Questions RE:

John 11. To set the stage; Lazarus, brother of Mary and Martha had died. Jesus tarried a few days before He headed toward them. Mary remained at home but Martha came out to meet Him on the road. The following is the record of their meeting...

"20 Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met him: but Mary sat still in the house.

21 Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.

22 But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee.

23 Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again.

24 Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day."

Martha, like everyone else around Jesus during His ministry, believe He was avoiding the issue since, like us, they related everything to the flesh and Jesus saw spiritual lessons in everyday walk of life. So, she'd like, 'Yes I know all about that but my brother is dead.' That's my view of her statement.

"25 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:"

Now was He still speaking exclusively about the spiritual or the physical or perhaps both? I think perhaps both but you decide for yourself.

"26 And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?"

Was He speaking of physical or spiritual life? We know Lazarus was one of those who Jesus raised from the dead. You can decide for yourself but you must consider that Lazarus is not living today in a human body.

When I first got saved I attended a SB Chruch, Rockwood 1st Baptist. They taught me that once saved always saved. God was not satisfied that I knew the truth from SB. He undid everything I thought I knew and showed me in His Word what He wanted me to believe.

My question is 'Do you believe that whosoever liveth and believeth in Him shall never die?' I invite you to be like Martha and not like Mary, go to meet Him. He is moving toward you.

Fordtunate Son

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Re: Questions RE:

May 30, 2023, 5:51 PM

>My question is 'Do you believe that whosoever liveth and believeth in Him shall never die?'

I've always thought of it as a spiritual rebirth, but it's a fantastic question when posed as "What did Jesus think?"

Since he was a Jew and well versed in scripture, he probably thought like a Jew, at least initially. That is, there's no indication that Jesus ruffled any Temple feathers as a child, while he was schooling rabbis. So whatever he said must have been in accordance with their beliefs.

Whatever happened in his later years, from John the Baptist onward maybe, was different enough that it got people's attention, in good and bad ways.

To this day, many Jews think the body will physically rise from the grave when New Jerusalem comes. That's why they want to be buried at the Eastern Gate - to be "first in line" and all.

"Most Orthodox Jews believe that the physical body will be resurrected in the Messianic Age, when the good will rise from the dead. For this reason, Orthodox Jews forbid many procedures that they consider to cause damage or destruction of the body after death, and will bury their dead rather than cremate them for this reason."

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. 1 Thess 4:16

So Jesus may very well have meant the physical body. It's hard to say. But it does lead to the question of, since Jesus was a Jew, was he a Pharisee or a Sadducee (or maybe even an Essene, or Zealot, or some other faction?)

The Pharisees did believe in physical resurrection. They became todays Orthodox Jews.
The Sadducees did not in physical resurrection. They got wiped out when the Temple was destroyed in 70.
I'm not sure what the Zealots or Essenes thought.

But if Jesus was a Pharisee, physical resurrection would fit into his world view.

Which leads to yet another question...if Jesus WAS the son of God, when did he know it? And when did he express it? I have to think it would be difficult to have a normal childhood if the whole town knew the son of God was growing up down the street. Plus, imagine how crummy it would have been to be James:

Joseph walks in the room in the middle of an argument...
"No, James! You brother is God! He's right and you are wrong. Do you expect me to tell God he's wrong?"
Tell me that wouldn't get under a kid's skin if he heard that enough times. Talk about sibling rivalry.

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