ “Otherwise,” asks Paul, “what will they do who are being baptized for the purpose of being dead ones? If the dead are not to be raised up at all, why are they also being baptized for the purpose of being such? Why are we also in peril every hour?” (1 Corinthians 15:29, 30) Paul did not mean that living individuals were baptized in behalf of dead ones, as some Bible translations make it appear. After all, baptism is related to Christian discipleship, and dead souls cannot be disciples. (John 4:1) Rather, Paul was discussing living Christians, many of whom, like Paul himself, were “in peril every hour.” Anointed Christians were ‘baptized into Christ’s death.’ (Romans 6:3) Since their anointing, they were being “baptized,” as it were, into a course that would lead to a death like that of Christ. (Mark 10:35-40) They would die with the hope of a glorious heavenly resurrection.—1 Corinthians 6:14; Philippians 3:10, 11.

15. What perils may Paul have experienced, and how did faith in the resurrection play a role in enduring them?

¹⁵ Paul now explains that he himself had faced peril to such a degree that he could say: “Daily I face death.” Lest some accuse him of exaggerating, Paul adds: “This I affirm by the exultation over you, brothers, which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord.” The Jerusalem Bible renders this verse: “I face death every day, brothers, and I can swear it by the pride that I take in you in Christ Jesus our Lord.” As an example of the dangers he faced, in 1Co 15 verse 32, Paul speaks of ‘fighting wild beasts at Ephesus.’ The Romans often executed criminals by throwing them to wild beasts in the arenas. If Paul endured a battle with literal wild beasts, he could have survived only with Jehovah’s help. Without the resurrection hope, choosing a life course that exposed him to such peril would have been foolhardy indeed. Without the hope of a future life, enduring the hardships and sacrifices that came with serving God would have little meaning. “If the dead are not to be raised up,” says Paul, “‘let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we are to die.’”—1 Corinthians 15:31, 32; see 2 Corinthians 1:8, 9; 11:23-27.

16. (a) Where may the expression “let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we are to die” have originated? (b) What were the dangers of embracing this sentiment?

¹⁶ Paul may have quoted Isaiah 22:13, which describes the fatalistic attitude of the disobedient inhabitants of Jerusalem. Or he may have had in mind the beliefs of the Epicureans, who disdained any hope of a life after death and believed that fleshly pleasure was the chief good in life. Whatever the case, the “eat and drink” philosophy was ungodly. Hence, Paul warns: “Do not be misled. Bad associations spoil useful habits.” (1 Corinthians 15:33) Mixing with those who rejected the resurrection could be poisonous. Such association may have played a role in the problems that Paul had to handle in the Corinthian congregation, such as sexual immorality, divisions, lawsuits, and disrespect for the Lord’s Evening Meal.—1 Corinthians 1:11; 5:1; 6:1; 11:20-22.

17. (a) What exhortation did Paul give the Corinthians? (b) What questions remain to be answered?

¹⁷ Paul thus gives the Corinthians this positive exhortation: “Wake up to soberness in a righteous way and do not practice sin, for some are without knowledge of God. I am speaking to move you to shame.” (1 Corinthians 15:34) A negative view of the resurrection led some into a spiritual stupor, as though drunk. They needed to wake up, stay sober. Anointed Christians today likewise need to be spiritually awake, not being influenced by the world’s skeptical views. They must cling tight to their hope of a heavenly resurrection. But questions still remained—for the Corinthians then and for us now. For example, in what form are the 144,000 raised to heaven? And what about the millions of others who are still in the grave and who do not have a heavenly hope? What will the resurrection mean for such ones? In our next article, we will examine the rest of Paul’s discussion of the resurrection.

“Death Is to Be Brought to Nothing”

“As the last enemy, death is to be brought to nothing.”—1 CORINTHIANS 15:26.

1, 2. (a) What hope did the apostle Paul hold out for dead ones? (b) What question about the resurrection did Paul address?

“I BELIEVE in . . . the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting.” So says the Apostles’ Creed. Catholics and Protestants alike dutifully recite it, little realizing that their beliefs are more akin to Greek philosophy than to anything the apostles ever believed. The apostle Paul, however, rejected Greek philosophy and did not believe in an immortal soul. Still, he firmly believed in a future life and wrote under inspiration: “As the last enemy, death is to be brought to nothing.” (1 Corinthians 15:26) Just what does that mean for dying mankind?

² In answer, let us return to Paul’s discussion of the resurrection recorded in 1 Corinthians chapter 15. You will recall that in the opening verses, Paul established the resurrection as a vital part of Christian doctrine. Now he addresses a specific question: “Nevertheless, someone will say: ‘How are the dead to be raised up? Yes, with what sort of body are they coming?’”—1 Corinthians 15:35.

What Kind of Body?

3. Why did some reject the resurrection?

³ In raising this question, Paul may well have intended to counteract the influence of Plato’s philosophy. Plato taught that man has an immortal soul that survives the death of the body. To those raised with such an idea, the Christian teaching no doubt seemed unnecessary. If the soul survives death, what is the point of a resurrection? Further, the resurrection likely seemed illogical. Once the body has dissolved into dust, how can there be a resurrection? Bible commentator Heinrich Meyer says that the antagonism of some Corinthians was possibly based “on the philosophic ground that the restoration of the matter of the body was impossible.”

4, 5. (a) Why were the objections of faithless ones unreasonable? (b) Explain Paul’s illustration of the “bare grain.” (c) What kind of bodies does God give resurrected anointed ones?

⁴ Paul exposes the emptiness of their reasoning: “You unreasonable person! What you sow is not made alive unless first it dies; and as for what you sow, you sow, not the body that will develop, but a bare grain, it may be, of wheat or any one of the rest; but God gives it a body just as it has pleased him, and to each of the seeds its own body.” (1 Corinthians 15:36-38) God was not going to raise the bodies that people had while on earth. Rather, there would be a transformation.

⁵ Paul compares the resurrection to the germinating of a seed. A tiny seed of wheat bears no resemblance to the plant that will grow from it. The World Book Encyclopedia says: “When a seed begins to germinate, it absorbs large amounts of water. The water causes many chemical changes inside the seed. It also causes the seed’s internal tissues to swell and break through the seed coat.” In effect, the seed dies as a seed and becomes an emerging plant. “God gives it a body” in that he set in place the scientific laws governing its development, and each seed receives a body according to its kind. (Genesis 1:11) Similarly, anointed Christians first die as humans. Then, at God’s appointed time, he brings them back to life in entirely new bodies. As Paul told the Philippians, “Jesus Christ . . . will refashion our humiliated body to be conformed to his glorious body.” (Philippians 3:20, 21; 2 Corinthians 5:1, 2) They are resurrected in spirit bodies and live in the spirit realm.—1 John 3:2.

6. Why is it reasonable to believe that God can supply resurrected ones with appropriate spirit bodies?

⁶ Is this too difficult to believe? No. Paul reasons that animals come in many different types of bodies. In addition, he contrasts heavenly angels with flesh-and-blood humans, saying: “There are heavenly bodies, and earthly bodies.” There is also great diversity in the inanimate creation. “Star differs from star in glory,” said Paul, long before science discovered such celestial bodies as blue stars, red giants, and white dwarfs. In view of this, is it not reasonable that God can provide appropriate spirit bodies for resurrected anointed ones?—1 Corinthians 15:39-41.

7. What is the meaning of incorruption? of immortality?

⁷ Paul then says: “So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption, it is raised up in incorruption.” (1 Corinthians 15:42) A human body, even when perfect, is corruptible. It can be killed. For example, Paul said that the resurrected Jesus was “destined no more to return to corruption.” (Acts 13:34) He would never return to life in a corruptible, even though perfect, human body. The bodies that God gives to resurrected anointed ones are incorruptible—beyond death or decay. Paul continues: “It is sown in dishonor, it is raised up in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised up in power. It is sown a physical body, it is raised up a spiritual body.” (1 Corinthians 15:43, 44) Further, Paul says: “This which is mortal must put on immortality.” Immortality means endless, indestructible life. (1 Corinthians 15:53; Hebrews 7:16) In this way, the resurrected ones bear “the image of the heavenly one,” Jesus, who made their resurrection possible.—1 Corinthians 15:45-49.

8. (a) How do we know that resurrected ones are the same individuals they were while alive on earth? (b) What prophecies are fulfilled when the resurrection takes place?

⁸ In spite of this transformation, the resurrected ones are still the same individuals they were before they died. They will be raised with the same memories and the same sterling Christian qualities. (Malachi 3:3; Revelation 21:10, 18) In this they resemble Jesus Christ. He changed from spirit to human form. Then he died and was resurrected as a spirit. Yet, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today, and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8) What a glorious privilege anointed ones have! Says Paul: “But when this which is corruptible puts on incorruption and this which is mortal puts on immortality, then the saying will take place that is written: ‘Death is swallowed up forever.’ ‘Death, where is your victory? Death, where is your sting?’”—1 Corinthians 15:54, 55; Isaiah 25:8; Hosea 13:14.

An Earthly Resurrection?

9, 10. (a) In the context of 1 Corinthians 15:24, what is “the end,” and what events take place in connection with it? (b) What must take place for death to be brought to nothing?

⁹ Is there any future for the millions who do not have the hope of immortal spirit life in heaven? Indeed there is! After explaining that the heavenly resurrection takes place during Christ’s presence, Paul outlines subsequent events, saying: “Next, the end, when he hands over the kingdom to his God and Father, when he has brought to nothing all government and all authority and power.”—1 Corinthians 15:23, 24.

¹⁰ “The end” is the end of the Thousand Year Reign of Christ, when Jesus humbly and loyally hands over the Kingdom to his God and Father. (Revelation 20:4) God’s purpose “to gather all things together again in the Christ” will have been fulfilled. (Ephesians 1:9, 10) First, though, Christ will have destroyed “all government and all authority and power” opposed to God’s Sovereign will. This involves more than the destruction wrought at Armageddon. (Revelation 16:16; 19:11-21) Paul says: “[Christ] must rule as king until God has put all enemies under his feet. As the last enemy, death is to be brought to nothing.” (1 Corinthians 15:25, 26) Yes, all traces of Adamic sin and death will have been removed. Of necessity, then, God will have emptied the “memorial tombs” by bringing the dead back to life.—John 5:28.

11. (a) How do we know that God can re-create dead souls? (b) With what kind of bodies will those resurrected to the earth be supplied?

¹¹ This means re-creating human souls. Impossible? No, for Psalm 104:29, 30 assures us that God can do so: “If you take away their spirit, they expire, and back to their dust they go. If you send forth your spirit, they are created.” While resurrected ones will be the same individuals they were before their death, they will not need to have the same bodies. As with those raised to heaven, God will give them a body just as it pleases him. No doubt their new bodies will be physically sound and reasonably similar to their original body so that they will be recognized by their loved ones.

12. When does the earthly resurrection take place?

¹² When will the earthly resurrection take place? Martha said of her dead brother, Lazarus: “I know he will rise in the resurrection on the last day.” (John 11:24) How did she know that? The resurrection was a subject of controversy in her day, since the Pharisees believed in it but the Sadducees did not. (Acts 23:8) Still, Martha must have known of pre-Christian witnesses who hoped in the resurrection. (Hebrews 11:35) Too, she could have discerned from Daniel 12:13 that the resurrection will occur on the last day. She might even have learned this from Jesus himself. (John 6:39) That “last day” coincides with the Thousand Year Reign of Christ. (Revelation 20:6) Imagine the excitement during that “day” when this grand event begins!—Compare Luke 24:41.

Who Is Coming Back?

13. What vision of the resurrection is recorded at Revelation 20:12-14?

¹³ At Revelation 20:12-14 is recorded John’s vision of the earthly resurrection: “I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and scrolls were opened. But another scroll was opened; it is the scroll of life. And the dead were judged out of those things written in the scrolls according to their deeds. And the sea gave up those dead in it, and death and Hades gave up those dead in them, and they were judged individually according to their deeds. And death and Hades were hurled into the lake of fire. This means the second death, the lake of fire.”

14. Who will be among those resurrected?

¹⁴ The resurrection will encompass “the great and the small,” both prominent and inconspicuous humans who have lived and died. Why, even infants will be among that number! (Jeremiah 31:15, 16) At Acts 24:15, another important detail is revealed: “There is going to be a resurrection of both the righteous and the unrighteous.” Prominent among “the righteous” will be faithful men and women of old, such as Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, and Rahab. (Hebrews 11:1-40) Imagine being able to converse with such ones and obtain eyewitness details of Bible events of long ago! “The righteous” will also include the thousands of God-fearing individuals who have died in more recent times and who did not have a heavenly hope. Do you have a family member or a loved one who might be among these? How comforting it is to know that you can see them again! Who, though, are the “unrighteous” individuals that will also come back? They include millions, perhaps billions, who died without having an opportunity to come to learn and apply Bible truth.

15. What does it mean that returning ones will be “judged out of those things written in the scrolls”?

¹⁵ How will returning ones be “judged out of those things written in the scrolls according to their deeds”? These scrolls are not the record of their past deeds; when they died, they were acquitted of the sins they committed during their lifetime. (Romans 6:7, 23) However, resurrected humans will still be under Adamic sin. It must be, then, that these scrolls will set forth divine instructions that all must follow in order to benefit fully from the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. As the last trace of Adamic sin is eliminated, ‘death will be brought to nothing’ in the fullest sense. By the end of the thousand years, God will “be all things to everyone.” (1 Corinthians 15:28) No longer will man need the intervention of a High Priest or Ransomer. All mankind will be restored to the perfect state Adam originally enjoyed.

An Orderly Resurrection

16. (a) Why is it reasonable to believe that the resurrection will be an orderly process? (b) Who will likely be among the first to return from the dead?

¹⁶ Since the heavenly resurrection is orderly, “each one in his own rank,” it is evident that the earthly resurrection will not create a chaotic population explosion. (1 Corinthians 15:23) Understandably, the newly resurrected ones will need to be looked after. (Compare Luke 8:55.) They will need physical sustenance and—more important—spiritual assistance in gaining life-giving knowledge of Jehovah God and Jesus Christ. (John 17:3) If all were to return to life simultaneously, it would be impossible to care for them adequately. It is reasonable to assume that the resurrection will take place progressively. Faithful Christians who died shortly before the end of Satan’s system will likely be among the first ones raised. We can also expect an early resurrection for the faithful men of old who will serve as “princes.”—Psalm 45:16.

17. What are some issues regarding the resurrection on which the Bible is silent, and why should Christians not be unduly concerned about such matters?

¹⁷ Nevertheless, we should not be dogmatic on such matters. On many issues the Bible is silent. It does not spell out the details of how, when, or at what locations the resurrection of individuals will occur. It does not tell us how those returning will be housed, fed, and clothed. Nor can we state with certainty how Jehovah will work out such issues as the rearing and care of resurrected children or how he will take care of certain situations that might involve our friends and loved ones. True, it is natural to wonder about such things; but it would be unwise to spend time trying to answer questions that at present are unanswerable. Our focus must be on serving Jehovah faithfully and gaining everlasting life. Anointed Christians rest their hope in a glorious heavenly resurrection. (2 Peter 1:10, 11) The “other sheep” hope for an everlasting inheritance in the earthly realm of God’s Kingdom. (John 10:16; Matthew 25:33, 34) As for the many details about the resurrection that are unknown, we simply trust in Jehovah. Our future happiness is safe in the hands of the One who can ‘satisfy the desire of every living thing.’—Psalm 145:16; Jeremiah 17:7.

18. (a) What victory does Paul highlight? (b) Why do we confidently trust in the resurrection hope?

¹⁸ Paul concludes his argument by exclaiming: “Thanks to God, for he gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!” (1 Corinthians 15:57) Yes, victory is won over Adamic death through the ransom sacrifice of Jesus Christ, and both anointed and “other sheep” share in that victory. Of course, “other sheep” alive today have a hope that is unique to this generation. As part of an ever-increasing “great crowd,” they may survive the coming “great tribulation” and never experience physical death! (Revelation 7:9, 14) However, even those who die because of “time and unforeseen occurrence” or at the hands of Satan’s agents can put their confidence in the resurrection hope.—Ecclesiastes 9:11.

19. What exhortation must all Christians today heed?

¹⁹ Therefore, we eagerly await that glorious day when death will be brought to nothing. Our unwavering trust in Jehovah’s promise of the resurrection gives us a realistic view of matters. Whatever happens to us in this life—even if we should die—nothing can rob us of the reward that Jehovah has promised. Hence, Paul’s final exhortation to the Corinthians is as appropriate today as it was two thousand years ago: “Consequently, my beloved brothers, become steadfast, unmovable, always having plenty to do in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in connection with the Lord.”—1 Corinthians 15:58.