A Biblical Study of the Afterlife

the afterlife

Scriptures Before Christ’s Resurrection

What did the Scriptures speak of even before Christ’s resurrection when describing the life after our deaths?

key principle: ecclesiastes 12:7

ecclesiastes 12:7

and the dust returns to the ground it came from,

and the spirit returns to God who gave it.

Our spirit returns to God.

key principle: luke 16:19-31

luke 16:19-31

9 “There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. 20 At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores 21 and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.

22 “The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 In hell, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. 24 So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’

25 “But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. 26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’

27 “He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my father’s house, 28 for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’

29 “Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’

30 “ ‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’

31 “He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’ ”

The grave was a place of restful repose or ongoing torment. On one side was Paradise and on the other was Hades. Each headed to what their faith dictated in life daniel 12:2 .

supporting scriptures

daniel 12:2

Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt.

my notes:

key principle: psalm 73:23-28

psalm 73:23-28

Yet I am always with you;

you hold me by my right hand.

24 You guide me with your counsel,

and afterward you will take me into glory.

25 Whom have I in heaven but you?

And earth has nothing I desire besides you.

26 My flesh and my heart may fail,

but God is the strength of my heart

and my portion forever.

27 Those who are far from you will perish;

you destroy all who are unfaithful to you.

28 But as for me, it is good to be near God.

I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge;

I will tell of all your deeds.

Those who had true faith in the Lord were confident and expected to enter into glory with the Lord upon their death as they knew they had a refuge in Him even when they died proverbs 14:32 . God valued His saints of old and the relationship He had with them and so even their death was precious in His sight psalm 116:15 .

supporting scriptures

proverbs 14:32

When calamity comes, the wicked are brought down,

but even in death the righteous have a refuge.

psalm 116:15

Precious in the sight of the Lord

is the death of his saints.

key principle: isaiah 57:1-2

isaiah 57:1-2

The righteous perish,

and no one ponders it in his heart;

devout men are taken away,

and no one understands

that the righteous are taken away

to be spared from evil.

2 Those who walk uprightly

enter into peace;

they find rest as they lie in death.

The righteous would die to spare them the further sorrows of this world not to be condemned. It was revealed and it was anticipated that they would be redeemed from the grave psalm 49:15 while those who separated themselves from the Lord would be granted their chosen path psalm 49:13-14 . It was in this knowledge that Job, despite His sufferings and complaints looked forward to the redemption of His body and soul even through the process of death job 19:25-27 .

supporting scriptures

psalm 49:15

But God will redeem my life from the grave;

he will surely take me to himself.

psalm 49:13-14

This is the fate of those who trust in themselves,

and of their followers, who approve their sayings.

Selah

14 Like sheep they are destined for the grave,

and death will feed on them.

The upright will rule over them in the morning;

their forms will decay in the grave,

far from their princely mansions.

job 19:25-27

I know that my Redeemer lives,

and that in the end he will stand upon the earth.

26 And after my skin has been destroyed,

yet in my flesh I will see God;

27 I myself will see him

with my own eyes–I, and not another.

How my heart yearns within me!

section 2

key principle: john 11:25-26

john 11:25-26

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; 26 and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?”

Jesus made some hard to understand statements that seem contradictory unless one understands the unseen ii corinthians 5:7 . Those of the faith may be separated from their perishable bodies, but they would never be separated from their loving relationship with the Lord romans 8:38-39 , and so one may die in the body but would never die to the Lord i peter 4:6 .

supporting scriptures

ii corinthians 5:7

We live by faith, not by sight.

romans 8:38-39

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

i peter 4:6

For this is the reason the gospel was preached even to those who are now dead, so that they might be judged according to men in regard to the body, but live according to God in regard to the spirit.

key principle: john 5:24-29

john 5:24-29

“I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life. 25 I tell you the truth, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live. 26 For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son to have life in himself. 27 And he has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man.

28 “Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice 29 and come out–those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned.

So the resurrection was coming; even before Christ was raised from the dead the resurrection had come because He Himself was the resurrection john 11:25 . Our resurrection would follow His will as He is our life colossians 3:3-4 .

supporting scriptures

john 11:25

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies;

colossians 3:3-4

For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

my notes:

section 3

The In Between

key principle: luke 23:43

luke 23:43

Jesus answered him, “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.”

The thief was promised to be WITH Jesus in paradise THAT DAY because that day Jesus was going to Paradise. As He went to the Grave He proclaimed the victory to His enemies in Hades i peter 3:18-20 and He preached the Good News to those who were waiting for Him in Paradise i peter 4:6 . So Jesus rescued the saints of old from the grave when He rose from the dead ephesians 4:8-10 psalm 68:18-20 . As a first fruits, deposit and witness leviticus 23:10-11 of Christ’s victory over death and power of life, many saints were resurrected matthew 27:51-53 after His resurrection i corinthians 15:20 . Which with another parallel resurrection gives us an indication that we should not get too caught up in the exact details of the resurrections revelation 11:7-13 , but take heart that the resurrection is sure i thessalonians 4:18 .

supporting scriptures

i peter 3:18-20

For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit,

i peter 4:6

For this is the reason the gospel was preached even to those who are now dead, so that they might be judged according to men in regard to the body, but live according to God in regard to the spirit.

ephesians 4:8-10

This is why it says:

“When he ascended on high,

he led captives in his train

and gave gifts to men.”

9 (What does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions ? 10 He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.)

psalm 68:18-20

When you ascended on high,

you led captives in your train;

you received gifts from men,

even from the rebellious–

that you, O Lord God, might dwell there.

19 Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior,

who daily bears our burdens.

Selah

20 Our God is a God who saves;

from the Sovereign Lord comes escape from death.

leviticus 23:10-11

10 “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘When you enter the land I am going to give you and you reap its harvest, bring to the priest a sheaf of the first grain you harvest. 11 He is to wave the sheaf before the Lord so it will be accepted on your behalf; the priest is to wave it on the day after the Sabbath.

matthew 27:51-53

At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split. 52 The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. 53 They came out of the tombs, and after Jesus’ resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many people.

i corinthians 15:20

But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.

revelation 11:7-13

Now when they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up from the Abyss will attack them, and overpower and kill them.8 Their bodies will lie in the street of the great city, which is figuratively called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified. 9 For three and a half days men from every people, tribe, language and nation will gaze on their bodies and refuse them burial. 10 The inhabitants of the earth will gloat over them and will celebrate by sending each other gifts, because these two prophets had tormented those who live on the earth.

11 But after the three and a half days a breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet, and terror struck those who saw them. 12 Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here.” And they went up to heaven in a cloud, while their enemies looked on.

13 At that very hour there was a severe earthquake and a tenth of the city collapsed. Seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the survivors were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.

i thessalonians 4:18

Therefore encourage each other with these words.

my notes:

section 4

scriptures for after Christ’s resurrection

ii corinthians 4:16-5:10

16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.

17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

Our Heavenly Dwelling

1 Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands.2 Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, 3 because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. 4 For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. 5 Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.

6 Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord.

7 We live by faith, not by sight. 8 We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. 9 So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.

Our Heavenly Dwelling

6 Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord.

ii corinthians 4:6-8

For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.

7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. 8 We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair;

Our present circumstances are temporary, but we should look forward to being at home with the Lord FOREVER even if that means death from our bodies.

key principle: philippians 1:21-23

philippians 1:21-23

For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. 22 If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know!

To die is to gain because we would be in the direct presence of the Lord without any encumbrance.

key principle: revelations 6:9-11

revelation 6:9-11

When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. 10 They called out in a loud voice, “How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?” 11 Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and brothers who were to be killed as they had been was completed.

Believers are not asleep in unconsciousness, but rather asleep to us here looking at their perishable body. They are very present and in communion with the Lord.

key principle: i peter 4:6

i peter 4:6

For this is the reason the gospel was preached even to those who are now dead, so that they might be judged according to men in regard to the body, but live according to God in regard to the spirit.

The perishable body dies, but the spirit lives on with the Lord.

key principle: romans 8:18-25

romans 8:18-25

I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. 19 The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. 20 For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.

22 We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.23 Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? 25 But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.

As we live in the tent of the perishable body we wait and long for the imperishable redemption of not only our souls but body to be revealed in Christ.

key principle: ii corinthians 4:14

ii corinthians 4:14

because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you in his presence.

There is coming a day when TOGETHER we will be presented to the Lord hebrews 11:39-40 .

supporting scriptures

hebrews 11:39-40

These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. 40 God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.

key principle: i thessalonians 4:13-18

i thessalonians 4:13-18

Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope.14 We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. 15 According to the Lord’s own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. 18 Therefore encourage each other with these words.

Those who have died {fallen asleep, john 11:11-14 } in Christ will not have to wait for those who are raptured, rather they have preceded us. But it seems that at that resurrection trumpet they shall be raised in the procession of God’s victory over death i corinthians 4:9 ii corinthians 2:14 isaiah 25:6-9 i corinthians 15:54-57 in in their rightful turn i corinthians 15:20-23 so that we ALL may marvel in His majesty ii thessalonians 1:10 .

supporting scriptures

john 11:11-14

After he had said this, he went on to tell them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up.”

12 His disciples replied, “Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better.” 13 Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep.

14 So then he told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead, 15 and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.”

i corinthians 4:9

For it seems to me that God has put us apostles on display at the end of the procession, like men condemned to die in the arena. We have been made a spectacle to the whole universe, to angels as well as to men.

ii corinthians 2:14

I am not writing this to shame you, but to warn you, as my dear children.

my notes:

isaiah 25:6-9

On this mountain the Lord Almighty will prepare

a feast of rich food for all peoples,

a banquet of aged wine–

the best of meats and the finest of wines.

7 On this mountain he will destroy

the shroud that enfolds all peoples,

the sheet that covers all nations;

8 he will swallow up death forever.

The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears

from all faces;

he will remove the disgrace of his people

from all the earth.

The Lord has spoken.

9 In that day they will say,

“Surely this is our God;

we trusted in him, and he saved us.

This is the Lord, we trusted in him;

let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation.”

i corinthians 15:54-57

When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”

55 “Where, O death, is your victory?

Where, O death, is your sting?”

56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

i corinthians 15:20-23

But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.21 For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. 22 For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. 23 But each in his own turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him.

ii thessalonians 1:10

on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed. This includes you, because you believed our testimony to you.

key principle: i thessalonians 5:10

i thessalonians 5:10

He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him.

So while alive we are with Him through the Holy Spirit john 14:16-20 , but we shall be with Him and like Him when we fall asleep or He returns for us i john 3:2-3 .

supporting scriptures

john 14:16-20

And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever– 17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. 18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19 Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20 On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.

i john 3:2-3

Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. 3 Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure.

key principle: ii corinthians 5:10

ii corinthians 5:10

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.

All will be judged by God, but believers will be judged for rewards ephesians 6:8 either to the gain luke 19:17 and keeping of rewards i corinthians 3:14 john 12:25 or the loss of them i corinthians 3:15 . Those rewards being the genuine, loving relationships with others we gained in serving the Lord faithfully i john 5:1-3 i corinthians 13:1-13 psalm 16:1-6 luke 16:9 philippians 4:1 i thessalonians 2:19-20 ephesians 1:18 colossians 1:12 .

supporting scriptures

ephesians 6:8

because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free.

luke 19:17

“ ‘Well done, my good servant!’ his master replied. ‘Because you have been trustworthy in a very small matter, take charge of ten cities.’

i corinthians 3:14

If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward.

john 12:25

The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.

i corinthians 3:15

If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.

i john 5:1-3

Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well.2 This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. 3 This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome,

my notes:

i corinthians 13:1-13

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.

4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.5 It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. 11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. 12 Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

my notes:

psalm 16:1-6

Keep me safe, O God,

for in you I take refuge.

2 I said to the Lord, “You are my Lord;

apart from you I have no good thing.”

3 As for the saints who are in the land,

they are the glorious ones in whom is all my delight.

4 The sorrows of those will increase

who run after other gods.

I will not pour out their libations of blood

or take up their names on my lips.

5 Lord, you have assigned me my portion and my cup;

you have made my lot secure.

6 The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;

surely I have a delightful inheritance.

luke 16:9

I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.

philippians 4:1

Therefore, my brothers, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, that is how you should stand firm in the Lord, dear friends!

i thessalonians 2:19-20

For what is our hope, our joy, or the crown in which we will glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus when he comes? Is it not you? 20 Indeed, you are our glory and joy.

ephesians 1:18

I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,

colossians 1:12

giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.

key principle: i corinthians 15:35-58

i corinthians 15:35-58

But someone may ask, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body will they come?”36 How foolish! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. 37 When you sow, you do not plant the body that will be, but just a seed, perhaps of wheat or of something else. 38 But God gives it a body as he has determined, and to each kind of seed he gives its own body. 39 All flesh is not the same: Men have one kind of flesh, animals have another, birds another and fish another. 40 There are also heavenly bodies and there are earthly bodies; but the splendor of the heavenly bodies is one kind, and the splendor of the earthly bodies is another. 41 The sun has one kind of splendor, the moon another and the stars another; and star differs from star in splendor.

42 So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; 43 it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; 44 it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.

If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.45 So it is written: “The first man Adam became a living being” ; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit. 46 The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual. 47 The first man was of the dust of the earth, the second man from heaven. 48 As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the man from heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. 49 And just as we have borne the likeness of the earthly man, so shall we bear the likeness of the man from heaven.

50 I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51 Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed– 52 in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53 For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. 54 When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”

55 “Where, O death, is your victory?

Where, O death, is your sting?”

56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

58 Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

Our resurrected bodies are glorious bodies like Christ. Jesus was flesh and blood as He dwelt among us john 1:14 , but His resurrected body was a different kind of body i corinthians 15:39-45 as it was not made the natural way, but supernatural way john 2:19-22 mark 14:58 john 1:12-13 . Christ’s resurrected body was flesh and bone luke 24:37-39 not flesh and blood i corinthians 15:50 . The new life is Christ Himself john 6:57 i corinthians 15:45 rather than an intermediary of blood leviticus 17:14 . Thus His body was no longer subject to the basic principles of this world colossians 2:20 romans 6:8-10 , so those elementary principles are no longer masters hebrews 2:14-18 galatians 4:1-9 servants zechariah 12:8
john 20:19 john 20:26 luke 24:31 i corinthians 15:42-44 . Take comfort as we shall be like Him in His glorious body philippians 3:21 i corinthians 15:49 .

supporting scriptures

john 1:14

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

i corinthians 15:39-45

All flesh is not the same: Men have one kind of flesh, animals have another, birds another and fish another. 40 There are also heavenly bodies and there are earthly bodies; but the splendor of the heavenly bodies is one kind, and the splendor of the earthly bodies is another. 41 The sun has one kind of splendor, the moon another and the stars another; and star differs from star in splendor.

If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.45 So it is written: “The first man Adam became a living being” ; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit.

john 2:19-22

Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.”

20 The Jews replied, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?” 21 But the temple he had spoken of was his body. 22 After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said. Then they believed the Scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken.

mark 14:58

“We heard him say, ‘I will destroy this man-made temple and in three days will build another, not made by man.’ ”

john 1:12-13

Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God– 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.

luke 24:37-39

They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. 38 He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? 39 Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.”

i corinthians 15:50

I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.

john 6:57

Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me.

i corinthians 15:45

So it is written: “The first man Adam became a living being” ; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit.

leviticus 17:14

because the life of every creature is its blood. That is why I have said to the Israelites, “You must not eat the blood of any creature, because the life of every creature is its blood; anyone who eats it must be cut off.”

colossians 2:20

Since you died with Christ to the basic principles of this world, why, as though you still belonged to it, do you submit to its rules:

romans 6:8-10

Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. 10 The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.

hebrews 2:14-18

Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death–that is, the devil– 15 and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. 16 For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham’s descendants. 17 For this reason he had to be made like his brothers in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. 18 Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.

galatians 4:1-9

What I am saying is that as long as the heir is a child, he is no different from a slave, although he owns the whole estate. 2 He is subject to guardians and trustees until the time set by his father. 3 So also, when we were children, we were in slavery under the basic principles of the world. 4 But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, 5 to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons. 6 Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” 7 So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir.

8 Formerly, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those who by nature are not gods.9 But now that you know God–or rather are known by God–how is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable principles? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again?

zechariah 12:8

On that day the Lord will shield those who live in Jerusalem, so that the feeblest among them will be like David, and the house of David will be like God, like the Angel of the Lord going before them.

john 20:19

On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!”

john 20:26

A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!

luke 24:31

Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight.

i corinthians 15:42-44

So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; 43 it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; 44 it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.

If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.

philippians 3:21

who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.

i corinthians 15:49

And just as we have borne the likeness of the earthly man, so shall we bear the likeness of the man from heaven.

key principle: john 17:3

john 17:3

Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.

So we have much to hope for a nothing to fear. No matter how your perishable body is done away with you will be with the Lord and receive a glorious body i corinthians 15:35-38 revelation 20:13 . We must conclude that some details and particulars are perhaps beyond our understanding or haven’t even been fully revealed i corinthians 4:6 deuteronomy 29:29 , but we can take great courage and heart that unlike those who reject God and are shut out of His presence ii thessalonians 1:9 our eternal life is secure and that it is not where we go but WHO we go to i thessalonians 4:17 .

supporting scriptures

i corinthians 15:35-38

revelation 20:13

The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done.

i corinthians 4:6

Now, brothers, I have applied these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, so that you may learn from us the meaning of the saying, “Do not go beyond what is written.” Then you will not take

deuteronomy 29:29

The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law.

ii thessalonians 1:9

They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power

i thessalonians 4:17

After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.