When GOD told Adam, “You shall surely die”, and when Paul said, “The wages of sin is death”, this death was forever. Before Jesus Christ provided the hope of a resurrection there was no resurrection, that is a resurrection to immortality as a glorified spirit being.
The three resurrections recorded in the Old Testament were physical life restored, not the spiritual resurrection promised through Christ. In the New Testament none of the resurrections, not even the resurrection of Jesus, was to immortal spirit life. Remember, Jesus wasn’t glorified until he ascended, a fact the world doesn’t know or understand.
Thus far in GODS eternal plan Jesus Christ is the only human being to ever be glorified, to become an immortal spirit being. Jesus was the messiah, he was created by GOD to stand in the gap, to provide the hope of forgiveness of sin and hope of a resurrection to immortality and impeccability. Jesus did not take our sins upon himself, Jesus took the penalty for our sin upon himself, the penalty of everlasting death. However, GOD declared that it would be impossible for death to hold HIS son and resurrected Jesus after 3 days and 3 nights of being dead. Scripture says,
“Who GOD has raised up having loosed the pains of death because it was not possible that he should be held by it.” Acts 2:24
Jesus Christ had to be resurrected from the dead in order to provide resurrections for humanity. This is why it was impossible for everlasting death to hold him.
“For if Christ was not raised your faith is futile, you are still in your sins.” 1 Corinthians 15:17
Romans 5:10 “ For if when we were enemies of GOD we were reconciled to GOD through the death of HIS son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.”
So then, since it was impossible for Jesus to be dead forever because GOD raised him from the dead, those who in faith believe this have also escaped this everlasting death sentence and have passed from death to life.
John 5:24 “Indeed he has passed over from death to life.”
This life is by the Holy Spirit in the saints that is our guarantee that even if we die that death is temporary because GOD through Christ has made two resurrections possible. The saints are in the first resurrection when Jesus returns but all the rest of humanity will be in the second resurrection.
The only possible way to have no resurrection is if a person commits the unpardonable sin because all the blessings of Christ are gone. People that commit the unpardonable sin in this age and during the Millennium will not have a resurrection and their human spirits will be cast into the lake of fire but people of the second resurrection that commit the unpardonable sin are physically alive and are cast into the lake of fire. Whether dead or alive all people that commit the unpardonable sin will be cast into the lake of fire, which is the second death.
Do you see then, that Jesus doesn’t save us from our fist death, the death that all people are appointed to.
Hebrews 9:27 “And it has been unto men once to die but after this the judgment.”
The death of Jesus Christ saves us from the second death, everlasting death, that was what we earned for ourselves before Christ conquered death and through his preaching of the gospel brought life and immortality to light, to our understanding by GODS spirit.
1 Timothy 1:10 “But now has been revealed by the appearing of our savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.”
The hope true Christians have is far greater than what the world understands. Yes, they say, Jesus saves, but they don’t even know what they are saved from. The elect saints of GOD know.
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