The Resurrection That Enables Us to Overcome Pain and Death

Amen... Jesus will surely fulfill this word for us just as it is written. Jesus went to prepare a place for us, and He promised that He will soon come again, receive us unto Himself, and cause us to dwell forever with Him. That place is heaven, prepared for us, where there is no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, nor pain.

John 14:1-3 “1Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in Me. 2In My Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto Myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.”

First, what we must understand is that death was not with mankind from the beginning. The Bible testifies that because of the sin of the first man, Adam, death came upon all men.

Romans 5:12-14 “12Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: 13For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law. 14Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam’s transgression...”

Hebrews 9:27 “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.”

As these passages teach, because of man’s sin, God appointed death unto mankind. However, because of His great love, God sent the last Adam, Jesus Christ, for all people, and He opened the way for those who believe in Jesus to live forever again with God.

1 Corinthians 15:21-22 “21For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. 22For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.”

1 Corinthians 15:45-47 “45And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. 46Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual. 47The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven.”

Even so, some people say that there is no resurrection. But if there is no resurrection for us, then, as the apostle Paul said, we are truly most miserable. This is because, without the resurrection, our end is nothing but death. Therefore, the despair and suffering of parents who have had to send away an innocent young child before them, of those who died after experiencing only hardship and pain without tasting happiness in this world, and of those who have lost someone they truly loved, are truly beyond words. In other words, we would be left with no comfort and no hope at all. Because of this, people may easily give up and say, “This is just what life is.” Or, on the other hand, they may put every effort into trying to live well in this world by any means. But such efforts can easily become excessive, harming others and even harming themselves. In this way, if this world is all there is, our lives cannot help but be miserable.

1 Corinthians 15:12-20 “12Now if Christ be preached that He rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen: 14And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain. 15Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ: whom He raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not. 16For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised: 17And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. 18Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished. 19If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. 20But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.”

As this passage teaches, we do not have only this life, but we have the resurrection. Therefore, we are not miserable. The Bible also tells us about those who lived on this earth as “strangers” and “pilgrims,” and it says that the reason was that they were seeking a homeland. The same is true for us. We too must live in this world with the heart of “strangers” and “pilgrims,” just as they did. This is because we also have “a better country,” and this world is not all there is. That is why the Bible says that our citizenship is in heaven.

Hebrews 11:13-16 “13These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. 14For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country. 15And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned. 16But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for He hath prepared for them a city.”

Philippians 3:19-21 “19Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things. 20For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: 21Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto His glorious body, according to the working whereby He is able even to subdue all things unto Himself.”

As these passages teach, we are no longer people who remain in this world only to die here. This is because death is not the end. For those who believe in Jesus, there is the resurrection, and there is the “heaven” that Jesus has prepared, where there is no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, nor pain. Abraham also believed in the resurrection. That is why he was willing to offer up Isaac, his beloved son, and was able to become our father of faith.

Romans 4:17-18 “17As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations, before Him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were. 18Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be.”

Now we too, as descendants of faith, must believe in the resurrection and in the promise of Jesus, just as our father Abraham did. According to the written Word, Jesus will soon come again and receive us unto Himself. And when Jesus comes again, He will not come alone. He will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus, who have gone before us, and He has promised that all of us will dwell forever with Him. Therefore, that time will surely be a moment of great joyful reunion for us. Truly, this word is a great comfort to us and enables us to overcome death with boldness (1 Corinthians 15:55-58)!

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 “13But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. 14For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him. 15For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. 16For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 18Wherefore comfort one another with these words.”

Amen.