Reform Church Audio Articles

Length: 9 Minutes

Paul was someone who suffered quite a lot for the gospel’s sake, but even he acknowledged that Jesus had fixed this, and the death and hurt he suffered was based on his own lack of knowledge (as is always the case – 2 Cor. 4:12, 2 Tim. 1:10, Rom. 8:6). But regarding the relief of his suffering and pain, he said these famous words:

Philippians 1:21 (NKJV) For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

We’ve probably heard that verse quoted many times before. Paul is saying that there was some advantage to him dying. But why would Paul say something like “to die is gain”? That reason can be found here…

2 Corinthians 5:4, 8 (NKJV) For we who are in this tent [this mortal body] groan, being burdened… We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.

Paul speaks of the burden of his mortal body. He says that due to the burdens of that mortal body, he would be well pleased to be absent from his body and be present with the Lord in heaven. 

This explains what Paul meant when he said “to die is gain.” Simply said, Paul’s body was hurting, and he knew that if he died, his spirit would leave his body and be with the Lord, and he would no longer feel the suffering of that earthly body. It’s that simple. And you know what? That’s true. 

If a Christian’s spirit leaves their body, they no longer feel the pain and suffering that their body was experiencing before. Their spirit has changed locations. It has left. It is with the Lord now and is not inside a suffering body anymore. And when you leave your body like that, you can’t feel the hurt of a decaying body any longer. That’s actually true. 

So, in the sense of “temporary pain relief” (and only in that sense) this has advantage for a believer. It has “gain” you could say. Of course, this does not apply to an unbeliever who would end up feeling even more pain when they left their body, but this is true for a believer.

Here is the big problem that I have never heard a single person mention (outside of Reform Church). If you leave your body to be with the Lord, you may not be feeling the decay of that body anymore, but here’s the thing: You didn’t fix anything. Your body is still in a decayed, corruptible state. Your body is still broken. Your body is still dead. You didn’t fix anything. You just left.

Let me put it to you this way: if your house is in shambles and you go on vacation, you didn’t fix your house, right? You just went away and left it. Now, for as long as you’re on that nice vacation, you won’t be experiencing a house that’s falling apart. That’s true. But your house is still, in fact, falling apart. You didn’t fix anything, you just left for a while. 

Now, is there some advantage or “gain” to you in all of this? Of course, there is some gain because you’re not experiencing your broken-down house anymore. You’re on vacation! But did you fix anything? Did you rectify what was wrong? Did you build up that which was broken down? Did you please your landlord? (Hear what I’m saying). No, you just temporarily left, but the only real solution is to fix the house. Then you can happily stay in the house and enjoy the comforts of it. 

This is exactly what it is like for a believer to die and go to be with the Lord. In fact, our body is even called a house in the Bible. Just because there is some gain or advantage for a believer to die and go to be with the Lord, because now, they’re not feeling their broken body, the point remains that God wants to fix their broken body, not just avoid it. 

Paul — the same man who saw that there was some advantage to dying and leaving his body, because he would no longer feel the burden of it — said himself that his desire was not to die and leave his body. His desire was that his broken body would be swallowed up by life!

2 Corinthians 5:4 (NKJV) For we who are in this tent groan, being burdened, not because we want to be unclothed, but further clothed, that mortality may be swallowed up by life.

When Paul says that we do not desire to be “unclothed” that is a word for death. Our bodies are called clothing, in addition to being called our house. If you are “unclothed” that means you’ve taken your body off.  Your body has died, and you have left it. Paul says, we do not want this. Let those words sink in for a while. Ponder them for a minute. You may have never heard that quoted to you before. Paul said that we do not want to die.

What did Paul say that we desire? We don’t desire to die (be unclothed), but “further clothed.” That means being clothed with newness to our body that this mortal body might be swallowed up by life. To sum this up, Paul is saying that we don’t want to die, but we desire for our body to be made new, so that all that hurt, pain, and suffering can simply get swallowed up by the life of God (listen to our, ‘Revealing’ teaching for more on this verse).

You see, there may be some “pain relief” advantage for a believer to leave their body, die, and go to be with the Lord. But that’s just leaving your broken house still broken, while your spirit goes on vacation. Paul says that we don’t desire that, and we have taken this entire series to prove that your landlord, “God,” doesn’t desire that either. We desire that God would give life to the suffering in our body, to fix it. 

You see? When God gives life to your body and heals it, that’s actually fixing the house. When God gives life to your body, that’s the remodel. That’s cleaning up the windows, lifting the beams, and resurfacing the door. That’s giving your house the facelift it needs. If your house is broken down, it’s better to fix it, than to just leave it and go on vacation. If your body is broken, it’s better to heal it, than to be absent from the body. Yes, I know that’s a radical statement. It’s better for your body to be healed than for it to die. That’s the will of God. That’s what Paul meant when he said, “Not that we want to be unclothed.” 

God hates death. And all those who love the Word of God hate death as well (Proverbs 8:35–36). It’s Adam’s curse. Under no circumstances is it a blessing. It has no place and no dominion with a child of God. God doesn’t just want your spirit to live, but your mind and body as well (Romans 8:11). That’s a real thing. Jesus paid a very heavy price to give life to the brokenness of our flesh and bones. Let’s not forget that.

Truth be told, no one (not even people in the world) want to die. They just want pain relief, whether that be emotional or physical. The Bible says that no one hates their own body.

Ephesians 5:29 (NKJV) For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church.

No one hates their own body and wants it to die. No one. They want it to be nourished. They want to cherish it. When people say they want to die, they actually only want relief, and they think that leaving their body is the only way they can get it. And unfortunately, death is the only relief that even most Christians are aware of, when seeing suffering in a person’s life. Not only so, but they even assume that it’s God solution, once a person has suffered enough. But that is the furthest possible thing from the truth. 

Jesus suffered our suffering, He was wounded with our wounds, He was made sick with our sicknesses, and He died our death to prove to us that He didn’t want these things for us. He proved to us that He was willing to take it Himself, so that we wouldn’t have to experience this anymore. Death is not a solution to suffering. Jesus is. 

Isaiah 53:4-5 (LSV) Surely He [Jesus] has borne our sicknesses, And our pains—He has carried them… And by His scourging we are healed.

Whatever you’re feeling, Jesus has already taken it for you. You don’t need to leave your body and avoid the pain. Jesus has fixed it. There is no trouble so tormenting that cannot be swallowed up by the life of God. Jesus paid for it all! 

If someone is dying and says they want to go home to be with the Lord, God is not condemning them, God is not angry with them, but I assure you, God doesn’t want people to be unclothed of their bodies. Many people may die, but it wasn’t because that was God’s solution. God wants to further clothe your body with life, to take away the suffering that Jesus already bore for you! 

For anyone that is suffering, death is not a solution. It never has been. It never will be. You don’t fix hurt and decay with more decay. You won’t be left with anything but decay. God fixes hurt and decay with the life of His Spirit, paid for by the flesh of His Son. That’s the solution. That’s the fix. Death is not a solution for suffering. Jesus is.

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Length: 7 Minutes

Paul said that he “finished his race.” So, doesn’t that imply that there comes a time when we’re supposed to die because our life is finished? Well, it would imply that, if the “race” he was speaking of was referring to his life, but that’s not the way the Bible defines the word “race” at all.

Before we proceed, note that this part in our series needs to be read in correlation with the previous parts, otherwise our broader point will not be conveyed. 

Ok, so let’s look at the verse where Paul says that he had “finished his race.”

2 Timothy 4:6-7 (NKJV) For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

Paul not only says that he has finished “the race” but he has also fought “the good fight.” What is this race that he has finished? What is this fight that he has fought? If you define this race and this “fight” as his life, then it would seem obvious that he is saying that the time he was allotted on this earth has been finished, as if to say that there’s a time for everyone to die. But in fact, both the “fight” and the “race” that he is referring to, is not referring to his life, but referring to his “faith.”

Don’t get me wrong, in this chapter, Paul was telling Timothy that he was about to die soon (see our previous articles for that), but the “race” and the “fight” that he is referring to, that he had finished, is referring to his faith, which he kept all his life successfully. In fact, he defines it right in this very verse. Let’s look at it one more time:

Verse 7) I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

The fight that we are to complete is a fight to keep faith in Jesus. The race that we are supposed to finish is to come to a full assurance of faith in Jesus. That is why after referring to this fight and this race, he says, “I have kept the faith.” He defines the fight in the race very clearly as “keeping the faith.” But let’s use some other verses as well. 

Let’s see how Paul says to fight the “good fight” elsewhere in scripture:

1 Timothy 6:12 (NKJV) Fight the good fight of faith…

Do you see? Is the fight referring to Paul’s time on earth? Or is the fight referring to faith? It seems obvious from this verse that the fight that we are supposed to successfully complete is faith in Jesus.

How about the race that Paul is saying that he finished? Let’s look at the book of Hebrews:

Hebrews 12:1-2 (NKJV) …let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith…

How does Hebrews say that we run this race? He says, “Looking onto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.” Again, the race itself that we are to complete, is faith in Jesus! Looking unto Jesus, in fact, is faith! Of course, he’s not saying that we look at Jesus with our eyes, but that we look at Jesus with our minds. That’s faith (2 Corinthians 4:18, 5:7).

Also, for those that understand “the obedience of faith,” and how our obedience to the gospel is “faith” (Romans 16:26), look at this verse below. It describes our faith (our obedience to the Gospel) as “running.” 

Galatians 5:7 (NKJV) You ran well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth [referring to faith]?

In addition to all of this, the concepts of fighting and racing are used together again in 1 Corinthians 9. Here, he says that the ONLY way to win the crown of glory at Jesus’s second coming, is to fight this fight and to run this race. 

1 Corinthians 9:25-26 (NKJV) …Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air.

This scripture says that only when you run this race, and fight this fight, will you receive a crown of glory at Christ’s second coming!  If the race is merely referring to our life, well, everyone does that. But if the race truly is faith, then that would make sense why only those that run this race will receive a crown of glory at Christ second coming! 

Here is the sum of it all: We do not have the privilege to define biblical terms the way that we see fit, according to our assumptions about life. We need to allow the Bible to define its own terms, and nowhere in scripture does it define “the good fight” or “the race” as our time here on earth. 

Paul said he had finished the race. If the race is his life, then that would mean he finished his life’s course. But if the race is referring to his faith, then that merely means that he kept the faith. 

You may have heard that “this race” was referring to Paul’s life on earth, but that cannot be substantiated scripturally. The Bible clearly defines this “fight” and “race” as faith, which needs to be completed by every man, if he’s going to see salvation. 

And so, this concept of, “Paul died because he had finished his time here on earth” is an assumption that cannot be substantiated by this verse anymore. Paul is referring to how he had kept his faith in Jesus and completed that task successfully, not that he had finished his allotted time on earth. 

Paul did die, but he didn’t die because God had appointed a time for it. Jesus already died all our death, once for all time at the cross. People die for lack of knowledge of that fact (Romans 8:6). Our appointed time to die was 2,000 years ago, hanging on that tree (Hebrews 9:27). Therefore God is not appointing that to us anymore.

It is so important to know that, because the going theory in the church today, is that God allots people, even His children, only a certain segment of time to live. That is an assumption that people make, in an attempt to explain why people die. And if you’ve thought the same, God is not mad at you, but He does want to show you the truth.

The truth is, death is a curse that was placed upon Adam, which is not God’s will for anyone; which is why Jesus came to die in our place, to remove it. That’s the actual truth. But, when we make assumptions, such as, “God allots only a certain time for people to live, even His children,” that tarnishes the reputation of God. We are teaching people that God has essentially given everyone a death sentence, and after you have run your course, He ends your life. 

The reason why I need to state these things so bluntly, is because this is what you’re actually hearing today, but most people will mask it in prettier words. But I’m here to tell you that, God has not allotted a certain segment of time for you or your loved ones to live. God wants you to hear His words, so that He can actually prolong your days! But how long does He want to prolong your days? As long as the days of Heaven (if you weren’t sure, that means forever). 

Deuteronomy 11:18-21 (NKJV) “Therefore you shall lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul… that your days and the days of your children may be multiplied… like the days of the heavens above the earth.

God wants to prolong your days forever, but for those that have died, God’s will is that they be raised up again! He just wants people to live, and He gave up the only Son that He loves to make that happen, if you’ll believe it.

What a beautiful God we have! What a beautiful Savior He is to us. There’s no one that has done for us what He has. And when you forsake old, man-made doctrine, and realize the truth of who He is, in Christ, you’ll go from crying out to heaven, “Why?”, to shouting out to God, “Thank you so much for what you’ve done!” 

(This article is only addressing a very narrow point, so be sure to read our other articles in this series for the full idea.)

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Length: 9 Minutes

When someone dies, people say that it was God’s “time” for them to die. Not only is that untrue, but God is trying to do quite the opposite. He’s trying to cause people to live (Romans 8:11). And you would think that would be less controversial than it is. 

It is so important that we have a firm foundation on how to understand God’s nature. We understand God by looking at Jesus. Even in Jesus’ earthly ministry you never saw Him call for someone’s death, not even once. In fact, He made it His practice to raise them back up. 

God is against death and would rather die Himself than to see anyone else go through that. And how do we know that? Because that’s what we see in His Son, His exact representation (Hebrews 1:3).

If we see it in Jesus, then we know it is true of God. Jesus never “called people home to heaven” or refused to raise someone because it was “their time to die.” If someone was dying, He healed them, so that they could live. If they were dead, He raised them back up, so that they could live again. That’s Jesus, and therefore that’s the Father. 

We’ve already proved so much in this series, so please read the previous parts. 

People don’t die because God appointed them that time. I assure you, He did not. People die for lack of knowledge of how Jesus already died for them. 

So if God is not appointing people a specific “time” to die, then why did Peter and Paul know that their death was approaching (2 Peter 1:14 and 2 Timothy 4:6)? Why does the Bible say that God told them they were going to die soon? Why would God tell them that? Well, the answer is as simple as can be: God told them that their death was approaching, because it was… but not because it was His will. Lots of things happen on this earth that are not God’s will (Matthew 6:10). 

For instance, God told Nineveh it was going to be destroyed. Is that because He wanted them to be destroyed? Of course not. He told them because it was true, and it was coming up. God actually wanted Nineveh to turn from their unbelief and live, and they did. 

All through the Old Testament, God pronounced wrath and coming judgment upon Israel. Is that because it was His will? Or is it simply because it was going to happen, despite Him wanting them to live (Ezekiel 33:11)? 

Jesus predicted Peter’s denial. Is that because it was his will? Or did Jesus predict it, despite His will? 

Jesus predicted Israel’s fall, because of their unbelief. He even said it weeping. Is that because it was His will? Or is it simply because it was going to happen, despite what He wanted for them (Luke 19:41-44)? 

Never mistake God prophesying something, for God willing something. God doesn’t always say things because He wants them to happen. He says things because they’re true. Likewise, the fact that God informed Peter and Paul that they would die soon, is not evidence that it was God’s will. In fact, it was not God’s will for them to die. 

You see, Jesus already provided redemption from death and resurrection to raise the dead. He already provided it, but we need to receive it by understanding it! This is Christianity 101. The same way that Jesus provided salvation, but you needed to believe it in order to be saved, so it is with the resurrection of the dead, or with anything else. Jesus provided it, but we need to grow in our knowledge to receive it. It’s not automatic. That shouldn’t be a shock. That’s how you got saved. 

And so, despite the fact that Jesus provided life for everybody, if people die, they die because of carnal mindedness. They die because of what they don’t know about Jesus yet. The Bible couldn’t be clearer on this:

Romans 8:6 For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

I challenge you to read the book of Proverbs. See if there’s even a single time that death is a result of the wisdom of God. Or is it rather due to folly and lack of understanding (Proverbs 8–9)? 

Peter and Paul definitely knew Jesus, but they did not know Him in full. And as with all death, it was because of what they didn’t know about Jesus that caused their death; not that it was God’s will or God’s timing. 

So, did God know when Paul and Peter were going to die? Yes, He did. Did God tell them when their death was approaching and that they would be with Him? Yes, He did. Was that God’s will or His timing? Not a chance. They died like anyone dies. They died because of what they did not know regarding Jesus’ provision.

But what about the book of Ecclesiastes? It says that there is a time to be born and a time to die (Ecclesiastes 3:2)? How can we possibly refute that verse? Well, quite easily. The entire book of Ecclesiastes is written from a purely worldly point of view. Solomon wrote the book of Ecclesiastes to show the lot of someone who lives “under the sun.” In other words, “earthly.” That book is not written to show us our heavenly realities in Christ, or to show us all our spiritual blessings from the Lord. That book is written exclusively to show how useless and vain the life of a person is, who seeks meaning and purpose from the earth, rather than from God. And therefore, at the end of the book, Solomon concludes that the only thing actually worth doing, is to do what God says!

If you are relating with the experiences described in Ecclesiastes, you are relating with the lot of an unsaved person, living on the earth. We have a lot to learn about who we are in Christ, if we are relating with the experiences written in a book, which expressly states that it is describing a useless life (Ecclesiastes 6:12).  

Yes, for those living “under the sun,” for those who are of the earth, there is a time to be born and a time in which they will die. That’s the truth. But for those who have a Spirit from “above the sun,” we are able to live differently (Romans 8:2). We should be thinking on the things of heaven, where Christ is, because that’s where our life comes from (Colossians 3:2-3). 

So that’s Ecclesiastes, but what about that verse from Hebrews, which clearly says that, “It was appointed every man to die once.” The irony of that verse is, it’s actually amongst the best verses to show that men aren’t bound to death anymore.

Hebrews 9:27-28 (NKJV)  And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. 

People typically only quote the beginning of that verse which says, “It is appointed for men to die once.” Meanwhile, the whole point of the verse is found in the statement that follows. He says, “it is appointed for men to die once,” but that’s why Jesus offered Himself once (to fulfill the death that was appointed to us). 

We quote this verse as if it legitimizes the necessity for everyone to die, meanwhile it’s actually contradicting that statement. It’s saying that the very death that was appointed every man, is the one death that Jesus fulfilled on our behalf. Why was Jesus only offered to die once? Because that’s how many times it was appointed for us to die. This verse is actually proving that our appointed death was already fulfilled by Christ. Jesus died our death already, so we don’t have to die it again, neither does anyone have to remain in it.

So there was an appointed time for every man to die. We did receive that appointment through Adam, but our appointment with death was fulfilled, by Jesus’ once-for-all-time offering, at the cross. Jesus didn’t cancel our appointment with death. He simply went to the appointment Himself, so that all of us could live instead. 

For the amount of times that Christians say that God is their loving Father, you would think more Christians would find it complementary to His nature, to find out that God is not killing His children. We’ve been proving from scripture that God is not putting His children to death at an appointed time, but sent Jesus for us, because He wants everyone to live. And if anyone dies, He wants to raise them back up again. 

You would never put your children to death, so why would you attribute that to your Heavenly Father, despite the scriptures to the contrary? Probably because you were taught wrong. If a physical parent acted as terribly as we accuse God, we would put them in prison, and rightfully so. And if humans, being evil, know how to give good gifts to their children, how much more should we not be receptive, when someone comes around and shows us from scripture, that God is not appointing His children to a death sentence, but sent His Son so that we could live?

We have appealed to you on a purely scriptural level thus far, and will continue to do just that, but how would we not at least be receptive to hearing the scripture in this series, if even we, who are often ignorant and foolish, would never put our children to death. Yet we accuse God of these things that we would never do, and of things that we definitely cannot see in His Son.

Everyone’s time to die is done. It’s fulfilled. You could say, “It is finished.” If we will receive it, it’s now time for people to live. And that is all thanks to the love of God that was demonstrated in Jesus.

Hebrews 2:9 (NKJV) But we see Jesus… that He by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone.

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Length: 6 Minutes

When someone dies, the church tells us that the Lord “called them home” or, “It was their time.” If, when people die, it is simply because the Lord called them home at their appointed time, then why did Jesus routinely raise people back up from the dead in His earthly ministry? For that matter, why has God been raising people from the dead since the Old Testament? 

Jesus, who is the exact representation of God — Jesus, who said, if you’ve seen Him, you’ve seen the Father —  whenever He was called to the bedside of those who had died, actually raised them back up from the dead. 

If, when someone dies, God simply “called them home, because it was their time,” then why did Jesus, the exact representation of the Father, raise them back up from the dead. Perhaps God had His timing wrong? Perhaps God had called them home, but then changed His mind? Or perhaps we’ve literally been accusing God this entire time of killing people, and all the while, He just wants to give us life. 

How about all of the verses scattered throughout scripture, that tell us that, when we receive the word of God, it will prolong our days? Why would God advocate prolonging our days if He has an appointed time to call us home? Maybe He got the date wrong on His calendar? Maybe He needs to set it off in the future a little bit more, to get it right this time? Or maybe, God doesn’t like death and just wants us to receive His word, so that we can live (Deuteronomy 4:40 and 6:2, Proverbs 28:16 and 10:27).

Whatever you see in Jesus is what is in the Father. What you don’t see in Jesus, is not in the Father. We have a serious dilemma when we accuse the Father of “calling people home,” and yet we can’t say the same thing of His exact representation, Jesus. 

Jesus, the image of God, chose to raise people back to the land of the living. And if you’ve seen Him, you’ve seen the Father.

John 14:9 (NKJV) He who has seen Me [Jesus] has seen the Father…

Luke 9:56 (NKJV) For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives but to save them.”

Did you ever see Jesus kill someone to send them to heaven? Really? Even one time? Can you show me one verse where Jesus caused someone to die? Even one verse, where He told someone, “No, I won’t raise that person from the dead because it was their time?” If this is the Father’s routine practice, — to call people home, at their “appointed time to die” — then why don’t we see that in His Son? 

Why don’t we see that even one time in all of Jesus’ ministry? The reason why you don’t see it in Christ, is because truthfully, you’ve never seen that from the Father either. We’ve simply made erroneous assumptions about God’s nature because we see someone die. All the while, the Father is not responsible for “calling people home” today. He isn’t calling anyone to die and go home to Him in Heaven. His Spirit is trying to give life to our mortal bodies, if we’ll receive it (Romans 8:11)! 

And yet, the book of Hebrews says that it was appointed for every man to die once, so doesn’t that disprove everything we’re saying? Not at all. It actually makes our point firmer. The problem is, people don’t continue to read the rest of the sentence. Hebrews says that although it was appointed for every man to die once (through Adam) Jesus fulfilled that one death appointed to us, by offering Himself up once at the cross. 

Hebrews 9:27-28 (NKJV) And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. 

This may sound simple, and it truthfully is, but most Christians do not understand the simple truth that Jesus died our death. Of course, they know that Jesus died physically, but it has yet to sink in that this physical death was ours that He was fulfilling. And if Jesus already died our death, how can we continue to say that it is appointed for every man to die once, today, if that appointment with death was already fulfilled by Jesus?

Jesus already fulfilled the death of those you know. Every man was appointed to die once, and therefore, Jesus died once to fulfill it for us! And doesn’t that just make sense out of all the people that Jesus, and His followers, raised from the dead? If Jesus was indeed coming to fulfill the death that was appointed to us, what call would there be for anyone to stay dead any longer? 

If a Christian dies, the Lord will certainly receive their spirit to Heaven, but it’s not because God appointed their body to die or called them home at that time. I’m not saying that a particular person that died didn’t know the Lord at all, but for sure, I am saying that people die for lack of knowledge of the death that Jesus already fulfilled for them. There is no other reason. 

Romans 8:6 (NKJV) For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

(Also Proverbs 8:35-36, John 11:40, Ephesians 4:18, and Hosea 4:6)

The same way that Jesus provided salvation for the whole world, but if they don’t know it, or are immature in that knowledge, they can’t receive it, so it is with the resurrection of the dead, or anything else. If you don’t know it, or are immature in that knowledge, you’re not going to receive it, although Jesus already provided it. 

People die for lack of knowledge, not because Jesus called them home.

When people say “God called someone home,” unfortunately, they mean that God killed someone, even His children. If that sounds harsh, it’s because it is. But none of this is true. Quite the contrary. God has been so misrepresented and His reputation has been tarnished, but I have good news for you. God already sacrificed His own beloved Son in our place, to take away the death that was appointed to every man. 

God is not “calling people home” today. If you want to talk about people’s time to die, I sure hope you’re talking about 2,000 years ago, in the body of that Man hanging on the cross (2 Corinthians 5:14). That was the day that everyone died, through the body of that one Man who loved us. 

The time to die has already been fulfilled. The time for people to live and be raised has come! Welcome to the New Covenant.

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Length: 5 Minutes

Just about every Christian believes in immortality and in the resurrection of the dead, but many, if not most, see these things as something that is reserved for Jesus’ second coming, or for heaven someday. Of course, they believe that God has the ability to raise the dead now, but in their mind, this is more the exception to the rule than anything. What they don’t realize is, Martha thought this exact same way, but Jesus corrected her.

John 11:23-26 (NKJV) Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”  Martha said to Him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”  Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?”

Martha agreed that her brother Lazarus could be physically raised from the dead, but she told Jesus that this was something that would only happen on the last day, when He returned. But you’ll notice that Jesus corrected her saying, “I am (currently) the resurrection and the life.” In other words, “I’m here right now. There’s no need to wait.” Martha said, “He will,” but Jesus said, “I am.” What Martha thought was for the future, Jesus knew was for the present.

So, Jesus encouraged Martha to believe Him, and then raised Lazarus’ physical body from the dead, as is normal and natural for those who understand that death has already been fulfilled through the cross. No need for anyone to be held by death any longer.

When someone dies, the vast majority of preachers are immediately going to tell you things like, “At least they’re in heaven now” and “You’ll see them in heaven one day” or “They will be raised when Jesus comes back.” Notice this: All of these things are about some sweet by-and-by in the future and do not acknowledge at all what Jesus has already finished for their bodies. Just like Martha, we don’t even consider that resurrection is here right now, ready, and available! 

It is absolutely true that when a believer’s body dies, their spirit is in heaven with the Lord. Their spirit is doing just fine. But to say, “They are in heaven, and we will see them one day,” shows that we have no idea that God’s will is for people’s bodies to be raised from the dead now (Matthew 10:8).

If we’re being honest, when someone dies, is the first thought in a preacher’s mind, “Oh, I can pray for them to raise them back up again”? I doubt it (it’s probably not in their mind at all). Our first thought is normally about how we will see them again someday in the future, either in heaven or when Jesus comes back. We feel that their death will only be rectified some time in the future. Brothers and sisters, this is wrong. Just like Jesus corrected Martha, we are wrong if we think that resurrection is something that we need to wait for in Jesus’ second coming. 

Jesus is not coming back again to die the death of the world (Hebrews 2:9), Jesus is not coming back to become our resurrection and life, and He’s not coming back to finally become our access into this grace (Romans 5:2). He has already done all of these things in His first coming, in which He abolished death and provided life and immortality for all of us, which can be given to our mortal bodies (2 Timothy 1:10 and Romans 8:11). 

It is unfortunate to think that Jesus came and died on the cross so long ago, freeing everyone from their graves, and when someone dies, all we can talk about is when we will die also, and see them in heaven. And, as with Martha, we believe their resurrection will only happen when Jesus comes back again. When someone dies, most Christians are left longing for the future, all the while they could be looking to that one beautiful victory over death in the past (Matthew 27:52). 

Martha thought the exact same way that most of the church thinks today. She was looking for Lazarus’ death to be rectified sometime in the future, completely missing the Answer that was standing right in front of her at the time. But Jesus is not going to be the resurrection and the life. He IS the resurrection and the life now. He already tasted death for everyone a long time ago, and He’s been waiting for people to receive Him as their Resurrection ever since. 

It’s not the exception to the rule, for someone to be raised from the dead now. It would be an exception to the rule if you waited. 

Martha thought she had to wait, but Jesus corrected her. And while most Christians wouldn’t want to admit that they would respond like Martha, if it’s hard for someone to receive this truth now, or even in this article, how do we think we would respond any different than Martha? 

Jesus isn’t mad at anyone. He’s not condemning anyone. He loves you so much and He simply wants you to believe this wonderful truth, that people can live again. After all, He paid an awfully high price to get it to you.

Jesus told Martha that she did not have to wait until heaven or the resurrection someday, to see her brother again. And the same thing is applicable to you, because Jesus died for everyone. No exceptions. This is not hard and it’s not too good to be true. It’s good and it is true. Family, friends, or anyone else can live again. It may take some time for you to understand what Jesus has given, but it is as simple as can be, because Jesus did the hard part. 

None of this is a problem anymore, and you don’t have to wait. Jesus, our Resurrection and Life has come.

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Length: 6 Minutes

When the church teaches about people living forever or being raised from the dead, it is most commonly taught as something that will occur when Jesus comes back. I am here to tell you that immortality and the resurrection of the dead is something we have received through Jesus’ first coming on the cross, not through His second coming.

Take a look at the account of Jesus’ crucifixion:

Matthew 27:50-52 (NKJV) And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit. Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many.

Do you see how it says the graves were opened? That means that freedom was provided for everyone in the grave. That means that no person who has died is held there anymore. And when did that occur? Not in Jesus’ second coming, but in His first.

When Jesus died, He was dying our death. He was tasting of the death of all humanity at once (Hebrews 2:9). It wasn’t His own death, but ours. And that is why the moment that Jesus forfeited His life, everyone was given freedom from their graves. 

The veil had been torn, symbolizing access into the things of heaven, and the graves of the physically dead were opened, showing that the exit out of death had been made (Hebrews 9:24, 10:19). The physical bodies of many saints even came out of their tombs after Jesus was raised because of this! This was no spiritual resurrection. They appeared to many people after they came out of their physical graves.

Even though all believers will be raised from the dead in Jesus’ second coming, don’t misunderstand, if they’re raised on that day, they are late to the party! Resurrection is an old thing, provided at the cross, two thousand years ago, when the veil was torn and the graves were opened. They’re not going to be opened. They are open and holding no one. It’s not something that’s going to be provided, but something that was already provided.

2 Timothy 1:10 (NKJV) but has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel,

Jesus brought life and immortality to us in the first appearing, not His second. And yes, that’s speaking about life that God wants to give to people’s physical bodies (Romans 8:10). So don’t let anyone tell you that you need to wait to see someone raised from the dead. It is available today. Jesus isn’t going to die for you or your loved ones again. It is finished. Resurrection is available to everybody.

And yet, one of the top objections to this type of teaching will be, “If Jesus really provided it, then why do so many people die without being raised? Why do even many Christians die without being raised? If Jesus provided it, why don’t I see it?” But I’ll tell you, if you went by that logic, you wouldn’t even be a Christian today (1 Peter 1:8). You currently believe in a God that you’ve never seen. You believe in his Son, whom you’ve never seen either. You believe in a heaven, that you’ve never seen. You even believe that God has sent His Spirit to live on the inside of you, which you have never seen. You believed these things without seeing them, and only after you believed, did you receive these things. You believe without seeing first, and then you received it. That’s how it works.

You chose to walk by Faith, not by sight, and yet, when it comes to the resurrection of the dead, we allow our eyes to be our guide, rather than God’s word. Romans 8:10 says that God wants to give life to people’s bodies. John 11:25 says that Jesus is the resurrection (in context of raising someone’s physical body). Ephesians 1:19 says that we have the power that raised Jesus’ physical body. Matthew 27:51 says that Jesus’ death has released peoples bodies from their graves. The Bible is filled with scripture like this. And despite this clear scriptural evidence, sometimes our biggest objection is, “I’ve never seen that.”

You don’t see something in order to believe it. You’ve been called to walk by faith, not by sight. It’s not that you’ll never see it. You simply believe these things first, and then you will see it. This is the same principle that saved you. You believed without seeing first, and then you received it. Likewise, with the resurrection of the dead. You first believe that the cross of Christ freed people from their graves, and then you will see the evidence of it afterwards. It doesn’t work the other way around.

In fact, that’s the very thing that Jesus told Martha, specifically regarding raising her brother Lazarus from the dead. He told her that she had to believe it first, by His word, and then she would see it manifested.

John 11:39-40 (NKJV)  Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, “Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days.” Jesus said to her, “Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?” [then he proceeded to raise her brother’s physical body from the dead]

Martha was concerned, but Jesus told her that if she believed, she would see the glory of God manifested in raising her brother up. But she had to believe it first. Then she would see it. Believer, you should be used to this — believing in things you don’t see, I mean. You don’t see it to believe it. You believe it to see it. 

Jesus really did provide these things in His first coming. Jesus is never going to die a physical death for humanity again. It wasn’t His death. It was our death He died. And he died in a physical body. We believe these things because of the persuasion of the word of God first. And once these things are believed, you’re gonna start seeing people raised from the dead! But as long as we refuse to believe that Jesus provided something, because we don’t see it yet, you’re simply not going to see it in your life.

It is through belief and knowledge of these things that they become effectual in our lives (1 Peter 1:2, Philemon 1:6). So, keep reading with us. Jesus provided what you need. Take your time learning it. You don’t need to rush it. But just know that resurrection was provided at the cross, and the graves are open now, not later.

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Length: 5 Minutes

The resurrection of the dead is not something that is unusual or uncommon to born-again believers, who have the same power that raised Jesus from the dead living inside of them. If it seems unusual, it is because we are just out of the loop! We simply don’t realize the very power living inside of us. Power to raise the dead is a normal, everyday thing for us.

In fact, the same Jesus that commanded His disciples to “love one another” is the same Jesus that commanded His disciples to “raise the dead.”

Matthew 10:8 (KJV) Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.

This is a real thing that Jesus commanded His disciples, because Jesus wants people to be raised from the dead. He wants people to live! And you say, “Well Jesus was just speaking to His disciples at the time.” I find it funny that we sort of “pick and choose” the things that are applicable to us, when referring to the words Jesus spoke to His disciples. When He tells them to, “Love one another” we are OK with that, but when He says, “Raise the dead” we try our best to look for a way out of it. 

Contrary to many people’s opinion, Jesus did not provide one thing for His disciples and another thing for us. Jesus did not bleed out of one arm to provide one thing to His disciples and out of His other arm to provide a different thing for us. There is one atonement and one provision, through one cross. And every time one of His disciples raised the dead, they were doing so by power that Jesus provided at the cross. Otherwise, how did His disciples receive it? The only way to receive anything from the Father is through Jesus’ atonement, through faith in it (Romans 5:2).

This commandment to raise the dead, from Jesus to His disciples, is just as applicable to us, as His commandment to love one another. Raising the dead is not unique to the disciples or localized. The same atonement, by which the disciples received power to raise the dead, is the same atonement that is available to you. It’s not as if, we have to receive things through Jesus, but His disciples got some special backstage pass, to receive from God a different way than us. Everybody receives the same grace, through the same faith, in the same Way. After all, there’s only One. 

The “raising from the dead” power that the disciples used, is the same that is available to us, and more so. All of this is not even mentioning the fact that men of God have been raising the dead since the Old Testament. Even the dead bones of Elisha, after he was buried, raised a man from the dead when they came in contact (2 Kings 13:21). Are we to believe that the dead bones of an Old Testament saint had more power available to them than we do, as born-again believers, who live after the Savior has come? Woe to us, if that’s really the case. It would have been better for us to have lived under the Old Testament, if that were true. 

But no, raising the dead power was not something that only His disciples received, and could freely give. Ephesians 1 makes it clear that we not only have power to raise people’s bodies from the dead, but we have the same power that raised Jesus’ mortal body into a perfect glorified body! We have freely received this, and we can freely give.

Ephesians 1:19-20 (NKJV) and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead…

As much as most Christians have no problem quoting that verse from Ephesians, which says that the same power that raised Jesus from the dead is toward us (or at our disposal), those same Christians just might look at you sideways if you talk about raising up dead family or friends like it’s normal. To them I would say, “What’s the use in having the same power that raised Jesus’ physical body from the dead, living inside of you, if we’re going to think it’s strange when someone talks about raising the dead? It seems like a terrible waste of resurrection power, if it’s living in you, and yet you think it foreign for someone to actually use it.”

Jesus and His disciples routinely raised the dead, yet we can do greater works than these. But how will we ever receive “greater works” than Jesus did in His earthly ministry, if we can’t even accept that the works He did, are applicable to us today?

John 14:12 (NKJV) “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.

Raising the dead is not a strange thing. It is God’s will — no, even further — it is your right and inheritance through Christ Jesus, to raise those who have died back to life. 

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Length: 6 Minutes

Most Christians will admit that physical death was a curse placed on Adam for his sin (Romans 8:10). And yet, most Christians also believe that everyone has “their time” to die, and our loving Father “calls us all home” at one point or another. If you didn’t know, those are just fancy ways of referring to death. So I’m confused. Is death a curse placed on lawbreakers or is it some beautiful finale that God appoints, even to His children? 

When most people see Jesus’s physical death at the cross, they just think, “That wasn’t to make me exempt from physical death. That was just to take the punishment for sin.” You may think that yourself. The irony of that statement is that physical death is, in fact, the punishment for sin. 

We’ve gotten so accustomed to people dying that we forgotten that death is a punishment. Death is a curse. Of course, I’m not saying that God is punishing people for sin today (Jesus ended that). When someone dies today, it’s not because God is punishing them. No way. But death was the punishment placed on Adam for his sin, and that punishment spread to every man born after him. 

Romans 5:18 (NKJV) Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation…

Because Adam sinned in the garden, and was punished with physical death for it, that condemnation (physical death) spread to everyone born after him. Physical death is Adam’s curse and condemnation.

Every Christian will acknowledge that Jesus took the punishment for our sin to redeem us from it. What they don’t understand is that physical death is that punishment! The wages of sin is bodily death, which was placed on Adam in the garden (more info in our Exit Earth article).

Romans 6:23 (NKJV) For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 8:10 (NKJV) And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.

When Romans 8:10 says that the body is dead because of sin, that’s talking about Adams sin. There is no other sin in the world except Adam’s. When you understand that, you realize that through Adam’s sin, peoples bodies are now dying, apart from Jesus. Bodily death was a punishment placed upon Adam, not a blessing. 

Here’s the good news: Jesus already took the punishment for Adams sin! That punishment was physical death and that’s why Jesus came to die physically! It’s already fulfilled for us! It was already taken at the cross! 

Christians say they believe that Jesus took punishment away from them, and yet they still maintain that death is inescapable and permanent. They don’t realize that the death they’re claiming is inescapable, is in fact punishment! If death is inescapable and permanent, then you haven’t been redeemed from the curse at all! Then we are all still held under the curse! We are all under bondage to punishment for Adam’s sin! And in that case, Jesus has not yet redeemed us from punishment. In that case, we are not free from the curse. But thank God, that is not true! Jesus did fulfill all the curse and punishment for Adam’s sin in His own body! He died physically, thus redeeming us from it, and freeing everyone in their graves, so that they don’t have to stay there anymore. It has been fulfilled (Matthew 27:52).

You may be a believer, who would never say you are under the curse (and you’re not), but whenever you say that “everyone dies,” or when you treat death as permanent, you are actually stating that we are all still bound under the curse. Death is that curse, and if you claim you’re stuck in it, you’re saying you’re bound to the curse, and that’s simply not true. 

We can try to put lipstick on the pig, to beautify death as a momentous finale to a life well lived, but that’s not the way God sees it. Otherwise, He would not have used it as a punishment for sin. And not only on Adam, but all through the Old Testament as well. Death has never been a good thing. Ever. God places death squarely on the side of evil, not on the side of good.

Deuteronomy 30:15 (NKJV) “See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil…

I don’t mean to rock the boat too much but hold on tight. Here’s a controversial statement: Death is a bad thing, and God thinks so too. That’s why it was used for punishment against lawbreakers in the Old Testament. God does not use death as a blessing. He does not use death to improve people. He does not use death as a teleportation device to bring His children home. Death is a curse that Jesus already defeated 100% at the cross. It’s already done. By faith, no one has to go through this anymore, and if they do, they can now be raised again, because Jesus already bore that curse! He finished it, and life is now available to anyone who would believe Him. 

Thank God, for those who have received redemption. The curse of death is a broken one. It is finished! And that’s why no one needs to stay sleeping anymore. Hallelujah! Thank you Father for your amazing love! I am so sorry for all the untrue things that people say about you, but thank you for the truth of your Son, which is renewing the hearts of people, to see you clearly.

Q: What if a believer dies? Are we saying that they are under the curse? 

A: All the contrary! They are completely free from the curse! Death has no more dominion over them than it does over Jesus (Romans 6:9-11).  Believers don’t have to die (like Enoch, Elijah, and more importantly, our glorified Jesus), but even if a believer dies for lack of knowledge (as is always the cause, Romans 8:6), they can get right back up easily, because they’re free. Even if a believer dies for lack of knowledge, it’s not holding them. It has no dominion. If they sleep, they can be woken right back up, because there’s no more hold. Jesus defeated it.

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Length: 2 minutes

2 Peter 1:3 says that when we received the Spirit of God, we were given anything and everything, that concerns, or is related to, the life of God. 

2 Peter 1:3 (NKJV) as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue…

When we begin to think of “anything and everything” that has to do with life, it is so simple to see how things like healing, wellness, and youthfulness are already ours. All of these things and more have to do with life…and we have been given all of them! 

The beautiful thing is that since we are those who know the Lord and continue in the gospel, we are not alienated from that life (Ephesians 4:18). We have that life right here inside of us! In us we have everything that is, in any way, pertaining to life. Those that suffer from blindness of the heart, and do not continue in the gospel are estranged from Gods life, but we who have eyes to see, we who continue in the truth, have life… and all that it entails! We have become partakers of all of this through the knowledge of Christ. 

2 Peter 1:4 (NKJV) ..having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

One thing we never receive from God is death or corruption. Neither death nor corruption is in any way related to the life of God. It’s the exact opposite! We’ve only been given life from God, not death — life and not corruption. Anything that has to do with life, from the least to the greatest relationship to it… we have all of it!

Healing from any disease, wellness and youthfulness for our minds and our mortal bodies, complete recovery from any ailment or condition – yes, anything and everything that is related to the life of God!

Today, we see Jesus free of every ailment. The only things He has are the things related to life — nothing related to death. In the same way, we have everything related to life and nothing related to death. It is simply not ours anymore. We may see death in the world but it’s not ours. Why? Only the things related to life, are yours and mine!

Pastor Jose

Length: 5 Minutes

Ephesians 1:19-20 (NKJV) and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead...

Everyone likes to quote Ephesians 1, which says that the power that is toward us (at our disposal) is in proportion to the power that raised Jesus from the dead. But for some reason, it is most frequently spiritualized, and not seen as a resurrection that should be used for people’s physical bodies. Despite the fact that it raised Jesus physical body from the dead, which is the context of the verse.

If you didn’t know, physical death was not in the world before Adam sinned, but was a result of Adam sinning in the garden (Romans 5:12, 8:10). And because physical, bodily death was the result of Adam, Jesus came in a physical body, to take that physical death on the cross. 

When the church speaks about Jesus redeeming us from death, almost exclusively, they will talk about “spiritual death” or separation from God. We need to recognize that Jesus took on a physical body (not a spiritual one) to take on physical death, which came from Adam. And seeing as, whatever Jesus took on the cross is what He was trying to redeem us from, it should be easy to understand that exemption from physical death is something we have through Him! 

Physical, bodily death came through sin, and God wants to give life to peoples physical, mortal bodies. 

Romans 8:10-11 (NKJV) And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness… He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies…

These verses are describing the bodily decay and mortality that came into this world through Adam’s sin (we know this verse is talking about Adams sin, because there’s only one sin in the world, and that’s Adams). But these verses also say that, the same way that the Holy Spirit raised Jesus from the dead, He also wants to give life to the death in people’s bodies! We need to focus on that word “body.” This is not talking about some spiritual death or separation from God. This is talking about physical, bodily death, that the Holy Spirit is opposed to — physical, bodily death that the Holy Spirit wants to give life to. 

The church has spiritualized this “death” that Jesus came to redeem us from so much, that verses like this don’t even mean what they were intended to mean anymore.  When someone speaks about, “the resurrection of the dead” we assume that must be an analogy for “behaving better than we used to,” or “having a relationship with God,” but it completely escapes our mind, that perhaps, our Savior took on a physical body to take physical death in it. And perhaps, when He says He wants to give life to your mortal body, He really means what He’s saying. And why would Jesus need to die in a physical body if He was only coming to redeem us from some spiritual death? 

Even when we hear about Lazarus being raised from the dead, and Jesus telling Martha that He is “the Resurrection,” we assume that it must be figurative for resurrection from spiritual death. Despite the fact that Jesus was saying this to a woman whose brother had just physically died, whom He was about to physically raise, many still find a way to spiritualize it.

In fact, if you read the account carefully, Jesus has a conversation with Martha, in which He asks her to believe that He is the Resurrection, and says that those who believe can live again! Then, while in front of Lazarus’ tomb, just before raising him from the dead, Jesus referred back to that conversation with Martha, about Him being the Resurrection. He actually contextualized Him being the Resurrection, by applying it to raising Lazarus (John 11:25–26, 40). What am I saying with this? When Jesus encouraged Martha, that He was the Resurrection, He was referring to resurrection for physical bodies, like Lazarus’.

Lazarus was raised back up and restored to his family, because that’s what Jesus came to provide all of us. That’s not a fairytale. That’s not too much to expect. That’s why Jesus came! And you can start learning these things and easily receive this as well.

Physical death came into this world through Adam, but the last Adam (Jesus) came to fix what the first Adam started. There’s no reason for you to think that you can’t receive resurrection for people that you know. If Jesus already died the world’s death on the cross, what need would there be for anyone to stay asleep anymore? It is finished! Our physical death was fulfilled in Christ’s body, on that tree, 2,000 years ago. That’s why it is right, it is correct, and it is easy for people to be raised from the dead, because Someone already lovingly fulfilled that, for them! What love, what grace, what consideration, the Lord has demonstrated toward us…

Hebrews 2:9 (NKJV) But we see Jesus… that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone.

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