Resurrection

Definition: A·na′sta·sis, the Greek word translated “resurrection,” literally means “a standing up again” and it refers to a rising up from death. The fuller expression “resurrection of (from) the dead” is used repeatedly in the Scriptures. (Matt. 22:31; Acts 4:2; 1 Cor. 15:12) The Hebrew is techi·yath′ ham·me·thim′, which means “revival of the dead.” (Matt. 22:23, ftn, NW Reference edition) Resurrection involves a reactivating of the life pattern of the individual, which life pattern God has retained in his memory. According to God’s will for the individual, the person is restored in either a human or a spirit body and yet retains his personal identity, having the same personality and memories as when he died. The provision for resurrection of the dead is a magnificent expression of Jehovah’s undeserved kindness; it displays his wisdom and power and is a means by which his original purpose regarding the earth will be carried out.

“Zoroastrianism,” observes The New Encyclopædia Britannica, “holds a belief in a final overthrow of Evil, a general resurrection, a Last Judgment, and the restoration of a cleansed world to the righteous.”

The Encyclopaedia Judaica defines the resurrection as “the belief that ultimately the dead will be revived in their bodies and live again on earth.” The same reference work also comments that the belief adopted into Judaism that man has an immortal soul presents a dilemma. It admits: “Basically the two beliefs of resurrection and the soul’s immortality are contradictory.”

Hinduism teaches that man undergoes a series of rebirths, or reincarnations. For this to be true, man must have a soul that lives on after death. The Hindu holy book Bhagavad Gita states: “That which pervades the entire body is indestructible. No one is able to destroy the imperishable soul.”

Buddhism differs from Hinduism in that it denies the existence of an immortal soul. Nevertheless, today many Buddhists in the Far East believe in the transmigration of an immortal soul.

Confusion About the Teaching of the Resurrection

Funeral services conducted in Christendom often refer both to the soul as living on after death and to the resurrection. For example, Anglican clergymen usually recite the words: “Forasmuch as it hath pleased Almighty God of his great mercy to take unto himself the soul of our dear brother here departed, we therefore commit his body to the ground; earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust; in sure and certain hope of the Resurrection to eternal life, through our Lord Jesus Christ.”—The Book of Common Prayer.

This statement may make one wonder whether the Bible teaches the resurrection or the doctrine of an immortal soul. Note, however, the comment made by French Protestant Professor Oscar Cullmann. He writes in his bookImmortality of the Soul or Resurrection of the Dead?:“There is a radical difference between the Christian expectation of the resurrection of the dead and the Greek belief in the immortality of the soul. . . . Although Christianity later established a link between these two beliefs, and today the average Christian confuses them completely, I see no reason to hide what I and the majority of scholars consider to be the truth. . . . The life and thought of the New Testament are entirely dominated by faith in the resurrection. . . . The whole man, who is really dead, is brought back to life by a new creative act of God.”

It is little wonder that people in general are confused about death and the resurrection. To resolve the confusion, we need to look to the Bible, which presents truths revealed by man’s Creator, Jehovah God. The Bible documents a number of resurrections. Let us examine four of these accounts and consider what they reveal.

Resurrections During Jesus’ Ministry

Some 900 years later, a resurrection occurred a short distance north of Shunem outside the village of Nain. As Jesus Christ and his disciples traveled from Capernaum and neared the gate of Nain, they met a burial procession, and Jesus caught sight of a widow who had lost her only son. Jesus told her to stop weeping. Luke, a physician, described what happened next: “With that [Jesus] approached and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still, and he said: ‘Young man, I say to you, Get up!’ And the dead man sat up and started to speak, and he gave him to his mother.” (Luke 7:14, 15) Those who witnessed this miracle glorified God. News of the resurrection spread southward into Judea and the surrounding district. Interestingly, the disciples of John the Baptizer heard of it and reported the miracle to John. He, in turn, dispatched them to find Jesus and ask him whether He was the expected Messiah. Jesus told them: “Go your way, report to John what you saw and heard: the blind are receiving sight, the lame are walking, the lepers are being cleansed and the deaf are hearing, the dead are being raised up, the poor are being told the good news.”—Luke 7:22.

The best known of Jesus’ resurrection miracles was that performed in behalf of his close friend Lazarus. In this case, there was a delay between Lazarus’ death and Jesus’ arrival at the family home. When Jesus finally reached Bethany, Lazarus had been dead for four days. When Jesus instructed that the stone covering the entrance to the burial chamber be removed, Martha objected, saying: “Lord, by now he must smell, for it is four days.” (John 11:39) Yet, any deterioration of Lazarus’ body did not prevent the resurrection. At Jesus’ command, “the man that had been dead came out with his feet and hands bound with wrappings, and his countenance was bound about with a cloth.” The subsequent actions of Jesus’ enemies prove that it was indeed Lazarus who had come back to life.—John 11:43, 44; 12:1, 9-11.

What do we conclude from these four resurrection accounts? Each resurrected individual returned to life as the same person. All were recognized, even by their closest relatives. None of the resurrected spoke of what had occurred during the short time they were dead. None spoke of traveling to another world. Apparently, they all returned in good health. For them, it was as though they slept for a while and then woke up, even as Jesus intimated. (John 11:11) Nevertheless, after some time each of these died again.