Friday: Further Thought ~ Resurrections Before the Cross

Further Thought: Read Ellen G. White, “The Death of Moses,” Pages 469-480, in Patriarchs and Prophets; “The Voice of Stern Rebuke,” Pages 129-142; “A Prophet of Peace,” Pages 237-243, in Prophets and Kings; “The Centurion,” Pages 318, 319; “The Touch of Faith,” Pages 342, 343; “Lazarus, Come Forth,” Pages 524-536, in The Desire of Ages.

Image © Stan Myers from GoodSalt.com

“In Christ is life, original, unborrowed, underived. ‘He that hath the Son hath life.’ 1 John 5:12. The divinity of Christ is the believer‘s assurance of eternal life. ‘He that believeth in Me,’ said Jesus, ‘though he were dead, yet shall he live: and whosoever liveth and believeth in Me shall never die. Believest thou this?’ Christ here [in John 11:25-26, ] looks forward to the time of His second coming. Then the righteous dead shall be raised incorruptible, and the living righteous shall be translated to heaven without seeing death. The miracle which Christ was about to perform, in raising Lazarus from the dead, would represent the resurrection of all the righteous dead. By His word and His works He declared Himself the Author of the resurrection. He who Himself was soon to die upon the cross stood with the keys of death, a conqueror of the grave, and asserted His right and power to give eternal life.” — Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, p. 530.

Discussion Questions:

Many people died during the prophetic ministries of Elijah and Elisha, as well as during Christ’s own earthly ministry. Only just a few were resurrected. (See Luke 4:24-27.) Think, too, about the experience of all of the dead, in that whether resurrected in the past or at the Second Coming, what difference does it make, at least in regard to what it was like to be dead?
Many writers over the centuries have written about the futility of a life that ends always in death. Along with other living creatures — chickens, beavers, oysters, etc. — we all die. However, for humans, in a sense our predicament is worse than for the animals, because we know that we are going to die. (See Eccles. 9:5.) Chickens, beavers, and oysters don’t. Why, then, is the promise of the resurrection so crucial to us?
If you think that the soul is immortal and that the dead, especially the righteous dead, live on in heaven after they die, what need is there for the resurrection at the end of time?
If someone called and asked, “Is Sally there” you might answer, “Yes, but she’s sleeping.” If, however, someone called and asked, “Is Sally there” you are not going to answer, “Yes, but she’s dead.” Why not? What does this teach us about the nature of death?